Less than 2 months from now, the MLB 2015 postseason begins and I'm a baseball fan wondering anyone can predict who is going or where they are headed.
Currently (Aug. 11), American league standings leaders are the KC Royals (Central), NY Yanks (East) and Houston Astros (West); while the National has the St Louis Cardinals (Central) with the best record in MLB, NY Mets (East) and LA Dodgers (West). AL wild card potentials are the Angels (my home team), Blue Jays and Rays try to continue winning games; and in the NL wild card, the Pirates or Cubs unless the San Francisco Giants (current world series champs) can clinch another chance in the end.
To managers of other teams, I would say don't worry about the Giants -- this is not their year. It's a rare situation where it is OK to look ahead to the next series, to rest your best guys, etc.
It would be interesting to see that million-to-one shot pay off in October!
I want to see the Royals go all the way. They are my proxy team because they are stuffed with ex-Brewers we traded to make our run in 2011. It was foolish of Milwaukee to fire Ned Yost down the stretch in '08 too. He should've been there when we broke that playoff drought, because he helped bring us there. I want to see him succeed.
The National League; just somebody please beat St. Louis for me and I'll be happy.
Could 2015 be the year of the Cubs? There a museum who'll give away a DeLorean if the Cubs win the World Series.
http://www.usatoday.com/videos/sports/mlb/cubs/2015/03/03/24315661/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADXs2C4Vmho
Heck, right now in NL Central, even the third-place Cubs and second-place Bucs, both erstwhile underdogs, have a better record than any other division leader save Kansas City.
And have we noticed, Buc=Cub spelled backwards? Because that's significant, right? Gotta be significant.
iPhone
BEARS
JAPANESE BEARS
Quote from: corco on August 12, 2015, 09:41:15 PM
BEARS
JAPANESE BEARS
Speaking of Japanese professional baseball, the Buffaloes team have a companion mascot, Buffalo Bell who can be seen with Buffalo Bob in home games. She should go on a North American tour in our majors and minors, then Buffalo Bob won't have someone to cheer on the team with.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwEFrgzjkwk
Since my Red Sox are out of it, I'll be rooting for ABY: Anyone but the Yankees. I'd love to see a "Something's Gotta Give" Astros vs. Cubs World Series
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 15, 2015, 01:21:09 PM
Since my Red Sox are out of it, I'll be rooting for ABY: Anyone but the Yankees. I'd love to see a "Something's Gotta Give" Astros vs. Cubs World Series
If that were to happen, it would be exactly ten years after the Astros faced that other Chicago team, and lost in a sweep. Too bad that neither the Marlins nor the Rays will be in it.
So the postseason's started, eh? I'm hitching my fandom boat to the Astros this postseason as I think they might be this year's 2014 Royals.
My incredibly unlikely postseason predictions:
NLWC: Pirates over Cubs
ALWC: Astros over Yankees
NLDS: Cards over Pirates, 3-1.
NLDS: Dodgers over Mets, 3-2.
ALDS: Astros over Royals, 3-2.
ALDS: Jays over Rangers, 3-0.
NLCS: Cards over Dodgers, 4-2.
ALCS: Jays over Astros, 4-3.
WS: Jays over Cards, 4-3.
No, Cubs has to win the World series this year :sombrero:.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on October 07, 2015, 10:01:16 AM
No, Cubs has to win the World series this year :sombrero:.
:no:
Go Pirates! :bigass:
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on October 07, 2015, 10:01:16 AM
No, Cubs has to win the World series this year :sombrero:.
Amen to that! :cheers:
Quote from: DaBigE on October 07, 2015, 10:19:50 AM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on October 07, 2015, 10:01:16 AM
No, Cubs has to win the World series this year :sombrero:.
:no:
Go Pirates! :bigass:
Let's put it this way: if the Cubs are gonna boot the Pirates after one game again, they damn well better go all the way!
iPhone
Quote from: empirestate on October 07, 2015, 12:26:15 PM
Quote from: DaBigE on October 07, 2015, 10:19:50 AM
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on October 07, 2015, 10:01:16 AM
No, Cubs has to win the World series this year :sombrero:.
:no:
Go Pirates! :bigass:
Let's put it this way: if the Cubs are gonna boot the Pirates after one game again, they damn well better go all the way!
iPhone
Even if they do, Cubs are not beating STL in a 5 game series
While I'm still a bit mad that my team (Angels) worked hard to lose when it counted the most, I'll pull for the Cubs.
Would be cool to see the curse broken.
Interesting story, that there's a Go Fund Me account to bring Bartman to tonight's game in Pittsburgh.
While I'm still a bit mad that my team (Angels) worked hard to lose when it counted the most, I'll pull for the Cubs.
Would be cool to see the curse broken.
Interesting story, that there's a Go Fund Me account to bring Bartman to tonight's game in Pittsburgh.
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/chicago-cubs-steve-bartman-wild-card-game-pittsburgh-mlb (ftp://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/10/chicago-cubs-steve-bartman-wild-card-game-pittsburgh-mlb)
Yanks and Pirates are out. Both put up goose eggs.
I'm stuck rooting for an LA team or a NY team in the National League since the other participants are hated foes who can get bent.
Lots of fresh blood in the AL; most of those teams only recently broke long playoff droughts. As a fan of parity, that makes me happy.
Come World Series time, it seems likely I'll be backing an AL team.
I'm so happy that my Cubs are moving on to the NLDS! Now I'm hoping that they can upset the hated Cardinals, then whoever wins the other NLDS series in the NLCS and the AL opponent in the World Series.
KC vs. Toronto in the ALCS; two teams packed with ex-Brewers.
Traded all those prospects to make a run in 2011 and fell short courtesy of the St. Louis Yankees. And now look. Back to the basement for another decade (probably) while other teams are taking our talent to the World Series.
Damn you, sports!
Good thing there's football.
Quote from: ET21 on October 07, 2015, 02:25:33 PM
Even if they do, Cubs are not beating STL in a 5 game series
I didn't think so either, but it turns out they've done both these things.
So now the Mets-Dodgers NLDS still has to be decided tonight, with the winner hosting the Cubs. Because I used to live in L.A., I'll pull for the Dodgers.
It's an odd numbered year (http://wap.mlb.com/sf/news/article/20151003152978626/); we don't even root against the Dodgers anymore. It would be nice to see the Cubs win one, or the Blue Jays. But whoever does, that's cool. except the Mets
Cubs vs. Mets in the NLCS. I guess hell hath frozen over.
I kid, but I would not have guessed this matchup at the start of the season.
The last time the Mets and the Cubs were this at odds was in 1984, when New York Top-40 station WPLJ appropriated the theme song of the new movie Ghostbusters and created the "Cub-busters" movement.
Unfortunately for the Mets, the new Ghostbusters movie is still a little ways off.
At this point only the Cubs could keep the Mets from being a sentimental favorite. Good for them.
Quote from: Henry on October 15, 2015, 12:00:04 PM
So now the Mets-Dodgers NLDS still has to be decided tonight, with the winner hosting the Cubs. Because I used to live in L.A., I'll pull for the Dodgers.
Because my parents and all my relatives are from Brooklyn, I will never pull for the Los Angeles National League Franchise.
Quote from: 1995hoo on October 16, 2015, 08:58:16 AM
Quote from: Henry on October 15, 2015, 12:00:04 PM
So now the Mets-Dodgers NLDS still has to be decided tonight, with the winner hosting the Cubs. Because I used to live in L.A., I'll pull for the Dodgers.
Because my parents and all my relatives are from Brooklyn, I will never pull for the Los Angeles National League Franchise.
How about the scab team?
Well, the NLCS is now set, with Cubs-Mets kicking off in New York. IIRC, this is the first time that teams from New York and Chicago square off in the postseason of any sport since the history-making Bulls defeated the Knicks in the second round of the 1996 NBA playoffs.
Also, it's the first-ever playoff meeting between the Cubs and Mets; I could be wrong, but the White Sox and Yankees have never played against each other during postseason play. And I'm sure it's been a while since the last time the Bears played the Giants, or the Blackhawks played the Rangers.
In terms of postseason yes. Blackhawks just played the Rangers last week for the home opener
Giants beat Chicago en route to Super Bowl XXV, 31-3.
This may be wishful thinking, but I'm rooting for a Kansas City vs. Chicago World Series. KC's ahead 3-0 in their game against Toronto who knocked out Texas after a wild 57-minute 7th inning top and bottom just a few days ago. I'm rooting for Chicago to take down the Mets in the NLCS, KC to take down the Blue Jays in the ALCS.
If KC win against Toronto and goes against the Cubs, will this series might be called the "battle of 110" due to Route 110 aka CKC highway? ;)
Then a Toronto-Chicago World Series would be cool as well.
Well, the Cubbies went kerplut thanks to Joe Maddon and his team underestimating the better pitching and hitting by the Mets. Now it's a matter of who they will meet in the World Series after Game 6 of the Toronto/KC series. I'm still pulling for KC to meet the Mets.
At this point, it won't matter, because I'll be happy if the AL team beats the Mets in the World Series.
Well, don't get your hopes up too high because the Mets have a very good lineup. That's tells you that Edison Valquez and Johnny Cuedo need to step up the offense because in both their outings in the ALCS, they've given up five runs apiece. That's 10 runs combined for Cuedo and Valquez. They must ill afford to give up anymore runs to the Mets.
And...that's the World Series. KC wins 7-2, wins the series outright 4-1!
After Royals lost the World Series to SF Giants last year by a minimal margin, and after Mets swept away Cubs from the Back to the Future prophecy, I wanted KC to win the World Series, and so did. Congratulations to the team.
Starting next year, I'm becoming a part-time fan of the Cubs (Although with regard to MLB and the other Major leagues as a whole I'll continue to be impartial). I hope that, after more than a century, they finally clinch a third World Series soon. As I said in another thread, I don't believe in the Curse of the Billy Goat, and if such a curse was ever in place it was probably broken when the Alanland thread (Which had a goaty share) was shut down.
Personally, if the Cubs want to win the World Series, they need to encourage the Chicago Bears to hire Andy Reid.
Reid was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Phillies went on to win the World Series.
Reid is now the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Royals went on to win the World Series.
Clearly, a theme is born!
I wish they would make the play in game a 3 game series.
Outside Kansas City, I'll bet that Cubs fans are the happiest about the outcome. I know I am!
Quote from: Henry on November 02, 2015, 12:09:47 PM
Outside Kansas City, I'll bet that Cubs fans are the happiest about the outcome. I know I am!
Some of us Cardinals fans are happy, too. I, personally, was rooting for another I-70 Series at first, and then went with the Royals as "my team" for the rest of the postseason after your Cubs knocked us out.