Baseball!

Baseball is starting!  WHOOOOO!!  I love baseball.  I’m watching George Bush get booed out of his home park and throw a high hard one to Nationals manager Manny Acta.  It’s going to be a fun season I think because the Indians have a chance to make the playoffs and I think the front office knows what they are doing.  Unlike a certain hockey team I follow.  Okay, back to my tax questions.  I just wanted to post about how happy I am that baseball is starting.  I have the mlb.com audio pass so that is how I will follow the Tribe again this year. 

Thanks for reading.

I Hate Sports Right Now and Eric Wedge is Still Dumb!

Since Thursday it has been a bad time for me sports-wise.  The Panthers keep losing and the Indians used a total team effort to choke the ALCS away 3-1.  I don’t want to type about it because I would still be sitting here typing until Thursday.  Now all I have to look forward to is the roller coaster that is the Panthers, the 3-3 Browns who only beat bad teams and a Cavs team that is not fun to watch other than LeBron.  Ohio St. is #1 in college football but the way the entire college football season is going that won’t be for long.  So I’m thinking there will be a lot more cards and video game posts for awhile.  I need a little break from the sports for a few days.  I’m on vacation this week so I probably won’t be posting until the weekend. 

One win to go!

One win to go to get to the World Series.  Apologies for no power rankings yet this week.  I might have to skip it for the next couple of weeks as I have had meetings to go to after work all week and I have course work to do plus I’m on vacation next week and my wife and I are going to go to Ottawa for awhile and get together with friends, etc. 

The Indians had a great game 3 and 4 with two well pitched games by Westbrook and Byrd and the entire lineup has produced offensively.  The infield defense has been excellent and the bullpen has been amazing.  Game 5 worries me because Beckett is pitching.  If C.C. can match Beckett and get it to the bullpen then we will have a good chance to win the game.  I know the Indians really don’t want to go back to Boston and there are too many Red Sox players who were on that 2004 team that came back against the Yankees.  Still, the Indians should win this series now that they are up 3-1.  Here’s hoping.

Thanks for reading.

Gutz!

Jeebus.  The Indians have scored 7 runs ending with Gutierrez hitting a three run home run over the monster.  If Borowski gives this 13-6 lead up in the bottom of the 11th then he should be taken off the postseason roster and not be able to come back to Cleveland on the team flight.

Hey!

Guess what?  It’s the 11th inning, there are two guys on and Hafner’s spot in the lineup is up!  So instead of freaking Travis Hafner, one of the best hitters in the AL and someone who came through for us in Game 2 of the ALDS we get 52 year old Trot Nixon hitting against a lefty!  Watch him come through too.  Heck if Bob Brenly won a World Series with the decisions he made in the 2001 Series then we can win one with Wedgie too.  But if Nixon hits into a double play there may be no more posts tonight because I have proceded to throw my laptop into my new plasma TV. 

Of course Nixon gets a hit and the Indians are up 7-6.  Maybe it’s better to be dumb.

Wow!

Tom Mastny I love you.  I still think Wedge is dumb but Mastny came through.  Good for him.  Now if Gagne pitches maybe we can get a couple of runs and leave Boston with the split.

Eric Wedge is still dumb

The Indians are going to the bottom of the 10th and they are tied 6-6.  Lewis and Betancourt have been lights out since Perez gave up 3 runs in the 5th.  So who’s next?  Borowski, the best reliever left?  Nope.  It’s Tom Mastny.  Against freaking Ortiz, Ramirez and Lowell.  If they give up a run because their second worst reliever is on the mound in the biggest inning of the season so far then I will be angry.  Hell, I’m angry now.  Shouldn’t you go with your best relievers first?  Especially when they are on the road.  I’m going to go because they just showed the “Ortiz postseason moments” montage and I have to puke before the at bat starts.

Eric Wedge is dumb

It’s 6-6 in the top of the 9th in Game 2 against Boston.  Hafner gets a two out single.  Wedge pinch runs Barfield.  Why would he do this?  What if a guy gets on in the 11th and it’s Barfield’s turn?  I would rather have Hafner up in that situation.  Then with Martinez up Barfield stole second and we took the bats out of Martinez’s hands.  Garko hit the ball hard but right at Lowell. 

Buck and McCarver are convinced that David Ortiz beating a throw on a double play ball has been a huge play.  I think the huge play of Boston’s 5th inning were the two home runs hit by Ramirez and Lowell.  But all announcers want to talk about are the “little things”.  I think big things win ball games, not little things.  But that is just me.

The big story of tonight was Carmona not throwing enough strikes and being pulled after one batter in the 5th and then Rafael Perez imploding and giving up 3 runs, two on back to back home runs.  The umpires are really squeezing Indians pitchers tonight but that can’t be controlled. 

Hopefully the Indians can pull this one out.  I want it to be nice and cold Monday night because Dice-K does not look like he is comfortable in the cold and Westbrook should be fine.  I think Sabathia should go in Game 4 on 3 days rest if we are down 2-1 or 3-0.  Otherwise Byrd should get the start.

ALCS Preview!

The Indians start the ALCS tomorrow night against Boston.  I had a big statistical analysis with cool, Baseball Prospectus stats like EqA and WARP and ERA+ to use but I forgot to measure the stat of time available to do a big statistical analysis.  I am going to play hockey tonight and that should be fun.  I think the stats would support what I think.  The first game starters are a wash.  The second game is in favour of the Indians and Game 3 favours Boston.  I think Wakefield is a slight advantage over Byrd in Game 4.  The Indians middle relief is better than Boston’s but Boston’s closer actually inspires confidence in their fan base, unlike Borowski.  The offenses depend on how Sizemore and Hafner hit.  Martinez is better than Varitek, Youklis is probably better than Garko, Pedroia is better than Cabrera, Peralta is better than Lugo, Lowell had a better year than Blake.  So around the infield, Boston holds the advantage at first, second and third.  If Hafner hits like he can then the DH position can be a wash.  In the outfield Ramirez is better than Lofton and Sizemore is better than Crisp.  I don’t know who has the better rightfielder.  If Drew hits like he can then it’s a big advantage for Boston otherwise it will be a rush.  So I think Boston has the edge on paper.  But if Carmona/Sabathia wins 3 games then I think the Indians can win one of game 3 or 4 at home. 

My prediction:  Indians in 6.  Off to hockey.

On to the ALCS!

One series down, two to go! Borowski did the job even though Abreu hit a huge HR into the third deck. Betancourt was lights out in the 8th. Now they rest until Friday and have Sabathia-Beckett in Game 1 and Carmona-Dice K in game 2. I think we will be fine.

EDIT:  During the day Schilling was named the Game 2 starter.  I still like the matchup with Carmona.