2016 Postseason Discussion

andyb 2016-10-07 16:57:29 UTC #21

One could argue that Francona is the best manager we have had in the last 20 years. We just never gave him a team where he could show it.

zambonir 2016-10-07 20:48:52 UTC #22

Francona might be the best Phillies manager of the past 50 years. I think everybody knew they were letting someone good go when they did it too.

I think I am reluctantly rooting for the Giants because I have some grudging respect for them and having seen the Red Sox turn into monsters, the novelty of seeing a curse broken is no longer appealing to me. And relucantly rooting for the Dodgers all the way, because of Chooch and Chase. Also Giants-Dodgers NLCS would be nuts.

Rangers in the AL, or Indians.

zambonir 2016-10-07 20:50:29 UTC #23

Guess I won't be rooting for the Rangers for long.

tom81 2016-10-07 22:14:35 UTC #24

I'm rooting for a Blue Jay / Dodger WS with the Jays winning and Happ being MVP. J.A. was one of my favorites and I love the revived career story.

Philsmania 2016-10-07 22:18:16 UTC #25

Really?! Nah, Tito was pretty bad here. When the Phillies fired him, there wasn't exactly a rush of other teams to hire him or a chorus of people around the country saying "Those idiots in Philadelphia didn't now what they had." like we saw when the Eagles fired Kotite and Rhodes. And, when the Red Sox hired him, there was a good deal of head-scratching. And those 2004 and 2007 teams in Boston probably had such perfect chemistry that those teams basically policed themselves.

zambonir 2016-10-07 22:35:43 UTC #26

Well, maybe that's hindsight or faulty memory, but in all the years I have talked about the Phillies while the Internet existed (i.e. since Fregosi) nobody ever thought any manager was any good, and only Ozark and Charlie would be candidates to be considered better right?

I certainly think his failings in Philadelphia didn't have much to do with him and my recollection is he wasn't really blamed for them either, it just wasn't tenable to keep him around. Really, he was Wade's scapegoat, in the season of Andy Ashby's flop and trading Schilling. Had they kept him I'm sure he would have matched Bowa's success, maybe even done better.

BostonRoss 2016-10-08 00:39:46 UTC #27

I would have used Britton in the 9th. The Jays heavy hitters were up, and the Orioles could have lost the game then with Britton never getting in. But with Britton still available in the 11th, I think you had to use him there, with the big bats up again.

BostonRoss 2016-10-08 00:41:19 UTC #28

I'm sick of replay, and I think the game would be just fine without it, and with plays like that going to the runner.

But if you're going to use replay, you have to reverse that call.

BostonRoss 2016-10-08 00:43:33 UTC #29

In order: Red Sox, Cubs, Indians, Dodgers, Rangers (those two because of all the ex-Phils), Blue Jays, Giants (they've won enough lately), Nationals (unless they move back to Montreal)

zambonir 2016-10-08 01:15:48 UTC #30

I can't help but fear this is gonna go bad for the Dodgers. They have Jansen in for two-inning save in 4-3 game and then he came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 9th. Means nothing if he pitches the usual ninth, and even a PH would have only had a smallish chance of knocking in runs, but we shall see.

zambonir 2016-10-08 01:25:01 UTC #31

Reverse jinx complete Of course he looked unhittable. Turner and Harper were putty. Werth can still extend an AB, god love him.

LoneStarPhan 2016-10-08 04:21:18 UTC #32

Sad night here in the DFW metroplex. Wonder if an early elimination of the Rangers will hurt in the vote on city funding for a new stadium. $500 million dollars resting on the vote in November.

Rangers out hit the Blue Jays this afternoon, 13-6, but it's runs that determine the winner. Jays with four home runs off Darvish. Rangers start the 5 game series with back to back losses. Last year, they started the ALDS with back to back wins but then lost the final 3 games. Can they win the next 3? Yes, but I'm not counting on it.

Giants outhit the Cubs, 6-3, but the Cubs scored the only run of the game to win. Nationals also outhit the Dodgers but also lost. Cleveland was the only winner of the day who also had more hits than the losing team.

donaldorc 2016-10-08 08:53:06 UTC #33

Of the teams I am rooting for in this series, only the Rangers lost.

olgrandad 2016-10-08 15:10:53 UTC #34

Remember the Phillies sweeping the Indians last summer by, I think, identical 4-3 scores?

Dirk41 2016-10-09 02:19:17 UTC #35

Granted, they aren't giving much room for criticism, but the fawning over the Cubs is nauseating. You'd think they had 4 aces or something.....

Philsmania 2016-10-09 17:22:21 UTC #36

If the Cubs finally punch through and get to the World Series, the America's Team phenomenon surrounding them will be overwhelming and something tells me their fans will go from heroic to insufferable fast, like Red Sox fans after 2004. They'll be like the Da' Bears guys in that SNL skit from the early '90's.

julio 2016-10-09 18:22:52 UTC #37

Stereotype much?

Les229 2016-10-09 19:39:52 UTC #38

He is right about the Red Sox fans. I have not missed a Phillies home Spring Training game since '04 and that spring they were the worst ST fans I have ever seen. I hate the games they come to Bright House.

olgrandad 2016-10-09 20:00:45 UTC #39

Hey, Les, I gather it's not going to be "Bright House" any longer...

zambonir 2016-10-09 20:26:54 UTC #40

I'm with Philsmania, I actually jokingly said that to a friend of mine the other day - "I'm rooting against the Cubs because I don't want my friends in Chicago to become like Boston people." And listen, Phillies phans could have become insufferable too if they'd won a couple of more rings. I think it especially rankles for Philadelphians because we have to root for the losingest team in baseball history without ever being "cursed" or "lovable" (though unlike the Cubs and Sox we had 1980).