Author Topic: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?  (Read 56393 times)

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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #125 on: November 03, 2016, 01:19:08 AM »
That was a disappointing finish, but taking the World Series to 7 games, into extra innings, despite all the injuries and issues we've faced, is still a hell of a season. Next year we'll get Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar back, the rookies will have another year of experience, and maybe a guy like Bradley Zimmer emerges as a major part of the team. We'll be back stronger in 2017, and won't have the longest drought in baseball for long.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #126 on: November 03, 2016, 02:43:59 AM »
Okay, NOW you can say the curse is over!

Hell of a game to watch as a neutral fan.  Overall I found the series kind of boring as the games tended to be one-sided but this game seven was an absolute classic.  I totally thought when the Indians tied it up that the Cubs were finished.  Nothing would be more typical Cubs then to be four outs away and then blow it.  Oh and to have Chapman give up the tying run after Joe Maddon made the questionable decision to work him hard the day before in a blowout?  Yeah, that's like Grady Little-Pedro Martinez level stuff that only happens to "cursed" teams.  I can't imagine what it was like for Cubs fans at that point.   But then maybe that's how this stuff has to happen.  The 2003 team wilted and died when that Bartman thing happened but this team handled adversity well and hung on to win it all.

I think it's pretty remarkable that in my adult life I have seen three baseball teams with 80+ year droughts win a championship.  There are people that lived full lives that never saw the Red Sox, White Sox or Cubs win a World Series and I have.

Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #127 on: November 03, 2016, 03:22:17 AM »
Wow. Just wow.

I'll admit it took a while for me to warm up to baseball. Hockey was a bigger interest of mine as child. I remember my dad tuning in as the Jays won their two back to back World Series and that was a big deal. Then the World Series got cancelled and I thought that was strange and just meant the Jays were automatically champs since no one else had defeated them yet. But my interest in baseball waned for some time and I just knew bits and pieces of it. The Yankees won a lot at the end of the decade but were despised for their high spending ways. Seinfeld sort of tempered my dislike for the Yankees though. I knew the Braves were a good team from commercials on TBS that would promote them a lot. It was always exciting to be able to stay up late and see something like SNL as a kid. I remember there was one bit on Weekend update and the Braves were playing the Indians in a series. A Native American was interviewed and was talking about all the ways that the Braves name and logo were offensive to Native Americans. But when asked about the Indians name and logo he was all positive about them and how it was all inoffensive. It’s funny what sticks in your head but I’ve always remembered that little segment.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #128 on: November 03, 2016, 03:22:39 AM »
After the World Trade Center attack, I remember also how people were actually rooting for the Yankees to win because of wanting to see something positive happen for New York. Watching that World Series is what started getting me into baseball. However, it was 2003 that really got me into a fan of baseball (at least for the playoffs). Having watched most of the episodes of Cheers by this point, I had begun to develop an affinity for the Red Sox and knew about their tortured history from the curse of the Bambino and other notable World Series losses. So, I was hoping to see them win to end that hex belief and make history having not won the World Series since 1918. At the same time, the Cubs also made the postseason that year and I became familiar with them and how they also were supposedly cursed and had not won since 1908 which was 10 years longer than the Sox. Both teams advanced to their League Championship series which of course resulted in more media coverage of the team’s histories.

I was really excited since it seemed they might both have a chance of making it to the World Series. The Cubs were up 3-1 in their series and while the Red Sox were behind 3-2 in their series against the Yankees, they tied it up and got it to Game 7. However, they lost in extra innings and the Cubs choked on their 3-1 lead with the Bartman incident happening in Game 6. It was so disappointing. I believe that was the year the Red Sox owner or GM called the Yankees the Evil Empire and referred to his team as the Rebel Alliance trying to topple them. A Star Wars reference like that helped endeared me to the Red Sox even further. Those early 2000 Red Sox / Yankee rivalry games were something though.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #129 on: November 03, 2016, 03:24:03 AM »
It was even crazier the next year when the Red Sox and Yankees again met up for the ALCS. The Yankees had acquired A-Rod that season making them more hated in my eyes because the Red Sox had tried to make a play for him and the Yankees just continued to keep buying all the top players they wanted even though the Red Sox did acquire Shilling. When the Yankees went up 3-0 that series, it was so tough to watch especially with the Game 3 blow-out. The ESPN 30 for 30 episode that documents the last 4 games of this series and the Red Sox comeback perfectly encapsulates my feelings through those final games and what it was like and is still amazing to look back at and see play out. Having defeated the Yankees in this way, it just seemed to give all the players and fans this sense of invincibility and confidence so that when the World Series began against the Cardinals, it was like a foregone conclusion they were going to win it and they swept that series ending the drought and curse.

My great-granddad was still alive at that time. He was 5 years old at the time that the Red Sox has last one in 1918 and was 91 years old when they finally did it again in 2004. He lived another 3 years before dying. I’m not sure that he really cared all that much about baseball or the Red Sox but I’ve always thought that was pretty amazing to have that sort of connection in one’s life and to know someone who lived through that span of time. Yet, in his whole life time, the Cubs never won a World Series. I’ve been thinking about all the history that has occurred between the Cubs 1908 – 2016 wins. The amount of people on Earth who have come and gone in between that span. It is a special thing right now just like when the Red Sox finally won it again in 2004.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #130 on: November 03, 2016, 03:24:38 AM »
Even when the Red Sox did win it again in 2007, it was still kind of special since they had to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Indians (who clearly can’t handle 3-1 leads) in the ALCS before sweeping another World Series. It was still a novelty and a bit of a relief that one wouldn’t be waiting another 86 years to see a championship. However, with the recent 2013 victory, things have changed. Boston has seen many championships through the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. The Boston fans are starting to become a bit too prideful in their teams and are no longer the long-suffering lovable losers. The Cubs pretty much took that mantle on after the Red Sox and White Sox victories left them alone with the longest drought narrative. This victory may know move that moniker to the Cleveland Indians who haven’t won the World Series since 1948 and have now lost their last two appearances in 7 games. If the Cubs pull off a few more championships like the Red Sox have done, it will definitely bring about a new identity for the team and it will have an effect of lessening the impact this championship currently has. If not and a new drought begins, then they’ll probably still be seen as the loveable losers who may one day pull off a magical run like they did in 2016.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #131 on: November 03, 2016, 03:59:00 AM »
That was a disappointing finish, but taking the World Series to 7 games, into extra innings, despite all the injuries and issues we've faced, is still a hell of a season. Next year we'll get Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar back, the rookies will have another year of experience, and maybe a guy like Bradley Zimmer emerges as a major part of the team. We'll be back stronger in 2017, and won't have the longest drought in baseball for long.

Honestly, for the Indians to sweep the Red Sox and practically sweep the Jays and push the Cubs to Game 7 extra innings is really impressive and not what I expected from them coming into these playoffs. They have the potential to be the next Royals. (Lose WS in 2014, Win it in 2015) I still like Francona from his time coaching the Red Sox and I think he's doing a great job with the Indians. Truthfully, I think this Indians team would have probably won had they faced a different team than the Cubs or had played like this in a different year. Heck, if they had faced the Mets last year, they'd have probably won like the Royals did.

I do actually feel bad for you too, Insanolord. You are truly a legit Indians fan and baseball fan and I know what it's like to see a team you root for fail at the end. I went through it hockey-wise with the Mighty Ducks in 2003 and the Penguins in 2008. I know it is easy to play up our roles as forum combatants and I've taken a hard stance against the Indians to bug you a bit this postseason but if the Cubs had lost I would have had the silver-lining of knowing you were able to bask in the satisfaction and shared victory that comes from seeing a team you care about and follow win a championship. Yes, sports are kind of a silly thing and luck or pure chance will have a bigger impact on a game or team than any spectator or amount of fans can. Yet, despite the vicarious nature of being a fan and rooting for the team from afar, there is still a big psychological effect it can have on you making you high or low. Having been able to experience the visceral thrill that comes from seeing a team you really cheer on beat all challengers to win it all, I'd have been satisfied in knowing you got to savour it yourself (especially since this particular team isn't from Philadelphia).

There are many occasions where a team does win a championship the next year after a heartbreaking loss and I could easily start naming them but I've posted enough tonight already. Much like how the Cubs got a lot of confidence last year and then built and improved on it this year, if the Indians do the same, they may be unstoppable next year like you say.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #132 on: November 03, 2016, 04:16:11 AM »
I'm kind of used to it at this point. This is the fifth time I've watched a team of mine lose in the finals. They have a knack for ending up matched against some kind of super team: the '90s Braves dynasty, the late-'90s star-studded Red Wings, the 2010 Blackhawks, and now the slump busting Cubs. The one that really hurts is those goddamned Marlins who had no business being there in '97 and then sold off their whole team and were awful the next year.
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Offline Soren

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #133 on: November 03, 2016, 07:51:29 AM »
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.
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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #134 on: November 03, 2016, 09:15:37 AM »
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.

Word.
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Offline BlackNMild2k1

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
« Reply #135 on: November 03, 2016, 09:16:12 AM »
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.

LeBron says 3-1 Lead LOL

...oh wait.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2016, 09:38:03 AM by BlackNMild2k1 »

Offline ShyGuy

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #136 on: November 03, 2016, 10:06:45 AM »
I'm kind of used to it at this point. This is the fifth time I've watched a team of mine lose in the finals. They have a knack for ending up matched against some kind of super team: the '90s Braves dynasty, the late-'90s star-studded Red Wings, the 2010 Blackhawks, and now the slump busting Cubs. The one that really hurts is those goddamned Marlins who had no business being there in '97 and then sold off their whole team and were awful the next year.

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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #137 on: November 03, 2016, 08:24:17 PM »
Khushrenada's story about how he got in baseball has inspired me to explain the very silly reason for me getting into it.  I watched the Jays win the World Series in 92 and 93 but I was 10 years old and didn't pay much attention to sports.  I was just paying attention for the "local" team in the finals and then didn't pay much attention the rest of the time.  I did the same with the 94 Vancouver Canucks.

What got me seriously interested in baseball was actually Wrestlemania XIX.  It was held at Safeco Field in Seattle and being a big WWE fan at the time I had to go to a freakin' Wrestlemania being held within driving distance!  I ended up going with my Dad who is not a wrestling fan at all and the only reason he went is because no one else would - my friends were never into it.  While there we really noticed how nice the stadium was and thought it would fun to go see a game there some time.  I looked into it and realized the Blue Jays were playing there on the Canada Day long weekend so we got tickets and had a blast.  And we've made an annual trip ever since of going on a weekend to see Mariners games.  We try to time it with the Jays but it often doesn't work that way.  So that trip naturally created a general interest to follow MLB.

Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #138 on: November 03, 2016, 08:50:19 PM »
There are many different paths that can lead a person into becoming a sports fan even if it was just because you liked the stadium. You still went because a team that interested you (Jays) was playing and I think that is pretty much the key to getting into any sport. You've got to have a rooting interest in at least 1 team. Plus, seeing a game live is much different than watching it. The only way I can watch a regular season baseball is when I've actually been there in the stands. Otherwise, I've always just changed the channel after a few innings.

However, in more shocking news, I happened to be scrolling through the initial posts that were made when this thread was created and discovered something that is going to be a bigger scandal than steroids!

Get a load of this:

I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, or at least I was until they traded Victor Martinez.

Insanolord isn't actually a Cleveland Indians fan after all! He renounced his fandom of the team years ago! He's been lying this whole time to cover up his sudden bandwagoning of the team because they happened to be doing well this year and he wanted to find a way to root against the Cubs since he knew that was my choice. For shame, Insanolord, for shame.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #139 on: November 03, 2016, 09:31:59 PM »
That's hilarious, I didn't realize this thread went back that far.I wasn't alone among Indians fans being extremely pissed about that at the time, and there are still people who'd like to see him return. We ended up getting Carlos Santana to more or less replace him (and actually picked up his club option for next year earlier today), so it worked out in the end. A google search tells me that trade happened just a couple weeks before that post, and we got Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone in it. Those were two guys who were among our better players during the next few years, but that was an era where the team was pretty bad in general.
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Offline rygar

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #140 on: November 15, 2016, 03:57:30 PM »

Yankee ace Masahiro Tanaka bringing the pokeball heat
« Last Edit: November 15, 2016, 03:59:20 PM by rygar »

Offline TrueNerd

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #141 on: December 07, 2016, 12:50:20 AM »
The White Sox traded Chris Sale. I am very sad.

Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #142 on: December 07, 2016, 02:29:52 AM »
They weren't going to contend with or without him, and they got a massive haul of prospects for him. Take it from someone who's been there, embrace the rebuild. Riding the fence isn't going to get you anywhere.

The Red Sox are really damned scary now with him in the mix, though. I really hope the rumors of the Indians being in talks to sign Edwin Encarnacion are true, or I'm not sure we're going to have a shot of getting past them
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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #143 on: December 22, 2016, 09:07:48 PM »
Holy ****, the Indians actually got Encarnacion. The biggest free agent contract in franchise history, but we got him. Add in a healthy Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar, plus little to no competition in the AL Central, and this team's got a real chance to repeat as American League champions and then some.
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Offline rygar

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #144 on: January 18, 2017, 03:20:08 PM »
What do you think about Bautista re-signing Shaymin?

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #145 on: January 18, 2017, 06:47:35 PM »
I hope the post-Anthopolous administration will be ready to decide whether to rebuild or reload after next year. Donaldson becomes a FA then, and we need heavy offense to go with the pitching staff (doesn't help that Aaron Sanchez signed with Scott Boras).
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Offline rygar

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #146 on: January 19, 2017, 12:14:12 AM »
Division looks stacked again.

There will be plenty of offense in the 2018 free agent class.

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #147 on: January 27, 2017, 04:48:56 PM »
World Series odds via Bovada:

Chicago Cubs +450
Boston Red Sox +500
Cleveland Indians +800
Washington Nationals +900
San Francisco Giants +1200
Houston Astros +1400
Los Angeles Dodgers +1400
New York Mets +1800
Toronto Blue Jays +2000
St. Louis Cardinals +2000
Texas Rangers +2500
Seattle Mariners +2500
New York Yankees +2800
Detroit Tigers +2800
Baltimore Orioles +3300
Kansas City Royals +3300
Pittsburgh Pirates +4000
Chicago White Sox +6600
Miami Marlins +6600
Los Angeles Angels +7500
Colorado Rockies +7500
Tampa Bay Rays +7500
Atlanta Braves +7500
Arizona Diamondbacks +10000
Milwaukee Brewers +10000
Oakland Athletics +10000
Cincinnati Reds +10000
Minnesota Twins +10000
Philadelphia Phillies +10000
San Diego Padres +10000


Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #148 on: January 27, 2017, 05:08:36 PM »
I feel like the Indians should be closer to the top two. They lost the World Series in extra innings of game 7 despite missing three of their best players. Now they're going to have them back, plus Encarnacion.
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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
« Reply #149 on: January 27, 2017, 05:18:14 PM »
Yeah, considering they swept the Red Sox, I kind of think they should be 2nd, at least, if not number 1 with the addition of Encarnacion. Considering they had a 3-1 lead in the World Series, it's hard to see them not being the odds on favorites but it's not unusual for oddsmakers to prefer the most recent winner even though a championship team hardly ever repeats back-to-back these days.
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