NL (Comedy) Central

[11BarryLarkin11]

I used to hate that nickname for the NL Central, but it's hard to refute these days. Am I the only one tired of the NL Central being a weak, watered down division?

I've always been an NL fan and when the Reds shifted to the NL Central, of course, that became my division. So, I still take a bit of pride in the performance of both. It's bad enough watching the NL get shellacked in the AllStar game every year, but I'm getting tired of seeing so many flawed teams in the NL Central.

On the season, the Cubs are now the only NL Central team to have scored more runs than they have allowed in 2007.

Team: RS__RA
CHI: 607__559
MIL: 631__648
STL: 576__645
CIN: 656__708
HOU: 590__674
PIT: 600__670

[oregonred]

Originally Posted by 11BarryLarkin11

I used to hate that nickname for the NL Central, but it's hard to refute these days. Am I the only one tired of the NL Central being a weak, watered down division?

It's an NL thing. There may only be one NL team that hits 90 wins this season. The Comedy Central has represented the NL in the World Series the past three seasons.

The NL has more parity across the board and this has been true the last several seasons. 11 teams remain in moderate playoff contention the last day of August -- similar to last season. The AL has recently had 3-4 elite teams led by the mega payroll big two and thus created more of a revenue gap between the haves/have nots in the league. 2007 has seen the AL become a bit more like the NL with watered down parity.

Pete Rozelle would be proud

[Chip R]

The Cardinals won the Series last year, the Astros made it to the series after beating the Cards in the NLCS the year before that and the Cards made it to the Series in 2004. So the last three NL pennant winners came from the "Comedy Central".

[RedFanAlways1966]

A weak division gives small market fans in that division (false?) hope longer into the season. Dumatrait, Ramirez, Milton, Saarloos, the whole bullpen (less Burton & Weathers)... when these guys are taking the mound for your fav team, then any hope for the post-season relies heavily on a weak division.

Doesn't bother me a bit. I dislike every NL Central team except one. I enjoy seeing each one of them lose (except one). I am a REDS fan... not a NL Central fan. Screw the Cubs, screw the Brewers, screw the Cards, screw the Pirates and screw the Astros.

[KronoRed]

Originally Posted by Chip R

The Cardinals won the Series last year, the Astros made it to the series after beating the Cards in the NLCS the year before that and the Cards made it to the Series in 2004. So the last three NL pennant winners came from the "Comedy Central".

Guess that shows how bad the NL is

[11BarryLarkin11]

Originally Posted by KronoRed

Guess that shows how bad the NL is

That and the role of luck/random chance in a short playoff series.

[Matt700wlw]

How bad it is to be one of the suckier teams in a sucky division....

Yay for our team!!

[vaticanplum]

Originally Posted by Chip R

The Cardinals won the Series last year, the Astros made it to the series after beating the Cards in the NLCS the year before that and the Cards made it to the Series in 2004. So the last three NL pennant winners came from the "Comedy Central".

I think there's really something to be said in this division for playing to the quality of your competition. I almost wonder if the teams in the NL Central have become accustomed to mediocre play during the season, then they turn up the talent when they have to. Certainly it's not conscious; I'm sure the Cardinals would rather blow the rest of the teams out of the water every year instead of struggling all season and ekeing it out at the end. But I think subconsciously they know they don't HAVE to all season, and then at the end -- and during the playoffs -- the "oh crap" factor sets in and lights a fire under them. And the Astros in particular have been a September team the last few years.

The Yankees do the same thing -- every year they choke against the three crappy teams in their division, plus Kansas City and whoever else, and then when they face their stiffest competition and the late-season playoff elimination possibility, they buckle down and perform. It's equal parts frustrating and exhilarating. It's more frustrating when it affects every team in an entire division, though.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by vaticanplum

I think there's really something to be said in this division for playing to the quality of your competition. I almost wonder if the teams in the NL Central have become accustomed to mediocre play during the season, then they turn up the talent when they have to. Certainly it's not conscious; I'm sure the Cardinals would rather blow the rest of the teams out of the water every year instead of struggling all season and ekeing it out at the end. But I think subconsciously they know they don't HAVE to all season, and then at the end -- and during the playoffs -- the "oh crap" factor sets in and lights a fire under them. And the Astros in particular have been a September team the last few years.

That's a possibility. It's certainly not without precedent. You hear of teams in every sport going into cruise control during the regular season and then going into a higher gear once the playoffs start. I know that's not exactly what you meant but in either scenario the team(s) in question have to turn it up a notch when they need to. Of course that didn't quite work out for the Cubs when they had their chance. But even they were a whisker from making it to the Series. And if they had it would have been, what, 4 in a row from the NL Central in the Series? Is that just superior teams revving it up when they need to or is it just a crapshoot and the NL Central has been rolling sevens the past 3 years? Or is it just the East Coast media bias not giving the Midwestern teams their due? Or, could it even be - unlikely as it seeems - that the NL Central is better than people think and they just beat up on each other and that makes them better come playoff time?