If the Reds can take two of three from the Cards this weekend they'll be in first place...
If the Reds can take two of three from the Cards this weekend they'll be in first place...
If the Reds could sweep the Cards they'd have a 2 1/2 game lead in the division.I know we can all do the math but it just feels good to say.
Slamming the helmet down must have distubed Carpenter's mental focus on those perfectly prepared balls they have there in St. Louis....Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine
BTW, we are not the only ones who notice the Cardinals whining:
"Tony LaRussa is a terrific manager who gets the most out of the guys on his roster but he’s a sore loser."
Cards' whine is a bad sign
The Cardinals are complaining about slick balls again They should just put some talcum powder in their jocks....
Adam Wainwright is a Whiner.
Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols was deeply offended
__________________
"I think we’re starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball,” Votto said. “I think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. I’m going to do my part to help make that change.”
Nice post.
Pujols is an incredible player but he's a big baby too. I remember a couple weeks ago when Nick Masset pumped his fist after inducing a huge inning ending, bases loaded double play in the 8th inning to save a 3-2 lead. Pujols whined after the game because Masset pumped his fist. The very next game Pujols drew a bases loaded walk and clapped his hands while jogging to first base. I guess it's OK for him to walk half way down the first base line on home runs, point to the sky after he crosses the plate, and claps his hands on walks but his opponents aren't allowed to show any emotion at all. What a crybaby.
By the way, I just saw the replay of the Lee/Carpenter confrontation. Lee got a fat pitch to hit and popped it up to LF. Out of frustration of missing the pitch, Lee slammed his bat down like 95% other hitters do in that situation and for some reason Carpenter took exception to it. Carpenter is just a classless player.
I think what happens in sports is when a team is very successful, when they lose they can't believe they lost and can't believe it was their fault. So they blame other teams, players, umpires/refs, outside factors, etc. The real classy teams won't say anything publicly about it while teams like the Cards will whine.
This weekend doesn't make or break this season...it's May.......but it could make a statement.
The 3 games in this series are 3 of the most important games the Reds will play this season... right there next to the other 159 games that all count the same in the end. Sure, it's great to give a division opponent a loss at the same time, but I just want wins -- May, July, September -- wins are wins.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Just win.
We can figure the rest out later.
Agreed. I'd like to see the Reds play well and win two of three or more. But, really, no one regular season baseball game is ever that big a deal. They all count the same. That's a part of why baseball is so damn cool. It's the democracy of it mixed with equal parts ulcer and lassaiz faire. The long term pressure and the patience not to care too much.
Every football game is life or death. Even the best baseball teams lose 60 times a year or so. Baseball cultivates a personality both resilient and aggressive. You need to know everything about your opponent and be able to forget a mistake imediately. You can't hit angry, but you have to swing with force. You stand around all day waiting to run like hell after a ball you have little hope of catching, but you stand hopeful anyway. It's the only sport where the defense has the ball and that's oddly fitting.
Balance, baby. Balance.
Love this game.
I would expect the guys on the team to look at it that way.It's their job and their job consist of playing 162 games and trying to win them all.On paper and at the end of the season a win in any of the games this weekend count just the same as one against the Pirates or Astros and there is no arguing that.
I'm only speaking for myself but as a fan a win(hopefully 3 of them)in this series means much more then any other win so far this season and probably a good portion of the wins going forward.I want a real reason to really believe in these guys.Why else would I be so excited about the first day of spring training and opening day?It's because while I may only half believe I still do believe the Reds have a chance.In past seasons as the loses mount you loose that belief and like any dedicated fan I continue to follow the team but I follow them for reasons other then the hope of a playoff berth or even World Championship, basically reasons that are much less fun.Sure, if they get swept this weekend they would still have a chance but how optimistic would any of us be?On the other hand if the Reds win the series they are in first place.With thirty seven games played I couldn't name one thing that would give me more hope then the Reds being in first place.
So while these games really don't mean any more then the rest when talking about the big picture they definitely mean a heck of a lot to me and the prospects of us all having a really great summer of watching something meaningful.
Last edited by Captain Hook; 05-14-2010 at 12:05 AM.
He reminds me of Roger Clemens after he started roids.
Wants to fight anyone that gets a hit off him.
Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand
Leave the Cardinals Alone!
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
Just found this interesting 3 weeks later. It is in fact a 2 team race.
Or at least FanGraphs' thinks so;
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index...nt-nl-central/
"This two week stretch may not look like it’s killed the rest of the division, but it has. When not one but two division foes build up a big lead, time is of the essence, and now instead of having 120 games to make up an early deficit, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, and Houston now only have 108 games. Given the talent present on these rosters, particularly those in Houston and Pittsburgh, this stretch may even have been the nail in the coffin, as expecting poor teams to make up 6+ game gaps in only four months is unrealistic at best. Nothing is definitively over, at least, but the playoff odds for these teams are sitting in the low single digits at this point, and potentially reaching into the decimals."
At this point in the season I don't even think it's safe to count out Baltimore and they're 17.5 games behind four different teams in their division...21 games behind the Rays.
Baltimore could bring up some fresh kids from the farm and all four of the other teams could have injury problems...you never can tell, that's why they play the games.
I like 2 team races for the division title, it's a nice way for a manager to get the most out of his guys. It's especially good for a young team like ours. In the end, we could lose the division, get the wild card slot and kick the tar out of the Cards in the playoffs because we're young and have stamina and they use everything up to take the division.
"This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again." -- Terence Mann
I think you can count out Pittsburgh, Houston and even Milwaukee. Too soon for the Cubs though. They are 7.5 back...which is a lot, but it's not insurmountable. If they get back 11 or 12 games, I'll feel better about discounting them.
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