Whelp. Braves are done.
Whelp. Braves are done.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
F@$#ing Cardinals....
Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit
That was two shockers of games. At least the second waited until the end to blowup.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Yeah they didn't waste any time. Turned it on in the 2nd inning and they were down by 11! Had to check and see if it wasn't a Falcons game.Originally Posted by polmico
I don't know what's with Kershaw but when it comes to the playoffs, this great pitcher can't get it done. Happy for the Nats. Do you think Harper regrets leaving?
They're in it for the paycheck. They may not have even made the playoffs with him.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Maybe. I think ultimately the change of scenery was good for both parties. They parted amicably by most accounts. The Nats made the right move (though they did give him an offer). Rendon has always been their future franchise player in waiting, and they had two emerging OFs in Soto and Robles to fill the void.
Phillies may not be there yet, but they have something to build around. There’s no reason to believe they can’t be contenders down the road.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Agree re:Rendon and Harper.
As a Mets fan, Casa MudShark always feared/loathed Rendon more... steel eye killer at the plate, plus glove.
Harper could always be rattled, so his highs/lows were extreme and could even happen midgame.
Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit
From a distance, I always got the impression that for Harper, it's always about the show, always about him & his ego. I think it's no surprise the Nationals finally progress when he's gone - & that the Phillies have seen no uptick from his arrival.
Similarly with Machado, mutatis mutandis.
Similarly with ARod way back in 2003 & onwards...
Some people deny that pitching in the post-season (or even certain cities) is different. I'm not one of them.
A-Rod was a key to the 2009 championship. But, aside from that, your point is well-taken.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
There was definitely redemption for his previous post-season underachievements in 2009 — & the fact that he'd become such a circus, from the Bronson Arroyo slap to the drugs, & everything in-between, including the Boras-inspired opt-out nonsense in 2007. There was also something cathartic about the way he dragged himself back to competitiveness in 2015...
^^ Yep. But, just to be clear, I'm not one of his staunch advocates.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Harper is on a 13 year contract & the Phillies were pretty competitive this year, kinda a little early to say he 'regrets' it especially when the Nats offer was what....$150,000,000 less? (I don't actually remember). But I do think this sort of thing complicates his legacy a bit, especially if the Nats make the WS...you can already see Harper's reputation being "good player that was treated like a perpetual all-star but never quite lived up to it"
Critter Jams "album of the week" blog: http://critterjams.wordpress.com
I don't agree with this. Yes, when Harper first entered the league he was cocky and buying into the hype machine around him. After the first year or so, he calmed down a bit. The media's obsession with his perceived diva nature has always been overblown. He turned that "cockiness" into "confidence". Sure, he can be flashy at times, comes off a bit aloof, and has said a few questionable things over the years, but he's not nearly as bad as he's been painted out to be. In his first year with Philly, he's received a lot of praise from his teammates and coach. His work ethic is very strong and he is very protective of his teammates. If anything, he tries too hard. But he is misunderstood. He left us here in Natsland on good terms.
I don't know if I buy into the idea that the Nats are stronger without him, except to say they are stronger long term without "his contract". With the money they have invested in pitching, they couldn't afford to retain Harper - especially if they extend Rendon. This was the right organizational move. To say "it's no surprise that the Nats finally progress" without him is a bit premature since all they have done of note is win a game 5 they were losing through 7 innings. Most of the reasons the Nats didn't progress in previous years was not the fault of Harper. Period.
In terms of the Phillies, they spent a lot of money to get several pieces in place. At the same time, they didn't have a very deep rotation which was hit hard at different points in the 2nd half of the season. Like it or not, Harper had a season statistically to what he has last season with the Nats - and a respectable 4.2 WAR. And Harper was the best hitter on the Phillies in 2019. The results might be that the Phils didn't improve record wise, but that's clearly not Harper's fault.
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Phillies just fired Gabe Kapler.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Mr Kotter?
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Kaplan.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Let's go Rays ... for one more game.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
For those of you who like sports conspiracy theories, here's a good one:
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/has-mlb-...IPRl0.facebook
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
HERE WE GO AGAIN.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!
Great start and finish by the Stros tonight. Cole with another Cy Young performance. 3 straight ALCS appearances.
Pretty great run by the Rays this year. They had a ton of injuries and figured out how to make Houston really sweat.
It's nice when the two best teams face off in the ALCS. Should be a fun series.
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
Gotta feel the WS champ is coming from the ALCS
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Very possible, but don't sleep on the Nats. They had that slow start, but as you can see from their last 100 games, they are toe to toe with the best teams in the league. They have 3 very reliable starters and scored the 2nd most runs in the NL.
Nats: 27-33 (first 60), 66-34 (last 100)
Yankees: 38-22 (first 60), 65-35 (last 100)
Astros: 40-20 (first 60), 67-33 (last 100)
Cards: 30-28 (first 60), 61-39 (last 100)
WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.
Anything can happen; it's baseball. I wouldn't bet on any team, although I'll root for one of them.
I'm guessing Houston will be the favorite. All it takes is one crack in that starting rotation. Maybe we already saw it.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
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