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Baseball (the talkin' sport)


Tom Strange
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The St Louis Browns moved in the early 50's and became the Baltimore Orioles, who were the class of the American league in the 60's and early 70's.

The more I read of Ty Cobb, the more I believe he was truly insane. The details of his behavior on and off the field are incredible(starting with sharpening his spikes so he could inflict more damage when he slid into second).

Look at most any picture of Cobb-just look at his eyes. A relative of mine was always angry, and 'on the edge', and i got to know that look in his eyes a little too well.

Nice game by Houston. This could turn out to be the best playoff season in both leagues in many years.

Eddings the Ump was escorted off the plane in LA with security protection. Who knows how bad it will get for him during the game. I think he's out in right field-nice and close to the fans who have all game to ride him. If it wasn't laid back LA, I'd fear for his safety-tho Angels fans are starting to come into their own these days, and the fever is on here.

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I can imagine that it is good to be an Angels fan , they are an exciting team and look like agood franchise to get behind--I suppose all the fair weatherers are flocking to them now besides. Do they still do that dang monkey? and the thundersticks? That would take me awhile to get used to--

I wonder how much of the old ball players tales are actual and how much has been distorted and embellished by legend. ( who was it, Cool Papa Bell maybe, who was so fast 'He hit a ground ball up the middle and it hit him in the back as he was sliding into second'?)

I'm sure Cobb played hard, it was an era of hard ballplayers, and he was tough but I dont know if he was ready to murder your mother for an extra base as some paint him out to be.

maybe--but I sure would have likedto have witnessed it-or see some old movies at least-

He wasn't just an nutjob either, he apparently was also a sharp cookie investor after he retired and made millions by investing in Coca Cola

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based on all I've read about Cobb, some clearly exaggerated, some not, I firmly believe that he had serious problems, and while I may have used the term 'insane' loosely, I don't think I was far off the mark.

The rally monkey and the sticks are still part of the Angel repetoire, but not so much as they used to be. I went to a couple of games in Anaheim this year with no monkey or stick in sight. Still, it's the playoffs now, and I suspect the thundersticks will be out in force this weekend, and the cameras will find rally monkeys scattered throughout the stands.

It IS a good time to be an Angel fan. If their 2002 series win didn't change the perception of them being in the Dodgers shadow, the new owner Arte Moreno, Mike Scoscia, and a solid gritty team have. Only the Dodger die hards-and there are many in LA, still talk 'smack' about the Angels. I haven't seen too many 'fair weather' fans-they really haven't picked up many Dodger fans, who still cling to the Dodger 'mystique', and keep their noses way up in the air as they aver that they will never lower themselves to support the Angels and the 'inferior' American League. That's a real hoot based on what the NL west has looked like for years, but it's a common theme from Dodger fan. The Angels drew 3 and a half million this year. the Dodgers managed to have their best year in history despite their gawdawful team and drew 3.6 million. I chalk it up to the allure of a summer evening in chavez ravine, but between the 2 teams, there is obviously a love for baseball in LA. I'd be hitting 20 games a year if I lived in Kansas City, so maybe I'm not the most discriminating fan.

I live 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium , and attend many more games there largely because of convenience, and I love Dodger Stadium. It takes an effort to fight the traffic to Angels Stadium, but I always manage a few games a year , and I'm always glad I went.

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Well,tonight's game was a good game if you were a Sox fan,a bad game if you were an Angel's fan,...and an otherwise boring game if you were a casual baseball fan...I don't know if the Sox pitching is that good or if the Angels were just punchless...

Kudos to Sox pitchers for throwing two straight complete games....but I'd be a little concerned about letting my bullpen get too rusty,especially when you have a closer who was in AA ball just a couple of months ago...Each game is a little bigger and you don't want your relievers too jittery when they're called in...

My advise to Soscia would be to give one of those Wierwillian type speeches about "these are the times that try men's souls"....Angels looked like they went down w/o a fight(last ten batters retired in order)and other than a good feisty at-bat by Steve Finley,looked almost content to just put the ball in play...Angels relievers did a great job of keeping the Sox from breaking it open....

So far the Angels seem to be reeling from that dropped strike call,and I don't think they've totally put it behind them...yet...

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That had to have been disheartening, but at this time of the year they can't let this or the catchers interference last night take the wind out their sales. I'd like to see them mount a comeback and make it a series, its been alittle tough for me to stay enthused in aseries that doesn't seem all that tight.

Is the White Sox pitching that good or have the Angels just gone cold? Things could still flip around on a dime I suppose ( I seem to remember that happened in the ALCS last year)but who knows.....I do have to hand it to the White's they capitalize and make the big plays when they count which is the mark of a good team...

Even though they play well, for some reason or another I find it difficult to get behind the White Sox...I don't know why, other than they are one team in my life that has never really captured my imagination, left memorable impressions ( well...other than Disco night and the short pants uniforms) or left lasting names to tag to the franchise (lets see..there was Gary Peters..and Ron Hansen and Joel Horlen...and uh..who was that guy?....o yea Aparicio for awhile...and uh...). I know its shallow, but they are even still second fiddle in their own town.

Still if they win it all I hope it gives the franchise a lift and does good things for the city, but I do hope I won't have to listen to another Carl Everett rant about the moonlanding being fake and dinosaurs never existing, if they do, which is what he did after a few big wins in Boston.

maybe its just the winter comin in that has me a little glum today

Edited by mstar1
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Congrats to the White Sox. Complete games from the starting pitchers ! I'm digging the 'go go sox' song from 1959 that they're bringing out of mothballs. What the heck happened to Vlad Guerrero?

Looks like the Astros , but as Yogi supposedly said. I'm rooting for the sox mainly on AL loyalties, but I like those 'stros.

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I think it was Contreras, Garcia, Buerhle, and Garland that happened to Vlad. They were tough, 4 complete games and even in the first game loss Contreras went 8 1/3==when does this ever happen? Has it ever happened? People (including me) may question why the Angels went cold but the pitching deserves its due. They were amazing. Congratulations White Sox.

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Yikes! Down to the last out, and the Astros STILL aren't going to the world series. They still have 2 games, but you have to wonder if Pujol's didnt suck the life out of them a little.

And that crowd-all worked up and ready for the celebration for the first time, only to experience the mass deflation and disappointment. The emotional investment is too much-one of the reasons I strive not to get too involved with any team anymore. The elation or pain is totally out of your control.

I'm hoping the Astros find a way, tho I'm already rooting for the Sox, especially now that I'm hearing the sour grapes from Cub fan. Cub fan is so snooty, and I've never understood the appeal apart from the ballpark. It certainly isn't from any team they field.

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Boy,you're right ...that was a life-sucking moment...Houston fans must be in a trance about now....Somehow,though,I think the 'stros still might pull it off....

Baseball loyalties are wierd and just hard to explain...Cubs used to play all their games in the day time,which meant that if you were watching them,you were probably skipping school,..or work,..or something else you really should have been doing...What happened on the field was almost secondary to the fact that you could relax and enjoy a baseball game...I used to love getting off the schoolbus about 3:00,flipping on the tv,and hearing Jack Brickhouse say "ok,time for the 7th inning stretch,and c'mon,Cubs,just a little ol' ten run rally and we're right back in this thing"....

Personally,I hate the Cards and the Astros more than almost anybody as far as rivalries go...But since the Cubs and Sox have both been quite the losers throughout the centuries,a certain amount of satisfaction is derived from each of the fans to see their cross-town rivals wallow in their own miseries....But I think a Sox championship would be good for the city of Chicago...Their baseball fans have suffered long enough and I think it's time to shake the ghosts of 1919...

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Growing up in the north Chicago suburbs, I saw my share of Cubs games (and one or two Sox games). Back then (the 60's) the Cubs DID have a team you could care about: Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Randy Hundley, Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo, et al. And the park does have charm. Baseball played the way it should be: on grass, during the day. I was horrified when they put lights in, caving to TV. It may not happen in my lifetime, of course; but if the Cubs ever make the World series, you still couldn't pay me to see a night game there.

Wrigley Field (love that name -- I don't mind it being the name of a company as long as it's not a utility -- what is it they're calling Comiskey these days) is one of the few parks I've seen games in that is still being used, unlike Candlestick Park, Comiskey (the original), the Astrodome.

Before I forget, I think another reason that the Cubs had a big following is that WGN broadcast almost ALL the games (not just away games). It didn't matter that the park wasn't sold out, you could stil watch about 150 Cubs games a year on TV.

George

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good evening guys... I was on the road to and from K.C. all week... wow... was I wrong about the LCS's... gotta give it to the Astro's though...

and here I was just thinking about making a comment about how this could be one of the lowest scoring series in history... and the second HR goes out of the park...

anomole methinks...

did you guys hear that on the Astro's charter to St Louis one of the players (Ausmus I think) got the pilot to announce, in the middle of their flight, "if you'll look out the windows to the right you'll see Albert Puhols' home run ball..." (or something like that)... a stroke of genius... but man-o-man-o-schevitz! what a blast that was...

game on... the only bad thing about the world series is that it means the end of the season... oh, and I guess I'm rooting for the 'Colt 45's' since they're from Texas...

should be a good one...

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2-0 Sox now. Having spent half my life in Chicago and half in Houston, I don't really have a favorite, alhough I root for the Sox down here to tick everybody else off!

I thought that this would be the first seven-game Series with a total of seven runs scored (five of them earned). It may wind up being one of the HIGHEST-scoring Series!

George

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well... here we are in the 14th and I guess Garner made the first wrong call... it never should've gotten here... now I see why most of the games the Rocket lost this year were either shutouts or one run games...

gotta hand it to the ChiSox... they've hardly made any errors, if any, mental or otherwise this series... I think Ozzie has convinced them they are deserving...

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Houston loves to get into these marathon games. I was hoping for a win from them last night, if only to tighten up the series. There's a world of difference between 1-2 and 0-3. They had their besy, have to get it done opportunity in the 9th.

It's not over yet, and you never know. Personally I'm happy for the Sox, and if they should win will enjoy the celebration.

I'm hoping Houston steps it up though.

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FINALLY, a pitchers' duel. (Who'd have guessed it would be the fourth-string pitchers?)

Apparently, Lidge isn't quite as untouchable as we were led to believe. The Astros acquitted themselves admirably, though (with the exception of Phil Garner ranting about everything but his bad decision-making).

George

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Congrats to the White Sox. I'm surprised they swept, as the teams really seemed evenly matched, and the games were all competitive.

It's nice to see them as the premiere team in Chicago, and would think attendance will rise next year. Hey, I enjoyed watching them, and I'd sure go if I was in Chicago. I'd love to go to Wrigley also. I guess it would be go see the Cubs for the ballpark, and the White Sox for the baseball. I hear the food in ne Comiskey, or US Cellular or whatever is amazing tho. I've never heard a word about Wrigley food.

So, when do pitchers and catchers report?

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