JUSTgottaBELIEVE

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 09:24 PM) Give Kershaw the 8th Agreed. I don't like Jensen in a two inning save situation.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 10:42 AM) The only reason Yankees and CArdinals fans 'laugh' at this notion is because they are the picture perfect organizations where playoffs come almost every year (well, at least at an extremely high rate). Success in baseball is getting into the playoffs, that's a winning club. The casual fan needs that. As a life time sox fan, I only truly care about the W'sox when they have a winning club. This year I was invested in the first 30 games or so, the last 132 I didn't observe once. Cubs, on the other hand, I would check out the scoreboard, see what was going on all the time. The casual fan simply wants the chance to cheer for the team. Having a team that gets into the playoffs offers that chance. I'd much, much, prefer a team that doesn't win a title but keeps me invested for 10 years in the playoffs compared to a team that wins 1 title and then has me not caring about it for 9 years. They laugh because they count titles, not postseason appearances, because that's what matters.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 10:35 AM) The tribe are playing good baseball right now, but their rotation is very weak after Kluber. The Cubs rotation is much much better. Bullpens are pretty close to even too. Cubs will be heavy favorites to win if they meet up next round. Is it? Lester was good in the AL but he wasn't great (career ERA in AL roughly 0.2 runs better than Miguel Gonzalez). Obviously Arrieta sucked in the AL but then "figured it out" with the Cubs or so they say. Hendricks looked very hittable his last two outings and Lackey is an old man. Even with their injuries, the Tribe staff has shut down two offenses as good as the Cubs this postseason.

QUOTE (iWin4Ron @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 10:34 AM) Of course they matter, but what the poster was suggesting that is in baseball, every team has a chance once they make the playoffs. If you have a perennial playoff bound team every year, that is the pinnacle of an organization in baseball. FOr instance, I would take a playoff team for 10 years straight over 1 championship and 9 other years of terrible play. Not me. I take the title all day. Only in Chicago would baseball fans celebrate postseason baseball without winning it all (and yes that goes for both sides of town). Yankees and Cardinals fans laugh at this notion.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 10:20 AM) To hell with titles. They're going to be in the playoffs or damn close to the playoffs every year for the next decade. That's all that matters in a sport like baseball... What? Worst post of the year. Of course titles matter.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Oct 16, 2016 -> 01:33 AM) One of the best hitters? Melky ranked 64th in wRC+ and 75th in offensive WAR. The only thing he's elite at offensively is making contact. 9th lowest K% in majors and 12th in contact%. Not one of the best in baseball but he's very solid. 64th in wRC+ means he'd be the third best hitter on most teams (on average) and even for a lineup that's stacked he'd be a contributor.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 11:37 PM) Well the Indians are 5-0 in the postseason and up 2-0 in the series. The Cubs still have to get past LA too, you realize. The fact that my buddies that are Cubs fans think that it's a given the Cubs win the Series by getting past the Dodgers is comical. That's my biggest issue with Cubs fans. As soon as they get a nice team, they get cocky. Oh, never mind the fact that they haven't won the World Series in 108 years, minor detail. The Indians are actually rolling even better than the Cubs right now as evidenced by their 5-0 record in the playoffs against two very good AL East teams. They don't have the same name recognition as the Cubs but their offense is very good (5th in baseball in runs scored, Cubs 3rd), defense is sound (5th best defense according to fangraphs, Cubs 1st), better bullpen including the best reliever in baseball, ace (Kluber) to match Lester, better manager, and home field advantage. Plus they seem to have all the intangibles going their way right now. If they can line up Kluber for Game 1, they will not be an easy out.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 10:37 PM) Just wish Carrasco wasn't hurt. True but if they can get kluber lined up for game 1 that's huge. He could pitch in 3 games (ala 2014 Bumgarner).

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 10:33 PM) Joe Blanton got ethered. Indians the only thing standing between the Cubs and a title. That's a big thing. Indians rolling even better than the Cubs right now.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 10:31 PM) lol at the dodgers handing this game to the cubs. chapman has blown two "saves" in the postseason so far, they should have got andrew miller. Don't worry, Miller will shut them down in the World Series. There won't be anymore late game heroics versus crappy NL relievers.

Unhittable - best reliever in baseball. Better than Chapman.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 05:01 PM) Shaw coming in. He's definitely not Andrew Miller. But he's pretty good. Cleveland bullpen vs Toronto bullpen. Advantage Cleveland

You can see why they were willing to give up so much for him: Andrew Miller's career postseason numbers: 49 batters faced, four hits, three walks, 0 runs, 22 strikeouts.

QUOTE (ChiliIrishHammock24 @ Oct 15, 2016 -> 01:52 AM) The Indians are the AL version of the Giants, right? Except with a much better bullpen. Actually they remind me of the 2014/2015 Royals. Solid starting pitching, very good defense, timely hitting, and most importantly excellent bullpen. With the mid season acquisition of Miller, good luck trying to come back if they have a lead late in the game. Most important acquisition in baseball at this year's deadline. And yes, he's better than Chapman.

Regardless of whatever else it suggests about Donald Trump’s ethical sensibilities or business acumen, the undisputed revelation that he hasn’t paid income taxes for nearly two decades, by most accounts legally, stands as convincing evidence that we the people don’t really share one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Rather, we’ve become at least two nations with distinctive liberties and systems of justice, one for the super-wealthy and a very different one for the rest of us. In one, you can blow a billion dollars on bad investments and inept business decisions and then get the rest of us ordinary tax-payers to absorb this financial hit, while you go on with your lavish lifestyle and benefit from billions more in tax breaks on properties and new ventures. This makes you a genius. In the other, you can get laid off despite years of loyal service and end up with nothing thanks to the whims of those who toy with fortunes, companies, and the countless workers’ lives like pieces on a Monopoly board. The high-rollers will see that your temporarily displaced CEO walks away with $100 million or so as a consolation bonus, but you get nothing, and God help you if you don’t ante up when the IRS comes knocking next April 15th. This makes you a sucker. One of these nations, the one whose arrogance and greed brought it about, has recovered nicely from the collapse of 2008. Not a soul among them served a day of prison time for their shameless deceptions. The other nation, whose taxes funded the bailouts that saved the scammers, still struggles. Most have found work again, but not the pay or job-stability they had before. State officials in Indiana rejoiced this week over news that Indiana ranks among the top ten states with tax-friendly business climates. The congratulatory press releases don’t mention, however, that Indiana also ranks among the lowest states for per capita income, partly because the legislature has passed right to work legislation and other measures that systematically push down wages. Since both the nations within our borders still need roads, clean water, education, and law enforcement, guess who pays for all these by coughing up taxes that businesses we treat like guests don’t have to pay. We have a welfare problem, but it’s hardly the poor who siphon off scandalous sums of our collective wealth. No one is supposed to mention all this, of course, because it sounds like the rhetoric of class conflict. Moreover, trickle-down economics remains a kind of cultural orthodoxy in this country even though it has consistently proved itself flawed and inefficient as Soviet-style communism. Neither takes into account the deep truths of human nature. Nevertheless, people on each side of our divide want a shot at revamping our tax system as a way to address economic problems. Ironically, the loudest applicant currently is Mr. Trump, who says his experience at gaming our tax system longer and more effectively than anyone else makes him the only person who can fix it. However, he has not pledged to close the loopholes that allow him to have the rest of us cover his losses. If you think a fox who has spent his life raiding the chicken coop will suddenly switch to protecting the chickens against his fellow-foxes, well, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you, and maybe a water carburetor patent, too. We may never again be one nation, indivisible. If we’d like to try, we mustn’t trust in predators, but in people willing to make sacrifices for the good of all.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 08:43 PM) Pittsburg definitely has the prospects to get a deal done. Glasnow, Taillon, Bell, Gregory Polonco, Meadows, Newman, Keller, Hayes Don't they need those guys to fill out their major league roster? They had quite a few holes (and injuries) this year while finishing with the same number of wins as the Sox.

QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 07:10 PM) Of teams that I would consider "contending" teams or teams that should be pretty competitive: NYY, HOU, CHC, PIT, LAD, WSH, BOS, TEX, STL. I don't see NY, CHC, PIT, WSH, TEX, or STL as matches. The only other team besides Boston that I think could swing this type of deal is LA but they'd have to be willing to part with Urias I'd think.

QUOTE (Username @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 07:35 PM) Teams like STL and Pitt feeling pressure from the Cubs feels like a great match. Plus they'd both truly value Sale/Q's contract (unlike say Boston/Texas, with less financial constraints), and have a wealth of young talent. But if the Sox deal Sale I don't see them acquiring a bunch of unproven talent. They have already showed their hand by expressing interest in guys like Jackie Bradley and Mazara as centerpieces of a deal. I don't think teams like the Pirates and Cardinals can afford to trade those type of players plus other MLB or near MLB ready talent.

QUOTE (dpd9189 @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 06:55 PM) There will be a ton of teams in on these guys if they're available, not just Boston and Texas. But which teams have both quality and quality of disposable assets to get a deal done?

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 06:33 PM) Texas doesn't really have many elite prospects anymore after the trade deadline, unless you consider Mazara and Odor to be prospects. And even then, Mazara/Odor/Mendez is not good enough for Sale. Profar, maybe? But he doesn't have much team control left IIRC. I don't think the Rangers are a good match. Apparently the Yankees aren't either: https://www.nj.com/articles/19446931/white_...p?client=safari I think it's boom or bust with the Red Sox and ultimately I still think Sale stays.

QUOTE (Footlongcomiskeydog @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 10:28 AM) I had Strasburg on my fantasy team this year so I followed him pretty closely. He was getting lit up like a Christmas tree before he was shut down. I highly doubt that he will be making any appearances this postseason. Dude's arm needs a nice long rest and the Nationals will have to cap his innings pitched every year going forward one would think. If the Nationals advance it will be Roark versus Lester at Wrigley for game 1. Everything is lining up very nicely for the Northsiders this October unfortunately. Lit up like a Christmas tree? Strasburg was 15-4 with a 3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 11 K/9 IP. Yes he had 3 rough starts in August before hitting the DL but overall he had a very good season (for fantasy and reality purposes). A healthy Strasburg is absolutely huge for the Nationals. Of course, that's the big question. The thing is even if they can get only 5 solid innings out of him that's an upgrade over a guy like Ross.

QUOTE (OmarComing25 @ Oct 12, 2016 -> 10:24 AM) So the Nationals score a few runs off Hill and it suddenly erases what he's done all year? He's been the 2nd best pitcher this year next to Kershaw. No kidding. And we all saw what Moore did to that Cubs lineup last night. Hill is a better version of Moore this season.

QUOTE (Deadpool @ Oct 11, 2016 -> 11:37 PM) So much for he Cubs not being able to hit. Oh yeah, and Baez sucks. Cubs did NOT hit well that series. Unless of course you consider a team slash line of 200/247/597 "good." They are going to have to hit much better than that to win the World Series. Also, nobody said Baez sucks. You said he's great. He's not great, not yet at least but he's young so time will tell. However, we're talking about a guy with a career slash line of 244/289/681. He may be a great defensive 2b but he has a ways to go offensively before being considered a great player.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Oct 11, 2016 -> 11:20 PM) it's funny that matt moore gave the giants the blue print against the f***ing cubs and they were still throwing fastballs like they were going to be effective. It is remarkable but they couldn't get any of their offspeed pitches over for strikes. I feel like prime Mark Buehrle would destroy this Cubs lineup.

Heck of a Series. Giants gave them a run for their money and certainly weren't blown out by any means. Cubs will need to hit much better than they did this series to win the World Series.