LittleHurt05

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 02:27 PM) The team was in first place for about 120 days this year. I'd call this Myth Busted. If you take a look at attendance numbers from late 2005 & 2006, it turns out that a good team on the field didn't bring out that many Sox fans fans. There were still some brutal crowds in September 2005 depsite being one of the best teams in baseball. The fans finally came out in 2006, which is kind of silly if you think about it. Teams always decline the year after winning it all, 2005 was when you wanted to be there.

QUOTE (Tuna @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 12:23 PM) This is ridiculous. In your opinion, if someone voices a complaint are they now "crying" about it? That's another one of my favorites. If a conversation comes up about reasons why I don't go to a lot of games, I will give them. You can raise your nose and say they are "excuses" if you want to I suppose. The fact is, yes, there's public transportation, but it doesn't make any sense for me. 3 or 4 round trip tickets on the Metra + taking/paying the el round trip doesn't offer any financial solution. Add in taking my 4 year old on the red line at 10 pm isn't an ideal situation for me. With all that being said, it's not like I don't go to games. I do, but that is my reasoning of why I don't go to more. I get that people have various financial issues, large families w/ children, etc. I'm not doubting people's personal situations, I'm not trying to call out specific people to attend more games, I don't really care all that much. I'm no super fan, I go to maybe 4-5 games a year, and I'm happy. It just seems that the new cool thing to do is b**** about how you want to go to more games, but it's 100% the Sox fault. Prices are too high, yet there are cheap tickets available if you search a little bit. The team may have collapsed at the end, but they were still up 3 games with mid-September, yet people complain that they weren't good enough.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 01:14 PM) I never thought about this but after drawing so few fans during the season with a team nobody really believed in, I wonder if Sox would have sold out any early playoff games. Certainly if the Sox made the championship series, those would have been sold out but before that? Maybe not. I'm almost positive the ALDS playoff tickets completely sold out the day they went on sale.

A-Rod is not in the lineup tonight. Chavez at 3b, Ibanez is the DH.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 06:34 AM) So the EU won the Nobel Peace Prize, worth about $1.2 million. Only 10,000 more of those and they'll be able to bail out Greece. They better be careful that Greece doesn't sell the prize to the highest bidder

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 09:36 AM) To rank the 6 remaining teams in order of rooting interest: 1 Washington 2 Baltimore 3 San Francisco 4 Saint Louis 5 Yankees 6 Detroit 1 Baltimore 2 St. Louis 3 Yankees 4 San Francisco 5 Washington 6 Detroit

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 08:28 AM) There are probably a few who will only attend playoff games, but I think the larger factor is the scarcity of playoff tickets. The last month of the season has an average of about 15 home games, with about 600,000 tickets available for those games. A round of playoff has two guaranteed home games, with only about 80,000 tickets available. You have the a slightly larger number of fans vying for a much smaller number of tickets. Yeah that makes sense. Everything always comes back to simple supply & demand.

Blackhawks home opener tomorrow night!!!! Oh, wait. Never mind...

QUOTE (My_Sox_Summer @ Oct 12, 2012 -> 08:00 AM) I agree. Eye opening was how quickly playoff tickets sold out. Fair weather or just excited? At first glance I automatically want to say fair weather. The same thing happened in 2005. There were some dismal attendance numbers that last month of the year for a first place team, but as soon as the playoffs started, those were the hottest tickets around. Then I took a glance at some of this year's playoff teams like the A's, Nats, Orioles, & Reds. They had the same thing going on, where multiple September games were played to half-empty stadiums, yet at playoff games the stadium is rocking. Maybe there is a good chunk of fans that will only attend playoff games? I think that playoff games really bring out the casual/bandwagon fans, which is true in all sports in all cities though.

If Sox fans exerted the same amount of energy trying to attend Sox games that they exert making excuses about why they don't go to games, the Cell would be sold out 81 games year.

Last night they flashed a stat that Nick Swisher is 1 for 34 w/ RISP over his entire postseason career. That's just unbelievable, you would think that by blind baseball luck he could sneak a few bloops or seeing eye singles in there.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 10:28 PM) Joba Chamberlain just got an elbow massage courtesy of the better part of Matt Wieters' bat. Quite the stretch of bad luck for Joba...

The good news is that Verlander will be only be available for games 3 & 7 in the ALCS. The bad news is that the Tigers only have to go 2-3 in the other 5 games to win the series. They may have several flaws in their roster, but the best pitcher on the planet can easily make up for those flaws, especially in a short series.

f*** Hopefully Gio can't find the strike zone again and the Cardinals knock him out early

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 03:57 PM) Awesome AB. Romo has to be frustrated And he's gotta be getting tired. I can't imagine he throws 30+ pitches very often. Time for Scott Rolen to make up for his game 3 error.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Oct 10, 2012 -> 01:34 PM) Fitzpatrick or Alex Smith? Definitely Alex Smith IMO. Despite what Tannenhil did down there, I think the Cards D is pretty tough, and it's in the desert. Also, the 49ers offense seems to be on cruise control and the Giants D gave up points to Tampa & Cleveland.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 03:26 PM) Just in time for the World Series I wouldn't want anyone else on the mound for game 7

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 02:52 PM) Dusty managing a terrible game. He used Xavier Paul to ph there and he had to face a LHP. In his career, Paul has a .355 OPS vs LHP. He's the Ron Washington of the National League.

No better way to kill a rally then a strike 'em out, throw 'em out at 3rd base.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 02:07 PM) That doesn't affect just one game in isolation. Not having your number one starter for the series kills you. Look at Washington. And they were forced to activate & start Mike Leake for a game.

QUOTE (fathom @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 01:34 PM) Bye Reds. That's what you get for playing Rolen over Todd Frazier. It wouldn't be a Dusty Baker managed team without an aging veteran starting over a more deserving youngster. So much for the home field advantage argument.

Nightengale: Nationals despised for sitting Strasburg

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 09:06 AM) Matt Spiegel ‏@MattSpiegel670 Valverde in 12 career post-season games: 0-3, ERA of near 7 in 13.2 IP. Pressure is a b****. 3 of those post-season games were against the Cubs in 2007 when he pitched 3 scoreless innings. Apparently beating the Cubs in the playoffs is that easy.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Oct 11, 2012 -> 07:25 AM) aaaaaw Papa Grande no dancy last night. so sad Easily my most hated player in baseball right now. I enjoyed this tweet about the 9th inning rally and Papa Grande's pitches Ray Ratto ‏@RattoCSN This is not magic, by the way. It's a bunch of straight-as-a-strong 92-mph fastballs, which are infinitely better than magic.

Even if the Tigers win game 5, that loss really hurts their chances to get to the WS. They had Verlander set to pitch game 1 of the ALCS and would be sure to use him 2 or maybe 3 times. Now he won't be available until game 3 and he might only get to pitch once before their season ends.