Baseball Season Opening Day 2009

[Juan Albion]

Ok - here's a few random things I know about baseball.

1 They have fantastic fights when everyone piles off the bench to join in. (Do those still happen?)

2 Boston Red Sox are the team to follow.

3 There's a fantastic writer of short-stories called Ring Lardner. Many of his tales are about pro baseball (albeit in the 30s or earlier) and they are a great read.

1. Rarely. For fights, go to the hockey.

2. Nonsense.

3. Never heard of him.

 

[Bwian]

God Bless Cito Gaston...that is all.

 

[Scotty Mac]

lets go blue jays

 

[Barry Izbak]

Cardinals

f*** the cubs

Lead over the Cubbies went into double figures last night

With a month to go in the season, things are shaping up nicely:

• Yankees have enough to see off the Red Sox in the AL East I reckon
• I also see the Tigers holding on to their AL Central lead
• The Angels to win AL West
• and my pick for the wild card are the Rays - don't ask me why. I gotta hunch.

I also have the current league leaders winning each Division in the NL

• Phillies too good for the rest
• Redbirds - obviously
• Dodgers also too good
• my NL wild Card are the Rockies, although their current form is every bit as impressive as the Giants

And the World Series?
Yankees to make it again this year against the Diodgers or Cardinals and then lose.

 

[xenophon]

Go Marlins!!!!

I want a fish on every base.....next year

 

[Barry Izbak]

One week to go now and only one team has won its Division.

Raise your glasses to: The St Louis Cardinals

The Yankees and the Dodgers are in the play offs.
The Yanks will win their Division if they beat the Red Sox this afternoon

The Phillies and the Rockies look set to make up the four NL sides in the post season.

The Angels and Red Sox look likely to join the Yankees in the last four but the most intriguing Divsion is the ALC with Detroit appearing to choke and possibly let the Twins in.

You gotta love those Redbirds though. How much would I love to see them and the Bronx bombers in the World Series :yahoo:

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Get In the cards.

My season ticket holder friend from St Louis is ripping her hair out as she is in Madrid till christmas so she will miss the play offs

 

[Pavilionaire]

Atlanta have won 7 in a row and are hot. Thet finish with 4 games against the weak Nationals while Colorado finish with 3 against the Dodgers. Therefore, IF the Braves make the play-offs they could be a handful.

The Cards have two hot pitchers so they are dangerous, while the Phillies starters have been nothing special.

It's looking like a Yankees-Cards World Series, and the Yankees have the complete package so I'd expect them to win in 5 or 6.

 

[Barry Izbak]

The 162 regular game season finished last night with a tie in the AL Central.

So on Tuesday the Detroit Tigers will go to the Minnesota Twins for a winner take all single game.

Then the winner will play the Yankees in New York on Wednesday or Thursday, and Friday, then the Yankees will go to Detroit or Minneapolis on Saturday and Sunday, returning for a fifth game if necessary next week.

Imagine this is in an Albion context.

On the last Sunday of the season we tie with MKDons for the 7th for a play off spot (no keep with me even though I admit its a strain on your imagination)
On the Tuesday we go there for a play off game
On the Wednesday we play Oldham in the play off first leg
On the Friday we play the second leg with Oldham at Withdean

Can you just imagine the number of reasons that the FA, the police, the ticket office, the TV and the fans could come up with why this couldn't possibly be allowed?

And yet the baseball will be playing to 40,000+ sell outs in a country which loves its sport and where things get done.

 

[Insel affe]

Great win for the Tigers last night 5-3 setting up a game v Minnesota on Tuesday

Come on Tigers give Detroit something to shout about

 

[Barry Izbak]

Minnesota Tuesday: After 162 league games in which they finished with an identical record Twins beat the Tigers in a one off decider, in extra innings in a dramatic finale last night.
New York Wednesday: Twins travel east and go straight into a five game series with the Yankees.

Meanwhile in England: "oh but we play too much cricket / football in this country and the players are tired"

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

I’m going to the Yankees first game against the Twins tonight. The company I work for was involved on the new Yankee Stadium so we got 10 tickets for tonight’s game. First time I’ve been to at the new stadium so looking forward to it. After a nine year gap George Steinbrenner is under tremendous pressure to bring home the World Series having spent nearly $1.5 billion on the new stadium and about 500 million on players – oh to have that kind of cash for the Albion !

 

[Insel affe]

I’m going to the Yankees first game against the Twins tonight. The company I work for was involved on the new Yankee Stadium so we got 10 tickets for tonight’s game. First time I’ve been to at the new stadium so looking forward to it. After a nine year gap George Steinbrenner is under tremendous pressure to bring home the World Series having spent nearly $1.5 billion on the new stadium and about 500 million on players – oh to have that kind of cash for the Albion !

enjoy, that sounds great would love to swap places with ya.

 

[SurreySeagulls]

Imagine this is in an Albion context.

On the last Sunday of the season we tie with MKDons for the 7th for a play off spot (no keep with me even though I admit its a strain on your imagination)
On the Tuesday we go there for a play off game
On the Wednesday we play Oldham in the play off first leg
On the Friday we play the second leg with Oldham at Withdean

Can you just imagine the number of reasons that the FA, the police, the ticket office, the TV and the fans could come up with why this couldn't possibly be allowed?

And yet the baseball will be playing to 40,000+ sell outs in a country which loves its sport and where things get done.

But to fair to the authorities this side of the pond. Our sports tend to take away fans which is where the issues come in, whereas, due to country size there are very few away fans at American sports.

 

[Citrus]

Minnesota Tuesday: After 162 league games in which they finished with an identical record Twins beat the Tigers in a one off decider, in extra innings in a dramatic finale last night.
New York Wednesday: Twins travel east and go straight into a five game series with the Yankees.

Meanwhile in England: "oh but we play too much cricket / football in this country and the players are tired"

Fantastic game last night - nothing between the two sides! The Twins better not bend over for the Yankees after all that.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Yankees sweep the ALDS following their 4-1 win against the Twins and go thru’ to their first play-off series since 2004. In a shocking upset the Red Sox, masters of the playoff comeback, were swept out of the playoffs by the Angels in a 7-6 victory. Three times the Angels were down to their last strike in the ninth and were trailing 6-4 at one stage. For the Red Sox this was almost a replay of game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets. I think the Yankees will struggle against the Angels as they are really playing for the memory of their pitcher Nick Adenhart who died earlier this season

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think the Yankees have all of the weapons to beat the Angels. A-Rod's desire to finally deliver in post-season will partly negate the Adenhart factor - everyone has their own agenda after all - and A-Rod finally seems to perform in October.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Congratulations to the Dodgers. I had a very depressing time watching my team capitulate in the NLDS. Our big name hitters and pitchers just didn't show up. Very disappointing.

Having said that the Dodgers played really well and deservedly went through.

I've got a little idea that we could be looking at an all LA series. That would be worth watching.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Looks like the Yankees and the Phillies in the World Series – with both of them leading 3-1 in the playoffs. The Yankees have finally got their act together - A Rod has been a revelation following his admission of taking steroids and hip surgery. Difficult to predict the final outcome but on present form the Yankees should just shade it – unless of course they blow up.

 

[Dave the OAP]

HUGE night tonight..................GO PHILLIES


win tonight and then Phillies in the Finals for the second year on the trot!

My office colleagues in Philli are looking forward to this.....they HATE Yankees with a passion and what I didnt realise that there is serious trouble at these games.....no segregation and pissed up fans