MLB Playoffs

That curve is an out whether Beltran swings or not. He had maybe a 10 percent chance of hitting a weak foul to stay alive. But that's not my point.
Let's review the Floyd AB, because IMO Randolph did nothing wrong at all. Analysis of managerial moves that don't work always rest of the false premise that the untaken option WOULD'VE worked. Managers can't make that assumption.
Choice A: Send Cliff up there to swing away. Pros: He could put you into the World Series with one swing, and he's up against a kid closer who seems to be struggling a bit. Might see a 3-1 fastball. As you just saw in the top of the ninth, most post-season low-scoring games turn on mistakes turned into homers, not long-sequence smallball innings.
Cons: Anything on the ground is a double play, maybe a triple play with Cliff running. On the other hand, he's a vet who knows better than to swing at any pitch low in the zone.
Actual result: Strikeout. That's bad, but it could've been worse.
Now let's consider Choice B: Send some scrubeenie up to bunt men over. Pros: You play for a tie at home is a cliche for a reason, it often works. You have men on second and third, one out, and the top of the order coming up. Not a bad situation.
Cons: What if scrubeenie can't get the bunt down? Wainwright's stuff makes that a real possibility. Now you've got men on first and second with a weak hitter swinging with two strikes-the stuff double plays are made of.
Now to the crux of the matter. Suppose the bunt is successfully executed. Reyes is immediately walked. Bases loaded, one out. Maybe LoDuca wins or ties the game with a hit. Probability says, however, he'll make an out. If it's a DP, you lose. If it's a flyout (sac or no) or strikeout, the Mets stand with the winning runs on base, two outs, and Beltran up. Which is how things wound up in reality, too.
Bottom line: Whatever Randolph's flaws as a skipper, there's no fault to be found with his post-season work. He took a team with a vaporized starting rotation and got it to a Game 7 of the NLCS. In that game, the Mets, the NL's best-hitting lineup, had three separate chances to break it open or win it with a hit, and never got said hit. Scapegoat seeking New Yorkers (not that such people exist) might want to focus on Reyes and Wright, not Willie.

 

Up 3-2 with Carpenter and a hot Suppan going against John Maine and 3-13 Ollie Perez, if the Cards HADN'T won, it would have been a HUGE choke job.
The Mets were clearly the best team in the NL for 6 months.
But, they were the decided underdog with that injured pitching staff.

 

Disagree and agree, buck.

Wagner had been such horseshit his last two games that Willie had no confidence in him. I understand completely, although it says something when the closer you spent that much $$ on can't be trusted in a tied Game 7.

Cliff is a gamer, a great guy, the best quote on the team, etc., etc. But one thing he is NOT is a good pinch-hitter. The numbers show it:

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/players/player/splits/2006/7606

He was 0-for-5 in that role in the regular year [/Vin Scully reference], 0-for-1 in the LCS and 0-for-16 total over four seasons as a Met. Expecting him to channel Kirk Gibson was unrealistic, and a prime example of how Willie's 'F--- the numbers, I believe in my guys' can bite you in the ass. I'm not saying a manager should be a slave to the numbers, but sometimes they're telling you something and you should listen.

 

I would like to see how Wainwright reacted to having bases loaded with one out.

But, nice take, Michael.

 

I agree with Moddy. That was a big balls pitch. I also agree with HB. My first thought after the pitch was "damn, dude, you've got to swing at some point during this at-bat."

That said, I hope someone gave HB at hug. He apparently was one homicidal dude last night.

 

If Valentin had allowed himself to be interfered with in the 2nd by Belliard, the Wagner question would be moot. At the very least, Randolph should have yanked Heilemann after a man got on in the 9th. But that's baseball.

 

I just looked over the beginning of this thread. Jesus H. Christ, you guys can't predict shit. Don't quit your day jobs.

 

Then again ...

Man, I'm glad the New York teams are home for the winter. Better raise payroll.

 

Beautiful, Poin.
Looks like we know who the real fraud is around here

 

I'm still in shock. How the hell could the Mets have lost that game with Oliver Perez pitching so well? How the hell could the Mets have lost this series when they held Pujols reasonably in check (by his standards, anyway) and rendered Edmonds and even Rolen mostly non-factors offensively?

A choke job, if you ask me. Takes a lot away from their season.

I understand Willie Randolph leaving Heimlich-man in to face Molina there, but shouldn't he have at least gone out to settle his young reliever down, since he had just let Rolen get away after having an 0-2 count?

 

So either the Cardinals win the World Series or Neifi Fucking Perez does.

Perfect. Just fucking perfect.