Running 2011 Baseball Thread, Vol. I: Dedicated to spnited

Hey, the Cardinals are the only thing I have going for my sporting interests this year. Chiefs? Suckitude, but not enough to get in the stud QB sweepstakes. Mizzou football? QB Franklin has promise, but the defense (the supposed team strength) couldn't cover my grandma on a deep post — and she's been dead five years.

So, god love 'em, but I hope the Rangers take a deep shit and the Cards win another World Series.

Joe

 

Took an elective in Canadian politics in college back in the day. On the first day, the instructor was going over the green sheet and bought up the most-asked quesstion he got in the course: "What is it about those Canadian beers?" He seemed to think they were fermented a little longer than U.S. swills.

 

No idea how many collectors of baseball programs we have in our midst, but here is a story (with slideshow) from today's New York Times on the evolution of the World Series program.

I own three, from each of the Blue Jays' runs in 1992 and 1993 and 2006 when a friend of mine covered the Cards and Tigers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/19/sports/baseball/the-history-of-the-world-series-baseball-program.html

 

Bumpity-bump-bump.

Cardinals 3, Rangers 2. And, hey, a starting pitcher actually lasted a full six innings. Well-pitched game on both sides. Rangers got screwed a little when Beltre hit the ball off his foot in the ninth but was thrown out. Other than that, a clean game.

 

Every game that is 3-2 will favor the Cardinals. That simple. Rangers rely on hitting, have no dominant starters like Carpenter.

 

And every 3-2 game that's as sluggish as that one was -- the only excitement was the first inning -- they might as well move the World Series to August to hold ratings. And I wanted these two teams in this.

 

That does seem to fit how the post-season is going. Not the whole season, though. Wilson actually had a better year than Carpenter by just about every measure.

 

Nevermind the Cardinals have no dominant starters other than Carpenter?

 

But they have Punto, who is still undefeated as a starter in the 2011 playoffs.

SOMEONE HAS TO WRITE THIS STORY! He's like their little rabbit's foot!

 

I can't believe there was a baseball thread without a single post during an entire World Series game. I'm not sure what that says, nor about whom it would be said.

 

A fascinating attempt to quantify catchers' ability to block balls in the dirt:

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/another-one-bites-the-dust/