Special Event: MLB baseball playoffs 2016: American League Championship Series (ALCS)
October 14, 2016 4:37 PM - Subscribe

The Toronto Blue Jays face the Cleveland Indians, in a best-of-seven series to determine who will go to the World Series.
posted by LobsterMitten (54 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Brought to you by the tears of the people of Boston and Arlington.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:44 PM on October 14, 2016


😂
posted by jessamyn at 4:50 PM on October 14, 2016


So is TBS coverage

A) Always this terrible. Everyone hates it?
B) Only annoying to Canadians because of how US-Centric and Canada-excluding it is?
C) Only really awful in the postseason?

I feel like it must be C because I can't believe that people put up with this day in and day out, and while the MLB does hate Canada, I feel like there are more problems than just that, so I don't' think it's just B.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:09 PM on October 14, 2016


Coverage of playoff games is often bad because the ostensibly neutral announcers tend to default toward supporting the teams they know better or feel are more likely to win.

During the NLDS, the Fox Sports 1 team seemed to be trying to narrate the souvenir DVD of the Giants' fourth even year victory in advance, as opposed to calling the game that was happening. A person tuning in to Game 3 or Game 4 and hearing Smooth and Vasgersian waxing rhapsodic about the Giants' winning ways could have been forgiven for assuming the Cubs were on the verge of elimination.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:14 PM on October 14, 2016


Oh the announcers are kind of bad, but there's also the graphics, the constant logo flashing in front of the screen, the constant change of camera angles, the interviews during the game (they did this in ALDS, hopefully won't do it today), the in-stadium ads (which are probably part of B). It's like they don't want people to actually watch the actual game.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:19 PM on October 14, 2016


Smoltz not Smooth. Stupid autocorrect.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:19 PM on October 14, 2016


I have no idea why the strike zone graphic seems to be beyond the means of the national broadcast team, when virtually every local broadcast has it standard.

My conspiracy theory is that they're wary of showing up the umpires in front of the national audience.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:23 PM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]


It terrifies me that the Jays can only seem to score via home run. I mean the excitement of a home run is great, but some versatility would be comforting.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:23 PM on October 14, 2016


I've seen it a couple of times. I think it's another example of the camera angle and graphics problem: They just feel like they have to change what's on the screen every half second, so it's on there sometimes, but if you blink you miss it. Gotta cut to that shot of the manager sitting on the bench! Same for the count, pitch count, and pitch speed.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:27 PM on October 14, 2016


Coverage of playoff games is often bad because the ostensibly neutral announcers tend to default toward supporting the teams they know better or feel are more likely to win.

I'm not sure it's actually even that bad, unless you're a fan of one of the teams. Over the past two seasons Kansas City Royals fans (myself included) wanted to murder Joe Buck, but now that my team isn't in the games I don't notice him or any of the other national broadcasters being bad at all. I mean, except for Harold Reynolds.
posted by something something at 5:29 PM on October 14, 2016


Also, do all non-Jays fans hate Bautista more than anyone else in baseball? Or is that just in my house?
posted by something something at 5:33 PM on October 14, 2016


I (Jays fan) wouldn't say I hate Bautista, but I think it would be good to get him out of here. I'm just 100% positive he's going to go all Robbie Alomar eventually (same arrogant attitude), and I'd rather he be somebody else's problem when he does it.

That said, in the meantime, he's OUR arrogant jackass, and I was pretty happy to see the series-clinching run in the ALDS charged to Odor's error.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:37 PM on October 14, 2016


I'm a Cubs fan and I think Bautista is fun. That may change depending on how the rest of the postseason goes though...
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:41 PM on October 14, 2016


"Surprise bunt from Carrerra"????

Carrerra bunts more than most batters foul off a pitch. If you're surprised to see Carrerra bunt what are you doing announcing a game?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:52 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Weird...all the Home Hardware ads were removed from Skydome for the playoff games replaced by a Bank of America ad, but now I'm seeing a Home Hardware ad behind home plate in Clevaland. I assume US viewers see something else.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:54 PM on October 14, 2016


We were trying not to have the TV on in front of the baby, so I caught much of the NLDS I the radio, and I missed the local guys when I switched to the national broadcast, which felt generic and bland (though I liked seeing things).

Trevor Bauer injured himself repairing a drone? That's incredible.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:54 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Earlier this season, Martin, I think it was, injured himself. They said he fell in the shower. Then someone else said he fell in the sauna. Then someone asked them about which was it and the person was like "Uh, right he feel in the sauna on the way to the shower..." and then someone else said he fell in the shower. Anyway, a friend speculated that they were all just not wanting to say that he had hurt himself having sex.

I would assume this drone thing is the same, except that the drone explanation actually seems a little more embarrassing.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:59 PM on October 14, 2016


It's like they have a twelve-year-old who just discovered powerpoint transitions doing those graphics at the top of the screen.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:02 PM on October 14, 2016


Here we go...Interviews during the game...argh...show me the damn game!
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:02 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Also, Gibby should be sitting when interviewed so he can lean back safely. What if he leans back while doing the standing interview and gets hurt?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:03 PM on October 14, 2016


Really looking forward to this series. They're two well matched, even teams overall. Still prefer my Jays win, but there's no animosity like with the Rangers or the Royals. No distractions, just baseball.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 6:09 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


I'm having flashbacks to Canada Day.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:32 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


FRANCISCO LINDORRRRRRRRRRR!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:00 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


Crap.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:01 PM on October 14, 2016


"We talked about the ball not traveling tonight, but, uh... it travels if it's hit like that."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:02 PM on October 14, 2016


It really bothers me that Encarnacion does that all the time and never walks over there to apologize.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:31 PM on October 14, 2016


If this weren't the postseason, Encarnacion would have been ejected right there. The umpires is missing some calls but I don't know that the ones Edwin was angry about were actually off
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:32 PM on October 14, 2016


And that's the problem with only being able to score with homeruns.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:53 PM on October 14, 2016


At least it didn't last 6 hours.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:54 PM on October 14, 2016


Welp.
posted by Fizz at 7:55 PM on October 14, 2016


538 says that increases the Indians' chances of making it to the next round... to 45%.

Guess their model still likes Toronto.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:56 PM on October 14, 2016


I would like a reporter to ask Encarniacion what he's doing in batting practice to try to address his bat-throwing problem. He seems to think this is just an ok thing to do all the time (like ideally he wouldn't, but whad'ya gonna do?), and it's not. He could literally kill somebody.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:02 PM on October 14, 2016


I must have clicked into the 538 odds mid-update, because it was different than the last I'd seen it, and listed Game 2 as coming up next, but now it's different still.

58% chance of Cleveland making the World Series now.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:23 PM on October 14, 2016


Lots of chances for the Jays, but just couldn't get the one hit they needed. Great pitching on both sides (including Toronto's first complete game of the year), and some nice D from the Indians. Terribly inconsistent strike zone - didn't feel like any hitters had a good idea of it.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 4:12 AM on October 15, 2016


I know next to nothing about baseball but a lot about repairing drones, and I will vouch for the potential to hurt yourself in many ways, particularly if you are a careless/macho person who does something like bench test with the props installed. Soldering irons are also capable of assisting in carelessness-induced injuries, though usually not to the extent of "can't play baseball." If he shows up with a bandaged hand or arm, I will almost guarantee "careless prop incident."
posted by Alterscape at 8:13 AM on October 15, 2016


Funny to hear the chants of "USA USA USA" at the game, when 30 of 43 players on the Indians are American, and 29 of 41 players on the Blue Jays are American.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 2:45 PM on October 15, 2016


Seriously, how can they let Bauer continue to pitch? That's crazy.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:28 PM on October 17, 2016


That was horror movie levels of gore.

No way to overstate this: The Indians needing their bullpen for 25 outs completely changes the composition of this series. Even if they get out of this inning without giving up any runs, they've got a long game ahead of them and will have a ton of guys not available going for game 4.
posted by SpiffyRob at 5:35 PM on October 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


We turned on the game a bit late and the first thing I saw was an Xtreme Closeup of that bloody finger. Jesus. I can't believe they even let him try.
posted by something something at 5:37 PM on October 17, 2016


He apparently threw 25 pitches in the bullpen earlier without incident, but yeah, that wound was fresh as a daisy before he threw the game's first pitch.

Hell of a job trying to blot it on his jersey so it wasn't all over his pants, but the camera sees all!
posted by SpiffyRob at 5:39 PM on October 17, 2016


Finally!
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:54 PM on October 17, 2016


I don't recall seeing fan reactions in Toronto during the Cleveland games.

It's possible that this was because there wasn't much good for Toronto fans to react too, but I suspect this is yet another example of MLB's and TBS' anti-Canada bias
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 6:59 PM on October 17, 2016


They definitely showed the crowd at Real Sports Bar & Grill, but not quite as frequently (although yes, I would posit that is primarily because there wasn't anything good for them to react to.)
posted by SpiffyRob at 7:15 PM on October 17, 2016


Hmm...you're right, I remember that. though was it Buck Martinez et. al. showing that or actual TBS?

I know it's because I'm frustrated and getting cranky, but I feel like the announcers are getting more annoying by the minute.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:22 PM on October 17, 2016


I have tickets for tomorrow's game and I'm afraid I'm just paying lots of money to go get my heart broken in person.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:25 PM on October 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


Ron Darling has a lovely voice and Cal Ripken was a legend on the field.

So ends the list of nice things I have to say about the TBS broadcast team.
posted by SpiffyRob at 7:51 PM on October 17, 2016


Yeah, I really hate these announcers.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:53 PM on October 17, 2016


I'm going to try to console myself with the idea that I'll probably be getting refunds for the three world series games I have tickets for.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:54 PM on October 17, 2016


Baseball is stupid, anyway.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:33 PM on October 17, 2016 [1 favorite]


For the Jays to only give up eight runs in three games, normally I'd guess they won two out of three. Cleveland hasn't had great offense - they're not putting two or three on in an inning, and it never seemed like they were about to score big. They just don't look like a team that should be winning.

But with Bautista, Edwin, Tulo, and Martin virtually hitless, the offense has been left to Carrera, Saunders, Pillar, and Goins/Travis. They're good for some extra runs, but that's about it. Donaldson's the only one bringing the hits, but there's been nobody on for him to drive in, and nobody following him is hitting so he can score. The Jays have had a few swoons this year, and this one is coming at an especially bad time.

Cleveland's defense is great, and the pitching has been solid. Francona's use of the bullpen last night showed he's more than starter-Miller-closer. You'd think running through so many relievers would be a bad thing, but he did it methodically. They all knew before the game, so they were mentally prepared for it. He didn't leave any of them out there for too long, so I suspect most of them could pitch again today.

The Jays had a great run at the very end of the season to recover from their early September falter, and it carried them through the wild card and the Texas series. They just ran out of gas for the ALCS.

And I suspect this series is the last time Bautista plays for Toronto. As much as he's brought to the team, I don't see them resigning him anymore.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 3:43 AM on October 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


Well I didn't get my heart broken in person. That was good, at least.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:28 PM on October 18, 2016 [1 favorite]


12-8. Twelve to frickin' 8. That's usually the score of one game, not an entire series. Jays only give up 12 runs in five games, they should be going to the World Series.

You know the last time the Jays only scored 8 runs in four games? From July 31 to August 3 - and they won two of the four. Epic collapse.

Cleveland completely outplayed them, in every aspect. Damn.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 4:01 PM on October 19, 2016 [1 favorite]


Congratulations, Cleveland!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 4:35 PM on October 19, 2016


Indians fans buy out hero pitcher's wedding registry
Cleveland Indians pitcher Ryan Merritt's outstanding pitching performance in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series is making for a happy home.

Merritt allowed just two hits and struck out three in a little more than four innings pitched to get the Indians on their way to a 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The win clinched Cleveland's first trip to the World Series since 1997 and the chance to win the team's first championship since 1948.

While the appreciation from his teammates and adoration of a title-starved fan base would be plenty, Indians fans have taken it to another level.

Someone found the 24-year-old Merritt's wedding registry and Tribe fans went crazy buying him and his fiancee gifts.

By late Thursday, barely 24 hours after Merritt's championship performance, nearly the entire registry at Target and Pottery Barn had been purchased for the couple, who plans to tie the knot in January.

Even when most of the items were bought up, Indians fans kept on giving.

So what does a professional athlete and hero to a fanbase put on his wedding registry?

Same things we all would - right down to the Swiffer refills.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:00 AM on October 21, 2016


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