Special Event: 2021 MLB baseball playoffs: ALCS RedSox v Astros; NLCS Dodgers v Braves
October 15, 2021 7:01 PM - Subscribe
Time for the MLB baseball semifinals, the National League Championship Series (LA Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves) and the American League Championship Series (Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros)!
Can we just have Kiké bat one through nine and play every position?
posted by bixfrankonis at 8:08 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bixfrankonis at 8:08 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
With the Giants out, the only thing I care about in 2021 is the Braves (yeuch) and/or Red Sox (meh) winning so that I don't have to outright boycott the World Series.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 7:46 AM on October 16, 2021
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 7:46 AM on October 16, 2021
I wish I had a “Mute the damned Braves fans and their racist war chant” button on my remote.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:11 PM on October 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 8:11 PM on October 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
Now that it's down to the New England Yankees, Texas Trashcans, and Southern Racists, I guess I'm cheering for the Dodgers by default? And with my success in team support, that means it's probably a Houston-Atlanta final.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:32 AM on October 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:32 AM on October 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Kiké Hernández's first name is the most urgent argument yet for proper accent use with ballplayer names.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:41 AM on October 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:41 AM on October 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Hat initials for the remaining teams in the 2021 playoffs:
B - LA - A - H
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:17 PM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
B - LA - A - H
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:17 PM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
An absolutely wild statistic from Jordan Ellenberg on Twitter: There have been thirteen grand slams in the history of the ALCS. Of those, eight were hit by the Red Sox. No other team has more than one.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:35 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 6:35 AM on October 19, 2021 [2 favorites]
Robot umps when?
posted by Rock Steady at 5:22 AM on October 20, 2021
posted by Rock Steady at 5:22 AM on October 20, 2021
Hopefully never. I get the frustration, I truly do. But, that's just part of baseball and why it's a great game. Human mistakes. If you want something automated to a fare-thee-well, watch american football.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:37 AM on October 20, 2021
posted by Thorzdad at 7:37 AM on October 20, 2021
that's just part of baseball and why it's a great game. Human mistakes.
I would agree if what I was paying for was to watch umpires. Batting, fielding, and pitching deliver all the human mistakes anybody could want, even at the major league level.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 8:00 AM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
I would agree if what I was paying for was to watch umpires. Batting, fielding, and pitching deliver all the human mistakes anybody could want, even at the major league level.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 8:00 AM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Last night definitely tested my opposition to robot umpires. I can handle being beaten by opponents. I can handle being beaten by ourselves. Being beaten by a blown third strike call with two outs is very tough to accept. (I mean, we still could have lost later even with a correct call, but c’mon.)
posted by bixfrankonis at 10:50 AM on October 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by bixfrankonis at 10:50 AM on October 20, 2021 [2 favorites]
It's the inconsistency that rankles so much. Human perception is just not good enough to deal with the speed and precision of modern pitching.
posted by Rock Steady at 11:26 AM on October 20, 2021
posted by Rock Steady at 11:26 AM on October 20, 2021
I'm 100% on board for robo umps. I also favor the larger bases and limited pickoffs they experimented with in the minors this year to increase stolen bases and the pitch clock. All of it. Speed it up, streamline it.
When it comes to baseball, I am a traditionalist at heart. But at some point, it occurred to me that we are no longer watching the traditional game anyway. It's all 3.5 hours long, all walks and K's, all homers, fewer balls in play. Change whatever rules you need to so that we can watch faster games with more balls in play and hits, more steals.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
When it comes to baseball, I am a traditionalist at heart. But at some point, it occurred to me that we are no longer watching the traditional game anyway. It's all 3.5 hours long, all walks and K's, all homers, fewer balls in play. Change whatever rules you need to so that we can watch faster games with more balls in play and hits, more steals.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:33 AM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
I don’t mind the red or blue tops, but man the Red Sox home whites are so crisp.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:21 PM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Rock Steady at 2:21 PM on October 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yeah, okay, my Red Sox have completely lost the thread. Astros in six.
posted by bixfrankonis at 4:20 PM on October 20, 2021
posted by bixfrankonis at 4:20 PM on October 20, 2021
Change whatever rules you need to so that we can watch faster games with more balls in play and hits, more steals.
Modest proposal that potentially solves all of this at once:
Get rid of the shortstop.
posted by bixfrankonis at 5:15 PM on October 20, 2021
Modest proposal that potentially solves all of this at once:
Get rid of the shortstop.
posted by bixfrankonis at 5:15 PM on October 20, 2021
I mean, if they just limited the shift so that the shortstop couldn't be off the infield dirt or to the right side of second base, that would do a lot.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:51 AM on October 21, 2021
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:51 AM on October 21, 2021
I grew up in the South in the early 90s when these guys were playing but dammit I wish I didn't still have a soft spot for the Atlanta baseball team. I don't watch regularly but am always pleasantly surprised to see when they're doing well. Still, burn gentrification stadium and racist practices (needs no link) to the ground (not literally, please, in the case of the building)
posted by supercres at 12:15 PM on October 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by supercres at 12:15 PM on October 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
Well, I can still rest well knowing I witnessed (via the magic of TV) the Sox winning the series multiple times. My grandfather had to wait at least 80 years to see them win once. I am a lucky person.
Astros in six or seven—but the winning game will go into extra innings! I hope the Sox can win it. I don't think they will, though.
You owe the Oracle one rosin bag.
posted by not_on_display at 12:38 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Astros in six or seven—but the winning game will go into extra innings! I hope the Sox can win it. I don't think they will, though.
You owe the Oracle one rosin bag.
posted by not_on_display at 12:38 AM on October 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
My grandfather had to wait at least 80 years to see them win once.
Yeah, my dad died in 2008 and it wasn't lost on me that at least he'd managed to live to see them do it not once but twice.
posted by bixfrankonis at 2:16 PM on October 22, 2021
Yeah, my dad died in 2008 and it wasn't lost on me that at least he'd managed to live to see them do it not once but twice.
posted by bixfrankonis at 2:16 PM on October 22, 2021
All these "whistlegate" videos are more Seinfeld "second spitter" than JFK "second shooter".
posted by bixfrankonis at 5:09 PM on October 22, 2021
posted by bixfrankonis at 5:09 PM on October 22, 2021
Yeah, when Maldonado threw out Verdugo at second to kill the Red Sox rally in the top of the 7th last night about ten million people collectively whistled. At that moment a whistlegate to the World Series opened for the Astros and they walked through it.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 8:16 AM on October 23, 2021
posted by lefty lucky cat at 8:16 AM on October 23, 2021
Is this really what we are going to be stuck with: legitimize the cheating Astros with a new win or the rich ass Dodgers win?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:08 PM on October 23, 2021
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:08 PM on October 23, 2021
Nope. It's worse. Now it's cheaters vs. team with fans doing racist chants and cheers.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:33 AM on October 24, 2021
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:33 AM on October 24, 2021
And with my success in team support, that means it's probably a Houston-Atlanta final.
Sigh.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:34 AM on October 24, 2021
Sigh.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 5:34 AM on October 24, 2021
Nope. It's worse. Now it's cheaters vs. team with fans doing racist chants and cheers.
Yup. Season’s over. See y’all next spring.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:49 PM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yup. Season’s over. See y’all next spring.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:49 PM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]
I really wish the Atlanta team didn't have such racist baggage because Joc Pederson in a bleach blonde pompadour and pearls carrying a glass of red wine around the victory celebration is some energy I could get behind.
Reporter: "Why do you wear the pearls?"
Joc: "Because I'm a bad bitch."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:20 PM on October 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Reporter: "Why do you wear the pearls?"
Joc: "Because I'm a bad bitch."
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:20 PM on October 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Joc Pederson, who has played in three World Series, is asked what he has learned it takes to win these games.
"Score more runs than the other team," he says.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:13 PM on October 25, 2021
"Score more runs than the other team," he says.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:13 PM on October 25, 2021
The World Series starts tonight, and I've put up a new post for it here.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:03 AM on October 26, 2021
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:03 AM on October 26, 2021
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posted by LobsterMitten at 7:18 PM on October 15, 2021 [2 favorites]