2023 MLB Playoffs

#1      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
Little surprised no thread yet. Maybe all the Cubs, WSox and Cardinals fans are still in mourning. Enjoying watching some of the good, young players, especially Evan Carter (TX) and Carroll (AZ) as I have them in a keeper fantasy baseball league (along with Caminero (TB), but he only got 2 ABs). I’m actually kind of rooting for those two teams with my Cubs no where in sight. Wish Texas wasn’t matched up against Orioles as I like their young players too.

And can someone tell me how TB has a team when their attendance capacity is around 25,000? I knew they had a smaller capacity but 25k? And they couldn’t come close to selling out either game.
 
#2      

danielb927

danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
Rochester, MN
danielb927
Not really Cubs-related but living in MN now, the Twins are my foster team for the playoffs. Last time they won a playoff series I was 12 and only vaguely aware of the existence of Minnesota.

Kinda fun to see Milwaukee get bounced early too :devilish:
 
#3      

GrayGhost77

GrayGhost77
Centennial, CO
GrayGhost77
Lived in AZ for 9 years so rooting for the DBacks now. Gotta have someone to root for if no Chicago teams.
 
#4      

IanKEvans2

IanKEvans2
IanKEvans2
danielb927 said:
Not really Cubs-related but living in MN now, the Twins are my foster team for the playoffs. Last time they won a playoff series I was 12 and only vaguely aware of the existence of Minnesota.

Kinda fun to see Milwaukee get bounced early too :devilish:
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Also living in MN! Two 2 years now up in St. Paul.

I've fully adopted the Twins as my AL team. Didn't think in my 30s I'd be able to form "core" sports memories, but the game 1 win this week was one of them for me.
 
#5      

danielb927

danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
Rochester, MN
danielb927
IanKEvans2 said:
Also living in MN! Two 2 years now up in St. Paul.

I've fully adopted the Twins as my AL team. Didn't think in my 30s I'd be able to form "core" sports memories, but the game 1 win this week was one of them for me.
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I caught game 2 on the radio while mowing last night and the atmosphere sounded awesome! I'd love to make it up for a playoff game this year.
 
#6      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
GrayGhost77 said:
Lived in AZ for 9 years so rooting for the DBacks now. Gotta have someone to root for if no Chicago teams.
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I’ve followed them some this year because in addition to Carroll I have Kelly and Moreno (backup C — my #1 C is on Brewers) on my fantasy team. I also like the veteran Longoria showing out in game 1.
 
#7      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
danielb927 said:
Not really Cubs-related but living in MN now, the Twins are my foster team for the playoffs. Last time they won a playoff series I was 12 and only vaguely aware of the existence of Minnesota.

Kinda fun to see Milwaukee get bounced early too :devilish:
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when is the last time Milwaukee has won a playoff series ?
 
#9      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
EyeoftheIllini said:
And can someone tell me how TB has a team when their attendance capacity is around 25,000? I knew they had a smaller capacity but 25k? And they couldn’t come close to selling out either game.
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And the real joke is that White Sox Owner Reinsdorf threatened to move the Sox out of Chicago in 1989 to... TAMPA BAY. Oh my, what another brilliant business decision THAT would have been on his part.

The Tampa Area does not support a good team like the Rays that approaches 100 wins a year. What would they have done with the underachieiving White Sox? It seems that Western Florida just does not like baseball. Football only for them.

I like the new playoff structure as it keeps baseball interest alive in more cities. And the way things are now set up... if you can't make the expanded playoffs then a team really has no reason to complain because they simply aren't good enough. When great legacy franchises like the Sox and Yankees can't make the playoffs... and the So Cal Anaheim club is not a contender... that takes three huge baseball markets out of the picture for just not being good enough ball clubs.

We can start to wonder where the Rays will end up playing in a few years. Maybe even Chicago... if Reinsdorf is serious about moving the Sox to Nashville.
 
#10      

IlliniFaninHoosierLand

IlliniFaninHoosierLand
IlliniFaninHoosierLand
With the Twins having now won a postseason game (and obviously a series as well), the longest active playoff losing streak in any of the 4 major North American sports is the Detroit Pistons with 14 straight losses. They have not won a playoff game since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals when they lost to the Celtics.

The longest active streak in MLB is now held by 2 teams, both of which played in this postseason. The Rays and Blue Jays have now lost 7 straight postseason games.
 
#11      

Ryllini

Ryllini
Lombard
Ryllini
Philly is hot, they look sharp right now. I think this Harper kid is gonna be alright😉. Houston showed their experience. I still think Texas pulls it off this year. Dbacks putting it on the Dodgers.

Also, the environment in Atlanta seems very sterile and lacking, that is of course until they turn the lights off and do the tomahawk chop.
 
#12      

illiniguy

illiniguy
illiniguy
Roundball Sage said:

When great legacy franchises like the Sox and Yankees can't make the playoffs... and the So Cal Anaheim club is not a contender... that takes three huge baseball markets out of the picture for just not being good enough.

Ummm…The Cubs are not a great legacy franchise?
 
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#13      

Ryllini

Ryllini
Lombard
Ryllini
illiniguy said:
Roundball Sage said:

When great legacy franchises like the Sox and Yankees can't make the playoffs... and the So Cal Anaheim club is not a contender... that takes three huge baseball markets out of the picture for just not being good enough.

Ummm…The Cubs are not a great legacy franchise?
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I'm guessing he meant the Red Sox.
 
#18      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
Ryllini said:
I dont want to speak for @Roundball Sage , but considering the Red Sox have won 4 titles in the past 20 years and are tied for the 3rd most ever, I'm surely not joking.
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What I’m referencing here is that when the biggest and best baseball markets in America like Chicago, New York, So Cal Anaheim, St. Louis, and Boston do not make the playoffs... MLB suffers.

You can still have interesting and spirited baseball playoff games even if it’s the smallest markets in the World Series. But the National interest level is not there and certainly not in those major markets and baseball hotbeds.

The World Series is just at a different level when the baseball-passionate cities are involved. Do we really want to see The Trash Can Bangers in the Series again? And no, they are just not a baseball hotbed in H-Town. But they are the favorite team of City Maintenance and Trash Hauling Workers around the World.

And thankfully, the White Sox put them in their place in 2005. Unfortunately, it’s been the Sox that have played like trash since then.
 
#19      

bdutts

bdutts
Houston, Texas
bdutts
illiniguy said:
Roundball Sage said:

When great legacy franchises like the Sox and Yankees can't make the playoffs... and the So Cal Anaheim club is not a contender... that takes three huge baseball markets out of the picture for just not being good enough.

Ummm…The Cubs are not a great legacy franchise?
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He’s a White Sox fan so he’s not going to mention the Cubs by name…
 
#21      

illiniguy

illiniguy
illiniguy
Roundball Sage said:
What I’m referencing here is that when the biggest and best baseball markets in America like Chicago, New York, So Cal Anaheim, St. Louis, and Boston do not make the playoffs... MLB suffers.

You can still have interesting and spirited baseball playoff games even if it’s the smallest markets in the World Series. But the National interest level is not there and certainly not in those major markets and baseball hotbeds.

The World Series is just at a different level when the baseball-passionate cities are involved. Do we really want to see The Trash Can Bangers in the Series again? And no, they are just not a baseball hotbed in H-Town. But they are the favorite team of City Maintenance and Trash Hauling Workers around the World.

And thankfully, the White Sox put them in their place in 2005. Unfortunately, it’s been the Sox that have played like trash since then.
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Please tell me you are not seriously suggesting that MLB ownership should interfere to help the larger market teams when those teams already have an obvious financial advantage due to their market size.
 
#22      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
illiniguy said:
Please tell me you are not seriously suggesting that MLB ownership should interfere to help the larger market teams when those teams already have an obvious financial advantage due to their market size.
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Not at all. The fact that the larger markets are out speaks to the integrity of the Game. Determined and fixed outcomes are of places like WWE and belong in such places. What I'm speaking about is that the most passionate baseball fans in America are shut out when the baseball hotbed clubs are not involved.

It's a great reward for the smaller market teams to have the limelight. Good for them. Everyone wants to taste success.

But there is something wrong with the management and direction of the major market teams when so many are all just watching from the outside. Huge sums of money are being paid to these players and someone is not getting a good return on their investment. And part of that 'someone' are fans of those teams.
 
#23      

3 point girl

3
texas
3 point girl
Roundball Sage said:
Not at all. The fact that the larger markets are out speaks to the integrity of the Game. Determined and fixed outcomes are of places like WWE and belong in such places. What I'm speaking about is that the most passionate baseball fans in America are shut out when the baseball hotbed clubs are not involved.

It's a great reward for the smaller market teams to have the limelight. Good for them. Everyone wants to taste success.

But there is something wrong with the management and direction of the major market teams when so many are all just watching from the outside. Huge sums of money are being paid to these players and someone is not getting a good return on their investment. And part of that 'someone' are fans of those teams.
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The larger markets are out? LA 2nd, Dallas 4th,Houston 5th, Phillie 7th, atlanta 8th, & phoenix 10th in total population areas in the US.
 
#24      

Roundball Sage

R
Roundball Sage
3 point girl said:
The larger markets are out? LA 2nd, Dallas 4th,Houston 5th, Phillie 7th, atlanta 8th, & phoenix 10th in total population areas in the US.
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The larger markets that are baseball HOTBEDS are out... except for the Trolley Dodgers.

Texas and Georgia is football country. Philly is into baseball but NOT a legacy baseball power. And Phoenix is in the middle of endless sand in a waterless desert populated by people who came there from elsewhere... that have loyalties to many other teams. Usually the Chicago North Side ball club or LA.

As I said earlier... I'm not taking anything away from fans of those teams. Everyone wants to taste success. But it is the combination of being a huge city PLUS being a baseball hotbed or legacy power that changes the dynamic.

Side note: Though no fan of The 'Stros... may Jose Abreu hit lots more home runs. He gave the White Sox his heart. And They showed him The Door.
 
#25      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
Roundball Sage said:
And the real joke is that White Sox Owner Reinsdorf threatened to move the Sox out of Chicago in 1989 to... TAMPA BAY. Oh my, what another brilliant business decision THAT would have been on his part.
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LOL. Too funny.

Like him or not — and doubt many fall into the former category — not sure how anyone could think Reinsdorf’s flirtation with Tampa Bay was anything less than brilliant business. He got not one but two new stadiums built in two different states with all or most of the funds used to build the stadiums being public money. Hate the man, hate the tactics, but THAT was brilliant business on his part.