2005 World Series

[jazzypaul]

Oh man, tell me about it. I watched Sunday's game at Catcher's (35th and Lituanica, and about 4 blocks from my childhood home). When Konerko hit that grand slam, people went nuts, and when Pods knocked out the game winner, there were more free rounds going around than I could count. I can't even imagine what tonight's game woulda been like down there.

(tonight, I watched the game at work...grrrr...)

[Alexander Hawkins]

Larry - thanks very much for those answers!

I'm getting there with baseball - it's pretty gripping when it's like this!

Mind you, it had to be gripping last night - here in the UK, the game finished at around 8.30 am.

I really like the White Sox - I think I'm going to adopt them. My one time in the States so far was in Chicago, and I looked out for their results all season, so that'll do for me. I don't really understand all the animosity towards them (although Pierszcinski (sp.?) could get on my nerves, especially if I wasn't particularly predisposed to the Sox anyway!)

It was intriguing watching Oswalt pitch to Pierszcinski at the start of the game. Looked to me like he was trying to hit him in his first couple of at bats?

[Larry Kart]

About the closed dome versus open dome thing, discount the fact that I'm a Sox fan if you can, but I still feel that MLB is right here for several reasons (1) because the closed dome is a home park feature that can be actuated before or during a game with the literal push of a button, versus, say, built-in season-long peculiarities of a park (like moving in an outfield fence before the year starts, but of course you can't do that for a specific game or series);(2) as mentioned before, the dome is there for a practical purpose -- comfort of the crowd in a hot, humid city, protection from rain -- and should probably never be put into operation for any other reason (3) while every team has an infield and a groundskeeper who can tinker with the length of the infield grass and, I assume within narrow margins, the slope of the baselines, only a few teams play in domed stadiums; thus allowing a team to use their dome in this way would give the domed-stadium teams an unfair advantage. Finally, FWIW, there is the longstanding rumor that in the Metrodome the Twins management used to have the flow of the Met's air-conditioning blowing out toward the fences when the Twins were at bat and in toward homeplate when the visiting team was hitting.

[Neal Pomea]

This work life of mine is REALLY cutting into my World Series viewing! Went to bed after 9 thrilling innings and missed the last 5. What a game! Longest in time. Tied for most innings. Most players used. All in all, about 7 WS records broken or tied last night...

I suppose it's pretty much all over. Not much chance of Houston taking the next 4 games, but wouldn't that be a story?

This is one year when I will be glad for either team who wins.

[Larry Kart]

My favorite Pierzynski story, widely attested to, took place in spring training in 2004, afte he'd been traded from the Twins to the Giants. Apparently ticked off at being traded and/or just a red ass by nature, A.J. was hit in the groin by a pitched or batted ball -- don't recall if he was catching or at bat at the time. Anyway, he crumpled to the ground, the Giants trainer ran out to him, knelt down and asked A.J., "How do you feel?" or words to that effect. In reponse, A.J. kneed the trainer in the groin. A.J.'s relationship with Giants management and teammates went downhill from there.

[Larry Kart]

Chapter and verse about the A.J. incident, from a column by Bruce Jenkins in the San Francisco Chronicle:

One of those now-it-can-be-told stories the White Sox, A.J. Pierzynski's new employer, surely haven't heard: During a Giants exhibition game last spring, Pierzynski took a shot to his, shall we say, private parts. Trainer Stan Conte rushed to the scene, placed his hands on Pierzynski's shoulders in a reassuring way, and asked how it felt. "Like this," said Pierzynski, viciously delivering a knee to Conte's groin. It was a real test of professionalism for the enraged Conte, who vowed to ignore Pierzynski for the rest of the season until Conte realized how that would look. The incident went unreported because all of the beat writers happened to be doing in-game interviews in the clubhouse, but it was corroborated by a half-dozen eyewitnesses who could hardly believe their eyes. Said one source, as reliable as they come: "There is absolutely no doubt that it happened."

[Alexander Hawkins]

Don't imagine he'd get away with much of that under Guillen!

And apologies for mangling AJ's name..!

Edited October 26, 2005 by Red

[Larry Kart]

Further thoughts on A.J.'s balls, in a different sense. An angry, troubled man, no doubt, but as Sox TV broadcaster Hawk Harrelson said many times during the season, "A.J. puts down some great numbers" -- this being baseball-ese for A.J.'s guts and smarts in calling pitches, in particular his penchant for doubling-up or even more on a pitch that's just worked rather than doing the more normal thing and, say, following a fastball strike on the inside corner with a slider away. Seldom was this more apparent than last night in the seventh inning, with one out, a man on second and the Sox leading by a run, when A.J. had Garland through six (six!) consecutive change-ups to Bagwell (who popped out) and Biggio before Biggio struck out on the seventh pitch in the sequence, a fastball. The thing is, if either Bagwell or Biggio had guessed that the next pitch that was going to be the same semi-lollipop one they'd just seen, they probably could have killed it. Yes, Garland still had to throw those pitches, but I think few catchers would have had the guts to call them. Now that I think of it, this may be related to a possible element in A.J.'s personality -- that he's aligned along the axis of rage and humilation, and thus has a taste for, and uncommon insights into, getting opponents to defeat themselves. Actually, I believe I've read that A.J. was harshly disciplined as a kid by an angry, domineering father, which is good way, if you don't go nuts first (or even if you do), to learn how to deviously turn the strengths of the strong into potential weakness.

[Guest]

"1) what is the 'clutch'/'clutch-hitting' etc.

2) does homefield advantage count for that much? Can we expect the Astros to comeback tonight? Will NL over AL rules favour them?

Cheers! "

Baseball is a complex, misunderstood game. Most people in the media offer what generally is unsupported legends as truths. You brought up two excellent examples of myths at work.

1. Clutch hitting.

Clutch hitting means hitting in a very important part of the game. Some hitters develop reputations as hitting well in the clutch and others have reputations as not doing well in the clutch. These are both myths. No hitter has ever, over the course of his career, done much better or worse -- in a statistically meaningful way -- in the clutch than overall. The simple fact is that good hitters have a tendency to get more big hits, and lesser hitters have a tendency to do worse. Now, over a SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, -- like the playoffs, for example -- there will always be abberrations. This is why the winner of a 5 or 7 game baseball series is largely a function of luck.

2. Home field advantage

Home field advantage is a significant component in other sports (football, hockey, basketball), but is of much lesser significance in baseball. In the postseason, it means almost nothing. One of the great myths of baseball is that getting a "deciding" game at home (the fifth game of a 5 game series, or the 7th game of a 7th game series) is a great advantage. But, a perusal of deciding playoff games since 1968 (the advent of the playoff format), shows that home teams win slightly *less* than half of the time.

[Aggie87]

My hat's off to the Sox for being up 3-0 against the Astros. They're clearly playing better ball overall, and deserve to win this series.

The Astros strong starting pitching has disappeared completely from this series, save for a moment or two from Oswalt and Pettite. But what has doomed them has been their lack of hitting. Last night was embarrassing.

I guess I can take solace in the fact the Astros haven't been blown out of any one game. But to lose three close games because they're not executing up to their potential is sure frustrating.

[Noj]

I believe the Astros stranded 14 runners in the extra innings. Hats off to the White Sox' pitching staff, indeed.

[ejp626]

On the European feed, we got some great stats during game 2.

My wife is going to try to stay up and watch Game 4. I doubt she will make it, especially if it goes extra innings, but it is cool that it is on at all. It is pretty hard to follow US sports in Europe, unless you content yourself with the websites (or the CNN sports ticker) and don't feel you need to watch the game live.

I certainly thought the Sox were going to fold in the last couple of weeks of the season -- it's the Chicago way after all. But they hung tough and, barring the worst baseball collapse of all time, they're going all the way. Unbelievable. She's so mad she won't be there to celebrate.

I know the Chicago sports writers have a lower profile than the New York ones, but they can turn on you just as quickly. Dusty Baker is already being tagged as a poor loser and a bitter man who didn't believe in the Cubs Curse and was humbled by it; you can feel the wheels turning as they try to run him out of town. Ozzy should have a considerably longer time to wear out his welcome, and that's only assuming that he can't keep the team competitive.

[sheldonm]

SWEEP IN FOUR AND SAY NO MORE!!!!

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Oh, I expect you'll have plenty more to say Paulie!

Good game tonight. That's the ways the WS should be. Woulda been fun to watch in a Chicago bar.

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....and his type gets bigger as the series goes on!!!

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Separated At Birth?

Bobby Jenks:

Bobby Hill:

Hell, the way that Jenks' heat resembles Nolan Ryan's, I'd not be surprised to find out that he is Hank Hill's boy!

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WTF? Something about the World Serious always seems to inspire this stuff! http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=14292

BTW, I'm not that interested in either team, but I'm pulling for the ChiSox. How can you not pull for a team that hasn't won a championship for 87 years? (...and if they win, my Giants will move that much closer toward the front of the "It's about time to get a championship" line. )

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Now that Houston has landed in the world series (and apparently going no further), there now remains one team who has never been in a championship series: The Texas Rangers.

And under current ownership and management, that statistic won't be changing anytime soon.

[Adam]

It's a shame that George W. Bush didn't remain the Texas Rangers team president. He'd have them in the Series by now!

[tatifan]

Now that Houston has landed in the world series (and apparently going no further), 

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What's further than the World Series? Is there an interplantary one now?

Can you tell I'm an Astros fan?

[jazzypaul]

Well, the Japanese just challenged us to a duel between the winners of the World Series and their champions.

I think the Japanese would enjoy the south side, except for all of those moments when they're losing.

So, where is Dan these days anyway?

[PHILLYQ]

Larry - thanks very much for those answers!

I'm getting there with baseball - it's pretty gripping when it's like this!

Mind you, it had to be gripping last night - here in the UK, the game finished at around 8.30 am.

I really like the White Sox - I think I'm going to adopt them. My one time in the States so far was in Chicago, and I looked out for their results all season, so that'll do for me. I don't really understand all the animosity towards them (although Pierszcinski (sp.?) could get on my nerves, especially if I wasn't particularly predisposed to the Sox anyway!)

It was intriguing watching Oswalt pitch to Pierszcinski at the start of the game. Looked to me like he was trying to hit him in his first couple of at bats?

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It's possible that he was NOT trying to hit him but rather to pitch him very close, to keep the ball inside(closer to the hitter) to prevent the hitter from extending his arms and getting a good swing on a pitch. With an inside pitch the pitcher hopes to jam the hitter and cause defensive swings that frequently result in pop-ups or groundballs.

I believe you also questioned home field advantage and Larry Kart gave you a great answer but he did leave out one factor: in the ninth inning or in extra innings the home team has an advantage because they bat last. If the game is tied in the 9th inning or a later inning and the home team scores, the game is over. By contrast, if the visitors take a one run lead in the ninth or in extra innings, they still must get the home team out without allowing any runs. Last year, the Yankees were playing the Twins in NYC when the Twins scored three times in the 13th(?) inning. The Yankees got up in the bottom of the inning and got a grand slam and won the game. Had the game been in Minnesota, as soon as the Twins scored once in the 13th inning the game would have been over.

[Free For All]

So, where is Dan these days anyway?

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Perhaps w/o power or cleaning up from Wilma? Did he get hit?

Edited October 27, 2005 by Free For All

[Free For All]

So I was wondering- do Cubs fans root for or against the White Sox?

What is the "ettiquitte" in this situation?

I would hope that a special occasion like the World Series might at least temporarily unite the North and South side baseball fans.

yours for a united Chicago,

FFA

[Chuck Nessa]

So I was wondering- do Cubs fans root for or against the White Sox?

What is the "ettiquitte" in this situation?

I would hope that a special occasion like the World Series might at least temporarily unite the North and South side baseball fans.

yours for a united Chicago,

FFA

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From what I hear on Chicago radio, Sox fans are rejecting/insulting Cubs fans as "brothers and sisters".

[Soulstation1]

WTF is up with a-rod as one of the greatest latino players of all time

wasn't home boy born in miami??

[Free For All]

Sox win! Countdown to jazzypaul in cap-lock has begun. 5.....4....3....2....

[BERIGAN]

I really, really, really wanted to see the Astros win one...just one damn game! Has a team ever gone longer without scoring in the world series? Must be some team shut out back to back or something, but damn....

Anyway, not to take ANYTHING from the White Sox! No more curse! They won I think 16 of 17 games in the playoffs...unbelievable!!!! Who'd a thunk it???? Shoeless Joe can now leave purgatory, and enter Heaven!

[Aggie87]

Well done, White Sox!!! Jermaine Dye is the MVP....and deserves it. I think he played the best overall of all the Sox.

Astros have their work cut out this off season for sure. Their D was solid, but pitching and hitting were strangely absent. Need some work.