Baseball Season Is Over

[Dan Gould]

I always feel a little blue when my six month companion, baseball, leaves in October. Not only does it usually end in sorrow over another lost season, but it brings a reminder that cold, dreary, dark days are ahead. I think that Bart Giamatti put it best:

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops."

But that's the way I look at the end of the season. What about you?

Edited October 28, 2006 by Dan Gould

[Herb]

It's depressing for me because I like baseball, and because it means winter is almost here; and I can't stand cold weather! The only saving grace for me in winter is college basketball.....

[sheldonm]

I'm always sad when the season is over but my team won it all so I"m very happy as well. If you are a big fan, it is an exhausing season to watch their every move and not have them make it to the promise land!!!

[Dan Gould]

Great. I screw up the poll because I realize I'd essentially repeated the last option and a couple of nudniks are voting for the blank.

[GregK]

I follow baseball closely so I always hate to see it end. However, I do think the season is too long. I don't think it should start so early; maybe mid to late April, shave a few games off the schedule so they arent playing so many chilly/rainy weather games early.

What I truly dislike about baseball being over is the omnipresent basketball coverage. Hard to avoid it around here

[Matthew]

I'm always sad when the season ends. Can't stand football, basketball is ok, but baseball is the only sport I really follow. Can't wait for February to come, and it starts all over again.

[Dan Gould]

I'm always sad when the season ends. Can't stand football, basketball is ok, but baseball is the only sport I really follow. Can't wait for February to come, and it starts all over again.

Substitute "hockey and basketball" for "football" and this describes me to a "t".

I guess Jim A. and old Conn. aren't up yet, or they'd be all over option 2.

[catesta]

I love baseball and always miss it when the season ends.

Although I was over this season as soon as the Mets were eliminated.

I always welcome the change of season. I don't really care about winter sports, but do enjoy the colder weather.

[sheldonm]

Great. I screw up the poll because I realize I'd essentially repeated the last option and a couple of nudniks are voting for the blank.

This "nudnik" thought you meant to put "other" as many of the polls do.

m~

[sheldonm]

....there are now five "nudniks".....whatever that is?

[7/4]

who's the shlemil who left one question blank?

Edited October 28, 2006 by 7/4

[Dan Gould]

....there are now five "nudniks".....whatever that is?

Its Yiddish, Mark, meaning "pest".

[Alexander]

I think that Bart Giamatti put it best...

Did you know that Bart was Paul Giamatti's father? He was also president of Yale from 1977 to 1986.

[Jim Alfredson]

I'm always sad when the season ends. Can't stand football, basketball is ok, but baseball is the only sport I really follow. Can't wait for February to come, and it starts all over again.

Substitute "hockey and basketball" for "football" and this describes me to a "t".

I guess Jim A. and old Conn. aren't up yet, or they'd be all over option 2.

Vote cast!!

Although it was funny to witness all the Tiger hysteria around here and then have them completely BLOW IT. Ah, the Tigers. Good thing I care nothing about baseball or I might actually be disappointed.

[Ron S]

I just voted for the null-set option before I even bothered to read the damn thread. Guess that makes me a Super Nudnik.

[HolyStitt]

I am sad it's over, but the anticipation of next year keeps me going during the winter.

...and now we have Hot Stove!

[Brad]

It's always sad when the season ends but I suppose we all need a little break, like the players do, just to refresh our batteries.

I'll leave it to Dan to start the Hot Stove thread. Free agent filings have already started. El Duque has filed for the Mets. I hope they resign him.

[J.A.W.]

I'm wondering about the number of games played in the regular season, 162: how many times do the teams play against each other?

Edited October 28, 2006 by J.A.W.

[Brad]

I'll probably defer to Dan on this point but in each league there are three divisions. In the National League there are three divisions, two made up of five teams and one of six. In the American League, there are two divisions of five teams and one of four teams. I know that in the National League East where the Mets play, which is a five team division, they play the other four teams approximately 19 times. I say approximately because they played 74 games in the National League East. They played 40 games against the six team Central Division (so they didn't play those teams the same number of games equally). Ditto for the five team Western Division, which they played 33 games. The remainder were interleague games (teams from the American League play teams from the National League).

I don't know if I answered your question or made it more confusion. The schedule making is always confusing.

Edited October 28, 2006 by Brad

[Dan Gould]

Its a really screwy system, IMO, and I've never gotten a grasp on how it works. I know it was 19 games against each of your division rivals, but I think that actually changes next year, or at least due to some other circumstance, I believe the Red Sox get only 18 games against Tampa, or something like that.

its a mess, Hans, and really doesn't make a lot of sense. I think that interleague play has run its course, but the owners think it is still great and the players won't make a stand to say "enough already". But it would be better to play the teams in your league exclusively.

[Chuck Nessa]

Never had a chance to vote. The results just popped up. I think that sucks.

[Neal Pomea]

Interleague play works differently each year, depending on which division in the other league you play. One year for the example the teams in the NL East will play the AL East teams, the next year they'll play the AL Central teams, and the next year they'll play the AL West teams. Etc. So the number of games reserved for interleague play will change yearly and affect the number of games played within their own league.

National League

East has 5 teams

Central has 6 teams

West has 5 teams

American League

East has 5 teams

Central has 5 teams

West has 4 teams

[ghost of miles]

I usually mollify myself by reading a baseball book or two. Haven't found one yet for this winter, though I've never gotten around to Halberstam's book about the 1964 season... its time may have come, finally.

[Brad]

Interleague play works differently each year, depending on which division in the other league you play. One year for the example the teams in the NL East will play the AL East teams, the next year they'll play the AL Central teams, and the next year they'll play the AL West teams. Etc. So the number of games reserved for interleague play will change yearly and affect the number of games played within their own league.

National League

East has 5 teams

Central has 6 teams

West has 5 teams

American League

East has 5 teams

Central has 5 teams

West has 4 teams

There are some exceptions however. The Yankees and the Mets play six games each other ever year (every that is since they started interleague play). I think that's 3 too many actually and to me it's just 3 games on the schedule but Yankee and Mets fans get all bent up in a knot about it.

Edited October 29, 2006 by Brad

[ejp626]

There are some exceptions however. The Yankees and the Mets play six games each other ever year (every that is since they started interleague play). I think that's 3 too many actually and to me it's just 3 games on the schedule but Yankee and Mets fans get all bent up in a knot about it.

I think the Chicago Cubs and White Sox also play 2 3-game series each year. It seems to be quite the attraction. I guess there's something to be said for this kind of interleague rivalry, but in a lot of cases it doesn't make too much sense.