Red Sox vs Astros (& vs Yankees too). Is it pine tar?

[thinze3]

Watch this video and tell me what you think. (and then another clip against the Yankees)

As an Astros fan, I'm not bringing this up for any other reason than to hear what others think.

https://sportsradio610.radio.com/articles/boston-redsox-pine-tar-houston-astros

 

[MULTIZ321]

Watch this video and tell me what you think. (and then another clip against the Yankees)

As an Astros fan, I'm not bringing this up for any other reason than to hear what others think.

https://sportsradio610.radio.com/articles/boston-redsox-pine-tar-houston-astros

There's something on the forearm but I'm not sure it's Pine Tar which I thought has a black color.

Here's another article discussing Pitchers using Pine Tar:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-it-mlbs-stars-debate-pitchers-using-pine-tar


Richard

 

[pedro47]

There is something there; but I do not want to think that they used a foreign substance to win the series over the Yankees.

 

[MULTIZ321]

The Astros and Red Sox are Both So Good, Forget About Analyzing the Games the Way You're Used To
By Grant Brisbee/ MLB Playoffs/ MLB/ SBNation/ sbnation.com

"It’s not about a starting pitcher succeeding or failing. It’s about entire rosters built out of all-stars who are as talented as the starting pitchers.

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros, 7-5, in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. I mention the details of the game in this opening paragraph for search-engine optimization only. I have no hot takes to offer about this game. In fact, my only hot take is that baseball is becoming completely immune to hot takes.

Let’s back up a bit.

There is nothing more natural than wanting to understand the world around you. That’s a big concept, but it trickles down to our dumb sportsball games, too. It’s why people call up talk radio shows and explain exactly what managers or players or GMs or owners need to do. It’s why people leave comments about sports behind on internet articles about sports. After watching a game (or a full season), we need to make sense of it all. What’s the point if we can’t make sense of it all?

This is how we begin the process of carving a baseball game up. This guy should have done this. That guy should have done that. Swing, you idiot. Don’t swing, you idiot. Don’t throw it there ... throw it there. There are quibbles with pitch selection to parse, and there are decisions to cover the base or hit the cutoff man or slide or don’t slide or ...

It sounds exhausting, but it actually comes quite naturally. It’s what we’re used to. And in Game 2 of the ALCS, there was a temptation to keep up with traditions. Here are some headlines that probably would have done well:....."

Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images


Richard

 

[MULTIZ321]

Inside the Madness of Craig Counsell's Brilliant Bullpen Management
By Tom Verducci/ MLB/ Sports Illustrated/ si.com

"The numbers speak for themselves: one loss in 23 days, no consecutive losses in 29 days and no three-plus run losses since Aug. 25. It's time to stop questioning the madness that's fueling Craig Counsell's bullpen management.

LOS ANGELES — If you don’t like the Milwaukee Brewers, you don’t like suspense novels, surprise movie endings and scratch-off lottery tickets. Watching them play baseball—or more accurately, watching their manager, Craig Counsell, run a game—is like reading a first draft of James Joyce. It may be confusing, and you never know where it’s going, but it will be thrilling.

“Scripted! Scripted!” shouted his bench coach, Pat Murphy, as he strolled through the clubhouse after the Brewers used five pitchers to shut out the Dodgers on Monday, 4–0, and take a two games to one lead in the National League Championship Series.

He said it with the wryest smile imaginable, because Counsell and the Brewers have no use for convention. Game 4 looked like just another night at The Improv.

In the history of postseason baseball, no manager had ever gerrymandered three shutouts with at least five pitchers each time. Now Counsell has done it three times in his first six running a postseason game.

“I’ve given up trying to follow him,” second baseman Travis Shaw said.

“What he’s done with the bullpen these last three weeks,” said catcher Stephen Vogt, “is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s been masterful. The guy never misses a move.”....."

Richard

 

[bbodb1]

Somewhere, George Brett smiles.

 

[dioxide45]

It seems that the Astros have their own issues to deal with?

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/hous...ted-filming-opposing-dugout-mlb-investigating

 

[pedro47]

The Astros issue right now is that they are going home to watch the World Series on television and the Boston Red Soxs will be playing for the MLB World Series Championship.

Any team can spy on another team with these modern camera cell phones and that is IMHO and it is correct.

Last week I saw a young person recording a current feature movie in an AMC Theater.

 

[MULTIZ321]

Three at-Bats That Tilted the NLCS in the Dodgers Favor
By Eric Stephen/ MLB Playoffs/ MLB/ SBNation/ sbnation.com


"LA turned a 2-1 series deficit into a 3-2 lead over Milwaukee

LOS ANGELES — The National League Championship Series has been a hard fought, low-scoring battle. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have totaled 16 runs through five games. With runs at a premium, every individual play and matchup is heightened.

Here are three at-bats this week at Dodger Stadium that helped swing the series advantage to the Dodgers, who lead Milwaukee three games to two...."

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports


Richard

 

[JanT]

Just to follow up on this, MLB has completely cleared the Astros - no wrongdoing. I hate that their good name was sullied with unsubstantiated accusations - by the Red Sox, media, and social media. Yet, the Red Sox were fined a substantial amount for cheating last year and no one really wanted to talk about that. Oh well - it's the world we live in.

Those boys on the Astros are a great group of young men who played their hearts out. I'm not sure why they were so flat in the series with the Sox but I think in some small part that accusation truly hurt them. Hopefully, they put it behind them and get back to work in 2019.

It seems that the Astros have their own issues to deal with?

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/hous...ted-filming-opposing-dugout-mlb-investigating

 

[JanT]

Yep, and now the Brewers have tied that series and hopefully take it tonight. I do not like the Dodgers as a whole. Never have, even though I was raised in Cali. Not to say I disliked all their players but the team as a whole is arrogant and self-entitled - almost shoved down our throats by the MLB/Fox/etc. (along with the Yankees) even though they haven't won a World Series since 1988. Last year was amazing when my beloved Astros beat them!! Am hoping Milwaukee takes this tonight and I'll cheer them on in the WS if they get there. Not because I don't like the Red Sox - I do and they deserve to be heading to the WS. I'll be rooting for the Brewers because like the Astros they're a small market team that doesn't get the amount of respect they deserve. In the end, if the Red Sox take the WS that's ok, too. They're a great team and have had an amazing year. Alex Cora left the Astros from his spot as bench coach and put his heart into the Red Sox. So very proud of him. And honestly, I think he took a little bit of the team's heart when he left along with some additional things that cost us in the play offs this year. Still, I'll root for the Brewers!

Three at-Bats That Tilted the NLCS in the Dodgers Favor
By Eric Stephen/ MLB Playoffs/ MLB/ SBNation/ sbnation.com


"LA turned a 2-1 series deficit into a 3-2 lead over Milwaukee

LOS ANGELES — The National League Championship Series has been a hard fought, low-scoring battle. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have totaled 16 runs through five games. With runs at a premium, every individual play and matchup is heightened.

Here are three at-bats this week at Dodger Stadium that helped swing the series advantage to the Dodgers, who lead Milwaukee three games to two...."

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports


Richard

 

[LannyPC]

I guess this would be the best thread in which to ask this question without starting a whole new thread. If you are a fan of MLB, NBA, and/or the NHL where the playoff series are best-of-sevens (obviously you would have to forget about MLB's Divisional Series which are best-of-fives), do you prefer the 2-3-2 system that MLB uses or the 2-2-1-1-1 that the NHL and NBA use?

I know the NBA used to use the 2-3-2 for the Finals while using the 2-2-1-1-1 for the earlier rounds. The NHL experimented with the 2-3-2 in the mid-80s for the Stanley Cup Finals and tried it again in the 1994 playoffs.

Me personally, I think I like the 2-3-2 although I don't watch much baseball. I look up the scores but don't watch a lot of it. Ditto for NBA.

 

[pedro47]

I liked the Dodgers and a series between the Boston Red Soxs and the LA Dodgers would be good for MLB and their television rating.

Just think they will be playing in a warm climate in LA and back to Boston where it is cool in October.

 

[JanT]

"....and a series between the Boston Red Sox and the LA Dodgers would be good for MLB and their television rating." Precisely - and they never let anyone forget that because in the end that's all that matters to them.

I liked the Dodgers and a series between the Boston Red Soxs and the LA Dodgers would be good for MLB and their television rating.

Just think they will be playing in a warm climate in LA and back to Boston where it is cool in October.

 

[x3 skier]

Even though I don’t watch MLB or the NBA, the 2-2-1-1-1 is the best format (unless it’s Japan vs an East Coast team)

 

[MULTIZ321]

Little Things Killed the Dodgers in Game 1
By Craig Calcaterra/ Hardball Talk/ NBC Sports/ nbcsports.com

"There’s an old proverb that explains how a very small thing can lead to a big, loss. It goes like this:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost,
for want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
So a kingdom was lost . . . all for want of a nail.

The Dodgers did not lose it all tonight — they still have as many of six battles left to save the kingdom — but a series of very small things caused them to lose the battle that was Game 1 of the 2018 World Series.

Sure, You can look at the box score here, see that the Red Sox won 8-4 in a game which was broken wide open with a three-run homer and say that Boston’s win was a definitive one. And, to be clear, it was a definitive one in every way that mattered. The Red Sox beat Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, won by four and now lead the series 1-0.

But if you wanted to, you could look at Game 1 in a slightly different way and see how some very, very small things caused this one to get away from the Dodgers. Small things that, but for a couple of inches here or there and a bit more concentration on their part, could’ve broken differently and could’ve led to a very different outcome.

For example, one could look at the first inning, when the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead and wonder what might’ve happened if David Freese had caught the foul ball off of Mookie Betts‘ bat that, somehow, eluded him despite it remaining well within play. Instead, it kept Betts alive, allowed him to reach base, allowed him to steal second and, eventually, allowed him to score on Andrew Benintendi‘s single to make it a 1-0 game....."

Associated Press


Richard