MLB '08 Season Discussion

[Kyo]

Fuck yeah!

[shieldsofwindurst]

Congrats to the Rays.

[Akiyama]

Go Rays! David Price <3 While a few Rookie pitchers came up and did decent this year (Kershaw being one), I liked David Price the most. A power lefty is awesome.

[Kylen]

Shit calls by the ump at the end against the Sox, but the better team won in the end. I'm glad the Sox at least made the Rays work for it.

[Viq]

Grats to the Rays. They played great all year, and are certainly deserving. I'll be pulling for them in the World Series.

[jmc]

Well, that saves a million bucks off the city of bostons budget lol

[KoalaTrap]

delurking to say:

I'm sad =/
the Rays beat us by 2 games for AL East (10-8 reg season series)
now this 4-3... they're a deep and skilled team, but since they're a AL East rival- fuck them and I hope Phillies can win. I'm glad, at least, the sox didn't go out with the game 5 7-0 whimper that looked like it was to be. I hope Beckett and Ortiz can get healthy in the off season and I hope Varitek gets resigned (and works on his swing.)

Seriously, the fucking Devil Rays are in the WS!?

p.s. Garza has crazy person eyes

[Plow]

Grats to the Rays. They played great all year, and are certainly deserving. I'll be pulling for them in the World Series.

how am I supposed to give you shit about this when you act like that gah

[Akiyama]

delurking to say:

I'm sad =/
the Rays beat us by 2 games for AL East (10-8 reg season series)
now this 4-3... they're a deep and skilled team, but since they're a AL East rival- fuck them and I hope Phillies can win. I'm glad, at least, the sox didn't go out with the game 5 7-0 whimper that looked like it was to be. I hope Beckett and Ortiz can get healthy in the off season and I hope Varitek gets resigned (and works on his swing.)

Seriously, the fucking Devil Rays are in the WS!?

p.s. Garza has crazy person eyes

RAYS! Drop the Devil and become an instant contender.

[Reality]

Thank god the Red Sox aren't in the fall classic again, I'd vomit violently if they won tonight

I called the Rays a couple months ago as my AL Winner, looks like I picked right!

Go Phillies ;)

[KoalaTrap]

Just an aside.

I saw a question on some website asking if Sox fans thought the Rays have taken over the place of the Yankees.

While there's no question they did so this year, longevity is another issue.

I feel like the Rays are the opposite of the Yankees. As a Sox fan I generally dislike a lot of the Yanks players. Jeter and A-Rod and Posada can all go fuck themselves, and it's easy to include more on that list... even the bugs-in-face(year old I know) Joba. When the Yanks were always in the playoffs I would always begrudgingly admit Torre was a good manager and, honestly, I liked him. Torre was the only Yankee I could never really despise. Of course times have changed and there's players like Damon who I can never really despise just wistfully laugh at with his short hair cut, and the new Yanks skipper is definitely more hate-able once he starts being important.

However, my point is that I respect all the Rays players. They're all so talented and young and performing. So that's how it differs from the Yankees feeling. That, and, I absolutely hate Joe Maddon. His Phil Jackson, zen-like black-rimmed, faux-hawk, attitude makes me retch. For that reason alone I can't wait til Tampa can't and won't afford to keep any of their great players and like their FLA baseball buddies completely dismantles in 1-2 years time. The Dismantle will come and Joe Maddon sucks. The Yankees never completely dismantle and Torre is the better Joe.

[Cephius]

Just an aside.

I saw a question on some website asking if Sox fans thought the Rays have taken over the place of the Yankees.

While there's no question they did so this year, longevity is another issue.

I feel like the Rays are the opposite of the Yankees. As a Sox fan I generally dislike a lot of the Yanks players. Jeter and A-Rod and Posada can all go fuck themselves, and it's easy to include more on that list... even the bugs-in-face(year old I know) Joba. When the Yanks were always in the playoffs I would always begrudgingly admit Torre was a good manager and, honestly, I liked him. Torre was the only Yankee I could never really despise. Of course times have changed and there's players like Damon who I can never really despise just wistfully laugh at with his short hair cut, and the new Yanks skipper is definitely more hate-able once he starts being important.

However, my point is that I respect all the Rays players. They're all so talented and young and performing. So that's how it differs from the Yankees feeling. That, and, I absolutely hate Joe Maddon. His Phil Jackson, zen-like black-rimmed, faux-hawk, attitude makes me retch. For that reason alone I can't wait til Tampa can't and won't afford to keep any of their great players and like their FLA baseball buddies completely dismantles in 1-2 years time. The Dismantle will come and Joe Maddon sucks. The Yankees never completely dismantle and Torre is the better Joe.

There's so much garbage in this post I don't know where to start.

Rays have taken the place of the Yankees? Sorry but fuck the heck? The Yankees will always be there. They have unlimited resources by baseball standards and about 10 million times the payroll of the Rays. This year they had a terrible season and still won 89 games in - by far - the toughest division in baseball.

This is the Rays first year with a winning record, let alone a run into the World Series. And assuming they win the WS, the first thing everyone on that team is going to want is to get paid. Tampa Bay doesn't have the TV network, fan base, or corporate income to cover that. They have a good young core of players, but they only got that way because of being terrible for a decade and with the benefit of some outstanding trades from the front office. Sorry, this formula != Yankees in any way, shape or form.

So you hate Jeter A-rod and Posada. Great. Let's see you stay in love with the Rays young players if they keep winning. Winning championships - or in A-rod's case, being straight up the best player in baseball - inevitably makes people hate you. No one cares.

[Ishido]

I was thinking the same thing about the Rays breaking up after the season, but they have the majority of their roster signed for several more years.

[Correction]

Most of Tampa Bay isn't eligible to 'get paid' yet as they're years away from free agency anyway. They could probably sucker some of them into long term contracts now to stave off future fiscal emergencies.

[Viq]

They have a good young core of players, but they only got that way because of being terrible for a decade and with the benefit of some outstanding trades from the front office. Sorry, this formula != Yankees in any way, shape or form.

While I agree with the rest of your post, I think you're memory may be a little short (or maybe you're just not old enough, which is alright). The Yankees run that began in 1996 was due in large part to a decade of mediocrity which resulted in high draft picks. Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Bernie Williams, just to name a few, were all the result of the Yankees drafting well in the early '90s as a result of poor play in the previous years. Those draft picks formed the nucleus of that very young team that took hold in '96 and ran away with baseball until '01.

One of the big criticisms that can be lobbed at the Yankees' management over the last eight years or so is that they have reverted back to the mentality of trying to buy championships. Much like those teams that were built between '82 and '89, the teams built with this mentality have little to show for it. Buying championships hasn't worked for New York since the '70s. It could be argued that what has led to this current Rays roster is the Yankee way of the mid-late 90's.

[archibaldcrane]

See, now the Yankees just get the best draft picks because Scott Boras reps the best players and the shitty teams can't afford to sign them, so they don't draft them and they are left for the big spenders to snag.

Awesome system. Can we has salary cap for baseball nao?

[Cephius]

See, now the Yankees just get the best draft picks because Scott Boras reps the best players and the shitty teams can't afford to sign them, so they don't draft them and they are left for the big spenders to snag.

Awesome system. Can we has salary cap for baseball nao?

Baseball will never, ever have a salary cap and it'd be stupid to have one. Smaller market teams wouldn't be able to function without the substantial revenue sharing dollars that teams like the Yankees provide. The "Yankees payroll ruins baseball, there should be a salary cap" argument is old, tired, and can't be backed up.

The Yankees run that began in 1996 was due in large part to a decade of mediocrity which resulted in high draft picks. Jeter, Posada, Rivera, and Bernie Williams, just to name a few, were all the result of the Yankees drafting well in the early '90s as a result of poor play in the previous years. Those draft picks formed the nucleus of that very young team that took hold in '96 and ran away with baseball until '01.

Sorry, but the only one who fits that is Jeter. Jeter was only a 6th pick overall, Rivera and Willams were never drafted and was signed by scouts, and Posada was selected in the 24th round. The rest of the core were aquired from trades - Paul O'neill from the Reds, Scott Brosious from the As, Clemens Cone Wells etc were all aquired via the trade. They were mediocre in the 80s I know, but not on the level of the Rays where they could constantly get the best talent.

One of the big criticisms that can be lobbed at the Yankees' management over the last eight years or so is that they have reverted back to the mentality of trying to buy championships.

Only partly true. They have made some good trades, but have been hampered by terrible free agent signings and trades for pitching. The Yankee offense up to this year was fine, but they have had a substantial lack of quality pitching that was a solid component of those 90s teams. Everyone gives credit to the Yankee "gamers" of the late 90s - and hardly any to the sub-3 team ERA their pitchers gave them in those years. Not to mention the lights-out relief of Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton.

Most of Tampa Bay isn't eligible to 'get paid' yet as they're years away from free agency anyway. They could probably sucker some of them into long term contracts now to stave off future fiscal emergencies.

They did a good job of locking up Kazmir and Longoria to long term deals, but there are guys like Upton and Aybar and Garza and Jackson and Crawford who will likely demand more money and/or are arbitration eligible in the next couple years. Should TB win, they're not holding on to everyone.

[archibaldcrane]

"there should be a salary cap" argument is old, tired, and can't be backed up.

Arguing that the system works when teams can't afford to sign their first round draft picks and have to draft based on a player's agent sometimes is...

...baffling.

[Cephius]

Arguing that the system works when teams can't afford to sign their first round draft picks and have to draft based on a player's agent sometimes is...

...baffling.

To me this is more a problem with agents than it is with the lack of a salary cap. No one, not even the Yankees, wants to give a multi-million dollar deal to an unproven player coming out of college.

[fren.]

Just an aside.

I saw a question on some website asking if Sox fans thought the Rays have taken over the place of the Yankees.

While there's no question they did so this year, longevity is another issue.

I feel like the Rays are the opposite of the Yankees. As a Sox fan I generally dislike a lot of the Yanks players. Jeter and A-Rod and Posada can all go fuck themselves, and it's easy to include more on that list... even the bugs-in-face(year old I know) Joba. When the Yanks were always in the playoffs I would always begrudgingly admit Torre was a good manager and, honestly, I liked him. Torre was the only Yankee I could never really despise. Of course times have changed and there's players like Damon who I can never really despise just wistfully laugh at with his short hair cut, and the new Yanks skipper is definitely more hate-able once he starts being important.

However, my point is that I respect all the Rays players. They're all so talented and young and performing. So that's how it differs from the Yankees feeling. That, and, I absolutely hate Joe Maddon. His Phil Jackson, zen-like black-rimmed, faux-hawk, attitude makes me retch. For that reason alone I can't wait til Tampa can't and won't afford to keep any of their great players and like their FLA baseball buddies completely dismantles in 1-2 years time. The Dismantle will come and Joe Maddon sucks. The Yankees never completely dismantle and Torre is the better Joe.

Upton, Longoria, Kazmir, Price, Shields, Garza aren't going anywhere anytime soon. It's nothing like the Marlins, they have a very good FO.

Anhow, I'm not sure how they won that game. Maddon tried his hardest fuck that one up, bringing in Wheeler and Bradford over Price/Kazmir? what the fuck was that about?