What an ALL-STAR Game!

[ISiddiqui]

Wooo!

What a great game! Who would have ever thunk that Eric Gagne was gonna give up 3 runs and lose the game?

Blalock with a towering HR at the end, but Anderson was just amazing throughout. Scioscia really did a nice job managing, with figuring out matchups and not falling into the 'we have to play everyone' routine!

Thanks MLB for giving us a great Mid-Summer's Classic.

[MikeVic]

Did you see on FOX when Blalock was being interviewed? He said "I've never played against Gagne, but I have seen him on Sportscenter" or something like that...

he kind of paused... then finished talking... then the interviewer said "you also saw him on FOX, right? Haha." And Blalock said "Yeah, you know what I mean."

hhahaha. I was laughing for a bit. ;)

[MizzouRah]

Great game, indeed. If you told me Wager, Gagne, and Smoltz were going to pitch the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, I would have told you, "Game Over".

Even though I wanted the NL to win, it was great to see a young guy like Blalock get the game winner.

A night of no wife and kids, just me and the TV. Now, if only I could have back to back nights like these when NCAA 2004 gets here! :)


Todd

[tucker342]

Wow! That's amazing that Gagne gave up 3 runs! That doesn't happen to often....

[ISiddiqui]

he kind of paused... then finished talking... then the interviewer said "you also saw him on FOX, right? Haha." And Blalock said "Yeah, you know what I mean."

LOL! That was classic!

Yeah, Gagne losing was amazing.... and Wagner giving up a HR was strange as well!

[bbor]

Who won MVP?

[NoMyths]

Originally posted by ISiddiqui
LOL! That was classic!

Yeah, Gagne losing was amazing.... and Wagner giving up a HR was strange as well!
David Wagner? Nah, that guy is a choker of old.

[MrBug708]

It's Dusty Baker's fault. You dont bring in Eric Gagne in the 8th inning or a tie game

[Karim]

Anderson was MVP.

First baseball game I've watched this season and it was a great one. I'll admit I watched it only to see if the stakes would change the way the game was played and wouldn't have watched otherwise.

[TLK]

Originally posted by bbor
Who won MVP?

Garrett Anderson

[MrBug708]

The best OF in the AL won it

[Cecil Fielder]

Garret Anderson's having a nice run. World Series championship, Home Run Derby winner, All-Star Game MVP, maybe now people will know who he is.

[Cecil Fielder]

Originally posted by MrBug708
It's Dusty Baker's fault. You dont bring in Eric Gagne in the 8th inning or a tie game

Why not when you've got Smoltz ready to go in the 9th? '

Besides, why should we take managerial advice from you, aren't you the worst GM in the RWBL?

[MrBug708]

Hey now. Gagne is automatic in save situations. Smoltz has blown saves, Gagne has not.


GM and Manager are two different issues. Unless you run the Seattle Seachickens

[Cecil Fielder]

yeah but Smoltz has much more experience pitching in the big games, whereas Gagne hasn't seen an inning in the playoffs in his career. So I'd rather have Gagne setting up Smoltz. The only reason Smoltz has blown any saves is when Bobby Cocks brings him in the game in the middle of an inning with runners on base. When Smoltz comes in at the beginning of an inning with no one on base, he's perfect. I'd look up the numbers, but I'm far too lazy for that.

[Neuqua]

Originally posted by MrBug708
It's Dusty Baker's fault. You dont bring in Eric Gagne in the 8th inning or a tie game

Dodger fan alert!

[MrBug708]

Then the Higher ERA comes from where CF? Those runners on base arent charged to Smotlz

As for you Neq, Baker was a Dodger too!

[bbor]

Sweet.....now game 7 of the WS will be in Toronto :)

[JeeberD]

Originally posted by Cecil Fielder
Garret Anderson's having a nice run. World Series championship, Home Run Derby winner, All-Star Game MVP, maybe now people will know who he is.

Who are you talking about??? :confused: ;)

[korme]

Live and in person, Vanessa Carlton is terrible, she can't be edited like in all of her videos.

Oh yeah, good game too.

AB- 0/1, but didn't strikeout!!

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by MrBug708
The best OF in the AL won it

Ben Grieve?

SI

[Samdari]

Originally posted by Cecil Fielder
yeah but Smoltz has much more experience pitching in the big games, whereas Gagne hasn't seen an inning in the playoffs in his career. So I'd rather have Gagne setting up Smoltz. The only reason Smoltz has blown any saves is when Bobby Cocks brings him in the game in the middle of an inning with runners on base. When Smoltz comes in at the beginning of an inning with no one on base, he's perfect. I'd look up the numbers, but I'm far too lazy for that.
Relievers are brought in with runners on base all the time. Their job is not to let anyone score. In fact, that is the only time saves are tough. Getting through one inning giving up less that three runs can easily be accomplished by an average pitcher 90% of the time, it does not make Smoltz particularly special.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally posted by MrBug708 Then the Higher ERA comes from where CF? Those runners on base arent charged to Smotlz

Umm ...

Smoltz ERA = 0.95
Gagne ERA = 1.99

[Ksyrup]

I fell asleep after the RBI double off of Gagne and woke up as they were signing off. Great timing, huh?

[Easy Mac]

i tuned in in time to see them awkwardly interviewing Scoscia. I can't watch the FOX annoncers without wanting to strangle myself with my dogs neutered penis. They're freaking idiots, and do the Yankees and Mets in the ass.

[ISiddiqui]

How was this Baker's fault? Gagne screwed up. I mean, he was only going to pick 1 inning, so it was like a closing situation anyway. Gagne just wasn't good enough.

[Easy Mac]

I just love that 2 players and 2 managers with little to no shot at the playoffs (the Cubs are 3rd in the central, right?) just cost my Braves a shot at homefield in the World Series.

Why doesn't baseball do the All-star managers like the NBA does. Say when they announce the fan voting 2 weeks in advance, they then let the manager with the best record in the respective league manage the All-star game. As it stands now, managers in 3rd place (with the wrong team) are managing in the game that could decide the World Series. Doesn't make any sense.

[ISiddiqui]

How do the Cubs have little to no shot at the playoffs?! They are 3 games back in the Central. I think that's a decent shot. And while the Angels won't get back to the playoffs... their manager did a Hell of a job.

And for the Braves to go anywhere, they'll have to get past the Cardinals first (who they never like seeing in the playoffs) or the Astros :D.

[SteelerFan448]

Much better game than that 1-0 start. My team is from the NL, but I'm glad the AL won. What is funny, Gagne blew the game, but if Baker would have put Mike Williams, who didn't deserve to be there, in the game, he probably would have thrown a perfect inning. Just something you wouldn't expect.

[MrBug708]

Originally posted by ISiddiqui
How was this Baker's fault? Gagne screwed up. I mean, he was only going to pick 1 inning, so it was like a closing situation anyway. Gagne just wasn't good enough.

It's a Dodger thing. No Dodger fan wants to see Gagne in the game other then the 9th in a closing situation. It's why he is not a starter

[Chief Rum]

Originally posted by Easy Mac
I just love that 2 players and 2 managers with little to no shot at the playoffs (the Cubs are 3rd in the central, right?) just cost my Braves a shot at homefield in the World Series.

Ummm...you so sure that at least one player, and either manager won't have a shot at the playoffs? Blalock is the only lock there.

The Cubs are only three games back of the NL Central lead, and six games back of the wildcard.

And the Angels...well, I guess you can be excused for forgetting about them after they didn't leap out to the top of the AL, but if you think the Angels have already taken their shot and are done, then you haven't been paying any attention to baseball the past three to four weeks, nor did see a whit of Angels baseball last year. Are you the one person who didn't learn to never give up on the Angels? :)

The Angels have been on a 75% winning clip for the past month or so. Their starting pitching, which was always considered solid but had been pretty poor to start the year, has turned things around and are doing very well. Lackey, Washburn and Ortiz are all enjoying banner months. Sele and Appier are pitching under pitch counts, and the move agrees with their older selves, as they have been pitching well ever since. And all of them are turning the game over to the best bullpen in baseball. That's not an opinion--check the numbers. No team has as many quality dominant relievers as these guys have.

On top of that, they are still a very good offensive team. Kennedy and Spiezio are down from last year, and Erstad missed a month early in the season, but other than that everyone is more or less doing what they did last year or doing better. And on top of that, Spiezio is red hot right now and might be coming out of it.

The Angels are on a five game winning streak, and sit at 49-43. They are just 5.5 games back of the wildcard and, believe it or not with the M's hot start, just 8.5 games back of first place.

And how about this tidbit? The Mariners and A's have both played 30+ games against the weak AL Central (every team except the Royals is at least four games below .500). They have both played Detroit, the worst team in baseball, a bunch of times. You know how many AL Central Games the Angels have played? 11. That's right, just 11 against some the weakest teams in the AL. And they took two out of three last week from the only AL Central team above .500 (the Royals). And they haven't played Detroit once. Not once. From August 3 to September 1 (if I recall the dates correctly), the Angels play all AL Central games.

Expect a surge. Every time you count them out, there they are. I would have thought you would have learned that from last year. :)

Chief Rum

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Easy Mac
i tuned in in time to see them awkwardly interviewing Scoscia. I can't watch the FOX annoncers without wanting to strangle myself with my dogs neutered penis. They're freaking idiots, and do the Yankees and Mets in the ass.

I don't want anything to do with your dog's neutered penis, but I definately agree on the Fox announcers.

Oh, and Joe Buck- SHUT THE HELL UP! You're not funny and you're not your dad- stop trying to be funny and stop trying to sound like a classic announcer when you clearly are not. I used to think he was pretty good, but since he's gone to Fox, it's gone to his head and now he's gotten full of himself.


Originally posted by ISiddiqui
How was this Baker's fault? Gagne screwed up. I mean, he was only going to pick 1 inning, so it was like a closing situation anyway. Gagne just wasn't good enough.
Baker's done a lot of stupid moves, particularly with pitching staves. Just wait two years until Mark Prior's arm actually falls clean off his body after pitch 174 in a meaningless game.

This is not one of those times. Gagne didn't get it done- plain and simple.


Originally posted by Easy Mac
I just love that 2 players and 2 managers with little to no shot at the playoffs (the Cubs are 3rd in the central, right?) just cost my Braves a shot at homefield in the World Series.

Why doesn't baseball do the All-star managers like the NBA does. Say when they announce the fan voting 2 weeks in advance, they then let the manager with the best record in the respective league manage the All-star game. As it stands now, managers in 3rd place (with the wrong team) are managing in the game that could decide the World Series. Doesn't make any sense.
For one, it's a reward to the World Series managers for the previous year so why not reward them?

Two, sure I think this home field in the World Series gimmick is just that: gimmicky. But, really, quit whining! It's just home field- it's not as if they just awarded the AL team game 1. Home field only means a lot in basketball and football (due to officiating).

Also,if you're the Braves or the Cards, you have no reason to complain because you composed half of the team.

SI

[Easy Mac]

Isn't winning the World Series a reward?

Actually, the team with homefield in the World Series does get game 1, and homefield has been huge in baseball, look at the history.

Oh, and I am a Braves fan. Here are their lines:

Furcal: 1-3 with a run
Jones: 2-2 2R, 3 RBI, HR
Sheffield: 0-1 walk, run
Lopez 0-2

Ortiz: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K

The Braves accounted for 4 of the 6 runs. I think I have a right to bitch when the other players on the team didn't pull their weight.

[Shkspr]

It's just home field- it's not as if they just awarded the AL team game 1.

I'll never be a friend of Bob Costas - I actually think that giving game 1 of the World Series to the league that wins the All-Star Game is a damn good idea. THAT'S how you make sure everyone plays to win. :D

[EagleFan]

I don't think it adds as much meaning to the gameas some people tend to believe.

First, only some of the players in the game will even have a chance at making it to the WS.

Second, with the trade deadline coming up, many may not even know what league they'll be in once the WS comes around.


It's just a marketing ploy. After seeing the Fox intro to the game I am already sick of it.