9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

[SPTO]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

While the Wild Card game is technically the playoffs it doesn't FEEL that way. It does feel that way for the fans of the home team in that round though so I get how it generates excitement but if you're a fan of the team that's on the road it feels more like a play-in game.

[19]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Papelbon suspended 4 games, on top of the 3 he dropped his appeal for.

Well. Bye.

[kehlis]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

It's called the Wild Card round, so I definitely consider it the playoffs., and the teams in them playoff teams.

Just like the teams that play in the First Four games made it to the NCAA tournament.

It's a matter of semantics but it's not called the Wild Card round but the Wild Card Game as it's the game where the winner advances to the divisional round.


I think it's a matter of perspective. For the Pirates three years ago and the Cubs this year it's easy to see it as a trip to the playoffs as it should be. But once the playoffs becomes somewhat status quo that play in feels less and less like making the playoffs, they want to make it to the divisional round.


The Pirates took champagne on their trip to Chicago as it became clear they were going to clinch a spot in the wild card game and there was actually a big debate here in Pittsburgh as to whether or not they should even be celebrating. Three years ago it wouldn't have even been a question.

[19]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Summary of Matt Williams press conference... "Ask Mike."

[Knight165]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Interesting.......and I didn't see the events leading up to the fracas(HEY...I don't think I've ever used the word fracas before!!! ) until today....but Papelbon simply told the junior player, pretty calmly IMO, ..."hey.....you gotta run that out"...and Harper escalated it by taking umbrage(that's TWO!...umbrage! )
Papelbon is absolutely wrong for laying hands on Harper(although I'd be hard pressed not to react the same...I can't help it and it's something I've worked hard on curbing for a long time)...that I get...

This is from the N.Y. Post(taken from elsewhere)

The public may be blaming Jonathan Papelbon for Sunday’s embarrassing fracas with likely National League MVP Bryce Harper, but players are on the other side, according to Fox Sports columnist and former major league reliever C.J. Nitkowski.

In the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss to the Phillies, Harper failed to run hard to first base on a fly ball to left field. Papelbon chided him for his actions, Harper went back at him, and a fight ensued in the dugout.

Nitkowski polled 12 current and former players on the dust-up, and said not one took Harper’s side. Among the responses Nitkowski got:

• “I would have done the same thing if I were Papelbon.”

• “Bryce is a great player. He’s a true superstar. But he’s not above playing the game the right way. I’m glad someone finally told him that.”

• “Kid has been allowed to loaf for the past two years. [Nationals manager Matt] Williams got crucified for benching him last year; media and fans took Bryce’s side so he kept doing it and wasn’t getting punished. Veteran finally said something; kid ran his mouth at the wrong guy and got beat up.”
Modal Trigger
Harper gets restrained by Ian Desmond.Photo: Getty Images

• “I believe if Papelbon was not questioned for his recent actions on the Machado beaning and his other stuff of his past, most people would love what he did. I still loved it and it needed to happen.”

• “He quit on his team after the fight, just like he does on popups.”

Blue Jays veteran LaTroy Hawkins put his name to a Harper barb in responding to Nitkowski’s piece on Twitter: “Pap will take a beating for this from everyone who doesn’t play the game. #EntitlementGeneration”

Nitkowski didn’t take sides, but he felt the relationship began heading in a bad direction earlier in the week. Harper took a shot at Papelbon in the media after Papelbon was ejected for throwing at Orioles star Manny Machado, who had homered earlier in the game, calling the move “pretty tired.”

“Harper is free to disagree with Papelbon; the mistake came in airing his grievance to the media,” Nitkowski wrote. “That’s a conversation that happens between teammates, not in front of a microphone and a camera. You can bet Papelbon, at 34 years old with 11 major league seasons under his belt, didn’t take too kindly to the 22-year-old Harper’s comments.

“The line was drawn by Harper: Calling out teammates publicly is OK.”

Nitkowski wrote at the end of the column: “Papelbon is everybody’s favorite punching bag, but it’s not deserved here. This is a game that governs itself; it always has and always will. No one is above giving his full effort every time. When you don’t, there will be a veteran teammate there waiting to remind you. Sometimes that might result in a fight and that’s OK. This is not your office.”


M.K.
Knight165

[Master Live 013]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

It's called the Wild Card round, so I definitely consider it the playoffs., and the teams in them playoff teams.

Just like the teams that play in the First Four games made it to the NCAA tournament.

Which are a silly and an unnecessary gimmick. I dislike those games and don't consider them part of the actual Tournament even if technically they are.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

The correct way to refer to it is the "Wild Card Gimmick Bull**** Game"

[19]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

C'mon Toronto, let's not have KC have home field advantage.

[BleacherBum2310]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

great article from the Washington side of it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/s...d-out-of-date/

[bcruise]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Max Scherzer is doing that thing again.

[19]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Max Scherzer is doing that thing again.

This is their playoffs.

[bcruise]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

Barnhart breaks it up in the 8th inning.

[Redacted01]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

C'mon Toronto, let's not have KC have home field advantage.

This guy I work with is a Royals fan. He's so nonchalant about it. He said last month that he wasn't concerned at all about Toronto, which at the time, they had their 11-game win streak and were up to 1st in the East. That was back when Toronto was still a good 6 or 7 games behind KC. So I asked him today now that they'd lost homefield. He was just like "We're resting our players, no worries." Yea... you don't drop as many games as they do, resting players with several weeks to go, when playoff positioning is still important. Especially when losing means you likely play Texas, barring a miracle. I'd much rather get a 5-game series against a likely-tired Houston with their road trip, or an aging NY, or a miracle by the Twins who don't get Santana, or the Angels who might eek in. The Angels are the only team in that bunch that might give me a scare.

Ideally, I'd love to see 2 AL West teams and Minnesota tie for the wild card. Just wreak havoc on someone's staff.

[Majingir]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

It'll be a close race for top spot in AL.

That final weekend will be interesting cause by then,Jays most likely will clinch division,and Royals clinched already too, so both teams might start resting players.

But then Jays face Rays, while Royals face Twins, so Royals will be the ones having tougher schedule to close out year,ESPECIALLY if Twins are still in WC picture.

[Cabke]

Re: 9/14 - 10/4 Game Discussion Thread

This guy I work with is a Royals fan. He's so nonchalant about it. He said last month that he wasn't concerned at all about Toronto, which at the time, they had their 11-game win streak and were up to 1st in the East. That was back when Toronto was still a good 6 or 7 games behind KC. So I asked him today now that they'd lost homefield. He was just like "We're resting our players, no worries." Yea... you don't drop as many games as they do, resting players with several weeks to go, when playoff positioning is still important. Especially when losing means you likely play Texas, barring a miracle. I'd much rather get a 5-game series against a likely-tired Houston with their road trip, or an aging NY, or a miracle by the Twins who don't get Santana, or the Angels who might eek in. The Angels are the only team in that bunch that might give me a scare.

Ideally, I'd love to see 2 AL West teams and Minnesota tie for the wild card. Just wreak havoc on someone's staff.

I'm not going to pretend like I'm not worried about our September. But there's a lot of precedent that says that September performance doesn't have that much of a bearing on October performance. As far as home field goes, it's much more important in the ALDS because of the length of the series, and we're two games away from clinching that. Would I prefer it through the ALCS? Of course. But the only way home field matters in the ALCS is if it gets to game 7. Through 5 games, we'd technically have had home field.