Not sure how much traffic this'll get, but thought I'd start it.

My Twins didn't play so well last night. Liriano gave up his customary big inning and the Twins hitters came up empty too often with runners in scoring position. After the let down of a loss in game one and home field advantage back to the Yanks, I have zero confidence the Twins can get it down now.

Glad to see the Rangers up 1-0 and leading again in today's game. I'll be cheering for them all the way if (when) the Twins are eliminated.

Halladay pitched one heck of a game yesterday, obviously. Anyone that knows anything about baseball and has seen him pitch, knew he was capable of that. But in his first playoff start? Incredible.

2-0 to the Rangers, Tampa Bay look out of it already.

I'm a mariners fan, so not so good for us. Phillies are going to be hard to beat with Halladay starting

Twins are now dead in the water. No chance at all. Go Rangers! Hope they win it all.

The Rangers can beat the Yankees this year...I'm still going to root for the Twins until the series is over...I hate the Yankees!

I'm really tickled the Rangers have won two games -- first time in the post season that has ever been accomplished by them. Nolan Ryan (part owner) says "World Series in seven!" As much as I'd like to see them in the Series, I doubt they will go any further than the next round (providing they take the first round against the Rays). I have serious doubt about them winning, even with home field advantage, with Colby Lewis pitching on Saturday. I just hope we win one of the next two here at home to wrap up the first round. Go Twins! Boo Yankees.....

This year is going to be one of the more all around interesting World Series in awhile. I don't see any one opening match up as boring to start with and the way it's played out so far it's living up to that hype.

Rangers/Yankees will be a great series if their regular season games were any indication.

Philadelphia looks like they could go to the NLCS for the third straight year and matchups against either of the teams currently playing out west would also be good.

How interesting would it be for Cliff Lee to face off with Roy Halladay in the first game of the World Series. Not to mention a hopefully great pitched game by both.


As far as the "questionable calls" I am hearing about all morning from the three games.

I saw the one in the Yankee game, it looked like a strike, but it was certainly borderline and the camera angle we always get from over the pitchers right shoulder always makes pitches in that section of the plate look like they catch more of the plate. Should Pavano have got some home cooking for the call, yes. This umpires strike zone was the basically same thoughout the game and all pitches in that area where balls. Was that game sweet revenge for the Yankee fans who suffered through three years of Pavano basically doing nothing but taking the Yankees money and being on the Injured Reserve list and popping off of it to pitch dismally, certainly YES.

I saw Michael Youngs "check swing" on tape and it was close. A complete judgement call for the umpire. I have seen instances like that go both ways, same way I have seen picthes like the one to Berkman in the Yankee game go both ways.

Yes it was both managers jobs to basically get upset with the umpires, though not too upset as to get thrown out of the game, but it is more then understandable.

I didn't see the Posey steal where he was called safe yet, but I am sure I will be able to catch that replayed a few dozen times later in the day.

I think that Maddon knew he was going to get tossed before even going out there. The rules are more than clear that you cannot or will not argue judgement calls. I think that Joe was looking for a spark for his team, as was Twins' Ron Gardenhire did yesterday also. Bobby Cox has done it over 100 times.

Who was the first-ever manager ejected from a World Series game? Detroit manager Hughie Jennings in 1907. I think the most famous was in 1985 with the Cardinals, Joaquin Andujar and manager Whitey Herzog both wore the same boot.

At any rate, it is still hard to imagine how the Reds won 91 games with one 17-game and one 12-game winner, along with having only one hitter to bat over .300. I would love to see a Rangers-Phillies World Series, for more reasons other than just the Yankees going home. A Ranger-Yankee ALCS would be great for baseball as both teams do match up very well. Take all the worn, scuffed, and fouled off baseballs, put them in a cardboard box with all the Yankees' million dollar contracts, then drop the box in the bottom of a lake. Go Rangers!

You get it, Nightmare. I'm still surprised by how many so-called baseball fans don't understand when I tell them that managers sometimes get themselves booted on purpose to help the team. They always say "If he was really trying to help the team, he wouldn't be so selfish and stay out there with his team."




Not really when you take into account the division they play in. Beating up on the Pirates, Astros, and Cubs isn't that hard to do. lol

The umpire in the Twins/Yankees game was inconsistent. But he was consistently inconsistent, if that makes sense. According to the "Pitch Trax" that TBS uses he consistently missed strikes that were low and over the plate, and called strikes that were belt high and outside. He was calling balls outside strikes and balls inside that clipped the corner balls all night. I'm not going to complain about one pitch, as that's pointless. The ump for game 1 was consistent and called strikes and balls in the same places, even if they were off the plate or clipped it. He was wrong (according to the Pitch Trax) on certain pitches nearly every time, but he called them the same way every time. Game 2 ump didn't, in my opinion.

All that said, if the Twins could manage to hit with RISP like they did all year long, the umps wouldn't matter. And Berkman hit that next pitch off his shoe tops, so it's not like Pavano made a mistake on the next pitch...it was virtually unhittable.

One thing I don't understand about playoff baseball, maybe someone knows the answer or where to find it. In every playoff I've ever seen in any other event or sport, the top seed plays the lowest seed in the first round. So in the case of baseball the team with the best record in their league (NL or AL) should play the Wild Card team in the first round. The MLB playoffs doesn't work like that. 1 plays 3 and 2 plays 4. Why? That isn't the logical way to do it and goes against the standard for every other playoff system (that I'm aware of anyway). Anyone know why MLB is different?

Looks like the numbers back up the notion that the ump in game 2 was wrong a lot.

"The Berkman pitch was one of 31 wrong calls by Wendelstedt. Thirteen other times he called a ball on a pitch inside the strike zone, one of them on a cutter to Derek Jeter(notes) that literally was in the center of the strike zone, at the belt, halving the plate. And 17 times – most of them actually benefitting Pavano – Wendelstedt called a strike on a pitch outside the zone.

This is not normal. It is not close. In the Atlanta-San Francisco game Thursday, Dana DeMuth missed nine calls. With Texas-Tampa Bay, Jim Wolf was wrong 12 times. Both were reasonable. Both, too, are good umpires."

From this article: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-twinsyankeesumpires100710

It's not always 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 4. The best record gets the wild card unless the wild card is in their division. Had the Rangers finished with the best record, they would get the wild card in the first round. Instead, Tampa finished with the best record and the Yankees got the wild card. Thus, the Devil Rays play the lowest seeded division winner, the Rangers. Blame the idiots in the penthouses for this. They want the Yankees and the Red Sox in the ALCS and not the ALDS.

That's the line I needed to know. Makes sense and I should have known that or thought of that. haha. Thanks Anton.



No kidding...

In that matchup...go Sox! Remember 2004?

It is unjust for any of us to cast judgment on how thrown balls and strikes appear to be. The umpire, manager, and players are in a much more closer proximity than we are in front of a television or a fan in the ballpark.

Senior umpires and their Association critique each game and do a 'quality control' on each umpire, especially during the playoffs. Each game is scrutinized closely, officiating wise.

What TBS and other networks are doing is giving their viewers a "perk technology", not even in 3D, and a very subjective tool for discussion amongst its viewing audience.

Also, how can anyone possibly provide a URL to some schmuck sports writer trying to gain a name for himself? The particular one above, he is based in Minnesota. What else is he supposed to write? The Twins just outright didn't play well enough, period. The world is full of writers who create controversy because it sells, and some create controversy just to keep their jobs.

Bottom line, it is still all opinion like yours and mine, but keep it based on your own personal opinion without any others' influence. For every 10 writers who chastise the umpires, you could find you another 10 who have no issue because their team won the game. It is all give and take with the umpires, even with major blown calls. You win some, you lose some. This is the history of baseball, always has been, always will be.

The Reds are up 4-2 against the phillies, could shape up to be a good series?

I strongly disagree with you on this. Any argument or opinion should almost always be supported. While that writer is some schmuck in Minnesota, it states facts based on the video from the game that MLB and the umpires use to scrutinize themselves. Feel free to provide links to writers/articles that think the home plate umpire did a fantastic job in game 2.

Do I think it's the umpires fault the Twins lost? Of course not. I'm not delusional. Do I think that umpire did a pretty poor job calling balls and strikes in that game (for both teams)? Yes, and the facts in the article support me (and the writer) on that claim.

Wow, its Enrico Pallazzo!

Comebacks in both games last night. The ATL/SF series looks to be the only interesting series? Yanks and Rangers look to sweep tonight. I think they both will. Cincy might steal one in Ohio. Maybe. :p

Rays beat Rangers, make it 2-1. The Yankees win, 3-0.

Rays bats came alive, good win for them. Hope the Rangers finish it in Game 4 though.

They didn't. 5-2 win, going to the final game. The Phillies wrap it up, 3-0.

Go Rangers! Win and come home playing in the ALCS!

Edit to add: They did...and they are! Woohoo!

Yes, 'Go Rangers' (at least for now). The Yankees have seen enough of the Rays this year.

Bring on New York! We will beat them, too!

GO RANGERS!