2023 MLB Playoffs

[Sports_Freak]

Anyone catch JV dropping multiple F bombs during the celebration? He really must not have know there were cameras recording.

[RandyMarsh]

On the subject of JV for those that give a crap about stuff like this(I personally don't) yet another deep postseason run will almost assuredly mean he will be going into Cooperstown town as an Astro or at the very least will probably end up being remembered by people as an Astro and not Tiger.

[Tiger337]

19 minutes ago, RandyMarsh said:

On the subject of JV for those that give a crap about stuff like this(I personally don't) yet another deep postseason run will almost assuredly mean he will be going into Cooperstown town as an Astro or at the very least will probably end up being remembered by people as an Astro and not Tiger.

He has 13 years and 2511 innings as a Tigers and 6 years and 720 innings as an Astro.  I don't think number of championships has a lot to do with choosing a Hall of Fame team, so I think he's do in as a Tiger.  I don't really care though.  The HoF is an individual honor, not a team honor.  

[Motor City Sonics]

8 hours ago, Sports_Freak said:

Anyone catch JV dropping multiple F bombs during the celebration? He really must not have know there were cameras recording.

He doesn't care.    

[Shades of Deivi Cruz]

1 hour ago, RandyMarsh said:

On the subject of JV for those that give a crap about stuff like this(I personally don't) yet another deep postseason run will almost assuredly mean he will be going into Cooperstown town as an Astro or at the very least will probably end up being remembered by people as an Astro and not Tiger.

I agree with you. He will be remembered by those outside of Detroit for his Astros accomplishments much more than anything he did with the Tigers. I can easily see him going into the HoF as an Astro.

[oblong]

Having just been to the HOF last week I can say that the "controversy" over the plaque logo is overblown.  That doesn't signify "going in as...".  Many of the plaques, the earlier ones, had the player looking sideways or with no logo.

Not that I will be back anytime soon since it's like a 9 hour drive, but if I were to be back there in a year or so I could see myself not even going into the gallery room.  There's 3 floors to the HOF.  We got there at 9:15, watched a movie from 9:40 to 10, finished floors 2 and 3 in about 3 hours, and the plaque hall is on the first floor and it litereally took me about 10 minutes to see all the plaques, and that's with having to wait for people to move.  I looked at every single plaque too.  

 

[Motor City Sonics]

This first round bye layoff is bad for baseball.       As Tiger fans we know what a week off can do to hitters.   Gotta figure this out

32 MLB teams

Four Divisions of 8 teams.  

The Division winners get all 3 games at home in the first round.  The other higher seeds get the first 2 at home

Division winners get 1st & 2nd seeds

4 teams in each league is a enough for me.  I don't want 8 in each league, but I am sure they'd go in that direction

 But this first round bye has to stop

Let's just say, for spits and giggles,  we add Nashville in the AL and Montreal in the NL.    They both bo 70-92 

The 8 playoff team scenario

AL East
(1) Baltimore 101-61
(3) Tampa Bay 99-63
(5) Toronto 89-73
(8) NY Yankees 82-80
Detroit  78-84
Boston 78-84
Cleveland 76-86
Nashville 70-92

AL West
(2) Houston 90-72
(4)  Texas 90-72
(6) Minnesota 87-75
(7) Seattle 88-74
LA Angels  73-89
Chicago 61-101
Kansas City 56-106
Oakland 50-112
 

Yankees @ Baltimore
Seattle @ Houston
Minnesota @ Tampa
Toronto @ Texas

 

NL East
(1) Atlanta 104-58
(4) Philadelphia 90-72
(5) Miami 84-78
(8) Cincinnati 82-70
Pittsburgh 76-86
NY Mets 75-87
Washington 71-91
Montreal 70-92

NL West
(2) LA Dodgers  100-62
(3) Milwaukee 92-70
(6) Arizona 84-78
(7) Chicago 83-79
San Diego 82-80
San Francisco 79-83
St. Louis 71-91
Colorado 59-103
 

Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Cubs @ LA Dodgers
Arizona @ Milwaukee
Miami @ Philadelphia

 

 

 

[Motor City Sonics]

17 minutes ago, Shades of Deivi Cruz said:

I agree with you. He will be remembered by those outside of Detroit for his Astros accomplishments much more than anything he did with the Tigers. I can easily see him going into the HoF as an Astro.

It's up to the hall of fame, really, but the player can push for one over the other.     

 

[chasfh]

1 hour ago, RandyMarsh said:

On the subject of JV for those that give a crap about stuff like this(I personally don't) yet another deep postseason run will almost assuredly mean he will be going into Cooperstown town as an Astro or at the very least will probably end up being remembered by people as an Astro and not Tiger.

That might be true if he gets another Astros ring this year. Despite his being out in 2020 and 21, he will be considered to have been there for all seven playoff runs, plus five pennants and three rings, versus five playoff runs, two pennants, zero rings in Detroit. Add to that two Cy Youngs there versus one here, a .756 WPCT vs .616, a 2.36 ERA vs 3.49, 179 ERA+ vs. 123, 11.1/1.6 K/BB ratio vs 8.5/2.7, and the narrative might end up being that the Astros fixed what the Tigers couldn’t fix or even broke, and how good would he have been with a great team his whole career.

It’s also possible that they split the difference and he goes in with a blank hat, like Greg Maddux, although the CHC/ATL innings split for Maddux is a lot closer than for Verlander. Either way, if he wins a third ring in Houston, I think I’d be surprised if he went in with a Tiger hat despite most of his best successes coming in Houston.

And this is predicated on if he were to retire right now. If he pitches until he’s 45 and stays in Houston the whole time, that might tip it even more.

 

[chasfh]

9 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

This first round bye layoff is bad for baseball.       As Tiger fans we know what a week off can do to hitters.   Gotta figure this out

32 MLB teams

Four Divisions of 8 teams.  

The Division winners get all 3 games at home in the first round.  The other higher seeds get the first 2 at home

Division winners get 1st & 2nd seeds

4 teams in each league is a enough for me.  I don't want 8 in each league, but I am sure they'd go in that direction

 But this first round bye has to stop

Let's just say, for spits and giggles,  we add Nashville in the AL and Montreal in the NL.    They both bo 70-92 

The 8 playoff team scenario

AL East
(1) Baltimore 101-61
(3) Tampa Bay 99-63
(5) Toronto 89-73
(8) NY Yankees 82-80
Detroit  78-84
Boston 78-84
Cleveland 76-86
Nashville 70-92

AL West
(2) Houston 90-72
(4)  Texas 90-72
(6) Minnesota 87-75
(7) Seattle 88-74
LA Angels  73-89
Chicago 61-101
Kansas City 56-106
Oakland 50-112
 

Yankees @ Baltimore
Seattle @ Houston
Minnesota @ Tampa
Toronto @ Texas

 

NL East
(1) Atlanta 104-58
(4) Philadelphia 90-72
(5) Miami 84-78
(8) Cincinnati 82-70
Pittsburgh 76-86
NY Mets 75-87
Washington 71-91
Montreal 70-92

NL West
(2) LA Dodgers  100-62
(3) Milwaukee 92-70
(6) Arizona 84-78
(7) Chicago 83-79
San Diego 82-80
San Francisco 79-83
St. Louis 71-91
Colorado 59-103
 

Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Cubs @ LA Dodgers
Arizona @ Milwaukee
Miami @ Philadelphia

 

 

 

It’s going to be eight divisions of four teams, guaranteed. No owner is going to want to finish in eighth or seventh or even sixth to fifth place anymore. Too hard to sell late in the season. Wanna take a hack at what the playoff situation would look like then?

[lordstanley]

I think Tigers fans’ perception of post-season baseball is shaped by the fact that the two championships of our memory, ‘68 and ‘84, were dream seasons where the Tigers were clearly the best AL team in the regular season and then deservedly won the playoffs. They were one-offs in that other Tigers teams of those eras came close a few times but never made it to the Series   Despite the bad final week of the regular season, the ‘06 Tigers do fit the mould of a special season followed by an AL pennant, albeit not a World Series. But the Tigers’ most recent pennant of ‘12 will more likely be the norm going forward. Get a team that makes the playoffs multiple years, and chances are one of those times they will advance to the  Series and even win it.  Even though the year you do so may not be your best record from that era and your team may not have stood out among its peers going into the playoffs. The 2012 Tigers were not special …until October.  So I won’t apologize if the Tigers win a Series with 86 wins some time in the future, because I think the Tigers deserved but didn’t get one Series title out of 2006, 2011-2014  

 

[oblong]

I still can't get past the idea that some hold that playoff formats need to be fixed because some teams end up beating other teams.  The playoffs aren't meant to be a formality.  That goes against the essence of being a fan of sports.  Otherwise it's just pro wrestling.

 

[oblong]

1 minute ago, lordstanley said:

I think Tigers fans’ perception of post-season baseball is shaped by the fact that the two championships of our memory, ‘68 and ‘84, were dream seasons where the Tigers were clearly the best AL team in the regular season and then deservedly won the playoffs. They were one-offs in that other Tigers teams of those eras came close a few times but never made it to the Series   Despite the bad final week of the regular season, the ‘06 Tigers do fit the mould of a special season followed by an AL pennant, albeit not a World Series. But the Tigers’ most recent pennant of ‘12 will more likely be the norm going forward. Get a team that makes the playoffs multiple years, and chances are one of those times they will advance to the  Series and even win it.  Even though the year you do so may not be your best record from that era and your team may not have stood out among its peers going into the playoffs. The 2012 Tigers were not special …until October.  So I won’t apologize if the Tigers win a Series with 86 wins some time in the future, because I think the Tigers deserved but didn’t get one Series title out of 2006, 2011-2014  

 

The Tigers of the modern era never had home field advantage except for 2006 and that was b/c of the ASG.  In the 2012 WS, The Giants had home field because Verlander got smoked at the ASG, but also won 94 games against the Tigers 88.

Those Tiger teams were the ones are the kind that people now are claiming we need to fix the playoffs against.  That it's somehow not fair that they win.  The 100 win teams need more help.

 

[1776]

44 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

It's up to the hall of fame, really, but the player can push for one over the other.     

 

I personally believe Verlander would choose Houston over Detroit. Going back to the days surrounding his trade, I believe the deal was handled poorly by Avila and company. No doubt, Verlander still loves the fans in Detroit but remembering the trade day as I do, I believe he was more or less pushed out. 

[1776]

50 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said:

This first round bye layoff is bad for baseball.       As Tiger fans we know what a week off can do to hitters.   Gotta figure this out

I don’t have the answer but I totally agree with your point here. 

[RatkoVarda]

Not sure why LAD always choke in the playoffs after dominating everyone in the regular season, but these are 2 weird things Dave Roberts said. You HAVE to be reactionary; and you CANNOT think past G3.

Then two homers later you’re down 4-0. I had some guys ready. Obviously I can’t predict the future. I try not to be reactionary and get ahead of things. I just can’t predict the future. The way he was throwing the baseball, I didn’t expect that.

Listen, I have to manage this like there are two more games after it. Pepiot, he’s a bulk guy, we’ve seen it all season long, and if I’m going to get through this series, I need to think past Game 3.

[Motor City Sonics]

22 minutes ago, RatkoVarda said:

Not sure why LAD always choke in the playoffs after dominating everyone in the regular season, but these are 2 weird things Dave Roberts said. You HAVE to be reactionary; and you CANNOT think past G3.

Then two homers later you’re down 4-0. I had some guys ready. Obviously I can’t predict the future. I try not to be reactionary and get ahead of things. I just can’t predict the future. The way he was throwing the baseball, I didn’t expect that.

Listen, I have to manage this like there are two more games after it. Pepiot, he’s a bulk guy, we’ve seen it all season long, and if I’m going to get through this series, I need to think past Game 3.

Think about all the dominant teams they had and the only title was in the 60 game season, so it's an asterisk title.   

It didn't dawn on me until this morning that the White Sox lost over 100 games.     What a shame. 

[Tiger337]

4 hours ago, chasfh said:

It’s going to be eight divisions of four teams, guaranteed. No owner is going to want to finish in eighth or seventh or even sixth to fifth place anymore. Too hard to sell late in the season. Wanna take a hack at what the playoff situation would look like then?

I don't understand that.  Are fans really that dumb that they think an 88-win team 5th place team is less appealing than a 78 win second place team?  It would be a lot simpler with no divisions.  Just take the top 8 teams (since I are know they are going to 8 teams in each league).  If your team can't contend with that many teams getting in, then sell it 

Edited October 12, 2023 by Tiger337

[oblong]

6 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

I don't understand that.  Are fans really that dumb that they think an 88-win team 5th place team is more appealing than a 78 win second place team?  It would be a lot simpler with no divisions.  Just take the top 8 teams (since I are know they are going to 8 teams in each league).  If your team can't contend with that many teams getting in, then sell it 

The fascination with "leagues" is what holds baseball back because they won't ever go to an East/West format like the NHL and NBA.  And I don't know I'd want them to either since history is so important.   Moving teams like Houston and Milwaukee, which had little tradition wasn't a big deal.  

 

 

[casimir]

1 minute ago, oblong said:

The fascination with "leagues" is what holds baseball back because they won't ever go to an East/West format like the NHL and NBA.  And I don't know I'd want them to either since history is so important.   Moving teams like Houston and Milwaukee, which had little tradition wasn't a big deal.  

 

 

I'd go one further.  1 league of 4 geographical divisions with 8 teams each when they expand.  And then the playoff bracket is lined up 1 through 12 (or 16 is probably inevitable) according to winning percentage.  So this offseason would have been Atlanta at 1, Baltimore at 2, Los Angeles at 3, Tampa at 4, etc, etc.

[Tiger337]

1 minute ago, oblong said:

The fascination with "leagues" is what holds baseball back because they won't ever go to an East/West format like the NHL and NBA.  And I don't know I'd want them to either since history is so important.   Moving teams like Houston and Milwaukee, which had little tradition wasn't a big deal.  

 

 

I hope they keep the leagues based on tradition and history.  By 8-teams, I meant 8-teams in each league (since I assume they are headed in that direction).  Have two big leagues with no divisions. I would think that would be easier for fans since they wouldn't have to look at two sets of standings to know where their team stands.  

[chasfh]

3 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I don't understand that.  Are fans really that dumb that they think an 88-win team 5th place team is less appealing than a 78 win second place team?  It would be a lot simpler with no divisions.  Just take the top 8 teams (since I are know they are going to 8 teams in each league).  If your team can't contend with that many teams getting in, then sell it 

I think casual fans are far more likely to know what place their team is in than how many games they've won, and the battle is only for the casual fan, because they already got you and me.

They gave up on 12-(and 14- and 16-) team tables way back in 1968 when Joe Cronin was quoted as saying, "You can’t sell a 12th-place club."

[MIguy]

The Diamondbacks payroll is half of the three other remaining teams.   Got to root for the little guy!

[chasfh]

I guess I'll "root" for the Phillies if they come out of that series. If the Braves win, I won't care either way.

I guess I'll "root" for the Rangers, too, because I don't want the Astros to win during the remainer of my life.

The only thing I'm truly rooting for, though, is a seventh game that comes down to the tying run coming to the plate in the ninth inning.

[RatkoVarda]

7 minutes ago, MIguy said:

The Diamondbacks payroll is half of the three other remaining teams.   Got to root for the little guy!

and they are paying $37MM to Madison Bumgarner to not pitch for them this year and next.