Choosing your playoff team
by Stacey on Oct 5, 2010 2:00 PM EDT
in Commentary & Analysis
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PrintOnce again we find ourselves at the beginning of a post season with our team sitting at home. Most of you have probably already chosen your playoff allegiances, but if you're wondering just who to root for, consider this list of pros and cons for each playoff team:
Pro: Let's face it, the ultimate goal here is to keep the New York Yankees from winning the World Series, and the Phillies are the best bet to stop them if they get that far. Yes, the Yankees beat them last year, but this year their rotation is in shambles while the Phillies are sporting a top three of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. I'd give them pretty good odds to take the Yanks. Additionally, it's very easy to root for Halladay. He's making his first post-season appearance in his thirteenth big league season, twelve of which he spent dominating the AL East and then watching other teams in his division go on to the playoffs.
Con: Do you really want the same team in the World Series three years in a row? It's so tiresome seeing the same teams in the postseason over and over again, and the Phillies are one of those teams. Plus, you know, those people from Philadelphia with their batteries and vomit.
Ex-Orioles: Danys Baez. That certainly doesn't help their cause.
Pro: The Reds haven't been to the playoffs since 1995 and parallels between them and the Orioles are easy to make. Plus, everyone loves an underdog, right? A fresh face in the postseason is always a good thing. And if, like me, you revel in the idea of a middle America World Series that will have Bud Selig wringing his hands, this is the team for you. Also, Joey Votto!
Con: Any success by the Reds will be attributed to Dusty Baker. He's already gotten a two year extension thanks to this season, and if the Reds win the World Series who knows what might happen.
Ex-Orioles: Arthur Rhodes and Ramon Hernandez. Arthur Rhodes, man. Arthur effing Rhodes is in the playoffs.
Pro: Aubrey Huff. I mean, do I need to say more? The dude has played almost 1500 career games without sniffing the playoffs, and he's a good guy. He had his ups and downs both on and off the field in his three years in Baltimore, but he turned out to be one of the most likable guys to play for the team in recent history. He only ended up in San Francisco because no one else wanted him, and he's had an amazing bounce back year. If you need some other reasons, their colors are also orange and black and their pitching staff is sick.
Con: Do you really want to live in a world where Chris Ray has a World Series ring and Brian Roberts doesn't? Plus, this team is kind of the double whammy of things I find hard to care about. West Coast and National League. And since the NL West has become this place where players not good enough for the Orioles end up, it's pretty hard to take them seriously.
Ex-Orioles: Aubrey Huff, Eli Whiteside, Chris Ray. Also, for awhile this season, Denny Bautista.
Pro: Bobby Cox is retiring at the end of the season, so if that kind of nostalgia is your thing, this might be the team for you. Cox has been managing in the big leagues since before I was born. It's a pretty big feat and it might be considered a shame by some that he didn't win more than one WS with the Braves in the 1990s. The Braves also haven't been to the playoffs in five years, which is small potatoes to us Orioles fans, but it still makes them a relatively fresh face.
Con: Atlanta is a lousy baseball town. They don't even sell out their playoff games, and you can buy a ticket from them on the website. Seriously, I just tried it! And it would only cost me $40 a ticket. What on earth? That's some BS.
Ex-Orioles: None. Although they do have on their roster the Patron Saint of Birdland, Eric O'Flaherty.
Pro: The Rays are the team that took down the giants. Every time the Rays are in the playoffs, it means that one of either the Yankees and Red Sox aren't in the playoffs. And there's nothing wrong with that. They're also the proof that a team doesn't have to spend $200M to win the division and they have a team model that the Orioles could be even better at since they actually have some money.
Con: They're still an AL East team. The better they are, the worse it is for the Orioles. Plus, there has to be some kind of rule about not wanting a team in your division to succeed. These jerks knocked the Orioles around pretty good this year, after all.
Ex-Orioles: Lance Cormier
Pro: The Twins are one of the least offensive baseball teams in America. They've got a pretty good team and most importantly, they've got Jim Thome. If Jim Thome isn't one of your favorite baseball players, you're probably a douche bag.
Con: The Twins always just build a team that's good enough to win the AL Central. Frankly, it bugs me. Since 2003 they have won their division four times and each time they lost in the LDS with a combined record of 2-12. Well done, Minnesota.
Ex-Orioles: None
Pro: Another new face in the playoffs. The last time the Rangers were in the postseason was 1999, so good on them for making it now. They've got another long time player without a postseason appearance in Michael Young, so you have to feel for him.
Con: They're from Texas. Also: 30-3, 26-7, 19-6, 15-1, 15-3, 15-7, 15-7, 13-1. F that.
Ex-Orioles: None
New York Yankees
Pro: I suppose you have a pretty good chance of rooting for a winner.
Con: If you want the Yankees to win the World Series, you're probably an douche bag. Do you want to be an douche bag? Do you?
Ex-Orioles: None
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Da Rayzz, natch. But you forgot their biggest Con: the Trop. 'Course, about $79 bucks wortha green spray paint
and the TV image would at least start to look like a real fake field again. Assuming it ever did….
Anyway, I was quite pleased that this club finished ahead of the an douche bags. And maybe winning it all will motivate SPb and the ownership to create an actual baseball venue. Cool!
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
Oh, and just when you thought things couldn't get any uglier inside the Trop...
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Churchill,1942-- a rebuilding year.
I'm still rooting for Texas
But those plaid bill caps need to see some games. Like, all of the games played by the Rays,
The stock market will never recover, our armies will never again be #1, and our children will drink filthy water for the rest of their lives - HST
by the fix is in on Oct 6, 2010 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
werth?
not considered an ex-o?
At all hazards, a man must keep up appearances. Dignity, I say. Dignity above all, Governor. Hear, hear!
-Det. William "Bunk" Moreland
by j.q. higgins on Oct 5, 2010 2:28 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
He never played for the big club
You never know when someone is gonna sneak up on ya at the dolphin show! -wrb1990
but...
did mr. whiteside? guess it doesn’t really matter, but if eof deserves mention…
At all hazards, a man must keep up appearances. Dignity, I say. Dignity above all, Governor. Hear, hear!
-Det. William "Bunk" Moreland
by j.q. higgins on Oct 5, 2010 3:45 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Eli played 9 games for the O's in 2005
You never know when someone is gonna sneak up on ya at the dolphin show! -wrb1990
Rays and Reds
Rays because I like their players, and the Reds because a good friend is a big fan.
Librarians are hiding something
Phillies/Giants
Utley and Tulo are my fav non-birds. Huff is awesome. And Timmeh.
So who are you going to root for when they play each other?
Rub some $100 bills on it, you sell-out. -duck
don't know yet
probably whoever is trailing in the series/game. my gut will decide.
by Dingbat Charlie on Oct 5, 2010 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions
If I ever find out who voted for the Yankees
your ass is so banned.
You never know when someone is gonna sneak up on ya at the dolphin show! -wrb1990
Reds
When was the last time they were such underdogs in the PS (not there have been many)? Hmmm…‘90 in the WS? They love that in Cincy.
Twins from the AL. Rays and MFYs just aren’t peaking right now: they’re tired, bored and resentful of their success…and in the case of the MFYs, “grabastic pieces of amphibian shit.” Reds all the way.
braves/rangers
bobby cox is my favorite manager and elvis andrus, vlad guerrero and ian kinsler are my favorite non-o’s
"double rainbow...what does it MEAN?"
+1
Braves all the way baby!!!
"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann
by HansonManCrush on Oct 5, 2010 10:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I tried to check 7 boxes in the poll
but it wouldn’t let me. I ended up picking the Rays, because it gives me the opportunity to go to a WS game, if I feel like maxing out a credit card. I had tickets to game 6 when the played the Phillies. They only cost 100 a piece (obstructed view), and when the game didn’t get paid, I got a refund, minus ticketmaster’s smorgasbord o’fees
"Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder 'why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand.."
Speaking of smorgasbords, let me fix my typos
they played the Phillies
when the game didn’t get played.
100 apiece
"Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder 'why, why, why?' Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand.."
Phillies.
My NL team. They’re also the only team I see that is able to beat a strong AL team, such as the Yankees. Although the Yankees haven’t been that good as of late.
I'm back. YAY SUMMER!
Twin Pick
I went with the Twins out of the group.
- Rochester’s affiliate
- Not the MFY
- Not the Rays – are they getting to be MFY South?
- want to see a good old fashion blizzard during game 7 of the WS.
hell no
They’re not even close. They have no fans, no revenue, and after this season no reason to see them not named price or longoria.
"double rainbow...what does it MEAN?"
by danielreese05 on Oct 5, 2010 7:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I went with the Twins, but it's not a very strong interest.
Just better than all of these other clowns. I can’t seriously root for an NL team unless they’re the last thing in the way of beating the Yankees. Rays… no. Rangers, also no, because I hate Texas.
It's as if every eccentric in the South decided to move north, ran out of gas in Baltimore, and decided to stay. - John Waters
so, you're saying that you would mess with Texas?
"I'd like to do something. We all would here," he added. "As I've said before, you just don't want to do anything stupid that you're thinking in May, 'What in the God's green earth was I thinking about?'" - Andy MacPhail 12/8/09
I don't need to mess with Texas because Texas is too self-absorbed to know that Maryland exists.
It's as if every eccentric in the South decided to move north, ran out of gas in Baltimore, and decided to stay. - John Waters
by Eat More Esskay on Oct 5, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
I think that has more to do with their education sustem
Strategory anyone? Plus I still blame them for giving us bush..
by GeoffreyA on Oct 5, 2010 10:27 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Twins, I've made it clear before they are my #2 team.
"When you use those words, `mystique’ and `aura,’ those are dancers in a night club. Those are not things we concern ourselves on the ball field." - Curt Schilling on if the Yankees mystique and aura would affect the Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series.
by BaltimoreSportsFan on Oct 5, 2010 4:49 PM EDT reply actions
Rays
Listen, I get that they are in our division, but the truth is it would be awesome for a team like TB to shove it in the Yankees faces. On top of that, I kinda look at it like college football. Another WS berth for the AL East would make 4 straight years (Boston, NY, and TBx2) and 3 wins in that span. It would make it all the sweeter when we finally win in that division, and it makes it pretty indisputable that the AL East is the strongest division in baseball, if not in all of the 4 major sports. Of course I don’t want this to happen by the Yankees or Red Sox’ hands, so TB seems the logical choice here.
Also, I hate seeing other people happy about baseball, and my best friend is a Phillies fan. You’ve had more than your fair share, buddy. If it’s not TB, i’d be quite happy with the Twins. I don’t want an NL victory unless the Yankees make it to the WS though. AL fo life, yo.
"things like locig and prrofreading are actually valued here" - zknower
by daveh873 on Oct 5, 2010 4:57 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I buy all that
but I just can’t root for somebody from our division. Same as in the NFL – it’s great when the NFC East is in the superbowl, but I just can’t root for any of those fuckfaces in the playoffs.
Agree 100% with the hating other people being happy though. Big reason why I hate all Philadelphia sports.
I’m taking the Giants.
Rub some $100 bills on it, you sell-out. -duck
huh. i don't have any conflict
rooting for somebody from our division. as long as they are not the Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays or Steelers. and I might’n even imagine a scenario where i could root for a blue jay.
I'd root for the Rays against the Yankees or Red Sox, but once in the series I want them to get swept. Fuck those guys.
Rub some $100 bills on it, you sell-out. -duck
I'm with you
I’ve supported the Rays before, mainly because they exemplify what I hope could one day be the O’s but at this point they’re a contender in their own right and a division opponent who has beaten up on us. I’m not hostile to them but I can’t root for them anymore either.
I’m not picking a team. I just want some interesting games that I can simultaneously enjoy and have absolutely no emotional investment in. Mainly I just hope NYY has as short of a post season as possible. Also whoever the hell is voting for them on the poll should be taken out back and shot.
i hate the nl so much
And I’m such a big AL elitist that even a team like the reds pisses me off. But I’m willing to cut the braves some slack because of bobby. ONLY because of bobby…
"double rainbow...what does it MEAN?"
by danielreese05 on Oct 5, 2010 7:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Breaking it down
Series by series:
Rays vs. Rangers
I’m rooting for the Rays (who might have just this one chance with their payroll heading south this winter)…but I think the Rangers will win.
Yankees vs. Twins
I’m pulling for JIM JAM so badly, but it’ll take a miracle for the Twins to overcome a couple of dominant lefties.
Reds vs. Phillies
I don’t want to see more of the same, believe you me, but it’s hard oh so hard to root against Roy Halladay and for Johnny Cueto. Plus I’m not gonna root for a loser, and that’s what the Reds will be shortly.
Giants vs. Braves
The Giants have captured my heart for no particular reason whatsoever. And I think they’ll run rampant over Bobby Cox’s swan song.
"There's going to be a general lack of toast in the neighbourhood this morning. Many many bewildered breakfast faces."
resisting... urge... to...
point out that you’ve been rooting for a loser for 13 years.
correction: 12 years and 4 months.
by Dingbat Charlie on Oct 5, 2010 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Twins
Only because they get to knock out the Yanks first.
This.
Have to root for the Yankees to have an early exit. The ultimate humiliation. Maybe they’ll fire Girardi.
"I put a pepper rub on the scallops so you have a little contrast. You have sweetness from the coconut oil and little acidity from the splash of lemon." – Luke Scott
3 votes for the MFY??
Fucking trolls…
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." ~ The Dude
Quite frankly, the MFY shouldn't have even been an option in the poll.
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." ~ The Dude
Pro: Aubrey Huff. I mean, do I need to say more? The dude has played almost 1500 career games without sniffing the playoffs, and he’s a good guy. He had his ups and downs both on and off the field in his three years in Baltimore, but he turned out to be one of the most likable guys to play for the team in recent history.
I don’t know about that, he did call Baltimore a horseshit town.
I've been playing baseball since I was six years old, so that's 40 years I've been on a baseball field and around a baseball field, and so our opinions are formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon.
correct me if I'm wrong
but he said Baltimore was a horseshit town when talking about the night life.
Rub some $100 bills on it, you sell-out. -duck
yes, that's right
I remember people being pissed at the time.
I've been playing baseball since I was six years old, so that's 40 years I've been on a baseball field and around a baseball field, and so our opinions are formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon.
It was, like most everything, greatly blown out of proportion.
The stache is back!
by Knubles and Bits on Oct 5, 2010 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions
which? the response or the appropriateness of his comments?
I remember a fair amount of backlash. He was roundly booed opening day for example. As far as appropriateness of his comments, I wasn’t terribly upset. Aubrey’s taste in nightlife isn’t really a great concern to me.
I've been playing baseball since I was six years old, so that's 40 years I've been on a baseball field and around a baseball field, and so our opinions are formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon.
I thought is was chickenshit
Anyway, I still hate him for it.
Blowing things out of proportion is fun.
Has there ever been a cooler Oriole than Eddie Murray? I mean, just straight up cool. Like a bad, suave dude. You know what I'm sayin'. COOL. SC 7/24/08
by 33 on Oct 6, 2010 8:18 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m rooting for the Twins and Rays for no other reason than I like how these organizations are run.
I've been playing baseball since I was six years old, so that's 40 years I've been on a baseball field and around a baseball field, and so our opinions are formulated through facts, not fiction, not their little chat room jargon.
I went with the Giants
Despite of Huff. They wear our colors and I don’t know a single fan of theirs personally.
Check out more of my highlights at dailymotion.com/gatecitycanes
Phillies.
I’ve always been cool with the Phillies, always been my NL team. I went to college around Philly, saw a lot of games with a shitty team at an even shittier stadium (has there ever been a worse place to watch a game than the Vet? I say no). Most of my good friends are Phillies fans and I live in the region (Delaware). I can’t bring myself to root against them, honestly.
Believe me, the Phillies fans I know…a couple are bandwagon, but the lifers, the fans like us? They suffered. Believe me, they suffered from 93-07. They saw some truly awful teams and some really terrible baseball. And they are treasuring every moment of this; they haven’t turned insufferable yet, because they know that it isn’t going to last, that they aren’t the Yankees, that their window is finite. I can’t root against them, even if they’ve won back to back pennants.
Yes, in general, Philly fans deserve their bad reputations…but I know plenty who are enjoying this as much as we would enjoy it if the Os were similarly dominant, and for the right reasons…not like bandwagoner PHN or MFY gits.
"Might as well just win this game." - Adam Jones, 4/17/2008
Adam Jones is the tits.
SF
Just b/c I’d like to see them win it or at least get to it without Bonds.
Don't let the sunshine fool ya. - Townes Van Zandt
I'm rooting for Huff Daddy.
Not the Giants; just Huff. Other than that, I just want to see good baseball. And the Yankeees lose. Can’t forget that.
The stache is back!
by Knubles and Bits on Oct 5, 2010 8:43 PM EDT reply actions
In the NL
I’m going Phillies, although it’s not a strong feeling. I’d rather have seen the Rockies here. Still, it’s hard not to root for the Phillies players. Utley is awesome, can’t help but liking Victorino and Werth, and Rollins, despite his spitfire and constant injuries, amuses me. Win one for the Roys.
I like the current Braves team, but I can’t help but remember all those obnoxious, dominating Braves teams of the recent past.
The Reds strike me as the punk brat on the street corner who intimidates all the littler kids but can’t handle any real heat. I hope they go down hard. Nothing against the city, it’s the team I don’t like. Strike that. It’s the city too. Boo Bengals. And the franchise. Boo Joe Morgan and Pete Rose. Stupid Big Red Machine. They can shove it.
The Giants are forever tainted by Barry Bonds. I just can’t bring myself to root for them. Plus Barry Zito is ick. they have almost no offense, and I could never get behind Aubrey “one-out-of-every-3-years” Huff. I’ll root for Lincecum, but it stops there.
In the AL
Whoever beats the tar out of the Yankees is right by me, no matter which team it is. I hope they get swept and Jeter goes 0 for the series with RISP overall.
The Twinkies are okay. Hard not to like Mauer and Morneau (who won’t play) and Span and others. But I dunno, I think I agree with Stacey: they’re just not a playoff-built team. I can’t see them going far. Where’s there pitching after Liriano? And can you really rely on him, even? Just beat the Yankees, guys, and we’ll be good, you and I.
The Rangers as a team are interesting, somewhat reminiscent of the 08 Rays. And yet, I can’t bring myself to root for Kinsler, Hamilton, Cruz, and all those other bashers that have bashed our faces in one too many times. I hope they fall flat on their faces to my pick,
The Rays. I want them to get to the WS again and win it. I’ve a feeling their window may be closing, and if they can’t do it, then suddenly I worry if the O’s ever can. I dunno, I can’t help but feeling this is the flash-forward version of the O’s, ya know? Where we’ll be in 2 or 5 years. I want them to do well, win it all, and then get back behind us where they belong already, OK? They can finish second so long as we finish first, though.
Really?
I enjoyed that series when it happened. That was pre-phn and they absolutely crushed the Yankees spirit
by GeoffreyA on Oct 5, 2010 10:32 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
eugh
i think i had an epiphany in there somewhere that it would start this whole obsessive following. i just got bad vibes from the whole thing. that being said, i still wanted them to do it…
"double rainbow...what does it MEAN?"
by danielreese05 on Oct 5, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Silly philly Phils
But I think this year us asshole philly pholk will tase a koala bear after it lost in a koala fighting ring and then throw it at Jeter after a ball gets thrown at his head and he suffers severe head trauma and then boo the easter bunny.
I’m pretending to root for the Phillies, since I’m married to a Phillies fan and almost all my friends are Phillies fans.
I’m really rooting for the Reds or Twins because although the Phillies are pretty likeable and I have nothing against Philly fans (I root for all their other sports teams) I’m a bitter person and it annoys me when everyone around me is really really happy and I’m not.
But, I guess the most important thing, as always, is anyone but NY (or Boston — ha ha!)
Schadenfreude, catch the fever!
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." ~ The Dude
Rays
when they win they keep my hope alive that we will someday win too.
Giants are in my backyard, and it is sweet to see Huff get to the post season, but they are going down early.
this
keeping hope alive is what is it’s all about
that and watching the Yankees lose, so Twins are also high on my list.
Has there ever been a cooler Oriole than Eddie Murray? I mean, just straight up cool. Like a bad, suave dude. You know what I'm sayin'. COOL. SC 7/24/08
by 33 on Oct 6, 2010 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Ron Washington
The Rangers manager played for the Orioles in 1987 with a stellar OPS+ of 37.
Librarians are hiding something
It was the 80's. Who wasn't?
"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man." ~ The Dude
I'm going with the Phillies
My dad’s a huge fan and a lot of my relatives live in PA
The Orioles are going to open a can of Buck-Wieser on your ass......
Go Reds, and should they lose I don't care if the Yankees win it all
I pick one team and pay attention to their games. This is the first year in a long time that a team I actually root for during the season is in the playoffs, and they’re a long shot. Once that team is out, I stop watching. There’s plenty to do with the family instead of watching some other town’s team win something.
Anyhow, once my team is out, I’m not frustrated by Yankee wins. Probably because I’m not wasting my time watching it. Besides, the cynical side of me says the only way MLB will give a damn about the Yankees buying playoffs (with a few teams just behind them) is to bore the nation to death with a decade run of uninterrupted Yankee championships. If they are going to win because they have a ton of money, do it all the f’ing time so people eventually tune out.
so is it fair to say that a certain Reds catcher is in the "best shape of his life?"
anyways, I’m going with the Twins. My brother just moved out to minny and I’ve always liked them. Who doesn’t want to play ball in Minneapolis in November?
cxcxcxcxzzzzzzzzz
I can't wait for the day when we don't need this sort of thread
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
Phillies and Rangers
but I chose Phillies just cuz they have Halladay making his first postseason AND Oswalt hopefully getting his first ring
Texas is just fresh with some players I like including most of their pitching. Also got to give Hamilton some love
Wigglypuff uses Walk Off. Papelbon faints. -Jakattak88
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