Baseball Playoff's

[Brett Kay]

It is an aquired taste.

Think of the strategy debates between teams and fans during the rain delay.

Cole Hamels was set to start the bottom 6 and lead off the batting, now in baseball pitchers usually don't have such a long split between innings. So now all of a sudden we have a choice of pinch hitters to come into the game.

Then the other side of the coin is we also have a choice from both our mid relievers and closers, as well as a few of the starting rotation who will be on their 5th and 6th days rest. So the choices all of a sudden become huge. A game that should only have 3 innings left could have easily turned into a 9 inning duel all over.

As for bagging baseball and then say you watch soccer. You have to face the fact that watching sweaty men run around chasing a white ball for 90 minutes is just wonderful. But yet there are strategies that people watching once wouldn't understand, changes in formations going from a 4-4-2 to a zone 3-4-3 to a guard of 2-4-4. Its the subtle nuances of every game that people enjoy.

Now taking the batting of hitting 3.3 times out of ten. Baseball becomes even more statistical, and this is where strategies become even more intense because there is so much prior information that a coach has to work it all out and make the decisions.

Knowing that one batter buts .250 against right handed pitchers, but bats .330 at night against lefties can easily sway a decision about what player plays. Obviously it is not that overly complicated, but some decisions do come down to the probability. And as poker players we should appreciate that.


And now for my last word on the matter.

GOLF

Nuff said.

[maccatak11]

Nice post Brett. Yeah your probably right about not getting the complexity of the game from only watching it once (well i have seen a few of the games of the world series and the previous finals).

I guess i keep telling fellow Aussie Rules fans that just because soccer is different, doesn't mean its a bad sport (i love them both), so maybe i should apply my own rule when watching baseball.

It actual fact i did (while striking/ doing some marking at home) enjoy the atmosphere of a game that started at the bottom of the 6th. Was pretty entertaining, especially as a run was scored nearly every inning. It was great.

I have a limited understanding of baseball tactics (well enough to teach year 9's anyway) but the detailed complexities are lost on me currently. And you are right about the formations etc for soccer. I was only a casual fan until adelaide united came about, and i have only liked the game more as i have watched more.


Maybe ill watch some more of it next season, if any sport is going to be left on fox. Us fox subscribers have it sooo bad

[Brett Kay]

Baseball can always go down into one of the simplest forms for any sport.

Working together as a team.

You can have ball hogs in soccer, A la a superstar who is expected to score, but off field treats his teammates like crap. Doesn't give anything to the team, but takes all the money and the occasional glory.

Finding a team within a sport, where they truly are humble. Its an amazing experience. The two teams in this World Series are probably the epitome of working together as a team.

Tampa Bay, last in their division last year. Then to win the division a turnaround of around 40-50 games in one year. Thats huge by any standards, like a soccer team going from div 3 to div 1 in 2 years.
But there are no superstars in the team. They all play for each other. They all enjoy the game together.

Then you have the Phillies. A team that well has now only won 2 championships in 128 years of being in MLB. The players are in the same boat together. Then you have players that were either not good enough for the big name teams. But all congratulate each other for the effort they have put in.

Cole Hamels, won the MVP and was saying it wasn't all him, but it was a team effort. Being modest yes. But this is a pitcher that has only been in the major leagues for 3 years. Not to mention is 25.

Then you have the players like Rollins, Howard and Moyer. Guys that have been with the Phillies for a while, or been in the game for a while, and have instilled that team spirt into the team. Its good to see.

Not to mention that it wasn't the teams everyone was expecting to see. Hence the added interest. Heaps of people hate the Yankee's, the Redsox, Dodgers and San Francisco, because they can spend up on players and therefore just lose respect in that sense. In buying a championship before winning it.

Probably more, but won't go into it all.

[Brett Kay]

Well, never realised i was that passionate about baseball. LOL.

Wonder what my brother is going to say after he reads all this. LOL.

I won't pick on people for the sport they watch, i will pick on them for the teams they have chosen. Some take the easy cop out of choosing the favourite or the big name players on certains, or just the big spend heaps of money on players.

As for me, i always go for the most interesting teams. The ones that have a story that you want to run good.

[Luke05(Jamo)]

philles had to win some time

[Brett Kay]

Hmmm. What hope do the cubs have then.