The OFFICIAL 2012 MLB Divisional Series Thread

[burn_this_city]

Oakland falling apart in the 7th.

[metallicat]

This Yankees Orioles game is ridiculously boring.

[GirlySports]

Game 5s for everybody!

[burn_this_city]

Feels good, last night was a tough one to swallow. Great series A's.

[Flickered Flame]

Despite the loss, I'm a proud Athletics fan! A great season that was unexpected, 17 rookies including a 5 rookie rotation to make the playoffs, a 94 win season after being 10 games below .500 in May, a team that played for each other because everyone else doubted them, multiple heros in 15 walk off wins this year, Brandon McCarthy on his amazing healing after a scary injury, a manager who seemed to push all the buttons. Now can they please get this park issue sorted out and will fans start attending games all year long, not just in playoff games?

[TitovFTW]

Originally Posted by Flickered Flame

Despite the loss, I'm a proud Athletics fan! A great season that was unexpected, 17 rookies including a 5 rookie rotation to make the playoffs, a 94 win season after being 10 games below .500 in May, a team that played for each other because everyone else doubted them, multiple heros in 15 walk off wins this year, Brandon McCarthy on his amazing healing after a scary injury, a manager who seemed to push all the buttons. Now can they please get this park issue sorted out and will fans start attending games all year long, not just in playoff games?

Ownership doesn't give me much hope the A's are going to be staying in Oakland after refusing to open up the extra seats to the public. Literally turning down money for fans who wanted to come see them. Much like Tampa Bay, a little playoff success likely will mean nothing in regards to any increased attendance last year. This does not come from a place of ill will or hate, I loved watching Oakland play all year, It's just a true shame they may never get the chance to build a team on a respectable budget or play in front of a packed house every night. Right now it's hard to bet against them moving to San Jose with the ownership group they have in place.

Still a great season, an amazing run we wil never see again with that many rookies, McCarthy is likely gone but the talent pool is deep with pitching.

[Flickered Flame]

Originally Posted by TitovFTW

Ownership doesn't give me much hope the A's are going to be staying in Oakland after refusing to open up the extra seats to the public. Literally turning down money for fans who wanted to come see them. Much like Tampa Bay, a little playoff success likely will mean nothing in regards to any increased attendance last year. This does not come from a place of ill will or hate, I loved watching Oakland play all year, It's just a true shame they may never get the chance to build a team on a respectable budget or play in front of a packed house every night. Right now it's hard to bet against them moving to San Jose with the ownership group they have in place.

Still a great season, an amazing run we wil never see again with that many rookies, McCarthy is likely gone but the talent pool is deep with pitching.

I hope they move to San Jose, from the business (financial) data I have read, they could be quite competitive with a move to SJ. As for McCarthy, I think they bring him back. I have no inside info on that yet but likely within a week my 2 connections inside the A's org. will give some tidbits of info.

[dustyanddaflames]

If McCarthy could just stay healthy, that will be a lethal staff for many years to come. Came away really impressed with Parker - guy dueled Verlander twice, although he didn't win either, pitched damn good against the best in the MLB.

I really wonder how Billy Beane would do with an increased payroll - would he be more successful with more money, or would it just be cash to throw around? I don't necessarily think that more money equals more success.

[Azure]

I'm not so sure I believe what Billy Beane is preaching. How many trades do the A's make for players that play daily in comparison to players playing daily that they drafted? Didn't they make another 9 player trade this year with the Diamondbacks?

Sure he gets a group of guys together and they click and have a good season, but what about next year? Why can't they compete year to year? He hasn't made the playoffs in 6 years despite his 'attempts' to do more with less, and it clearly doesn't work, and suddenly this year the team comes together. Will he now miss the playoffs for another 6 years while he makes a ton of trades and attempts to get a group together that does something?

Seems to me the ownership group isn't willing to spend money for whatever reason, and Billy Beane is stuck to the idea of having to trade out all his talent in his hope to get together a bunch of no-namers to have another good season.

You have to have a mix. Lots of home-grown talent mixed in with a couple super-stars and timely free agents who have good years.

[Flickered Flame]

Originally Posted by Azure

I'm not so sure I believe what Billy Beane is preaching. How many trades do the A's make for players that play daily in comparison to players playing daily that they drafted? Didn't they make another 9 player trade this year with the Diamondbacks?

Sure he gets a group of guys together and they click and have a good season, but what about next year? Why can't they compete year to year? He hasn't made the playoffs in 6 years despite his 'attempts' to do more with less, and it clearly doesn't work, and suddenly this year the team comes together. Will he now miss the playoffs for another 6 years while he makes a ton of trades and attempts to get a group together that does something?

Seems to me the ownership group isn't willing to spend money for whatever reason, and Billy Beane is stuck to the idea of having to trade out all his talent in his hope to get together a bunch of no-namers to have another good season.

You have to have a mix. Lots of home-grown talent mixed in with a couple super-stars and timely free agents who have good years.

Basically this is what the A's will do until/if a new park comes along. Beane has said so himself. This year was a fluke imo, everything went right for the A's.

[troutman]

Getting to the playoffs every five or six years is about par for the course, all things being equal.

[MissTeeks]

The Yankees have benched A-Rod for Game 5.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/yankee...OGWLU1dVuWXdtN

[Azure]

Originally Posted by troutman

Getting to the playoffs every five or six years is about par for the course, all things being equal.

Well there are good teams that have a pretty good season that miss the playoffs simply because only 4(6) teams can make it. So if you have 95 wins, but there are 3 teams above you with 98, 97, and 96 wins, you don't make it. 95 wins is still a great season though.

Point is that Beane basically trades out all his players in massive deals with teams like the Diamondbacks, and then tries to create a completely new team based on whatever his 'stats' guy is saying about who should be good at which position. It simply doesn't work.

I'm not sure how many of those 17 rookies the A's had playing for them were actually drafted by the A's organization, but I do find it strange that after 10 years of managing, Beane still hasn't developed a top of the line player. Sure it helps if you get the #1 overall pick and you're able to choose Bryce Harper, but there are tons of players that have developed into great players despite not being the #1 overall pick.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

The Yankees have benched A-Rod for Game 5.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/yankee...OGWLU1dVuWXdtN

No surprise. He has downright sucked, and his $27 million a year isn't reason to keep him on the team.

Orioles should do the same with Thome, who has been horrid the entire series. You know when its time to retire....

[dustyanddaflames]

Well to be fair, so has Hardy, Davis, Wieters, Jones... Bats has gone completely silent and I don't like their chances of getting hot against C.C. tonight

[trumpethead]

Great gif of the Posey GS from yesterday (for Giants fans at least). Hanigan's instant reaction behind the plate is awesome.

[trumpethead]

...and then messing with Posey after the last out.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

Well to be fair, so has Hardy, Davis, Wieters, Jones... Bats has gone completely silent and I don't like their chances of getting hot against C.C. tonight

Yes but since both teams can't hit.. the disparity in the pitching matchup isn't as large as it should be.

Expect another 2-2 game going into the 9th.

[gonzo29]

Originally Posted by Flickered Flame

I hope they move to San Jose, from the business (financial) data I have read, they could be quite competitive with a move to SJ. As for McCarthy, I think they bring him back. I have no inside info on that yet but likely within a week my 2 connections inside the A's org. will give some tidbits of info.

The Giants are fighting hard to keep the A's out of San Jose, and they have a good deal of political pull in the Bay Area. Everything that I've heard indicates there's not much going on with regards to an SJ stadium.

[Senator Clay Davis]

CC is totally dominating tonight. Orioles cannot get anything going.