Author Topic: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs  (Read 18784 times)

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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #30 on: October 12, 2016, 03:36:05 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Anyone catch catch the cubs last night?

Yeah, it was really disappointing to see the Giants blow that game.  But their fatal flaw all season was their bullpen.

At least the Giants won a couple games in the playoffs.  They had one glaring flaw but were competitive otherwise.

The Sox simply got crushed.  They didn't belong.

I mean the Red Sox did lose 2 of the games by a run and I believe in both the games they had the tying and/or go ahead run aboard in the 8th and 9th innings. They didn't get any of the breaks in those series but 2 base hits there and they could be still playing up 2-1.

Don't get me wrong I was incredibly disappointed and a sweep is a sweep, but I wouldn't say we didn't belong on the field against the Indians. We were 2 pretty evenly matched teams throughout the season and in the playoffs.

They didn't have a standout performance from a single player, that I can think of.  Benintendi, I guess?

You're right that it's not as though they were blown out in three straight games.  At the same time, their calling card was supposed to be offense and they didn't have a single inning where they scored more than a run, and in one game they were held scoreless.  On the other side of things, none of their three starting pitchers had a good game.  The bullpen didn't exactly blow anybody away, either.

To me, the Red Sox "lost in all phases of the game," to borrow a phrase from Belichick.  That's why I say they didn't belong.


It's such a small sample size, though.  The MLB regular season is far too long, and the playoffs are much too short.  I'd much rather the MLB season end after 120 games or so, and they make the playoff format a full four-round, 16 team tournament, like the NBA playoffs.
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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #31 on: October 12, 2016, 03:52:42 PM »

Offline kraidstar

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Anyone catch catch the cubs last night?

Yeah, it was really disappointing to see the Giants blow that game.  But their fatal flaw all season was their bullpen.

At least the Giants won a couple games in the playoffs.  They had one glaring flaw but were competitive otherwise.

The Sox simply got crushed.  They didn't belong.

Including the postseason, the Giants blew 32 out of 75 save opportunities. That is incredible for a playoff team.

Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #32 on: October 12, 2016, 03:54:51 PM »

Offline kozlodoev

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Price says he'll make Sox fans fall in love with him—good luck with that, David. A good place to start would be not allowing one or two homers every start.

I wouldn't count him out.  There is something about a player's first season in Boston.  Look at Porcello and Hanley, as the latest.  Price will stop putting so much pressure on himself and do just fine next year.

Also, the 180 that Lackey did.
Lackey pitched injured, that's something that can be objectively remedied. I'm not sure there's such a fix for Price's tendency to fold in big games.

He wasn't injured in year 1; 2010  Pitched 215IP and went 14-11 with a 4.40 ERA

From what I remember, the injury stuff came up early in 2011.  He just underwhelmed his first year in Boston.
While 2011 was below average for Lackey, I don't think the dropoff was as big as it was with Price -- whose ERA in the last three years was 2.6, 3.3, and 2.5.
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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #33 on: October 12, 2016, 04:50:27 PM »

Offline celticsclay

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Anyone catch catch the cubs last night?

Yeah, it was really disappointing to see the Giants blow that game.  But their fatal flaw all season was their bullpen.

At least the Giants won a couple games in the playoffs.  They had one glaring flaw but were competitive otherwise.

The Sox simply got crushed.  They didn't belong.

I mean the Red Sox did lose 2 of the games by a run and I believe in both the games they had the tying and/or go ahead run aboard in the 8th and 9th innings. They didn't get any of the breaks in those series but 2 base hits there and they could be still playing up 2-1.

Don't get me wrong I was incredibly disappointed and a sweep is a sweep, but I wouldn't say we didn't belong on the field against the Indians. We were 2 pretty evenly matched teams throughout the season and in the playoffs.

They didn't have a standout performance from a single player, that I can think of.  Benintendi, I guess?

You're right that it's not as though they were blown out in three straight games.  At the same time, their calling card was supposed to be offense and they didn't have a single inning where they scored more than a run, and in one game they were held scoreless.  On the other side of things, none of their three starting pitchers had a good game.  The bullpen didn't exactly blow anybody away, either.

To me, the Red Sox "lost in all phases of the game," to borrow a phrase from Belichick.  That's why I say they didn't belong.


It's such a small sample size, though.  The MLB regular season is far too long, and the playoffs are much too short.  I'd much rather the MLB season end after 120 games or so, and they make the playoff format a full four-round, 16 team tournament, like the NBA playoffs.

I agree. The current playoff setup makes no sense. You cant play 162 games and then be eliminated in 1 game. That is madness. Would like the regular season shortened also, but will never happen because of traditions and history.

Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #34 on: October 12, 2016, 04:58:29 PM »

Online Donoghus

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Anyone catch catch the cubs last night?

Yeah, it was really disappointing to see the Giants blow that game.  But their fatal flaw all season was their bullpen.

At least the Giants won a couple games in the playoffs.  They had one glaring flaw but were competitive otherwise.

The Sox simply got crushed.  They didn't belong.

I mean the Red Sox did lose 2 of the games by a run and I believe in both the games they had the tying and/or go ahead run aboard in the 8th and 9th innings. They didn't get any of the breaks in those series but 2 base hits there and they could be still playing up 2-1.

Don't get me wrong I was incredibly disappointed and a sweep is a sweep, but I wouldn't say we didn't belong on the field against the Indians. We were 2 pretty evenly matched teams throughout the season and in the playoffs.

They didn't have a standout performance from a single player, that I can think of.  Benintendi, I guess?

You're right that it's not as though they were blown out in three straight games.  At the same time, their calling card was supposed to be offense and they didn't have a single inning where they scored more than a run, and in one game they were held scoreless.  On the other side of things, none of their three starting pitchers had a good game.  The bullpen didn't exactly blow anybody away, either.

To me, the Red Sox "lost in all phases of the game," to borrow a phrase from Belichick.  That's why I say they didn't belong.


It's such a small sample size, though.  The MLB regular season is far too long, and the playoffs are much too short.  I'd much rather the MLB season end after 120 games or so, and they make the playoff format a full four-round, 16 team tournament, like the NBA playoffs.

I agree. The current playoff setup makes no sense. You cant play 162 games and then be eliminated in 1 game. That is madness. Would like the regular season shortened also, but will never happen because of traditions and history.

Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   


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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #35 on: October 12, 2016, 05:30:43 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.
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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #36 on: October 12, 2016, 05:40:36 PM »

Offline jambr380

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.

Yeah, I get Don's point and it is much better than it used to be (no divisional series'), but I would love more playoff baseball - with all 7-game series'. 120 games would be great, but they could easily do 140 games and still fit all games in with a few extra off-days on the side.

The added bonus would be that the Sox would always make the playoffs (or almost always) since there is still no salary cap and they can just outspend their opponents. I say this in a partially serious manner as I really would prefer a salary cap in baseball, even if it would hurt my fave team.

Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #37 on: October 12, 2016, 05:46:20 PM »

Online Donoghus

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.

You don't need half the league in the playoffs when the regular season is 6 months long.  Those things are more money grabs by the leagues than anything else.    Also, baseball is a bit of a different animal given the dynamic of the game (pitcher v. hitter) and the extreme added value of a strong starting pitching staff.    The pitching should count for something and given that guys can only start every 4-5 days, there should be an incentive for a team that won its division to have that ace in hand to start a series.

Actually, quite a bit can happen in that 42 game stretch after game 120; teams can get super hot, teams can collapse.  It's entertaining stuff.  You don't need to shorten the regular season by 40 games.  If you want to expand the wild card playoff to a best of three series, then extend the divisional series to 7 games, that's fine.  Go back to 154. 
« Last Edit: October 12, 2016, 05:53:59 PM by Donoghus »


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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #38 on: October 12, 2016, 05:50:27 PM »

Offline PhoSita

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.

You don't need half the league in the playoffs when the regular season is 6 months long.  Those things are more money grabs by the leagues than anything else.    Also, baseball is a bit of a different animal given the dynamic of the game (pitcher v. hitter) and the extreme added value of a strong starting pitching staff.    The pitching should count for something and given that guys can only start every 4-5 days, there should be an incentive for a team that won its division to have that ace in hand to start a series.

Actually, quite a bit can happen in that 42 game stretch after game 120; teams can get super hot, teams can collapse.  It's entertaining stuff.  You don't need to shorten the regular season by 40 games.  If you want to expand the wild card playoff to a best of three series, then extend the divisional series, that's fine.  Go back to 154.

I just feel that after a while the regular season gets stale.  Sure, you can see some hot and cold streaks in those last 42 games, and the standings can change.

But plenty of that will already happen over the first 120.

The playoffs are a new season and a different type of game, as we see each year in every sport.  So why not have more of that?

I think the NBA does the playoffs better than any other league.  The best team usually -- but not always -- wins in a best of 7, and the four round, 16 team setup means that virtually any team in any market with decent management and willing ownership can hope to field a team that plays meaningful games in front of a home court crowd in April and May.
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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #39 on: October 12, 2016, 05:55:53 PM »

Offline rocknrollforyoursoul

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.

I'd be down with a shorter regular season and a longer postseason. Baseball is the only major team sport where a player or team can run hot for weeks, then cold for weeks, then hot for weeks, then cold for weeks ... and it's still only halfway through the season. Nearly everyone has their good moments in a season that long; seems a shame that teams that perform well for the better part of six months get eliminated just because they hit a little slump at the eleventh hour.
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Re: 2016 Red Sox Playoffs
« Reply #40 on: October 12, 2016, 06:01:14 PM »

Offline rocknrollforyoursoul

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Conversely, if you can't win your division over a 162 game stretch, what should entitle your team to play more than one playoff game?   

I see that point, but aren't the playoffs more exciting than the regular season?  Why not have more playoffs?

What do you know about the teams after 160 games that you don't already know after 120?  I really don't see the downside to having a couple more weeks of playoff baseball, other than that it breaks with "tradition," and the idea that it "waters down" the accomplishment of making the playoffs.

Personally, I'd rather actually watch my team play in the playoff, even if over half the league qualifies.  Making the playoffs is cool, but the excitement of it is muted if it only lasts for a game or three.

You don't need half the league in the playoffs when the regular season is 6 months long.  Those things are more money grabs by the leagues than anything else.    Also, baseball is a bit of a different animal given the dynamic of the game (pitcher v. hitter) and the extreme added value of a strong starting pitching staff.    The pitching should count for something and given that guys can only start every 4-5 days, there should be an incentive for a team that won its division to have that ace in hand to start a series.

Actually, quite a bit can happen in that 42 game stretch after game 120; teams can get super hot, teams can collapse.  It's entertaining stuff.  You don't need to shorten the regular season by 40 games.  If you want to expand the wild card playoff to a best of three series, then extend the divisional series, that's fine.  Go back to 154.

I just feel that after a while the regular season gets stale.  Sure, you can see some hot and cold streaks in those last 42 games, and the standings can change.

But plenty of that will already happen over the first 120.


The playoffs are a new season and a different type of game, as we see each year in every sport.  So why not have more of that?

I think the NBA does the playoffs better than any other league.  The best team usually -- but not always -- wins in a best of 7, and the four round, 16 team setup means that virtually any team in any market with decent management and willing ownership can hope to field a team that plays meaningful games in front of a home court crowd in April and May.

This is sort of what I was getting at. In a sport where teams play nearly every day for 6 months, it's pretty clear by the end of month 4 which teams are the best. As it is now, you could be playing well for 95% of the time, but then hit a little rough patch at just the wrong time ... and gonzo. You won 90-100 games during the regular season, but then one bad day kills you.
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