As an O's Fan, I can rest easier

[now]

I didn't care much at the outset except rooting against BOS and MFY.

Wanted to root against the Giants partly out of sour grapes (Yaz, Gaus), but then LA is a good statue to topple. 

Rays, Brewers, Cards, ChiSox, meh (though La Russa would've been a good story).

But the Braves have emerged as a great underdog team to root for, and that NLCS clincher was a classic; it doesn't get any better than that for pure baseball drama (that whole series, for that matter). How can you beat the likes of Seager, Bellinger, Betts, Taylor, et al. in the clutch? But the pitching... i.e., the Bullpen... a theme that seemed to take preeminence ever since our bitter loss to KC in '14.

[interloper]

On 10/23/2021 at 12:22 AM, Bahama O's Fan said:

The Yanks and now the Sox are doing the same thing as the O's, not playing anymore playoff baseball. 

All the AL East teams are doing the same thing right now and yet only one of the AL East teams has the #1 pick.

[Yossarian]

I grew up watching the Braves and Cubs on WTBS and WGN, respectively.  I was a big Dale Murphy fan (he married a girl from my hometown and I met him a few times - he's good friends with the R.E.M. guys, too).  Nearly every summer day, my mom would have the Cubs game on and then the Braves in the evening.  I was a die-hard Orioles fan, but I rarely got to see them play on TV.   They would show up occasionally on a Game of the Week broadcast on a Saturday, but that was bout it.  I would catch the scores and an occasional highlight on the local news stations, but to see them play a full game on TV was a rare treat.

Having said that - how can you not cheer for Freddie Freeman?  He is a good ball player that doesn't seem to take himself too seriously and really enjoys playing.  I have heard him mic'd up during games and he is very engaging and personable.  I feel awful for Acuna who has to sit on the side and watch his team advance without him.  That has to be tough for him.  I really like watching Altuve play, but I want to see the Braves win this one.

[Too Tall]

I'm rooting for Dusty Baker and Freddie Freeman. Whoever wins, I'll be OK with that.

[GuidoSarducci]

As much as I hate to do this, I will have to pull for the Cheatstros.  

The Braves won 88 games and wouldn't have even been the 4th best team in the AL East.  The fact they got a free pass in the playoffs despite being mediocre most of the year because they happen to play in a crap division doesn't sit well with me. 

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, GuidoSarducci said:

As much as I hate to do this, I will have to pull for the Cheatstros.  

The Braves won 88 games and wouldn't have even been the 4th best team in the AL East.  The fact they got a free pass in the playoffs despite being mediocre most of the year because they happen to play in a crap division doesn't sit well with me. 

How is winning a series against a 98 win team and winning a series against a 106 win team a free pass?

[Camden_yardbird]

At a payroll of $136 million the Braves are what I would hope the Orioles will be in 2024.  A rising team, full of young talent, that the owner and GM have identified as needing some costly veteran talent to get over the hump to the next level of competition.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

4 hours ago, Too Tall said:

I'm rooting for Dusty Baker and Freddie Freeman. Whoever wins, I'll be OK with that.

Too bad Nick Markakis still isn't playing for the Brave. That would be cool to see him get a ring. 

[GuidoSarducci]

6 hours ago, SteveA said:

How is winning a series against a 98 win team and winning a series against a 106 win team a free pass?

The Orioles have looked good over stretches too. 

Winning the Series is more about getting hot at the right time.  
 

Almost any team could be thrown into the playoffs and have a shot.  I bet that if instead of a wildcard, they had a lottery to determine who gets that slot that team would have about as a good a chance as the team that qualified.

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, GuidoSarducci said:

The Orioles have looked good over stretches too. 

Winning the Series is more about getting hot at the right time.  
 

Almost any team could be thrown into the playoffs and have a shot.  I bet that if instead of a wildcard, they had a lottery to determine who gets that slot that team would have about as a good a chance as the team that qualified.

I guess I don't get your point.   You just think the trophy should be handed to the team with the best record and there be no playoffs or World Series?   You say you HAVE to root for Houston because Atlanta is somehow illegitimate because they won 7 fewer games out of 162 than Houston?

I mean you are certainly free to root for whoever you want, but I guess I just don't really understand the point your previous post was trying to make.

[GuidoSarducci]

On 10/26/2021 at 12:50 AM, SteveA said:

I guess I don't get your point.   You just think the trophy should be handed to the team with the best record and there be no playoffs or World Series?   You say you HAVE to root for Houston because Atlanta is somehow illegitimate because they won 7 fewer games out of 162 than Houston?

I mean you are certainly free to root for whoever you want, but I guess I just don't really understand the point your previous post was trying to make.

No I don't, but for a team with a record barely above 500 to be given a shot, while teams with better records didn't even get in, takes a little polish off the trophy for me.  On top of that,  you have another round (the wild card game) which the Braves didn't have to get past even though they were worse than both wild card teams.

The NFL has a similar problem   They've had two teams with losing records make the playoffs recently, because they played in terrible divisions.  But at least with the NFL, better teams generally tend to win the playoffs, so whilst theoretically a 7-9 team like the WFT last year, could somehow go on a run and win the Superbowl, its extremely unlikely to happen.  The MLB playoffs are much more of a crapshoot. 

[Sports Guy]

4 minutes ago, GuidoSarducci said:

No I don't, but for a team with a record barely above 500 to be given a shot, while teams with better records didn't even get in, takes a little polish off the trophy for me.  On top of that,  you have another round (the wild card game) which the Braves didn't have to get past even though they were worse than both wild card teams.

The NFL has a similar problem   They've had two teams with losing records make the playoffs recently, because they played in terrible divisions.  But at least with the NFL, better teams generally tend to win the playoffs, so whilst theoretically a 7-9 team like the WFT last year, could somehow go on a run and win the Superbowl, its extremely unlikely to happen.  The MLB playoffs are much more of a crapshoot. 

Most teams that win their postseason do so because they get hot at the right time. Rarely does the best team from the regular season always win, in any sport.

If Atlanta wins, they will have earned it..just like the 85 win Cardinals earned the WS title years ago.

[Moose Milligan]

3 hours ago, GuidoSarducci said:

No I don't, but for a team with a record barely above 500 to be given a shot, while teams with better records didn't even get in, takes a little polish off the trophy for me.  On top of that,  you have another round (the wild card game) which the Braves didn't have to get past even though they were worse than both wild card teams.

The NFL has a similar problem   They've had two teams with losing records make the playoffs recently, because they played in terrible divisions.  But at least with the NFL, better teams generally tend to win the playoffs, so whilst theoretically a 7-9 team like the WFT last year, could somehow go on a run and win the Superbowl, its extremely unlikely to happen.  The MLB playoffs are much more of a crapshoot. 

Yeah, I don't really get this either.   

Sure, there's the argument for getting hot at the right time, but as SG said the team that wins the most games rarely wins the whole thing...in any sport.  

Your division is your division...but who had better records that didn't get in?  The Braves won 88 games.  The Brewers and Cardinals won 95 and 90 games, respectively and they made it in.  If your gripe is that the Cardinals won two more games and had to play the Wild Card game, I kinda get that.  It sucks to have your entire 162 game season come down to one winner-take-all game but at some point everyone's season comes down to a win and survive or a win and advance game.  

Anyway, the Giants and the Dodgers won 107 and 106 games.  San Diego won 79 after cratering in September.  Two of the Padres losses came at the hands of the Braves, though by that point in the month I think they were already ruled out.

So which teams with better records didn't even get in the playoffs?  

[GuidoSarducci]

15 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

Yeah, I don't really get this either.   

Sure, there's the argument for getting hot at the right time, but as SG said the team that wins the most games rarely wins the whole thing...in any sport.  

Your division is your division...but who had better records that didn't get in?  The Braves won 88 games.  The Brewers and Cardinals won 95 and 90 games, respectively and they made it in.  If your gripe is that the Cardinals won two more games and had to play the Wild Card game, I kinda get that.  It sucks to have your entire 162 game season come down to one winner-take-all game but at some point everyone's season comes down to a win and survive or a win and advance game.  

Anyway, the Giants and the Dodgers won 107 and 106 games.  San Diego won 79 after cratering in September.  Two of the Padres losses came at the hands of the Braves, though by that point in the month I think they were already ruled out.

So which teams with better records didn't even get in the playoffs?  

The Blue Jays

[Bahama O's Fan]

Why is it so hard to to just have a balanced schedule. Every team plays every team the same amount of times. You then take the top 6, 8 or whatever teams in each league. Or forget leagues and just take the top 12 or 14 teams period. Seed them by record. Boom! Done.