Weak NL Central? 3 years in a row to the WS

[CuseCubFan69]

Say what you want about the NL Central but they have sent the last 3 NL teams to the World Series.

[Drew Doughty]

The NL Central sucks. That doesn't mean that in a short series they can't fluke out a win or four.

 

Damn Cardinals.

[RationalSoxFan]

If this doesn't make people realize that playoffs are luck and a crapshoot, they're idiots.

[ManEatingTarp]

Or it could just be a good team playing good baseball at the right time.

 

The Mets were also hurt and without a couple key players.

Boo Hoo.

The Cardinals have been hurt going into just about every playoff series since Vince got eaten by the Tarp...

[TruffleShuffle]

83-78

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If this doesn't make people realize that playoffs are luck and a crapshoot, they're idiots.

 

Oh they're idiots alright. Believe it or not, I heard that Suppan's 1-run performance was just more proof that great pitching beats good hitting.

[TruffleShuffle]

If this doesn't make people realize that playoffs are luck and a crapshoot, they're idiots.

 

Oh they're idiots alright. Believe it or not, I heard that Suppan's 1-run performance was just more proof that great pitching beats good hitting.

 

great pitching = 101 career ERA+. I guess Anthony Young was pretty much a great pitcher (career ERA+ 99)

[Backtobanks]

The NL Central sucks. That doesn't mean that in a short series they can't fluke out a win or four.

 

Damn Cardinals.

 

That's why I can stay somewhat optimistic. If you can win your division and get into the playoffs, anything can happen so you don't have to build the best team in baseball, just the best team in your division and hope somebody on your team gets hot at the right time.

[Scott G. F.]

The NL Central sucks. That doesn't mean that in a short series they can't fluke out a win or four.

 

Damn Cardinals.

 

That's why I can stay somewhat optimistic. If you can win your division and get into the playoffs, anything can happen so you don't have to build the best team in baseball, just the best team in your division and hope somebody on your team gets hot at the right time.

 

Lock the thread Backtobanks makes the post of the day.

[TruffleShuffle]

The NL Central sucks. That doesn't mean that in a short series they can't fluke out a win or four.

 

Damn Cardinals.

 

That's why I can stay somewhat optimistic. If you can win your division and get into the playoffs, anything can happen so you don't have to build the best team in baseball, just the best team in your division and hope somebody on your team gets hot at the right time.

 

Lock the thread Backtobanks makes the post of the day.

 

of course, these things happen to the Cardinals, not the Cubs... when the Cubs go in with an inferior team, they generally get spanked - see 1989 and 1998 (the Cubs had a better record than the Giants in '89, but the Giants were a better team with two dominant hitters, a starting staff that hadn't been plowed into the ground the last two months of the season, and a far better and deeper bullpen)

[UK1679666180]

It's also been a weak NL in general that has been watched the AL go 8-0 in the last 2 WS series.

[goonys evil twin]

The NL Central sucks. That doesn't mean that in a short series they can't fluke out a win or four.

 

Damn Cardinals.

 

That's why I can stay somewhat optimistic. If you can win your division and get into the playoffs, anything can happen so you don't have to build the best team in baseball, just the best team in your division and hope somebody on your team gets hot at the right time.

 

Not "having" to build the best team in baseball is no excuse to not try to build the best team in baseball. Setting your sights simply on winning your division is a good way to miss your goal. Set your goal at best team in baseball, then if you miss, you can still be in the playoffs. Andy had 12 years of "contend within the division" and it took this team nowhere.

 

This is evidence that the Cubs can win next year. They aren't years from contending. But, they cannot simply say, "well, we could have won 84 games if healthy, maybe with a little luck and another arm, we could win 89". Sometimes 90 isn't even enough. You don't know when you go into the season. Baseball is all about increasing your odds. The better you are, the better you chances of making the playoffs, which is the only way you have a chance to win in the playoffs.

 

Build the best team you can afford without bankrupting the future.

[frostwyrm]

The White Sox limped into the postseason and then crushed everybody. Sometimes teams just get hot at the right time.

[Derwood]

It's been said, but the NL Central has yet to win a game in the WS the past two years. If all goes well, they will have lost 12 straight by the end of next week

[The Q]

Last year was a fluke. Those games were decided by a couple inches. Every single damn one of them. That was two incredibly even teams: one getting all the luck, blooping in dumpers to score, and one getting none, hitting rockets right at people.

[Derwood]

Last year was a fluke. Those games were decided by a couple inches. Every single damn one of them. That was two incredibly even teams: one getting all the luck, blooping in dumpers to score, and one getting none, hitting rockets right at people.

 

so the teams were even and one edged out the other. where was the fluke?

[Faceman]

If this doesn't make people realize that playoffs are luck and a crapshoot, they're idiots.

 

Playoffs are indeed a crapshoot.

 

I also think we are seeing what happens to teams with no expectations vs the favorites. .

 

Yanks continually choke. 100 win Cards teams haven't gotten it done. Being the underdog is definitely the role to be in.

 

And I think the 2-3-2 format somewhat favors the team with 3 games in a row at home. Kinda like playing defense first in a football game, you want to get warmed up on defense before you have to move the ball on offense. In baseball, you have to win your home games - so you might as well get warmed up on the road, with no pressure.

[goonys evil twin]

I also think we are seeing what happens to teams with no expectations vs the favorites. .

 

Yanks continually choke. 100 win Cards teams haven't gotten it done. Being the underdog is definitely the role to be in.

 

Talk about overreating to a small sample size. The Yankees won 4 of 5 years. The White Sox and Red Sox were favorites over their respective NL opponents and crushed them.

 

There's about 6 underdogs each playoff season, which makes it really easy to say after the fact that the underdog made it.

[UMFan83]

Or it could just be a good team playing good baseball at the right time.

 

The Mets were also hurt and without a couple key players.

Boo Hoo.

The Cardinals have been hurt going into just about every playoff series since Vince got eaten by the Tarp...

 

What team doesn't go into the playoffs banged up?

[The Q]

Last year was a fluke. Those games were decided by a couple inches. Every single damn one of them. That was two incredibly even teams: one getting all the luck, blooping in dumpers to score, and one getting none, hitting rockets right at people.

 

so the teams were even and one edged out the other. where was the fluke?

 

The fluke is the luck that White Sox had by not hitting the ball hard at all and still taking the sweep. The Astros were hitting rockets at people with RISP. The chances of that kind of luck going 4 straight games is very unlikely.

[neely crenshaw]

the first thing that the central going again tells you is the entire nl is poor. which it is.

second..the cards have been the best around the 2 previous years and the astros were playing the best ball last year-once they got everyone up and hitting. no surprises there.

next thing...the mets played the series without 2 of their top 3 pitchers and their starting left fielder and still should have won. that's baseball but it does not make the central good.

in the playoffs pitching counts and you can be carried by 2 starters and/or a very good bullpen. those things however can not carry you through a 162 game season.

it should make us all the more sick to see a team that bad get to the series. knowing that if we had done even a little in the offseason to help our staff we could be there. i mean the catds where much better when healthy but a team that has suppen as their #2 and their offensive threats after pujols are spezio and yadier molina is not very good. with edmonds and rolen being shells of themselves..you have to think if we had any type of team or pitching(like we should have had) we could have been punching our ticket to detroit.

of course every other team in the nl could be saying this too.

[nwg414]

the first thing that the central going again tells you is the entire nl is poor. which it is.

second..the cards have been the best around the 2 previous years and the astros were playing the best ball last year-once they got everyone up and hitting. no surprises there.

next thing...the mets played the series without 2 of their top 3 pitchers and their starting left fielder and still should have won. that's baseball but it does not make the central good.

in the playoffs pitching counts and you can be carried by 2 starters and/or a very good bullpen. those things however can not carry you through a 162 game season.

it should make us all the more sick to see a team that bad get to the series. knowing that if we had done even a little in the offseason to help our staff we could be there. i mean the catds where much better when healthy but a team that has suppen as their #2 and their offensive threats after pujols are spezio and yadier molina is not very good. with edmonds and rolen being shells of themselves..you have to think if we had any type of team or pitching(like we should have had) we could have been punching our ticket to detroit.

of course every other team in the nl could be saying this too.

 

Aren't the Cards playing without 2 of their best pitchers? I say that even though I would rather have Wainwright than Izzy.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

the first thing that the central going again tells you is the entire nl is poor. which it is.

second..the cards have been the best around the 2 previous years and the astros were playing the best ball last year-once they got everyone up and hitting. no surprises there.

next thing...the mets played the series without 2 of their top 3 pitchers and their starting left fielder and still should have won. that's baseball but it does not make the central good.

in the playoffs pitching counts and you can be carried by 2 starters and/or a very good bullpen. those things however can not carry you through a 162 game season.

it should make us all the more sick to see a team that bad get to the series. knowing that if we had done even a little in the offseason to help our staff we could be there. i mean the catds where much better when healthy but a team that has suppen as their #2 and their offensive threats after pujols are spezio and yadier molina is not very good. with edmonds and rolen being shells of themselves..you have to think if we had any type of team or pitching(like we should have had) we could have been punching our ticket to detroit.

of course every other team in the nl could be saying this too.

 

Aren't the Cards playing without 2 of their best pitchers? I say that even though I would rather have Wainwright than Izzy.

 

Who are the 2, Mulder and Isringhausen? Both of them were bad this year, nowhere near the loss of Pedro and El Duque.

[NorthsideAvenger]

Say what you want about the NL Central but they have sent the last 3 NL teams to the World Series.

 

The 2006 Cards are the flukiest team since 03 Marlins. So I hope Detroit does baseball a favor and dominates the Cards.

[goonys evil twin]

Say what you want about the NL Central but they have sent the last 3 NL teams to the World Series.

 

The 2006 Cards are the flukiest team since 03 Marlins. So I hope Detroit does baseball a favor and dominates the Cards.

 

Those Marlins are better than these Cardinals.