CaliforniaRaisin

Towers is Bochy's biggest supporter. If they get a new GM, they might go a different direction.

Tuesday. Go A's!

The Bears get caught in traffic, miss the game and have to forfeit.

Apparently Michael Irvin thinks the Cowboys will be the best NFC team come playoff time.

He has one year left on his contract, but the Padres are expected to decide on his status for next season after the playoffs (sounds like John Moores isn't completely inclined on having Bochy return).

RHP Woody Williams @ RHP Chris Carpenter. St. Louis leads the series 2-1.

Giambi was asked and said he could go. I think in an elimination game, though, if you have a player like Giambi who is even remotely able to play, you play him. So, maybe he wasn't that available. He did have a cortisone shot, but was available.

Actually Dunn is amongst the best in baseball in not getting out at all. His August and September were hideous. This will be my only post in the thread, I hope for nothing less than another classic Dunn thread, folks.

Bigger than dropping ARod to 8th was droppnig Giambi out of the lineup for Melky Cabrera and starting Sheffield at first base for the first time in who knows how long.

No kidding!

He won't be back with the Giants. He'll be a DH in the AL.

A stat that was skewed because of their two blowout wins in back to back days. How many runs did the "best lineup ever" score in the last two games of the series? Great pitching, most of the time, beats great hitting. This series proved that fact. Well if that's the case then if you take out the last 2 games of the series, the Yankees averaged nearly 6 runs a game. 4 games proves nothing, especially the above which is far, far from a fact. While you're right about the 4 games proves nothing, 162 games does. The Tigers had the best staff in the league and that's how they reached the postseason. Their offense was very similar to the 2005 White Sox; heavily relying on the longball, and a very mediocre offense when they aren't hitting their solo homers. Their pitching definitely carried them to their 95 wins and ultimately has them in the ALCS. Good offenses do win championships; the Red Sox won in 2004. It just seems like to me that the teams that win the Series have a great staff and great pitching in general to rely on. The White Sox last year, the Marlins of 03, the Angels of 02, and the D'Backs of 01 all had outstanding pitching. I don't think it's a coincidence that those teams won it all. The Angels of 02 should be the poster child for good offense/bad pitching to the Series - they didn't have the starting pitching the Red Sox had. You think the Tigers remind you of the White Sox. I think the Tigers remind of the 03 Cubs and the 04-05 Astros. Not a good judge.

05 Sox, eh? I thought of the 03 Cubs and some of the Astros teams of late. There are a lot of teams that got deep into the playoffs on great pitching but some awful offense.

I would hate living close to Detroit too. ;) GO BEARS!

UCLA beat Arizona 27-7 in a game which saw both starting quarterbacks knocked out in the first half. Ben Olson was hit on a late hit (which the refs didn't even call) and sprained his knee. Which, of course, means that once the MRI comes back, he'll be out for the year with a tear. :( Patrick Cowan did a great job coming in as a backup (201 yards, 2 TDs). He'll probably get his first start of his career at Eugene next week, not the place you want to go to start your career. :? At least he'll have one of the best defenses in the country to help him. Great victory for Cal, disappointing game for Oregon. Both Cal and Oregon have a good chance to come in to the Coliseum and beat USC. And folks, Washington is a good team - there should have been more made over USC barely beating WSU in Pullman than barely beating Washington.

Nobody on Washington knew that the clock was going to start. They had about 20 seconds to get ready for the snap, and yet the entire offensive line was still standing when the official signaled for the clock to start. Talk about stupid. Even worse than having about 15 seconds after a first down to get a play (which they should already have had considering that they were just one snap removed from a timeout), yet the spiked the ball near midfield. Without a doubt. But the ref seemed to be right by the Washington line for the longest time, then suddenly wound up the clock and started the game. That was strange. Also it was strange that they needed 30-45 seconds to start the play. And of course, that they got rid of 3 seconds. On Washington's end, I agree the spike was stupid (but Stanback isn't exactly the smartest QB in the world) and the center has to just be ready to hike it right away no matter what the refs or USC is trying to do.

Untarp the upper deck, please. Free Mt. Davis!

If Boch is Hendry's choice (which is a real possibility - Boch was supposedly #2 behind Dusty in 2002), I hope the McDOnough and company blink.

No. He's been good with starters. Not playing the kids seems to be a non-issue with this team's next manager. What "kids" are going to be on the team next year that really desreve playing time? I don't consider Murton or Hill to be kids anymore. Any manager will start Murton in LF everyday, and insert Hill into the rotation immediately. I don't know much at all about Bochy, but I am intrigued. Pie? Theriot/Cedeno? Just because there aren't as many this year as last doesn't mean there won't be in the coming years. You gotta look down the road too.

Any man who would bat A-Rod eighth, in any game, for any reason, is invalidated from consideration IMO. Disagree. ARod has sucked in the playoffs recently. With that lineup that they have, I don't see a problem dropping him that low in the order. it cracks me up how much people buy into clutchnicity. What? Where did I say anything about clutch? The fact is that ARod has sucked in the playoffs as a member of the New York Yankees. No ifs, ands, or buts... he's flat out been horrible. It'd be stupid to NOT drop him in the order. Oh wait... he's good in the regular season so continue to bat him in the top of the order regardless of a slump. Great idea. yeah, completely revamping your lineup based on one guy's bad 40 ab's...now that's a great idea. Your season is on the line, and you have a hitter who is in a major slump. You have a ton of guys who are great hitters. You'd leave that hitter who has sucked in the middle of the lineup? Are you freaking serious? ARod (and Giambi) weren't the only guys who slumped in the playoffs. I hope for his sake he didn't succumb to the media/fans.

The ref should have blown the whistle at :05, not at :02. Then they shouldn't have given Washington enough time to figure out a play. Awful job by the refs. And then Washington's center should have snapped the ball right away. What a dolt, does he not know there are :02 left and the clock will start running right away?

Way to go, Washington.

Go Huskies! 2nd and 4 on the USC 39, :34 left...

Well, Washington will have one more chance. Getting the ball down 26-20 with 1:34 to go.

Argh, Washington DB dropped an interception with about 5 minutes ago and USC has pieced together a big drive after that and are inside the Washington 5 with less than 2 minutes left in the game. :(