Brownie19

Everything about Machado gives me the impression he's a ****. I can't root for any team he's on. I'm also amazed that Eric Kratz is starting in the NLCS...we aren't talking about that enough IMO

I love how he hits Norris in the head with his bat - in what looks to be an accidental manner....then doesn't look apologetic at all, doesn't check on Norris or anything as he leaves the game. What a ****.

He's just a f***ing puke. His stupidity just cost his team (and it would have cost him twice if Arcia attempts a throw the first time). I mean at least he ran to 2nd instead of jogging like he did the last game. He's the anti-leader. The complete opposite of a gutty player.

Now that we've adjusted.....it's amazing to watch that s*** and realise that it not only used be allowed, but was taught and applauded!

It suits him. Massive douche.

That's an illegal slide...double play...didn't remain on the base....and her veered offline

wat? different balls made Zobrist, JD, Muncy, etc. star hitters?

Exactly - well put. I don't really get the counter argument. Maybe it creates more runs when the barely above average pitcher predictably gets hit around the 3rd time through the order - which gets perceived as the hitter winning the cat and mouse game?

Zobrist opening spoke about how Jaime Cevallos completely rebuilt his swing and approach, which ultimately lead to massive improvements. I mean I guess it could be the plasebo effect to some extent and he was going to become a stud hitter regardless, but personally, I'm certainly buying the swing change was the primary factor. Same with Muncy man...he openly talked about how him and his dad rebuild his swing in the 2016 offseason in one last effort to be a ML ball player. https://www.draysbay.com/2009/4/23/849233/cracking-the-zobrist-code-what-is Also - why are you suggesting JD and Muncy were elite level performers in the upper minors? Max Muncy posted wRC+'s of 102 and 108 in AAA before the swing change. JD posted wRC+'s of 103 and 94 before making changes. These players were s***.

That's fair - but I think it took teams around baseball a long time to catch onto how valuable Zobrist was. His swing change was also well documented - I wonder if that opened up players minds about the possibility of making wholesale changes. I guess we can call him the godfather of new age baseball.

Apparently Joe West went to the headsets for a "rules clarification". Joe had to clarify how many outs there were in an inning. What ********...They told Joe that hit JBJ.

Joe West is like - f*** them rules. Vic and I are s*** - we're going to replay!

Someone learn me - when is Porcello scheduled to start in this series? Or are they not starting him?

Ben Zobrist really is the face of the new age of baseball. Finally - teams value players who can play multiple positions well and use that versatility throughout the season to maximize matchups and platoon splits. He's also one of the swing path change players who went from bring a marginal AAAA player to an all-star hitter. It was really nice to see Ben bounce back this year. He started too late to make the HOF - but he's had an incredible career.

Case in point......doink - right off Joe West. What in the f*** is he doing there? shouldn't he be getting in position to make a call at 2nd? It's like he was locked in on a chick with DD tits in the first row and didn't even see the steal attempt? f***ing embarrassing.

Agreed. The days off drive me nuts. Complete opposite of the regular season.

I assume they've removed the strike zone box so fans can't see just how awful the umpires are?

Why does MLB insist on letting Joe West and Angel Hernandez umpire in the playoffs? It's f***ing embarrassing.

Sale looks awful....

You'll see it when they put up the strike zone box....which they only seem to do on replays. Sale looks to be sitting around 93 MPH. Verlander is a f***ing stud.

I do love watching Verlander though. Watching him get strong late in the game is a thing of beauty.

Do you hate platoon hitting too? For me - it's just so refreshing to see teams think outside the box and use unconventional strategies to win baseball games. I mean thank god managers are no longer these dinosaurs who blindly set their lineups based on "tradition". They no longer bat the Ben Revere type hitter leadoff - or completely ignore LH/RH splits and start the 'vet'. The next step will be to eliminate the closer and to simply use your best reliever in the most critical situation. I don't mind what the Brewers are doing at all. They don't have the 200 inning horses, but they've found a way to maximize their talent. Guys like Woodruff and Burnes are really talented pitchers - potential starters. I don't love guys coming in for a batter or two, but to see those guys (and Hader) who can come in and throw 2, 3 or 4 of the middle innings is fun to watch. As for the kids - there will always be the Verlander, Sale, etc guys that you can dream of becoming. But thank god we can now find meaningful roles for guys who aren't quite good enough to be 200 inning starters...those guys can be 2 - 3 inning studs out of the pen instead of being run out there for too long and lit up - or wasted as a 1 inning reliever. There's no need to run Jake Westbrook out for 200 innings in today's game. You should enjoy Sale/Verlander tonight at least.

Can I ask why you'd want it to fail? You hate progressive thinking?

Machado can't even hustle in a playoff game. It's karma.

Maybe - I just get tired of watching the same teams in the playoffs year after year....and in the Dodgers case...underachieving. The Dodgers are a good organization...but they also spend about a billion dollars a year.