Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:Visiting teams looking to sweep in this new "one game to move on, one game to go home" playoff format.

Baltimore in position to close out the reigning AL Champs of the past two seasons, up 5-1 in the 9th and still batting.


Please......no Baltimore versus Washington match up in The World Series as the first Tuesday of November approaches.

As it turns out, Oakland.....of all "small market teams".....seemingly ripped the guts out of the Texas Ranger season, with Josh Hamilton, et al.

I'm hoping for Baltimore v. Cincy myself.

I'm perfectly happy for the Braves to be going home, but I don't agree that the "infield fly rule" call was correct and was made correctly. In fact I'm not sure if either of those is true. In this case I think it's relevant to keep in mind the original intent, which was to prevent fielders from trapping a ball and getting two force outs. It's called an "infield" fly rule not because the ball has to be on a trajectory to land in the (poorly-defined) infield, nor because it's going to be handled by an infielder, but because a fly ball to the warning track doesn't really give much of a chance to get two force outs after a trap if the baserunners are playing properly.

In addition, for the call to make sense, the call has to happen early enough that the baserunners know that they don't even have to go partway toward the next base. In this case, the ball was nearly on the ground when the call was made (as far as the video coverage shows, anyway). If the ump had in fact decided earlier in the flight of the ball that the infield fly rule should be in effect, then his failure to make this clear is a gross error and EITHER team could reasonably be upset at the shoddy workmanship. What I suspect is that either the umpire didn't think of this rule soon enough (poor work) perhaps because it was NOT in fact a clear-cut case, or wasn't convinced that it should count under that rule (poor work--the decision needs to get made and communicated, one way or the other), or--most likely I'd say--figured that the catch was going to be made anyway so why bother to call it (poor work) and only made the call explicit when he realized that in fact the ball might not be caught.

So the call was not made in the proper manner. As to whether it was even the right call, late or not, I would also say no. The chances of getting two force outs on a ball that far into the outfield, with neither fielder having settled under it in a manner as to allow an efficient trap and throw, and with (I conceded this is an assumption) the runners prudently having advanced several steps toward the next base, are slim. Watch a week's worth of baseball games and you almost certainly will see a case in which the infield fly rule COULD be in effect, with a fly ball hit into the outfield and caught without difficulty by an outfielder coming in, and nobody will even mention the possibility of having put the infield fly rule into effect.

I'm not one to criticize the umps in general too much, as I think by and large they do a difficult job pretty well, but this one was bungled.

I agree 100 %.

Big night for Brandon Phillips!

Jim Tracy Resigns as Manager of the Colorado Rockies

By Ian Hanford (Featured Columnist) on October 7, 2012

According to The Denver Post reporter Troy Renck, Tracy decided to resign on Sunday:

According to a report from Renck earlier on Sunday, Tracy was owed $1.4 million next season. The club was interested in bringing him back to the organization, but the report suggests that Tracy needed things to be done on his terms.

Tracy was 294-308 in four years as Rockies manager. This was the second-straight sub-.500 season for Colorado, but a historically bad mark is never easy to come back from.

The Rockies definitely had their issues, but offensive firepower was not one of them.

Despite being without All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for the majority of the season, the team had the No. 2 batting average and No. 4 slugging percentage in the league.

However, pitching was a different story. Colorado was 30th in quality starts, ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

Not one regular starter had an ERA under 4.00; that's not going to win a lot of games.


Tracy's decision makes sense. Colorado's team is young overall, but making a dramatic turnaround in his final year was unlikely.

Rather than toil away on another losing squad, Tracy could have another, more opportunistic, job in mind.

The Rockies already had a lot of work to do this offseason, but now they must add finding a manager to that list.

Tracy's laid-back, stoic demeanor will fit in on a major-league bench somewhere next season. It's just a matter of where.

What a moron. If he quits, he doesn't get paid. He must have asked Charlie Manuel for advice.

seagull wrote:What a moron. If he quits, he doesn't get paid. He must have asked Charlie Manuel for advice.

Jim Tracy is an Ohio guy and I suspect he has squirreled enough of his managerial pay nuggets to be OK for him and his.....even if he does not collect from JohnDenverElwayLand.....and I bet he does.

J.R. wrote:Big night for Brandon Phillips!

Late night baseball tonight for us recently re-minted East Coasters.......(though I am still on the "west coast of The United States".....officially..... here in Southwest Florida).

I was listening to Cleveland radio on the internet this morning and heard frost is expected on the Northeastern Ohio pumpkins Monday morning.

Saturday and Sunday sports days are about the only time I miss California.....other than easy trips to Reno. I so much more preferred morning California kickoffs of college and NFL games, and now realize I'd be watching this Orioles/Sabathia rain delayed game a few minutes after 6:00 if back in Califrickin'fornia.


J.R., are you still headed to Sarasota this month?

I'll be there on the 15th!

J.R. wrote:I'll be there on the 15th!

Cool. You'll be less than 90 minutes from me and I can have my wife or near 16 year old dog with me for a visit for at least a bite to eat... at a venue hopefully looking at water.

Loufla may wish to join as well, though my truck only has two seats and the dog might win.....





(she loves road trips, as opposed to Chris Antonetti)

CALI/FLA: I'll get in touch with you once I am settled in. I was thinking of perhaps joining you at your Browns backer bar on a Sunday.

I cant go anywhere as my wife is in Atlanta helping her sister after surgery and will be gone for another 2 and a half weeks. I have to stay here and take care of my 93 year old mother. Can hook up locally for a little while.

LOUFLA: I will be in Sarasota until 11/15

Then we should be able to work something out.

It may be time for me to consider a hearing aid. I was partially watching the Detroit-Oakland game and thought I heard the TBS announcers note that Johnny Damon is the A's batting coach.

I went looking and learned it is really Chili Davis.

At least the names each have four syllables and the last names both begin with the letter "D".