Tuesday, October 03, 2006 |
Bullety Stuff
- The Times editorial page thinks the Dodgers are "back where they belong" and has this to say to doubters:
Even if the Dodgers fall short in October, fans will still have plenty to remember about 2006, from the creaky veterans older than many newspaper editors to the irrepressible rookies acting like they own the place. They say the team doesn't have much of a chance. But they said the same thing in 1988.
- The Mets are pretty confident facing the Dodgers, despite having to face southpaw Hong-Chih Kuo in Game 2:
"Everybody knows about the little slump this team went in against left-handed pitching," the Mets third baseman said during a news conference at LaGuardia Airport. "But the last time I checked, we're facing Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux and Brad Penny, so unless those guys turn around and throw left-handed…. The left-handed thing is overrated."
He's got them on the Penny thing... - The postseason roster has been narrowed to 28, and will get smaller still. Grady Little plans on carrying only ten pitchers.
- Tom Singer of MLB.com likes the Mets for the series after a position-by-position matchup.
- Jon Weisman at Deadspin on the Dodgers:
Since 1988, on the few occasions the Dodgers have hit the playoffs, it has been as decided underdogs. This year, who the hell knows? Three wins or losses decide the Division Series. The Dodgers could win or lose three games in a row faster than Lindsay Lohan generates a Defamer headline. There's no script for this team that a single monkey working at a single typewriter couldn't have typed with more coherence.
- Via BTF, Tim Marchman on the Mets/Dodgers collision:
A real Frankenstein's monster of a team, the Dodgers are comprised of expensive dimmed stars like Greg Maddux, J.D. Drew, and Nomar Garciaparra, and no-names like Andre Ethier and Hong-Chi Kuo, a rookie last seen in Shea Stadium throwing six scoreless innings against the Mets. The manager is Grady Little, the notorious bonehead best known for being the one person in America who didn't realize Pedro Martinez was cooked in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. Disreputable, mercenary, and somewhat phony, the Dodgers lack everything that makes the Mets what they are — competent leadership, unquestioned professionalism, and a cohesive identity. They're also excellent bets to end the Mets' dream season. In my estimation they enter the series as favorites.
[...] obviously no team with Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, and Billy Wagner wants for star power. Still, this is a team that started the season with huge question marks at second base and right field, in the rotation, and in the bullpen. What separated them from the competition was that every hole was filled well or adequately. Endy Chavez, Jose Valentin, Guillermo Mota, and like players came through every time, preventing the Mets from ever squandering at-bats or innings on substandard talent.
That plays well during the course of a season, but in a short series the most important elements for a club are dependable starters, a solid defense, and a reliable bullpen. The Mets have a great defense and a great bullpen, but they certainly don't have the dependable starters, and their greatest strength, the heart of their order, is particularly vulnerable right now. Beltran is playing hurt, and Delgado and Wright are cold. Past that, their real collective strength is power; between playing these games in Shea and Dodger Stadium (neither a homer friendly park) and the fact that preventing home runs is a key strength of the Dodgers' starters, the Mets are going to be at a disadvantage.
- Despite all the postseason events going on, the Dodgers still have draftees outstanding. The Dodgers just signed Kyle Orr on a $435,000 signing bonus with $100,000 set aside if he later decides to go to college.
- BTF has a prediction thread where you can go to embarrass yourself. I'll have my predictions up later today, though you can see my half-assed ones somewhere in there.
- Cranky Jeff Miller in the Register says the Angels need to get a bat in the offseason (no duh).
- What I get for not checking the Daily News, well, daily: Dustin Moseley in the bullpen in 2007? Ewww...
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