Wow, I can actually watch a game from start to finish!

The only other game I've seen was Chicago-Boston Game 3.

I guess everyone has gone to church.

"I guess everyone has gone to church."

Not quite :)
How do you like your Prius and how long did you have to wait to get it??

I will go pick up the Prius after the game today.

I hope I like it. This will be the largest personal check I've ever made out in my life. The dealer said he didn't need a cashier's check for the car.

Anyone here have any success using an FM transmitter to play an iPOD in a car?

I have an XM radio that transmits FM in the car but it doesn't work very well--it gets a lot of interference from othr FM stations. I use the hard-wired option--a line out of the XM radio that goes into a special cassette in the car's tape player. No interference that way.

The Prius won't have a cassette player. So I'm looking for a stopgap measure.

Hey (waves)! I'm here! How 'bout them Cards?

I guess I'm rooting for the Angels today; I'm once again annoyed at MLB for bowing to television pressure (unless the weather forecast is better the later in the day it gets) and putting that game on at night.

Astros? Braves? Coin flip.

4 - I have a "Creative" brand MP3 player and use an FM transmitter to play music in the car. It works reasonably well. Works pretty well (I'd give it a B+).

Most new cars have an aux input to plug your Ipod or MP3 players into.

Shouldn't be raining tonight in New York. I wonder if Mike Mussina, who stayed behind in Anaheim for Game 5, feels like Michael Collins?

He's just waiting for the rest of the crew to rendezvous with him.

Yeah. Grand Slam for LaRouche. 4-0 Atl.

We should tell the Houston fans what it's like to give up a home run to Adam LaRoche.

All the Astros need now is to match it in the bottom of the inning like the Dodgers did.

Francouer swings 3-1 against a pitcher who had walked two, hit a batter and given up a slam. The kid would not be welcomed by some in DT-land.

Ironic part of that 4-0 lead is the only hit in the inning that Backe gave up was the one to LaRouche. The other runners were BB, BB and HBP. That makes it doubly painful if you are an Astro fan, (which I am not.)

Remembering Sandy:

Sandy Koufax made his final appearance in the 1955 season on September 24th against the Pirates. Pitching in relief for Johnny Podres, Sandy picked up the loss in his worst and shortest outing of the year.

Sandy began by walking Gene Freese and he then walked the next hitter, Jerry Lynch on four pitches. After Dale Long was retired on a ground ball that advanced the runners, Roberto Clemente hit a ground ball to Gil Hodges for what looked like the second out of the inning. Hodges bobbled the ball slightly, but recovered in time to get the out. However, the inexperienced Koufax did not cover first, so Clemente reached on an error credited to Hodges, but that really belonged to Koufax. Gene Freese scored on the play. Sandy then proceeded to wild pitch Jerry Lynch home for the second run of the inning.

The Dodgers lost 6-1. Sandy's pitching line was no hits, 3 walks, no strikeouts and 2 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. His totals for the year were much more impressive. In 12 games, Sandy pitched 41 2/3 innings, he allowed 33 hits, 28 walks, and 14 earned runs. On the year he struck out 30. In his own plate appearances, Sandy struck out 12 times in all 12 of his at bats on the year. He finished with a 2-2 record and a 3.00 ERA. His two victories were complete game shutouts. Not a bad rookie season for a 19 year old who would become the best pitcher I have ever seen.

Thanks to the Tacoma News Tribune, the book Koufax, written by Sandy and Ed Linn and retrosheet.

Stan from Tacoma

Bob-
Ive tried a few FM transmitters, and I finnaly settled on the iTrip from Griffin tech, and it works 99% of the time. I live in Austin, TX and I imagine your dial is as crowded as ours is. Still, works pretty good.

Here, the Toyota dealer told me it's a 3 months wait to TEST DRIVE a Prius, and in the meantime, Id have to leave a non-refundable down payment. Was your experience similar?

I just read Tim Brown's article. I don't have a problem with it. In fact, most of it is accurate. All he is saying is that Depo is rebuilding in his own vision and he will rise or fall with that vision. Depo's view of the Dodgers is like a house. In 2004 the house served everyone's needs and looked nice but Depo the Inspector upon close inspection saw the house needed a new roof, new pluming, had cracks in the foundation and was generally wearing out. Rather than replace these items one by one Depo decided to tear down the house and build a new one. The new house is being built with a young new architect and some non traditional building materials. While the house is leveled, the neighbors are nervous and would rather gossip and lob quips than try and understand the approach. Brown is simply saying what we have all said: from here on in its all on Depo. The old house is completely gone, and it took a little while to get rid of the whole thing. ("Given that, DePodesta's mistake was not in firing Tracy, but in not firing him a year ago when he knew the roster would change. " Many here agree with this statement.) Now, we'll have to wait and see how the new house turns out.

However, I will agree that the following is a cheap unsubstantiated shot by Brown:
"It has been said in many baseball circles that DePodesta is a wonderful front-office No. 2, and a hopelessly swamped No. 1."

This may have been said already, but Dodger Blues changed the "Time Since The Last Great Dodgers Moment" back to Kirk Gibson.

Once I put a $3K deposit on the Prius, it took about 6 weeks for the car to come in. They have more of them available for Southern California than other markets.

With all the traffic at the Rose Bowl last night, I got to spend a lot of quality time with my 1997 Camry sitting in the middle of Brookside Park.

Andy LaRoche-- hungry for attention. First a grand slam, then a bonehead play. I wonder if his brother is the same.

Certainly the Astros are making enough clutch defensive plays to give the offense some momentum. With the Braves' bad relief pitching, maybe this game isn't at dead as it looks.

Check that. It's dead.

4 FM transmitter for Ipod: I tried (and returned) a couple before I shelled out for the Transpod. It lists for $99 but I found it on sale for about $75. Still steep, but: 1) it has a very strong, clear signal, almost CD quality, and 2) it charges the Ipod while you drive. I was able to put 4 books on tape and many CDs on the Ipod for our 2500 mile roadtrip this summer. Plus it has this keen lego-like structure to plug into the DC power source.

We paid for our Civic last year with a combination of credit card (3000 frequent flier miles!) and check. The financing guys were stunned.

I hope McCourt and DePo stay the course. These hatchet jobs are getting tiresome. Brown's was a bit more "fair and balanced" than others but perhaps more on the order of Fox News than anything really analytical.

So Game 5 would be Pettite vs. (whomever shows up)? Smoltz wasn't sure if he would be able to start. I can't imagine that the other options for Atlanta would be great.

Geren and Washington are set to interview for the A's Tuesday and Wednesday

In theory, I could use three different credit cards and charge my entire car purchase and then pay off the balances right away. Two of the cards get frequent flyer miles.

I don't know if this would throw up a series of red flags on my accounts though.

Tavares keeps running way over to left to cover for Berkman, more than the usual back-up. Reminds me of Kelly Leak covering for Ogilvie. Will Berkman and Tavares have words in the dugout? Will Garner tell Berkman he told Travares to do it?

21. Check the "check that".

By my count, coming into this game, Houston is 10-10 in home playoff games.

That's not a good thing is it?

It costs the deal some percentage (something like 2-3%) for what you put on the credit card...I had to negotiate with them about how much they would let me charge. We shook hands on $3K.

What color did you get? Prius colors are kind of....limited. We were holding for a 2004 for over 3 months before we bailed and got the Civic. My wife said "I'll take any color but that green!"

I'm getting a white one.

I have test driven one before.

Slam!

Took him awhile, but Berkman pulled off the Bradley

Millions of Cubs fans are yelling "We warned you this would happen!"

I wish I could watch the 9th inning, but the car dealer has called and they say they would really like me to come by as soon as I can to pick up my car.

My problem of course is that I have no one to give me a ride to the dealer. So I'm taking the always efficient Gold Line.

17 LAT, you've sort of rewritten Brown's column in the guise of commenting on it. I think your version is smarter.

What you call the "cheap shot," to me, colors the tone of Brown's piece. "Many in baseball circles" does not cut it as an attribution for a comment like that. Anonymous sources are barely acceptable as sources of factual statements. As sources of subjective opinions, they're worthless. It only demonstrates the reporter's bias. Why doesn't Tim Brown just say, "I think DePodesta is in over his head"? He doesn't want to lose DePodesta as a source; and he doesn't want that comment to come back to haunt him if the Dodgers succeed in coming years.

This kind of thing reminds me of a story that was written about an acquaintance, let's call him Les, a few years ago. There was actually a paragraph like this:

"Les is very unimpressive," said a source who did not want to be named.

What...not-chicken-salad.

Didn't expect that from Ausmus...

In year of the improbable, the pretty much impossible has happened....

Ausmus homer ties it. One of the old Astros for whom this is a last chance at the Series. Good.

Talk about a blown save. And yet Farnsworth is still out there, after single handedly giving away the game.

The sky is blue, the grass is green, and the Braves are choking in the postseason.

Dave O'Brien: "High drama here in Houston"
= hi Jon!

I like how the crazy managerial decision to leave Ausmus at bat has not been mentioned at all here...maybe because it worked?

The ESPN guys did mention it, after the fact. But, they said, the manager has a feel for how his players will perform. In other words, Garner puts his players in a position where they can succeed.

Ausmus' OBP is fifth on the team, however, and he's got more walks than K's. Maybe he was supposed to get a walk.

Berkman shouldn't have bothered taking the extra base ;)

So can the AAA Astros + Lidge get the job done vs the Braves and their gasoline bullpen?

Wheeler looks lonely...

The Astros are just a few more players and some injuries away from an 8 man field

45 That should read injuries/ejections...

WOW, game of inches here??

45 - It's ok, Vizcaino can play like 8 positions and Biggio like 4, so then...um...

How nice of Clemens, he went to give Wheeler some company

47 Willy Tavarez can run back and forth really fast to make it look like he's playing two positions at once.

Ausmus tied it, can he win it?

Hey Ausmus, does lightning strike twice?

Heh, this entire board is snoozing like I did from about the 4th-7th innings. I'll make some noise when somethin happens!

Brad Ausmus is now playing first base for the 'stros in the top 13th.

Paging Jason Phillips...

53 - That should wake everybody up.

53 - It was pinch-running for Berkman that was the mistake.

I love extra-inning playoff baseball and teams running out of players.

I kind of want to see Clemens relieve Wheeler, then Pettitte pinch-hit for him and Oswalt run for Pettitte.

But I'll take a 'stros win any way I can get it at this point

Atlanta can't win now, that would end all the fielding possibilities for Astros in the later innings

Braves have 'em loaded in the top 14th.

Who wants to see Pettitte as the LOOGY?

GREAT sequence by Wheeler to McCann.

Now he gets to do it again

Excellent job by Wheeler, nice choke job by the Braves hitters.

The Braves must really be kicking themselves

The Astros need to win soon unless they want their big 3 logging some innings, or Bruntlett pitching

and Houston gets out of it!!

Good thing they have their big slugging first baseman, BRAD AUSMUS, coming up!

Jim Brower pitching...

The positive for theBraves fans- Vizcaino, Ausmus, Bruntlett (Ausmus' homer notwithstanding)

61 - Doesn't the Viz have an inning too from way back when?

The sac bunt killed the inning for the Braves. Fire Bobby Cox!

64 According to bb-ref, Vizcaino has never pitched in a game.

Anyone know what the longest playoff game was?

16 innings

Amazing job by Wheeler. He deserves to win this game.

It Clemens hits a walk off...

Now Clemens will bunt =(

I really wanted that walk off

Too bad Duckworth isn't on the postseason roster. He's a pretty decent hitter. Oh well, Clemens gets the bunt down.

Burke walks. Is this the Ensberg (Bermanism)?

18 - Tho DodgerBlues clock is BS anyway - if Finley hitting a 9th inning GS to clinch a division title isn't a good moment, what is?

I might also have included Nomo's Mile-High no-no. Still an amazing moment in my book.

72 - Too bad the Braves don't have Jason Marquis anymore. Gotta love a pitcher who can get the GWRBI and the save.

Test drove a Prius--for some reason, my MPG computer kept reading "22". Because of the high demand, the lease terms were beyond madness. Ditto for the Scion tC - both had a money premium (read: pure profit) of roughly $3600 on leasing.

A lot of the "technology" used for higher MPG is, forgive the pun, smoke and mirrors: Prius' actual reported MPG are much lower than Toyota claims, plus much of the savings comes from having a 74 HP gas engine - the hybrid/synergy concept isn't really making it that much more efficient (from a physics standpoint: you can only get so much energy out of a gallon of gasoline, whether you're burning it, or using it to drive an electrical generator). Car weight and driving habits still drive most of it, no matter what one drives. Even the VW diesels that get 43+ mpg are not that impressive when you consider that diesel fuel has 20% higher energy density vs gas, and adds a lot more pollutants to the air. I'll wait until there's a viable electric car--supposedly you can modify the Prius to run on all-electric, but it voids the warranty. Does anyone know if you can charge the battery from an outlet, or do you have to use the generator?

And they're still playing? First thing on the radio in my new car was this game.

I've already gotten honked at for having a Prius.

Or maybe the guy behind me didn't like the fact that I signalled too late to turn right onto the street where I live.

That's exactly what the Astros didn't want

How many innings for the Rocket?

Great, I don't trust Clemens.

Oh, the accursed slide into first! And nobody ever does it feet-first. But they should never do it at all. And these are professional athletes, playing at the highest level!

74 The Astros do have Kieschnick though

I wonder if they'd like him right about now

Ross Porter should be announcing this game.

why did cox bring in brower? he really sucks. was thompson gassed already?

Two old possible roiders going head to head

Welp, this is the first time since I have been alive that Clemens has come in to relieve. ANybody else?

He and Julio are a combined like 120 years old too, cool.

I don't think Bobby Cox is bringing pitchers in now on basis of strategy. It's on basis of whomever is left. Or whomever is around when the phone rings.

Interesting reaction by Franco...

roid rage!

81 Bases loaded, 2 outs, pitcher spot up

83 Same here

On July 18, 1984, I was in between my freshman and sophomore years at UCLA. I'm not sure what I was doing that summer. Probably working at my father's store.

Holy crap, yeah Wheeler deserves to win it but Clemens was bringing it at 92+!

Playoffs = awesome

I was 3 months old in july of 84.

Wow, that baby they just showed does an AWESOME Dan Wheeler impersonation

74
Too late, I already wrote out the check and the car's mine. So I will love my new car. Because I have no choice.

This is crazy

Who will be the winning pitcher if the Astros pull this off?

If the Astros were to win, there aren't many options on who could win other than Clemens.

In Clemens 1984 relief appearance, the Red Sox started Oil Can Boyd but he was knocked out after 2/3 of an inning and five runs at Oakland. The came Rich Gale, Steve Crawford and then Clemens. Mark Clear and John Henry Johnson followed Clemens.

Oakland won 7-2 in a game that took just 2:18.

Ray Burris went the distance for Oakland. Ray Burris is 55 years old.

Four Dodgers played in the game: Bill Buckner, Glenn Hoffman, Rickey Henderson and Mike Davis.

93 - You're a good man nonetheless - the car will contribute less smog & greenhouse gases than anything else you coulda drove. Soon, I too will be on a public servant's salary and may be able to afford such luxuries as richly-compensated bureaucratic professionals are accustomed.

Clemens seems oddly lackadaisical right now.

Bob, did Nolan pitch in the 1986 playoff game?

And can the 'stros bring him in now?

Wow, I didn't think Clemens would get out of that. Time for the Astros to win in. Walk off error by Furcal (he'll airmail it into the stands)

In the 1986 16-inning marathon between the Mets and Astros, the Mets used: Bob Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, Roger McDowell, and Jesse Orosco. McDowell threw 5 innings.

The Astros used: Bob Knepper, Dave Smith, Larry Anderson, Aurelio Lopez, and Jeff Calhoun.

Devine is a grand slam specialist, having given up 2 in his first two appearances in the majors.

Since I was out at the time, why did Ausmus and Chavez switch positions?

I've said it before and I'll say it again: if it's possible for a baseball team to be cursed by its corporate parent, Anheuser-Busch just submarined the Cardinals' chances this year with that called-shot commercial. Not only is it disrespectful, Babe Ruth would have gone to church on a Friday night to avoid drinking Bud Light. Bud Light exists strictly for two markets: sorority girls and meth addicts.

I want to know why Babe Ruth is looking for a beer vendor in the stands when a sizeable chunk of his career was played during Prohibition?

[87] ah, thanks. i must've missed that.

since this one's going 18 innings, maybe they can count this as both game 4 and game 5 in one.

Isn't "BJ and the Bear" coming on after the game?

[102] clemens is more comfortable/familiar with ausmus.

Bob, one of the really nice things about the 2nd generation Prius is that the back seat folds down flat because they moved the electric engine battery from the trunk to under the car. Cargo space is outstanding, almost like a wagon or small van. We thought it would make a nice spare bedroom for the kids of friends who came to visit.

Saw Clemens pitch in Fenway in 1988. Wow, was he dominating. I'm monitoring this game on Gameday but it seems like he has lost very little in 17 years. Joey Devine went to my alma mater, NC State. Looks like (for now) he is doing the Wolfpack proud. I'm quite conflicted because I despise the Braves.

Ausmus is Clemens' personal catcher. And/or Scrap Iron wants to get as many different 1Bs in this game as possible

105 - At this point that would help the Braves big time, seeing the matchup of Pettitte vs Warm Body in line right now.

How sweet would it be if CLEMENS popped one to lead off the bottom 18th?

So, just how many pitches would Clemens have to throw before Bud declares the game a tie?

104 Because the majority of the country never bothered to learn about that period in American history.

97

Adam, much of my money was saved up to buy a house. Well, that ain't gonna happen any time soon.

I drive about 95% of the time in stop and go driving. I would have loved to have the Prius last night sitting around at the Rose Bowl trying to get out.

Adam, if you become a public servant, you too can get wonderful perks like I do. Such as, having Columbus Day a paid holiday!

111

And Anheuser-Busch had a big wagon full of beer go to Washington to thank FDR and Congress for the repeal of Prohibition.

So, just how many pitches would Clemens have to throw before Bud declares the game a tie?

104 Because the majority of the country never bothered to learn about that period in American history.

110
If Clemens hit a home run in the 18th, it would be, well, something that Vin Scully would have trouble being able to describe at all.

Jayson Stark would need three columns to fill up all the trivia it would generate.

The Astros lineup is pathetic right now; Ensberg is the only good hitter. Taking out Berkman was a big mistake.

Walk off for Roger?

And you wonder how the Astros got shut out 17 times?

112 - I'm excited for getting Veteran's Day off for the first time in my life. Though I'll miss Good Friday.

Haven't had time to read all the comments, but I sure enjoyed this one: "Wow, I can actually watch a game from start to finish!"

Burke? Are you kidding?

Burke is a Houston hero...

Just another choke job by the Braves

Clemens finally gets a win!

118

Pet peeve: It's Veterans Day. There's more than one guy. Bugs me more that my workplace can't spell it right.

The Astros are now 11-10 in home playoff games.

119
I missed innings 10-16.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*HOWARD DEAN SCREAM*

Oh, my.

Angels:
Figgins
Cabrera
Guerrero
Anderson
B Molina
Erstad
Rivera
Finley
Kennedy
P -- Lackey

Yankees
Jeter
Rodriguez
Giambi
Sheffield
Matsui
Cano
Williams - DH
Posada
Crosby - CF
P -- Chacon

Bob -

I know others have already answered your question, but regarding an FM transmitter for your iPod, I like the DLO model. It's a little bulkier than some of the others, but VERY easy to use. Plus, it hooks into the base of the iPod and not the earphone jack, so you don't have to worry about adjusting the volume. It also charges the iPod's battery when it's in use.

Anyway, I tried about a million of these things, and the DLO was my favorite. But if you have a little extra time, and can find a store with a liberal return policy, then maybe you can do a little trial and error testing of your own.

-Ted

As a pampered civil servant, I will drive around looking for said item.

I suppose I should read the owner's manual for my car tomorrow. And call the insurance company.

Now I've got to go to the police station and get a parking sticker for my old car which I have to keep on the street. There's no overnight parking in South Pasadena without a permit. Keeps riffraff out. Or gives the city easy parking tickets.

Did anybody else do that MLB.com playoff bracket thing? Mine is pretty much ruined cause of the two sweeps, but other than that things still look ok for the Yankees/Astros series that Bob, Jayson Stark, and I are all looking for.

And I think Clemens is now officially the clutchiest pitcher in the majors. Discuss :)

Don't like the Astros, but Braves did not deserve to win. Like him or not, there is no denying the Rocket is amazing. The guy must have a Secratariet sized heart.

129 FYI the "DLO" and "Transpod" are the same item.

I'm happy the Astros won.
I'm sad for Joey Devine. Just a few months ago he was pitching in the NCAA superbrackets or whatever they are called. For all of those who applaud the Braves for being smart in moving up minor leaguers, they may have screwed up in this case.

And I think Clemens is now officially the clutchiest pitcher in the majors. Discuss

You forgot the words "history of."

So now the Braves haven't made it out of the first round (!)in four years, since 2001. Hard to believe.

regarding the ipod radio transmitter: let's face it, living in LA it's basically impossible to get decent sound using the transmitter

there are too many strong signals on all the frequencies to provide interference-free sound. I couldn't stand it at least.

However, i'm not aware of any definitive alternatives, though i have heard you can take it to a car stereo place and they install an auxiliary input but i think for that to work you also need a fancier stereo and all the bells and whistles required to install that in the futuristic prius console.

Bob, if you are interested on Channel 4, the Wall Street journal Report is abut to do a peice on hybrids.

I foolishly wasted $25 on the iTrip transmitter. Luckily, it works fine 90% of the time for me because in North Dakota, there are always plenty of open stations. But the setup is a pain, and it's not even worth trying to use it once I get with 2 hours of Minneapolis.

oops. sorry Bob, looks like it was a response to last weeks report about whether hybrids actually get the milage they claim. I guess its an issue. Someone's comment above was the first time I ever heard it but then everyone i know who has a hybrid bought it so they can use the diamond lane, not for the milage.

Shawn Chacon in a post season game, never mind a critical post season game. What has the world come to?

I know about 5 Prius owners. All of them report MPG values of between 45 and 50. If Bob maximizes his rush hour driving time, and thereby increases his electric/gas engine use ratio, he might reach 60.

136 - I've actually found that my DLO transmitter is able to overpower existing stations, particularly those on the high end of the FM dial. Although, for reasons I can't begin to understand, it seems to work a lot better in my car (a Miata) than in a friend's car (a Mustang). Too much Detroit steel, perhaps? Anyway, maybe it's a case by case basis.

Having to watch the NFL while waiting for the baseball game only reminds me how disappointed I will be when the 2005 season really is over.

143 A blogging friend of mine:

"Are you ready for some football?"

"Nope."

(Of course, he recanted when the 'Skins beat the Cowboys the following week.)

Odet was right!

Chacon has been pitching great since he got to NY. He is working on 10 days rest. Everything suggests he is ready to go. And that is why the Angels are going to shell him. He is a hard luck pitcher, with a captial "H". The baseball Gods have only given him success in NY in the last few weeks so they can cruelly snatch it away from him in the most important and visable start of his career.

If Aaron Small's magic finally ran out, you would think Chacon's would too.

Since most of us are used to the Shawn Chacon, version RB.1 (really bad), it's a shock to see him considered to be an ace.

The Braves left 18 runners on. If you add up the individual players left on for the Braves, it was 35.

Brian McCann left 10. But he did hit a home run and he had to catch 18 innings, so I don't think he should be embarrassed.

I listened to Cox's postgame press conference and he said LaRoche was playing the whole game with an upset stomach and vomited several times during the game.

Presumably, not on the field.

and he had to catch 18 innings
Makes me tired just reading that.

Meanwhile, for all the "Braves bullpen is a flaming gas can" talk, they did pitch 8 scoreless innings (10-17). Take out Farnsworth and they're perfect.

150 of course, that was against the Astros, so might be best not to make too much of it . . .

The Astros couldn't score off of Jim Brower!

I think it's an odd editorial choice to have the gameday lineup/roster give the player's batting average for the division series, instead of the whole season. Is it really useful to know that Benjie Molina is hitting .417 in the last 3 games? (Wow -- if you click through you learn his OPS is 1.628!! Call Cooperstown.)

Make that Bengie.

Has anybody heard the name of the supposed fifth candidate that DePo is planning to interview?

155
Pope Benedict. He should be able to enforce some order in the clubhouse.

Speaks a lot of languages too.

Why do you think DePodesta went to Italy? "Sister's wedding". Yeah. Right. I buy that as much as McCourt having a death in the family last week....

155 Not me. Are you doubting that there is a fifth candidate?

It would be just like that dastardly DePo to lie to us about a fifth candidate, wouldn't it?

Somehow I don't see Kent listening to the Pope. Have you got any other possibilities?

157 - DePo never lies. He just works the truth so that sometimes we draw the wrong conclusions.

159 I guess I just don't see where he benefits from "working the truth" about having a fifth candidate.

It's possible that the putative fifth candidate could always just be described as "declining an interview".

I bet McCourt is too cheap to fly in and buy lunch for a fifth candidate.

His max is four.

160 -

I wasn't specifically referring to this instance. I just think he does a very good job of not revealing his plans to everyone so that they can act on them before he's ready to put them into action. I don't consider that a negative thing.

Pope Benedict would be great as manager, if only because we could talk about DePo and de Pope.

Or not...

163 I hear you. I'm just playing around.

163 -

How can you be kidding at a time like this! Apparently it's serious enough that even the Pope has gotten involved :)

I hear the "fifth candidate" is from Manchuria...

Paul DePodesta is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life.

Just turned on my tv, to hear these words from Tim McCarver's mouth: "OutKast with a K."

Why, oh why, would he be saying that?

166 I don't have the same reverence for the Pope that others do. To me, he's just a guy with a really ostentatious hat.

Off topic: Anyone know where I can find Gary Sheffield's career post-season stats? I'm starting to suspect his clutchitude.

170 What was the supposed "topic" that was "off" -- The Pope?

Kent wouldn't listen to the Pope. He's Mormon. Really.

OutKast is great. I saw them at the Universal Amphitheatre on the Stankonia Tour.

And I hate 98% of all rap/hip-hop in existence.

171 LOL. Yeah, I was going off topic by discussing baseball.

168 -

I knew it! Timmermann is the fifth candidate.

Coming into this postseason,
Sheffield has batted .258 with 6 HRs in 36 postseason games (7 series)

He didn't fare well with the Braves. 3 for 30 in two DS losses.

176 Thank you, sir.

figgins would have caught posada's double.

Quite a tussle developing in the Bronx. Wonder if it'll go 18 innings.

Bernie Williams is playing in his 119th playoff game tonight.

He leads Jeter by 5.

In which season will Jeter pass him up?

Man, Bengie's down to .385.

Finley has sacrificed twice now in this series. He had none in the postseason prior to this year (43 games).

Olney!

Run!

Is it true that if a game is tied after nine they count up Olneys to decide the winner?

Back before you were born, Icaros, heck back before I was born, the L.A. City High Football championship was decided on the basis of the "Costello System" of tiebreaking. They didn't play overtime because it just wasn't done.

The Costello System gave each team a point for getting a first down inside the opponent's 20 in the fourth quarter and another for moving the ball inside the 20 in the fourth quarter.

They used that system once I believe. Somebody said, "Hey, that's really lame!"

186 - Costello then went on to develop the BCS (the C stands for Costello)

Hey, that's really lame!

Gary Sheffield hoping for a chance to put Icaros in his place.

I remember the California Tiebreaker. They would put the ball on the 50 and each team would get to run eight plays, alternating turns. Whoever ended up with the ball in the opponents' end won.

190 - What happened if someone scored a TD before the 8 plays were up. Did that end the game?

189 I was just questioning his clutchitude. There was no indictment, yet.

191
I think it did. Or the other team got one chance to match it from some ridiculously long distance.

In all my years of covering high school football, I've covered one overtime game. It was over in 2 plays. The first team fumbled on its first play and then the opponents opted to kick a field goal on their first play. That was a set up where each team got the ball on the 10. Now high schools use the college tiebreaker system.

Last Friday's game had a very typical high school football moment. San Fernando High was down 24-21 and trying to drive for a tying field goal. A timeout was called. There was dispute over how much time should be on the clock. The referee said "1:10". One of the kids on San Fernando said "1:02! 1:02! 1:02!" His teammates were trying to keep him quiet.

Ooh, Al Leiter coming in. Dare we look to see how the Bronx Banter people are doing?

Could be Alan Embree.

Mets and Marlins fans are swearing a lot now.

146 Mr. Chacone, I tip my hat and retract my 146. For you first post season start you turned in a stand-up performance. There must be a lot of people in Denver scratching thier head, but nice job. You are the anti-Jeff Weaver. Can't handle the lowly NL West but own NYC. Here's hoping George gives you a fat mutli-year contract.

186 Was it developed by Lou Costello, by any chance? Maybe as part of an act he and Bud were working on.

He can't bunt, he just can't

Finley would have bunted though

Jim Tracy would have had Bernie Williams bunt there.

He has 10 in his career!

JD Drew had 17 coming into this season.

JD Drew still has 17.

Pujols, somewhat to my surprise, has 1 sac bunt. Drew had 16 while with the Cards

I must admit, I'd rather not see close ups of Shields' face

Pujols sacrificed in his rookie year in a game against the White Sox. St. Louis was leading 6-3 in the 7th and after the first two batters reached (Polanco and Drew), Pujols sacrificed.

They ended up scoring on a single by Craig Paquette(!!!!).

Someone on the Dodgers offer Byron Leftwich a contract. They measured his throw to be the equivalent of a 98mph fastball.

I'm guessing Bronx Banter is a lot nicer by now

But what about Leftwich's heart? Does he wear goggles?

Bronx Banter seems to mainly get comments of about 3-4 words at a time.

Well he stayed in a game where he could not even walk and his offensive line had to carry him to the line of scrimmage. So I would put a check mark by heart. We can throw some novelty goggles on him.

According to his bio on the web, Leftwich was a letterman in baseball in high school. Which isn't all that unusual since he was likely the best athlete at school.

2005 Kyle Farnsworth=2001 Byung-Hyun Kim

A game where Al Leiter is the winner and Derek Jeter drives in the winning run with an Olney makes me unhappy.

I wouldn't say Cano "probably will be" the ROY. I'm willing to bet a certain player whose name resembles an address will beat him...

207 - Bob, go to the Bronx Banter thread for Game One and read post 225, you'll like it.

202 - Hobos, I actually thought he was Michael Biehn from the first Terminator movie for 2-3 batters there. It's Lackey whose close-ups I have problems with. Ugh.

Berman used to call him Mike "Nova" Scioscia.

I think my favorite Bermanism ever, though, was Kirt "What Was That" Manwaring.

Berman's on my list now because of his 1919 World Series remark.

Vlad the Mad swinger...

215 You're going to hold it against a guy because he's afraid of ghosts?

Maybe he's planning to build a baseball field in Iowa and doesn't want to anger the guys who'll come out of the cornfield to play ball.

Berman's a Black Sox apologist. He's probably out with OJ now looking for the real killer too.

Vlad couldn't do what Ausmus could

Although Farnsworth isn't quite Rivera

218 LOL. Do you think he'd let his kids spend the night at Michael Jackson's house?

Hey Bob, don't forget to plug in your car before you go to bed.

Night all.

Ozzie Guillen sits back and chuckles to himself.

Byron Leftwich is so cool. He takes the biggest hits and he never tries to run away.

But can Leftwich throw a slider?

I think he should learn a knuckleball. I like the idea of knuckleball with a 98mph heater.

Two terrific games today. Neither team that I was rooting for won, but a great day of baseball in any case. What a great time of year this is to be a baseball fan.

Stan from Tacoma

186 - They still use that for middle school football. They call it the California tie-breaker and it really does suck. The person who invented it was probably one of those meth-addicted Budweiser drinkers.

The A's are interviewing Washington and Geren.

I didn't even know there was middle school football. We certainly didn't have it, just good old PAL.

223 - Didn't they say this about Steve McNair not too long ago?

226 - Agreed, except both teams in my case (sorry Stan). Whoever wins tomorrow night, we are going to see two awesome LCS's.

I came close to an overtime game a couple of weeks ago, but one of the teams scored with a few seconds left.

I would really have hated being at an overtime game.

The LA City Section schools play overtime in all their games, although I noticed that there was a tie game in an early season game. I figure the coaches thought the players weren't in shape for any more. There's no point in kids getting hurt for no good reason.

One of the more creative Berman nicknames was Jim "Two Silhouettes on" DeShaies. Wonder whatever happened to him; he was a pretty decent pitcher.

He's a TV analyst for the Astros.

How many times has a player inserted in the game as a pinch-runner gone on to hit a game-winning hit in the postseason? I don't know if Bob can find that arcane stat, so it might be easier to just say, "never."

It's ironic since the broadcasters and everyone else kept saying what a mistake it had been for Garner to take Berkman out for a pinch runner--who turned out to be Chris Burke.

The "definitive" Chris Berman nickname list:

http://www.funny2.com/berman.htm

http://www2.dailybulletin.com/sports/ci_3102581

Oberjuerge thinks Terry Collins should be the next manager. And LA Galaxy's Donovan, attendee of 40 Dodger games, says the Dodgers lack team spirit.

John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times (http://tinyurl.com/9gngu) reveals that Tracy's decision to leave was based on "how intangibles like clubhouse chemistry had been disregarded by the new regime and sensed things would only get worse."

Now I would assume that it would be the managers job to dictate the chemistry within the clubhouse by highlighting those intangibles that fire up your team (how your wife having a baby will make us hit and pitch like champions) and downplay those intangibles that lead to doubt (wife tried to kill you because they're nuts or you are sleeping around). I am sure everybody has something both positive and negative they can draw from that might affect the way the play, it is the responsibility of the coaches to get the players to focus on the good and bottle up the bad.

Yet the press seems to treat intangibles as a ball and chain that follows a player around for the rest of their lives. As if these intangibles are as plain as any other stat on the back of a baseball card that you can dissect and examine. As if intangibles are… well, tangible.

Or maybe I'm missing the point.

Apropos of Jon's "Playoffs With No Drama" observation, the second and third grafs of today's Tom Boswell column: "When Roger Clemens started warming up in the Astros' bullpen in Houston on Sunday, preparing to pitch the 16th inning against the Braves, this baseball postseason woke up and stood at attention. This year, October started nine days late. Maybe it took the longest postseason game in history -- 18 innings in all -- to get the joint jumping, but the party has started.

Until the Rocket, working on just two days' rest, said, "Gimme the ball" and took the mound with nary a Houston relief pitcher available behind him, this year's playoffs had been sleepy, almost dispiriting. Now, Clemens has changed the whole tone of the proceedings. It's all right to get excited again."

http://tinyurl.com/8xth8 (or go to washingtonpost.com and look for Boswell's column).

If you enjoy needless hassle, NY Daily News has a piece about Moneyball GMs not getting along with "old-school" managers. Jeff Kent and Derek Lowe are referred to as underachievers at one point.

http://tinyurl.com/a3dy3

And USSMariner is having a field day with Scott "Chemistry" Spiezio getting arrested for assaulting a cabdriver the day after Plaschke tells us what a great guy he is. ("According to the police report, Spiezio swung at the cabdriver and missed several times..."--"Driver's head must have looked like a baseball.")

I think a far more unusual thing is this story:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3389349

The fan who caught Berkman's grand slam ball also caught Burke's homer.

And the Steve Lyons Era in the Dodgers booth looks to be brief:
http://tinyurl.com/7dz4k

239 Kelly Leak moved to Texas?

And speaking, sort of, of the Bears, did you all see the Miranda McOsker story at LA Observed?

240 - Sweet. It's not even 9:00 AM, and already I'm assured of having a great day. Lyons sounded like he'd consider working for free. If he's still under contract to the Dodgers, it's pretty obsequious, no? Like when Byron Scott was coaching the Nets against the Lakers in the NBA Finals a few years back, and was pretty much offering his resumes to Jerry Buss the whole series (helluva a motivator).

And Lou Piniella will be broadcasting the ALCS? Have the producers ever met this man? He's like a less erudite Rip Torn. Let's just say he'll probably be more chipper if the Angels are in it. Downright giddy, I bet.

Sadly, FOX couldn't commit to using Al Leiter yet. Mainly because Al's team is still hanging around. Al would be on my list, but I think he's retiring after the Yankees last game.

Which I hope isn't followed by a champagne celebration.

I actually didn't think Lyons was that bad. Oh sure, he'd occasionally say something silly (like "HRs kill rallies,") and is as small-ball-obsessed as every TV analyst, but at least I knew what was going on in the game, and he and Steiner seemed to get along OK. I thought he was pretty good at analyzing at bats (pitch sequences, and the like). Really, what more can you expect out of an analyst? No one (NO ONE) will duplicate or even attempt to imitate Vin Scully, so you take anything
else as simply of a different genre, and judge it on its own terms. Put it this way: to me, Lyons was orders of magnitude better than Rick Monday, in either the Steiner-Monday guise or the ignominious Monday-Downing poop-fest. And the playoff announcing is sufficient to keep me from watching playoff baseball. I'd take Lyons over Tim McCarver, Joe Morgan, or Bob Brenley any day. Rick Sutcliffe somehow doesn't bug me as much. And Joe Buck makes Bob Costas seem modest and minimalist. Joe needs to listen to Papa Jack's tapes some more.

240 - big day for broadcasting turnover. Joe Mcdonnell was fired at ESPN 710. He had become such an insufferable Laker and Dodger management basher that it was only a matter of time.

This may have happened a few days ago, but I just heard about it.

246 - McDonnell had been speculating that his contract wouldn't be renewed in November. He probably makes too much money, even for the "#1 rated show in LA sports radio" (which is kinda like being, well, King of the Hobos, right 219?).

I wonder why they actually fired him now though (besides the obvious)?

McDonnell was fired because he was unaware of Page 26.

Ed Wade fired as Philadelphia GM.

248 - What's that?

249 - Our chances of landing Abreu have significantly diminished.

Jon had an earlier post entitled "Page 26". It will explain the joke.

Where is everyone today? Is everyone here a government employee/student and has the day off? How am I supposed to waste time at work if nobody is posting??

ED WADE IS GONE!!!!!

er. Thanks Bob, they are probably partying it up back home like we were here all night Saturday :)

246...He had become such an insufferable Laker and Dodger management basher

---------------------------------------------
Along with everyone else in LA.

I would really like to know if there was anything else leading towards his firing.

I have the day off and am getting paid for it. I am celebrating by doing my laundry. And I called my car insurance company to put the new car on the policy. I thought I might take my cat to the vet for a one-way trip, but she seems to have bounced back for the time being.

I have classes today. I'm taking a siesta right now...

Good year for the Fire ... websites.

Like what you've done with your place, Steve. Very classy, simple, understated. Bravo.

Very classy, simple, understated

First time I've ever been accused of being any of these, much less all of them at the same time.

www.firedustybaker.com is still toiling away in the vineyards, however.

256 - So do I. Kinda like this one in a comp lab although that siesta may not be too far off the way this guy lectures...

When the students here become older, you can learn about falling asleep at work. It's a lot more challenging, but ultimately more rewarding.

As is firejoemorgan.

[258]]

i don't like what you've done with it, steve. it'd be nice to have all your rants there a little longer for reference.

The rants would be out of context. It would be like reading a diatribe by Father Coughlin about the evils of FDR.

well it's not like i'm proposing he pay for the URL until 2046 :)

262 - You'll have to teach us padawans how that works, Bob.

I just took a quick 15 minute power nap. I can't sleep for too long during the day or else I have trouble sleeping at night.

Don't know if anyone noticed, but they announced the fifth candidate on Depo's short list...Giants bench coach Ron Wotus.

268 - I saw. New thread up top.

Someday, I'll give everything to the library that wins the bidding for my papers.