The Bobcat Nation

For all the baseball fans out there, who are you picking for the Series? It seems like the MLB playoffs are sort of a crapshoot, similar to the NHL, in that there's a low level of correlation between regular season records and post-season success. I'm a Braves fan, and am cautiously optimistic that they can break their recent trend of playoff failures, but I'm not going to put any money on it. It seems that the Dodgers are considered the favorites in that series, even though several of their key players are injured, and the Braves have home-field advantage based upont their better regular season record and higher seeding. Having two dominant starting pitchers like Grienke and Kershaw is definitely a huge advantage in a five game series though. Plus the Braves offense is so "all or nothing" because they're so dependent on the long ball. Their starting rotation is also very good, but has virtually zero post-season experience.

John K wrote:For all the baseball fans out there, who are you picking for the Series? It seems like the MLB playoffs are sort of a crapshoot, similar to the NHL, in that there's a low level of correlation between regular season records and post-season success. I'm a Braves fan, and am cautiously optimistic that they can break their recent trend of playoff failures, but I'm not going to put any money on it. It seems that the Dodgers are considered the favorites in that series, even though several of their key players are injured, and the Braves have home-field advantage based upont their better regular season record and higher seeding. Having two dominant starting pitchers like Grienke and Kershaw is definitely a huge advantage in a five game series though. Plus the Braves offense is so "all or nothing" because they're so dependent on the long ball. Their starting rotation is also very good, but has virtually zero post-season experience.

I'm also a Braves fan and as much as I want to pick them, I just don't know if I can. They did leave Uggla off the roster for this series so there goes about ten strike outs...

My gut says Boston/St Louis.

My heart wants Atlanta/Detroit.

I think it would be hilarious if it were Cleveland/Pittsburgh.

Helena native, Brian Knight, is umping the Rays/Indians game tonight.

coachouert wrote:

John K wrote:For all the baseball fans out there, who are you picking for the Series? It seems like the MLB playoffs are sort of a crapshoot, similar to the NHL, in that there's a low level of correlation between regular season records and post-season success. I'm a Braves fan, and am cautiously optimistic that they can break their recent trend of playoff failures, but I'm not going to put any money on it. It seems that the Dodgers are considered the favorites in that series, even though several of their key players are injured, and the Braves have home-field advantage based upont their better regular season record and higher seeding. Having two dominant starting pitchers like Grienke and Kershaw is definitely a huge advantage in a five game series though. Plus the Braves offense is so "all or nothing" because they're so dependent on the long ball. Their starting rotation is also very good, but has virtually zero post-season experience.

I'm also a Braves fan and as much as I want to pick them, I just don't know if I can. They did leave Uggla off the roster for this series so there goes about ten strike outs...

My gut says Boston/St Louis.

My heart wants Atlanta/Detroit.

I think it would be hilarious if it were Cleveland/Pittsburgh.

It also looks like Gattis is going to be in the starting lineup, rather than B.J. Upton, so there goes another 10 strikeouts...at least. It's unbelievable that their two highest paid players had such terrible seasons that neither one of them is going to be in the starting lineup for the playoffs, and Uggla didn't even make the post-season roster.

John K wrote:

coachouert wrote:

John K wrote:For all the baseball fans out there, who are you picking for the Series? It seems like the MLB playoffs are sort of a crapshoot, similar to the NHL, in that there's a low level of correlation between regular season records and post-season success. I'm a Braves fan, and am cautiously optimistic that they can break their recent trend of playoff failures, but I'm not going to put any money on it. It seems that the Dodgers are considered the favorites in that series, even though several of their key players are injured, and the Braves have home-field advantage based upont their better regular season record and higher seeding. Having two dominant starting pitchers like Grienke and Kershaw is definitely a huge advantage in a five game series though. Plus the Braves offense is so "all or nothing" because they're so dependent on the long ball. Their starting rotation is also very good, but has virtually zero post-season experience.

I'm also a Braves fan and as much as I want to pick them, I just don't know if I can. They did leave Uggla off the roster for this series so there goes about ten strike outs...

My gut says Boston/St Louis.

My heart wants Atlanta/Detroit.

I think it would be hilarious if it were Cleveland/Pittsburgh.

It also looks like Gattis is going to be in the starting lineup, rather than B.J. Upton, so there goes another 10 strikeouts...at least. It's unbelievable that their two highest paid players had such terrible seasons that neither one of them is going to be in the starting lineup for the playoffs, and Uggla didn't even make the post-season roster.

Heyward playing center and leading off has been a good combo this year. I'm cautiously optimistic...

If the Braves get out of the first round they will win it all.

Haven't been able to feel that way since 1994-95

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 4

AlphaGriz1 wrote:If the Braves get out of the first round they will win it all.

Haven't been able to feel that way since 1994-95

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 4

I don't know if I agree with you about that. At some point their HR dependent offense will go cold, and they'll struggle to score enough runs to win a series, even if their starting pitching is good enough to win. If it doesn't happen against LA in the first round, it will happen at some point during the playoffs. Their offense really slumped in the final month of the season, although that was partially due to Heyward being injured for most of September.

Yeah this one is over already.

Typical Braves


How the hell do you let a team like LA get 7 runs in the opening game with Kemp and Ethier out of the lineup? Pathetic yet again.

F*****g Braves!! I thought they had it in the bag once they got Kershaw out of there, and then took the lead. I know that Carpenter has done a great job all season, but they should have broought in Kimbrel at the beginning of the 8th inning, or at least after Puig hit the double. In an elimination game, it's time to throw out the "book". The best closer in baseball (yes...even better than Mariano Rivera the last 3 seasons) should have been out there with a one run lead, and a runner on 2nd, in the 8th inning. Since when exactly did it become law that a closer can never pitch more than one inning? Guys like Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter, Rollie Fingers, Lee Smith, Tug McGraw, et al. used to get 2 and 3 inning saves all the time, and they all had long careers. The only one who's career was ended somewhat prematurely was Sutter, but the others all pitched into their late 30's and some of them even into their early 40's, despite averaging twice as many innings pitched per season as today's closers. Gonazalez said that he was prepared to bring Kimbrel in once they got two outs in the 8th, and have him go for a four out save. Really Fredi???? So pitching four outs would have been OK, but somehow two extra outs (maybe 10 pitches) would have just been too hard on his arm? WTF!!!...that just might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. Sorry for the lengthy rant, but I'm just so aggravated that after a 96 win season, and earning the #2 seed in the NL, the Braves flamed out yet again in the postseason. Rant officially over!!

I used to feel the exact way you just described..............but now I am used to them doing that and I just watched them fade away with no post season offense yet again.

Go Pirates



(Anyone but the Dodgers)

wbtfg wrote:Helena native, Brian Knight, is umping the Rays/Indians game tonight.

I met Brian's cousin last night, while I was watching the Braves-Dodgers game at The Max in GF. He mentioned that about Brian working the Wild Card game last week, but that he didn't get selected to work any of the other post-season series after the Indians-Rays game. He was a real nice guy...originally from Billings, but lives in Bozeman now. I was decked out in Cat gear of course, so he struck up a conversation with me about the MSU-NAU game.

coachouert wrote:

John K wrote:For all the baseball fans out there, who are you picking for the Series? It seems like the MLB playoffs are sort of a crapshoot, similar to the NHL, in that there's a low level of correlation between regular season records and post-season success. I'm a Braves fan, and am cautiously optimistic that they can break their recent trend of playoff failures, but I'm not going to put any money on it. It seems that the Dodgers are considered the favorites in that series, even though several of their key players are injured, and the Braves have home-field advantage based upont their better regular season record and higher seeding. Having two dominant starting pitchers like Grienke and Kershaw is definitely a huge advantage in a five game series though. Plus the Braves offense is so "all or nothing" because they're so dependent on the long ball. Their starting rotation is also very good, but has virtually zero post-season experience.

I'm also a Braves fan and as much as I want to pick them, I just don't know if I can. They did leave Uggla off the roster for this series so there goes about ten strike outs...

My gut says Boston/St Louis.

My heart wants Atlanta/Detroit.

I think it would be hilarious if it were Cleveland/Pittsburgh.

Oakland-Pittsburgh would be even better. The A's have had almost as many post-season failures as the Braves over the past 15 years or so, and the Pirates haven't been in the post season since 1992, and haven't won a post-season series since 1979.