Baseball 2012!

[KHenry14]

Quick pros and cons...

Pros
Tigers---Great starting pitching with the best pitcher in baseball. Power hitting lineup. Good Manager
Giants--Excellent Bullpen, outstanding defense, timely hitting, great attitude. Good Manager

Cons
Tigers---inconsistant bullpen, weak team defense, lack of lefthanded pitching
Giants--beat up starting pitching, lack of power. Posey and Pence in major slumps


To win, Tigers need starters to pitch well and go deep into the games, and their hitters need pound on Giants starters
For Giants to win...get to the Tigers bullpen, win games late by not getting behind early, and take advantage of their opportunities

One last thing for the casual fan to look for....these games will all be played in what are universally called the two best ballparks in MLB. Setting aside Wrigley Field and Fenway Park which are historical , AT&T and Comerica Park are just outstanding venues. Ballplayers and fans alike love these two places, and it's kind of neat that they will be featured in the WS.

[PrincessLeppard]

I was thinking of going to the game on Sunday in Detroit, but a flight would be $900

[myhoneyhoney]

San Francisco & AT&T Park is more worth that $900, in my humble, unbiased opinion, lol.

[PrincessLeppard]

Agreed , but Detroit is closer and I could go pester sk8er1964.

[milanessa]

I was thinking of going to the game on Sunday in Detroit, but a flight would be $900

A bargain, girl.

[sk8er1964]

Agreed , but Detroit is closer and I could go pester sk8er1964.

And I would so let you! Could you even get a visitors ticket (or two )?

(We could even run across the border and meet the Skate Canada folks for lunch or something before the game.)

[PrincessLeppard]

I did find a game ticket for under $200 on Stub Hub, which is why I went to check flights. But then they were $900 and Southwest is sold out (!?), so, erm, never mind.

My dad says flights are so expensive because they have to land the planes between riots.

[sk8er1964]

If Sunday is the deciding game, it would be fun to be downtown if the Tigers win it. I wasn't there in '84 - it was my bowling night, and we watched it from the alley's bar because the team we were playing was at the game. However, a whole bunch of other people will probably have the same idea, so I guess I'll just have to watch from the comfort of my home.

BTW, heard a (biased) assessment of the series on the radio this morning. Dan Petry (former Tigers pitcher from the '84 team) said we can expect Verlander to win two games, which means the Giants need to go 4 for 5 on the others. If it's tied for the seventh game, then Verlander will probably pitch again. The Giants on the other hand don't have their ace in the first game due to their series going to the max games, and he may only be able to start once.

Then he talked about how pitchers batting can be a real rally killer. Are the pitchers batting for the whole series, or do they do it by which park they are playing in. I forget.

[Zemgirl]

BTW, heard a (biased) assessment of the series on the radio this morning. Dan Petry (former Tigers pitcher from the '84 team) said we can expect Verlander to win two games, which means the Giants need to go 4 for 5 on the others. If it's tied for the seventh game, then Verlander will probably pitch again. The Giants on the other hand don't have their ace in the first game due to their series going to the max games, and he may only be able to start once.

Then he talked about how pitchers batting can be a real rally killer. Are the pitchers batting for the whole series, or do they do it by which park they are playing in. I forget.

Unless it's been changed, the pitchers bat in NL parks. So that's potentially 4 out of 7 games.

No pitcher is untouchable. Greg Maddux got beaten in the 1995 series when he was in his prime, Mariano Rivera blew the save in game 7 of the 2001 series, etc. Verlander gives the Tigers a great chance at winning, not a 100% chance.

[sk8er1964]

Of course, nobody's perfect. However, Verlander is about as close as you can get.

ETA - crap. I hope I didn't just jinx him. ::nervousing::

[PrincessLeppard]

Then he talked about how pitchers batting can be a real rally killer. Are the pitchers batting for the whole series, or do they do it by which park they are playing in. I forget.

Matt Cain got the first RBI for the Giants in Game 7 and Zito and Vogelsong both helped themselves as well. And as zemgirl said, pitchers bat in the NL park.

Matt Cain might be our ace, but he's been shaky in the playoffs. Vogelsong has been a rock and Zito has had one genius game and one game. Bumgarner claims to have fixed his issue, so he could be brilliant, since the Tigers struggle against lefties.

The Omaha World Herald has called the series for the Giants in 7. I call it in five, so they can win on my birthday. Brian Wilson says the Giants will win on Halloween.

[Zemgirl]

Of course, nobody's perfect. However, Verlander is about as close as you can get.

I think you can make the argument that Maddux was closer to perfect in his best years, especially 1995 - his numbers were insane that season. And yet this did not stop the Indians from beating him in game 5 of the WS. If it cheers you up, apparently they were so thrilled with beating the best pitcher in the game, they forgot that they had to face another great pitcher in game 6 of the series So maybe you don't need to worry, even if you did jinx Verlander...

Matt Cain got the first RBI for the Giants in Game 7 and Zito and Vogelsong both helped themselves as well. And as zemgirl said, pitchers bat in the NL park.

I always love watching AL pitchers try to hit. Very entertaining! And it's fun to see AL teams having to work more with pinch hitting and strategy.

[sk8er1964]

I always love watching AL pitchers try to hit. Very entertaining! And it's fun to see AL teams having to work more with pinch hitting and strategy.

I don't know if it is entertaining or

Leyland manager in the NL, so I don't think strategy will be a problem for him.

[milanessa]

So who threw out the ceremonial first pitch? Must have been during a commercial here.

[KHenry14]

So who threw out the ceremonial first pitch? Must have been during a commercial here.

Fox rarely shows the first pitch. It was Giants royalty...Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda

[milanessa]

Fox rarely shows the first pitch. It was Giants royalty...Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry and Orlando Cepeda

I did not know that. Thanks.

[TalentedButHumble]

My dad says flights are so expensive because they have to land the planes between riots.

So that was your father making a douchey joke about Detroit and riots? Tell him we'll all wave to him from the victory parade down Woodward.
:-P

[sk8er1964]

I jinxed him.

[Rob]

Giants took Verlander apart just like the All Star Game.

Jeez 3 homers for Panda.

[sk8er1964]

It's all my fault. I jinxed him.