2014 Postseason Discussion

[WilltheThrill]

May be Will but they were there. Bottom line. I didn't like it at all but that doesn't change the fact they were not good enough to win the right to represent the AL. Give it up. It is what it is. A bitter loss.

I never said they weren't good enough to represent the AL or that they had a bad team. They played small ball almost perfectly, won a bunch of close games with gutty performances, and got mostly excellent work from their bullpen.

I was simply stating a fact- that their offense isn't exactly murderer's row. It's not like Bumgarner was facing last year's Red Sox or even the Cardinals team that beat the Rangers. I just get so sick of the hyperbole frequently thrown out there by ESPN and all of the other sports media out there these days. Every performance is "one for the ages". Every game is an "all-time classic". Every player is "the best this game has seen in a long time". You can't even enjoy a game anymore without the media beating you over the head with how you are witnessing history. Yes, Bumgarner was outstanding. Yes, his numbers were incredible. And yes, it was indeed praise-worthy. But before we anoint him the best pitcher to ever pitch in a World Series (which was actually suggested), let's just try to gain a little perspective and remember that he dominated a very average offense whose best hitter is Eric freaking Hosmer.

 

[Bmurph]

Royals hitters are absolutely lost. Every one of them are chasing that bull shit fastball at eye level.

That last AB by Salvi was brutal to watch

 

[Bmurph]

Last baseball game of the year..... Surprised more people aren't posting.

Had a baseball game myself and caught the end at the bar. We got a pretty great group of posters here, but there are really only a few handfuls of us that post regularly throughout the year

 

[RevSader]

Bumgarner is good. I don't care who he pitched against. He was ridiculous this post season.

 

[Bmurph]

Bumgarner is good. I don't care who he pitched against. He was ridiculous this post season.

He pitched against the best opponents that this years baseball season required him to and he was unbelievable. Who's to say he wouldn't have done it to any lineup he faced, as well as the other teams opposing pitching. You can't take anything away from that guy, nor can you say the results would have been different vs a different offense, because that will always be unproven. Give the guy his props and respect and call it a year. The offseason starts tomorrow

 

[donaldson79]

He pitched against the best opponents that this years baseball season required him to and he was unbelievable. Who's to say he wouldn't have done it to any lineup he faced, as well as the other teams opposing pitching. You can't take anything away from that guy, nor can you say the results would have been different vs a different offense, because that will always be unproven. Give the guy his props and respect and call it a year. The offseason starts tomorrow

I'm certainly giving huge props to Bumgarner and trying not to let my disdain/dislike for the announcers interfere with this.

 

[WastinSomeTime]

I'm certainly giving huge props to Bumgarner and trying not to let my disdain/dislike for the announcers interfere with this.

Agree 100%. Not sure why anyone would diminish what he did. Throw 119 pitch complete game and come back on 2 days rest and throw 5 more innings of shutout ball. And when he consider the fact what he did had been done only two other times and that was back in like 1905 and 1909. One of the few times I agree with Reynolds in that it was pretty amazing when it first happened just to see what the outcome would be.

 

[romeo212000]

Ya anytime I hear stuff like that I pretty much take it for what it is....it's on camera and there's not telling what they really are in real life. And maybe he was a douche in HS but as he's aged he's gotten mature and more humble?

I'll readily admit I was kind of a douche in high school too. Teenagers are idiots.

 

[donaldson79]

I'll readily admit I was kind of a douche in high school too. Teenagers are idiots.

Unfortunately, this may be said about many of us. And it's probably true.

I don't want someone holding that crap over my head now. I'm not that person anymore.

 

[WilltheThrill]

1. I never said Bumgarner wasn't great or that his performance wasn't great

2. I never said his opponent should be held against him

3. I never said he couldn't have done the same against a better lineup.

I was simply saying that the hyperbole spewing forth from all of the media outlets was overkill and that things like the opponent he faced weren't being considered when judging his performance on an "all-time great" merit. Just as it's easy to say that there's no way of knowing how he would have fared against better hitters, it can be just as easily said that other great pitchers in World Series history might have put up equally good numbers against the Royals. My point is that we're not just allowed to sit back and enjoy a great pitching performance without the networks telling us where it ranks in history and how Madison Bumgarner is better than Sandy Koufax (actually suggested).

 

[RevSader]

1. I never said Bumgarner wasn't great or that his performance wasn't great

2. I never said his opponent should be held against him

3. I never said he couldn't have done the same against a better lineup.

I was simply saying that the hyperbole spewing forth from all of the media outlets was overkill and that things like the opponent he faced weren't being considered when judging his performance on an "all-time great" merit. Just as it's easy to say that there's no way of knowing how he would have fared against better hitters, it can be just as easily said that other great pitchers in World Series history might have put up equally good numbers against the Royals. My point is that we're not just allowed to sit back and enjoy a great pitching performance without the networks telling us where it ranks in history and how Madison Bumgarner is better than Sandy Koufax (actually suggested).

Pro tip: Mute the dumb shits from Fox and don't let them taint your perception of anything.

I can hate the Giants all day and still be totally impressed with how the guy pitched in the playoffs.

52 innings between 8 starts and one 5 inning relief appearance. I can promise you we won't see that from another pitcher for a long long time if ever. That's one thing Koufax never had to do though, because the post season didn't last as long back then.

So in context this is still a fucking amazing once in a lifetime performance. He's not the guy making 300 MM to pitch either. He took a smaller team friendly deal and out dueled guys like Kershaw who many people have called the modern day Koufax. (I disagree with that, because he sucks ass in the playoffs)

 

[jaar01]

I'll readily admit I was kind of a douche in high school too. Teenagers are idiots.

No. Never. I just won't believe it!

 

[WilltheThrill]

Pro tip: Mute the dumb shits from Fox and don't let them taint your perception of anything.

I can hate the Giants all day and still be totally impressed with how the guy pitched in the playoffs.

52 innings between 8 starts and one 5 inning relief appearance. I can promise you we won't see that from another pitcher for a long long time if ever. That's one thing Koufax never had to do though, because the post season didn't last as long back then.

So in context this is still a fucking amazing once in a lifetime performance. He's not the guy making 300 MM to pitch either. He took a smaller team friendly deal and out dueled guys like Kershaw who many people have called the modern day Koufax. (I disagree with that, because he sucks ass in the playoffs)

All fair points. I guess it's not just the talking heads on Fox but rather the coverage everywhere. These days you can't watch a football game or log on to ESPN without hearing just wildly overblown nonsense.

Bumgarner pitched an amazing series. We can all agree on that.

 

[RevSader]

All fair points. I guess it's not just the talking heads on Fox but rather the coverage everywhere. These days you can't watch a football game or log on to ESPN without hearing just wildly overblown nonsense.

Bumgarner pitched an amazing series. We can all agree on that.

I purposely stay away from ESPN the week after championships are over.

 

[ESPN Refugee]

Yordano Ventura Doesn't Seem Too Sad About Losing The World Series

 

[Bmurph]

Yordano Ventura Doesn't Seem Too Sad About Losing The World Series

Love to see the players giving back and making time for the young fans. Stay classy YV!