World Series Preview
by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 21, 2008 10:30 AM PDT
in Upcoming Events
85 comments
CONTEXT
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies will face each other in the 2008 World Series, which begins tomorrow night. The Rays have advanced this far by defeating the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies have advanced this far by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both the Rays and Phillies managed to defeat their opponents by outplaying them in a short series.
KEY PLAYERS
Tampa Bay:
Roster
Philadelphia:
Roster
Both the Rays and Phillies are filled to the brim with possible difference-makers. The 50 listed above will likely be the most important.
KEY QUESTIONS
Can the Tampa Bay Rays outscore the Philadelphia Phillies?
They can.
Can the Philadelphia Phillies outscore the Tampa Bay Rays?
They can.
Will one of the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies outscore the other four times?
Most certainly yes!
X FACTOR
The Rays will play a maximum of four games at home, while the Phillies will play a maximum of three games at home. The home crowds may or may not help. I imagine there are also intangibles somewhere.
CONCLUSION
Both the Rays and the Phillies are good teams. The Rays are a little better. If you re-played the World Series a million times, roughly 55-60% of the time the Rays would be crowned as champions. This World Series will be played once. One of these teams will win four games. The other probably won't. The outcome will mean everything, and nothing.
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I see there are some new features added below front page articles.
by Wilder. on Oct 21, 2008 10:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Does the addition of the FB button mean the FB LL group is officially a propoganda arm of the Tui-umverate?
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
This post is so good I'm going to Spread The Word.
Or Buzz Up. Or something. But I am slightly disturbed that you didn’t talk about either Promising Young Player or Wily Veteran Taking His Last Shot.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:36 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Tell me about it. You did an entire preview and didn't once mention intangibles.
And people wonder why bloggers get no respect from the Bill Plaschkes of the world.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Like I'm supposed to read all those WORDS.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okay, you mentioned them
but you didn’t emphasize them.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
They were intangibly emphasized.
You cannot quantify how much he mentioned them. It’s all the other things that the mention brings to the article. The extra word count, the meter, the way it comes after a really short sentence, helping to strengthen both points individually through the use of hard stops.
by Matthew on Oct 21, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Great post by Jeff, but if you had done this preview
There would have been beer at the bottom. Which would have been good.
by Sec 108 on Oct 21, 2008 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
What a gritty post
Your experience is really showing at the most clutch time of the year.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 21, 2008 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
One of the teams might outscore the other? I am shocked at your boldness.
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Oct 21, 2008 10:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I dare others to step out onto my limb
by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 21, 2008 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
One team's fan base will be overjoyed, while the other's will be temporarily despondent.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
...
Will one of the Tampa Bay Rays and Philadelphia Phillies outscore the other?
Most certainly yes!
If they tie over the course of the series, you’ll eat those words.
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don't retreat off the limb
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh great, another hidden comment...
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 10:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am going to guess that baseball will be played tomorrow.
Maybe in St. Petersburg, but really it could happen anywhere.
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Oct 21, 2008 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
There will be at least one home run hit in the series
by seattlebruin on Oct 21, 2008 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not bold enough.
“There will be at least 4 runs scored combined in this series, with a minimum of 1 per game, but no apparent maximum.”
...and now I'm here
by CapSea on Oct 21, 2008 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
The outcome will mean everything, and nothing.
Well said
by JI on Oct 21, 2008 10:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
As with life itself.
Insight without prolixity.
by Paytheline on Oct 21, 2008 11:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Prolix! Prolix! Nothing a pair of scissors can't fix!
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
After reading this preview,
I am FUCKING PUMPED! for the Fall Classic. Thank you, Jeff.
by FlaskInSafeco on Oct 21, 2008 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You also didn't mention how many Octobers there are.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:49 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
This is a serious article
I didn’t want to insult my audience.
by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 21, 2008 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
And we appreciate it.
The Pulitzer people will be in touch.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
You probably want to throw something in there about small ball and the importance of the HnR
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 10:54 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
How about a forecast for how many of the runs scored will be manufactured?
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
According to this
http://www.northerniraq.info/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=348
THERE ARE TWO OCTOBERS!
here is a list of months from Baran Rizgar’s Dersên Kurdî
Çieyê Pashîn = January
Sibat = February
Adar = March
Nîsan = April
Gulan = May
Hezîran = June
Tîrmeh = July
Tebax = August
Îlon = September
Çirîya Pêshîn = October
Cotmeh = October
Çirîya Pashîn = November
Mijdar = November
Çileyê Pêshîn = December
don’t ask me why there are two Octobers and two Novembers.
the other angels fan
by Eyebrows on Oct 21, 2008 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Octobers
the other angels fan
by Eyebrows on Oct 21, 2008 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
But you didn't.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
by Llewdor on Oct 22, 2008 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Running the series a million times
It would be interesting to simulate this out in Diamond Mind of MLB 2k8….
Difficult to simulate it exactly though, as we won’t really know exact starting rotations and stuff like that.
by batura on Oct 21, 2008 11:20 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'd rather see it in Power Pros.
That’s a single to right. UPTON! With an RBI single! THE RAYS! Score the first run of the game!
by Two Rs and Two Ls on Oct 21, 2008 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Those pronunciations are on purpose, correct?
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Turning off the announcer is the first thing I do when playing Power Pros
Signed in just to applaud this comment.
by Spoomeister on Oct 21, 2008 1:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
So do you think the Phillies will collapse once Gillick leaves?
JI/Robert '08!
by Fin on Oct 21, 2008 12:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
For once, he didn't make any big splashes.
The only one I remember that could have gone bad was the Cupcakes deal, and they didn’t really give up too much for him.
I’d say that Philly might break that string.
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry, bad term.
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
They gave up two of their top four prospects for him.
(BP rankings)
by Teej on Oct 21, 2008 12:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That was really their best prospects?
Wow. Everything I had heard was that they were OK talent, not anything that high.
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 12:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, they didn't have much to begin with, it looks like.
Kevin Goldstein had them ranked Nos. 3 and 4, with both of them as three-star prospects.
Dave Cameron is high on Cardenas. Or at least he was at the time of the trade.
Other than that, though, I don’t know much.
by Teej on Oct 21, 2008 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey look the first W. S. since the Astros got their asses handed to them.
A one game W. S.! Go Jamie!! And those other 8 guys behind you!
"Sorry I hit you in the helmet Hank, I meant to hit you in the neck." Stan Williams to Hank Aaron.
by dpseadv on Oct 21, 2008 12:14 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I predict that pitching, defense and offense will be key in this series.
by eponymous_coward on Oct 21, 2008 12:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
In some as yet indeterminate order
by Jeff Sullivan on Oct 21, 2008 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well, pitching and defense win championships
so offense is obviously third. So now it’s just a matter of determining which intangible is more tangible.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
A loud home crowd or clubhouse chemistry?
the other angels fan
by Eyebrows on Oct 21, 2008 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'd have to go with clubhouse chemistry, myself
but the loud home crowd might be pretty significant too.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not the most important factors
Loud home crowd < championship tradition < veteran presence < playoff experience < clubhouse chemistry < scrappy white guys with dirt on their unis <<<<<< playing the game the right way.
by PDXTai on Oct 21, 2008 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Needs more clutchiness
I predict the team that scores the most runs in the first game will have a good chance to win that game. If that’s not going too far.
I also think that if one team gets ahead 2-0 or 3-1 or even 3-0 in games, the other team will have a difficult time coming back, unless they’re really, really clutch.
I predict that the adjective “surprising” will be used to describe the Rays no less than 3 × 10^8 times.
by PDXTai on Oct 21, 2008 1:58 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Don't forget the phrase "out of nowhere"
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Scientific fact:
(minimum number of times 2008 Rays described as surprising ) >= (speed of light in meters/second)
I think Einstein was the first to theorize this. I also predict the announcing crew abuses both postseason statistics and pitcher-hitter matchup statistics at least 6.02 × 10^23 times during the series.
by FlaskInSafeco on Oct 21, 2008 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am just realizing that the odds are very good that a reliever
Will be pitching when the World Series ends.
by Sec 108 on Oct 21, 2008 3:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Nostradamus predicts:
At some point, a clubhouse trainer will come on to the field to examine a player.
by Paytheline on Oct 21, 2008 3:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Nostradamus predicts:
At some point, a manager from one of the two teams will make an on-field decision described by the announcers as “unpredictable” that is, in fact, completely predictable.
J.P. Howell kindly requests that you please Bach the fuck up.
by esoteric on Oct 21, 2008 3:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
I'm reasonably sure that over the course of the series
Tim McCarver will say something asinine.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
by pdb on Oct 21, 2008 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nonsense!
"It's reassuring to know that in your life, you can have no more than 32 root canals."
-T. McCarver
by Big Jared on Oct 21, 2008 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good lord, this is a real book?
You’ve got to be fucking joking me.
by Double06 on Oct 21, 2008 6:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I predict that no less than 36 innings of baseball will be played
by Nick S on Oct 21, 2008 5:47 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
You could have 35, with half-innings and a sweep.
It's hard to convince people to let you eat them if you're an asshole. - Thingray
by Faux on Oct 21, 2008 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s why it’s a prediction, duh.
by MrIncognito on Oct 21, 2008 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fail.
19 innings: 4.5 innings each in TB and 5 innings each in Philly (TB sweep).
Although I have no idea how a domed stadium can have a rainout…
This signature space for rent.
by PositivePaul on Oct 22, 2008 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
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