Barry, this reminded me a lot of pulling Hamels verses the Nats in the final RFK game. Manuel either 1) doesn't trust his starters or any of his pitchers for that matter and would rather keep trying until he gets it perfect than let them work themselves out or 2) he would rather save arm strength and effectively pitch by committee.

Pinella is excusable, Manuel is not. I was flabbergasted to hear the FOX heads babbling about him for manager of the year, he's a terrible manager in my opinion. I think Manny Acta could have done so much better for these Phils, because he seems to have a very good sense for when a pitcher really has nothing and when he just has to settle down and go. Manuel seems to be guessing.

Looked at one way, Manuel's chief sin is that he doesn't have a Marmol. Not even close. (No, not Gordon or Myers.)

Another perspective: Good guessing beats good tactics in a short series.

Of course, having neither good guessing or good tactics puts two strikes against you, as it were. Having a deep rotation (Boston) or a deep bullpen (Arizona) helps, if guessing and luck work in your favor.

That said, the Phillies look cooked. I'm not willing to write off the Cubs quite yet, but I wouldn't bet the car payment on them.

Next question: would you pull Lyon for Valverde with a four-run lead?

Are you that desperate to nail it down?

Ah, to pull or not to pull, that is the question. Alas, poor Willie, I knew him well.

If Randolph pulls Maine, for a PH, in the 5th at RFK on September 18, we're not having this conversation.

Thanks for continuing to post to the Nats Journal during the playoffs. I'm really enjoy the coverage!

As usual, I'll leave the armchair manager stuff to others.

Like Nats Fan, I'm enjoying the (Playoffs Journal? Postseason Journal?) coverage, too. Loved Sheinin's Geographic Twister description.

Gooooooooo Lower Payroll Teams (LPTs)!!

Boswell's article on the Rox was great (of course). My favorite sentence: "Some sport-addled math professor somewhere is going to crunch the numbers on that and she'll nearly run out of decimal points in computing the odds."

I haven't been able to follow the games closely this week, so I can't speak very intelligently about what happened. But I'm loving all this attention from Barry, Dave, and now Cameron. Loving all the playoff tidbits. Can't thank you guys enough.

"Some sport-addled math professor somewhere is going to crunch the numbers on that and she'll nearly run out of decimal points in computing the odds."

I'd like to see the odds that there actually exists any math professor anywhere who is also sport-addled and happens to be a she. Might be even lower than the odds of the Rockies doing what they're doing.

Dear Dave Sheinan, Nice article on the Indians but as far as suffering goes, I'd argue that Washington fans have suffered more and longer and are maybe 2nd to the Cubs. We haven't been to the World Series since the 30's and didn't have a team for 30+ years. Anyway, I'd be interested in your ranking of teams who have suffered most. Where's Washington on that list? By the way, what you wrote below is what prompted this: "Cleveland, on the other hand, is woefully underappreciated as a hard-luck baseball town, eclipsed by the sheer romance of the Chicago Cubs' famed futility. They are plagued by no known curses or ghosts, but the Indians' last World Series title was in 1948, and only the Cubs have suffered longer."

D-Back's - Rockies. Tribe - Sox. Tribe takes all.

Fixed my abundant errors about 2-0 deficits in five-game series. My apologies.

The 2-3 format was used for the first couple of years of the Division Series because there wasn't room in the schedule for a travel day between games 4 and 5. But nobody thought that was fair so they changed it, even without the travel day.

When the LCS was best-of-5, it was also a 2-3 format. But the "home-field advantage" simply alternated each year between East and West, since there were only the two divisions and no wild card.

OK, I disagreed w/ Pinella's move but think it's insane to make a big deal out of it. Marmol is an animal, maybe the most likely guy on the Cubs staff to get you 3-6 outs. He failed for once, it happens. Kudos to Sheinen for pointing out the Melvin did almost exactly the same thing and NO ONE criticized him because they won. And Webb is much more of an ace than Z this year and the reliever he put in is less a stud than Marmol. Melvin's move was much more questionable but he got away with it. I don't mind second guessing but not when it's driven primarily by the results as opposed to the logic at the time of the move. If that makes any sense.

It's OK, Cubs will come back anyway, Hill will go 7 tomorrow and Marmol will pitch the 8th and give up no runs, Dempster will pitch 9th but not get the save because the Cubs will have a big lead.

Love the play off coverage in the NJ!! This means we will only go three months w/o it until pitchers/catchers report, which is always my favorite day of the year!

Phillies are done.

Dear WaPo Sports Editor(s):

Why the heck is Sheinin leaving Cleveland to go to Boston and Svrluga is heading to Cleveland? Why not just have Svrluga go to Boston?? I promise he can be unbiased ;-)

Sounds like some wasted money that could be spent on a real baseball columnist since Boswell is apparently in retirement.

Hey Barry, maybe you're not the only one to screw this up, the Tribune has this to say:

"Only three teams have bounced back from 0-2 deficits to win a division series-the New York Yankees over Oakland in 2001, Boston over Oakland in '03, and Seattle over the Yankees in '95."

It sounded yesterday as though Sheinin was starving to death in Cleveland. To be sure, that's no reason to punish Svrluga, but I don't make these decisions.

What I'm curious about is who will be where out West this weekend. I know Barry posted this somewhere; I'm kicking myself for not saving a link to it then.

Also, will we be graced with an appearance from the talented Ms. Shipley anytime this month?

From Barry's "Magical Mystery Tour" post:

"Denver on Saturday for Game 3 Rocks-Phils. Either Denver again on Sunday, or (more likely) Anaheim for Game 3 of Red Sox-Angels, then remaining in Anaheim for Game 4 of that series. If there's a Game 5 in Cubs-Diamondbacks on Tuesday, I'll be in Phoenix for that. And if there's a Game 5 in Yanks-Tribe, I'll be in Cleveland for that one."

The Post website should post the "Probable Scribes" along with their records in postseason analysis and where they are going for dinner that night.

According to the announcers yesterday, the Yankees over the A's in 2001 was the only time in a 5-game series that a team came back after losing the first two games of the series at home. Good luck Phillies. You've got your work cut out for you.

Hah, good one, Hendo!

Seeing as how we're coming up with fave quotes, I liked Barry's take on the boo, Philadelphia-style, in his gamer. Phew, that was some phine phrasing.

---

The Post website should post the "Probable Scribes" along with their records in postseason analysis and where they are going for dinner that night.

The Srvluga lead in the version of the Post I get was fantastic! One of the best and funniest and most on target I've read in a long time. I shared it with a Phillies fan and he said "I grew up hearing that sound!"

"Only three teams have bounced back from 0-2 deficits to win a division series"

The other ones were league championship series (not division series), so technically the Tribune was correct.

And include me as one who is overjoyed to have NJ continue during the playoffs (although I wish the Nats were involved).

Perhaps the reason the Phills are tanking is because they ran out of gas after the Nats played them tough the last two weeks of the season?

e, the LCS were 5 games series?

I believe that from 69-84 the LCS were best of 5. Then from 85-93 the LCS was bumped to a best of 7.

The Division Series began with the advent of the wildcard in 95. These are best of 5.

Just read that the Rockies players voted to give the wife of their minor-league coach (who was killed when a foul ball hit him) a full share of their playoff earnings. Here's a link to the story:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3049388

Now I have another reason to root for these guys. Go Rocks!!

e, yes, the link was posted in a game thread yesterday. Another reason to root for the Rocks, as you say. Gooooooooo Rocks!!

A bit of Rox intrigue:

"PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Rockies manager Clint Hurdle downplayed video that showed closer Manny Corpas pouring liquid on his body in the bullpen before pitching against Philadelphia in Game 1 of their NL playoff series.

Corpas was caught by TBS cameras on Wednesday taking a sip of a liquid out of a cup, then pouring some down the back of his neck and all over the front of his jersey. Corpas, who earned the save in Colorado's 4-2 win, patted his chest and rubbed his fingers before throwing a pitch.

"I still haven't looked at the tape so I still don't know what happened," Hurdle said Thursday before Game 2. "Until I get further direction from somebody else, I think we'll handle it internally."

Because the Rockies wear black road jerseys, any wet spots would have been difficult to detect. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he had nothing to say about Corpas' actions."

The stuff couldn't have been too suspicious if he was drinking it.

It's not the suspiciousness of the liquid, it's the fact that it was there at all. The article is implying that he could have potentially used the liquid, even if it's water, to load up the ball. Rules prohibit pitchers from going to their mouths with their hands unless it's specifically allowed by the umpire that game for weather conditions (e.g. sometimes they allow them to blow on their hands when it's cold). A wet spot on a black shirt would provide a way for him to throw a spitter without going to his mouth. What they need to do is review the tapes to scan his actions while he was pitching. Was he touching his shirt with his throwing hand in between pitches?

Right, MKevin. And that story does say he was going to his shirt before each pitch. And the liquid could theoretically have been something sticky, like a sports drink, or even orange juice (although I tend to think it was water).

"I'd like to see the odds that there actually exists any math professor anywhere who is also sport-addled and happens to be a she. Might be even lower than the odds of the Rockies doing what they're doing."

Good one, 419. A girl who's good at math AND likes sports? Hee hee! What are the odds of either, let alone both? Silly Boz...

easy fella

"A wet spot on a black shirt would provide a way for him to throw a spitter without going to his mouth."

Water ain't the same thing as spit. Spit is a viscous liquid that will cling to the ball and affect its flight. Water will cling and affect the flight too, but not nearly as much. And if they wanted to make it illegal for a pitcher to pitch with a wet shirt or a wet hand or after touching a wet shirt with his hand before pitching, then they'd have to suspend any game as soon as it starts to rain. Or for that matter, any time the pitcher has worked up a good sweat.

It was pretty warm that afternoon in Philly, wasn't it? Most likely Corpas was just pouring water on himself to cool down. Now if it was something other than water, like soda or Gatorade or such, then there might have been reason for suspicion. But generic wetness? I don't think so.

"

"'I'd like to see the odds that there actually exists any math professor anywhere who is also sport-addled and happens to be a she. Might be even lower than the odds of the Rockies doing what they're doing.'

"Good one, 419. A girl who's good at math AND likes sports? Hee hee! What are the odds of either, let alone both? Silly Boz..."

Stop, stop, you all are cracking me up! Next you're going to tell me she can't cook and doesn't like ironing my shirts!!!

;)

Barry, or others, can you tell me if the Nats yet have a tentative schedule of games for 2008 available - I know there is a lot of discussion around when the opening will be, and perhaps that is delaying it. Last year the draft schedule for 2007 was out at the end of September.

This gal's hat is off to you, joebleux and Sect. 506.

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Good one, 419. A girl who's good at math AND likes sports? Hee hee! What are the odds of either, let alone both? Silly Boz...

Stop, stop, you all are cracking me up! Next you're going to tell me she can't cook and doesn't like ironing my shirts!!!

Re. Corpas, I saw a story, I believe that it was on the Rockies site, where he said that it was water and that he poured it over himself to cool down, as Sect. 419 posits.

Here's the Corpas item:

http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071004&content_id=2249494&vkey=news_col&fext=.jsp&c_id=col

"Good one, 419. A girl who's good at math AND likes sports? Hee hee! What are the odds of either, let alone both? Silly Boz..."

Well, there's a big difference between being "good at math" and being a "math professor". I'm good at math, or at least I was when I was in college, and one of my housemates then was a math major who eventually ended up in the math professor world himself. And I had class with a good few math professors, as well. Those guys (and they were practically all guys) live in their own world. A world in which I, being "good at math" as I was, didn't recognize or comprehend ANYTHING. And as near as I could tell, there weren't many sports in that math professor world, either. Although among those that were there, baseball would probably rank higher than others, due to all the numbers and statistics involved in it.

So I would submit again that a female professor of math who likes baseball would be a very rare thing to find. I suspect that Boswell used the pronoun "she" there as an attempt at inclusion or political correctness, without really thinking about what he was writing. Lately, it seems he does that a lot. Not thinking about what he's writing, that is.

"I suspect that Boswell used the pronoun "she" there as an attempt at inclusion or political correctness, without really thinking about what he was writing. Lately, it seems he does that a lot. Not thinking about what he's writing, that is."

Oh good, as long as he's not being inclusive. This is our good old boys club and we want to keep it that way, except for Alyssa Milano, of course.

I'll partially agree with you, 419 -- I don't think Boz put a whole lot of thought into the notion that the math professor/sports fan/woman combination is so absurd as to preclude its use.

Public service announcement for those (like me) who don't have cable tv and want to see some of the playoffs. Click on the TBS Hot Corner links on the site of a given playoff team to view the game via cameras with a dugout or a batter/pitcher perspective. There's also a studio cam link. That cam, however, does not give you the play-by-play for the game but rather various general playoff-related interviews/commentaries. If you select the mosaic view you get all of the above, and the studio cam occasionally has replays with a broader view of the field. Combine with audio from the local radio station covering the playoffs (Triple X ESPN) and it's not too shabby!

Nor do I.

---

I'll partially agree with you, 419 -- I don't think Boz put a whole lot of thought into the notion that the math professor/sports fan/woman combination is so absurd as to preclude its use.

Any woman with a math degree who's smart enough to be a baseball fan is too smart to waste away somewhere on a professor's salary.

So there is an article on mlb.com about the Phillies being "captivated" by the tiebreaker game between the Padres and the Rockies (i.e., the game that would reveal which team the Phightin' Phils would face in the playoffs two days later).

As evidence of the level of captivation, however, the article points to the following quotes:

Greg Dobbs: "I went to bed thinking it could be anybody."

Brett Myers: "It was the only thing on tv, besides football."

That's right, Dobbs was so captivated that he went to sleep, and Myers would have been watching "Cops" if it had been on.

No wonder the Phils are Phailing.

OK, I wasn't going to bust Boz on a cheap mistake in an otherwise decent column, but since you brought it up -- she'd run out of decimal PLACES, maybe (though I'm not sure what that means, really). She'd only need one decimal POINT, no matter how long the odds.

Innumerate or illiterate? you decide.

----------------
"Some sport-addled math professor somewhere is going to crunch the numbers on that and she'll nearly run out of decimal points in computing the odds." [-Boswell]
Posted by: NatsNut | October 5, 2007 07:23 AM

Clearly, they just don't whine about it enough.
-----------
"Cleveland, on the other hand, is woefully underappreciated as a hard-luck baseball town, eclipsed by the sheer romance of the Chicago Cubs' famed futility. They are plagued by no known curses or ghosts, but the Indians' last World Series title was in 1948, and only the Cubs have suffered longer."

Honestly, if the result was a Phillies loss, it was the right move.

For me, the playoffs are all about rooting against teams anymore. And this year, with nearly all of my least favorite teams still in the postseason, I definitely have a rooting interest.

-----

You weighed in on whether or not Piniella should have pulled Zambrano? What about Manuel with Kendrick -- who had given up more than four runs in just one of 20 starts (and even then, it was five)?

For what it is worth . . . I happen to work with several female professors who excel in Math and like baseball (all the best academics do, you know). And yes, Hendo, they (we) work for our meager wages despite spending more time in school preparing than physicians and lawyers!

Now, back to business. If it were me, I would have pulled Svrluga last night. You could see the gaffe coming right down the middle of the plate. It is late in the season, his writing arm is tired, and the travel schedule has been rough this week. I think the Cameron kid should have posted instead. Fortunately for Barry, it looks like he has a better chance of rebounding this morning than he did last night!

"If it were me, I would have pulled Svrluga last night."

Snark Rating: Double off the wall.

Pull Svrluga? Nonsense. He leads the league in complete games.

Svrluga has a great makeup and writes with a lot of heart. He's always going back over his at-bats looking for something that he can tweak to improve. Sometimes you have to preach and teach to him a bit but he picks up on things quickly. His potential is off the charts. He just needs to keep his head in the game and he'll be fine.

It's not the goat. It's not Bartman. The Cubs are cursed by Carlos Zambrano, a thug who hit his catcher, Michael Barrett, in the face on National TV. That wasn't enough to satisfy his bloodlust, so he smashed Barrett's face into a locker. The Cubs made Barrett get on TV the next day and say that he loved Zambrano. Then they punished him by trading him to San Diego (may we all be so punished!) and paid Zambrano $92 million. Barrett showed the world what a great catcher he is on the last play of the brilliant game against the Rockies by blocking the plate on Holliday's slide and tagging him out. Though it was unappreciated by the home plate ump, it was admired by fans everywhere. Zambrano has doomed the Cubs, who deserve to be doomed by making this goon the Face of the Franchise. And meanwhile, the Rockies prosper while giving their minor league coach's widow and children a full playoff share, after he was killed by that line drive.

The Cubs are also cursed by buying high-priced, big names and letting their farm fill with weeds.

You forgot to mention my cap-kicking buffoonery.

A compelling theory that becomes all the more convincing if it turns-out that Zambrano is 99 years old.
_____________
It's not the goat. It's not Bartman. The Cubs are cursed by Carlos Zambrano, a thug who hit his catcher, Michael Barrett, in the face on National TV. That wasn't enough to satisfy his bloodlust, so he smashed Barrett's face into a locker. The Cubs made Barrett get on TV the next day and say that he loved Zambrano. Then they punished him by trading him to San Diego (may we all be so punished!) and paid Zambrano $92 million. Barrett showed the world what a great catcher he is on the last play of the brilliant game against the Rockies by blocking the plate on Holliday's slide and tagging him out. Though it was unappreciated by the home plate ump, it was admired by fans everywhere. Zambrano has doomed the Cubs, who deserve to be doomed by making this goon the Face of the Franchise. And meanwhile, the Rockies prosper while giving their minor league coach's widow and children a full playoff share, after he was killed by that line drive.

Posted by: God's in His Heaven and All's Right With the World | October 5, 2007 04:11 PM

New Barry post up. If it's Friday, it must be Cleveland.