A response to a friend:
1. Regarding what happened in the Cubs-Dodgers series, please go to sportstruths.com.
2. Regarding Buehrle’s “no-hitter,” let me ask you a question. Had Buehrle given up a homerun, but the batter missed first and was called out, would you consider this a real no-hitter, or a tainted one? If your answer is tainted, then I think it’s hypocritical to not consider his no-hitter tainted because the runner made just as big of a mistake costing the hit. You also say it can’t be compared to Zambrano’s. One of the reasons Buehrle has success is because he quick pitches everyone when no one is on base. I went to a game that he pitched, and the batters have no time to get set. It’s very unfair and a huge advantage, even if it’s legal. The batters can’t even take practice swings. If I was batting against him, after every pitch, I’d go to the on-deck circle, wipe the bat with the rag, use the resin bag, etc. I’d do this before every pitch until there was an agreement the batter gets time to get set. This has at least as big an effect as Houston being distracted did in Zambrano’s no-hitter.
3. You talk about the horrible call in the Twins series when Buehrle picked off the runner and he was called safe, which allowed the Twins to score. I agree. However, it’s funny you did not mention what happened in the top of that inning. Thome struck out on an obvious strike, and Harrelson or Farmer said it was an obvious strike and that Thome knew it because of the way he looked at the umpire. Despite the batter and the biased Sox announcers saying it was an obvious strike three, it was called a ball, Thome doubled, and scored. I also notice there was no mention of Dye being slammed in the back on a tag at first after a wild throw in the playoffs, and being called safe. At least 2 of the other 3 infield umpires had to have a clear view of this, and no one overruled this terrible call.
4. The Sox got into the playoffs on a coin flip. The day prior to the play-in game, announcers on ESPN were saying how ridiculous it is to determine homefield on a coin flip, as it should be determined based on head-to-head, which the Twins won 10-8. These were national, unbiased announcers. I have always been a firm believer in total fairness in sports, so if it was up to me, I would play this game at a neutral site and the home team would be the one who won head-to-head. If head-to-head is tied, next is division record, then league record. Similar to the NFL. I know baseball would never play the game in a neutral site, which is the most fair way, so at least use results to determine this, not a coin flip. You know the Sox lose if the game is in Minnesota. As a matter of fact, the Sox lose this game if the Twins, who had 2 hits all day, squeeze in the 5th inning, instead of not scoring the runner from third.
5. Sure, the bears “beat” the Eagles. I was there. Did Olsen catch the first touchdown pass with 2 feet in bounds? I heard that before Hester’s TD at the end of the first half, the bears were stopped on a Forte run, leaving them a fourth-down play, but a horrible spot gave them the first down. At the end of the game, I was telling people that the Eagles were inside the 5 and were handing the ball to a running back starting from the 10. How stupid. And, on fourth and a foot, I told everyone you have a 6′ 2″, 240-lb. QB, and you have to sneak. Even Dusty Dvoracek, bears DL, said they thought he would sneak. The bear announcers said after the game the Eagle line got a big push up the middle, so the sneak would almost definitely have worked. Instead, they give it to the running back at the 10, which gives the defensive end time to come around and make the tackle. This was the Eagles’ first game without Westbrook, just as the Bucs played without Joey Galloway, the Panthers without Steve Smith, and the Colts with Manning having had no preseason and a rebuilt offensive line playing their first game.
6. I have no problem with the Packers losing to Tampa Bay, especially when it was obvious to all they would have easily won with Favre and on a day Favre threw for 6 TDs to have the highest QB ranking in the NFL. I have no problem with them losing today to Atlanta, either. I hope the entire world sees how stupid Ted Thompson was. He cost them last year by not signing Moss, and he cost them this year by not signing Favre.
7. Let’s return to my theme of the Sox being extremely lucky. Not only did they get into the playoffs due to a coin flip, which is 100% luck, but in the Detroit game, Garcia had a 2-hitter and a 2-1 lead in the 6th and a man on first due to a walk, when he got hurt. The relievers came in, walked 3 more, threw 3 wild pitches, and the Sox won. They got 5 runs in the 6th on one hit. In the season finale, Cliff Lee, who was 22-3, had a stiff neck and didn’t pitch. Amazing luck, or the Sox lose and are out of the playoffs. AND, let me quote from an article in the Wall Street Journal on Sept. 26 titled “Baseball’s Luckiest Team.” It mentioned two other teams, but had this to say: “The 2005 Chicago White Sox won 99 games and the World Series, instead of winning about 90 games and missing the playoffs, as their underlying numbers suggested.” Here we are, three years later, and national publications are still talking about how lucky the Sox were. And, they didn’t even mention the numerous horrible calls in each playoff series giving the Sox those series “wins.”