The Catch All Wild Card Thread!

[skippy1999]

At least catamarans don't capsize. Much.

haha true story-after we snorkel they break out the booze and we have lunch and cocktails and I'm thinking this is really awesome...then I notice the captain guy barking out orders to the two cute girls he had helping him and he makes them take the wheel and he goes below deck and I say to my son "I think our boat is broken" he says nahhhhh... and then the captain come up and radios one of his engines has gone out and he can't pull up on the beach to drop us off so they had to send those tiny zodiac things to transport like 5 us at a time while getting beat to hell and back in the surf en route to the beach and I was seriously so happy for those cocktails because I didn't even panic

[spidernat]

At least catamarans don't capsize. Much.

Have you forgotten the history with skippy and water? skippy sunk in water = Nats victories. She needs to go on a 3 hour tour and get lost at sea to secure a trip to the world series.

[dcpatti]

Buck is looking mighty annoyed with these reporters in the post-game pressed. I mean, more annoyed than Buck usually looks.

[skippy1999]

Have you forgotten the history with skippy and water? skippy sunk in water = Nats victories. She needs to go on a 3 hour tour and get lost at sea to secure a trip to the world series.

hahaha that seriously made me lol but no, I'm not getting in a boat for a loooooong time.

[whytev]

Yeah, but everyone else would have used him in the 9th.  Would that have changed anything?

He's gone two innings before.

[skippy1999]

Buck is looking mighty annoyed with these reporters in the post-game pressed. I mean, more annoyed than Buck usually looks.

He's going to hear this all off season, how could he not use him????

[whytev]

He's going to hear this all off season, how could he not use him????

He'll be too busy looking for a new job to worry about it.

[skippy1999]

He'll be too busy looking for a new job to worry about it.

you think they'll fire him over this???

[whytev]

you think they'll fire him over this???

If they don't I can't see why not.

[nfotiu]

Maybe, maybe not but we know what this outcome produced. You have to at least use your best players to see what could happen. This way they went home with their best player fresh and ready to pitch. You never know, extend the game and maybe your team scores a couple of runs.

I don't know why having the satisfaction of using your best players is more important than giving your team a better chance to win.   If he used him in the 9th or the 1tth and he shut them down, but then some middle inning schmuck blew the lead in the 14th, I'd say why use your best player in a situation where he could win the game for you.   I'd argue all day that it is always the right move to keep your best reliever available to save an EI game on the road.  I think the math would probably back it up, but would be willing to listen otherwise.

[whytev]

I don't know why having the satisfaction of using your best players is more important than giving your team a better chance to win.   If he used him in the 9th or the 1tth and he shut them down, but then some middle inning schmuck blew the lead in the 14th, I'd say why use your best player in a situation where he could win the game for you.   I'd argue all day that it is always the right move to keep your best reliever available to save an EI game on the road.  I think the math would probably back it up, but would be willing to listen otherwise.

Your strategy would have you sending out the middle inning schmuck to blow the game earlier.

[nfotiu]

Your strategy would have you sending out the middle inning schmuck to blow the game earlier.

Both teams are sending them out by that point.  After the 8th inning on the road, there are many innings where giving up a run is going to lose you a game.  Your only hope of winning is to get a shut down inning on an inning where you get a run.  If that inning never comes, you aren't going to win anyway.   The advantage of being the home team is that you don't have to worry about getting a save after the 9th.  The only advantage the visiting team has is that they'll know which inning their closer can win the game for them rather than just extend it.  To give up that advantage is bad managing.

[nfotiu]

Surely someone has done the math on it.  I'd guess the saving your closer for the save in EI on the road is the higher win probability and that is why it is a more standard decision.  In a must win game, I"d go with the higher win probability vs the mantra of "if you're going to lose, make sure you lose with your best players on the field".

[KnorrForYourMoney]

nfotiu and Showalter are the contestants in Survivor that get voted off and go home with an immunity idol in their pockets.

You mean like John "I can't ride the subway" Rocker?

[slhubic]

Exactly.  Though everyone became a Jays fan in the '92 and '93 WS.

not exactly so, I was always 'expos' first, and the Jays were my second favorite--especially as they were easier to actually watch.

[whytev]

not exactly so, I was always 'expos' first, and the Jays were my second favorite--especially as they were easier to actually watch.

He meant just for the series.

[OldChelsea]

Angelos' team loses...done for the year...music to my ears.

...and now the Mets going down on a late homer so the NY media market doesn't figure anymore...keep it up....

[JCA-CrystalCity]

@granthpaulsen: Second attempt at punchline: Matt Williams on Buck Showalter's decision not to use the sport's best reliever tonight: "Sound strategy."

proves Britton deserves the Cy Young.  Orioles can't win without him.

[houston-nat]

That's what that reminds me of, Matt Williams not using our good relievers in an elimination game.

We all could have debated how you use Britton in that game. But everyone on earth knows you USE BRITTON.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Yeah, but everyone else would have used him in the 9th.  Would that have changed anything?

On the road, if you are in a save situation late, one run does not lose the game.  If you are in a tie on the road, 9th or later, one run does lose the game. Which is higher leverage?

The 9th isn't automatically the closer's on the road in a tie in a must win game - if you have other shut down pitchers, maybe you hold back, and maybe you wait to get him up until there are runners on so you don't keep warming up a closer and not get him into the game - but I think you use the closer before you put in the long, desperation man.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Surely someone has done the math on it.  I'd guess the saving your closer for the save in EI on the road is the higher win probability and that is why it is a more standard decision.  In a must win game, I"d go with the higher win probability vs the mantra of "if you're going to lose, make sure you lose with your best players on the field".

I'm sorry, but the math is wrong here.  Maybe there's more to managing than the math, but again, what  does one run against you do when you have a lead on the road v. when it is tied.  also, you may never get to a closing situation in extras if your team scores 4 or more runs.  Even if your team scores 3 runs, and technically it is a save situation, it isn't much of a special skill for an average reliever to get through an inning without giving up 3 runs. You don't need your best pitcher to do that.  This is why the nerd /number guys always say don't hold the closer back.  Math isn't going to be your friend here. Like I said, there humanity and psyche here in play, so there's more to the conventional wisdom than the numbers guys give credit to, but numbers are completely against you and Buck here.

[imref]

I'd argue you pitch your best pitcher against their best hitters. Why wait for a save opportunity when it could come against their 7-8-9 hitters?

[spidernat]

Seeing the birds get walkoffed was glorious. Of course we probably get walkedoff in game 3 to get swept.

[Natsinpwc]

I'd argue you pitch your best pitcher against their best hitters. Why wait for a save opportunity when it could come against their 7-8-9 hitters?

That's why it would have made sense to put him in during the 11th. Or the 9th.

[BrandonK]

Buck is looking mighty annoyed with these reporters in the post-game pressed. I mean, more annoyed than Buck usually looks.

Overrated