PDA

View Full Version : Baseball's Best?



timvp
10-18-2004, 08:15 PM
This was a battle blog done about a week ago. I forgot to post it until now.

Enjoy




Who is baseball's best team?

Andy Soucier: In the MLB postseason, pitching and defense win games. The Red Sox have the best of both.

Three-fourths of the Boston infield have won a gold glove award. With a defense featuring Pokey, Doug, and Orlando, teams are less likely to use small ball to score runs. Damon is a good defensive outfielder and Kapler and Nixon are more than competent.

Scoring runs in the postseason is difficult because opponents are able to put the best pitchers in the league out on the field each day. Boston features a pair of co-aces unmatched by any other team. Schilling won over twenty games again, and Martinez is one of the best big-game pitchers of his era. Arroyo pitched very well on Friday, and the bullpen features a solid mix of experienced veteran setup men (Timlin and Embree) and closing power (Foulke).

Boston has the best pitching and defense, but the offense also helps them win games. With two 40 homer/100 RBI guys in Ramirez and Ortiz, the Sox have the offensive presence to rattle opposing pitchers. Damon is a speedster and he hits for some power and gets on base. Nixon, Mueller, and Millar have respectively hit 28 homers in a year, led the league in hitting, and provided great leadership. And when it comes to leadership, Varitek clearly is unequaled behind the plate.

With a quality mix of pitching, defense, and hitting, Boston is poised and ready to perform. No other team can match what Boston brings to the table.

Rasheeb Shrestha:There’s no doubt our nation’s eyes will be fixated on Yankees-Red Sox for the next week. One thing they won’t see is the best team in baseball. That’s because the alpha dog in 2004 resides in St. Louis.

Want to talk hitting? The foursome of Edmonds, Pujols, Rolen, and Walker are as good as any. What about base running? Pujols is the only regular who doesn’t qualify as above average. In comparison, the Red Sox, besides Damon and Cabrera, resemble a slow pitch softball team.

You say pitching and defense wins in the Post Season? The Red Sox are good at both, but the Cardinals are better. Yes, Boston has Schilling and Pedro, but those two are not what they used to be, and they simply cannot finish games anymore……which means the Bo Sox will have to rely on their enigmatic bullpen. This is not a problem in St. Louis. The Card’s pen has been arguably the best since the start of the season, as their sterling 3.01 ERA would indicate. Their starters may not be household names, but they are very consistent, and their team ERA ranked 2nd in the Majors.

Finally, you mention some good gloves that the Red Sox have. Unfortunately, those guys aren’t on the field all the time; and as long as names like Ramirez, Millar, Bellhorn, and Johnny Damon’s throwing arm are out there, there is no way they compare to St. Louis, who has 5 Gold Glovers playing every day.



Soucier:Not only does Boston have the front-line starters teams need to win in the playoffs, but the entire team also has extensive postseason experience. They have been there before and know how to win a playoff series.

We both agree that pitching and defense win in the playoffs. Schilling was co-mvp of a World Series. Martinez is often recognized as the best pitcher of his generation. Dominant individual starters like Beckett, Schilling, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens have been the difference makers in past postseasons. In addition, the Boston Bullpen includes veterans Timlin and Embree and one of the best closers in the league in Foulke.

The Cards have a weaker starting rotation than any champion of recent memory. In a big game, I'll take Clemens, Mussina, Martinez, or Schilling. Experience, pitching, defense, and timely hitting are the keys to winning. This season, no team has been better than Boston.


Shrestha:Front line starters, you say? Boston doesn’t have any right now. Schilling is clearly injured, and Pedro’s 3.90 ERA and lack of stamina proves he no longer can dominate.

As for a lack of big-time Cardinal starter, I seem to remember a certain team from Anaheim that defied the odds just two short seasons ago.

On to the bullpens….Foulke and Isringhausen are a wash, but it’s in middle relief where the Cardinals stand head and shoulders above Boston. The two guys you mentioned, Timlin and Embree, both had 4.13 ERAs this season. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ main set-up men have been brilliant: Kline (1.79), Tavarez (2.38), King (2.61), and Calero (2.78).

You did not address the defensive issues that Boston has. They lack sufficient range, and even when they do get to the ball, they ranked a disappointing 23rd in fielding percentage, as opposed to the Cardinals, who were 9th.

timvp
10-18-2004, 08:16 PM
Rasheeb Shrestha (Gooshie) was declared the winner by our panel of judges.

T Park
10-18-2004, 11:10 PM
Neither the Cardinals or the Red Sox are the best teams.

Red Sox ace and the Cardinals aces are hurt.

One team has pulled out two tough games, one team has choked two games in a row.

Kori Ellis
10-18-2004, 11:14 PM
This was written before the series' started.

IcemanCometh
10-18-2004, 11:15 PM
tpark's making excuses

T Park
10-18-2004, 11:16 PM
I am??

Can you show me the excuse that I typed o great one.

Brodels
10-30-2004, 08:51 AM
:)

I'll call scoreboard on this one.

The Red Sox pitching was great, Pedro and Schilling both pitched like front-line starters, Ortiz did get the job done, and the defense was very good except for two games.

I was robbed.