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This Day in Baseball World Series Starts Tonight - Finally!!
The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays will face the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game One of the World Series tonight.  First pitch is expected to fly just after 8:00 p.m. at Tropicana Field.

Both teams will stick with the same rosters from the League Championship Series.  That means former Jay Eric Hinske will not be taking part in the big dance.  However, there are still Toronto connections on the Rays roster in outfielder Gabe Gross, lefty reliever Trever Miller and bench coach Dave Martinez.  The former Jays on the Phillies roster are  outfielder Jayson Werth, southpaw reliever Scott Eyre and the man who won Game 4 of the NLCS with his mammoth two-run homer, Canadian Matt Stairs.

Two lefties are on the mound tonight as Cole Hamels goes for Philly while Scott Kazmir goes for Tampa.  I hope this series goes at least six games but I wouldn't be surprised if the Rays wrap it up in five.

 

Posted by #2JBrumfield on Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 02:22 PM EDT.
World Series Starts Tonight - Finally!! | 11 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Jdog - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 03:28 PM EDT (#193508) #

All I know is I am pissed if I am Eric Hinske and help the team get into the playoffs, and then get the shaft.

Go Phillies

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Chuck - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 04:02 PM EDT (#193509) #

All I know is I am pissed if I am Eric Hinske and help the team get into the playoffs, and then get the shaft.

Gross has been pretty bad in these playoffs. 1 for 16 against Chicago and Boston and some pretty shakey play in the outfield, especially on throws (curiously, often right on the heels of Buck Martinez talking up his arm).

Hinske had a second half swoon (OPS split 873/676) and maybe Maddon is concerned that the magical pixie dust has worn off.

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greenfrog - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 04:36 PM EDT (#193510) #
Off-topic but the M's just named Jack Zduriencik as their GM. Which means Tony LaCava is still in the Jays' front office (good news for Jays fans, presumably). It does seem as though LaCava will get another shot at a GM position--whether it's with the Jays or some other organization remains to be seen.

http://rotoworld.com/content/home_MLB.aspx
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Mike Green - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 04:55 PM EDT (#193511) #
Gross' throws have been uncharacteristically poor, and he looks like he's running through mud.  I wonder if he is hurt (some kind of leg injury?).  There has been no reports, but it's easy to imagine why there might not be at this time of year. 
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#2JBrumfield - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 05:37 PM EDT (#193512) #

I thought Gross' throw to cut down the tying run in Game 5 was the worst I'd seen in a playoff game since Barry Bonds trying to throw out "hop-a-long" Sid Bream in the '92 NLCS.  Come to think of it, Candy Maldonado's airmail throw in Game 6 of the '92 World Series wasn't a thing of beauty either.

It's too bad Hinske is not playing.  Oh well, at least he got one AB with Boston in last year's World Series even though it was a strikeout.

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Mick Doherty - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 05:41 PM EDT (#193513) #
Is Hinske going to be this generation's (less talented, sorry) Don Baylor? He went to three straight World Series with three different teams (BOS, MIN, OAK in 1986-87-88). Who does Hinske carry to the Fall Classic in 2009?
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92-93 - Wednesday, October 22 2008 @ 10:46 PM EDT (#193517) #
Who are the announcers on the Sportsnet feed?
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jgadfly - Thursday, October 23 2008 @ 12:31 AM EDT (#193518) #
whither Francisco Rosario ? ... September 1st placed on the 60 day DL from the 15 day DL  ... October 1st released ? ... I didn't know they could do that ... 
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Thomas - Thursday, October 23 2008 @ 01:44 AM EDT (#193519) #
Canada gets the international feed, so we're spared having to listen to Tim McCarver and Joe Buck. So, on Sportsnet we get to listen to Rick Sutcliffe and, I believe, Dave O'Brien. Not necessarily much better, but it's better.

Apparently, Red Sox fans have been complaining all postseason along about the TBS coverage being slanted anti-Boston. This isn't something I've noticed at all, so did anyone else feel this way or is this possibly a case of fans being hyper-sensitive to the coverage of their own team?

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92-93 - Thursday, October 23 2008 @ 05:30 AM EDT (#193522) #
"So, on Sportsnet we get to listen to Rick Sutcliffe and, I believe, Dave O'Brien."

Ah, that would be why he kept calling him O-B.
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Chuck - Thursday, October 23 2008 @ 08:11 AM EDT (#193523) #

Why did Maddon not pinch-hit for Bartlett down 3-2 in the 8th? Bartlett's OPS was 597 (career 647) vs RHP. It seems silly to let Floyd rot on the bench in that scenario (and if Floyd were to invite Romero, Baldelli could be used).

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