The Playoffs For A Real Sport Start Today...

[Lord Jim]

After 18 innings, six hours and 23 minutes, (the longest post season game in Major League history) the Giants finally win it, 2-1...

This has got to be very deflating for the Nationals...

Not just losing two at home and now facing elimination out here, which would be bad enough...

But the way they lost this game makes it even worse; just one out from victory and then battling for nine more innings, only to lose anyway...

Oh well, like I said, I won't be devastated if they lose, I'll be perfectly happy to root hard for the Giants the rest of the way, just as I have before...

I'd still like to see the Nats pull it out, but I wouldn't put any money on it...

I gotta hand it to the fans at the game though; they really hung in...

The game started at 5:40 their time and went on past midnight, and from the shots of the stands, very few bailed...

And they kept up the cheering energy level right up to the last swing of the bat....

[Lord Jim]

The game certainly had it's dramatic moments, but I have to admit that there were some stretches that were probably almost (but not quite) as boring as the most exciting cricket match ever played...

[MajGenl.Meade]

[Lord Jim]

Here's a new avatar for you Meade (to replace that disturbing photo that looks like you're about to murder a young boy ):

[wesw]

I try not to pay attention to the national league until the world series, but kudos to everyone for wearing out their pitching arms.

[Long Run]

I'd still like to see the Nats pull it out, but I wouldn't put any money on it...

Yes, that would be bum bet.

[Gob]

Russell Crowe is a happy man tonight.

South Sydney Rabbitohs win 2014 NRL grand final, defeating Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6

A crowd of 83,833 watched South Sydney score a bruising 30-6 win over Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.



The 20-time premiers, formed back in 1908 from a working-class background, had to wait 43 years long years or 15,723 days for their 21st title. Judging by the emotion, it was worth it. “We did it boys,” Sutton yelled as he raised the trophy in the air to chants of “Glory Glory to South Sydney.”

With co-owners Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court watching on, as well as recently reunited club saviour George Piggins, Souths players broke into jubilant scenes at full-time not seen for in the cardinal and myrtle for years. “I’m so proud. This is bigger than rugby league,” Souths coach Michael Maguire said.

“How good,” Burgess said afterwards. “What a year. It’s been a long time, let’s enjoy it.”

Yet their spirit and courage couldn’t be broken.

It was a rugged decider, as both teams ripped into each other mercilessly. That was never more evident than when departing Souths star Sam Burgess fractured his cheekbone in a vicious head clash with fellow Englishman James Graham. Bloodied, Burgess went on to play every minute and win the Clive Churchill Medal.



Burgess typified the Rabbitohs’ guts in shades of another club great — John Sattler — who played the 1970 grand final with a broken jaw. Fittingly, Burgess and Sattler both wore jumper number 13.

[Lord Jim]

Congrats to our O's fans...

A 2-1 win delivers a three game sweep over the Tigers...

[wesw]

watching interviews with the orioles I noticed what a nice group of guys they were. I was never a fan of leo Durocher anyway....

[Beer Sponge]

Russell Crowe is a happy man tonight.

South Sydney Rabbitohs win 2014 NRL grand final, defeating Canterbury Bulldogs 30-6

A crowd of 83,833 watched South Sydney score a bruising 30-6 win over Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.



The 20-time premiers, formed back in 1908 from a working-class background, had to wait 43 years long years or 15,723 days for their 21st title. Judging by the emotion, it was worth it. “We did it boys,” Sutton yelled as he raised the trophy in the air to chants of “Glory Glory to South Sydney.”

With co-owners Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a Court watching on, as well as recently reunited club saviour George Piggins, Souths players broke into jubilant scenes at full-time not seen for in the cardinal and myrtle for years. “I’m so proud. This is bigger than rugby league,” Souths coach Michael Maguire said.

“How good,” Burgess said afterwards. “What a year. It’s been a long time, let’s enjoy it.”

Yet their spirit and courage couldn’t be broken.

It was a rugged decider, as both teams ripped into each other mercilessly. That was never more evident than when departing Souths star Sam Burgess fractured his cheekbone in a vicious head clash with fellow Englishman James Graham. Bloodied, Burgess went on to play every minute and win the Clive Churchill Medal.



Burgess typified the Rabbitohs’ guts in shades of another club great — John Sattler — who played the 1970 grand final with a broken jaw. Fittingly, Burgess and Sattler both wore jumper number 13.

First post about a real sport in this thread! Thanks Gob!

[Lord Jim]

Gee, I always assumed that this was your idea of a real sport:

[MajGenl.Meade]

(Sorry Gob) but in other real sports news.... how 'bout dem Browns? Down 28-3 at the half and a second half surge to win 28-29 in the final minutes! And Spurs 1-0 and (going back a day or two), NZ eat our dust - Go Boks!

[oldr_n_wsr]

Gee, I always assumed that this was your idea of a real sport:

I ice fish once in a while.

[Big RR]

Frozen fish sticks or filets?

[oldr_n_wsr]

I always filet what I catch.
I dislike bones in my fish.

[Lord Jim]

Geez, another damn "pitcher's duel"... (not my favorite kind of game...)

Giants and Nats tied 0-0 after five...(this game is moving at warp speed at the moment; it's only about an hour old)

Between the nine innings of the opener, the 18 inning second game and the first five innings of this one, these two teams have scored a combined nine runs in in 32 innings...

[rubato]

Good news for Giants season ticket holders, they'll be able to scalp tickets for at least one more game!

The cheapest seats on StubHub were all over $100 each for today's game. (I was looking into buying tickets for a friend as a thank-you. Timing didna work out.)

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

[Lord Jim]

impressive statistic; in post-season play, the Giants are 73-1 when they've had a lead going into the eighth inning...

And that one loss was in 1911...

Make that 75-1....

Giants top Nationals 3-2, return to NLCS vs Cards

By JANIE McCAULEY
The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO —

Joe Panik scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on Aaron Barrett's bases-loaded wild pitch, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Washington Nationals 3-2 Tuesday night to return to the NL Championship Series.

The wild-card Giants won 3-1 in the best-of-five Division Series by also scoring on a walk and a groundout. Hunter Pence turned in a defensive gem in right field that helped to hold the Nationals at bay.

Santiago Casilla put the potential tying run aboard in the ninth on a two-out walk to Bryce Harper, then retired Wilson Ramos on a grounder to end it. Casilla was mobbed on the mound as fireworks shot off from the center-field scoreboard.

San Francisco travels to St. Louis for Game 1 on Saturday. It's a rematch of the 2012 NLCS, when the Giants rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Cardinals on the way to their second World Series championship in three years.

Oh well...



But let's also have a shout out to the Cardinals for eliminating the Dodgers...

Too bad that's going to be the end of the road for them...(again)

[Lord Jim]

Thus far in the playoffs, we've seen what my father would have called, "the cows killing the butchers"...

The two wild card teams, (the Giants and the Royals) who backed into the playoffs by winning a single do-or-die game, have now beaten the teams in their respective leagues that finished the season with the best records...

These were upsets, but they weren't the biggest upsets you can imagine; even though the Nationals and the Angels finished with the best records, they weren't exactly dominant teams who rolled over anyone in their path...

Neither of these teams even won a 100 games; the Angels finished with the best record in baseball, 98-64 and the Nationals were two games behind that at 96-66...

In fact you have to go back to 2011 to find a plus 100 game winner; The Phillies, 102-60...(and that didn't help them much; they were eliminated by the Cardinals in the first round)

Here's a great link to check out this kind of stuff:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/standings/#20110928

While there are still some teams that stink to high heaven year in and year out and couldn't beat an egg, (I'm lookin' at you Cleveland) once you get above that level, baseball in recent years seems to have reached a rough sort parity in terms of team quality. The "best" teams in the league now aren't that much better then the "good" teams. This is probably why there have been so many "upsets" in post season play in recent years.