Still doesn't seem real, but here we go.

Discuss pitching matchups, roster/lineup decisions, Leyland/LaRussa, predictions, expert's picks and anything else WS related.

Let's go.


GAME 1: CARDINALS @ TIGERS SAT 7:30 PM
Sat, 10/21, 7:30 PM ET, FOX
GAME 2: CARDINALS @ TIGERS SUN 7:30 PM
Sun, 10/22, 7:30 PM ET, FOX
GAME 3: TIGERS @ CARDINALS TUE 8:00 PM
Tue, 10/24, 8:00 PM ET, FOX
GAME 4: TIGERS @ CARDINALS WED 8:00 PM
Wed, 10/25, 8:00 PM ET, FOX
*GAME 5: TIGERS @ CARDINALS THU 8:00 PM
Thu, 10/26, 8:00 PM ET, FOX
*GAME 6: CARDINALS @ TIGERS SAT 7:30 PM
Sat, 10/28, 7:30 PM ET, FOX
*GAME 7: CARDINALS @ TIGERS SUN 7:30 PM
Sun, 10/29, 7:30 PM ET, FOX

Before the playoffs, ESPN had 19 "baseball experts" make their picks. Not a single one of them had either of these teams even making it to the Series. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2610409

So with that said, here's what some of these same experts are saying now:

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1502/wszm5.jpg

Another opinion, this one local:
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061020/SPORTS08/610200424/1004


Dave Dye: Burning Questions, Tigers get edge on Cardinals
Layoff gives Leyland advantage with his pitching rotation

Burning questions on the matchups as the Tigers and Cardinals bring back memories of the 1968 World Series (Tigers listed first):

Q . OK, first up, the managers. Who has the edge?
A . You have to give the edge to Jim Leyland. He can do no wrong these days. Everything he touches turns to gold. He just better not shake his buddy Tony La Russa's hand too often. Advantage: Leyland.

Q . First base -- Sean Casey or Carlos Guillen vs. Albert Pujols?A . Pujols is as good as there is in baseball, but he needs to embrace the big stage and send out more positive vibes. His teammates feed off of him. Advantage: Nothing against Casey or Guillen, but this is "El Hombre" we're talking about.

Q . Second base -- Placido Polanco vs. Ronnie Belliard?
A . The Cardinals have been pleasantly surprised with Belliard's defense. He also has some pop in his bat at times. But there aren't too many guys I'd take over Polanco right now. He does all those little things that lead to championships. Advantage: Polanco.

Q . Third base -- Brandon Inge vs. Scott Rolen?
A . Inge has nine strikeouts in the playoffs, but still makes some amazing, hustling plays. Rolen has a bum shoulder and even got benched for a game in the National League Championship Series. Neither comes in at his best. Advantage: Rolen.

Q . Shortstop -- Guillen, Ramon Santiago or Neifi Perez vs. David Eckstein?
A . It depends on Casey's physical status as to who plays short for the Tigers. Leyland moved Guillen to first after Casey was hurt and went with Santiago's glove to finish the American League Championship Series.

Guillen made too many errors and doesn't have great range, but he's such an exceptionally smart, valuable player overall. Eckstein has been banged up, but he's normally the type you have to watch on a regular basis to fully appreciate. Advantage: Guillen if he's at short; otherwise, Eckstein because he gets things going at the top of the order.

Q . Left field -- Craig Monroe vs. the platoon of Scott Spiezio, Preston Wilson or possibly Chris Duncan?
A . Monroe got a lot of big hits, especially in the middle of the season. Spiezio is a proven clutch hitter in the postseason. Advantage: I'd call it about even. They're all capable of being an unsung hero if they come up in the right situation.

Q . Center field -- Curtis Granderson vs. Jim Edmonds?
A . Edmonds is a special player, especially defensively, but he hasn't been at full strength for a while because of injuries. Granderson is a good young player who really slumped in the second half of the season. He has come on impressively in the playoffs and has more walks (four) than strikeouts (three). During the season, he had 174 strikeouts and 66 walks. Advantage: Edmonds.

Q . Right field -- Magglio Ordonez vs. Juan Encarnacion?
A . Let's see, Ordonez hit the pennant-clinching home run for the Tigers while former Tiger Juan Encarnacion, hitting cleanup, was called on to sacrifice bunt in Game 5 of the NLCS. Advantage: Maggs.

Q . Catcher -- Pudge Rodriguez vs. Yadier Molina?
A . Pudge is "past and present," Molina is "present and future." Both are among the best defensively. Molina's quick release is uncanny. He didn't hit much during the season, but the fresh start in the playoffs apparently was good for him. Pudge must pick it up after hitting .172 in the playoffs. He's capable of bouncing back and being the Series MVP. Advantage: Pudge.

Q . Designated hitter -- Marcus Thames, Alexis Gomez or Omar Infante vs. Spiezio/Wilson/Duncan/etc.?
A . They'll use it in Detroit for games 1, 2, 6 and 7. The pitchers will hit for the middle three games in St. Louis. If Pujols' hamstring flares up severely, the Cardinals could decide to DH him. Advantage: Tough call. All these role players have had their moments to shine.

Q . Starting pitching -- Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson vs. Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver and Anthony Reyes?
A . Weaver's recent emergence closes the gap a little and gives the Cardinals some hope. But the Tigers staff has been too dominating -- the best in the majors. Advantage: Tigers.

Q . Bullpen -- Todd Jones, Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney vs. rookie closer Adam Wainwright and Co.?
A . Except for that Game 4 meltdown against the Mets, the Cardinals bullpen has been surprisingly effective this postseason. But, assuming Zumaya is healthy after missing part of the ALCS because of a wrist injury, the Tigers have the ability to shorten games while the Cardinals' relievers are still in the process of proving themselves. Advantage: Detroit.

Q . Any predictions?
A . The excessive layoff for the Tigers evens the playing field a little. The Cardinals only got one day to rest, but momentum is on their side. Getting pushed to a seventh game by the Mets, however, didn't help the St. Louis rotation for early in this series. This looks like the Tigers' year. Detroit in six .

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/playoffs/stldet

Tony Gwynn give the Cards the edge 3-2 in the categories, but picks the Tigers to win it all in seven.

Picking against the Tigers has worked for me so far... so Cardinals in 6. The Tigers won't be able to shake off the rust.

please let me be wrong

heres my official anti-cards vote... tigers in 5. GO TIGERS!!

Tiger pitching rotation revealed (http://freep.typepad.com/tigers_live/)

DETROIT -- The Tigers' pitching rotation for the World Series will be Justin Verlander for Game One, Kenny Rogers for Game Two, Nate Robertson for Game Three and Jeremy Bonderman for Game Four, manager Jim Leyland said Friday.

Leyland tweaked the rotation from the playoffs, when it was Robertson, Verlander, Rogers and Bonderman.

Leyland did not elaborate in great detail, but he did say the main reason for the switch is to allow Rogers possibly to pitch two games at home, Game Two and Game Six, if it is needed.

Leyland said the rotation would have been different if the New York Mets had been the opponent.

Verlander said he knew he would start the opening game if the Cardinals beat the Mets.

"When they won last night, I got pretty excited," he said. "Couldn't go to bed for a little while, thinking about it."

What time did he finally fall asleep?

"Two o'clock, 2:30. I went to bed, tried to sleep, but that didn't happen."

Verlander said if the Mets had won, he believes he would have started Game Three.

Before Leyland's announcement, Robertson said the four starters are flexible and their position in the rotation doesn't matter.

"Wherever he puts us, we understand," Robertson said.

Leyland also said reliever Joel Zumaya, whose wrist and forearm have been hurting, is ready to pitch. First baseman Sean Casey, who is nursing a sore calf, also is ready, and he could be the designated hitter Saturday night.

"I'm still thinking about it," Leyland said.

By BILL McGRAW

Interesting that he chose to put the two lefties back to back.

Well, I guess we can't question the man at this point.

Holy fucking shit. It's starting to sink in.

any official word on the health of Casey and Zumaya?

I am not so sure pitching Verlander in Game 1 is such a good idea.

With the way he has been pitching in the second half, I would much rather have him pitch in only one game (Game 4) of this series.

any official word on the health of Casey and Zumaya?

in the article you posted, it says they are fine :rolleyes:

in the article you posted, it says they are fine :rolleyes:

oh yeah. i was just making sure you were paying attention. [smilie=sad3.gif]

Welcome to the Middle America Series. The Cardinals had the 13th-highest Opening Day payroll. The Tigers ranked 14th. The Tigers' 19-31 finish to the regular season was the worst ever by a postseason qualifier in its final 50 games. The Cardinals' 22-28 record tied the 1976 Royals for the second-worst.

Yet here they are, baseball Gonzagas, conquerors of New York, strange-but-true entries in the 104th World Series.

If you don't watch, then don't complain.

The sport is delivering. It's our attention spans that need adjusting.
http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6081714

Verlander is for real. The way he pitched in Yankee Stadium was special. However, he does do better during the day games than the night ones, that is something to look out for.

Game 1 of the friggin' World Series is tonight in Detroit. I can't believe it, lol.

Anybody going? I think we just got tickets. Fuck yes.

Anybody going? I think we just got tickets. Fuck yes.

:eek:

nice! i'll most likely be downtown w/ some friends, but not in CoPa.

I just voted Tigers in 6 and it says Cards in 6 for me. Lol

(edit - fixed that)

Oldie but goodie: Todd Jones' ninth inning on Sunday night made him the second-oldest player in World Series history to record a save, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Jones was 38 years, five months and 29 days old at the time of Sunday's save. Former Orioles reliever Dick Hall was 41 years and 14 days old when he saved Game 2 of the 1971 World Series. The record goes back to 1969, when the save became an official statistic.

Thankful Tram: While discussing his new position as bench coach for the Chicago Cubs, former Tigers manager Alan Trammell talked about the warm reception he received from his old players on Sunday night before Game 2 of the World Series at Comerica Park.

"Just about everybody on the team came up and shook my hand and hugged me -- that was not scripted," Trammell told reporters in Chicago. "It touched me, and it's something I'll never forget. I'm pulling for the Tigers -- except when they play the Cubs."

The Tigers, in turn, were thrilled to hear that Trammell was back in the game. That includes Leyland, who said he had a "tremendous" 10-minute conversation with Trammell before Sunday's game.

"I think it's great," Leyland said. "It'll be a good combination. You've got more of a laid-back guy like Tram with a more aggressive guy like Piniella. I think it'll be a great stepping stone for Tram."

Leyland said he encouraged his players to go out and greet Trammell when they saw him. Likewise, many players liked the idea of Trammell's return to the dugout.

"I'm happy for him," Jeremy Bonderman said. "He's a great guy. It wasn't probably the best thing with the teams we had in the past here. We couldn't get healthy ... it just didn't seem like we had the right pieces here when he was here. But I'm happy for him that he has an opportunity to maybe have another managerial spot in the future."

E-1: The three errors by Tigers pitchers over the first three games of this series tied the record for pitchers errors for an entire World Series. Six other teams have done it, most recently Leyland's 1997 Marlins. Coincidentally, five of those six teams went on to win their series, including the Cardinals over the Tigers in 1934. None of those teams, however, did it in the first three games of the series.

Big month for Bondo: The debate over the Tigers' starting pitchers in Games 5 or 6 can rage on. Jeremy Bonderman's postseason job is done. And no matter what happens between now and next spring, he won't have to be looked at as weak link in the rotation.

Of all the Tigers who have gained experience this postseason, nobody likely benefited more than the 23-year-old would-be staff ace. Without the postseason, his year would've probably been summed up by two six-run leads lost in the final six weeks of the regular season. Now, other than Kenny Rogers, Bonderman was arguably the most effective starting pitcher on the team.

He helped clinch two postseason series, gave the Tigers a chance to even the World Series on Thursday night, and generally showed he could be a big-game pitcher.

"I think for his first postseason, I think he did fine," manager Jim Leyland said.

It would qualify as redemption, except many of the Tigers didn't think he needed to redeem himself. What they saw was a young pitcher going through a learning process.

"He's had a real good postseason," Mike Maroth said. "I think it's going to give him confidence for the rest of his career here. But all year, he's done a real good job. For him to go out there and have some success in the postseason, that proves to yourself that you're able to continue to get better. So much of this game is mental, and it has to do with confidence, your belief in your ability."

He's not the only one with belief in Bonderman's ability. For Leyland, it's even moreso now than he might've thought a month ago.

"I think he's about one Spring Training and about two months into the season from having a real good changeup," Leyland said. "He's got two real good pitches. Come up with a real good third pitch, it gives you more ammunition for left-handed hitters."

How good will he be once he gets that?

"Dynamite," Leyland said.


Down with PFP: You knew the question would come up, and so did Leyland. And yes, after a record four errors by Tigers pitchers in this World Series -- three of them on fielding plays -- pitcher's fielding practice will take on some added meaning when the Tigers begin Spring Training next February.

"The bright side is nobody's going to be complaining about PFP next spring," he said.

After Fernando Rodney's throwing error on So Taguchi's sacrifice bunt attempt Thursday night, however, Leyland plans to add a little twist. He hopes to have at least a few sessions with the infield watered down in front of the mound, forcing pitchers to handle a wet ball.

Years from now, many will remember Detroit's unfortunate showing in this forgettable Fall Classic as much as who won:

• Tigers pitchers committed five errors and forever made themselves the textbook case for pitching coaches' Spring Training speeches regarding the importance of PFP (pitchers' fielding practice).

• The Tigers gave up eight unearned runs in the Series and the offense hit .199, the lowest average for a team in a five-game World Series since the Philadelphia Phillies hit .195 in 1983 against Baltimore.

• The top three spots in Detroit's batting order combined for a .103 (6-for-58) average in this Series, the second-lowest in a World Series to Los Angeles' .091 mark in 1966.

• The Tigers' bullpen allowed seven runs and eight walks in 7 2/3 innings of the last three games of the Series after allowing one unearned run and no walks in five innings in Games 1 and 2.

• American League Championship Series MVP Placido Polanco went 0-for-17 in the series, a futility string surpassed only five times in World Series history.

This World Series can suck my fuck.