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I don't follow baseball, or any sport for that matter, but I feel I should have at least a faint wisp of working knowledge on this*. Please tell me, what exactly is going on with the Red Sox right now? Are they having a really good season or something? Explain in layman's terms, if you please. Large print optional.
* Understand, the only reason I happened to watch any of the 2004 World Series winning games was because the cast of Murder In The Cathedral, which I was in, would rush to someone's TV-having house after the rehearsals/performances to watch the games, and my social options were to go along or sit home alone, so I went along. But after that I forgot all about baseball.
* Understand, the only reason I happened to watch any of the 2004 World Series winning games was because the cast of Murder In The Cathedral, which I was in, would rush to someone's TV-having house after the rehearsals/performances to watch the games, and my social options were to go along or sit home alone, so I went along. But after that I forgot all about baseball.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:03 pm (UTC)Baseball is split into two leagues: the American League and the National League. Four teams from each League make the playoffs at the end of the regular season.
The Red Sox made the playoffs*.
They then went on to win their first round** of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Angels.
There's a whole other first round American League playoff game (remember, four teams, so two matches). That was between the Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. The Cleveland Indians won that series because the Yankees suck.
Now the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox must play each other in the second round of the playoffs***. The winner will be champion of the American League.
No one cares about the National League (although seriously, the exact same thing is going on there).
The winner of the American League and National League will face each other in the World Series.
Because series are so long, and games are played sometimes every other day, you will get the impression that the second round is going on forever.
I hope this helps.
* Each league as three divisions. The winner of each division makes the playoff, plus the team with the best record who did not win a division. The Red Sox won the Eastern division of the American League.
** The first round is a best of five series, and is called the divisional series.
*** The second round is a best of seven series, and is called the championship series.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:08 pm (UTC)Maybe none of you DH-lovin' pussies around *here*. 8)
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Date: 2007-10-09 08:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:18 pm (UTC)The two leagues, American and National, have slightly different rules.
The American League, our league, essentially allows 10 people on a team (at a time) for 9 batting positions and 9 fielding positions. The 9 of 10 need not be the same for batting and fielding.
This means that when batting, the 10th guy (David Ortiz, in our case), only has to bat and doesn't go out into the field to play defense. Meanwhile, a defensive player, almost always the pitcher, doesn't have to bat, because pitchers tend to be pretty lowsy batsmen. So in the American League, there's one guy who typically just hits, called the designated hitter, and the pitcher only pitches.
Int he National League, there's 9 people for 9 positions, so everybody on the team bats and everybody plays defense.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:23 pm (UTC)Do you remember when Julian Tavarez was batting in inter-league play during the regular season. I think at one point, he swung the bat backwards.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 09:42 pm (UTC)The other difference between the two leagues is that there are a lot of really bad (we're talking Pee Wee league-caliber!) teams in the AL, so that the good AL teams get to pad their records against them and might seem to the casual observer to be better than the good NL teams; whereas in the NL the good teams actually have to beat decent teams (Pittsburgh Pirates being the exception), and so their records aren't as gaudy.
No one cares about the National League
I beg your pardon! Fans of baseball care about the NL. Fans of homerun hitting contests and ridiculously football-like box scores like the AL. You'll be caring about the NL well enough when the Colorado Rockies(/surrogate San Diego Padres) are sweeping your precious Red Sox!
(This is all meant in good fun, of course.)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-10 01:46 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-10 01:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2007-10-09 08:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:13 pm (UTC)My first pro baseball game was at the former.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2007-10-11 04:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-11 05:54 pm (UTC)Only,
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-12 12:57 am (UTC)(You can find the post-season schedule here.)
ALCS/NLCS:American/National League Championship Series
ALDS/NLDS: American/National League Division Series
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-12 01:16 am (UTC)(If I tell my family I went over to somebody’s house to watch a baseball game, they’re likely to look for the scars from when the implants were inserted. That just makes it all the more appealing!)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-12 05:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-12 05:54 am (UTC)(OK, now I really hope the Red Sox win.)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:32 pm (UTC)For
Despite this, as New Englanders, we are morally obligate to hope the Sox win, no matter how much it will decimate our audience.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:49 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:34 pm (UTC)I do not know anything else except what I have said above. So I shouldn't be replying at all. But I thought there was a regrettable lack of large print in all the other responses. So here you are.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 08:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 09:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-09 09:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-10-10 06:32 pm (UTC)Are we arguing about the freakin' DH?! It's been the rule for what...30 years now? Man, way to hold a grudge NL fans :)
Personally I think one of the highlights of the World Series is watching AL pitchers try to bat and NL teams work with the DH.