114 thoughts on “October 19, 2011: World Series”

1. Tom Kelly used to say that his job as manager was to put players in a position where they had a good chance to succeed. Giving Christian Ponder his first start against Green Bay would seem to be a good example of not doing that.

   1. maybe the Vikings hate Ponder too?

      1. i'm not sure why joe webb has never entered the conversation.

         1. 'Cause he's never thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL! //stribbie snark//

            Yeah, I'm not sure why Webb's not getting a shot here, either. If Ponder isn't a no-brainer to start, then go with Webb. McNabb is done- when I keep seeing articles from last week saying things like "McNabb had his best game statistically, going 19 of 24 for 177 yards", my head starts to hurt.

            1. If nothing else, if the Vikings don't think that Webb can stick at QB, why aren't they lining him up as a wide receiver? It's not like they're overloaded with stud receivers at the moment, and it's got to be better than bringing him in for whatever that brutal drive-killing wildcat-like formation they bring him out for a couple times a game.

               1. Because Frazier is not a good head coach? That's the overriding theme I'm taking from this season. If only the Viking's had listened when everyone was screaming for them to make Tony Dungy then Mike Tomlin the head coach.

                  1. dungy? tomlin? what did those guys ever do?

                  2. Psh, one Vikings defensive coordinator is as good a head coach as another, right?

                     I think we're 3-3 if Childress is head coach (still awful, and not as good as even the 3-3 record would indicate,but still), and I still maintain a pretty healthy dislike of Childress.

   2. If there was ever a game where McNabb should be out there to be the sacrificial lamb, this would be the one. However, Ponder has a bit of mobility so he should be able to elude some pressure and not get beat up all day. Maybe this is their line of thinking? Or maybe they're trying to give some hope for the future to the fans to help drum up stadium support?

      1. I've been congratulating my co-workes for the Packer's 7-0 start to the season, to answer the likelihood of that second question happening.

   3. McNabb vs. Ponder is just a distraction as far as I'm concerned. The Vikings and Packers could swap QBs and the result of the game would be the same.

      1. I agree with your first sentence. The second, not so much. The Vikings could be a good team if they had a good quarterback to help sustain drives and keep the defense off the field. The Packers' defense has not been that good this year, and if Rodgers isn't leading his team to points and long drives, the defense would look even worse. With the QBs swapped, I think it would be a much closer game that the Vikings would have a chance in. As it is, I'm thinking somewhere around a twenty-point beatdown.

         1. Is the offense really all Rodgers, though? It seems to me that most good offenses which can sustain drives are built around a solid offensive line with a couple threats at WR and/or RB, which allows a good QB to be great, a decent QB to be good, and a sub-par QB to be passable. I don't know what the Packers have going for them, but I'd bet it's more than just Rodgers.

            1. the Packers lead the league in points. despite ranking 24th in rushing yards/attempt, they are second in the league in yards per play and well in first in net yards per passing attempt. An awful lot of that is Rodgers' decision-making and arm. The Packers lead the league in completion percentage and TD pass percentage.

               on the defensive side, they rank 25th in the league in yards allowed per play.

               1. Rodgers is playing amazing football this season. I suppose that's fairly obvious, as leading the league in yards per attempt and completion percentage is a very rare feat. Admittedly, he has an extremely good receiving corps, and can be content to take what the defense will give him. Still, his accuracy and decision making are outstanding, and that is a big part of why the offense is clicking on all cylinders.

                  1. The more passes you complete the more likely your yards per attempt is going to be relatively high.

                     1. a corollary to that would be the passes you complete, the higher your pass completion percentage is going to be.

                        /madden

                  2. If he's 2nd in the league in yards per attempt, he's likely to be getting plenty of protection so he can wait for his receivers to get downfield. With good receievers on top of that, he's getting help on from his line and his receivers, which not all quarterbacks can claim. That's not to say that every QB would do that well given the same cast of characters, but this media fixation on the QB position seems off base, especially in a league where they need to wear an earpiece to get advice from the sidelines. (Just to be clear, this isn't a knock on Rodgers, just the way the media fixates on the quarterback position.)

                     1. this media fixation on the QB position seems off base,

                        Throughout most of the history of the NFL, I would agree with you. I think we are in a different era now. It is such a pass-happy league and all the rules favor the passing game so much, that the difference in quarterbacks makes a huge difference. I don't think we'll see many Trent Dilfers quarterbacking Super Bowl champions any time soon. If you don't have a very good quarterback, you aren't going to win consistently.

            2. Ubes, I agree with you completely about the O-line. If the Vikings O-line was anywhere over marginal, McNabb might be passable.

               1. For proof, see: Brett Favre circa 2009 vs. Brett Favre circa 2010.

               2. If the Vikings O-line was anywhere over marginal, McNabb might be passable.

                  I can't agree with that. McNabb really is that bad.

                  I really liked that Sunday night crew. They were pointing out that McNabb was completing passes, but it was to wide open receivers that could have run after the catch if he had any accuracy at all.

                  1. Like when Ponder hit guys and they were able keep going.

2. So I'm still trying to come up with a good Halloween costume this year. Sheenie has decided that she's going as Mr. Peanut. The best idea I've thought of so far is Cap'n Crunch, but I'm still open to many other ideas. I don't think collectively we'll top last year when we went as Swearengen and Wu.

   1. Jimmy Carter

   2. The Monopoly guy - matching monocles and tophats

   3. Papa Smurf.

   4. I'm changing my vote to Oscar Mayer wiener.

   5. Andre the Giant.

      1. #winning

   6. Rich "Uncle" Pennybags (Mr. Monopoly). Two canes, two top hats, one monocle, and one handlebar mustache.

3. Apparently, the sample size of the World Series is too large.

   1. I stopped here:

      Fair enough. But meanwhile, the World Series is as popular as Frank McCourt in L.A. The third week of October arrives and the World Series usually sits ignored on the TV buffet table like an ear wax and cheese sandwich.

      That's Souhan-level terrible.

   2. Too long. Make it one game. That should make every little thing really count.

      1. Expand the league to 32 teams and do an NCAA-style bracket. Just make that the entirity of the regular season. Later on, you can expand the league to 34 teams and have a couple of play-in games.

         1. Why stop at just play-in games when they can do play-in play-in games?

            1. I dunno, that kind of reeks of a money grab.

               1. If it only reeks of it, then it didn't go far enough:

                  Expand to 63 teams and have a 32 team tourney for the right to be the 32nd team in the championship tourney.

                  1. Bingo. That took us, what, fifteen minutes? We should be getting paid for these brilliant ideas.

                     1. I thought that was the NBA playoffs.

                        1. Good minds borrow, brilliant minds steal.

      2. Why play a game? Settle it with a HR derby. Everyone loves HRs.

         1. Then Texas has already won.

            1. There we go. "Nothing at all" is bound to get great ratings.

      3. Play it two weeks after the last playoff game. In a neutral site. I think you are on to something.

         1. And schedule The Who as the opening act.

            1. so, Who's on first?

               1. pete townshend's belly

         2. The computers would have to decide who's in it, though.

   3. In a similar vein, Frank Deford shoveled this pile of turds today.

      1. Frank is pretty sure that no one anywhere should ever step on anyone's lawn.

      2. Frank DeFord became dead as far as I am concerned when he wrote that article about the already deceased Kirby Puckett disclosing details about his private life that appealed to nothing but the prurient interest.

         1. I listen occasionally to his schtick on NPR. He sometimes still goes for extra bases. The column on "amateur" college sports was spot-on.

      3. i know i've mentioned it here before, but old frankie (and story core) are the bane of my morning edition experience.

      4. Frank Deford is going to be giving a lecture at Dr. Chop's podunk University next week. The lecture and event are free, but I think I'm overpaying.

      5. Someone needs to point him towards Poz's ode to anticlimax in baseball.

         1. This is a good starting point for the Q and A.

            1. Do it!

   4. I was so happy to wake up to all these comments, but now I'm depressed...

   5. After reading the commments here I really should've known better than to go read that piece of garbage.

   6. one challenge per game for each manager.

      All you have to do is put two of the six assigned playoff umpires into a replay booth with, say, MLB umpire supervisor Steve Palermo. If there's a challenge, they rule on it. Simple.

      I thought the point was to speed up the process, not slow it down.

      1. Here's a simple solution: make EVERY series involving the Yankmees a one-game, neutral-site playoff. They will thus lose 40+ percent of their playoff encounters and the average playoff game length will plummet accordingly.

         1. The business of measuring fan interest via TV ratings also chaps my hide. In the 70s how many television channels were there? I'm going to assume that the golf / food / gameshow / animal / history / travel networks didn't yet exist therefore limiting the number of choices consumers had.

            1. there is some good evidence on these questions regarding TV news and regarding things like preznit debates and presidential nominating conventions. Give people choice and many, many of them will choose something different.

               There was a great deal of pent up demand for alternate programming in the 1970s. Even as cr@ppy as much of tv programming is, long-tail effect means SOMEBODY wants to watch re-runs of Joanie Loves Chachi.

               More evidence of the diversity of tastes: this Straight Dope thread on "the worst long-running TV shows. Amongst the nominees: the Simpsons, Seinfeld, Gunsmoke.

            2. Back then, it was either watch TV (3 channels + PBS) or whittle on the porch. And the Yankees weren't entitled, too.

               1. whittle on the porch.

                  Is that what we called it back in the day? I'd forgotten.

                  1. You guys did that on the porch? My generation does have a lot to learn from yours.

                     1. People try to put us down..

                        1. Yeah, I noted the Who connection there. I'll try to make sure I refer to a song of theirs in all my comments today, no matter how awkward the substitute wording.

                           1. The kids would all sing, he would take the wrong key,
                              So they rode on his head in their furry spooky.

      2. Simpler yet would be to have no on-field umps and just make the calls from video replay. That should work.

         1. I have the perfect idea!

            Baseball pinball to decide it all!

            1. I'll put my money on the deaf, dumb, and blind kid.

               It's Who Day at the WGOM!

               1. First spooky, now SBG. Who's next?

                  1. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

                     1. You can't always get it
                        When you really want it
                        You can't always get it at all

                        1. i think you mean, "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you get what you need"...?

                           what's going on here?

                  2. I really want to know.

                  3. Heh. I laughed so hard I hurt my ribs. Fortunately, there's a doctor I've found that can cure me. I see him tomorrow.

                     1. Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
                        Well, well, well, he'll make you ... Doctor Robert

4. Word to meat and Bootsy: did you know that you are proles?

   1. I had no illusions to the contrary.

5. Fee, fie, foie, fooey.

   When Marion Nestle can't support your prohibitionary policy, you really ought to rethink what you are doing.

6. When in Nashville, try the Sweet Magnolia Brown Ale at the Big River Grill and Brewery. It was definitely better than the steak.

   1. Are you still in nashville? If so, check out the Yazoo brewery, and stop by Hatch Show Print.

      1. I, unfortunately, wasn't able to make it to Yazoo. But, I can recommend the Blackstone Restaurant and Brewery.

         1. Second the Blackstone. That was good stuff.

            1. If I remember correctly, I had the shepherd's pie with an IPA and a stout and talked baseball with the bartender who was a Cardinals fan who also followed the Twins as his AL team. There's some decent folk down there.

               1. I was there with my mother-in-law, and I still enjoyed myself.

                  1. It's funny you say that, because I love hanging out with my mother in law. Typically, a night with her involves margaritas or long islands and cribbage.

                     1. I wish my mother in law was like that. I should probably just leave it at that.

                        1. I'm sure yesterday didn't suggest this, but when she isn't commenting too much on what folks should be doing differently, my MIL is an excellent human being. That's her biggest flaw, and otherwise she doesn't have many.

                     2. My mother-in-law isn't bad. It's just the easy joke.

                        1. Right. I got along better with my MiL (RIP) than Mrs. Runner ever did.

      2. Oh, and the Frist Art Center.

      3. Still in Nashville, but working overtime and heading home tomorrow. I won't be able to make it to any of the places suggested, but I will be watching the Series and drinking on the company dime at the Wildhorse Saloon tonight. I'll also be missing Aretha, who is singing at the Ryman Auditorium right across the street from our hotel tonight. I would have been willing to pay a scalper a pretty penny for a ticket to that.

         1. Oh, you should also check out Layla's Bluegrass Inn. Pretty much right around the corner from the Ryman. I think that pbr is a dollar a can, and the music is always free.

7. Apparently even Selig thinks MLB.tv is a rip off at the rate they charge for it.

   There's a television on the wall, hooked up via Ethernet to the Vernon Telephone Cooperative in Westby, which was the only option available to provide the MLB Network. (The Humanities Building is not fitted for cable.)

   1. He could get it but would never be able to watch the Brewers. Or any game that Fox might air.

      1. Good point. Who agreed to those blackout policies, anyway? He should complain to the Commissioner's Office.

   2. I did not know that Bud's college roommate was Herb Kohl. Wow, a lot of success in life out of that dorm room.

      1. Bud...Herb...what do you think those guys were smoking in their free time??

   3. Or, Bud doesn't know how to use a computer.

8. @mlahammer: #Vikings owner Wilf refuses to talk to press, we chase, he leaves @mncapitol after meeting with @GovMarkDayton

   Zigi, you're asking for hundreds of millions of dollars wrong.

   1. I know you contain multitudes, and this is treading dangerously close to the forbidden zone, but what do the folks residing in MN actually think about a new stadium? I can see a play for a massive overhaul of the Dome, but a new stadium seems a little, um, ridonkulous.

      1. I think that public opinion is what it almost always is - no one wants to pay for it.

         Personally, I think that most of the noise around getting a deal done ohmygodrightnow! is manufactured by the team. It's a terrible deal for the state/Ramsey County and I don't think it has a chance in hell of passing. That's the short version at least.

      2. The Ballpark Magic guy is all over this.

9. What, did he eat one?

   McNabb also said he feels he has "a lot of football left in him."

   1. The song is over, McNabb.

   2. $78 million!

      Kluwe might get his jersey back sooner than expected.

      1. I must admit, I kind of love that Kluwe is wearing 4 now.

10. ESPN ranks all the players in the NBA. No. 1: LeBron James. I would agree with that. But, ESPN has also posted tweets in reaction to their rankings. This one made me chuckle:

    I guess this validates Cleveland's decision to take him over Darko.

    1. On a somewhat related note: I just finished reading an excerpt from The Whore of Akron by Scott Raab. Yeah, I'll be buying that book.

       1. I was hoping that HE was the heroine.

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