Cup of Coffee

October 17, 2012: The Cusp

65 Comments

We're one game away from a great (nearly) yearly tradition: watching the Yankees get knocked out of the playoffs. I'd rather it was literally any other AL team doing it to them, but whatever.

65 thoughts on “October 17, 2012: The Cusp”

  1. Better the Tigers than the BoSox or Angels, IMO.
    Like I said last night, I can't think of any field manager who's ever screwed up his situation more by making the right managerial move to win the game before and having it succeed. That is giving me joy.

    1. Further on this thought: If late 70's Steinbrenner was still owner, Girardi would probably be gone after this year.
      I believe that Bobby Valentine (who has experience in the media circus that is NYC and coached his team to the NPB championship) is available, and rumors are that Ozzie Guillen (who has managed an AL team in a two-team city to the WS championship) may also be available, perhaps for a few prospects.
      Young Steinbrenner, go around Cashman, act like your old man, and make one of these things happen!

    2. I haven't paid a lot of attention to Girardi, but when I have, I've been completely underwhelmed. I would put him in the same tier as Gardy, maybe lower if I saw more of him.

  2. Although it will absolutely destroy my nice little lead in the brackef, I will take great joy if the Yankees get swept tonight.

    2. Looks like if Detroit wins, it's down to Mags, AMR, and bS. AMR needs either Detroit to not win the ALCS in six or St. Louis to win one of the NLCS or WS in seven to win outright, otherwise he ties Mags. bS is the same, but he will lose unless San Francisco wins the NLCS in six or WS in five. Mags just needs Detroit to win the WS to win the brackef.

      2. If San Francisco beats Detroit in World Series, I think I still get it it. The four points I would get for having SF in World Series would be huge, but not enough to overcome a Detroit victory.

        1. Looks like yes, assuming Detroit doesn't win the ALCS in six. If they do, then you would tie. If San Francisco wins the NLCS in seven, The Pirate would move ahead of you by one point. I need to work out more probabilities here.

      3. I am giggling about the (remote) prospect that I would win the brackef, given that SF is the only pick I've gotten remotely right so far.

    3. If we didn't get a chance to do post season brackets can our pre season picks count?

  4. Looking at the USMNT's recently concluded round of WCQ in retrospect, it wasn't as bad as it seemed. They won all their home games, beat A&B on the road, drew with Guatemala, and lost to Jamaica on the road. Yeah, you'd rather not lose to Jamaica on the road, but it's tough getting road results against a halfway competent team in CONCACAF. Mainly the defense was suspect--6 GA ties them for worst amongst teams advancing to the Hex. But in terms of results in the 3rd round, only Mexico fared better.

    Better than 16 points seems to be the usual line for advancing from the Hex. It'll get a little tricky if Panama and Jamaica are terrible and lose almost all of their games--that'd make it easier to get top 4, but potentially harder to be top 3. Still, winning against all non-Mexico teams at home and drawing all non-Mexico teams on the road would in all likelihood ensure advancement.

    2. Keeping clean sheets isn't a Klinsmann problem, it's been a US problem for a long time. Howard is a very good keeper, but there's one guy that retired from international competition long ago that I think could have steadied that back line and provided more reliable experience.

      Panama looked like they were up and coming after their Gold Cup performance, but that last game against Cuba and loss against Canada make me skeptical.

      Obviously Mexico is the heavy favorite to win the group, but the three Central America teams plus Jamaica are tricky away fixtures. I wouldn't be surprised if Mexico fell down in one or two of them.

      1. Well, I didn't say it was a Klinsmann problem, but I also wouldn't say that it's been a US problem for a long time. In the 3rd round of the last qualifying cycle, the US had 4 clean sheets out of 6 games and only allowed 3 goals. Admittedly, in the Hex, they only managed 3 clean sheets and their GA was pedestrian for the group.

        I don't think Howard is in any way, shape, or form a problem with the defense, and I strongly doubt anyone else would get better results out of the defenders that have been put in front of Howard. The back four is pretty makeshift these days. Of the two centerbacks last night, one of them plays right back for his club and the other played left back for the US in the previous game--far from ideal. And just in general, it's been a long time since I felt good about a centerback pairing the US put on the field. I've got no problems with Cherundolo, though it would have been nice if Chandler had chosen the US. Left back is a huge question mark, as it has been for a while now.

  5. I don't have a link to an article in USA Today - i am looking at a hard copy and see
    that since i last read one that it has undergone a horrid redesign- but it looks at current players who would make good managers. One of the first is Torii, one of the great leaders in team sports. For example, he was the first one to call out Mauer for being soft.

    I shouldn't let this annoy me, but it does. Whatever. Yesterday i read an article on their front page that used the word "then" when they meant "than."

    3. I ee that Michael Young is also on this list. Of course he is.

      The bit about Torii throwing Mauer under the bus for "being soft" before it became popular makes me pretty mad, actually. He didn't throw Mauer under the bus because he was soft. He said Mauer was soft to try to tear Joe down.

  6. I dislike the Yankees as much as other person, but if I were a Yanks fan, I would be frustrated in the fact they have had pretty good pitching and really not much to show for it. 5 game, nail biting series with Baltimore, and on the verge of being swept by the Tiggers having only given up 21 runs in those 8 games

  7. *curse words*

    Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
    Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love has suffered a broken right hand and will be out 4-to-6 weeks, league sources tell Y! Sports.

    1. Ok. Dwill fills in and plays very well, when Love comes back we can sell high on Williams. Just looking for a silver lining.

      Thank goodness for depth. AK47 at the 4 and Bud at the 3 is solid.

        1. This too.

          If they can stay competitive until December, when Rubio and Love come back it's gonna be a blast. This is still a pretty huge blow. Frown.

      2. Indeed. Isn't AK47 historically more comfy at the 4 anyway? Signing that guy could prove, with this injury, to be the best signing in a long time. And if reports of Buddinger's play in the preaseason translate to the regular season (and his career shows they will), I feel ok with this. I mean, I also concur with dw that I Kevin Love is one of my top two favorite basketball players to watch (guess who the other is.), this thing can be weathered with the team around .500 when he comes back for a playoff push. Might even keep him somewhat relatively rested come playoff time, which could make this a pretty dangerous team.

        Nothing will bring me down on this season, dammit!

    2. All kidding aside I spent 90 minutes last night using the NBA trade machine trying to find a fair trade for every team in the NBA for Derek Williams. So yeah, this is probably my fault.

      1. In NBA2K13, I traded him to Milwaukee for Ekpe Udoh's expiring contract and the Bucks first round pick. That sounded like a win-win to me.

          1. I did not get that offer. Damn.

            Ah well, I'm sure I wouldn't draft the right guy high in the first round anyway. I've got a history of drafting crappy, long, athletic swing guys high in the draft.

            1. I started a league where I am playing every game tonight rather than simulating. I did Williams/JJ for Royce White/Lamb. Pretty happy with that trade.

        1. First thing I thought of, too.

          Then I realized that since there was no mention of throwing Pek in on the deal to get a shot-blocking specialist, buffalo can't be Voodoo.

        2. I would love to post over there but I figure my words would get lost in a lot of noise over there. Maybe we can get a little bit more interest over in this part of the internet this season.

            1. I wanted to try to make a post in the Mayn style, but I couldn't figure out how to sound un-readable.

          2. So wait, people read comments and don't just ctrl+f "e-6", "klawitter", or "snp"?

  9. Apologies if the latest USADA report on Lance Armstrong report got some discussion in the CoC and I missed it, but I just read about it yesterday. I get that a lot of people don't want athletes injecting themselves with chemicals (or whatever) that give them an advantage. However, I don't see the point in re-adjudicating a bunch of races that happened in the past where--by the same reports that point to Armstrong as a doper--everyone was doping. Are you gaining an unfair advantage if your competitors the same advantage you have?

    1. If they care, they need to vacate the titles completely. "We know the winners cheated and we can't assume that the runners-up or even 200th place finishers did not, So no one wins." When my older two kids fight, I have to do things like that: "You both lose, now wash the dishes together!"

  10. Both jobs I interviewed at (one twice) went with someone else. So I'm back to square one. At least mc is working so we're not completely f**ked

    2. That sucks, but keep plugging. You have to be a real grinder when job hunting these days, but perseverence pays off.

    4. What everyone else said. You will eventually get the right job and be glad you didn't get one of these you were turned down for.

  11. EAR just called me from the liquor store. Wanted to know if this and this were things I might like. Sounded good to me.

    I had asked her to look for Schell's Stout, which I love and only discovered this summer, but which is being retired soon. It will be replaced with two different beers, each offered half of the year. Summer/Spring beer TBD, but Fall/Winter beer will be this. I'm definitely intrigued, but will mourn the loss of the Stout. Schell's makes too danged many great beers in limited runs. This year's Snowstorm will be a Biére de Noél. Last year's was a fantastic Wee Heavy. I see I missed a Baltic Porter from 2009. (;_;)

    Their high-end limited beers, the "Stag Series" has had major winners: the Rauchbier and the Burton Ale (I've still got four stashed away), and the next one is the "Fresh Hop Citra Pils".

    I'm not a big fan of drinking Nordeast, but man are they using the profitability of that beer for fine ends.

      1. Will this winter's be 2012 or 2013? If it's 2013/2012, then I thought 2011/2010 was fantastic, but I only ever had it on tap.

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