OT: Wild card game....

[pitt-girl]

I am starting to feel like the day Pitt played Nova in hoops to get to the Final Four and I suspect there is going to be some stiff alcohol involved to get me through the evening. I'm already a nervous wreck! Clearly they have to be considered some sort of underdog, but I feel like the karma is with them. Good Luck to the Bucco's!!!!

 

[MrGee]

I am starting to feel like the day Pitt played Nova in hoops to get to the Final Four and I suspect there is going to be some stiff alcohol involved to get me through the evening. I'm already a nervous wreck! Clearly they have to be considered some sort of underdog, but I feel like the karma is with them. Good Luck to the Bucco's!!!!

I'm looking for the Green Weenie---We can do it

 

[Pitt79]

I just hope all the predictions of the dominant Arrieta don't come true and we chase him from the mound and at least have a good game, and hopefully win! That 8-0 bloodbath last year was toooooooooooo depressing!

 

[NC Panther]

Please God allow my Pirates to win tonight.

 

[theVoicefromtheTomb]

I just hope all the predictions of the dominant Arrieta don't come true and we chase him from the mound and at least have a good game, and hopefully win! That 8-0 bloodbath last year was toooooooooooo depressing!

My impression of the baseball playoffs lately is that anything can happen. Beating Arrieta is very possible

 

[ratking17]

I believe the bucs coast to a world series win

 

[LVNVPanther]

I am starting to feel like the day Pitt played Nova in hoops to get to the Final Four and I suspect there is going to be some stiff alcohol involved to get me through the evening. I'm already a nervous wreck! Clearly they have to be considered some sort of underdog, but I feel like the karma is with them. Good Luck to the Bucco's!!!!

The Cubs opened at -137 and now they're down to -129. The smart money is coming in on the Bucs.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

My impression of the baseball playoffs lately is that anything can happen. Beating Arrieta is very possible

It's the college basketball of professional sports. Totally unpredictable and good for determining a "champion" but not the "best team".

I happen to love the randomness but it seems that there's starting to be some backlash.

 

[str6116]

I really don't think anything will be as bad as the Pitt-Nova loss any time soon at least.

I have a horrible feeling about this game, I just don't see Arrieta/Rizzo not having big games. Hoping I'm wrong.

 

[Ray-Ray]

My impression of the baseball playoffs lately is that anything can happen. Beating Arrieta is very possible

I like the positive attitude. At some point Arrieta has to become human. I saw that he has given up 4 earned runs in his last 12 starts. That is mind boggling.

 

[wbrpanther]

I am starting to feel like the day Pitt played Nova in hoops to get to the Final Four and I suspect there is going to be some stiff alcohol involved to get me through the evening. I'm already a nervous wreck! Clearly they have to be considered some sort of underdog, but I feel like the karma is with them. Good Luck to the Bucco's!!!!

I truly feel that if the Bucs win tonight they will go on to win it all. A one and done is a scary thing. No room for error, especially with a guy like Arrietta on the mind. But beating Cole in a frenzied PNC Park will be no small feat for the Cubs either.

 

[Ski11585]

I haven't been this hyped for a sporting event in yeaaaaars.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I haven't been this hyped for a sporting event in yeaaaaars.

Yeah I am pretty hyped and extremely nervous.

 

[Cap pitt]

Yeah I am pretty hyped and extremely nervous.

Well its 3 - 0 cubs top of 4th Pittsburgh refuses to swing at first pitches 10 out of 11 first pitches are strikes and when Aretta is ahead pirate batters swing at anything even 59 footers

 

[DruidTM]

Buccos lookin like they've pooped out...or maybe just pooped....fat lady is warming up....

 

[paulbl99]

I hate the Cubs

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Baseball in a nutshell:

 

[bwh05]

A one game playoff in baseball should only be used to break a tie.

 

[Pittbaseball11]

A one game playoff in baseball should only be used to break a tie.

Honestly, the playoffs are so random that I'd just like to see everything go to a best-of-three. You can't do a full on NCAA Tournament thing, but you gain about as much knowledge from a one-game playoff as a seven-game series when it comes to the better team. Give everyone a best-of-3 shot -- the fans will love it, it'll still be horrible at determining who the best team is, and it'll still generate plenty of revenue.

 

[Zeldas Greenhouse]

I think the best of three is coming; ( especially since the darling Yankees went one and done.) But I don't like it. Winning the division should be very important. The Pirates shat the division by getting beat by the Reds and Brewers.

 

[Pittx9]

Last year the Giants were clearly the best team in baseball. This year though, they really need to take a look at this now. Arrieta was the Cubs ONLY chance of beating the Pirates. They literally would have no chance of beating the Pirates in a series. So this one game thing has it's pros and cons.
Like I mentioned, it would have been an absolute shame if the extra team wasn't added and the Giants missed out last year. But one game is almost ridiculous. The Cubs are not nearly as deep as the Pirates, not to mention the entire regular season is made up of series, then all of a sudden it's do or die.
I'd play the Wild Card best of 3 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It's baseball, one of the games being in a different city doesn't mean you need a break. Then start the Division Series on Saturday. Is it that ridiculous to have the Cardinals this year wait one more day to start their playoffs?

 

[ratking17]

The argument has been that they don't want the division winner sitting around. There are a ton of ways to avoid that, including holding a double header in the WC1 city with the WC2 team advancing ONLY if they beat the WC1 team both times. If WC1 team wins the first game, it is over as is a win in game 2. You could even squeeze in a 3 game series going immediately Monday through Wednesday and still start the Division series on a Friday as it is done now.

I think the novelty of the first year made it exciting, but I think people are quickly seeing the unfairness of baseball being a one and done when series should be decided by the best and DEEPEST team. That said, we have heard forever how Cole is a STUD ACE and he hardly lived up to the billing last night as it seemed the moment got to him and he felt the need to be absolutely perfect going against Arietta.

 

[OriginalEther]

I think the best of three is coming; ( especially since the darling Yankees went one and done.) But I don't like it. Winning the division should be very important. The Pirates shat the division by getting beat by the Reds and Brewers.

Yep.
and you know damn well what will happen should they go to a 3 game series....Pirates will win game one 10-0 and lose the next two games 2-1.

. Arrieta was the Cubs ONLY chance of beating the Pirates. They literally would have no chance of beating the Pirates in a series.

Um, the Cubs went 11-8 against the Pirates this season. I think they had a pretty good chance in a series.

 

[MrGee]

Yep.
and you know damn well what will happen should they go to a 3 game series....Pirates will win game one 10-0 and lose the next two games 2-1.



Um, the Cubs went 11-8 against the Pirates this season. I think they had a pretty good chance in a series.

Like I've been saying, Joe Maddon is one of the best---he made all the right moves---maybe luck, maybe not

 

[Pittbaseball11]

Last year the Giants were clearly the best team in baseball. This year though, they really need to take a look at this now. Arrieta was the Cubs ONLY chance of beating the Pirates. They literally would have no chance of beating the Pirates in a series. So this one game thing has it's pros and cons.
Like I mentioned, it would have been an absolute shame if the extra team wasn't added and the Giants missed out last year. But one game is almost ridiculous. The Cubs are not nearly as deep as the Pirates, not to mention the entire regular season is made up of series, then all of a sudden it's do or die.
I'd play the Wild Card best of 3 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It's baseball, one of the games being in a different city doesn't mean you need a break. Then start the Division Series on Saturday. Is it that ridiculous to have the Cardinals this year wait one more day to start their playoffs?

The Giants were DEFINITELY not the best team last year. Good on them for winning it, but that was a really flawed team that got tremendously hot at the right time. It's the beauty of the Wild Card, I suppose. I don't really think the purpose of the playoffs has ever been to determine the best team. They'd play way more games if so.

 

[KennyTheKangaroo]

Baseball in a nutshell:

View embedded media

I don't have any data to quantify this, but it seems like it is impossible to simultaneously hit the ball hard and elevate the ball against Arrieta. The pirates hit some shots tonight-including both double plays-but anything in the air was a lazy fly ball.

 

[Pittx9]

Um, the Cubs went 11-8 against the Pirates this season. I think they had a pretty good chance in a series.

The playoffs are a different animal. The experienced team will almost always win in a series. The irony is though, that it was Coghlan of the Cubs that ended Kang's season. I don't think people realize how much that hurt us. He legitimately was our second best hitter.

 

[Pittx9]

Also, all this Cubs coverage is rather annoying. I could never do it because I hate the Cubs but when I was a young kid, I said at the beginning of 2015 I should bet on the Cubs to win the World Series. If you think that sounds odd, watch Back to the Future II.