Monday, October 13, 2008

Incorrect

I won't be seeing a pennant-winning celebration this year. Unless I go to Florida. But I need to see a win in game four and five, so we're not down 3-2 going back.

I feel worse about game 2 than I do about tonight. We only scored one, so Lester wasn't gonna win unless he threw a shutout anyway. Whereas if Beckett had just done a little better, we'd have been up 2-0, and tonight may have been an entirely different story.

Garza did a fine job getting out of the trouble he kept pitching himself into. But I could've done okay out there if I was given a strike zone the size of the Grinch's heart after his reformation. We're just gonna have to beat these coin-flippin' umps and the Rays if we wanna play in the World Series. We can do it.

This TBS thing has got me thinking: How many complaints does a network have to receive before the league forces them to stop broadcasting baseball? When the Red Sox have a runner on first, we are told of how a double play is possible, given the stats that tell us how often the batter and/or pitcher gets a double play, and then shouted at with a "double play ball!" upon a ground ball being hit. But if a Tampa player is on, we're told of the wonders and delights of stealing bases, and how successful they've been doing that.

All series (and the last one), it's been the same thing: Here's what the Rays have to do to succeed, here's what the Red Sox can do to fail. Surely people are noticing this.

The best part of the night was the Sox fan flipping off the TBS camera (something I've been planning for some time). Kudos to that fan. We have to let this network know how we feel. I feel like even if they were on our side, I'd still be pissed--something this blatant just isn't fair and isn't right.

Game Four Tuesday night. Taking my mom to this one. We got infield grandstand, and when you get them on the phone and the two tickets aren't together, they never seem to tell you the location. When we got them, we found out they were both pretty good, and poles shouldn't be an issue. So this'll be a better view than Game Five, when I'll be down the right field line in neck-craning country.

Contest Board here.

For updates on the NLCS, see some other site.

Oh, and check out what our book is up against....

Comments:
re: TBS's coverage

I dunno... I just don't see it. I haven't noticed it being particularly anti-Sox or pro-Rays (or pro-Angels before that).

I think it might just be observation bias, where you already believe that they are favoring the Rays, so every "hit" - where they say something pro-Rays - registers with you, and every "miss" - where they say something pro-Sox - slips under your radar.

It's possible, though, that I'm just missing it when it happens.
 
One other thing about the coverage, though...

In the pregame, when Chip and Buck and Ron are talking (I first noticed this in the ALDS - without Ron), Chip just looks, well, insane when Buck is talking.

He's looking down at him with this expression on his face that - to me - looks like he's thinking: I hate you, Buck - I hate your f'in guts. I'm gonna kill you tonight during the 7th inning stretch, Buck. I've got a garrote in my pocket, and you aren't going to even see it coming, Buck. Then I'm going to go to your house and sleep with your wife. Again. Oh yes, Buck. AGAIN. I've already been over there many times. She can't wait for me to come over tonight and...uh-oh, I'm on! We'll be back for the first pitch in just a moment!

Watch for it - the man is craaaaazy (-looking).
 
Believe me, I've thought of how everyone thinks their own team is being rooted against by the announcers--but these guys are ridiculous. I mean I'm sitting there telling Kim what they're gonna say and then listening as they say it. They (mainly Chip) are looking at the game from the Rays perspective 90 % of the time.

Side note: Some brainwashed/lying people have been commenting. I will delete comments by those types. Not gonna get into the same old arguments.
 
Another very easy way to tell: When the Rays do good, Chip has an orgasm. When the Sox do good, he doesn't.

When the Rays are ABOUT to do good, he starts going nuts. It's as if he's the Rays announcer.

If the Sox hit a grounder with a man on, Chip will say "double play ball," excitedly.

Surely you've noticed on at least three fly balls to JD Drew, he's said "Drew...STRUGGLES...and makes the catch." On routine catches. The guy seems to be pretty clearly rooting for the Rays.

I'll be at the next two so you won't have to hear me complain about this--but keep watching and make your own call.
 
I'm being driven crazy by them. I almost cried when I saw that the ALCS games were going to be on TBS. I've been writing down every biased and crazy thing they've said.

One could easily go on mlb.com and watch the homerun videos. Compare the calling of Dustin Pedroia's homerun compared to Evan Longoria's or something. There's a huge difference in the level of excitedness.

I've been trying to stand it but last night when Chip Caray said something along the lines that it was DESTINY for the Rays to win because they won 9-8 and their motto is 9=8 and they scored nine runs last night.
Seriously? DESTINY?
Even Buck Martinez was like "Don't count out the Sox until game 4 is won."

I especially enjoyed the history of how Kazmir came to be in the major leagues while Caray mumbled the counts and such while the Red Sox were batting in game 2 or how each individual player on the Rays is pretty much the best player in the league whenever they were batting.

Sox players are especially good at grounding into double plays.

Thank you, Caray, for all your wonderful insight.
 

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