Philadelphia vs Houston - World Series thread

SemperFidelisSox

Member
SoSH Member
May 25, 2008
31,083
Boston, MA
This would have just been your typical “team down 0-2 gets back in it at home’ game if Houston hadn’t blown Game 1. Now they are in a dog fight of a series.
 

LogansDad

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
29,049
Alamogordo
Sure, Dombrowski can win World Series….but in a few years, the Phillies might only be pretty good and this farm system somewhat mediocre!
I mean, Dombrowski took over a team that had Hoskins, Bohm, Stott, Nola, Ranger Suarez, Seranthony Dominguez in the pipe, and Bryce Harper, Realmuto and Zach Wheeler already on it.

He left the Sox with not nearly that much, and Schwarber wasn't going to make them a winner this year or next. Dombrowski is a HoF GM, for sure, but there is a cost to it, and I don't think he was the right guy to rebuild the Sox. The jury is out on Bloom, but I don't think they are worse off today than they would be if Dombrowski had stayed.
 

Looch

New Member
Jul 15, 2021
721
I would happily take McCarver over Smoltz.

"He didn't do it again, did he? Yes he did."
McCarver and Smoltz are similar in conveying their words with an aura of self confidence and experience but the substance of what they say is totally inane. If you could read a print out of their words in real time, what they say adds next to no value and is often just wrong.
 

Sandwich Pick

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 9, 2017
697
Between that and A-Rod constantly shadowboxing the "analysts" and "front office numbers guys," I almost pine for Tim McCarver and Joe Buck.

Almost.
Every time I pine for McCarver, an angelic Deion Sanders pops up on my shoulder and threatens to douse me with ice.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 13, 2021
11,920
I mean, Dombrowski took over a team that had Hoskins, Bohm, Stott, Nola, Ranger Suarez, Seranthony Dominguez in the pipe, and Bryce Harper, Realmuto and Zach Wheeler already on it.

He left the Sox with not nearly that much, and Schwarber wasn't going to make them a winner this year or next. Dombrowski is a HoF GM, for sure, but there is a cost to it, and I don't think he was the right guy to rebuild the Sox. The jury is out on Bloom, but I don't think they are worse off today than they would be if Dombrowski had stayed.
He left the Sox with Betts, Devers, Bogaerts, Sale, Benintendi, Eovaldi, JD, Rodriguez, Bello, Casas, etc.

I get the point, though. But the Sox season that got DD fired was derailed because their three best pitchers got hurt (and they still won 84 games, or two less than this years Phils). I think he kind of got unfairly maligned when that happened. But seems like he’s probably ok with how things worked out.

Wonder what happens in an alternate universe where the Sox keep DD and covid never happens.
 

hunter05

Member
SoSH Member
May 29, 2006
7,659
Hokkaido
McCarver and Smoltz are similar in conveying their words with an aura of self confidence and experience but the substance of what they say is totally inane. If you could read a print out of their words in real time, what they say adds next to no value and is often just wrong.
I don't particularly care about in game analysis. Very few are good at it. I'm fine with the generic nonsense. My problem with Smoltz he rambles on and on and it is usually about the most boring stuff. Baseball games are long and sometimes not much happens, but Smoltz just never stops talking.
 

jon abbey

Shanghai Warrior
Moderator
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
70,713
Javier and HOU will be in the same position El Duque and the 1998 Yankees were in in the ALCS against CLE. Both teams had by far the best record in their league, swept their other two series that year, both were down 2-1 to a team much worse than them in the regular season with a hot, scary lineup and two more road games next. I think often non-Yankee fans don't get why Yankee fans loved El Duque so much, and his performance in that game 4 is a nice chunk of that, seven scoreless, an easy win to tie the series at 2. NY did not lose again that postseason, first of seven straight, finishing with an 11-2 postseason (HOU currently at 8-2).

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199810100.shtml

Javier will get his shot at an El Duque game for HOU tomorrow...
 
Last edited:

DeadlySplitter

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 20, 2015
33,247
Dusty gave the high-leverage guys for PHI another night off with his mismanging of McCullers. Guy just can't manage a short series.
 

DeadlySplitter

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 20, 2015
33,247
People really wanted Chaim to give Schwarber a four year deal?
You can't argue he seems to have a lot of value in the postseason, being able to keep that HR rate up. I couldn't believe he hit that ball 443' tonight despite not being a center cut pitch.

Would have fit in fine with the 2020s Red Sox if they got rid of JDM and/or Dalbec, easier said than done.
 

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,274
You can't argue he seems to have a lot of value in the postseason, being able to keep that HR rate up. I couldn't believe he hit that ball 443' tonight despite not being a center cut pitch.

Would have fit in fine with the 2020s Red Sox if they got rid of JDM and/or Dalbec, easier said than done.
And I don’t think anyone thought that JDM would fall off a cliff (offensively) as bad as he did this season.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
McCarver and Smoltz are similar in conveying their words with an aura of self confidence and experience but the substance of what they say is totally inane. If you could read a print out of their words in real time, what they say adds next to no value and is often just wrong.
I didn't have the sound on for most of the game but Smoltz 100% called Harper's HR in the first inning. If you listened to what he said then watched the very first pitch, he called it exactly and Harper crushed it.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,233
McCarver and Smoltz are similar in conveying their words with an aura of self confidence and experience but the substance of what they say is totally inane. If you could read a print out of their words in real time, what they say adds next to no value and is often just wrong.
In the 80s and early 90s, McCarver was actually insightful and humerous. (I wouldn't go so far as to say "funny.") He just stayed a little too long.
 

Al Zarilla

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
58,867
San Andreas Fault
Dusty's career modus operandi (leave the pitcher in too long).

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I was in the "win it for Dusty" group until he left Verlander in too long in game 1. Other blunders too. Now I'm all Phillies.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
I moved to the Philly area in 71. It was a very good baseball town not just a Phillies town during the Veterans Stadium days as much as I despised those artificial turf stadiums. I think because of the popularity of football and the eagles always being no.1, it 's not as good a baseball town. I think a decent amount of fans have become bandwagon Phillies fans. Many people I talk to have said I don't really like baseball but "Let's go Phillies". I was shocked but I shouldn't have been in 2018 when the Sox were playing the Stros in game 2 of the ALCS and the Pats were playing the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football. In the Boston market the Pats game got higher Nielsen Ratings. Even in Red Sox Nation football because of the success of Brady and the popularity of football, has become no.1 its seems. That really made me sad when I heard that about the ratings.
 

LogansDad

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
29,049
Alamogordo
Rumor has it the Phillies will be wearing the powder blue throwbacks for Game 5 tomorrow. Would not hate the Astros matching with their own throwbacks.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
Rumor has it the Phillies will be wearing the powder blue throwbacks for Game 5 tomorrow. Would not hate the Astros matching with their own throwbacks.
I never liked those 1970's and 80's uniforms. I'm a traditionalist I guess. I was very disappointed the Celtics wore those ugly Boston uniforms opening night. Yecch! I know it's all about selling and money but Red must be rolling in his grave.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
I guarantee there would've been booing if the score were 7-0 the other way.
You know there is a backstory to the booing Santa Claus at Franklin Field in December of 68. Most of the fans at that Eagles Game wanted the Eagles to lose so they could get the No.1 draft pick by the name of.........Orenthal James Simpson. Yes O.J. The Eagles wound up winning the game. During the game there was a guy dressed as Santa Claus walking threw the stands. He was drunk and nasty, and that's why he was booed. They never threw snowballs at him or any other Santa Claus. I think that's an urban legend I believe but I could be wrong.
 
Last edited:

Average Reds

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 24, 2007
35,330
Southwestern CT
You know there is a backstory to the booing Santa Claus at Franklin Field in December of 68. Most of the fans at that Eagles Game wanted the Eagles to lose so they could get the No.1 draft pick by the name of.........Orenthal James Simpson. Yes O.J. The Eagles wound up winning the game. During the game there was a guy dressed as Santa Claus walking threw the stands. He was drunk and nasty, and that's why he was booed. They never threw snowballs at him or any other Santa Claus. I think that's an urban legend I believe but I could be wrong.
There is some urban legend here, but it’s not the snowball part.

“Santa” was a fill-in because the normal guy didn’t show. (A foot of snow made him think better if it.) They got a 20 year old kid from the stands (not a drunk, nasty older man) who actually came to the game in a Santa costume for reasons known only to him. The Eagles asked if he would be the “halftime Santa” and he said yes. And when he came on to the field, he was absolutely pelted with snowballs.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/12/penn-football-franklin-field-eagles-santa

The rest of the details of your story are on the mark.
 

jaytftwofive

New Member
Jan 20, 2013
1,182
Drexel Hill Pa.
There is some urban legend here, but it’s not the snowball part.

“Santa” was a fill-in because the normal guy didn’t show. (A foot of snow made him think better if it.) They got a 20 year old kid from the stands (not a drunk, nasty older man) who actually came to the game in a Santa costume for reasons known only to him. The Eagles asked if he would be the “halftime Santa” and he said yes. And when he came on to the field, he was absolutely pelted with snowballs.

https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/12/penn-football-franklin-field-eagles-santa

The rest of the details of your story are on the mark.
Wow, thanks for clearing that up. It was Glen Macnow of 94 WIP and former Phiadelphia Inquirer writer, that told the spin story about the booing Santa Claus because he was drunk. I read 2 of his books. He may have said that story in one of his books but I heard him tell that myth story on the radio. You should e-mail him the article.
 

JoePoulson

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Feb 28, 2006
2,755
Orlando, FL
I always thought the maroon colors and the old P logo was the Phillies best look.
100%. That combo makes me super-nostalgic for the late-70s, early-80s when I got into collecting baseball cards. I don't own hats from any teams other than Boston teams and the Razorbacks, but I've been tempted many times by the fitted 47 Brand hats of other teams, like that burgundy Phillies combo, the Expos multi-colored hat, and numerous minor league teams.
 

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
100%. That combo makes me super-nostalgic for the late-70s, early-80s when I got into collecting baseball cards. I don't own hats from any teams other than Boston teams and the Razorbacks, but I've been tempted many times by the fitted 47 Brand hats of other teams, like that burgundy Phillies combo, the Expos multi-colored hat, and numerous minor league teams.
This hairdo is certainly from the early 80’s