"Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers ..

The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.




On Mon, 30 Oct 2006, TJ-BF wrote:

> x-no-archive: yes
>
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/baseball/mlb/10/28/extra.mustard...me.5/1.
>
>
> "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers indicated"
>
> Posted: Saturday October 28, 2006 2:41am
> Updated: Saturday October 28, 2006 4:14am
>
> by Nate Silver
> BaseballProspectus.com
>
> ...
>
>
> But there are several reasons why the Cardinals are better than their
> numbers might indicate:
>
> The Cardinals didn't come out of nowhere. Sure, 2006 was a rough year for
> the Cardinals, at least until the calendar turned to October. But between
> the last three seasons, with largely the same core of talent, the Cardinals
> averaged 96 wins, a mark surpassed by only the Yankees. And over the last
> five seasons, they averaged 94 wins, a mark bettered by only the Yankees and
> the A's. Did the Cardinals play over their head in the playoffs? Perhaps.
> But they also vastly underachieved in the regular season.
>
> The superstar factor. The Cardinals have three players -- Albert Pujols,
> Scott Rolen, and Carpenter, who are better than any players on the 2005
> World Champion White Sox. Now, three players do not a roster make, and Walt
> Jocketty took way too many liberties with the rest of his roster. However, a
> team whose best players are Pujols, Rolen and Carpenter should generally be
> good enough to win a title.
>
> The dead weight factor. The Cardinals gave 17 starts to Mark Mulder during
> the regular season, who had a 7.14 ERA before his shoulder finally gave out.
> They gave 13 starts to Sidney Ponson (5.24 ERA). Thirty-three starts to
> Jason Marquis (6.02 ERA). And Jason Isringhausen was their closer for most
> of the season; he was second in the National League with 10 blown saves.
> None of those pitchers were on the World Series roster. This is the
> corollary to the superstar factor. It's far easier to replace truly
> execrable performers with adequate ones -- Ponson, say, for Jeff Weaver --
> than it is to exchange average performers for blue-chip talent. The
> Cardinals didn't make any big ticket acquisitions at the trade deadline, but
> they cut out a lot o fat.
>
> I don't think the 2006 Cardinals were a 100-win team, by any means. But they
> were probably a 90-win team, a 92-win team, at least based on the roster
> they fielded during the playoffs. Plenty of teams with 90-win talent have
> won the World Series. If this result was an embarrassment to baseball in any
> way, it's because there's a reward system in place that allows an 83-78 team
> to compete in October. It wasn't because of the Cardinals.
>
> So about this worst-team-ever business: I don't think the Cardinals are
> demonstrably the worst team ever to win the World Series. But I do think
> they're in the company of some similarly mediocre teams that represent the
> lowest echelon of World Series champion. If I run the fool's errand of
> ranking every world champion since 1982 (the last time that the Cardinals
> won it all) based on a combination of objective and subjective factors, they
> divide fairly neatly into four tiers:
>
> Tier A: The Transcendents. Teams that not only dominated their season, but
> transcended it, either by an utterly superior performance or by building
> part of a dynasty. Some folks may debate the placement of the 2004 Red Sox
> in this group, a team that didn't even win its division, but I know a
> Transcendent when I see it.
>
> 1. 1998 Yankees
> 2. 1986 Mets
> 3. 1984 Tigers
> 4. 1999 Yankees
> 5. 2004 Red Sox
> 6. 1989 A's
> 7. 1995 Braves
>
>
> Tier B: The No-Doubters. Well-constructed teams that might or might not have
> had staying power, but left absolutely no doubt that they were the best team
> of the season in question. Last year's White Sox typify this group.
>
> 8. 1983 Orioles
> 9. 2002 Angels
> 10. 2005 White Sox
> 11. 1991 Twins
>
>
> Tier C: The Yes, Buts. "Deserving" champions that had at least one serious
> flaw -- the '92 and '93 Blue Jays couldn't pitch, the '88 Dodgers couldn't
> hit and the 2000 Yankees barely qualified for the playoffs. A Tier C
> champion was probably not the best team in the league during the regular
> season.
>
> 12. 1993 Blue Jays
> 13. 1992 Blue Jays
> 14. 1996 Yankees
> 15. 2001 Diamondbacks
> 16. 1988 Dodgers
> 17. 2000 Yankees
>
>
> Tier D: The Bleeps. As in, "What the [bleep]?" "How in the [bleep]?" Teams
> that were closer to average than great and required a truly serendipitous
> course of circumstances to win the championship.
>
> 18. 1985 Royals
> 19. 1990 Reds
> 20. 1997 Marlins
> 21. 2006 Cardinals
> 22. 2003 Marlins
> 23. 1987 Twins
>
> You can shuffle the Tier D teams around in pretty much any order. But I
> watched a lot of that 2003 Marlins team, and a lot of that 1987 Twins team,
> and I think this year's Cardinals would beat them soundly. Anyway,
> congratulations, St. Louis. People are going to say that you didn't deserve
> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen [sixteen:
> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

"Zuke" <me.RemoveThis@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:Pine.OSX.4.64.0610301033270.2985@ucfilespace.uc.edu...
> The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
> and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
> for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.

>> People are going to say that you didn't deserve
>> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen
>> [sixteen:
>> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.

The Cardinals only got the trophy for one reason, they won 4 games in the
World Series. The Mets were the team of destiny, remember that catch in left
field? The Mets were meant to be. One knee locking strike away form winning
one of the greatest games of all time. Where did Wainwright get that
breaking ball from? He never had that before, it was like he was channeling
Kenny Rogers. Some things must never be spoken of.
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:22:03 GMT, "Topo Gigio"
<andrewmossop.DeleteThis@1asealsystems.co.uk> gave us:
>"Zuke" <me.DeleteThis@privacy.net> wrote in message
>news:Pine.OSX.4.64.0610301033270.2985@ucfilespace.uc.edu...

>> The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
>> and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
>> for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.

>>> People are going to say that you didn't deserve
>>> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen
>>> [sixteen:
>>> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.

>The Cardinals only got the trophy for one reason, they won 4 games in the
>World Series. The Mets were the team of destiny, remember that catch in left
>field? The Mets were meant to be. One knee locking strike away form winning
>one of the greatest games of all time. Where did Wainwright get that
>breaking ball from? He never had that before, it was like he was channeling
>Kenny Rogers. Some things must never be spoken of.

Dipshit. Wainwright's always had the great curve.

--
Lance

Go St. Louis Cardinals!
2006 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS
National League Central Division Champions
1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006

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 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

"Lance Freezeland" <freezelandlaw.nospam.DeleteThis@consolidated.net> wrote in message
news:93ick218f93r7vpdgutksl1r3s6uqgis9o@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:22:03 GMT, "Topo Gigio"
> <andrewmossop.DeleteThis@1asealsystems.co.uk> gave us:
>>"Zuke" <me.DeleteThis@privacy.net> wrote in message
>>news:Pine.OSX.4.64.0610301033270.2985@ucfilespace.uc.edu...
>
>>> The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
>>> and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
>>> for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.
>
>>>> People are going to say that you didn't deserve
>>>> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen
>>>> [sixteen:
>>>> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.
>
>>The Cardinals only got the trophy for one reason, they won 4 games in the
>>World Series. The Mets were the team of destiny, remember that catch in
>>left
>>field? The Mets were meant to be. One knee locking strike away form
>>winning
>>one of the greatest games of all time. Where did Wainwright get that
>>breaking ball from? He never had that before, it was like he was
>>channeling
>>Kenny Rogers. Some things must never be spoken of.
>
> Dipshit. Wainwright's always had the great curve.

I haven't mentioned this, but I think it might have been the greatest oh and
two curveball in major league history.

AJM
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

"Lance Freezeland" <freezelandlaw.nospam DeleteThis @consolidated.net> wrote in message
news:93ick218f93r7vpdgutksl1r3s6uqgis9o@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:22:03 GMT, "Topo Gigio"
> <andrewmossop DeleteThis @1asealsystems.co.uk> gave us:
>>"Zuke" <me DeleteThis @privacy.net> wrote in message
>>news:Pine.OSX.4.64.0610301033270.2985@ucfilespace.uc.edu...
>
>>> The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
>>> and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
>>> for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.
>
>>>> People are going to say that you didn't deserve
>>>> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen
>>>> [sixteen:
>>>> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.
>
>>The Cardinals only got the trophy for one reason, they won 4 games in the
>>World Series. The Mets were the team of destiny, remember that catch in
>>left
>>field? The Mets were meant to be. One knee locking strike away form
>>winning
>>one of the greatest games of all time. Where did Wainwright get that
>>breaking ball from? He never had that before, it was like he was
>>channeling
>>Kenny Rogers. Some things must never be spoken of.
>
> Dipshit. Wainwright's always had the great curve.
>

So did Rogers, got a link to any video? I smell pine trees. Baseball from
the owners to the Union to your gutless manager swept Rogers cheating under
the rug. I think Rogers said if he went down Wainwright was going down.
Something stinks in St Louis and Detroit and it isn't your criminals. Will
them too.
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

"CardsFan" <me.DeleteThis@here.com> wrote in message
news:ei5hm3$7n4$1@mailhub227.itcs.purdue.edu...
>
> "Lance Freezeland" <freezelandlaw.nospam.DeleteThis@consolidated.net> wrote in
> message news:93ick218f93r7vpdgutksl1r3s6uqgis9o@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:22:03 GMT, "Topo Gigio"
>> <andrewmossop.DeleteThis@1asealsystems.co.uk> gave us:
>>>"Zuke" <me.DeleteThis@privacy.net> wrote in message
>>>news:Pine.OSX.4.64.0610301033270.2985@ucfilespace.uc.edu...
>>
>>>> The cards were jeckyl/hyde all year. They went on great runs
>>>> and then went on terrible runs. They got some people back
>>>> for the playoffs. Definitely deserve the trophy.
>>
>>>>> People are going to say that you didn't deserve
>>>>> your championship. But you sure as hell played these last fifteen
>>>>> [sixteen:
>>>>> 4-SD, 7-NYM, 5-DET] games like you did.
>>
>>>The Cardinals only got the trophy for one reason, they won 4 games in the
>>>World Series. The Mets were the team of destiny, remember that catch in
>>>left
>>>field? The Mets were meant to be. One knee locking strike away form
>>>winning
>>>one of the greatest games of all time. Where did Wainwright get that
>>>breaking ball from? He never had that before, it was like he was
>>>channeling
>>>Kenny Rogers. Some things must never be spoken of.
>>
>> Dipshit. Wainwright's always had the great curve.
>
> I haven't mentioned this, but I think it might have been the greatest oh
> and two curveball in major league history.

Yep card counters know when to bet big.
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers .. 

"Topo Gigio" <andrewmossop.TakeThisOut@1asealsystems.co.uk> wrote in message
news:TGQ1h.4196$Z66.1075@trnddc07...

>
> Yep card counters know when to bet big.

Yep, bet big when the ball is marked.
 >> Stay informed about: "Shocktoberfest: Cardinals were better than their numbers ..