10-28-2005, 12:23 AM
Occhidiangela,Oct 27 2005, 04:27 PM Wrote:1. I never said Astros were a great team.
Bad phrasing on my part. I did not mean to imply you said they were great, merely apologizing for 'bad mouthing' a team you rooted for.
Occhidiangela,Oct 27 2005, 04:27 PM Wrote:2. They earned their spot in the World Series: they won the games they had to. It didn't hurt that injuries hamstrung the Cardinals in the LCS.
They did win the games they had to, and they played some solid post season ball where other teams crumbled. But there play over the season still plays into my opinion that they aren't the best team out there.
Occhidiangela,Oct 27 2005, 04:27 PM Wrote:3. The White Sox nearly pulled a Cubs foldex, but rallied in the closing weeks of the season, which they had to do thanks to the Indians' challenge. Good for them, and good for them that they won four close games in a row.
Very true, but the White Sox played some solid ball all summer long. Their drop made many people wonder (myself included) but after their strong season it didn't seem to be a reflection of a bad team, but of a good team playing poorly in August.
My point is simple, I'm not astounded the Astros didn't win a game in the World Series.
Occhidiangela,Oct 27 2005, 04:27 PM Wrote:PS: Joe Torre's teams won a few Series with good pitching.
But they also had decent batting power. Not that the Astros don't have some hitters, but I don't think the Yankees of the 90's would have gone an extra 9 inings (or 5 innings in the World Series) without a run.
Don't get me wrong, the importance of good pitching is impossible to deny. Without it, you're no where. But having a solid team on top of pitching makes a team great. And I don't look at the Astros as being great. They were a decent team that played well in the offseason, but not a team I would have put any bets on before going into the post season.
The Cardinals dominated the NL and it was their's to lose. And in my mind it was their team who lost it.
Cheers,
Munk