Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uiucdcs
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!kaufman
From: kaufman@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Playoff Comments
Message-ID: <12900040@uiucdcs>
Date: Thu, 17-Oct-85 01:37:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.12900040
Posted: Thu Oct 17 01:37:00 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 19-Oct-85 04:27:00 EDT
Lines: 51
Nf-ID: #N:uiucdcs:12900040:000:2644
Nf-From: uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU!kaufman    Oct 17 00:37:00 1985


[Show Me the way to go home ...]

Now that both LCS's have come to an end, we can comment on what we have seen
over the past 8 days.  Here are one observer's views:

If you had asked me Monday, I would have said that the playoffs involved
the four most evenly-matched teams to have shared center stage since the
inception of the LCS in 1969, each club featuring a couple of top-notch
starters, and that any permutation would result in a long World Series.
But tonight, I'm not too sure.  The Cards are riding an awesome surge of
momentum.  Granted, Kansas City won their last three games, but they plodded
to victory, unlike St. Louis who took their last three in dramatic fashion.
The Cardinals will be able to have their staff in well-rested order, and
will undoubtably have Tudor ready for the opener.  The Royals' rotation is
a shambles, and if Saberhagen starts game 2, it will be on three days rest.
I was also impressed with St. Louis' defense.  Of course the Wizard requires
no mention, but the outfielders were superb in cutting off the alleys.
While Royals Stadium is especially prone to having inside-the-park homers,
any that are hit will probably come off the bats of Cardinal rabbits.  In
short, I like the Cards in 5 or 6.

I was surprised at Whitey Herzog's decision to start Andujar in game 6.
At the time, I hadn't heard about the soreness in Cox's arm.  Still,
he perhaps thought that showing confidence in Andujar might aid his performance
in the Series.  We shall see.

On the other hand, my 20-20 hindsight says that Lasorda should have had
Jack Clark walked, if nothing else, because he is an ex-Giant, and the
Giants have a history of giving the Dodgers fits in such situations.

Where will Al Oliver be next year?  It doesn't seem too likely that he and
Toronto will want each other next year.  Maybe he'll wind up in KC, just so
Quisenberry won't have to face him.  Is Oliver at first - Balboni in right
such an unreasonable thought?

Has anyone heard of the movie:  The Creeping Terror?  Do you think that's
what got Vince Coleman? :-)

Does anybody else feel that NBC may have lost a couple points of integrity
by assigning Vin Scully to the Dodger series and Tony Kubek to the Blue Jay
series?  Sure they're pretty impartial, but still ...

Well, in Game 7, the Toronto fans showed they could play in the same league
as Yankee fans.  Was it 10 cent Labatts night? :-)  Nowadays, the only way
to have halfway docile fans might be to have a Reds-Royals World Series
every year.

Finally a poll:  Did Lloyd Moseby catch the ball?  I even found the replays
inconclusive.  Send replies to:
Ken Kaufman (uiucdcs!kaufman)