Baseball Playoffs - NLCS and ALCS

[Imran Siddiqui]

After tonight's comeback, they sure as **** do .

[Drake Tungsten]

Has a team ever come back from being down 3 games to 1 to win a league championship series? If not, how fitting would it be for the Cubs to set yet another record for futility?

[Theben]

Not too many, thankfully.

... the Marlins now hope to become the fourth team since the LCS went to a best-of-seven format in 1985, to battle back from a 3-1 deficit and win the pennant.

[badams52]

From AP

Tuesday, October 14, 2003
An Unlucky Inning Unravels Cubs

Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Add a meddling fan and a shortstop's error to the Chicago Cubs' long history of misery and dashed hopes.

The Cubs were five outs from their first World Series in 58 years Tuesday night when one of their own fans got in the way.

It started a series of ugly plays that resulted in Florida's eight-run inning and an 8-3 victory for the Marlins in Game 6 of the NL championship series.

"It has nothing to do with a curse," Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. "It has to do with fan interference and a very uncharacteristic error. ... History has nothing to do with this game, nothing."

...

Luis Castillo hit what appeared to be a very playable foul fly down the left-field line, and Moises Alou was in position to make the catch. Alou jumped and reached into the stands, but just before the ball dropped into his glove, a male fan who appeared to be in his 20s deflected the ball away as he tried to make the catch.

"He said he had it perfectly timed," Baker said.

The ball dropped into the stands as Alou screamed. Despite vigorous protests from the Cubs and their fans for interference, it was simply ruled a foul ball, and Castillo went back to the plate.

"The ball was in the stands," McKeon said. "Whether Alou could have caught it or not is questionable, but the ball was in the stands. And when the ball is in the stands, the fans have a right to catch it."

One pitch later, he drew a walk.

Other fans tossed beer at the fan and shouted profanities and threats at him. A handful of security guards quickly escorted him from his seat, his face covered with a sweater as he walked to a security room.

Some fans were yelling, "Kill him!" and "You cost us the World Series!" as he was being led away.

"He possibly cost us the pennant, and I want to know if it was worth a $20 ball? What a loser," said Sean Henning, who was sitting about five rows back.

...

As for that fan, Cubs security chief Mike Hill refused to give out any details about him. But Hill did say the team gave him a new coat and led him out a different exit after the game so no one could recognize him.

"He was scared to death more than anything," Hill said. "He just wanted to get out of here."

I would be scared too if I was that fan.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Just out of curiosity, is anyone else here flashing back to 1984 and the ill-fated playoff with the Padres?

[Brundlefly]

Just heard a rumor that Firaxis is rushing to add a DonZimmer unit to C3C as an easter egg..... Can anyone confirm?

[FrustratedPoet]

What would be it's special use? To pick fights and then cry about it afterwards?

[reismark]

All I know is that the same thing happened to Dusty's team last year in the World Series, and the next day there seemed to be an inevitability about the Giants' collapse. I do think things will be different this time: Dusty has both the home crowd and the advantage in starting pitching, two things he did not have in Anaheim a year ago. Nevertheless, we're finally gonna see what the Cubs are made of.

My prediction: Both series end tonight, and we start building up hype for probably the greatest World Series since '75: Yankees v. Cubs (or more accurately, New York v. The Rest of the Entire ****ing World).

[hexagonian]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
Just out of curiosity, is anyone else here flashing back to 1984 and the ill-fated playoff with the Padres?

Hey, I've been flashing back since, errrr, 1984!!!

Sad thing is, as I was watching the game with my family, I turned to my son right after the play and said that I hope the game didn't hinge on that one play.

[Arrian]

There is an evil part of me hoping for a Yanks-Marlins WS, just to piss everyone else off.

But nawww, Cubs-Yanks would be cooler, so Go Cubs! I'm just pissed because when I went to bed last night, I was sure the Yankee game would be @ 8pm. But noooooo-oh, the Cubs had to blow the game and push Yanks/Sox forward to 4pm.

-Arrian

[Guynemer]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
Just out of curiosity, is anyone else here flashing back to 1984 and the ill-fated playoff with the Padres?

Ahhhh, 1984, I remember it well... bless you, boys...

[Theben]

I still think the Cubbies will pull it off, it's just that they can't win w/o having the rest of us age 10 years in 7 games...

[Theben]

If the guy lets Alou catch and everything else happens the same, the score is 3-3 and extra innings with who knows who wins. If Gonzalez makes the catch and double play, and the guy still gets the ball, it's 3-1 in the 9th and we still win.

Cubs lost the game, not the fan.

[SuperSneak]

That's utter BS...you can't make that guy the goat. I think ANYONE would have reflexed to catch that ball...come on...everyone around him was going for it too...no restraining hands or anything on him...poor guy...he looked like a Grad A nerd, just having a good time and all of a sudden a ball is coming at him. Sheesh...that is some weird **** right there.
And as a former baseball player (not a pro, mind you ) I feel confident in saying that if you have somebody put an 8 run rally on you, one out wouldn't make a difference, unless it was the out to end the rally.

[Peacemaker]

New Mastercard Ad


Official NL baseball: $12.00

Front row seats in Wrigley Field for game 6 of the NLCS: $2000.

Costing your team a chance at their first World Series since 1945, bringing shame on your entire family, and breaking the hearts of Cubs fans worldwide while not even getting said $12.00 baseball: Priceless