I gotta say Erick, you are stepping up your posting game big time! I disagreed with you on some stuff in the past, but you've been absolutely excellent with your analysis on so much of the Manny stuff and you're spot on with the chemistry stuff too.

 

We as fans love to see it and want to believe it means something for some reason, but honestly...it does not.

 

:thumbup

Jim Leyland's comments are great.

His statement about momentum is awesome.

 

What was it? "Momentum is as good as your next day's starting pitcher."

It's so true, really.

Aren't you the one who said that momentum is more important than home field advantage?

Jim Leyland's comments are great.

His statement about momentum is awesome.

 

What was it? "Momentum is as good as your next day's starting pitcher."

It's so true, really.

Aren't you the one who said that momentum is more important than home field advantage?

 

 

I believe it's a little different in the playoffs, for some reason.

I don't know...then again, I could easily be wrong. If momentum meant something in the playoffs, the Rockies would've most likely taken it last year.

 

As for home field advantage...I do believe people make too much out of it (and yes...I know the stat now). However, if you're a championship caliber team, you should be able to win at least one road game in a series, imo.

Jim Leyland's comments are great.

His statement about momentum is awesome.

 

What was it? "Momentum is as good as your next day's starting pitcher."

It's so true, really.

Aren't you the one who said that momentum is more important than home field advantage?

 

 

I believe it's a little different in the playoffs, for some reason.

I don't know...then again, I could easily be wrong. If momentum meant something in the playoffs, the Rockies would've most likely taken it last year.

 

As for home field advantage...I do believe people make too much out of it (and yes...I know the stat now). However, if you're a championship caliber team, you should be able to win at least one road game in a series, imo.

The Rox had 0 momentum going unto the World Series. 9 games off and the Sox coming back from being down 1-3 in the ALCS saw to that.

Jim Leyland's comments are great.

His statement about momentum is awesome.

 

What was it? "Momentum is as good as your next day's starting pitcher."

It's so true, really.

Aren't you the one who said that momentum is more important than home field advantage?

 

 

I believe it's a little different in the playoffs, for some reason.

I don't know...then again, I could easily be wrong. If momentum meant something in the playoffs, the Rockies would've most likely taken it last year.

 

As for home field advantage...I do believe people make too much out of it (and yes...I know the stat now). However, if you're a championship caliber team, you should be able to win at least one road game in a series, imo.

The Rox had 0 momentum going unto the World Series. 9 games off and the Sox coming back from being down 1-3 in the ALCS saw to that.

 

 

They had won 22 of 23, however.

But you're right...the Red Sox did have more.

 

In the regular season, I think it's different though.

And it does have to do with SP. In the playoffs, you never really start your #5. NEVER.

Pretty good article and a good way to sum it up.

 

 

Hollywood ending good for Marlins

Mike Berardino | Sports columnist

August 1, 2008

MIAMI GARDENS

 

It wasn't exactly Times Square on New Year's Eve, but there was still a bit of a festive atmosphere around Jeremy Hermida's locker Thursday afternoon.

 

The 4 p.m. trade deadline was about to pass without that much-rumored three-way deal that would have sent the Marlins' right fielder to Pittsburgh and brought Manny Ramirez here, and Hermida's clubhouse neighbors decided to have a little fun with him.

 

"Herm, 35 seconds!" Dan Uggla said as the clubhouse TV piped in the latest deadline coverage.

 

"Get some champagne in here," Hermida cracked as he pantomimed shaking up a bottle of bubbly.

 

Cody Ross did a one-man countdown: "Five, four, three, two, one! Yeah, Hermie!"

 

With that, Ross marched over and gave Hermida a mock hug.

 

Here's the only question that matters now: Did the Marlins just wreck their chances of popping corks in October after passing on two free months of Manny?

 

Not talking here about marketing or ticket sales. On those points, Manny wins hands down.

 

Strictly talking between the lines and in the standings here, and I say no. Despite Manny's 510 homers, despite his vast postseason experience, despite his owning one of the most devastating right-handed bats in baseball history.

 

If anything, they just gave themselves a boost by showing how much faith they have in this Team That Doesn't Compute.

 

"A little disappointed."

 

That's how Marlins President of Baseball Operations Admin Beinfest described his feelings shortly before undergoing an outpatient procedure to have his cell phone surgically removed from his ear.

 

Sure, it would have been nice to pry young catcher Gerald Laird from the Rangers to go along with the deadline addition of veteran lefty Arthur Rhodes. Would have been even better to grab Pudge Rodriguez before the Tigers sent him to the Yankees.

 

But the more you listened to Beinfest speak in generalities, the more you got the sense he actually was relieved he wouldn't be dealing with the Whole Manny Thing after this strange, whirlwind flirtation.

 

"You only know your own players," Beinfest said. "When you trade for someone from outside the organization, you never know exactly how somebody is going to integrate into your programs and your clubhouse, etc. You have to roll the dice on that."

 

And, as the Dodgers will now get a chance to find out, nobody is more of a human dice roll these days than Manny.

 

Will he feel like playing or will his phantom knee injury crop up again? Will he show up on time or will he start challenging manager Joe Torre's authority?

 

Will he be satisfied the Dodgers have wiped away those two $20 million team options on his contract or will he be offended if they don't push a four-year, $100 million extension his way?

 

Nobody does distraction like Manny, which is the single biggest reason the Marlins were wise to pull back from the precipice of Mannyland. Do you really think the Red Sox are paying him to play for the Dodgers because they're just feeling generous?

 

"I think chemistry really does matter here because not all the numbers add up for this team," Beinfest said. "Something is going on."

 

Will Manny outproduce Hermida the rest of the way? Probably so, but there's more to this game than raw individual statistics.

 

For starters, who would have played right field? Certainly not Manny, who hasn't played there since his Cleveland days.

 

Josh Willingham? He and Luis Gonzalez might have shared right field, which would have made a weak defense even more suspect.

 

How about the loss of Hermida's left-handed thump in a lineup that already lacks balance? That would have left Mike Jacobs as the only regular threat from that side.

 

Then there was the confusing example Manny might have set for baseball's youngest, cheapest team. How could the same front office that dumped Miguel Cabrera, in part, because of a perceived poor influence on Hanley Ramirez have sat Manny at the head of the table?

 

"Our players play hard every night," Beinfest said. "I can't remember one game where we've mailed it in. I can't remember an at-bat that a player has mailed in. I can't remember a time that a groundball hasn't been run out, regardless of the score."

 

Need I remind you all three of those mortal baseball sins reside on Manny's lengthy rap sheet?

 

Let Manny be Manny in La-La Land. It's a good place for him.

Very nice article...

Well you guys have your beliefs and i have mine. I still believe having team chemistry on a team is obviously better then having none. It's good for players to have good chemistry because they play with no worries of drama or other stuff like that. I still believe it can influence a team.

you mean like Cabrera? how did that guy effect chemistry, rumor has it he was a dog in the clubhouse? could Manny be that much worse, esp. when he would be motivated, if nothing else, to show the Sux what they gave up over these last 2 months?

 

for Hermeida.....and the sux pay his salary, a freakin no brainer.....should have been done...

I will admit Team Chemistry is probably an over-rated concept. Yet to totally ignore it like some of you are doing is pretty ridiculous. Especially now on ESPN they are reporting Red Sox players decided Manny HAD to be traded. As I said in my previous artcle, do you really want a guy on your team whose former players basically voted off their team?