I respect your right to route for your team. But the bottom line is you have to face Oswalt and Clemens possibly 4 out of the 5 games. Plus you don't have a #1 starting pitcher on your staff. This isn't the same Astros team your used to and this isn't the same Braves team wer'e used to. Bottom line is our pitching and hitting is better than Atlanta's. If you want me to dig up the numbers i will.
Redgoose? I like Grey Goose. But ok. Bring old Clemens. Bring unproven Oswalt. You wanna talk playoff pitching? Your ex-boy Hampton won the NLCS MVP as a pitcher. Ortiz would of been MVP of the WORLD SERIES if his bullpen didn't blow a 5-0 lead in the 8th inning of game 6. Jaren Wright was a 7th game World Series starter before being injured. Lost that game by ONE run in extra innings. This year, he didn't lose at all for about 8 weeks and once since then. I will take Smoltz over anyone this side of Mariano Rivera. That closer you guys have? Good. But lets see whats up when the lights get hot. To take a page from another Texan who is about to lose his job right after the World Series...Dub said it best.... BRING 'EM ON!! Therapy...I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN THERAPY!!!!!#%&@@$#(@!!!!!
Too bad Smoltz would be ineffective since there's no game he needs to be saving. Therapy...I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN THERAPY!!!!!#%&@@$#(@!!!!! denial is the first sign of trouble
Jaren Wright is your best pitcher. He is the only one i would worry about. But to call Clemens old and think he can't get the job done is crazy. Look at his numbers down the stretch. He's about to win the Cy Young award and his closest competition is Oswalt, who is the only 20 game winner in the NL. You can't tell me or anyone on the ESPN staff that Oswalt and Clemens aren't the best #1 and #2 tandom in the entire playoffs. Ortiz has pitched so bad this year the Braves might not even use him. Your also talking abour post Hampton before he signed the big contract. Nobody fears him anymore, nor should they. Either way, all of the above pitchers on your team can be pitch wild and eratic at any given time. None of them have been as consistent as Roy and Roger have been this year.
I forgot to mention that Brad Lidge has been the best relief pitcher since the All Star break. He ended up leading the league in K's per inning. I'd take him over any closer right now.
Take an unproven closer over the winningest pitcher in the history of the playoffs and over the past 3 years has been the most dominant closer in the world next to Gagne? I can already tell this is going to be easy. Just don't go hiding after we spank dat ass! I can't wait to see Oswalt. Light his behind up just like the last time he pitched against the Bravos. The Bravos: The Braves have the third-best bullpen ERA (3.59) in the league. Smoltz is tremendous, his postseason experience is invaluable and his leadership has helped keep this team together. Smoltz's support staff -- Antonio Alfonseca, Kevin Gryboski, Tom Martin, Juan Cruz and Chris Reitsma -- has been effective. The Asstros: Lidge has struck out 157, the most in NL history by a reliever. No one can hit his slider. The rest of the bullpen is anonymous, but lately, has been pretty good. Anonymous? Can't wait til the 6th innings after your boys get nice and tired. My boys: There is nothing about the Braves that stands out, which is perhaps why they're hard to defend. Their average against left-handed pitching is the best in the major leagues, they'll take a walk and they lead the major leagues in ERA again. Cox is never out-foxed, and the element of surprise is always a crucial element in his managing scheme. Your girls: The Astros are an old, slow team...Their starting pitching is good two out of every five days; the rest of the time, they throw as many relievers as possible and hope to get a lead to Lidge in the eighth or ninth inning. Again.... BRING IT ASSTROS!!
I know how you feel man. I live in Warner Robins, GA and I hate that the only teams I get to see are the braves on all the ted turner channels and the cubs on wgn. I hate the braves so much and I am surrounded by Braves fans, not true fans but still they like the braves when they win. I can't wait to watch Clemens shut down the braves when I go to game one!
Ummm....... Almooooooooooo, it was nice of you to selectively quote Kirkjian's article and all, but you seem to have forgotten all of the things he said in favor of the Astros and against the Braves. In fact, I had to look again to double check this, but unless my eyes deceive me, he seems to be predicting an Astros series victory in the article you quote. I am going to assume that your neglect toward such facts is nothing more than a grievous oversight, and that it was a simple mistake in your hope to use a respected and impartial source to support your objective opinion. Rather than point out your creative citing, I have chosen to simply post the link so that the readers may view Kirkjian's esteemed opinion in its entirety, saving you the hassle of telling them what he thinks. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=kurkjian_tim&id=1894866
I believe that Nolan wasn't traded, he just wasn't resigned. Like Hakeem, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but that one turned out to be the wrong decision. Who knew that a pitcher in his high 30's had that much gas left in his tank? P to RF? Are you sure there wasn't another reason?
More bad news for the Asstros... Clemens, a favorite to the win the NL Cy Young Award, is 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in four career starts against the Braves. Atlanta is the only Major League team that he's faced more than once and not recorded at least one regular-season victory against. The one negative for the THIRTEEN time defending champs is that Chipper probably won't play the first couple of games. Shame. I was looking forward to a sweep. Guess I have to settle for four games.
http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3620&perpage=30&pagenumber=1 Most of the good Almu-LHutz threads are missing or started by someone else, thus making the current search methods useless.
Behad, if you could get to Clutch and pull the early thread from LHutz...the one where he called me a liar and a fake fan...man, that was some funny shiznet. The one you linked is from 2000. The one I am talking about is from I think 1998. The first reply on that post from Clutch was SO funny! That was some of the funniest humor I have ever read on the internet. People here do not know about LHutz. Too many new people. But LHutz is a legend. Clutch and the crew can vouch for that.
Man, I miss all those posts, Lhutz is someone who can make you laugh out loud while reading this bbs. DD
