NLCS Game Thread: Cardinals @ Brewers

October 9, 2011 by Mike Axisa 61 Comments

An NL Central is going to the World Series, we know that much. I’m pulling from the Brewers now that the Yankees can been eliminated, so go Brew Crew. It’s Zack Greinke vs. Jaime Garcia in Game One. First pitch is set for 4:05pm ET and can be seen on TBS. Enjoy.

http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse

Go Cardinals!
Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat

I love how Brian Anderson, the normal Brewers announcer, is announcing this series. Expect a balanced and unbiased broadcast…
- https://twitter.com/johnsc2000 JohnnyC
  
  I’m sure TBS considered Michael Kay for the first round vs. Detroit. NOT!
LA Sean

I also want the Brewers to win. I live in LA and personally met Ryan Braun and Prince fielder before a dodger game once and both are not only amazing ball players, but very nice people as well. Braun has to be my favorite non-Yankee baseball player anyways.
And did you guys catch Terry Francona broadcasting yesterday? I’ll take him over McCarver any day.
- http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
  
  Yeah Francona did a very good job. Now they need to find a replacement for Joe Buck…
  - Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat
    
    Vin Scully.
    - http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
      
      He doesn’t travel.
      - Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat
        
        He actually does, to NL West road stadiums. He also went to Fenway when the Dodgers were there last year.
        
        http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
        
        That’s the rare occasion regarding the Fenway trip. I mean, how often do the Dodgers play in Fenway? The NL West road stadiums hardly count. For him to be the Fox Play by Play guy he’d have to be willing to go anywhere.
  - Paul Avery
    
    Francona was awful. He never said more than one sentence and it was never anything worthwhile. Bad choice of a fill in by FOX.
    - Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat
      
      You can not POSSIBLY think that Tim McCarver would be any better.
- The Big City of Dreams
  
  Would it be too much for them to have a 3 man booth when McCarver?
  - http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
    
    They have in the past before, except the third commentator really never talks.
    - The Big City of Dreams
      
      Well that’s fine Tim could just sit back and jump in when needed.
Kevin G.

I want the Brew Crew to win because they went all in and this may be their last chance in awhile with Prince leaving after the year.
TCMiller30

Brewers would be a lot easier to root for without T-Plush..
- Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat
  
  He is rapidly approaching the Josh Beckett/Jonathan Papelbon level of douche-ness.
  - TCMiller30
    
    I hope he talks shit this series and Pujols just knocks him out..
  - S
    
    He’s well past that point for me, what kind of narcissistic asshole gives himself a nickname? You earn that shit, you don’t create one.
- Rainbow Connection
  
  If Swisher came up with that bit, you’d be saying what a great clubhouse guy he is and it’s amazing to have him around, even if he can’t buy a hit or walk in the post-season.
  - http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
    
    Nope.
    
    Do you even know who we’re taking about here? You can’t seriously be comparing Nyjer Morgan to Nick Swisher.
  - TCMiller30
    
    I actually can’t stand Swisher.. so that’s definitely not the case for me.
    - TCMiller30
      
      and even if that were the case.. I’d take a little bit of attitude from a .260/.374/.449 career guy that a nobody .288./.347/.374 career guy that Morgan is..
- Thomas
  
  Honestly, I like Nyjer Morgan. I think more people should just have fun with playing the game. Come to think of it the only players who piss me off with their demeanor are closers. Probably because I only see it when the Yankees just lost.
JT

Yes, because the consensus in the baseball world is that the construction of the 1998-2000 dynasty teams was the product of Cashman’s singluar genius.
- http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
  
  Well, he was the GM during those years, right?!
  Since he was the GM of those teams he should get the credit!
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  What does this have to do with the Brewers and Cardinals?
  - tom
    
    JT began another thread commenting on an irrelevant issue (or, rather, one from a previous thread). He’s either somehow one-thread-off with each thing he posts, or a bit of a putz.
    - Rainbow Connection
      
      Why are you e-tattling on people?
Pat D

ALCS Game 2 has already been called. Where were these expert meteorologists last week??
- The Big City of Dreams
  
  Did they even know it was going to rain last week
  - Pat D
    
    That’s basically my point. They seemed to not know, but they should have.
    - Rainbow Connection
      
      You’re right. It’s a vast conspiracy by MLB and TBS/Fox to keep the Yanks out and to get terrible ratings and make less money.
      - http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
        
        It’s no conspiracy, Glenn Beck.
        
        Just some crappy weather forecasting. Which really isn’t anything new.
      - Pat D
        
        I appreciate that you seem to have something against me, since you sarcastically respond to a lot of my posts these days.
    - The Big City of Dreams
      
      I agree
Jimmy McNulty

Is it just me or is the NLCS match up a lot more exciting than the ALCS?
- http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
  
  More exciting narratives with the NLCS teams. Brewers in their first LCS since 1982, and the Cardinals who had a miraculous September just to get into the postseason after the Braves had a postseason berth locked up, AND who just knocked out the World Series favorites Phillies in a thrilling 5-game series.
  - Kramerica Industries
    
    Not to mention the divisional aspect of this series. The Brew and Cards did plenty of chirping (no pun intended) between each other, especially late in the season.
    
    The ALCS is Tigers/Rangers. Now really, who gives a shit about either team? There’s nothing overly-compelling or historically significant about that matchup. Even without this season’s developments, there would still be the 1982 World Series that could be easily noted about the NLCS matchup.
  - Jimmy McNulty
    
    That and there’s better players, the NLCS features Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Shawn Marcum, Yovanni Gallardo, Zack Greinke, Chris Carpenter, Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, and Jamie Garcia. The ALCS’s best players? Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, CJ Wilson for Texas, combined with Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Doug Fister? Ehhh…NL’s got a lot more star power, IMO.
- Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat
  
  NLCS is two division rivals who have had heated moments throughout the season, and it’s a matchup of the 82 WS.
  
  And honestly, who gives a shit about Tigers-Rangers?
  - http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
    
    Yankees-Rangers would have been a much more exciting ALCS.
    
    /still wants revenge
    - Kramerica Industries
      
      RISP fail at the worst possible time.
      
      The 3rd and 5th games are going to take a while to get over. Two EASILY winnable games, and either a hit here or there in the 4th or 7th inning of the finale, or Rafael Soriano knowing the scouting report on Delmon Young (which we all know ourselves) and the Yankees are still playing today.
      
      And the injury to Nova isn’t going to alleviate the loss at all. In a crazy and unpredictable game such as baseball, who’s to say the Yankees couldn’t have beaten Texas and then STL/MIL without Nova? It would’ve been tougher, no doubt, but not impossible.
      - http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
        
        They underperformed in that ALDS. Like they had been all season actually, according to their Pythagorean record anyway.
        
        Kramerica Industries
        
        Much worse than 2006, in actuality.
        
        The ’06 team was stacked, but they got creamed the last three games against Detroit.
        
        They outscored Detroit by 10 runs this time around. But their poor record in one-run games manifested itself once again in two of the three losses.
        
        People can call SSS if they want, but 22-26 in one run games, and 4-11 in extra innings games is pretty telling to me.
        
        http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
        
        Maybe Matt isn’t as crazy as people think he is….
        
        Nahhhhh
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        What exactly does it tell you?
        
        Kramerica Industries
        
        They had trouble in close ball-games?
        
        How about that the Yankees only had three walk-off wins this season, and none after the middle of June? They had plenty of opportunities after that date and came up short literally every time.
        
        I’m not trying to dump on this team. 97 wins is a very strong regular season total. But it certainly seemed like this team had a total inability to get big hits late in close ballgames. Things might be totally different in 2012, but that doesn’t change the facts for 2011.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        They lost a total of eleven games at home after June, it’s not like they had a ton of opportunities to get walk-off wins.
        
        Record in close games is extremely volatile year to year because one little bounce can change everything. It’s not the best indication of a team’s performance.
http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7

Nice shutdown inning there, Garcia.
Kramerica Industries

I would snidely say “nice camerawork”, but how were the cameramen supposed to track that fly ball?

I’m surprised that stayed fair.
Kramerica Industries

Milwaukee is just incredible in their home ballpark.

Wow.
Freddy Garcia’s 86 mph Heat

The Cardinals are obviously setting up this game for KRod to blow it.
- http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
  
  K-Rod and Jose Valverde are like the same person.
dkidd

if the brewers play the rangers in the ws, it will be the most histrionic series in baseball history

act like you’ve been there before, brewers (even if it’s been 30 years)
http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7

I love how the Miller park crowd is giving Greinke a huge hand even though he gave up 5 ER.

But hey! He’s in line for the win right?
- http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
  
  He is, his job is to win, and he’s set up to win.
  
  /Kay’d
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  CC would get a bigger hand…
  - http://johnsterling.blogspot.com/ Xstar7
    
    And that makes it okay?
JobaWockeeZ

Mark Sanchez is the most overrated QB in the history of the NFL. He sucks and he’s still loved in NY. The hell?
- http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
  
  See Joe Namath.