For the 7 or 8 of us still interested in baseball, are the Cardinals royal fuck ups for continuing to pitch to Ortiz? He seems to be the only one hitting for Boston. personally , I like that Matheny has the balls to say fuck you dude, I believe in out pitchers and their ability . Granted if there were a Cards player torching Bostons pitching like that, Id probably be screaming at Farrell for doing it but in a strictly competitive sense, I like that they're not backing down. Greg, Apologist, how does it look from a Cards fan perspective?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

At this point, not sure why you wouldn't be walking him in most situations. He's in an incredible groove, and even though you think you can pitch to him, why take the chance when the next guys up will be so much easier to get out? I mean the guy is OPSing over 2! I understand there is going to be some regression to the mean over the long term, but it's certainly not unheard of for a guy to get this hot over a two or three week period during the season.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

No IW,but everything he gets would be "in the dirt" low and outside.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

So if in the next 2 games Ortiz walks 6 times and goes 1 for 3 and the Cardinals end up winning, was that "good baseball" to go around him and admitting hes just better than your pitchers but you'll take the 2 wins and Series without really beating the best the Red Sox put out there?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Tony LaDrinky would be pitching too him, that's for damned sure.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Too complex of a question for any of us rubes to figure out. Maybe Stephen Hawking knows.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Yes, yes they should.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Part of the game. In 30 years,all anyone sees is the results.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Make him move his feet or hit him. When a guy get on base 9 times in a row he should hit the ground or be forced to move his feet. Even changing your delivery didn't really work because he still hit the ball hard.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Not trolling at all. I think its a legit question to ask. Are you really the best team if your pitchers are instructed not to pitch to the other teams best hitter? jimmy probably is right, if they were to do that and somehow win the series in 30 years no one will remember that Ortiz was pitched around. Personally I feel that if your pitchers aren't good enough to get this guy out you probably aren't the best team and don't deserve to win the title. I commend the Cardinals for manning up .

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

So, strategy is not part of what makes a team the "best team"? Besides, it's arguable if any World Series winner is ever the "best team." To me, it's irrelevant. They are the champions because they won the championship within the framework of how baseball is currently constructed (i.e. the current regular season/playoff system).

If it helps you win, you do it.

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This is exactly the way I feel. And that's why I find the concept that "the best team didn't win" to be patently silly. And that goes for any sport or tournament. If we're not going to use the results to declare the "best team", why play the games at all?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

What's Bernsteins take?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Yes. Also, teams know how the regular season/playoffs are constructed before they begin building their rosters and coaching staffs. Knowing that, isn't it their responsibility to construct their team to win based on how the rules currently work? That may not always mean the most "talented," whatever that means. It means the team that can WIN.

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Have a computer run a simulation to determine the winner.

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And I do believe there are certain characteristics that help a baseball team win a series of 5 and 7 games sets in the postseason. It's fashionable to call the playoffs a "crapshoot". Really? Could Billy Beane be that unlucky at craps? You'd think he'd roll a point once in awhile, wouldn't you?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

unluckiest guy:Bobby Cox

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

unluckiest gal: Bobby Cox's wife.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Really? one bullshit incident in 1995 and his wife didn't press charges.

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

When the Cubs win the WS in 2015, I wont care what the team does to accomplish that goal.

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Say it was the Superbowl and you're Peyton Manning playing Seattle -- do you keep throwing the ball to whoever Sherman is covering just to prove you can beat him? If you get intercepted 3 times and they win the game based on points generated directly off the turnover, wouldn't you blame Peyton Manning for not managing the game effectively? To me, this is a similar situation -- the pitcher has the right to walk the batter if he so chooses. It's a risk assessment game. So if Ortiz lights up the Cardinals pitchers, I blame them for pitching to him as much as I do congratulate Ortiz for hitting well. If they pitch around Ortiz and win games, I would congratulate them for a strategy that paid off, and for Ortiz -- what can you do? As a hitter, you don't get to control what's coming at you -- much like a DB doesn't get to control when a QB will be passing a football his way.

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Pasta is right. Pitch around him. If he hits low and outside sliders, so be it. If he walks, that's ok too since no one else on the Sox is hitting