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Gu3- Go USA won the Throwdown.

Gu3- Go USA

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Germantown, WI
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SFAHW Tourney 1:Round 1:Dyhard Vs Gu3:Can The Rays Hold On To The AL East?

dyhard has nothing to say said 07/08, 04:10 PM
I say that they can. They have all the tools to make it the rest of the season, and win the AL East.

The Red Sox have some pitching problems. Curt Schilling is done for the rest of the year, Dice-K hasn't been pitching well, and they haven't really had a great pitching year.

Now they have hitting, and they have David Ortiz that is injured right now, and the question is how effective will he be when he returns?

The Yankees have problems that they don't seem to be able to fix. They have pitching problems, and they also have hitting problems. They had injures, but don't seem to be troubling them much anymore. Johnny Damon is the only player that comes to mind there.

The Blue Jays don't have any hitting, the pitching is their strongest part of the team, but they aren't going to be in contention.

The Orioles don't have what it takes to win, as they are already falling off.

The Rays have a great team. Look at that pitching. It just fits together really well, and they have dissappointed anyone.

The hitting is just outstanding. Evan Longoria is an amazing rookie this year, and has really helped out this Rays ballclub.

They will hold on and win the AL East.

Gu3- Go USA said 07/08, 04:23 PM
Obviously, i say no.

Yes, the Sox do have pitching problems now. But you seem to forget about their ace. Beckett is one of the best clutch pitchers of all time. He helps big time down the stretch. Dice K is a great pitcher who can easily break out of the slump. They also have one of the best bullpens in the MLB with a strong set-up man and a closer that the Rays do not have.

Their hitting is still great. We now know Drew can heat up, Manny has 500 homers, Youk can hit .300 maybe even .400, and Pedroia can play with any 2B in the league. Ok, Ortiz is hurt, he may not be as good when he comes back... Problem solved. Meet Mr. Teixiera.

The Yankees are the Yankees. How many times have we seen them come back in the division by making trades? Last year it was signing Clemens. Few years ago it was trading for Abreu. They have the talent to do these things.

Ok, lets throw the Jays out of this.

The Orioles are a very good ball team. They have an even balance of vets and young stars to make it to maybe 2nd place.

Now, name a player in the starting 9 for the Rays who have sniffed post season in their career? Crawford hasnt, Upton hasnt,.Long. hasnt, Kazmir hasnt either.

dyhard has nothing to say said 07/08, 05:08 PM
Have you seen Hideki Okajima's stats? They are horrifying.

He has 6 blown saves this year. 6! That isn't good.

Dice-K is 9-1, yes, but he has 52 walks this year! He puts people on base too much for comfort for the Red Sox. He also doesn't keep the ball down when he pitches as he has only allowed 4 double plays this year, compared to last year's total of 17. He is on pase for 8.

The Red Sox are 6th in team ERA this year and 6th in team WHIP this year in the AL!

The Rays are 3rd in team ERA and 3rd in team WHIP this year in the AL.

They have a total of 27 saves, which is good for 4th in the AL.

The Red Sox have a total of 29 saves, which is good for 2nd in the AL.

Manny hasn't hit those 500 HR this year, that is over his career. He has 16 this year.

Youkilis CAN'T hit .400. That is beyond insane. Wow, that isn't possible for him. He has a .308 BA right now, and I don't see him getting over .315.

They don't have Mr. Teixiera right now, and right now, they need to worry about the DH position.

The Yankees don't seem to want to make a trade. They need starting pitching. I don't see them getting a SP before the trade deadline.

Rays - AL East Champ

Gu3- Go USA said 07/08, 06:10 PM
Let me start off by saying that when i said Youkilis could hit .400, i didnt mean this year. I meant he can in future seasons. I was just trying to emphasize his abilities.

Now, you said it yourself, Dice-K is 9-1. So what if he walks players, he only lost one time. He has more wins than Kazmir and Shields.

I have a question. Would you rather have a closer who has closed out World Series games and has a postseason ERA of 0.00 or a closer who is past his prime, and has a postseaon ERA of 3+? I would take the one with 0.00. And that is Papelbon. And oh, by the way-Percival cant stay health..and newsflash, he is hurt now.

Manny Ramirez is a better hitter than every player on the Rays. Not only is he a better hitter, he has been to World Series, ALCS, ALDS, and played in tight August baseball.

The Yankees always make that deal. They always come back from behind. They always, always, always do that. Why wouldnt they do that now? They have a developing Joba who can shut down anyone, and he is starting. Mariano Rivera is also having a MVP season. Mussina might win 20 games.

Not one of the Ray's starting 9 or 5 SPs have seen the postseason. They dont have the exp.

dyhard has nothing to say said 07/08, 07:59 PM
His abilities aren't that good. I don't see him ever hitting over .345. Yeah, I just don't see him doing that. He doesn't have those abilites.

Dice-K has pitching problems and those walks are going to catch up to him. Plus, he doesn't keep the ball down in the zone enough which is really going to effect the Red Sox, and even him.

Are we talking about the postseason? No, we are talking about the REGULAR SEASON.

I would rather take Papelbon in the postseason, not during the regular season.

The Rays have handled Percival and his injury bug and they haven't struggled this year.

They play in a tough division, but they haven't shown signs that it is tough for them.

The Rays have Crawford, Longoria, and also the have other players like Upton also. They have players that can beat out the Red Sox.

The REd Sox have players that are good, but the Rays FLOW better than the Sox do.

Unless the do that deal, which I don't see them doing, they aren't winning the division, and they aren't coming back to make the playoffs.

Mussina has been good, but nothing that is bad.

The Rays have been excellent this year, and they will continue that and win the AL East.

Gu3- Go USA said 07/08, 08:26 PM
When it comes August, and the Sox are a handful of games behind the Rays for the division lead, it is basically the post season. Papelbon will perform better, Beckett will also, and Senor Clutch David Ortiz will aswell.

I have another question, how do the Rays flow better? Longoria hasnt played with any of these guys before in the MLB, Iwamura is only in his 2nd year with these guys, Upton is in his 3rd, Navarro in his first, and Pena is basically in his 2nd with them. Manny has been with the Sox for 7 years, Tek for 11, Ortiz for 5, and Wakefield for 13.

Right now, we dont have the numbers (the history) to see that the Rays can hold on to it. But we do have the history of the Red Sox winning in the clutch (Want to recall down 0-3 to the Yanks?). We have the history of the Yankees coming back from a whole in the division.

In September, the Rays have to play the Sox 6 times, the Yankees 6 times, the Orioles 4 times, the Tigers 4 times, and the Twins 3. We already talked about the Yanks and Sox. The Orioles are probably gonna be out of it and looking to play killer with their young talent to carry momentum to 09 season. The Tigers are gonna be fighting for a playoff spot.

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Good luck Gu3

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SFAHW Tourney 1:Round 1:Dyhard Vs Gu3:Can The Rays Hold On To The AL East?

dyhard has nothing to say beat Gu3- Go USA 11 to 8

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