The 2015 Coin Flip Game Thread

[Bort]

Is it fucking Wednesday yet?

It is in Australia.

Lucky fucking Tonkers.

[Saul Goodman]

Is it fucking Wednesday yet?

It is in Australia.

Lucky fucking Tonkers.

No spoilers, Tonk.

[Tonker]

Is it fucking Wednesday yet?

It is in Australia.

Lucky fucking Tonkers.

No spoilers, Tonk.

Well, over here, the Astros have just beaten the Yanks 3-0 on a three-hitter.  By my reckoning the game doesn't start for another fifteen minutes, so that should just about give you time to get down to the bookie's.  You're welcome.

[Tonker]

The order of blame I place on that meltdown.

1. Gonzalez (fuck him)
2. Dusty (get your ass out there and settle your pitcher down or send your pitching coach to do the same)
3. Farnsworth (thanks, dick)
4. Alou (calm the fuck down or lay off the greenies)
5. The rest of the bullpen (which was probably no more use than Farnsworth and might well have trashed that game one inning later)

...









1,080. Steve Bartman and the assclowns around him who reached for that foul pop.

I also watched it at YouTube's prompting yesterday. I wonder if the guy in the grey shirt/jacket two seats away from Bartman has properly counted his blessings. Because one extra inch of wingspan and he would've lived a very different life.

Youtube also prompted me to watch this, after one of those post-season hype videos that are going around.  Somebody at Google is fucking with us.

[flannj]

Roster out

I don't know if I would call the inclusion of Hendricks a surprise.

Pitchers

28-Kyle Hendricks, RHP

33-Clayton Richard, LHP

34-Jon Lester, LHP

37-Travis Wood, LHP

46-Pedro Strop, RHP

49-Jake Arrieta, RHP

52-Justin Grimm, RHP

53-Trevor Cahill, RHP

56-Hector Rondon, RHP

57-Fernando Rodney, RHP

Position players

3-David Ross

5-Quintin Berry

8-Chris Coghlan

9-Javier Baez

11-Tommy La Stella

12-Kyle Schwarber

13-Starlin Castro

15-Chris Denorfia

17-Kris Bryant

22-Addison Russell

24-Dexter Fowler

27-Austin Jackson

44-Anthony Rizzo

47-Miguel Montero

68-Jorge Soler

[Canadouche]

According to ESPN, Cole throws his fastball against the Cubs 70% of the time, and the Cubs are the worst (or one of the worst) fastball hitters in the league this year. The one exception is Anthony Rizzo, who is crushing fastballs in general and Cole in particular.

Arrieta's big weakness - ha, "big" weakness - is that Pirates hitters are batting something like .265 against him when he pitches inside.

Armed with this inside information, I wouldn't be surprised if the game ended 1-0, decided on by a Rizzo solo shot against Cole.

[Eli]

According to ESPN, Cole throws his fastball against the Cubs 70% of the time, and the Cubs are the worst (or one of the worst) fastball hitters in the league this year. The one exception is Anthony Rizzo, who is crushing fastballs in general and Cole in particular.

That's part of why I'm not super pumped about Castro starting -- he's never been a very good fastball hitter and he's been particularly terrible this year (even worse than most of the pitchers on the roster). And yes, that even factors in his recent success.

I'd almost be inclined to go with La Stella at 2B, Bryant at 3B, and give Jorge and his fastball-crushing ways a start in RF. If he can run into one, that might be the difference in the game.

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

Roster out

I don't know if I would call the inclusion of Hendricks a surprise.

Pitchers

28-Kyle Hendricks, RHP

33-Clayton Richard, LHP

34-Jon Lester, LHP

37-Travis Wood, LHP

46-Pedro Strop, RHP

49-Jake Arrieta, RHP

52-Justin Grimm, RHP

53-Trevor Cahill, RHP

56-Hector Rondon, RHP

57-Fernando Rodney, RHP

Position players

3-David Ross

5-Quintin Berry

8-Chris Coghlan

9-Javier Baez

11-Tommy La Stella

12-Kyle Schwarber

13-Starlin Castro

15-Chris Denorfia

17-Kris Bryant

22-Addison Russell

24-Dexter Fowler

27-Austin Jackson

44-Anthony Rizzo

47-Miguel Montero

68-Jorge Soler

Buckets Herrera should reach out to Colin Fraser to understand what it's like to be on a team all season and not get to participate in the playoffs. 

[PenFoe]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

[flannj]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

Probably not good timing on my part but I have an echocardiogram scheduled for 8:00 am tomorrow morning.

[Tonker]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

I'm vacillating wildly between feeling okay because Fork says that losing's completely fine and the Cubs will win loads of World Series anyway; and flat-out panic because Eli says the entire success or failure of the Epstein era comes down to one game, tonight.

[Eli]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

I'm vacillating wildly between feeling okay because Fork says that losing's completely fine and the Cubs will win loads of World Series anyway; and flat-out panic because Eli says the entire success or failure of the Epstein era comes down to one game, tonight.

[Canadouche]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

I'm vacillating wildly between feeling okay because Fork says that losing's completely fine and the Cubs will win loads of World Series anyway; and flat-out panic because Eli says the entire success or failure of the Epstein era comes down to one game, tonight.

I assume you're planning on watching the game live? I don't envy your sleep schedule for the next few weeks if things go well tonight.

Or, I suppose, you might already be up since the games will be played late here.

[Tonker]

I feel like I'm gonna puke.

I'm vacillating wildly between feeling okay because Fork says that losing's completely fine and the Cubs will win loads of World Series anyway; and flat-out panic because Eli says the entire success or failure of the Epstein era comes down to one game, tonight.

I assume you're planning on watching the game live? I don't envy your sleep schedule for the next few weeks if things go well tonight.

Or, I suppose, you might already be up since the games will be played late here.

Games against PIT or STL start at 0200-ish.  Games in NY start an hour earlier, games in LA a couple of hours later.  It's not ideal, but it's a bullet I will very gladly take.

[Saul Goodman]

Roster out

I don't know if I would call the inclusion of Hendricks a surprise.

Pitchers

28-Kyle Hendricks, RHP

33-Clayton Richard, LHP

34-Jon Lester, LHP

37-Travis Wood, LHP

46-Pedro Strop, RHP

49-Jake Arrieta, RHP

52-Justin Grimm, RHP

53-Trevor Cahill, RHP

56-Hector Rondon, RHP

57-Fernando Rodney, RHP

Position players

3-David Ross

5-Quintin Berry

8-Chris Coghlan

9-Javier Baez

11-Tommy La Stella

12-Kyle Schwarber

13-Starlin Castro

15-Chris Denorfia

17-Kris Bryant

22-Addison Russell

24-Dexter Fowler

27-Austin Jackson

44-Anthony Rizzo

47-Miguel Montero

68-Jorge Soler

He's there just in case Joe needs somebody to give up some homeruns and look scared on the mound. PROVE ME WRONG, KYLE!