****2008 World Series Tread****

[zamboni]

Garza hanging a curve thigh high to Howard, bad mistake!! I am sure you guys noticed in the first game, curve balls in the dirt to him are his nemesis- he can't hit them!!

I know, BTW, Windy Like I said, if they do or don't win another one, I won't lose any sleep over it either way

[bassNspear]

this is a great baseball game. There is alot of things that are on the line for Game three, being they dont have a day off the rest of the series.

[zamboni]

We all know about that trade, Delmon Young trade- but now, thanks to Joe Buck, I think the entire country has it tattooed on their brains. I think he mentions it 200 times a night, and has since the Rays first playoff series. Unreal. Buck and McCarver are terrible. Never heard announcers go over and over stuff that happened 2 seconds ago, thankfully if I ever go to the bathroom and miss something, I will get to hear about it for 5 minutes.

[bassNspear]

i hope that TB can come back with a win tonight. It was a good game last night, but they really need to win this game tonight.

[zamboni]

I am a little surprised this game is being played- it is POURING there

[BID2]

This series has been a joke. Badly managed by MLB. Go Phill's. End this thing already!

[bassNspear]

so now everything gets pushed back a day becuase of the rain delay to tommorrow?

[PierBridge]

Yes.... if they can finish this game tomorrow.

I guess I don't see where MLB did anything wrong so far in the series. The weather report said a tenth of inch of rain after Midnight.....oooops.

Go Tampa!... I'd like to watch a game or 2 more!

[pegleg]

Zamboni, they had to continue playing it when Philly was up by 1 run. Can you imagine if the umpires would have called the game in the 5th inning for a rain delay and then cancel the final game of the World Series with Philly winning 2-1 in 5 innings? The umpires were hoping Tampa would score to tie, so they could suspend the game otherwise there would have been a lot of upset people by declaring Philly the winner of the Series on a rain shortened 5 inning game.

[PierBridge]

They changed the rule Tampa was in no jeopardy of losing the World series in a rain shortened game. Selig said they would have waited until Thanksgiving if necessary to finish the game.

[bassNspear]

i think they waited to long to call the game last night. i think it should have been called earlier in the game.

[pegleg]

I don't think you are correct Pierbridge. Even today's paper said Major League Baseball caught a huge break when Tampa scored their 2nd run. They also quoted Trevor Miller the Tampa pitcher saying they need to make a rule change at the winter meetings saying a World Series Game can not be called before 9 innings are played.

[mnwild]

What if the Phillies had been leading 2-1 after 5½ innings, and the game was stopped because of the rain. Under baseball rules, wouldn’t the Phillies have won the game and thus the World Series?

That’s what nearly everyone thought. And that’s what it says in Rule 4.10 ©: “If a game is called, it is a regulation game:

(1) If five innings have been completed.

(2) If the home team has scored more runs in four or four and a fraction half-innings than the visiting team has scored in five completed half-innings;

(3) If the home team scores one or more runs in its half of the fifth inning to tie the score.”

But in his postgame media conference, Selig said that he made a judgment call before the game began, and informed officials of both teams, that he would not allow a rain-shortened game to take place in the World Series, no matter how long it meant waiting.

“I have to use my judgment. It’s not a way to end the World Series,” Selig said.

The World Series won't resume until Wednesday night at the earliest.

[pegleg]

Thanks for clarifying it mnwild, but even as a commissioner I am surprised he would be able to pull that off without a MLB vote on it. Selig is from Milwaukee and he used to own the Brewers, can you imagine if the Brewers were involved in this game and Selig made a personal ruling that could have affected the outcome of the game what type of an uproar that would have caused? He called the All Star game a tie a couple of years ago and that caused a big uproar and that was just an All Star game.

[PierBridge]

I still think it was a rule change for the playoffs... and it doesn't really matter you are not going to have the deciding game of the World Series not played until completion. That's a regular season type of rule.

I believe tonights game was canceled.

[Windy City]

Here are the FAQ's direct from mlb.com:

What would have happened if the Rays had not scored in the top of the sixth?

Selig stated after the suspension of play Monday that he is ardently opposed to shortened World Series games and said he would have put the game into a rain delay that would have continued until he felt it was appropriate to resume play.

"We would have gone into a rain delay, and that rain delay would have lasted until, weather permitting, we could resume the game," Selig said. "The game would have been in a rain delay until weather conditions allowed us to continue. And that might have been 24 hours, or 48 hours, or who knows?"

What if the game had been halted prior to 4 1/2 complete innings?

By rule, it would have started over.

"If the game hadn't gone five innings, it would have been wiped out and started from scratch," DuPuy said.

Why aren't they just starting the game over, rather than restarting where the game was left off?

Selig cited Rule 4.12a, Section 6, in explaining the suspension of Game 5. According to the rule, "a game shall become a suspended game that must be completed at a future date" for a number of reasons, with Section 6 specifying "a regulation game that is called with the score tied."

In this scenario, the rule (4.12c) for suspended games is enacted: "A suspended game shall be resumed at the exact point of suspension of the original game. The completion of a suspended game is a continuation of the original game. The lineup and batting order of both teams shall be exactly the same as the lineup and batting order at the moment of suspension, subject to the rules governing substitution. Any player may be replaced by a player who had not been in the game prior to the suspension. No player removed before the suspension may be returned to the lineup."

Prior to the introduction of this rule following the 2006 season, the suspended game would have reverted back to the beginning of the inning, with the Phillies leading, 2-1, since Philadelphia did not bat in the bottom of the inning. But that is no longer the case, and therefore, Game 5 will resume with the score tied at 2.

How might this affect each team's rotation?

If the games in St. Petersburg are necessary and pushed back, it would change managerial options for Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel. Game 6 -- if played on Thursday or Friday night -- would still be a Game 2 rematch of right-handers Brett Myers for the Phillies and James Shields for the Rays.

But there would be different options for Game 7 if it were played on Friday or Saturday night. Either team could use its Game 4 starter in Game 7, rather than its Game 3 starter. Game 4 took place on Sunday, so a Game 7 on Friday would provide four full days of rest for Joe Blanton and Andy Sonnanstine. At the very least, Blanton and Sonnanstine would be available to pitch in relief as much as needed in that game. Moreover, Hamels becomes an option for the Phillies to at least get some work on three days' rest.

If it stayed to form, it would be Jamie Moyer for the Phillies and Matt Garza for the Rays in the climactic last game.

Has this ever happened before?

No. No game in World Series history has ever been suspended or shortened by weather or for any other reason.

[zamboni]

Zamboni, they had to continue playing it when Philly was up by 1 run. Can you imagine if the umpires would have called the game in the 5th inning for a rain delay and then cancel the final game of the World Series with Philly winning 2-1 in 5 innings? The umpires were hoping Tampa would score to tie, so they could suspend the game otherwise there would have been a lot of upset people by declaring Philly the winner of the Series on a rain shortened 5 inning game.

I understand all that throw the tarp on and finish it today, I never said end the game, I meant stop it before someone gets hurt.

[UdeLakeTom]

Money gentlemen.....at least one more evening of baseball..for the Ad people, this amounts to possibly 3 more nites of advertising....more people will watch at prime time then if the game had continued under a rain delay.

[mnwild]

now have to wait until Thursday for the game to be played.

[Mudcutter]

just read on MLB.com that the game or last 3.5 innings of Game 5 is still on for tonight. any other news??

Go Rays.

[mnwild]

thats correct tonight. No day off game 6 will be tomorrow.

[bassNspear]

Phillies are champs!

[matthothand]

The fork has been stuck.

[CrazyLabs]

WAY TO GO PHILLIES!!

The drought is over!

[bassNspear]

Welcome to FM Crazy

How much do you all think that car was worth that the pitcher got for MVP!