2020 WS: Dodgers vs. Rays

Who you got winning the WS?


  • Total voters
    124
  • Poll closed .

E5 Yaz

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As they say at Constipation Anonymous meetings, half a loaf is better than none. Go Rays.
 

luckiestman

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Let Tampa get the NHL, MLB, NFL in a row, why not? Got nothing against the Dodgers except some of their fans are also probably Laker fans so they can go to hell.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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I really have nothing against either team... I also have no reason to like either team. Call me petty, but while my Indians are in a 72-year drought, I can't root for an expansion team to win their first championship, so go Dodgers! After a thrilling LCS round, we're probably due for a snoozer, so Dodgers in 5.
 

SoxFanInCali

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California. Duh.
I mentioned this in the NLCS thread, but while there will clearly be a lot of talk about the Dodgers trying to get Kershaw a ring, Justin Turner really deserves another shot as well.
 

bankshot1

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I sort of like the Dodgers, never thought of them as evil, I usually liked their pitching and defense approach to the game when thet first moved to LA, and in their earlier Brooklyn iteration were an admirable franchise. And like the Sox they had their run-ins with a common foe.

I want to root for Mookie and Fight Club Joe and Dave Roberts.

I am conflicted.

I sort of like the Dodgers,

And I sort of don't like the Rays.

But I really don't like the Lakers and they seem to be irrationally intruding on my possible enjoyment of the World Series.

Fucking Lakers.
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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As a resident of L.A. (but a Boston sports fan), I can assure you that the Dodgers winning will make a lot of Laker fans happy. The fireworks that went off tonight in the neighborhood were a rerun of what happened after the western conference finals and the NBA finals.

Which is a shame, because if it weren't for that, I'd unabashedly pull for the Dodgers. They got Mookie. They got Dave. They have a decades-long rivalry against the Yankees. And while it ain't 86, 72, or 108 year droughts, 32 years ain't nothing...especially when they recently had back-to-back pennants and nothing to show for it (thank god for one of those, of course).

But...fucking Laker fans, man.

I was going to vote Dodgers in 5 because I was thinking they would get over the hump. But then I considered that them losing a third time in fourth years to a perennially smart team that barely gets any respect in its own hometown seems like something that would happen to this Dodger un-dynasty. So I said Rays in 7, a heartbreaker for the boys in Blue. At least they'll always have LeBron...
 

Trlicek's Whip

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I followed Betts to the Dodgers this year – essentially rooting for the laundry that Betts wears. He's a generational player and it broke my heart that the Sox lost him, especially they way they did, as if they goofed on any sure plan to keep him.

Also, the Dodgers have been to the WS 3 out of the last 4 seasons, with at least two of those series being played with the winning teams (Sox and Astros) likely pressing their thumb down on the scale. The Dodgers are a fun team to root for, including the heart of the Sox and (Betts) and a great manager (Roberts) each forever ensconced in Sox lore. What's not to like?
 

nolasoxfan

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Best of luck to both teams. I won’t be rooting for either.
It won’t be the MFYs, so I’m counting small blessings and moving on.
 

Ale Xander

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Oct 31, 2013
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F the non-Mookie, Joke, Dave Dodgers

F the Rays more

Go Dodgers on the scales of justice
Hopefully they win in 3 1/2 by a combined score of 100-0
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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I've never hated the Dodgers, I will always love Mookie, and fuck Florida. Pretty easy choice for me.
 

54thMA

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As they say at Constipation Anonymous meetings, half a loaf is better than none. Go Rays.
Or put another way; I could give a shit less who wins.

I don't get all the Mookie love; he did not want to sign here and correct me if I am wrong but he turned down a 300 million dollar contract, something about him wanting to test free agency, he gets traded to the Dodgers and 19 seconds after he gets there, he falls in love with the place and signs a 12 year deal.

So much for testing the free agent waters; he did not want to sign here, period.

So why root for a guy who didn't want to be on your team; it's not like a Fred Lynn situation where they traded him away foolishly, Betts did not want to sign here and forced their hand.

His glovework is the sole reason the Dodgers are in the WS.

For the second year in a row, I won't watch .02 seconds of the WS.
 

staz

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The cradle of the game.
Rooting for my alternate favorite franchise, LA, but picking the Rays in 6.

Cash will manage circles around Roberts, and the collective Rays pitching staff just eliminated 2 lineups more dangerous than what the Dodger present.

Looking forward to watching every pitch - it's a long-ass winter.
 

E5 Yaz

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... the collective Rays pitching staff just eliminated 2 lineups more dangerous than what the Dodger present.
That's a helluva point. This is the perfect example of conventional wisdom being on the side of the team with players most fans have heard of before ... when, in reality, it's all about matchups and maximizing the strength of the overall team.

The Rays will have to get a few more bats going, because the Dodgers pitching is better than the Yankees or Astros. I'm thinking of the 1991 Braves-Twins series, which included five one-run games ... and in scenarios like that, it's the deeper bullpen that wins
 

DeadlySplitter

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the Dodger lineup has Seager & Bellinger humming right now. Turner can go off. we know Mookie can go off. They're a deeper lineup than either the Yanks or Astros, or anyone in baseball, that lineup depth just outlasted the Braves. if I'm the Rays I'd be concerned I could never score more than 5 runs in any game against Houston.

as far as weird short season / asterisks, both teams just proved their playoff mettle. Both would have made the playoffs over 162 for sure. Had zero issues in the extra opener round. I don't think the Rays win the division over 162, but otherwise this is a legit WS to me, YMMV.
 

jon abbey

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Made the title lower-case because I didn't want to look at all caps for the next ten days.
 

Rovin Romine

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Because I dislike the post-season format, I wanted the most absurd result possible, so to discourage it in the future. Such was not to be (and frankly, I'd rather see TB in there than the Astros.)

My ideal outcome is Mookie sets some records, but TB wins in 6 or 7.
 

S. H. Frog

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I'd really like to see a best-of-nine world series with games on nine consecutive days, starting at 4:45 Eastern.

I'd also like to see Mookie Betts win the world series every year for the rest of his career, so I'm reluctantly rooting for the Dodgers.
 

snowmanny

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Eh. I hate the Dodgers. They’ve already won a WS in a contrived year. 1981.
Rooting for the Rays but I’m guessing Dodgers in 6.
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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Or put another way; I could give a shit less who wins.

I don't get all the Mookie love; he did not want to sign here and correct me if I am wrong but he turned down a 300 million dollar contract, something about him wanting to test free agency, he gets traded to the Dodgers and 19 seconds after he gets there, he falls in love with the place and signs a 12 year deal.

So much for testing the free agent waters; he did not want to sign here, period.

So why root for a guy who didn't want to be on your team; it's not like a Fred Lynn situation where they traded him away foolishly, Betts did not want to sign here and forced their hand.

His glovework is the sole reason the Dodgers are in the WS.

For the second year in a row, I won't watch .02 seconds of the WS.
I take it you're not friends with any of your exes?
 

54thMA

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I take it you're not friends with any of your exes?
Nope; they're all exes for a reason.

Because as we both know, all things end badly or they..........................nope, not going back down that rabbit hole again......;).............
 

Soxy

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I don't hold any animosity towards Mookie like @54thMA seemingly does, but I do think that post is spot-on. Mookie did not want to sign that kind of big, long-term contract with the Red Sox. Which is fine. That's his choice and I don't hold it against him. I still love watching him play. It's also why I didn't get too upset when they traded him. Of course nobody wants to lose a player like that, but it's a two-way street. Seems clear now that he was not going to re-sign here. They made the best of a bad situation, Mookie is where he wants to be, it is what it is. That doesn't seem to be a popular opinion, but that's how I see it.
 

InsideTheParker

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I don't hold any animosity towards Mookie like @54thMA seemingly does, but I do think that post is spot-on. Mookie did not want to sign that kind of big, long-term contract with the Red Sox. Which is fine. That's his choice and I don't hold it against him. I still love watching him play. It's also why I didn't get too upset when they traded him. Of course nobody wants to lose a player like that, but it's a two-way street. Seems clear now that he was not going to re-sign here. They made the best of a bad situation, Mookie is where he wants to be, it is what it is. That doesn't seem to be a popular opinion, but that's how I see it.
You have nicely expressed an opinion with which I completely agree. Thank you.
 

54thMA

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I don't hold any animosity towards Mookie like @54thMA seemingly does, but I do think that post is spot-on. Mookie did not want to sign that kind of big, long-term contract with the Red Sox. Which is fine. That's his choice and I don't hold it against him. I still love watching him play. It's also why I didn't get too upset when they traded him. Of course nobody wants to lose a player like that, but it's a two-way street. Seems clear now that he was not going to re-sign here. They made the best of a bad situation, Mookie is where he wants to be, it is what it is. That doesn't seem to be a popular opinion, but that's how I see it.
Michael Holley claims there was some bad blood between Betts and the RS over the way they handled his arbitration; can anyone confirm or deny that?

If there was some bad blood and he choose to turn down a 300 million dollar contract, then so be it.

I hadn't heard anything about bad blood until he brought it up last night.

He gave the impression he wanted to test free agency; maybe the whole COVID situation made him rethink that and he decided to take the Dodgers offer without bothering to explore free agency.

Regardless, he didn't want to resign here.

He's a top 5 MLB talent and he's gone.

I have to give the Dodgers credit; they make the moves they need to make to put them over the top, the trade will probably result in a WS title this year, maybe several once it's all said and done.

Good for them for going all in.
 

Bergs

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Jul 22, 2005
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I just can't imagine not wanting and rooting for the best for Mookie Betts (absent a 2018 WS Rematch). He's one of my favorite ballplayers ever, and I'll be goddamned if I'm not gonna cheer him on.
 

nattysez

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I just can't imagine not wanting and rooting for the best for Mookie Betts (absent a 2018 WS Rematch). He's one of my favorite ballplayers ever, and I'll be goddamned if I'm not gonna cheer him on.
I agree with all of this and hope it twists the knife for the Sox owners every time he's discussed during this WS (which has been VERY often, 6 innings in).
 

Comfortably Lomb

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I agree with all of this and hope it twists the knife for the Sox owners every time he's discussed during this WS (which has been VERY often, 6 innings in).
John Henry is close to an infinity gauntlet full of Sox rings and the Sox are valued at $3.3B, were bought for 700M two decades ago, and tend to trail only the Yankees and Dodgers in revenue. You think he's losing a wink of sleep over Mookie at this point?
 

nattysez

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John Henry is close to an infinity gauntlet full of Sox rings and the Sox are valued at $3.3B, were bought for 700M two decades ago, and tend to trail only the Yankees and Dodgers in revenue. You think he's losing a wink of sleep over Mookie at this point?
I think guys like that are particularly sensitive to being clowned on national TV for several hours a night.
 

Ale Xander

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The guy that "climbed" Fenway should have been yelling to bring back Mookie, not freedom.
 

jon abbey

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OK, so we're looking at:

Game 3: Buehler vs. Morton
Game 4: ????? (Urias?) vs. ????? (Yarbrough)
Game 5: Kershaw vs. Glasnow

Game 6: Snell vs. ????
Game 7: Morton vs. Buehler
 

terrynever

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John Henry is close to an infinity gauntlet full of Sox rings and the Sox are valued at $3.3B, were bought for 700M two decades ago, and tend to trail only the Yankees and Dodgers in revenue. You think he's losing a wink of sleep over Mookie at this point?
Honest question for a good Sox fan: If the team struggles for two or three seasons in a row, will fans keep filling Fenway?
 

Leskanic's Thread

lost underscore
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Honest question for a good Sox fan: If the team struggles for two or three seasons in a row, will fans keep filling Fenway?
Not the good Sox fan in question, but...my theory has always been that the Red Sox, even in down years, benefit from the tourism factor. There are people who visit Boston during baseball season and have "see Fenway Park" on their must-do list. It's an historic place and has an allure for people in a way that ballparks that aren't 100+ years old don't. If the team isn't doing very well and fans aren't shelling out top dollar, there are still people who want to get in the door to say they went there. And at least the last few times I've been back over the summer, those tickets aren't available from the box office...they are on the secondary market. So from the Sox perspective, the seats are sold.

Does that translate to a consistently full Fenway? I don't know. But I think it'll take a few years of downtime for the prices to have dropped so much on that secondary market that ticket agencies and resellers don't see a profit and stop buying them up. (And that's ignoring the fact that, if market prices go down for game, there may be local people who can only afford to go once a year now who are more likely to jump and go to games...again, more for the experience of going to Fenway than to watch a mediocre-to-bad team.) Basically, I would predict the Sox have more of a buffer than most teams before ticket sales become a problem. Fields of empty seats by the 7th inning? That's a different question.

Back on topic: holy shit, that game!