If TBS had a nightmare in its first year of covering the MLB Postseason with sweeps in three League Division Series and a five game National League Championship Series, it certainly has to be a dream this year with three five game LDS’. And with a National League Central Division rivalry in the NLCS starting Sunday, TBS could have another long series which would just what the doctor ordered not just for TBS, but for baseball as well.
With two exciting games to finish the two National League Division Series on Friday, ratings should be pretty good. Let’s take a look at the quotage from last night’s TBS Game 5 doubleheader.
Notes from MLB Postseason on TBS – October 7, 2011
The National League Championship Series will begin on TBS on Sunday, October 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET with TBS MLB on Deck followed by Game 1 of the NLCS featuring St. Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers (4:00 p.m. ET). The night will conclude with the post-game show Inside MLB.
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TBS MLB on Deck
Matt Winer (host) and Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells (analysts)TBS’ reporter Sam Ryan interviewed Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder during the pre-game:
Fielder on the Brewers’ mindset going into Game 5: “It’s another game. There is nothing really to lose. Whatever happens, happens.You just gotta go out there and play hard. You just gotta win or you go home.”Wells on Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson: “He’s telling his guys, do what you’ve been doing all year. It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or on the road, play your game.”
Wells on his former teammates Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter: “I saw greatness in them.”
Eckersley on Philadelphia Phillies Game 5 starting pitcher Roy Halladay: “He’s a machine. He’s probably the best pitcher in the game in the last 10 years.”
Wells on St. Louis Cardinals Game 5 starting pitcher Chris Carpenter: “He’s a guy that doesn’t go out there and make a whole lot of mistakes. If he gets ahead in his counts and works quick, he might stymie these Philadelphia hitters.”
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Arizona Diamondbacks (2) @ Milwaukee Brewers (3) in 10 innings – Brewers win the series 3-2 and advance to the NLCS.
Announcers: Victor Rojas (play-by-play) and Joe Simpson (analysts) with Sam Ryan reportingSimpson on the pressure of the Brewers losing a 2-0 series lead: “The pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the Brewers.”
Simpson comments on the importance of every hit during the postseason after Diamondbacks Chris Young’s two-out, sixth inning single: “In the postseason, every base runner is a rally.”
Simpson comments on Brewers Nyjer Morgan’s LDS game-winning hit: “They didn’t want to have to pitch to [Ryan] Braun or [Prince] Fielder and Nyjer Morgan made them pay. He may never have a better day.”
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St. Louis Cardinals (1) @ Philadelphia Phillies (0) – Cardinals win the series and advance to the NLCS
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Ron Darling and John Smoltz (analysts) with Craig Sager reportingSmoltz on Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay and hitters trying to be patient: “Everybody knows when you face Halladay it’s 0-2 before you have a chance so why take pitches.”
Darling on the Phillies’ offense: “Teams that, during the regular season, spend most of their time scoring the majority of their runs with the home run…it dries up in the postseason.”
TBS’ Dick Stockton, Ron Darling and John Smoltz interviewed Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa during the game:
La Russa on Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay: “Our guys are sharp but there aren’t too many pitchers around who can give up a triple and a double [in the first inning] with the middle of our lineup up and only give up one run.”La Russa on Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter: “He’s going to be tough to score on too.”
Smoltz on the match-up between Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay and St. Louis’ Chris Carpenter: “This is exactly what we thought we would see and one run may be enough. Doc [Halladay] feels like he knows he’s not giving up any more runs but the pressure builds at home.”
Darling on Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina one pitch before the Phillies Chase Utley was caught stealing: “Carpenter will do a nice job of keeping Utley close [to first base] but the big equalizer in this is Molina and his golden right arm. He throws as well as any catcher in the National League.”
Smoltz on the pitching duel taking place tonight: “It’s not this easy. These guys [Carpenter and Halladay] are making it look easy.”
Darling on the Phillies pitching staff: “They’re built for 162 [games]. They’re built for a seven-game series but they’re a little vulnerable in a five-game series.”
Smoltz on the never-say-die attitude of the Cardinals: “It’s unbelievable and it goes to show when you play the season to the final out you never know what’s going to happen.”
TBS’ reporter Craig Sager interviewed the Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter following the game:
Carpenter on winning Game 5: “This was some kind of fun…what an awesome game.”TBS’ reporter Craig Sager interviewed the Cardinals manager Tony La Russa following the game:
La Russa on the pitching performances in Game 5: “As a fan we were blessed to have these two guys [Halladay and Carpenter], who are great pitchers….Carp was great.”***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Inside MLB
Matt Winer (host) and Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells (analysts)Wells on Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter’s performance in Game 5: “I’ve seen Carp [Carpenter] throw a lot of good games but this one stands out more than any of them. They way he had his composure out there, he got a run [early], settled down and treated it like a 0-0 game. He is just a gamer.”
Ripken on Carpenter in Game 5: “Today, from the get-go, [Carpenter] had his control. He had some late sink [to his pitches] and what a hook [curveball]…he could throw that any time he wanted. He had all of his weapons.”
Eckersley on the Game 5 match-up between Carpenter and Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay: “This was money-pitching. This is what baseball is all about. It’s about two guys [Carpenter and Roy Halladay] who get it and throw it. They were on a mission. How can you not love it like that? Everybody expected this [performance] and they gave you what you wanted.”
Ripken on Rafael Furcal’s first inning triple: “It was a chance worth taking and it proved to be the only run.”
Eckersley on Diamondbacks centerfielder Chris Young’s over-the-shoulder catch in the 6th inning: “Did I tell you that the [Yankees outfielder Curtis] Granderson catch [in Game 4 of the ALDS] was the catch of the century? It’s not. This is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen and you put it in a playoff game and it’s one of the best in the game.”
Eckersley on Brewers reliever Francisco Rodriguez’s shaky 8th inning: “You talk about a scary relief appearance…he was tip-toeing with that salad.”
Ripken on the Cardinals/Phillies LDS: “When you get to the playoffs, it’s a crap-shoot. Any team can beat any other team. In a five-game series, the Phillies were more exposed. They have more depth and that would’ve shown up in a seven-game series. St. Louis just played better and beat them.”
Eckersley on the Phillies lack of offense being exposed in the LDS: “This [series] was a snapshot of the Phillies’ season. They didn’t swing the bats well this year. They got away with murder. You’re talking about the best pitching staff in the game. They are going to have a lot of decisions to make with this offense because it’s really getting old. Anyone can win a five-game series but they didn’t get away with it…they got caught. Their offense just sputtered.”
That’s it.
