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From: douglas@noscvax.UUCP (Douglas S. Dickerson)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Padres-Cubs (4&5)
Message-ID: <644@noscvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Oct-84 17:52:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: noscvax.644
Posted: Mon Oct  8 17:52:11 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 11-Oct-84 01:16:58 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center
Lines: 34


	Somehow, my wife and I managed to be two of the 58,000+ screaming 
Padre and Cub fans at Game 4 of the N.L. playoffs.  More than 48 hours 
later, I still haven't fully recovered my voice.  It was one sporting 
event that was *more* than a game.  The baseball was *so* good and the 
level of intensity *so* high, it seemed transcendent.  The most amazing 
thing to me was Garvey's ability to perform under pressure.

	Game 5 was incredible in a different way.  Down 3-0 with only 12
outs left against the best pitcher in baseball is about as "against
the wall" as one can get.  Yet the crowd, perhaps sensing it was "do or
die" time, rose to their feet when Wiggins led off the bottom of the
sixth, and the rest is history.

	As a Tiger fan, I have to agree with Sparky that the Tigers match 
up better with the Cubs than the Padres.  Left-handed pitching has given 
the Bengals relative trouble this year.  The Cubs, like the Tigers, 
have one southpaw pitcher; San Diego has four, three who can start.  
Given Show's post-season performance so far, if I were Dick Williams, 
I'd seriously consider starting Dravecky in Game 4, rather than Show.
 	
	I'm still rather confident the Tigers will prevail.  In fact, I
would be surprised if it went seven games.  Unknown is the effect of the
emotional high that the Padres and the city of San Diego have experienced
the last five days.  The Tigers have a pattern of playing well on the road
and of gaining early leads.  This might take the crowd out of the game.
On the other hand, the performance of San Diego's middle relievers was
*awesome*.  Lefferts, Dravecky and Hawkins might be the difference against
the Bengal's rotation of Morris, Petry and Wilcox if the latter group cannot 
go 6-7 innings.
 
	Doug Dickerson
	douglas@nosc
	sdcsvax!noscvax!douglas