"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

The System is Rigged

As Leonard Cohen put it so eloquently:

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded, everybody rolls with their fingers crossed                   

Everybody knows that the war is over, everybody knows the good guys lost

Everybody knows the fight was fixed, the poor stay poor, the rich get rich,

And the Molina gets a World Series ring

That’s how it goes.

That’s not a prediction of a Rangers win, either: it doesn’t matter what happens in the World Series, who wins, or how they do it: Bengie Molina gets a World Series Ring no matter what.

This is (maybe) the last time I’ll mention that I did try to warn everybody.

Yes, having played for the Giants before being traded (about which he is slightly grumpy) to the Rangers, Bengie Molina is set, bling-wise.  Whether that ring will end up emblazoned with rubies in the shape of a drag queen or a diamond-studded cameo of Chuck Norris is the only thing that remains to be decided.

Bud Selig and the Player’s Association can blather on all they want about steroid testing and expanded playoffs, but when are they going to something about the terrible Molina imbalance that makes an even playing field truly impossible? What will happen when the fans of Molina-less teams eventually realize they have no real chance of success as MLB is currently structured? It’s a disgrace.

While you enjoy the World Series tonight, please take a few moments to write a strongly-worded letter to your congressperson.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

75 comments

1 Iyasu   ~  Oct 27, 2010 7:29 pm

So when will the league be graced with the next generation? Will we ever be awed by the sight of an entire team of 'em?
I'm still smitten by Jose's moves donning the fool tools.

There I go, jumping the gun and waxing nostalgia...simply enjoy Game 1.
A fresh one.

2 yankintexas   ~  Oct 27, 2010 7:38 pm

Chris Ray probably wants to change his name to Molina too with all the coverage he's getting.

3 rbj   ~  Oct 27, 2010 7:40 pm

So what would happen in a hypothetical matchup where both teams had a Molina.

4 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 7:53 pm

[3] A question philosophers have been asking for thousands of years.

5 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:10 pm

Yipe. What was Lincecum thinking?

6 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:15 pm

[5] That was bizarre.

7 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:21 pm

And now running the bases.
The Giants are boneheads, huh? I like that.

8 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:26 pm

Gee, Cliff Lee might be a waste in the AL.

9 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:27 pm

Heh.
And Tim Lincecum might be pretty lucky to be an NL pitcher...

10 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:29 pm

Molinas are deadly, even on the basepaths.

11 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:35 pm

[6] Late arrival..what happend?

12 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:40 pm

[11] First inning, runners in the corners, one out. Grounder tapped to Lincecum. Michael Young heads home from third, Lincecum picks up the ball near the third base line and starts running/walking Young back to third... only he never throws the ball, and Young returns to third base unchallenged. Juan Uribe is standing on third looking very puzzled.

13 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:40 pm

LIncecum made a nice stop and had Young in a rundown. And let him get back to 3B without a throw.

Brain fart, I guess.

14 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:41 pm

Hello,
So Cablevision out of the goodness of their heart will reimburse the MLB.com post season package to stream the WS. So I'm watching on my computer.

As the old joke stated, my VCR (that makes the joke really old) does not blink 12:00 constantly, so I can figure most tech things out but...here's my question:

How can I see the directed camera angles as selected by the broadcast director? All I seem to be able to do is select one of the various camera angles. I want to watch the regular TV feed. Anyone know how? Thanks.

15 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:45 pm

[12][13] Thanks. Perhaps some Thai Stick before the game to calm his nerves?

16 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:46 pm

[14] Damn, I remember exactly that problem from last year, but I don't remember how I solved it, sorry.

17 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:50 pm

[15] I do believe it's Thai Stick night at AT&T Park.

18 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:54 pm

[17] That kind of thing highly illegal here..though they sell whiskey at the ball parks..go figure.

19 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:58 pm

Lee not looking so good tonight. Was it all the extra rest because of the off-days?

20 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 8:59 pm

They're making a game of it.

21 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:18 pm

Huge for the Giants to tie it up early..got to hope Lee burns out quick

22 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:36 pm

Sanchez must be pretty happy with the night he's having.

23 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:44 pm

Kind of a rough night for Cliffy.

24 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:46 pm

Where was this guy during the ALCS?

25 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:48 pm

Holy cow. Over 100 pitches, and didn't make it through the 5th.

26 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:51 pm

Wow..didn't see this coming..

27 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:51 pm

And that's the ballgame, right there!

28 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:51 pm

Why can't the Yankees hit Lee? He's not invincible. He's just a man. He doesn't even throw so hard. I'm starting to think the Bombers choked. Grrrrrr.

29 joe   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:51 pm

Wow, it that 7 ER on Lee?

30 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:51 pm

Giants in 5?

31 Evil Empire   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:53 pm

Sample size be damned - the Yanks need to fire Kevin Long and hire the Giants hitting coach.

32 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:54 pm

I'm hoping Giants in 4.

Yes, I'm bitter.

I'm also sick to death of claws, antlers, ginger ale, and Jesus.

33 joe   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:55 pm

We lost to this slop pile?

34 Evil Empire   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:55 pm

Antlers Andruw! Antlers

Rangers suck!
Rangers suck

That felt kind of nice.

35 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:56 pm

No matter what happens, the Giants are playing some very exciting baseball.

36 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:57 pm

[32] Will Josh thank Jesus if the Rangers lose? "I owe this Series debacle to my Lord and Savior. He gave us the power to crumble against a far lessor team."

37 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:59 pm

Hey, maybe Liberalism is not dead yet.

38 RIYank   ~  Oct 27, 2010 9:59 pm

[36] No, he'll blame Jesus.
"Jesus just couldn't get the job done, I'm very disappointed in Him."

39 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:00 pm

[36] Hah! You know he won't. He'll say it's all part of His unknowable plan.

That was how he reacted when he was traded to Texas. He was totally blindsided, and not happy. Didn't expect it at all, though a lot of others saw it coming.

40 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:06 pm

[39] Maybe he'll blame Satan.

41 OldYanksFan   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:06 pm

"I’m starting to think the Bombers choked."
You are just reaching that conclusion now?

42 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:10 pm

Lincecum's nearing 100 pitches.

And he's been hit by batted balls twice. They oughta pull him.

43 Mr. OK Jazz TOKYO   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:11 pm

Seems an exciting game..hope can catch the replay on TV tonight. Tejas ain't done yet..

44 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:11 pm

[43] Yup, definitely not over yet.

45 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:18 pm

[41] Yes. I had been thinking that they just played poorly at the same time that the Rangers were playing extremely well. There is a huge difference between playing poorly, under performing and "choking." Choking, nutting up, or whatever you want to call it. is about succumbing to pressure. Letting the situation get the best of you. Choking is beating yourself. Dropping an easy pop-up, for example. I don't think that the Yankee veterans do that very often, if ever.

46 The Hawk   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:22 pm

I knew Lee could be gotten to! Good for SF. Who knows, if the Yanks had won Game 6 perhaps they would have feasted as the Giants did tonight. Didn't the Yanks beat Lee last year during the WS (not Game 1, obviously)?

47 The Hawk   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:23 pm

This idea about firing Kevin Long is bizarre to me, and I hope its not espoused by too many people. That would make me uncomfortable.

48 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:24 pm

[46] They won the game, but he didn't get the loss....if memory serves me.

49 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:39 pm

I'm so happy that the Giants are winining. I wish I could see it. As I stated before, Cablevision proudly sent out an mass email saying they would reimburse for MLB.com post season streaming of the WS. What they didn't say is that there are fixed camera angles, not a directed version of the game i.e. the Fox broadcast feed. So, from CF, you see the pitch, and maybe the hit, but have no idea where the ball is heading in the field, or the play on the bases. You do have a few angles to choose, but on a play, the director might cut to 3 or more cameras to bring the action in real time. To try and cut to different cameras on your computer, there is buffering, and the play is over.

MLB states that Fox has exclusive rights to the game, and the MLB.com is a "companion service". This really is a crock, and makes me angrier at Cablevision. My anger at Fox is off the charts.

50 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:42 pm

[49] MLB screwed me on the Postseason Pass. They said I could watch from my iPhone, but it didn't work. Kept getting the "black out" notice, but Japan was not a blackout country. At least, I could watch the games on my computer.....for all the good it did the Yanks.

51 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:45 pm

[49] I'm checking out MLB feed now to see how it look. We get the game live on NHK in Japan and you can't watch it in America. WTF!

52 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:47 pm

[51] I am getting the regular FOX feed on my computer. I guess you are getting screwed.

53 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:47 pm

Um...how is it a game started by the two greatest pitchers since Sandy Koufax is 8-4 in the 8th?

54 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:48 pm

Man, that was some piss-poor baserunning.

55 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:48 pm

No antlers for you.

56 Boatzilla   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:49 pm

Real men don't dye their beards.

57 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:51 pm

It's gotta be real. No one would make their beard look like that intentionally, would they?

(Then again, that's what I thought about Jim Traficant's hair.)

58 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:58 pm

[52] In the US and Canada you get the ersatz coverage. Everywhere else MLB has the Fox feed. Enjoy it in Japan.

59 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:59 pm

Ohhh, Vlad!

60 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:59 pm

Yikes. I almost feel sorry for Vlad out there, he looks so awful.

61 kenboyer made me cry   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:59 pm

[57] He says he dyes his beard.

62 cult of basebaal   ~  Oct 27, 2010 10:59 pm

Whoops!

63 cult of basebaal   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:01 pm

Lovely, just lovely.

64 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:04 pm

"Tim Lincecum was good...5 2/3 four runs on eight hits?"

Since when is such a line "good?" Especially for Sandy Koufax?

65 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:05 pm

Ouch!
Vlad!

Fuck!

That's sad.

66 randym77   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:06 pm

[61] Ye gods.

67 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:06 pm

The ball always finds you.

68 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:10 pm

NIce play by Elvis.

69 cult of basebaal   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:16 pm

[68] I wish we had one of them.

Well, at the least the post-season version, probably not the one that had the worst qualifying ISO in the majors ...

70 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:21 pm

[64] It's easy to look good when your offense is raking against Cliff Lee, I guess.

71 weeping for brunnhilde   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:26 pm

This is the sloppiest two innings of a world series game I've ever seen.

72 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:34 pm

[71] It's starting to get excruciating. I hope Wilson and his more-than-slightly-disturbing beard can finish this out soon.

73 cult of basebaal   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:38 pm

Congrats to the Giants.

Three more to go.

74 omarcoming   ~  Oct 27, 2010 11:42 pm

Please do not mention these good pitchers in the same sentence as Sandy Koufax.
Did Lee have a new hat?

75 moismycopilot   ~  Oct 28, 2010 12:19 am

[74] It had the World Series patch on it, so unless they just glue the patches to the players' hats, he did. If it was a new hat, he did an amazingly fast job getting it dirtied up, because it was covered in rosin, both front and back.

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver