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jamus23 · 11-20-2007, 04:44 PM

The Miami Dolphins (97-65)

VS.

The Denver Broncos (107-55)

History:

This is the sixth time that Denver and Miami have faced each other in the American League Championship Series, and the eighth overall postseason meeting between the two. The two teams previously butted heads to decide the AL pennant in 2043, 2054, 2055, 2058, and most recently, in 2073. The Dolphins emerged victorious from all of those series except the 2058 one, which was the only time that the Broncos reached the World Series(they were defeated by Pittsburgh in seven games). The two teams also faced off in the Divisional Round in 2078 and 2079, with Miami coming out on top both times.

There are nine players still playing for the Dolphins that also played for that '73 team: C Jake Foss, 1B Aaron Shorts, 2B Edward Rehberg, CF Ulises Menendez, SP Joseph Brashears, SP Jose Caceres, SP Jim Miller, RP Christopher Lain, and RP George Carolan, plus infielder Fred Elliot, who saw action for Miami this season, but has played for other teams in the intervening years and is not on Miami's postseason roster. Meanwhile, Denver has five players still around from the '73 squad: C Lee Chappel, 1B Ellis Bolling, DH Mark Bakke, LF Alexis Vazquez, and RP James Virgen. Also of interest, current Miami relief pitcher, Chad Helton, was a member of that Broncos team, and current Broncos' backup catcher, Michael Grace, collected 12 at bats for the Dolphins that season.

Denver and Miami went to seven games in that ALCS, and the deciding game was a doozy. Taking the mound for the Broncos was a familiar face from last season- Arden Hawthorn- and for the Dolphins, Joseph Brashears got the start. The Dolphins got the scoring started early, with a 4 run second inning. In the third inning, the Broncos returned the favor, tying the game up with help from Ellis Bolling(2-run triple) and Lee Chappel(RBI double). The Dolphins retook the lead, 5-4, in the fourth inning, but a grand slam in the top of the fifth from Bolling staked Denver to an 8-5 lead.

Hawthorn gave way to reliever Herbert Hilson with two outs in the fifth inning. That turned out to be the wrong move. Hilson immediately coughed up 2 runs before getting out of the inning, and then surrendered the tying run in the sixth inning. James Virgen took over and prevented any further damage in that inning, and got through the seventh inning unscathed.

But with two outs in the eighth inning, Virgen made two mistakes. Mistake number one went to Jake Foss, who took Virgen deep to give the Dolphins the lead. Mistake number two went to the next batter, Ulises Menendez, who also ripped a homerun off of Virgen, giving Miami a 10-8 lead. The Broncos plated one run in the ninth, but could get no closer, losing the game by a final of 10-9. Miami went on to blow a 3 games to 2 lead to San Diego in the World Series, losing to the Padres in seven. The Broncos have reached the ALCS only one time since then, in 2075 when they faced Knoxville and were defeated in seven games.

Denver, as I said, has never won the World Series, and reached only the one time, back in '58. Miami, on the other hand, emerged as the dominant American League power in the early '40s, only a few years after coming into being, and have won more World Series than any team save Pittsburgh. The Dolphins' most recent championship came in 2079, ending what, for them, was a lengthy drought; the previous championship had come in 2065. Seventeen players remain from that World Series team.

Quick Facts:

-Denver won the season series with Miami, winning 10 games while losing just 4. Five of the games were deciced by one just one run.

-Russell Thomas hit just .196 (11/56) against the Dolphins this season.

-Joseph Swayze hit only .184 (9/49) with 0 homeruns and 1 RBI against the Dolphins. Miami is the only team that he failed to hit a homerun against, and the 1 RBI is his fewest against any team this year.

-Lee Chappel hit .410 (25/61) against Miami. Both the batting average and the hit total are his highest against any team.

-Kenny Pillsbury made 3 starts against the Dolphins this season, and went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA.

-Miami ace, Christian Hokusai, made only one start against the Broncos this year, and got pounded for 6 runs in 7 innings pitched.

Thoughts:

Miami's first playoff opponent, Tucson, was very balanced between scoring runs and preventing runs. Denver is similarly balanced, though with more of an emphasis on run-scoring as opposed to Tucson's slight emphasis on run prevention. Miami appears to be a one-sided team, with tremendous pitching and a middling offense. Yet the Dolphins managed to survive the Diamondbacks, and in the final two games of the series, they did it by scoring a lot of runs, outscoring Tucson 18-4.

Also of interest will be the contrast in home parks. Denver's, obviously, greatly favors offense, but Miami's is almost the complete opposite, being one of the toughest parks to generate runs in. On the one hand, the Broncos have a few hitters- Joseph Swayze, Tomas Sato, and Booker Romero, most likely- who will suffer a sizable drop in production when they leave the friendly confines of Denver. On the other hand, however, Denver's pitching this year was pretty good despite playing in an unfavorable park. This, I think, may give the Broncos the ultimate advantage. Miami may not have enough offense to outscore Denver when the games are in Denver, and Denver's pitching may be just as good as Miami's away from Denver. Still, the Dolphins are a tough, veteran team... so, I predict the Broncos will win in seven games.

11-20-2007, 04:44 PM	#225 (permalink)
jamus23 All Star Reserve Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 574	2082 American League Championship Series Preview: Miami VS Denver The Miami Dolphins (97-65) VS. The Denver Broncos (107-55) History: This is the sixth time that Denver and Miami have faced each other in the American League Championship Series, and the eighth overall postseason meeting between the two. The two teams previously butted heads to decide the AL pennant in 2043, 2054, 2055, 2058, and most recently, in 2073. The Dolphins emerged victorious from all of those series except the 2058 one, which was the only time that the Broncos reached the World Series(they were defeated by Pittsburgh in seven games). The two teams also faced off in the Divisional Round in 2078 and 2079, with Miami coming out on top both times. There are nine players still playing for the Dolphins that also played for that '73 team: C Jake Foss, 1B Aaron Shorts, 2B Edward Rehberg, CF Ulises Menendez, SP Joseph Brashears, SP Jose Caceres, SP Jim Miller, RP Christopher Lain, and RP George Carolan, plus infielder Fred Elliot, who saw action for Miami this season, but has played for other teams in the intervening years and is not on Miami's postseason roster. Meanwhile, Denver has five players still around from the '73 squad: C Lee Chappel, 1B Ellis Bolling, DH Mark Bakke, LF Alexis Vazquez, and RP James Virgen. Also of interest, current Miami relief pitcher, Chad Helton, was a member of that Broncos team, and current Broncos' backup catcher, Michael Grace, collected 12 at bats for the Dolphins that season. Denver and Miami went to seven games in that ALCS, and the deciding game was a doozy. Taking the mound for the Broncos was a familiar face from last season- Arden Hawthorn- and for the Dolphins, Joseph Brashears got the start. The Dolphins got the scoring started early, with a 4 run second inning. In the third inning, the Broncos returned the favor, tying the game up with help from Ellis Bolling(2-run triple) and Lee Chappel(RBI double). The Dolphins retook the lead, 5-4, in the fourth inning, but a grand slam in the top of the fifth from Bolling staked Denver to an 8-5 lead. Hawthorn gave way to reliever Herbert Hilson with two outs in the fifth inning. That turned out to be the wrong move. Hilson immediately coughed up 2 runs before getting out of the inning, and then surrendered the tying run in the sixth inning. James Virgen took over and prevented any further damage in that inning, and got through the seventh inning unscathed. But with two outs in the eighth inning, Virgen made two mistakes. Mistake number one went to Jake Foss, who took Virgen deep to give the Dolphins the lead. Mistake number two went to the next batter, Ulises Menendez, who also ripped a homerun off of Virgen, giving Miami a 10-8 lead. The Broncos plated one run in the ninth, but could get no closer, losing the game by a final of 10-9. Miami went on to blow a 3 games to 2 lead to San Diego in the World Series, losing to the Padres in seven. The Broncos have reached the ALCS only one time since then, in 2075 when they faced Knoxville and were defeated in seven games. Denver, as I said, has never won the World Series, and reached only the one time, back in '58. Miami, on the other hand, emerged as the dominant American League power in the early '40s, only a few years after coming into being, and have won more World Series than any team save Pittsburgh. The Dolphins' most recent championship came in 2079, ending what, for them, was a lengthy drought; the previous championship had come in 2065. Seventeen players remain from that World Series team. Quick Facts: -Denver won the season series with Miami, winning 10 games while losing just 4. Five of the games were deciced by one just one run. -Russell Thomas hit just .196 (11/56) against the Dolphins this season. -Joseph Swayze hit only .184 (9/49) with 0 homeruns and 1 RBI against the Dolphins. Miami is the only team that he failed to hit a homerun against, and the 1 RBI is his fewest against any team this year. -Lee Chappel hit .410 (25/61) against Miami. Both the batting average and the hit total are his highest against any team. -Kenny Pillsbury made 3 starts against the Dolphins this season, and went 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA. -Miami ace, Christian Hokusai, made only one start against the Broncos this year, and got pounded for 6 runs in 7 innings pitched. Thoughts: Miami's first playoff opponent, Tucson, was very balanced between scoring runs and preventing runs. Denver is similarly balanced, though with more of an emphasis on run-scoring as opposed to Tucson's slight emphasis on run prevention. Miami appears to be a one-sided team, with tremendous pitching and a middling offense. Yet the Dolphins managed to survive the Diamondbacks, and in the final two games of the series, they did it by scoring a lot of runs, outscoring Tucson 18-4. Also of interest will be the contrast in home parks. Denver's, obviously, greatly favors offense, but Miami's is almost the complete opposite, being one of the toughest parks to generate runs in. On the one hand, the Broncos have a few hitters- Joseph Swayze, Tomas Sato, and Booker Romero, most likely- who will suffer a sizable drop in production when they leave the friendly confines of Denver. On the other hand, however, Denver's pitching this year was pretty good despite playing in an unfavorable park. This, I think, may give the Broncos the ultimate advantage. Miami may not have enough offense to outscore Denver when the games are in Denver, and Denver's pitching may be just as good as Miami's away from Denver. Still, the Dolphins are a tough, veteran team... so, I predict the Broncos will win in seven games. __________________ 2081: Desperation in Denver