RBI Rivalries

[Baines]

We have always had certain matchups that always seem to result in really competitive and crazy games.

Mets vs. Either All Star Team (especially American)

Last year we nicknamed the Mets the All Star Killers because even though they're an average team in RBI they always seem to beat the all stars in our games.  We were just talking about this Friday and over the weekend we played a bunch of games and the Mets went something like 7-1 vs. AM and 2-0 vs. NA.


Angels vs. Twins

This one is pretty much between me (Twins) and spike_owen#1 (Angels).  I've been playing the game longer so he's only beat me 3 times ever but 2 were in this matchup and were 10-run rules where he had 10+ homers.  The worst part being that he leaves all the starters in meaning that this is being done with Grich, Pettis, etc. instead Jones or Hendrick.  There's a lot of bad blood in this rivalry and it just always seems to result in crazy shit like the game where Boone, Grich and Schoefield combined for 8 homers or my 15 homer game last night with 7 in the 9th.  (Gagne leads off with one followed by Laudner and Bush.  Senor Smoke and Gladden make outs followed by 4 in a row for Gaetti, Kirby, FatHrbek, and Brunansky.)  Hell, on Friday Viola even hit one throught the wall but foul.

Does anybody else have any matchups that always seem to result in really good games or interesting outcomes?

[BDawk]

I'd have to go with any combination of Cali, Boston, and Detroit.

[Gantry]

Our Cali/Boston/Detroit are 90% of the games, so much so that it would be tough to call it a rivalry...

For a team-by-team rivalry, I'd have to go with my St. Louis against Potsie's San Fran in straight pitch.  We almost always play 3 games series and they typically go to the wire.  They are always fun and since they aren't the standard fare.  That and we dont' take these games as seriously...

For a personal rivarly, Lipitz by a landslide.  I absolutely hate losing to him, I always think I should beat him.  Even if he slaughters me 14-0 in the first inning, he got lucky.  That and he has this horrible tendency to come back when down big.  I can outscore him 7 out of 9 innings and still lose.  That's the worst....

[fknmclane]

Me and Chubbs fiercest rivalry has to be SF (me) vs Na (him.)  For me, SF is much like Baines' Mets.  I always seem to beat National's ass.  In fact, I did it last night.

Whenever I'm St Louis, Chubbs gets up for the game.  Mostly because of the infamous Tony "Bring the" Pena homerun.

[Flood]

For a team-by-team rivalry, I'd have to go with my St. Louis against Potsie's San Fran in straight pitch.  We almost always play 3 games series and they typically go to the wire.  They are always fun and since they aren't the standard fare.  That and we dont' take these games as seriously...

I agree...for some reason StL/San Fran games seem more exciting...and I think San Fran's offense gets a bad wrap...pretty solid in my opinion.

[BeefMaster]

I'm with y'all on the SF/SL battle - my old RBI buddy in elementary school would use SF while I used SL for best-of-7 series, and I would consistently beat him 4-1 or 4-2 despite getting outhomered pretty much every game.  Sometimes he'd switch to Minnesota, and while sometimes he'd give me a little bit of a run for my money, it rarely was enough.

[Gantry]

SF & SL is a good contrast in styles.  While SF has an edge in straight pitch because of their offense, the games are usually close.  Sometimes SF pulls away with an offensive barage, but most games go down to the wire....

And it's always fun to play with the Cardinals...

[fknmclane]

SF has tons of power.  They do get a bad rap.  They've got Chili Davis for fucks sake.  He's usually good enough to win a game by himself.

[Gantry]

SF definitely has some pop and they have two good starters in curve pitch.  They and Minnesota are what I like to call the "tier 2" straight pitch teams...

SF should be Stl in most intances, but those Cardinals are so damn scrappy.  They usually make a game out of it.  Just pratice your Pettis hits with Coleman and Smith.  Mastering it makes St. Louis a much stronger team in straight pitch...

[Baines]

SF has recently become my favorite team to play with and of course I owe it all to the man, the myth, the legend Harry Spilman.  

Having him in the leadoff spot for straight pitch just seems to make the whole lineup that much better.  About a week after I started using him I had my greatest RBI moment when I hit 8 straight homers against Payton7 with Chili through Clark (subbing Youngblood for the pitcher).


I also agree with everybody on SL being a team that's always fun to play with.  Jim Lindeman is the man!  Plus the possibility of an Ozzie homer is always intriguing.

[fknmclane]

I've never hit an Ozzie homer that I can recall.  I wish I could do it.  If Chubbs ever hits one with Ozzie against me I'll start crying.
Lindeman is all power, all the time.

[japetus462]

To me.... Boston vs Detroit is the ultimate RBI matchup.

[ultimate7]

I always liked the Houston - St. Louis Rivalry.  St. Louis is better, no doubt, but you can get into some long, low scoring games.

[Baines]

Boston vs. Detroit produced another one of our best games.  Payton7 and I played a 30-26 slugfest with those 2 in the first round of our tournament one time.

[TβG]

i usually play against the computer and try to change history with the angels against boston.  even though donnie moore doesnt play a lot for me i can see him smiling when we throw him up in the air at the end of the game

[GreatScott]

With total control pitching; Houston v just about anybody.  Its tough to hit Nolan and Mike and its just about impossible to score much with Houston.  Result:  Real close games, extra innings, drama.  
and Boston v the Mets ... just because

[SmokedUBad13]

Cali/Boston/Detroit are great.  However, NY v. SF always end up classic for us since both teams have better than average pitching and lower than average hitting (factor in all subs).

Have to disagree with the St. Louis v. Houston matchup only because St. Louis will walk away with the W 80% of the time.  Although great (long and low scoring) games, wins in a rivalry should tend to be close to 50/50.

Beales
www.rbibaseballcotut.com - The R.B.I. Baseball COTUT

[Sperling]

I don't know if there are two teams that are the best rivalry in the Dee-Nee house, but Detroit and California are closest.  Boston gets thrown into the mix too often.

Potsie and I are notorious for our All-Star games, AL vs NL.  When we were playing regularly, we'd play one or two games per week only, but they were still fun.

Potsie and I are/were the rivalry.  Though Gantry and I first played the drinking version (aka "Death"), that was merely strategical to get the Double Bocks out of the house.  Pots and I would sit on the couch in college, play RBI with Bud Ice (the blackout beer), get hammered, and then go out to Molly's.  It was a routine that stuck for the entire Senior year.  It was always fun playing Pots because his level of play went down drastically the more he drank.  We were pretty evenly matched, aside from a couple of stretches.  He must've beat me for a two week period.  Unfortunately this stretch included the first RBI Baseball Tourney (1999).  After the tourney I beat him for a good month.  That was the best.   It's very frustrating to lose all those games in a row especially when you played as often as we did.  

[japetus462]

Wow, that last post really hit home with the reference to Bud Ice being "blackout" beer. I am, to say the very least, a seasoned beer drinker...but if you are pounding Bud Ice's..you will be shitfaced and yes, you may blackout. It's the deathstar of beers.

[fknmclane]

It's the deathstar of beers.

If Bud Ice is the deathstar of beers, then Jager is the deathstar of hard alcohol.  At least for me.