October 1st - All they can do is wait

The final Tigers game - a rained out affair in bumpkin land and against Carp worked out well for Tigers. Carp have been struggling with their final games with their pitchers collapsing and nerves affecting the rest of the side. Tigers took advantage of this and rather than spectacularly; steadily built up a lead. They got on the board in the first and then added runs in dribs and drabs. Carp couldn't really respond until the seventh when Wada's idiotic use of the Matsuda/Takamiya combination allowed them to get close 3-2. Tigers though pulled ahead again in the eighth and Carp had nothing left Tigers winning 4-2. This puts the teams level and if Carp lose their final game they will drop down to third and Tigers have home advantage in the first stage of the Climax series and all that nice revenue. If Carp win, Tigers travel and the cornucopia goes to the Carp. Carp's final game is on October 4th against the Giants - Giants are unlikely to be interested but you never know.

The middle relief as a whole makes me nervous heading into the postseason. I was spoiled in that I moved to Kansai about 10 years ago and went to many games during the JFK era. In those days there was just the feeling that as long as we had a late lead we were going to win. When Fukuhara or Andoh come in if I go for a bathroom break I usually come back to a couple guys on base.

The relief has been dreadful - poorly coached and managed by our incompetent pitching coaches. Matsuda is a good reliever but isn't ready yet and shouldn't be back in the top team. Pairing them with Tsuruoka and Fujii is also a recipe for disaster both Fukuhara and Andoh actually work very competently with Umeno. Basically, the relief pitchers are responding to their treatment - they are not valued and heavily bashed when the do slip up and so they don't really perform.

hiroshima looks like a tougher (or at least "more-together") postseason opponent than hanshin, and yomiuri has plenty of time for everyone to rest before final stage begins. i think it would make sense for yomiuri to try to win. if carp come out of first stage anyway, at least they wont have their entire battery rested and ready, especially if hanshin really puts up a fight (oh, wouldnt that be great to see in CS for a change).
shame that its come to our rival determining our postseason. its going to be a long weekend.

so, how do you guys go after CS tickets?
last year i spent hours (THREE HOURS) on l-tike and ticketpia when the floodgates opened and managed to get tickets for games 1 and 3. loppi machines seem to work a bit better (45min for Suzuki all-star tickets), but if there is a line you are hosed, and its a gamble as to what seats you will get (doesnt show what is available/unavailable, just gotta keep attempting them all over and over), if you get any at all.
is there a better way?