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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: ELA on March 28, 2019, 01:25:49 PM

Title: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on March 28, 2019, 01:25:49 PM
Opening Day is here!

Picks:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
EAST
y-Yankees
x-Red Sox
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

CENTRAL
y-Indians
x-Twins
White Sox
Tigers
Royals

WEST
y-Astros
Athletics
Angels
Rangers
Mariners

NATIONAL LEAGUE
EAST
y-Nationals
x-Phillies
Braves
Mets
Marlins

CENTRAL
y-Cubs
x-Brewers
Cardinals
Pirates
Reds

WEST
y-Dodgers
Rockies
Padres
Giants
Diamondbacks

WILDCARD GAMES
Red Sox d. Twins

Cardinals d. Phillies

DIVISIONAL SERIES
Astros d. Red Sox
Yankees d. Indians

Cardinals d. Dodgers
Cubs d. Nationals

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Astros d. Yankees

Cardinals d. Cubs

WORLD SERIES
Astros d. Cardinals
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on March 28, 2019, 01:36:53 PM
You have the Brewers winning a wild-card spot, not the Cardinals...yet STL makes it to the World Series.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on March 28, 2019, 01:41:46 PM
I've taken a big step back in my baseball fanaticism this past year, so I won't post the whole standings, but I will say this:
The Twins win the AL Central because they're just better than CLE.  The Indians are messing around too much and it's going to bite them this year.
The Dodgers will win a 7th straight NL West crown, even without Kershaw contributing a lot.  
The Padres still won't matter.
The NL East will have 4 teams with at least 80 wins, and none with more than 90.
The Angels will matter in September.

WS Pick:
no clue
Yankees d. Dodgers

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on March 28, 2019, 02:14:46 PM
(https://www.stickershoppe.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/SS4281.jpg)

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on March 28, 2019, 02:52:05 PM
You have the Brewers winning a wild-card spot, not the Cardinals...yet STL makes it to the World Series.
Indeed, meant to have Cardinals 2nd, Brewers 3rd.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on March 28, 2019, 08:30:24 PM
Well, the Dodgers had a decent start.....8 HRs, lol.  I'd love it if Joc Pederson could hold down a permanent spot in the OF.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 08, 2019, 12:53:02 PM
Chris Davis now at 44 straight hitless at bats, 2 away from the major league record.  This after setting the record last year for lowest average by a qualified player, at .168.

Oh, and he's not even halfway through his 7 year, $161 million contract.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on April 08, 2019, 01:22:56 PM
It's odd, because his previous down year before the contract was supposedly a vision thing, which was then corrected, resulting in a big year.  If i'm BAL, i'm suing the eye doctor.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 19, 2019, 11:44:08 AM
I thought maybe it was a start of the year thing, but I missed when they announced in December that Sunday Night Baseball was moving up to 7:00.  That is a very welcome change.  It's usually a good game, and that crew is probably the best crew ESPN has for any sport, but I'm not going to stay up until 11:30 on Sunday night to watch a random baseball game.  Many more Sunday Night games for me this year.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on April 19, 2019, 12:36:12 PM
Attending Padres Reds tonight
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 19, 2019, 12:47:34 PM
go Padres!!!
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 20, 2019, 02:13:22 PM
Weird situation.  Torres hit a ball that was going to clear the fence, but Alex Gordon had his glove up and had a chance, but a fan reached out and touched the ball.  Clearly interference, but what do you call?  It would have been a really tough play for Gordon to pull it back, but you can't just stop the play at the moment the fan touched it, because the ball was going to clear.  Umps called HR live, overturned to an out, assuming Gordon would have made the web gem catch.  Boone got tossed arguing.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on April 22, 2019, 01:48:43 PM
Unless the ball was like halfway in his glove already, that should have been called a HR.  I believe the rule is that fans can only interfere as the ball is "in play" as in - in the playing area.  If a fan prevents a player from catching the ball past the wall, then it's not interference, only if the fan reaches over the wall into the playing field is it interference.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 22, 2019, 04:14:55 PM
true, and I would like to see fans areas set up so that they cannot reach to interfere with the ball in play
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 22, 2019, 07:14:02 PM
Unless the ball was like halfway in his glove already, that should have been called a HR.  I believe the rule is that fans can only interfere as the ball is "in play" as in - in the playing area.  If a fan prevents a player from catching the ball past the wall, then it's not interference, only if the fan reaches over the wall into the playing field is it interference.
It was tough to tell, but it appeared he was over the field of play, but the ball was well above the wall, it was going to clear.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on April 28, 2019, 12:57:59 PM
Living in a baseball town again, suddenly I care about MLB again. 2016 was the last season I followed, the year I moved from a different baseball city, and in the two seasons since the nearest stadium was at least a 5 hour drive. Goes to show how much I comparatively work to follow both College and NFL in out of the way places in Europe or at sea. MLB is definitely an out-of-sight, out-of-mind sport for me. Just don’t have the time to make room in my attention span unless I’m hearing about it everyday (which national sports totally radio barely covers) or a stadium is right down the street. I’ve come to a point with sports where the times are too busy to stay afloat of what’s generally happening with golf, baseball, NHL, soccer, basketball, and it gets me wondering where my other friends find the focus to keep up with it all.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 28, 2019, 01:18:32 PM
I'm in awe of how much my younger self was able to retain things.  I'll watch a random NHL playoff game here and there, and I'll have HEARD OF maybe 6 total players, and would have known at most 2 of them actually played on that team.  High school me knew most of the rosters of every team in every major sport.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on April 28, 2019, 05:07:42 PM
Same.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: rook119 on April 28, 2019, 09:12:08 PM
The Pirates are 0 for 18 on the season when the bases are loaded. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on April 28, 2019, 11:07:12 PM
Competition and general bandwidth for attention is simply too intense when you are one of more of the following; 1. Adult, 2. Parent, 3. Gainfully employed, 4. Property owner, 5. Business owner, 6. develop serious interests outside of sports.

When you have zero, or next to zero responsibilities, you can recall 25 man rosters, lineups,  league leaders, etc.  It's not possible once you possess one of the aforementioned traits.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on April 29, 2019, 12:41:55 AM
I've taken a big step back in my baseball fanaticism this past year, so I won't post the whole standings, but I will say this:
The Twins win the AL Central because they're just better than CLE.  The Indians are messing around too much and it's going to bite them this year.
Not sure where you draw your baseball acumen for the AL Central from, but so far you are spot on as of 4/28/2019:

Twins    16-9    (.640)
Indians  15-12 (.556)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 30, 2019, 11:07:30 AM
Casey Mize continuing to look like the real deal.  Threw a no hitter in his AA debut last night.  His final 2 High A appearances were a pair of 1 hitters, with a bunt single, and an infield single.  He hasn't given up a solid contact hit in like 80 batters.

Problem is he might be too far ahead of schedule.  Tigers are certainly going to suck again next year.  2021 they might be gunning for .500?  Problem is how long can you reasonably hold him down?  Also means the Tigers 2017 and 2018 1st round picks have AA no hitters in the past week, after Alex Faedo last week.  And Matt Manning, also in Erie, is probably rated ahead of Faedo.  Then by some measures their top overall prospect, Franklin Perez, is in extended spring training rehabbing an injury.

There seem to be a ton of arms on the way in a couple years, but man the system still looks hopelessly thin on positional players.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on May 01, 2019, 01:40:03 PM
The Pirates are 0 for 18 on the season when the bases are loaded.
The Cardinals won 18 games in April and have the best record in the NL.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on May 01, 2019, 02:30:21 PM
Not sure where you draw your baseball acumen for the AL Central from, but so far you are spot on as of 4/28/2019:

Twins    16-9    (.640)
Indians  15-12 (.556)
The AL Central isn't hard to figure - 3 teams are godawful, one has been winning the division by default and keeps taking measures to trim payroll, and then there's the Twins, who are better than they should be and have improved.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 02, 2019, 08:54:31 AM
And now Kluber (who in fairness has been terrible this year), joining Clevinger on the IL
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 07, 2019, 05:43:52 PM
Ohtani making his season debut tonight
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on May 07, 2019, 10:26:54 PM
0 for 4 with an RBI and 2 Ks

but, the Halos get the win
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on May 08, 2019, 08:47:59 AM
Mike Fiers has now thrown two no hitters.  Virgil Trucks is not impressed. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on May 08, 2019, 08:51:57 AM
Cutting workday short for afternoon Padres Vs Mets.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 08, 2019, 09:03:32 AM
Padres are going to be a fun team to follow for a while
Cutting workday short for afternoon Padres Vs Mets.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 09, 2019, 02:48:43 PM
Pujols becomes the 4th member of the 2,000 RBI club.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 10, 2019, 09:55:26 AM
Eddie Rosario, HR rate

2015 - 1 per 34.8 AB
2016 - 1 per 33.5 AB
2017 - 1 per 20.1 AB
2018 - 1 per 23.3 AB
2019 - 1 per 10.2 AB


::)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on May 17, 2019, 10:57:03 AM
Pirates @ Padres with younger brother last night.

5.2 IP with 1 ER is about as good of an outing as you’re going to see from Eric Lauer. A start nearly wasted by the Padres only coming up with 5 hits. For as much as that lineup is paid they’ve gotta start hitting better. Ironically, the of two batters who were most booed last night - Greg Garcia & Ian Kinsler - it was Kinsler’s 3 run shot that gave the Padres the steam they needed to win 4-3.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on May 18, 2019, 05:55:08 PM
Why don't they retroactively make runs earned?  Last night Oakland guy scored on an error, so it was unearned, but even without the error, he would have been on second base.  Then the next guy hit a HR, so he would have scored either way.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 05, 2019, 03:40:20 PM
Carlos Carrasco out indefinitely with a blood condition.  Nothing going the Tribe's way health wise this year, which was already looking to be just about the last year of their window.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on June 05, 2019, 04:34:11 PM
Why don't they retroactively make runs earned?  Last night Oakland guy scored on an error, so it was unearned, but even without the error, he would have been on second base.  Then the next guy hit a HR, so he would have scored either way.
I don't know if it's THE reason, but I can think of A reason.  The situation is different, and the pitcher may be pitching differently because of it.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on June 05, 2019, 06:04:19 PM
Yeah, theoretical runs and stats would be a shark-nado.  Nuh uh.




Got treated to good seats at the Dodgers-Diamondbacks game last night for my birthday from a lady friend.  Dodgers won 9-0.  Couple of Brits sitting next to us, attending their first baseball game, so I got to explain everything to them.  That made it fun.

The things they focused on, with fresh eyes, was interesting.  One was that the infielders seemed to be pretty busy, so they were earning their pay, but the outfielders were just standing around the whole time, making millions.  The outrage!  I thought it was funny to differentiate the players that way.  Also, they thought it unfortunate for players to hit long pop fly outs and get nothing for them.  
Let's see, what else....they noticed the absence of cheerleaders.  They liked the idea of having the pool there, for a party of 30.  They had trouble with one runner tagging up on a deep fly and the other runner not.  They were impressed with how casual the infielders are making the play and holding the ball before firing across the diamond to get the runner out by half a step over and over.  


Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on June 05, 2019, 07:23:13 PM
That's an interesting story, OAM.

Sometimes you don't realize what things you take for granted until you have to explain them to someone else.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on June 06, 2019, 12:42:02 AM
Went to an MLB game tonight, latest I can remember going to my first game.   I have to say it is glorious to have a Brandy Old Fashioned at the ballpark.  Too bad the Crew is making the Marlins look like the 27 Yanks.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 13, 2019, 12:24:27 PM
Tonight Tigers-Royals on ESPN from the site of the College World Series.

I'm sure they are stoked for this epic matchup, although KC is fairly local, and with UM making it, there might be a decent Tiger fan base there anyway.  As for ratings, up against Game 6 of the NBA Finals?  Going to be dismal.

It will be a return of Matthew Boyd to the site of his 2013 CWS, complete game, 11 K shut out of Indiana.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 18, 2019, 10:08:11 AM
My All Star ballot


AMERICANNATIONAL
Gary Sanchez, YankeesCYasmani Grandal, Brewers
Carlos Santana, Indians1BJosh Bell, Pirates
Brandon Lowe, Rays2BKetel Marte, Diamondbacks
Alex Bregman, Astros3BNolan Arenado, Rockies
Xander Bogaerts, Red SoxSSTrevor Story, Rockies
Mike Trout, AngelsOFChristian Yelich, Brewers
Joey Gallo, RangersOFCody Bellinger, Dodgers
George Springer, AstrosOFRonald Acuna Jr., Braves
Daniel Vogelbach, MarinersDH

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Cincydawg on June 18, 2019, 10:44:17 AM
My Braves are playing well of late.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 18, 2019, 11:03:00 AM
My Braves are playing well of late.
They are a fun team to watch
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Cincydawg on June 18, 2019, 11:08:23 AM
I was a Braves fan back in the WTBS days when they were consistently awful.  It was enjoyable in a way, it was "baseball", if they won it was fun (and rare) and if they lost, well, so what?  I liked the players.  All that was ruined in 1990.

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 18, 2019, 11:12:21 AM
I was a Braves fan back in the WTBS days when they were consistently awful.  It was enjoyable in a way, it was "baseball", if they won it was fun (and rare) and if they lost, well, so what?  I liked the players.  All that was ruined in 1990.


Yeah I had a bunch of friends growing up in the 90s who became Braves fans, because the Tigers sucked for the entire decade, and the Braves were always on TV, and were awesome.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Cincydawg on June 18, 2019, 11:17:59 AM
It's liberating to root for an awful team.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 18, 2019, 11:38:33 AM
It's liberating to root for an awful team.
Eh, awful might be pushing it, depending on the situation.  Last year and this year with the Tigers have been rough, because they are in the tear down process.  Next year, they'll still be bad, but you'll start seeing some guys who will hopefully be part of this team being solid again in maybe 2022?  So they will at least be worth watching.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Cincydawg on June 18, 2019, 12:51:43 PM
The Braves were awful year after year with no real hopes of redemption, until it happened, suddenly and unexpectedly, or at least I never saw it coming.

We had Bobby Cox 2 years ago in the Fantasy Camp and he told us next year would be rough but after that watch out, and the Braves won the division last year and look good again.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MrNubbz on June 18, 2019, 02:08:02 PM
I was a Braves fan back in the WTBS days when they were consistently awful.  It was enjoyable in a way, it was "baseball", if they won it was fun (and rare) and if they lost, well, so what?  I liked the players.  All that was ruined in 1990.


Kind of like my following the Tribe from 1959 - 93 they finished 3rd twice I believe.But they were fun to following,alaways interesting characters.All that was ruined in 1994 when Jacobs field opened.Nothing like the old Municipal Stadium with 80,000 + seats.We use to joke we had our own vendors
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Cincydawg on June 18, 2019, 05:16:01 PM
I've noodled before about being say a Kansas football fan.  You attend the home games and tailgate and cheer your team, and after the game, you tailgate some more.  Of the team makes a bowl game at 6-6, it's cause for more celebration.

It's the Ole Miss philosophy really.  Those Rebels really know how to party, win or lose.

For Alabama fans, anything but a crushing 77-0 win is a loss.

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 18, 2019, 05:37:01 PM
I've noodled before about being say a Kansas football fan.  You attend the home games and tailgate and cheer your team, and after the game, you tailgate some more.  Of the team makes a bowl game at 6-6, it's cause for more celebration.

It's the Ole Miss philosophy really.  Those Rebels really know how to party, win or lose.

For Alabama fans, anything but a crushing 77-0 win is a loss.


I think 2013-15 ruined MSU football for me.  I was happy to be consistently pretty good, never an embarrassment, generally a bowl team, happy to beat rivals, and occasionally play for a Big Ten title.

Now, they sort of shifted my expectations in a way that they can only disappoint.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on June 18, 2019, 05:53:36 PM
Try it when your school goes 60-3 when you're a student.

It's easy being a Brewers fan.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on June 18, 2019, 06:41:17 PM
BBraves tbs and cubs wgn were great to see the NL while living in a, at the time, AL town
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 19, 2019, 09:41:59 AM
No Vivid Seats, it is not(https://s0.2mdn.net/simgad/9007730919380853515)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 19, 2019, 09:52:30 AM
Article summary: Lenny Dykstra and his amateur wrestling friend, who goes by the name Sprinkles the Clown, spent 9 hours dumpster diving outside a Jersey Mikes, looking for his $80,000 dentures, made with real bone marrow.

https://www.nj.com/union/2019/06/ex-mlb-star-lenny-dykstra-spent-9-hours-dumpster-diving-outside-a-jersey-mikes-heres-why.html
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on June 19, 2019, 09:58:27 AM
I thought Dykstra considered that ashtray money, bro.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on June 23, 2019, 10:30:10 PM
Mets having a great season:

Jason Vargas had to be restrained from going after Newsday reporter Tim Healey in the aftermath of the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sunday (https://nypost.com/2019/06/23/maddening-mets-loss-sparked-by-unlikely-source/). The incident began with Callaway imploring a public relations official to “get this motherf—– out of the clubhouse” after telling Healey moments earlier “don’t be a smart-ass” after the reporter had in passing said he would see Callaway tomorrow. The incident occurred in the clubhouse about 15 minutes after Callaway’s postgame press conference in the visiting manager’s office.

Vargas then engaged in a stare-down with Healey and threatened to “knock you the f–k out.” When Healey didn’t leave, Vargas took steps toward the reporter before Carlos Gomez and Noah Syndergaard interceded, separating the two.


https://nypost.com/2019/06/23/jason-vargas-threatens-reporter-in-angry-mets-clubhouse-knock-you-the-f-out/
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on June 23, 2019, 10:39:45 PM
Angel Hernandez continues to disgrace himself
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on June 23, 2019, 10:43:54 PM
shouldn't be allowed behind the plate

HUGE strike zone
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on June 24, 2019, 01:08:48 AM
Article summary: Lenny Dykstra and his amateur wrestling friend, who goes by the name Sprinkles the Clown, spent 9 hours dumpster diving outside a Jersey Mikes, looking for his $80,000 dentures, made with real bone marrow.

https://www.nj.com/union/2019/06/ex-mlb-star-lenny-dykstra-spent-9-hours-dumpster-diving-outside-a-jersey-mikes-heres-why.html

My mom made me dumpster-dive for my retainer in 5th grade, after having thrown it out with my lunch tray.  Wound up, my next dentist visit, I didn't need the retainer anymore.  So that was fun.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on June 24, 2019, 09:05:08 AM
Angel Hernandez continues to disgrace himself
I can't think of anyone so widely acknowledged as being objectively horrible at his job, who is allowed to maintain it, where removal doesn't seem slightly difficult.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on June 24, 2019, 10:47:42 AM
Angel Hernandez continues to disgrace himself

Not a banner season for umps.

To open the season you had the Ump screaming at the entire Astros clubhouse "I can do anything I want!"

And a week or so ago you had the Umps union whining on twitter about Manny Machado not receiving a long enough suspension for F-Bombing a strike call.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 12, 2019, 04:03:30 PM
Bubba Starling making his MLB debut for the Royals tonight.  He was a big time football and baseball prospect, he was a 4* QB commit to Nebraska, #6 dual threat QB in the country, but the Royals took him #5 overall in the MLB draft, but Boras got him the 2nd highest signing bonus ever, so he signed with the Royals.  Making his MLB debut 8 years later is not ideal, but he got an $8 million signing bonus, so hey, good on him.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on July 12, 2019, 05:28:13 PM
I'm slightly interested

the Royals must be having a bad season to bring up Bubba

be more Husker fans in Kaufman because of this
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on July 12, 2019, 06:06:52 PM
Carl Crawford was another guy with that same situation, and in my opinion contributed to Frank Solich's demise.  He would've been nice to have post Crouch.   Crawford of course made a smart decision. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on July 12, 2019, 09:00:45 PM
I've said many times that Crawford could have saved Frank's career at Nebraska.  At least give him another 5-10 seasons.

But, sadly, we'll never know.

Carl = great athlete

Jammal Lord gave the Huskers everything he had and he was a helluva runner, but it's easy to imagine Crawford being much better.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on July 15, 2019, 10:21:19 PM
Speaking of great athlete,  I finally saw Tebow play some baseball tonight.  He pinch hit in the 9th and then came around again, it's 20-1 Syracuse Mets on top.  He walked and scored and then hammered a major league fly to the track in CF. I know he's struggling lately but man the guy gets ovations everywhere. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 15, 2019, 11:59:02 PM
He could be a career AA player.  I have no clue why he's still doing what he's doing in AAA.  He has no game power because he has no plate discipline.  He can't hit.

Maybe he should pitch.  That hitch in his delivery might throw batter's timing off.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 21, 2019, 12:57:53 PM
Wow, Tigers fell behind Orioles for worst record in MLB.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 21, 2019, 01:35:40 PM
Wait, what?

https://twitter.com/Sheehan_Sports/status/1152781561353449472?s=19
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on July 21, 2019, 01:55:34 PM
It's rare to see a righty throw a good screwball, but that's all it is.  Christy Mathewson is pleased from his grave.

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 21, 2019, 02:14:55 PM
If he survived the season without Tommy John's, he deserves the Cy Young.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on July 21, 2019, 05:03:15 PM
That's awesome.



I'll go ahead and make a postseason prediction here - the Dodgers will lose a postseason game because of their bad defense.  Like 100% guaranteed.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on July 21, 2019, 08:58:20 PM
the  Dodgers suck

that is all
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on July 28, 2019, 01:24:05 PM
Attending Padres Vs Giants today.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 28, 2019, 01:50:09 PM
The one time the Pirates were buyers could not have gone worse
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 28, 2019, 04:40:28 PM
Trevor Bauer makes Chris Sale look well adjusted
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 28, 2019, 05:58:42 PM
Dear lord, Mets going full Mets
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 28, 2019, 07:09:53 PM
Has a team ever scored the first run in all 4 games of a series and lost all 4?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MrNubbz on July 28, 2019, 07:26:05 PM
Who did that Mets?Pirates?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on July 28, 2019, 08:15:35 PM
Who did that Mets?Pirates?
Tigers
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on July 28, 2019, 09:24:25 PM
I don't subscribe to play index anymore on BBRef. but I have to think that has happened a decent amount (at least 20).
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on August 14, 2019, 07:25:35 PM
Went to Padres Vs Rays today. 7-2 win for Padres. Got a sunburn.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on August 14, 2019, 09:44:55 PM
I'll be seeing the Dodgers here in Phx Labor Day weekend.  Got a cushy 19 game lead at the moment....
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on August 14, 2019, 10:39:24 PM
The Cardinals are 1/2 game behind the Cubs.

(https://ssl.gstatic.com/onebox/media/sports/logos/RM4q4pq8xBXC1OJths6qcQ_96x96.png)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on August 15, 2019, 10:30:59 AM
And the White Sox are sucking again, season after season.

Overshadowed by the Cubs, their own fan blogs have given up (see link below), clueless ownership, and unluckier than usual with injuries this year.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadspin.com/white-sox-sign-shitty-player-1831656270/amp
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on August 15, 2019, 10:52:45 AM
And the White Sox are sucking again, season after season.

Overshadowed by the Cubs, their own fan blogs have given up (see link below), clueless ownership, and unluckier than usual with injuries this year.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadspin.com/white-sox-sign-shitty-player-1831656270/amp
Might be for the betterment of baseball as a whole though.  This whole "all in" on the tear down, and rebuild is based off it working for the Astros and the Cubs.  I get it in the NBA, you can't win without superstars, and how many teams enter the playoffs with a realistic title shot?  Maybe 3?  But with baseball, I don't get it.  Draftees are so far away, they have a much higher bust rate, and in baseball, if you just get in, you have a shot.

But instead, seemingly half the league is trying to suck, and it leads to bad baseball.  I think the White Sox prospects failing may help swing the pendulum back.  That and guys not being under team control until they reach 30.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on August 16, 2019, 04:45:11 PM
So not only do the White Sox suck, but they somehow suck at sucking when it matters?

I was more so taking the approach of how did they get (and stay) so awful?!?! It’s a popular sports talk radio point to digress on how the Patriots or Warriors got so good. But what about the opposite - when teams like the Bills, Raiders, Sacramento Kings, Knicks, and White Sox stay so bad?

It’s gotten to the point that I consider the White Sox as AL Central Last Place Emeritus, even when the Tigers are technically the bigger loser so far.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on August 21, 2019, 10:30:44 PM
Tigers were +550 at Houston tonight, largest underdog in 15+ years, and won.

Astros lost a couple weeks ago against Baltimore as, at the time, the 2nd biggest favorite in the past 15 years.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on August 22, 2019, 01:18:16 PM
Red Sox-Royals resuming a game from August 7, tied 4-4 in the 10th.

Not part of any series.  KC just had to fly to Boston to possibly play just 1 inning?

Boston has the winning run on in the bottom of the inning.

There's actually people there, and the game is being broadcast, so all these behind the scenes people had to come in for this?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on August 22, 2019, 01:30:15 PM
Royals had no media attend.  Restricted player access.   Nominal fee to attend.  Nesn feed. This happens every now and then.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on August 22, 2019, 01:38:22 PM
I was watching yesterday's game.  The announcers were talking about finding the scorecard from that game.  And the 2nd guy due up in the inning has been traded, so he'll need to be pinch-hit for.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on August 22, 2019, 01:53:46 PM
Walked it off in the bottom of the 10th.  12 minute makeup
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on August 22, 2019, 01:54:09 PM
Royals had no media attend.  Restricted player access.  Nominal fee to attend.  Nesn feed. This happens every now and then. 
I can't recall a makeup like this.  In extra innings, not otherwise built into a series
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on September 10, 2019, 10:50:41 PM
Wow, Yelich done for the season with a fractured kneecap.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on September 10, 2019, 11:28:03 PM
Bummer.  The Crew would be playoff fodder this season, still could be, but this sucks.  Yelich having another great season. 

Rare to see such a high foul off like that.  That was a missle off his bat.   
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on September 11, 2019, 12:05:53 AM
Bummer.  The Crew would be playoff fodder this season, still could be, but this sucks.  Yelich having another great season.

Rare to see such a high foul off like that.  That was a missle off his bat. 
He's just a fun dude to watch play.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 11, 2019, 12:25:07 AM
Yeah, lame about Yelich.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on September 18, 2019, 11:46:36 AM
BALTIMORE -- Cavan Biggio hit for the cycle, just like his dad.

Biggio homered in the third inning, singled in the sixth, doubled in the eighth and tripled in the ninth to boost the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles 8-5 on Tuesday night. The rookie drove in four runs and scored three times.

"I did know my dad had one,'' Cavan Biggio said. "I have a ticket to the game he got it in in my room my whole life. I didn't think I was going to get up there for the opportunity.''


The only other father-son duo in major league history to hit for the cycle was Gary Ward for Minnesota at Milwaukee on Sept. 19, 1980, and Daryle Ward for Pittsburgh at St. Louis on May 26, 2004.

Cavan Biggio became the first player to hit for the cycle for Toronto since Jeff Frye against Texas on Aug. 17, 2001, and the first opponent to accomplish the feat in the 27-year history of Camden Yards.

Biggio, 24, joins Kelly Gruber (April 16, 1989, vs. the Royals) and Frye (Aug. 17, 2001, vs. the Rangers) as Blue Jays to hit for the cycle.

Biggio also had two stolen bases. Biggio is just the second player over the past 100 years to hit for the cycle and have multiple stolen bases in the same game, joining Charlie Moore in 1980.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on September 18, 2019, 11:51:32 AM
Man, what a great collection of journeyman MLB players referenced in that post.  Charlie Moore was a badass.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on September 22, 2019, 06:11:08 PM
That was one hell of a weekend for the NL Central.   1st cards 4 game sweep in 98 yrs at Wrigley.   First time Cubs have lost 5 consecutive one run games in 104 years.  Brewers win 17 of their last 19.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on September 22, 2019, 06:27:41 PM
As a lifetime Cardinals fan, I am amazed that the Redbirds went into Wrigley and swept a 4-game series.

Cubs are now out of the NL Central race, and need a lot of help to make a wild-card slot.  September has been a rough month for them.

Milwaukee won again, remaining 3 games behind the Cards.  Right now, the Brewers and the Nationals are tied for the wild-card slots, and the Cubs are 4 games back with 6 games to play.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on September 22, 2019, 06:40:38 PM
As a lifetime Cardinals fan, I am amazed that the Redbirds went into Wrigley and swept a 4-game series.

Cubs are now out of the NL Central race, and need a lot of help to make a wild-card slot.  September has been a rough month for them.

Milwaukee won again, remaining 3 games behind the Cards.  Right now, the Brewers and the Nationals are tied for the wild-card slots, and the Cubs are 4 games back with 6 games to play.
They absolutely obliterated the Pirates last weekend.  Few things more enjoyable than watching Joe Maddon fail
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on September 22, 2019, 06:48:13 PM
Some day there oughta be a book written about the meteoric rise and gradual decline of Joe Maddon.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on September 25, 2019, 09:49:27 PM
:1rij:

X St Louis   --
X Milwaukee 1.5 GB
 --------------
Z Chicago

X: playoff bound
Z: Eliminated

I expect the Brewers to be playoff fodder, but would be nice if we could see some division drama this weekend.  If the Crew wins tomorrow afternoon, they will need at least one Cubs win at St Louis this weekend to get a chance to at least tie for the division title.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on September 30, 2019, 01:33:14 AM
Regular season is over. My White Sox have the MLB batting champion, Tim Anderson .335, the AL RBI champion, Jose Abreu, and some other sluggers, Giolito had a great year pitching, 14-9, yet performed poorly? Consider the the White Sox closer Colome had 30 saves, and only 3 blown saves.

Starting pitching remains weak overall. Maybe next year. Starting to sound like the Cubs.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 30, 2019, 02:21:29 AM
Anderson's BABIP was .402 this year.  Over 100 point jump from last year.  His batting average jumped nearly 100 points.


Look for Anderson's batting average to drop 70-80 points next year.  But I'm sure the White Sox's front office will view him as a building block or something.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on September 30, 2019, 07:57:26 AM
Anderson's  .357 obp was the lowest by a batting champ since Bill Buckner in 1980, NL. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: 847badgerfan on September 30, 2019, 08:27:56 AM
 Few things more enjoyable than watching Joe Maddon fail
He gone, but someone will grab him, I'm sure. Or maybe he's done. Sure seemed like it. Different guy from what he was 5 years ago. Looks like a beaten down man, just like his team the past two weeks.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: 847badgerfan on September 30, 2019, 08:29:01 AM
Anderson's BABIP was .402 this year.  Over 100 point jump from last year.  His batting average jumped nearly 100 points.


Look for Anderson's batting average to drop 70-80 points next year.  But I'm sure the White Sox's front office will view him as a building block or something.
I know Kenny is still around and lurking, but Rick Hahn is not Kenny. He doesn't fall in love with his players like that.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on September 30, 2019, 10:02:08 PM
Cardinals add another pennant (or is it just a flag) as NL Central champs.

I was worried that the Cubs would come into Busch with nothing left to hang their hats on other than blocking the Cards from winning the division.  And they won the first two of three.

But the Cards pulled it out with a 9-0 blowout yesterday, and the Brewers lost (3-2?) to the Reds anyway.

(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/9460660286_0331585f0b_o.jpg)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on September 30, 2019, 10:15:36 PM
I've taken a big step back in my baseball fanaticism this past year, so I won't post the whole standings, but I will say this:
The Twins win the AL Central because they're just better than CLE.  The Indians are messing around too much and it's going to bite them this year.
The Dodgers will win a 7th straight NL West crown, even without Kershaw contributing a lot. 
The Padres still won't matter.
The NL East will have 4 teams with at least 80 wins, and none with more than 90.
The Angels will matter in September.

WS Pick:
no clue
Yankees d. Dodgers


Right on the Twins
Dodgers, yep (easy call)
Padres - last place
Half right on NL East - 4 teams won 81+ games, but the Braves were a little better than I thought
Wrong on the Angels, they didn't matter in Sept, August, or July....
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 01, 2019, 12:37:02 AM
You can't hire Brad Ausmus and expect to contend.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 01, 2019, 09:50:54 AM
Too much pitching from the Astros, they defeat the Dodgers to make LA the first team to lose three consecutive World Series since the NY Giants from 1911-1913.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on October 02, 2019, 01:39:07 AM
Fans injured at MLB games from balls. Didn't know it was this much - and it is likely far greater. Since MLB knows, this makes me re-think the legal rule that fans assume the risk. Fans don't know the risk of injury. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/we-re-going-need-bigger-net-foul-balls-hurt-hundreds-n1060291 (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/we-re-going-need-bigger-net-foul-balls-hurt-hundreds-n1060291) MLB knows it, and conceals it. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 02, 2019, 10:02:55 PM
How many were staring at their phones instead of the game?  If you're not going to WATCH the baseball game, don't go to the baseball game!
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 02, 2019, 10:52:49 PM
How many were staring at their phones instead of the game?  If you're not going to WATCH the baseball game, don't go to the baseball game!
Good point.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 04, 2019, 01:40:12 AM
wtf is basketball nerd Ernie Johnson doing announcing an MLB playoff game?!?  Ugh.  
Dodgers roll 6-0.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 04, 2019, 08:05:48 AM
Cards came from behind to win a nail-biter 7-6.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on October 04, 2019, 11:25:38 AM
30% off the Bar Food menu at Buffalo Wild Wings during the MLB playoffs

I had the street tacos and cheese curds last night
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CatsbyAZ on October 10, 2019, 10:15:47 AM
Congrats to The Nationals! Boo on the Braves. 

Washington-St Louis NLCS.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 10, 2019, 01:50:14 PM
So weird that the Braves and Dodgers would be the best teams in the regular season and flame out in the playoffs.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: SFBadger96 on October 10, 2019, 01:52:30 PM
It is at times like this that Giants fans, after enduring another losing season with only a brief glimmer of playoff hope, like to remind everyone that Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball...in July. As a Giants fan, I am happy to be that pathetic soul...
(https://i.imgur.com/5QlNJhn.png)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on October 10, 2019, 02:01:21 PM
I knew all along that the Dodgers sucked
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 10, 2019, 02:52:59 PM
So weird that the Braves and Dodgers would be the best teams in the regular season and flame out in the playoffs.
Not weird at all....the postseason produces a nearly random outcome.  The wild card system and before that, the division series, has skewed the baseball postseason more towards entertainment and further away from competition.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on October 10, 2019, 02:57:21 PM
well, it's certainly more entertaining for me to watch the Dodgers lose
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: SFBadger96 on October 10, 2019, 02:58:40 PM
Not weird at all....the postseason produces a nearly random outcome.  The wild card system and before that, the division series, has skewed the baseball postseason more towards entertainment and further away from competition.
Yup. But it's what the people want...it's all entertainment, after all.

European top-tier soccer leagues have it right for selecting the champion: same number of games against all opponents, home and away, winner is the team with the best record at the end.

But that doesn't sell in the US.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 10, 2019, 03:36:46 PM
Not weird at all....the postseason produces a nearly random outcome.  The wild card system and before that, the division series, has skewed the baseball postseason more towards entertainment and further away from competition.
Some franchises find it more random than others.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 10, 2019, 06:09:01 PM
Some franchises find it more random than others.
Yeah, still not an argument against randomness.  You flip a coin 100 times, you'll flip heads 7-8-9 times in a row at some point.  All a franchise can do is get into the playoffs as often as possible.  

The SF Giants happened to win 3 WS in 5 years, but were up-and-down.  An unlikely outcome, but it happened nonetheless.  The Dodgers have 7 straight division titles and 0 WS wins to show for it.  Also an unlikely outcome the other way, but it's happened.  


In repeated trials, the Dodgers' seasons are far more likely to pay off in WS championships than the Giants' seasons would.  Now, that doesn't help the Dodgers any in the real world, but nevertheless, it's still true.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 10, 2019, 06:28:33 PM
Yeah, all I'm saying is the Braves and Dodgers failing to win a title isn't all that surprising.  Franchises have combined for 32 playoff appearances and 1 title since the early 90s.

Baseball is the one sport I'd be ok with that as opposed to rare success, but when you get it, winning a title.  Because baseball has the summer to itself so I'd rather be consistently good even if you don't get a title out of it, because when your baseball team sucks, there's nothing else to fall back on.  When your NFL/NBA/NHL/college sucks, you can generally just rely on one of those also being good.

But the Braves/Dodgers bowing out earlier than expected can't be surprising at this point
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 10, 2019, 07:17:30 PM
Not weird at all....the postseason produces a nearly random outcome.  The wild card system and before that, the division series, has skewed the baseball postseason more towards entertainment and further away from competition.
Yep.

And that's exactly what expanding the CFP would/will do too.
Yet, for some reason, millions of people want that to happen.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 10, 2019, 07:20:15 PM
Because the masses want entertainment, even at the expense of some genuine competition.  




An argument could be made that it's due to our society becoming more shallow or spoiled or whatever.  I'm not making that argument, but it could be made.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 10, 2019, 07:21:29 PM

But the Braves/Dodgers bowing out earlier than expected can't be surprising at this point

Why?
Because of the logo on their hats?  The Braves losing an LDS to the Cards in 2019 has something to do with their 14 straight division crowns and yet only 1 WS?  With entirely different players and management?



Oh, I'd love to hear that argument.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 10, 2019, 07:39:06 PM
ELA's comment is no more or less logical than an MLB fan saying in 1964, "Well, it can't be a surprise to anyone that the Yankees are back in the World Series."

The Yankees had been there 14 of the previous 17 seasons, so it was no surprise to see them there again.

The surprise was that they didn't make it back until 1976.

It may not be logical, but people are mostly not logical.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 10, 2019, 09:16:30 PM
Why?
Because of the logo on their hats?  The Braves losing an LDS to the Cards in 2019 has something to do with their 14 straight division crowns and yet only 1 WS?  With entirely different players and management?



Oh, I'd love to hear that argument.
I didn't say it did.  I just said when the Braves and Dodgers bow out earlier than expected I fail to be surprised anymore.  Are you?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 11, 2019, 04:34:50 AM
Well no one is LIKELY to win the World Series at the outset of the postseason...but someone has to.  So we shouldn't be surprised by anyone exiting.  The Astros were a game away, so both HOU and LAD exiting would have been a little unlikely...
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on October 16, 2019, 03:00:39 PM
The Los Angeles Angels have reached an agreement with Joe Maddon to make him their next manager, the team announced Wednesday.

Maddon is expected to receive a three-year contract in the $12 million to $15 million range, a source told ESPN. He will be formally introduced by the Angels at a news conference next week.


______________________________________

dern, I'm an Angels fan, but NOT a Maddon fan
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Kris60 on October 16, 2019, 05:51:03 PM
Yup. But it's what the people want...it's all entertainment, after all.

European top-tier soccer leagues have it right for selecting the champion: same number of games against all opponents, home and away, winner is the team with the best record at the end.

But that doesn't sell in the US.
I honestly wouldn’t mind an experiment in the NFL where each team played every team in their respective conference once and one crossover game with the other conference.  Best records at the end of the year end the year playing in the Super Bowl.  But I get why they do it the other way.  The more teams alive for the postseason the more fanbases that stay interested, etc.

But where I really don’t have a dog in the fight anymore in professional sports I wouldn’t mind just seeing the best regular season teams from each league/conference just meet in the championship.

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 16, 2019, 06:49:51 PM
I honestly wouldn’t mind an experiment in the NFL where each team played every team in their respective conference once and one crossover game with the other conference.  Best records at the end of the year end the year playing in the Super Bowl.  But I get why they do it the other way.  The more teams alive for the postseason the more fanbases that stay interested, etc.

But where I really don’t have a dog in the fight anymore in professional sports I wouldn’t mind just seeing the best regular season teams from each league/conference just meet in the championship.


Plus relegation gives teams at the bottom something to care about
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on October 16, 2019, 07:00:30 PM
I'm all for no playoff series in pro sports unless you gut total # of games.  All of it is too much,  too many.

I wish each league would take a one year hiatus periodically.   
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 17, 2019, 02:44:23 AM
Can't wait for the next 9-7 Super Bowl champ!!!
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 17, 2019, 10:38:27 AM
Can't wait for the next 9-7 Super Bowl champ!!!
I'm legitimately torn between what I hate more, that, or roughly 115-120 out of 130 teams playing meaningless games midway through the season.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 17, 2019, 01:56:51 PM
I'm legitimately torn between what I hate more, that, or roughly 115-120 out of 130 teams playing meaningless games midway through the season.
Meaningless because not factoring into the NC?  I think that's just wrong.  Teams still have goals.
For example, the University of Tulsa will never win a national championship.  That doesn't, or shouldn't, anyway, mean that their games are meaningless.  They have the goals of winning their division in the AAC, winning the AAC, and winning their bowl game.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 17, 2019, 03:02:32 PM
Meaningless because not factoring into the NC?  I think that's just wrong.  Teams still have goals.
For example, the University of Tulsa will never win a national championship.  That doesn't, or shouldn't, anyway, mean that their games are meaningless.  They have the goals of winning their division in the AAC, winning the AAC, and winning their bowl game.
I agree, but the current system makes those goals meh.  It's CFP or bust.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on October 17, 2019, 04:52:57 PM
I understand that point.

Yet another reason to go back to bowls and polls, IMO.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Kris60 on October 17, 2019, 07:08:22 PM
I agree, but the current system makes those goals meh.  It's CFP or bust.
It’s only that way if you think of it that way.  And it’s honestly always sort of have been like that anyway.  Winning the MAC doesn’t have any less impact on the national title scene than it 30 years ago, but it’s still a worthwhile goal for the teams in that conference.  I’ve had some gratifying seasons as a fan watching teams that started out poorly and improved as the season went on to make a bowl.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 17, 2019, 08:38:36 PM
It’s only that way if you think of it that way.  And it’s honestly always sort of have been like that anyway.  Winning the MAC doesn’t have any less impact on the national title scene than it 30 years ago, but it’s still a worthwhile goal for the teams in that conference.  I’ve had some gratifying seasons as a fan watching teams that started out poorly and improved as the season went on to make a bowl.
No, but the importance of winning your conference or playing in a good bowl vs. the national title certainly has.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on October 17, 2019, 08:57:36 PM
I realize 'my' team has had a taste of MNC/NC life, but I've always felt and will always be more attracted and interested in College Football between September and November no matter what the bowl/poll/alliance/bcs/cfp system is at a given time.   I really get checked out following the CCG game weekend, which is silly in itself, though there can be some good games, its the construct I don't like.

That happened, once the conferences/bowls ceded Jan 1 to everybody else.  They butchered NYD, a day college football owned for decades.   Stubborn as the Rose Bowl Game (people are), they don't cede their ground.  They own 2pm local time Jan 1 (2 if conflicting with Sunday) and that's that.

ahem: back to MLB.   I get really into baseball from go (especially if I go to Cactus League) then April until end of May, check out a little bit until early-mid July for a couple weeks (mostly radio), and then pull back in at Labor Day.   I catch some portion of just about every Brewers game radio or TV, but it is a grind.  It is like keeping up with a soap opera.  27-30 nights a month.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Kris60 on October 18, 2019, 10:45:47 AM
No, but the importance of winning your conference or playing in a good bowl vs. the national title certainly has.
I guess this is something you and I have went around on before and just see differently.  Last year’s Rose Bowl between Washington and Ohio St to me wasn’t any less important than it was 30 years ago when Michigan St and USC played in it.  Both games were matchups of really good teams that won their conferences but weren’t in the NC picture.  I struggle sometimes to see the difference in how the bowls were viewed.


Every bowl, even the major ones, has had its share of “meaningless” games that goes back well before the CFP.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 18, 2019, 11:34:42 AM
I guess this is something you and I have went around on before and just see differently.  Last year’s Rose Bowl between Washington and Ohio St to me wasn’t any less important than it was 30 years ago when Michigan St and USC played in it.  Both games were matchups of really good teams that won their conferences but weren’t in the NC picture.  I struggle sometimes to see the difference in how the bowls were viewed.


Every bowl, even the major ones, has had its share of “meaningless” games that goes back well before the CFP.
Yes, but a few things.

1.) Even if it was "meaningless" as far as the national championship went, it was still the peak bowl for that team.  Ohio State could do no better than the Rose Bowl, Alabama the Sugar Bowl, etc..., even if it had no national title implications.  It was still the goal bowl.  Now, if you are in the Rose Bowl, it means you weren't good enough for your real goal.

2.) Even in the BCS era, the national title game was a single game.  It was such an elite echelon, that coverage could not and did not singularly focus on it.  The way the coverage is now, you would think they went straight to a 64 team playoff, because the 4 team playoff seems to be covered like the NCAA basketball tournament.

3.) The randomness of the bowl tie ins.  Even as your goals adjusted with each loss, it went from Championship Game, to Rose Bowl, to NYD bowl, to just getting a bowl.  I know there was some playing with that, but there was at least somewhat of a correlation.  Now, the Big Ten just has a bunch of random bowl deals, and they have to take 6 different teams over 6 years or something.  So once you get to 6 wins, meh?  Nothing you do from that point on impacts anything.  I don't think MSU has been to the Citrus or Outback Bowls this cycle, so hell, we might go 6-6 or 7-5 and wind up playing NYD just because we can, and the other bowl eligible teams can't.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Kris60 on October 18, 2019, 02:00:11 PM
Yes, but a few things.

1.) Even if it was "meaningless" as far as the national championship went, it was still the peak bowl for that team.  Ohio State could do no better than the Rose Bowl, Alabama the Sugar Bowl, etc..., even if it had no national title implications.  It was still the goal bowl.  Now, if you are in the Rose Bowl, it means you weren't good enough for your real goal.

2.) Even in the BCS era, the national title game was a single game.  It was such an elite echelon, that coverage could not and did not singularly focus on it.  The way the coverage is now, you would think they went straight to a 64 team playoff, because the 4 team playoff seems to be covered like the NCAA basketball tournament.

3.) The randomness of the bowl tie ins.  Even as your goals adjusted with each loss, it went from Championship Game, to Rose Bowl, to NYD bowl, to just getting a bowl.  I know there was some playing with that, but there was at least somewhat of a correlation.  Now, the Big Ten just has a bunch of random bowl deals, and they have to take 6 different teams over 6 years or something.  So once you get to 6 wins, meh?  Nothing you do from that point on impacts anything.  I don't think MSU has been to the Citrus or Outback Bowls this cycle, so hell, we might go 6-6 or 7-5 and wind up playing NYD just because we can, and the other bowl eligible teams can't.
Those are fair points.  I think the biggest difference in our viewpoint is just how we grew up viewing the Bowls. You’ve mentioned before the Rose Bowl was a family event for you.  All the major bowls held equal standing with me with whatever one(s) that had NC implications getting more of my attention.

If I had grown up rooting for a team that had a yearly bowl tie in I might view it differently today.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 19, 2019, 06:07:07 PM


ahem: back to MLB.  I get really into baseball from go (especially if I go to Cactus League) then April until end of May, check out a little bit until early-mid July for a couple weeks (mostly radio), and then pull back in at Labor Day.  I catch some portion of just about every Brewers game radio or TV, but it is a grind.  It is like keeping up with a soap opera.  27-30 nights a month.
Everyone knows it's a grind, but this is a good point and MAY be why baseball is waning with younger people:  you have to really love baseball to be a baseball player.  You have to go out 6 days a week to play this one game.  Football players can like it and like other things, and while their Friday nights are taken by games in HS...it's 10 or so games and that's it.  2.5 months and you're done.  You get to run every play, get to hit people, score TDs....

In baseball, when you score, the guy who got the hit is the star.  You mostly spend your time standing around.  And it takes half your year.  A lot of kids grow up playing football and basketball - not because they're in love with either, but because they get to dabble in both. 

The grind is tough in and of itself, but to endure it, you've got to love it.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 19, 2019, 06:11:41 PM
Being a G5 program now is a lot like when there was a mythical NC for everyone back in the day.  You couldn't really control it, other than go out and win all your games.  Be the best of your group.  Win your conference.  


You can play for Tulsa, and as long as you don't have any $$$ games vs a stud P5 team, go out and compete and have fun and win games.  Their NC may be ending the year ranked.  Being a draft pick.  Being a special, undefeated team that is always remembered at Tulsa.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 19, 2019, 07:40:29 PM
Everyone knows it's a grind, but this is a good point and MAY be why baseball is waning with younger people:  you have to really love baseball to be a baseball player.  You have to go out 6 days a week to play this one game.  Football players can like it and like other things, and while their Friday nights are taken by games in HS...it's 10 or so games and that's it.  2.5 months and you're done.  You get to run every play, get to hit people, score TDs....

In baseball, when you score, the guy who got the hit is the star.  You mostly spend your time standing around.  And it takes half your year.  A lot of kids grow up playing football and basketball - not because they're in love with either, but because they get to dabble in both. 

The grind is tough in and of itself, but to endure it, you've got to love it.
I think that's part of it, along with 4 hour games, and being forced to pick one sport at the age of 8.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 20, 2019, 12:14:44 AM
Nothing like a potential elimination game going extra innings stretching to 1 am on the east coast to bring the kids back in.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on October 20, 2019, 12:27:19 AM
Which game went extras?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 20, 2019, 12:31:29 AM
Manfred listens to his critics.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 20, 2019, 12:53:20 AM
They need to stop screwing around with the ball.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on October 20, 2019, 02:07:27 AM
Manfred 'considers' everything.     I don't care so much about the ball as I do, the largesse of the pitcher not throwing the freaking ball in at timely manner.  To me, the one thing MLB can control is the P and the AB.   They aren't going to cut commercial time, so make the P throw the ball and make the batter get in the box, and put their hands down.    Guys like Jeter, Braun are posterchilds for the non-stop mugging int he box.  Get and stay in the box, and make the P throw, today.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Kris60 on October 20, 2019, 09:17:26 AM
Everyone knows it's a grind, but this is a good point and MAY be why baseball is waning with younger people:  you have to really love baseball to be a baseball player.  You have to go out 6 days a week to play this one game.  Football players can like it and like other things, and while their Friday nights are taken by games in HS...it's 10 or so games and that's it.  2.5 months and you're done.  You get to run every play, get to hit people, score TDs....

In baseball, when you score, the guy who got the hit is the star.  You mostly spend your time standing around.  And it takes half your year.  A lot of kids grow up playing football and basketball - not because they're in love with either, but because they get to dabble in both. 

The grind is tough in and of itself, but to endure it, you've got to love it.
It sounds like you are talking about HS sports and if you are I could present a different argument.  First of all, I can never remember our baseball team in HS playing games 6 days a week.  It was more like 3-4 days per week and the season lasted as long as the football and basketball seasons, roughly 2.5-3 months.

And the great thing about baseball, at least how I saw it as a football player, was that the majority of your time was actually spent PLAYING GAMES.  My biggest gripe with football was the 95% of your time was spent practicing.  The games were the payoff.  They were fun.  In fact, I’ve always taken the exact opposite approach.  To me, football is the sport that you really have to love to play because you spend so much more time practicing than actually playing.  Once the baseball season starts there simply isn’t enough time to practice all that much.

I’m with you on the way the game is played.  Baseball isn’t for everyone.  I coached my daughter’s LL and travel softball teams this year.  There is girl who was on both teams who is a really good athlete.  Good gymnast, soccer player, basketball player.  Just a good raw athlete.  But she really struggles staying focused with softball.  Just too much down time and standing around for her.  She’s the kid I’m constantly having to remind where we are going with the ball and what to do.  She’s the kid always finding a reason to leave the dugout.  She’s the kid who you tell to take a pitch on 3-0 and she swings away.  Just too slow for her and a lot of other kids.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 20, 2019, 02:39:31 PM
Actually, football is about 80% practice (M-Th) and 20% games (Fri).  :)



Yeah, baseball is like war......moments of action between long spaces of waiting.  
Actually, the fix for Marqhusker's gripe may be bat handle thickness.  Bill James said this years ago - because as players have gone away from being contact hitters and now everyone's trying to hit a HR (because of the ball this year, especially), bat handles have gotten thinner.

If you increased bat handle thickness by 1 mm a year for 10 years, you'd no longer have bats that everyone can just whip through the strike zone in an attempt to hit one out.  Your small middle infielders (ie Jose Altuve) won't be hitting 20-30 HRs anymore, they'll be hitting doubles and triples with their increased bat-handling abilities and more baserunners = more stealing.  You know, the exciting, multiple-moving-parts way baseball once had....which was entertaining.



This modern HR derby-style is sound game efficiency, but at the expense of entertainment.  As I've argued expanding the playoff leans too closely to entertainment and away from competition, modern baseball practices are leaning too far towards competition and away from entertainment.  A 30-min HR derby is fine....a 4-hour one, dressed up as a baseball game is unwatchable.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on October 22, 2019, 09:48:47 PM
enjoying game 1

89 pitches for Scherzer in the 4th
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 24, 2019, 01:35:35 AM
Enjoy your 9-7 Super Bowl champion Washington Nationals.
Wild-card team.
.574 win %

In a 16-game season, .574 comes out to 9.18 wins.....9-7 World Champs!  Woo-hoo!  Reward mediocrity!!!!
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MaximumSam on October 24, 2019, 07:25:10 AM
Enjoy your 9-7 Super Bowl champion Washington Nationals.
Wild-card team.
.574 win %

In a 16-game season, .574 comes out to 9.18 wins.....9-7 World Champs!  Woo-hoo!  Reward mediocrity!!!!
That's baseball though.  The Astros were heavy favorites all season and had 107 wins, good for slightly less than 11-5 in the NFL.  Just 14 more wins than the Nats.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 24, 2019, 07:43:47 AM
Yeah, that's a horrible comparison.  That's a sport where in many years the best team would be the equivalent of 10-6, the worst, 6-10, and almost the entire league between 9-7 and 7-9.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: NickSmith4Three on October 24, 2019, 08:28:30 AM
The Nats have been one of the best, if not the best, teams in baseball in terms of record since they got healthy at the end of May.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on October 24, 2019, 08:19:05 PM
Ooh, ooh, another baseball-college football comparison:  the Nats have been great since May!  This 10-2 team that lost twice in September is "hot" and should be in the playoff!!!


Ugh.


14 more wins is HUGE, btw.  It's almost 10% of the season.  The Astros were massive favorites for a reason.....despite a 7-game series being nearly a toss-up, no matter the teams.  The 11-5 team winning the Super Bowl makes sense.  The 9-7 team winning it is hot garbage.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on October 24, 2019, 10:20:59 PM
Over the past five years, the team with the better seed has won the series 68% of the time. (23-11)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on November 22, 2019, 03:11:18 PM
The dead market last offseason really making some waves in how contracts are negotiated

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2863837-report-prospect-evan-white-mariners-agree-to-historic-6-year-24m-contract (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2863837-report-prospect-evan-white-mariners-agree-to-historic-6-year-24m-contract)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on January 13, 2020, 02:07:24 PM
Woah, Astros get hammered

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1216796031200976896

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1216796065405505537
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on January 13, 2020, 07:41:13 PM
The Rastros fired their manager and GM today.

And apparently the current Red Sox manager is implicated.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on January 14, 2020, 08:48:34 PM
Alex Cora out in Boston as well
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on January 15, 2020, 01:30:52 AM
But, Astros still have a World Championship.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 15, 2020, 01:48:55 AM
Dodgers gotta be like WTF.....both teams they lost to in the WS were cheating.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 15, 2020, 02:48:49 PM
F the Dodgers
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on January 17, 2020, 01:32:29 PM
Interesting distinction, but makes sense

https://abc7chicago.com/sports/source-mlb-ineligible-list-ends-at-death-for-banned-players/5858409/ (https://abc7chicago.com/sports/source-mlb-ineligible-list-ends-at-death-for-banned-players/5858409/)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 17, 2020, 04:48:27 PM
Yeah, Joe Jackson should've been inducted into the HOF the year after he died.  Ditto Pete Rose when he goes.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 17, 2020, 05:30:28 PM
doesn't make any sense to me

two very different things

being employed by a MLB organization

being cornsidered for induction into the MLB hall of fame

no correlation in my mind

a person's actions while they were alive don't change when they die
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on January 17, 2020, 08:58:44 PM
Yeah, Joe Jackson should've been inducted into the HOF the year after he died.  Ditto Pete Rose when he goes.
I'm not sure Joe Jackson should have been made ineligible at all.  He was not very sharp, and it's not even clear that he knew what he was getting paid to do.  He certainly didn't play like he was throwing any games.  Per Wikipedia:
Quote
Jackson's 12 base hits set a Series record that was not broken until 1964,[15] and he led both teams with a .375 batting average. He committed no errors, and threw out a runner at the plate.[16] Assertions that the Reds hit an unusually high number of triples to Jackson's position in left field[17] are not supported by contemporary newspaper accounts, which recorded no Cincinnati triples at all to left field. The only two White Sox errors involving extra-base hits were committed by Shano Collins, in right field. (Collins was never accused in the scandal, and in fact was listed in the indictments as a wronged party—the victim of $1,784 in lost earnings due to the actions of those charged.[18])

Some news accounts quoted Jackson, during grand jury testimony on September 28, 1920, admitting that he agreed to participate in the fix:[19]

“ When a Cincinnati player would bat a ball out in my territory I'd muff it if I could—that is, fail to catch it. But if it would look too much like crooked work to do that I'd be slow and make a throw to the infield that would be short. My work netted the Cincinnati team several runs that they never would have had if we had been playing on the square. ”
No such testimony appears in the actual stenographic record of Jackson's grand jury appearance.

I'm not sure, though, that his career, curtailed as it was, warrants HOF selection.  Maybe he should go in just to right a wrong.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 17, 2020, 09:26:24 PM
.356 career batting average, hit over 400 in in 1911. Joe's glove was called “the place where triples go to die,

only came in 2nd in MVP voting

maybe everybody hit .400 back then?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on January 17, 2020, 09:38:40 PM
.356 career batting average, hit over 400 in in 1911. Joe's glove was called “the place where triples go to die,

only came in 2nd in MVP voting

maybe everybody hit .400 back then?
Yeah, 13-year career.  That's probably enough.
Career stats from Wikipedia:

G         AB        H         2B     3B    HR   R      RBI   BB     SO     AVG    OBP   SLG    
1,332   4,981   1,772   307   168   54   873   785   519   158   .356   .423   .517

Also, from the same article:

Quote
Dispute over Jackson's guilt

Jackson spent most of the last 30 years of his life proclaiming his innocence, and evidence has surfaced that casts significant doubt on his involvement in the fix. Jackson reportedly refused the $5,000 bribe on two separate occasions—despite the fact that it would effectively double his salary—only to have teammate Lefty Williams toss the cash on the floor of his hotel room. Jackson then tried to tell White Sox owner Charles Comiskey about the fix, but Comiskey refused to meet with him.[25] Unable to afford legal counsel, Jackson was represented by team attorney Alfred Austrian—a clear conflict of interest. Before Jackson's grand jury testimony, Austrian allegedly elicited Jackson's admission of his supposed role in the fix by plying him with whiskey.[16] Austrian was also able to persuade the nearly illiterate Jackson to sign a waiver of immunity from prosecution.[25] Years later, the other seven players implicated in the scandal confirmed that Jackson was never at any of the meetings. Williams said that they only mentioned Jackson's name to give their plot more credibility, although he did not say why Jackson would have been paid $5,000 had that been the case. Jackson's performance during the series itself lends further credence to his assertions, although the game records show that he hit better during the "clean" games than those which were thrown.[16] A 1993 article in The American Statistician reported the results of a statistical analysis of Jackson's contribution during the 1919 World Series, and concluded that there was "substantial support to Jackson's subsequent claims of innocence".[26]

An article in the September 2009 issue of Chicago Lawyer magazine argued that Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out, purporting to confirm Jackson's guilt, was based on inaccurate information; for example, Jackson never confessed to throwing the Series as Asinof claimed. Further, Asinof omitted key facts from publicly available documents such as the 1920 grand jury records and proceedings of Jackson's successful 1924 lawsuit against Comiskey to recover back pay for the 1920 and 1921 seasons. Asinof's use of fictional characters within a supposedly non-fiction account added further questions about the historical accuracy of the book.[27]

Jackson remains on MLB's ineligible list, which automatically precludes his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1989, MLB Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti declined to reinstate Jackson because the case was "now best given to historical analysis and debate as opposed to a present-day review with an eye to reinstatement."[28] In 2020, ESPN reported that MLB had shifted its policy and that the league "has no hold on banned players after they die because the ineligible list bars players from privileges that include a job with a major league club." It's unclear how this will affect Jackson's Hall of Fame prospects.[29]

In November 1999, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution lauding Jackson's sporting achievements and encouraging MLB to rescind his ineligibility. The resolution was symbolic, since the U.S. government has no jurisdiction in the matter. Commissioner Bud Selig stated at the time that Jackson's case was under review, but no decision was issued during Selig's tenure.[30]

In 2015, the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum formally petitioned Commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstatement, on grounds that Jackson had "more than served his sentence" in the 95 years since his banishment by Landis. Manfred denied the request after an official review. "The results of this work demonstrate to me that it is not possible now, over 95 years since those events took place and were considered by Commissioner Landis, to be certain enough of the truth to overrule Commissioner Landis' determinations," he wrote.[28]

Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 17, 2020, 09:40:59 PM
helluva bunch of 3 baggers
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on January 17, 2020, 09:44:21 PM
helluva bunch of 3 baggers
Dude didn't understand launch angles
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 17, 2020, 09:48:10 PM
and he was obviously faster w/o the shoes
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on January 17, 2020, 09:51:14 PM
Reading further in the Wikipedia article, I see that he spent most of his 1st 3 years in pro ball tearing up the minors.  10 games with the Philadelphia A's in 1908-09, 20 games with the Cleveland Naps in 1910.  He also spent 1918 working in a shipyard because of the war.  His official rookie season was 1911, so he only spent 9 years in the majors.  And his final season (1920) was cut short by suspension when the Black Sox scandal broke.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on January 20, 2020, 03:09:06 PM
It would be cool to pass a petition to admit Shoeless Joe Jackson to the Hall of Fame at the Field of Dreams game this summer between the White Sox and Yankees. For those who haven't seen the movie (you don't belong in this thread if you haven't seen it), Shoeless Joe was the ghost player featured in the movie with a speaking role.

The Field of Dreams is just 20 miles down the road from me.

If only I could win the lottery and score two tickets. I'd furnish the clipboards for the petitions and pass them down the aisles.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 20, 2020, 03:13:21 PM
I've been to the field of dreams

Was on the way back from a Husker game in Madison, the field was snow covered

I have a powerball ticket in my pocket.  If it hits big, I'll buy the two tickets for you.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on January 20, 2020, 03:20:46 PM
I have a powerball ticket in my pocket.  If it hits big, I'll buy the two tickets for you.
 Cool. I'll take you up on that offer.

I have read that MLB, or perhaps the White Sox, since it is a White Sox home game, will run a ticket lottery for the general public. After the celebrities and local officials get their tickets, the local ghost players get their tickets, the players' families  and coaches' families get their ticket allocations, and after people put in for the lottery from all over the country, few of us locals have much chance to win in the ticket lottery.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 20, 2020, 04:11:40 PM
doesn't make any sense to me


a person's actions while they were alive don't change when they die
I'm not saying he should be inducted because of any other reasons than

1 - the ban was a lifetime one (his lifetime ended), and
2 - his play warrants it
.
It's not a heartfelt plea, it's the punishment was adhered to and has since expired.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 20, 2020, 04:27:57 PM
the hall of fame is an honor of acheivements while folks were alive

if you want to allow a dead man to be able to be employed by the league, I'm fine with that.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 20, 2020, 06:44:04 PM
It's the same way a bunch of them got in, posthumously.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on January 21, 2020, 01:31:54 AM
Kennesaw Mountain Landis, ruled this way:

"Regardless of the verdict of the juries, no player that throws a ball game; no player that undertakes or promises to throw a ball game; no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are planned and discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball. . . regardless of the verdict of the juries, baseball is entirely competent to protect itself against crooks, both inside and outside the game."

Seems as if the ban was from playing. This is what I found anyway. Maybe there is more to the ruling. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on January 21, 2020, 07:16:00 AM
And not to mention sportswriters are some of the most vindictive, petty people on the face of the planet.  
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 22, 2020, 10:19:58 AM
sportswriters are well known for being drunken and bitter
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on January 22, 2020, 11:46:50 AM
and in my view one of the worst dressed professions I've experienced. 
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 22, 2020, 12:23:39 PM
disheveled appearance - looking at you Sam McKewon!
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on January 22, 2020, 01:05:32 PM
Ha. I think you knew this, but I went to school w Sam, know him fairly well.  Hes a great pen, even w the beard and being a Bears fan.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on January 22, 2020, 01:45:50 PM
he's one of my favorites, but not much to look at

of course, I've not been a person that has succeeded because of my looks

sure wish the Wierd Herald didn't charge subscribtion fees for much of Sam and Tom Shatel's work
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: Hawkinole on January 27, 2020, 07:32:01 PM
Ken Griffey, Jr. comments on the Houston Astros sign-stealing issue. I have to go with Ken Griffey, Jr. on this one. He supports upholding the integrity of the game.

 https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2020/01/26/griffey-jr-talks-mlb-scandal-ties-famu-football-visit-son/4580091002/ (https://www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/college/famu/2020/01/26/griffey-jr-talks-mlb-scandal-ties-famu-football-visit-son/4580091002/)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on January 27, 2020, 08:37:36 PM
If the players are to be whacked,  the union has to buckle and that wasn't going to happen, hence the league took the most expedient route to get the answers, via offers of immunity in exchange for cooperation.  MLB then quickly levied a punishment.  We've also since learned the Astros were negligent in not informing the players about MLBs memo on warnings related to sign stealing. The players weren't going to get whacked.  If the other players are pissed they can take it up with their union and the next CBA.

In the big picture I think it was well played by the league.  They got to conduct and finish an investigation and levy penalties very quickly.  Not perfect, no, but this outcome from MLB perspective was pretty good.  This won't be hanging around MLB all summer while they fumble through an investigation wo player cooperation.  The deflate gate debacle which carried on forever among other keystone cop routines were great lessons.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 14, 2020, 09:21:02 PM
watching the 1988 world series

had nearly forgotten about this guy...............

Mike Brito: The Radar Gun Guy.

(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xEtbXPG72g0/maxresdefault.jpg)

(https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/baseball-closeup-of-los-angeles-dodgers-scout-mike-brito-with-radar-picture-id81344156)
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on April 14, 2020, 09:29:36 PM
He signed a lot of future major leaguers including Fernando.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 15, 2020, 12:42:09 AM
I swear, everyone I know was watching that game tonight.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 15, 2020, 08:49:36 AM
I was still rooting against the Dodgers
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 18, 2020, 09:25:39 AM
watching Nolan Ryan pitch for the Astros in the 1980 NLCS

Charlie Hustle playing first for the Phillies, Little Joe Morgan playing for the Stros
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: ELA on April 18, 2020, 10:24:56 AM
watching Nolan Ryan pitch for the Astros in the 1980 NLCS

Charlie Hustle playing first for the Phillies, Little Joe Morgan playing for the Stros
I forgot Morgan circled back to Houston again after Cincinnati.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: CWSooner on April 18, 2020, 11:38:08 AM
watching Nolan Ryan pitch for the Astros in the 1980 NLCS

Charlie Hustle playing first for the Phillies, Little Joe Morgan playing for the Stros
Rastros wearing the Hawaiian sunset unis?
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: FearlessF on April 19, 2020, 10:14:48 AM
yes sir

I had one of those jerseys back in the day
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on April 20, 2020, 01:57:24 AM
i miss baseball.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: betarhoalphadelta on April 20, 2020, 09:48:32 AM
i miss baseball.
I don't... But I miss sports enough that I might even watch a baseball game right now.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: MarqHusker on April 20, 2020, 09:49:30 PM
I'm really missing it as I spend more time outdoors.   Miss the game on the radio more than really any other leisure activity right now.
Title: Re: ~2019 MLB Thread~
Post by: OrangeAfroMan on April 20, 2020, 10:21:02 PM
Yeah, I listen to more games through my phone than watch on TV.