A little over a month until pitchers and catchers report. Thank God baseball is nearly back in season.
And in great news to start off the 2016 year. The Royals resigned Alex Gordon.
Saw that! And you got him relatively cheap, too. 4 years, $18 million per.
Hometown discount to be sure. I never believed that he or the Royals wanted to part ways. Hopefully he can stay healthy.
Just over 30 days until pitchers and catchers report and the Royals haven't made any moves to pick up another starter. I was really hoping the Kazmir rumors were true, but it wasn't to be.
Quote from: Bison on January 14, 2016, 03:30:59 PMI was really hoping the Kazmir rumors were true
no you weren't. the dude is canned ass after the All Star break. Every. Damn. Year.
We need another starter preferably a lefty and there aren't too many low cost, quality ones out on the market.
I think the Royals will have a decent season, but there are some teams like the Cubs really making a push this off season to make a strong run at the Series. The Royals need to do something with the starting rotation to remain competitive. Second base and right field also need to be looked at too but based on the sport talk radio the Royals seem content with what they have in those positions right now. We'll see but right field will be a platoon position and Omar will play second. He's very good defensively, but is lacking skills at the plate.
There's your pitcher, Bison. And Lo Cain re-upped.
http://m.mlb.com/player/453178/ian-kennedy
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/royals-overcommit-to-ian-kennedy--but-commit-to-winning-now-163245194.html
The Kennedy rumors had be circulating for a few weeks now on the local sports radio shows. I think Kennedy is a good fit in that he's coming into a pitchers park and he eats up innings to get to the strength of the Royals pitching staff; the bullpen.
I'm excited for this season but we'll see. I'm not convinced that platooning right field is the best idea, but Dyson hasn't had a chance to be an everyday player and he might pull it off. Also I think 2B could be problematic, but they do have a few youngsters in the minors that have real potential. But the Royals are basically done now on the free agent market for the off season with the exception of some really low cost role players maybe but certainly Kennedy was the Royals big off season FA move.
I thought that would have been keeping Gordon, no? And Kennedy gave up 19 homers in the last pitchers park he played in. Their payroll is north of $130 million. Those all sound like moves a club would make if they were trying to buy a championship. Welcome to the Big Leagues, Kansas City!
No keeping Gordon was huge, but for reasons beyond signing Kennedy. Gordon is the leader, fan favorite, and letting him go would have been a huge PR hit.
The entire Padres staff gave up the long ball last year. I think Kennedy will benefit from playing in Kaufman Stadium, which is huge, and have a stellar defense behind him. The Padres were a pretty crappy defensive team last season. Anyway we'll see. A 5 year contract is a long one, but Kennedy is still young (31) so if he remains a constant workhorse taking the ball deep into the game that'll be to the benefit of the Royals. The one issue Royals pitchers had last year was getting into early inning trouble.
They are spending the money now, because the core of the team is basically together for another 2-3 years. I expect that if they go south in the standings, the management will shed contracts quick if possible.
Quote from: Bison on January 17, 2016, 12:43:46 AM
They are spending the money now, because the core of the team is basically together for another 2-3 years.
That's what teams that are trying to buy championships say. Hope it works for you as well as it does for the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Angels and so on.
The Royals are right around where they were last season and are still in the middle of the pack for payroll.
Tell yourself what you will, you're trying to buy a championship. And that's ok. Even acceptable. You just can't be holier than thou anymore about teams that do it. ;)
Sure as the hell I can be. The royals would need to spend another 70-80 million a year, every year on over rated aging has beens.
Whatever you gotta tell yourself big spender :)
Don't be jealous of title town baby!
The Orioles contract with Davis is ludicrous. I'd love nothing more than to see a salary cap instituted into baseball.
I would hate a salary cap. If you've got it, spend it. And if you've got it and you don't, then root for another team.
It would bring much needed parity to the league and end the sort of bullshit going on in the NL this year with at least 8 teams intentionally tanking the season.
How does a salary cap end tanking? A salary floor might help that problem, but, a cap won't.
Both. A cap and floor. I'm pretty sure the NFL has both.
You want to end tanking? Send the bottom 2 teams in each league down to AAA.
I do not know the answer to that, Bison. I do know that the cap in football has made that sport barely watchable for years. So keep the cap far away from my baseball!
I actually won't be opposed to such a system in all professional sports.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 18, 2016, 07:19:32 PM
You want to end tanking? Send the bottom 2 teams in each league down to AAA.
I have no problem with that.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 18, 2016, 07:20:06 PM
I do not know the answer to that, Bison. I do know that the cap in football has made that sport barely watchable for years. So keep the cap far away from my baseball!
Yes. The NFL has lost viewership since the cap was instituted. :idiot2:
Not what I meant. I remember the days of dynasties. Of hating the Cowboys and Niners and Steelers for always having the best teams year after year. Because they could spend as they pleased and tie up the good talent as long as they wanted. Since the cap, it's a new team every year or two. And yes, there are outliers like that Patriots, but, you're going to get that with the greatest QB ever. Most teams get good for a few years, make a run at the title and then get broken apart by the cap. And the product is getting worse and worse every year.
That had much more to do with the limits on free agency.
I don't agree. If you have a cap, there is only so much money, so, regardless of when a player comes up for free agency, you can only spend so much. No cap, you spend whatever whenever.
I disagree. The advent a free agency lead to large contracts and no loyalty to the franchise. It became about the individual and the $$$. I don't begrudge anyone making money, but free agency as we know it today has hurt the ability to create dynasties. The cap hurts too, but with free agency dynasties are a dead concept anyway so your better off looking for parity.
I'm not a baseball guy, but I think the farm system sets bb apart from football. With the farm system, bb teams has a large number of players that they can call on to play in the majors to fill needs.
True and minor league games at great fun to attend too.
Quote from: Bison on January 18, 2016, 07:50:49 PM
I disagree. The advent a free agency lead to large contracts and no loyalty to the franchise. It became about the individual and the $$$. I don't begrudge anyone making money, but free agency as we know it today has hurt the ability to create dynasties. The cap hurts too, but with free agency dynasties are a dead concept anyway so your better off looking for parity.
First, all sports franchises are in business to make money. As much of it as they can. The only loyalty the owner has is to making money. Second, until Curt Flood, baseball players were property of the team they were signed with and had no right to go anywhere unless they were traded. So their continued play for the same team was not of their doing so you can't equate it with loyalty. Third, the advent of free agency allowed players to finally choose where they were going to play, but even then, they had to give up some of their service time to REACH free agency. And with the ability to choose came the ability to decide for how much money they would sign from the offers they received from teams interested in their service. If their current team offered the most, and the relationship between player and management was agreeable, then it was likely the player would re-sign. But he
could go elsewhere, and THAT was the greatest difference.
Now, all things being equal, you take the job that offers you the most money. So players will go to the team that offers the most money. And even without a cap, owners, who are in it to make money, know approximately how much they want to spend. And if the owner can get and keep a core of players to build a dynasty, he should. But, if he can't or won't spend the money, the free agent can go elsewhere. As it should be.
Now, with a cap, you are only allowed x amount of dollars and no amount of fudging or creative accounting is going to get you one red cent more. So when you reach your limit, you are out of the bidding. That
forces players to look elsewhere. The decision is taken out of their hands.
Loyalty to a franchise is for fans. And we want so badly for the players we like/look up to/worship to be as loyal as we are to the home team. But this is ultimately just another job. And if you switch jobs and noone gives you crap for it, why should a player be blamed for taking another offer? They shouldn't. But because you are a fan,
you give the practice a bad connotation because the player has ruined
your team. Which is the furthest thing from the truth as you have zero ownership stake in the franchise and they aren't paying you. You're just letting your
fanatic show through.
Tell me again how free agency is ruining dynasties?
Quote from: Bison on January 18, 2016, 07:01:12 PM
The Orioles contract with Davis is ludicrous. I'd love nothing more than to see a salary cap instituted into baseball.
And they were pretty much just bidding against themselves. Keep our decent pitcher hitting free agency for half as much? Nope, let's dump enormous money on a guy who is going to become absoutely useless the instant his bat speed drops even a slight bit.
So...no comment because you agree or because you think I went over the top?
A little emotional yes. Free agency is no better or worse than a salary cap if the criteria is a dynasty. The fact is that the New York Yankees glory years would have never been possible under current free agency and arbitration. The lack of a salary cap only benefits a handful of very large market teams. The rest are basically nothing more than a higher level farm system, because you know that no matter what the team will most likely lose their star/popular players to free agency. Spending the money doesn't guarantee success, but it ultimately hurts the game. Baseball is losing popularity for a number of reasons and the only one that is truly controllable is an effort needs to be made to bring parity to the game. You might want to call the NFL a watered down league, but teams like Tampa Bay never sniff a championship without the salary cap. It allows them to be competitive, because all teams are held to the same constraints. Whether or not your management can deal with the money issues and scout good talent is another question. The salary cap doesn't prevent players from leaving to make more money, I get and support their ability to do that, but it also means that the team who initially invested in the player has a chance to keep the player financially. That is ultimately better for the league and fan base.
Quote from: Bison on January 19, 2016, 10:05:12 AMBaseball is losing popularity for a number of reasons and the only one that is truly controllable is an effort needs to be made to bring parity to the game.
Not necessarily true - they can control when games are on TV. World Series games that start at 9pm on weekends when there's no reason under the sun to start after 3pm Eastern is just stupid. Trying to pick up 1/2 a rating point on the West Coast has cost them an entire generation of viewers on the East Coast. My son probably can't name more than 10-12 baseball teams, at the most. But he can name most of the NFL / NHL teams, and every soccer team in the EPL and most of the Championship.
Life does exist west of the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. :)
3PM? I think around 7PM give or take is would be the right time to schedule the games.
Quote from: Bison on January 19, 2016, 10:33:49 AM
Life does exist west of the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. :)
3PM? I think around 7PM give or take is would be the right time to schedule the games.
why? I get doing it on weekdays when you need people home from work to watch. But why not a 4pm EST Saturday start? For a decent 7pm game, the kids can't stay up 'til the end, even on weekends.
No other professional sport starts their championship games that early. Why would baseball? The Super Bowl is on around 7PM. The Stanly Cup likewise.
I agree with Brant, it's stupid that some of these games start so late. College football is the worse. In 2002 when Ohio State played Miami in the championship game, it was a Friday night. I had a house full of people to watch the game. Now, the games are on Monday night, and no one gets together. Heck, this year I was tired and had to work the next day, and didn't even stay up for the whole thing. Last year, when OSU was playing, the kids headed to bead before half time because of school the next day. It's no way to encourage fans to watch.
Quote from: Bison on January 19, 2016, 10:05:12 AM
A little emotional yes. Free agency is no better or worse than a salary cap if the criteria is a dynasty. The fact is that the New York Yankees glory years would have never been possible under current free agency and arbitration. The lack of a salary cap only benefits a handful of very large market teams. The rest are basically nothing more than a higher level farm system, because you know that no matter what the team will most likely lose their star/popular players to free agency. Spending the money doesn't guarantee success, but it ultimately hurts the game. Baseball is losing popularity for a number of reasons and the only one that is truly controllable is an effort needs to be made to bring parity to the game. You might want to call the NFL a watered down league, but teams like Tampa Bay never sniff a championship without the salary cap. It allows them to be competitive, because all teams are held to the same constraints. Whether or not your management can deal with the money issues and scout good talent is another question. The salary cap doesn't prevent players from leaving to make more money, I get and support their ability to do that, but it also means that the team who initially invested in the player has a chance to keep the player financially. That is ultimately better for the league and fan base.
That Yankees glory years were financed by Big Stein throwing his money around. Teams nowadays do the same thing. So, the Yankee dynasty would have been just as easy today as it was yesterday. The lack of a salary cap benefits all teams. The ones that spend can say, 'Look at how much we spend to bring you a winner.' The ones that won't can say, 'Look at those bullies throwing their money around! We just can't compete.' Spending and lack of spending are two sides of the same coin. And let's be honest, baseball does its due diligence before it sells a team. If the new owners couldn't, theoretically, spend large amounts of money, they wouldn't approve the sale of the team. So the teams that cry about how much is being spent, should be ashamed of themselves and their fans SHOULD hold the clubs feet to the fire. I'll give you a perfect example.
Carl Pohlad, the former owner of the Minnesota Twins, was estimated to be worth 3.6 Billion dollars at the time of his death. He bought the Twins in 1984. In 2001, he offered to sell the team to MLB for $150 million as part of a proposed contraction plan. Due to baseball's attempt at limiting spending of the big teams, they instituted a soft cap. Anyone passing the cap threshold paid a luxury tax, to be distributed to teams who were, 'less well off.' Pohlad received that compensation yearly from those teams that went over the threshold. His family continues to own the team. The payroll for the Twins is 20th in the league this year at $86.15 million. All of those things together bespeak a cheap ass owner. At over three billion dollars, he most assuredly had enough money to spend on his teams, but, he chose not to AND he took money from other teams who did. So, who is in the wrong? The teams that spent? Or the billionaire owner who didn't?
Don't get me wrong, Bison, I get where you're coming from. We want baseball to be something it's not, loyal, fair, and able to prove, 'wait 'til next year,' can be true for ALL teams, regardless of how much money they spend. But it's not. It's a business. And the low payroll teams crying poor and bad mouthing the big spending teams is poor sportsmanship at the least and disingenous at most.
It's ok to root for who you root for. Downing a team for spending money and rooting for a team that won't doesn't make a salary cap and parity the answer. Spending the money to make your team competitive is. And just so you know, HOW you spend it is more important than WHO you spend it on. And fans should hold their favorite teams accountable for THAT.
No the Yankee big years from the 1920s through the 1960s. When the majority of Yankee titles were won.
There was more team control of players during those years than at any time. How much of a role spending large amounts of money had to do with anything during that time, I've never heard. It's always been my impression that the owners were pretty tightfisted in that era.
I miss your use of the caps lock key. :P
And actually yes a salary cap/bottom would address the Pohlad's of the world. The other part of that is there is a difference between the personal wealth of an owner and the income that the team generates.
All the caps were for emphasis, because I type like I talk. And the 'you' I was making points about was the general you, not you specifically. A salary floor would be dandy. But with all things that have to be compromised, it will satisfy noone and there will be umpteen ways around implementing it.
I think for the fans. Parity is key. It doesn't matter if the game is broadcast at 1 PM or 9 PM. There are a 161 of them in the season, some will be early and some will be late. What doesn't change is that a shitty team will remain shitty and irrelevant for about 141 of those games.
I wasn't offended by anything you said. I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY!
I don't think parity works. Using money as the barometer for fairness just doesn't do it. There will still be disparities in personnel, management, and talent.
Just wait till you meet me. The words come out of my mouth that way, too :)
Quote from: MetalDog on January 19, 2016, 11:03:34 PM
I don't think parity works. Using money as the barometer for fairness just doesn't do it. There will still be disparities in personnel, management, and talent.
Just wait till you meet me. The words come out of my mouth that way, too :)
This is an issue separate from the salary cap. Some teams are just managed better than other in any sport.
Your argument is a salary cap makes things fair and all better. Mine is that money is a poor measure of parity and other factors will always win out. How are they not related? Or are you a politician and you just want to continue to confuse the issue ;)
Money is a measure of parity. It doesn't make it fair in the sense you are implying. It doesn't guarantee immediate or long term success. It allows for teams to have an opportunity to sign talent competitively against all other teams. Management is still going to be the deciding factor in the talent they retain or pursue.
While I'm on a rant. I do not want computer umpires behind home plate. Human umpires are a part of the game. I like that umpires have slightly different strike zones. I say if you bring in a computer umpire, you might as well bring in a fucking pitching machine too. God I hate technology encroaching into every facet of sport.
Pete Rose will get into one Hall of Fame, just not Major League Baseball's. The Cincinnati Reds announced on Tuesday that Rose will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14600968/pete-rose-inducted-reds-hall-fame
It's time for sure. He belongs in Canton too. Put up a plaque right next to his bronzed one outlining his life long ban from baseball if you must, but he belongs in the HoF.
Quote from: Bison on January 19, 2016, 10:52:49 PM
I think for the fans. Parity is key. It doesn't matter if the game is broadcast at 1 PM or 9 PM. There are a 161 of them in the season, some will be early and some will be late.
There are, at most, 7 World Series games. It does matter when those are broadcast. And yes, baseball has to be more flexible than football. Baseball is the one losing viewers (esp younger ones) at an alarmingly fast rate.
Should they show the game when half of the country is at work? There is no easy time when the country spans 4 time zones. I'll exclude Alaska and Hawaii from consideration for the sake of argument.
Quote from: Bison on January 20, 2016, 09:28:34 AM
Should they show the game when half of the country is at work? There is no easy time when the country spans 4 time zones. I'll exclude Alaska and Hawaii from consideration for the sake of argument.
No, I'm talking about weekends. I get that Tuesday night you get a later start. Saturday/Sunday World Series games should start NLT 1600 EST.
It would run up against nfl and college football games, which I'm sure is a major consideration. I wouldn't mind a weekend series game on in the afternoon, but what's worse trying to compete with the juggernaut of the national ESPN football league or playing an evening game in prime time?
Quote from: Bison on January 18, 2016, 07:01:12 PM
The Orioles contract with Davis is ludicrous. I'd love nothing more than to see a salary cap instituted into baseball.
I like it. Now if they would just sign Machado to a 5-6 year extension they would have a really solid nucleus to build around.
Hopefully the local bitch-fans will shut up about the team being to cheap to spend money.
Quote from: MetalDog on January 18, 2016, 07:43:26 PM
I don't agree. If you have a cap, there is only so much money, so, regardless of when a player comes up for free agency, you can only spend so much. No cap, you spend whatever whenever.
They should have a minimum payroll but not a maximum.
Quote from: Bison on January 19, 2016, 11:53:16 PM
Pete Rose will get into one Hall of Fame, just not Major League Baseball's. The Cincinnati Reds announced on Tuesday that Rose will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14600968/pete-rose-inducted-reds-hall-fame
It's time for sure. He belongs in Canton too. Put up a plaque right next to his bronzed one outlining his life long ban from baseball if you must, but he belongs in the HoF.
It's his own fault he is not in. Personally I don't see the problem with betting on your own team to win but it is no secret that gambling on baseball is illegal and the penalty is pretty clear. It doesn't matter who you are, if you just plain want to ignore the rules that they go over each and every year in spring training then this is what you get.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Pete Rose goes in the Hall of Fame the day after he dies. He gets in; he doesn't get to enjoy a single day of it.
You are probably right. As far as I know he didn't gamble when he was a player which makes it even sadder.
Then we should never see anyone implicated in the steroid period of baseball ever in the HoF. I don't think that will happen. Some will certainly be elected and thier illegal decisions directly impacted the outcome of games, if not entire seasons.
Quote from: Bison on January 26, 2016, 05:16:31 PM
Then we should never see anyone implicated in the steroid period of baseball ever in the HoF. I don't think that will happen. Some will certainly be elected and thier illegal decisions directly impacted the outcome of games, if not entire seasons.
It wouldn't bother me if they added a steroid wing to put Bonds, McGuire, Sosa and others into. I feel a little bad for Rose because it appears he did the illegal stuff after he stopped playing.
Gambling, like most vices, is not something you just pick up in the middle of your life. I'm not saying it's impossible, but, the vast majority of people come to their addictions early. The steroid abusers should certainly be in the Hall. In their own wing. With that information prominently displayed over the door way to that wing and on each plaque in that wing. It should be allowed with the stipulation that each player that used steroids confess their use so we can have an idea of how prevalent it was and be able to judge the period of their use appropriately.
Honestly, I'm of a similar mind to the steroid guys (put them in after they're dead), but no one did steroids thinking "hey, if I do these and we lose, I've got a killer payday coming". No one did steroids to shave points or change batting averages or in any way reduce their performance for the financial benefits of gamblers. At least the steroid guys were trying to win.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/suddenly-frugal-yankees-playing-long-game-with-eye-on-bryce-harper-194412881.html
Hal and Hank gave Cashman his marching orders a year or two ago: build from within and be fiscally responsible. As a Yankee fan, I was hoping that was the case long before Tex and A-Rod and McCann and on and on. Now, it looks like it will be s.o.p. Good. I will deal with a couple of years of no playoffs in order to build a homegrown, fiscally responsible juggernaut.
Pitchers and catchers report in 12 days!!
It's getting so close. if the mlb network didn't block royals games I subscribe.
5 more days until Pitchers and Catchers are reporting!
Which brings up a question,
Was Aquaman a Pitcher or a Catcher?
On a serious note, do the Yankees (im not a Yankee fan, but I did love Donnie Baseball) possibly have the best bullpen EVER assembled? Chapman, Miller and Betances.
Quote from: Hot lead and dirty talk! on February 13, 2016, 05:53:40 AMChapman, Miller and Betances.
Early 2000's Astros had Wagner, Dotel and Lidge. If they got a lead into the 6th inning, you were going to see 3 straight innings of closers after that.
So...comparable then.
The Royals just won the Series with the best bullpen. :) And I think it's so cute that Cashman and the little girly pinstripe nation are trying to imitate that success.
I think some would argue that the 1990's Reds were one of the best bullpens ever.
Charlton and Dibble? P'shaw! It's not going to do the Yankees any good to have that trio this year. Who the hell is going to hit for them?!
The Nasty Boys won the Series didn't they? Hard to argue with success unless it's the Yankees and then every criticism is on the table.
The bullpen for that Reds team was just one component of the whole. Cincy had it all. Not superstars in the sense we know them today, but, Eric Davis, Paul O'Neill, Chris Sabo, Barry Larkin, Todd Bentzinger, Jack Armstrong, Tom Browning, Danny Jackson, every one a solid piece and contributor.
The Yanks this year are in transition. Yeah, the backend of the bully is awesome, but, who knows if Tanaka will be able to come on like his rookie year. We need Pineda to shine. Eovaldi to get some luck to go his way and hope C.C. is content being a fourth or fifth starter. And the hitters, a mix of old and over the hill and/or brittle, and lightly regarded role players and kids. The short porch will help and the Pinstripes do have a little magic in them (see last year's appearance in the Wild Card game to confirm that they had enough of the magic to actually GET to that game), but, I don't see a juggernaut here. I like Toronto's chances best if they can get their pitching to hold up. Or maybe swap Tulowitzki for half the Rays starting staff. THAT would make Toronto unstoppable!!
That can be said about any team that wins the series. The Reds bullpen was dominate.
Eckersley was better than Dibble and Charlton. The Nasty Boys had a great nickname and threw hard. A requisite for dominance for sure, but, having that dominance didn't win the Reds the Series all by itself.
The Reds won the Series in 1990 and Eckersley didn't. Apples and Oranges.
Great news in Royals land as they resigned Perez to a 5 year extension. It's awesome to see the ownership trying to keep the core of homegrown talent together over the next several seasons.
They need him to quit catching 150+ games a year.
Ideally he'd be able to pick up time in the DH slot, but Perez isn't really known for his batting and the traditional transition position of 1st base is filled by Hosmer.
A little something for my Royals friend:
http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2016/03/05/166346236
The World Series trophy was actually in town a couple of weeks ago but I had prior engagements and couldn't make it over to see it in person.
Are we doing a Fantasy league this year? The season is quickly (thank God) approaching.
I'm all for it; someone has to be last this year and it might as well be me again :D
I'm in - I shall apply my total lack of knowledge once again and dedicate myself to second to last or third to last with my usual gusto - this year, some batters and bowlers with skill please
If we don't see or hear from Bison by Sunday, ping me and I'll see if I can get the league up and running.
I'll hop in, make a hash of things, then irrationally blame my players for my failures! :coolsmiley:
I'm in as usual, O0
I'll give it one more go.
Not sure I agree that its Bird, but, he did some 'Yankee' things last year. Had some 'moments'. It'll play itself out. And maybe there won't be one. There wasn't for 20 years after Thurman Munson died. And speaking of Thurm, there's a great quiz at the end of the article on Yankee MVP's and Cy Young winners. I got 24 out of 27 right.
QuoteUnlike a lot of things in baseball, picking a new face for the Yankees is more about how it 'feels,' not about extremely specific and concise rules and numbers. That's why I think Greg Bird best fits the role, despite him not seeming to be the most obvious choice. Yes, he's only played for half a season. Yes, he's not even a starter for the team yet. Yes, he was scheduled to start next season in the minors. And yes, he is out for the whole season with a torn labrum. Still, it feels right. The way that the whole fan base went into mourning and practically called 2016 a "lost season" after news of Bird's injury broke struck a chord with me. For a player that was going to start as a backup infielder (at best), the reaction from fans was enormous. Bird certainly doesn't have the highest upside of the Yankees' young crop, and there's a good chance he'll never be the best player on the team, but then again, Jeter was the Yankees' best player by WAR just three times over his career.
http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/who_is_the_new_face_of_the_yankees/s1_13058_20488123
Well I've got an uneasy feeling as the season approaches that the Royals starting pitching staff is about to implode making the bullpen irrelevant.
I work with a KC fan. I was going to give him shit about that this very day had I seen him. Unfortunately for him, I didn't.
Yeah I was listening to the preseason game tonight on the radio and Ventura was just getting hammered through 4 innings. The Royals bats are good, but man it's tough to know going in that you have to score a bunch every night or possibly play from behind every game. They've done it the past few seasons, but they really needed a starting pitching ace this offseason. Oh well. It'll be a good season anyway.
Good start for the Royals tonight against the Mets although surprisingly the bullpen just about blew the game in the 8th inning.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimgs.xkcd.com%2Fcomics%2Fplay_by_play.png&hash=de5ef2d8676a8ed47e3474020847724d618c5903)
This is a horrible call and a foolish rule change. This rule should result in 99% of all slides into second base following a hit being ruled interference. They should have just made sliding illegal instead. If I were a manager I'd challenge EVERY SINGLE TIME a slide into second isn't followed up with a double play. Hell baseball should just implement an automatic double play rule for infield hits to save time.
Maybe Bautista shouldn't try to gooch the SS throw to first by sticking his hand between his feet. The rule was called right. Don't break the rule and you won't get called out. Or maybe Bautista shouldn't be such a demonstrative dick and flip his bat and stare at a home run like he's never seen one before. Players and umps have long memories for people who break the "unwritten" rules.
Bautista is a jackass, but that doesn't change the fact the rule change is asinine. I get they are addressing the Utley slide, but there is a mile of difference between a baseball play and intentionally injuring someone. Bautista's slide is about as textbook as you will ever see and if his hand slap is interference this is going to be a long season of similar calls. Pointless rule change. I think you listen to too much ESPN radio. :P
Nah. The only ESPN Radio I listen to anymore is Dan LeBatard. I just haven't like Bautista since his ridiculous antics last year. And you have to admit, looking at the video, everything about that slide was fine until he purposely stuck his arm out to foul the SS throw. That makes him out.
If that is interference it's going to be a long, long season of replays on slides into second base. It's right up there with the in the area ruling for a double play. Where the middle infielder doesn't actually need to touch the base to record the out. Just be in the area of the base.
Which part of he intentionally stuck his hand out to interfere with the thrower isn't registering? It's pretty obvious that's what he's doing. Now, it doesn't change or hurt anything, so, if that's your argument, I agree. But that's not the rule as written and Bautista purposefully and deliberately stuck his arm out to gooch the throw. And I hope it gets called like that all year.
As for the 'in the area' play, the argument for it is that it's supposed to protect the thrower from a player sliding into the bag and connecting with the thrower. Do I like it? No. You're supposed to touch the bag to record the out. But, I can see the reasoning behind letting them get away with it.
The area rule is nonsense and you add in touching is interference and it changes the game dramatically. Just institute an infield hit double play rule. As far as Bautista's slide and "grab", I'd hardly call what he did grabbing. Just wait until a playoff or world series game is decided by this foolishness. If you want to stop the Utley type slide, institute heavy fines and suspensions. Take a few million away for an intentionally dirty play would be a sufficient deterrent. You're one of those computerized home plate umpire advocates aren't you. :)
I never called it a "grab." Just a "gooch." And yes, computer called strike zones would help immensely. You would still need umps for all sorts of things. Just not balls and strikes :)
I say just get rid of players, managers, umpires, and just play a computer simulation on the jumbo screen. I cannot believe you hate baseball so much. /smh/
Well, isn't he a Yankees fan.
That is just another strike against his baseball acumen. :D
The Yanks still have a more recent World Series win than any team from Ohio, so...:P
Can't say much to the guy who pulls for the current champs though. I'll just have to take you in fake baseball. Then we'll see how much acumen I have ;)
We shall see how the luck of stat production work from week to week.
It'd work better with a couple extra Bench slots ;)
If I could I'd mandate extra slots to be required to be filled by middle/long relievers, you could then field a "real" ball team.
You're too young to be this set in your ways. Live a little! Do something CRAZY once in a while! An extra Bench slot would work nicely :)
Commie.
If it means an extra Bench slot, then, da.
You should be more concerned with Tanaka's control then getting a middle reliever bench slot for your fantasy baseball team.
FWIW, on ESPN this morning Jason Stark said Bautista's slide would have been illegal under the old rules, even though it was rarely called that way
Quote from: Bison on April 07, 2016, 01:14:04 PM
You should be more concerned with Tanaka's control then getting a middle reliever bench slot for your fantasy baseball team.
You should be more concerned with the fact that KC's pitching is nowhere near as good as the Yankees.
I could really use another catcher and 3rd baseman. Just saying.
Well the New York staff has not exactly been dominate in the first few games. They ought to be happy that they've gotten a ton of run support. And I've already acknowledged the weakness of the KC starting rotation, but they still have a better team era than the Yankees so far. This is going to be a long season amigo.
Quote from: OJsDad on April 07, 2016, 07:24:10 PM
I could really use another catcher and 3rd baseman. Just saying.
Don't panic is the first key to not only interstellar travel with a bath towel, but fantasy baseball managing too.
This is pretty cool.
LOS ANGELES -- Modern baseball may have found its birth certificate, and with it a new birth date -- and new founding father.
Coinciding with the start of the major league season, a set of game-changing documents went up for sale this week. Their authenticity and significance are verified by experts that include John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian.
The 1857 documents titled "Laws of Base Ball" establish the essentials of the modern game: The distance of the base paths is 90 feet, the length of the game is nine innings and nine players are in the field.
And they do it three years earlier than the 1860 birth date now recognized.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/15155678/laws-base-ball-papers-sale-establish-new-father-modern-baseball
My fear with the slide rules now is that it's all going to come down to umpires trying to determine intent, and this becomes the baseball version of figuring out what constitutes a catch in the NFL. Just a random mess.
And the Cubs are looking scary freaking good in their opening series against the Angels and Diamondbacks.
Quote from: Bison on April 08, 2016, 05:37:45 AM
And the Cubs are looking scary freaking good in their opening series against the Angels and Diamondbacks.
Just to
meet the hype they have to be scary, freaky good. Anything less and they be deemed "over rated". I love what the organization has done over the last couple years. Oh, and I'm a Tigers fan.
Quote from: Bison on April 08, 2016, 05:37:45 AM
And the Cubs are looking scary freaking good in their opening series against the Angels and Diamondbacks.
That batting order is scary even with Schwarber now out for the year.
Yeah that's too bad about Schwarber. He's a great young talent.
Quote from: Bison on April 08, 2016, 09:49:05 PM
Yeah that's too bad about Schwarber. He's a great young talent.
Huge power. He really has no business in left field, but they have nowhere else to put him.
The Cubs were top five in runs per game last year with Schwarber in the lineup and bottom two without. Jorge Soler needs to step up or go away.
thoughts on the Utley Rule
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/baseball-s-slide-rule-isn-t-changing-anytime-soon--and-players-need-to-accept-it-030946988.html
Passan should play the game he says is so easy.
Attention Jose Bautista :
If you come in to second hot to try to take out the second baseman, and you then turn and strut towards said second baseman, and he shoves you away, so you come back again with your fist cocked...you are going to get lit up.
Also, don't ever mess with Rougned Odor, because he is not having it. Wow.
Holy sh*t!!! Bautista got his clock cleaned!! Maybe Latin players don't like that, "Show me up," bullsh*t either :2funny:
(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13239400_10154857252009535_6468781518453395988_n.jpg?oh=9672ed267efe54e1ae0e3550603fb129&oe=57E002D1)
A couple of those trains have already been sent back down to the minors.
The firing of Fredi Gonzalez was really more of a mercy killing. That team is godawful.
Fredi is a sacrificial lamb. The Braves made some questionable trades and then decided to chuck it in order to open their new park with some optimism for the future. What's even worse is, that Terry Pendleton got passed over to replace Fredi. That's a crime.
The Braves are trying to rebuild in the image of the Cubs. Fredi kept playing the older veterans rather than starting the younger players that will eventually form the nucleus of the future Braves. He began butting heads with management because he wanted to win now. They'll still suck this year and probably next year as well but we should see them start to climb out of the rebuilding phase after that.
Oh, I agree that he was a horrible manager AND they're a bad team.
And they're probably waiting to give Pendleton the job when they actually have a shot at winning again. Otherwise you're just tossing the local folk hero to the wolves.
Now that any real sports have ended, I have been forced to watch baseball. Let me just say Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Quote from: mirth on July 01, 2016, 03:25:41 PM
Now that any real sports have ended, I have been forced to watch baseball. Let me just say Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
What are you, a communist?
Quote from: bbmike on July 01, 2016, 04:52:21 PM
Quote from: mirth on July 01, 2016, 03:25:41 PM
Now that any real sports have ended, I have been forced to watch baseball. Let me just say Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
What are you, a communist?
worse... a vegetarian!
Real sports and trimmed counters for all!
It's a counter revolution!
Fun story about a Home Run Derby from 20 years ago...
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/allstar2016_96hrderby/how-david-ortiz-stole-show-ken-griffey-alex-rodriguez-home-run-derby
It's cool how they salvaged the rain-out of an exhibition game.
just recently saw this stat about Lou Gehrig
QuoteOf the top six RBI seasons of all time, Lou Gehrig had three of them. In 1927, hitting behind Babe Ruth, who hit 60 homers that year, Gehrig drove in 175 runs.
As awesome as Babe Ruth was, Lou Gehrig truly deserves to be as big a star or bigger.
Gehrig didn't pitch. Ruth was a pretty decent pitcher in his day, too :)
And Ruth wouldn't have been able to put up the numbers he did without a dangerous bat behind him in the lineup. It was Gehrig what hit cleanup, not the Babe. They didn't call it 'Murderer's Row' for nothing.
I liked this tidbit from ESPN today
QuoteGood story last night from the Padres' stunning ninth-inning rally to beat the Giants. The winning pitcher for the Padres was Jake Smith, claimed off waivers from the Giants in July. Back in 2009, Smith first worked for the Giants organization -- as a groundskeeper for its Class A team in Augusta, Georgia. He later convinced them to give him a tryout and the Giants drafted him in the 48th round in 2011.
Well the Royals are basically out of the playoff race...hell of a run boys.
https://theringer.com/who-is-the-scariest-potential-wild-card-starter-678fba6fb913#.ae9yar2rr
Some funny stuff in here around the analysis...
QuoteThis section includes three guys who have finished in the top five in Cy Young voting and two others who made All-Star teams, but no matter how good you were once, you can always get old, completely lose your mechanics, or end up on the Orioles.
QuoteThe Blue Jays have four starters I actively like and two more I could talk myself into starting a playoff game, while the Orioles have Gausman and Tillman, after which I guess it's a good thing they've got such a good bullpen, because they're going to need it if they make it past the wild-card game.
QuoteTier 5: Competent Midrotation Starters
Tier 6: Young Guys I Think I Trust
Tier 6: Old Guys Who Might Have One More Good Run in Them
Tier 7: Guys Who'd Be Way Higher if I Were Convinced They Were Healthy
Tier 8: Alex Reyes
Tier 9: Young Guys I Trust More Than Those Other Young Guys
yes, there are two Tier 6's
QuoteTier 9: The Only Two Guys Who Truly Scare Me in a One-Game Playoff
2. Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets
1. Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants
I've talked a lot about which players have the potential to win the game on their own, but I'd expect a performance like that from either one of these guys. Of course, it's not out of the realm of possibility that they might face each other in the NL wild-card game, which ... if that happens, make sure you know where your fire extinguisher is.
Jose Fernandez, dead at 24. Goddammit. :-[ http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/25/us/mlb-pitcher-jose-fernandez-dead/
Tragic for sure. One has to wonder what the hell they were doing speeding around on a boat at 3 am.
Looking at the stats for rookies this year and wow is Gary Sanchez having a great season. As much as I dislike the Yankees, Sanchez appears to have some serious upside.
He is pretty good. I just wish Washington had brought Trea Turner up earlier. Imagine how much of a runaway the ROY would be if he had a full season under his belt :)
Yeah Trae Turner is good too.
While that good seasons they also had very short seasons. Before we go calling them the next HOF'er lets see them play 1 full year.
Quote from: Marty Ward on September 27, 2016, 02:03:50 PMBefore we go calling them the next HOF'er lets see them play 1 full year.
I didn't. I just noted that he was good enough to be ROY if he'd been there the whole year. He might flame out once everyone gets good tape on him
No way would I claim they have an inside track to the HoF. And we all know how I hate, hate, hate how the HoF selection process works. I just think they really stood out as some unexpected surprises as productive position players that have demonstrated some serious potential upside.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on September 27, 2016, 02:12:46 PM
Quote from: Marty Ward on September 27, 2016, 02:03:50 PMBefore we go calling them the next HOF'er lets see them play 1 full year.
I didn't. I just noted that he was good enough to be ROY if he'd been there the whole year. He might flame out once everyone gets good tape on him
They both had good parts of seasons. I can't tell you how many 3 month wonders I have seen in baseball over the years. They could be that good or the could have just had the run of a lifetime.
Sanchez had a phenomenal August, .389 average 11 HR, 79 total bases. He is batting .247, 8 HR, 48 total bases with 9 fewer AB in September. Turner has had a decent 67 games. If he can keep it up for a year he could be special with his speed. He also could be the player who was up in 2015.
Story, Diaz, Guerra, Fulmer, Oh and Maeda all had good rookie seasons too. Next season will be the one that tells us way more about them
All in all there were a lot of good young players this year. Hopefully one or two will really blossom.
I was watching the O's game last night and one of the announcers said he had read an article that claimed it was possible for there to be a 5 team tie for the second wild card. Now that would be crazy!
I think you could possibly see three in the AL Toronto, Baltimore, and Detroit. I kind of hope it happens. The current wild card game is idiotic. Baseball is a series game not a single game sport.
Crazy last three games of the season in both leagues for the wild card game.
Well the Royal finished an impressive .500 for the season. Lord knows they need to do a bunch of retooling this off season, but right now there are so many holes to fill in the roster it seems a daunting task. I just hope they cut Soria that guy lost at least 10 games this season all by himself. The worst off season signing by far.
Anyway the on the bright side, I can now cheer for the Tribe to take home the title and keep it in the AL Central.
I love this anecdote from the LA Times retrospective piece on Vin Scully
QuoteMore than 85% of the nation's population was born after Scully began calling ballgames.
Go O's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote from: Marty Ward on October 04, 2016, 03:18:11 PM
Go O's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be cheering for Orioles tonight. I would think that playing Toronto in Toronto is bad match up, but fortunately for Baltimore the Jays are starting Stroman. So this game should be an exciting toss up.
BOOM! Love me some Edwin. :)
Ahhhh. It always seems to come down to 1 pitch.
Oh well for a team picked to finish last in their division I can't complain about the O's season. They are fun and frustrating to watch. Come on Spring Training!
It's only 5 months away.
Wow...Familia gave up the long ball to end the Mets season. If I were a Cubs fan, I'd be very concerned we are playing the Giants next.
don't remember if I shared this originally, but it popped up again today
totally worth reading
http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2014/10/1/6872411/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-greg-maddux
Thinking about the pitching on the Braves teams of the 90's, it's really stunning they didn't win more World Series.
They made it to what, 4 in all those years of great pitching?
91 they lost one of the best series of all time
95 they won
96 they lost to the start of the Yankees dynasty
99 again to Yankees
(just looked at Wikipedia... I forgot about 92...)
So they had 5 during a 14 year stretch when they had at least 2 of Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz in the rotation
Great team.
Quote from: Bison on October 06, 2016, 06:57:07 AM
Thinking about the pitching on the Braves teams of the 90's, it's really stunning they didn't win more World Series.
They won the division 14 years in a row. That is pretty damn impressive, like the Pats winning theirs 14 out of 15 years except the Braves actually had competition within the division :)
yeah, and you're right - it's a surprise they didn't win more, like '92 or '99.
No way anyone was beating the '98 Yankees, but weren't the Braves up 2-0 on the '96 Yankess?
Yup
I'd forgotten about the 96 collapse.
Don't you mean the ascendance of a new Yankee Dynasty? Some must fall so the champs may rise.
No. I mean the embarrassing collapse of the Braves.
That's what I said. The rightful ascendance of a dominant franchise reclaiming their birthright.
No. I'm talking about the Braves, who lost against multiple different teams in the World Series. The Braves were without question one of if not the best team in baseball during the 1990s, but they never really played like it in the World Series. The 1996 loss was just one of the worst cases of their World Series woes.
Quote from: Bison on October 07, 2016, 10:04:14 AM
No. I'm talking about the Braves, who lost against multiple different teams in the World Series. The Braves were without question one of if not the best team in baseball during the 1990s, but they never really played like it in the World Series. The 1996 loss was just one of the worst cases of their World Series woes.
I blame Jane Fonda.
Quote from: mirth on October 07, 2016, 10:16:29 AM
Quote from: Bison on October 07, 2016, 10:04:14 AM
No. I'm talking about the Braves, who lost against multiple different teams in the World Series. The Braves were without question one of if not the best team in baseball during the 1990s, but they never really played like it in the World Series. The 1996 loss was just one of the worst cases of their World Series woes.
I blame Jane Fonda.
As you should.
Quote from: Bison on October 07, 2016, 10:04:14 AM
No. I'm talking about the Braves, who lost against multiple different teams in the World Series. The Braves were without question one of if not the best team in baseball during the 1990s, but they never really played like it in the World Series. The 1996 loss was just one of the worst cases of their World Series woes.
You are exactly zero fun to argue with. Spoiling good, emotional, fanaticism with your measured facts and opinions. :P
Jane Fonda is a...never mind.
On a side note: The Toronto offensive lineup is scary good. And Bautista is still a douche-nozzle, which I'm pretty sure is just a fact and not an opinion. :)
Quote from: Bison on October 07, 2016, 10:39:03 AM
Jane Fonda is a...never mind.
On a side note: The Toronto offensive lineup is scary good. And Bautista is still a douche-nozzle, which I'm pretty sure is just a fact and not an opinion. :)
Agreed
(https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14485074_10154589837449800_1200285136053455690_n.jpg?oh=4b4b3f5ad0195897ed1896ccb102ba84&oe=58697730)
Yeah. I saw this earlier and it's pretty funny.
Goatfury Murray!
Wow. Red Sox are keeping John Farrell.
I've been an Indians fan since I started watching baseball around '93 (yeah, I do the go Jays thing, but they're a runner up...only reason they're even that is that the Expos don't exist anymore). Entering the playoffs with no Carrasco and no Santana, I figured they could MAYBE grind out a win over the Red Sox.
Sweep.
Then Bauer hacks his finger up ON A GODDAMN DRONE of all things. Well, that's that.
Win in 5.
I do not know what to think at this point. I'm hoping the Cubs and Dodgers pound on each other for the full seven to give time for rest (and possibly allow Santana to make the World Series roster).
Also, Holy Hell are the TBS announce crew atrocious. How on Earth did they end up doing AL games?! How did that happen?
someone's salty about her fiancé not winning the Cy Young
(https://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/random-facts-to-impress-at-the-water-cooler-38-photos-221.jpg?quality=85&strip=info&w=600)
The average time a football is in play during a game is 10:58. The rest is replays, talking heads and watching guys line up and do pre-snap gyrations.
So both sports are boring! ;)
time standing around in a soccer game? zero
Quote from: bayonetbrant on November 27, 2016, 10:15:51 AM
time standing around in a soccer game? zero
And yet it is the most boring of all to watch :P
Time rolling around in pain on the pitch, acting as if you've been shot by a sniper from the stands so that your team can catch their breath from all the not standing around to ultimately very little effect: priceless.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on November 27, 2016, 10:15:51 AM
time standing around in a soccer game? zero
Time running around playing keep away with the ball, 89 minutes. Time anything action wise happens, 1 minute!