MLB Thread

[MyAimIsTrue]

Speaking of the Mets according to the 'On This Day' FB feature it was three years ago today that I went to Citi Field for the first time.  I was not impressed with the stadium or the sight lines from our seats along the right field line but the Mets won in the bottom of the ninth and the game was fun.  Oh, and I got terribly sunburned.  Best part was being near where I'd grown up since I live so far away now.

[Moose135]

I know that the Mets will eventually break my heart. It'll be a question of "when" rather than "if," and yet, I don't care.

 

I'm sure they will, but for now, I'm just enjoying the ride!

[smittykins]

I'm thinking that the Yankees should keep Brendan Ryan in the bullpen.

[mojoween]

You know, if the Yanks lose in a well-played game I'll be sad, but these games are torture. Our pitchers are either hurt or terrible.

[DXD526]

I know that the Mets will eventually break my heart. It'll be a question of "when" rather than "if,"

 

The team that perfected the September collapse wouldn't let us down, right??

 

and yet, I don't care.

 

Eh, me neither. It's been fun, however much longer it lasts...

[Lantern7]

Well, I did it. I got reamed on service fees, but I managed to get a ticket to the Mets' final game of the regular season. I'm hoping it'll be a drama-free springboard to the NLDS, as opposed to a late choke like in '07 and '08. Oh, and the tickets for Saturday's game are way too high on StubHub, so I'll probably stay close to home that day. I dread going on eBay on Sunday to see how much Jesse is going for.

[bosawks]

Ken Rosnthal is reporting that the Phils are going to install extended netting for fan safety.

Good for them!

[Lantern7]

Tenth inning, Mets tied with Phillies 5-5. Jeff Francouer smacks a ball to the pitcher's mound. It goes off Carlos Torres' foot. Daniel Murphy catches the ball, bobbles it a little, then blindly throws to Torres, who is covering first. Out, side retired, and Mets wind up winning 9-5 in 13 innings. I know it's the Phillies, I know they're in the basement . . . but damn, you gotta wonder about the Mets' chances in the coming month.

 

Did I mention they were down 5-0? Sure, they left behind a lot of players in scoring position prior to breaking the game open, but you just gotta believe these days.

[attica]

Part of me is happy for you and other Mets fans, Lantern. But most of me looks at you as a parent knowing that any minute now your kid is going to learn the truth about Santa. It will be awful, and there's nothing to be done to prevent it.

 

(Me, I'm happy to have no expectations to dash this year. If things go well, yay. If not, well, okay.)

[33kaitykaity]

Mariners fire GM Jack Z!!!

 

I really wish we could do gifs here.  I'd post every single happy dance I could find.  

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2557001-jack-zduriencik-fired-by-mariners-latest-details-comments-and-reaction?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=mlb

 

Something I never thought I'd ever hear myself say again about Franklin Gutierrez, it was in the bottom of the fourth at the ChiSox  -- "Death to flying things!"

Edited August 29, 2015 by 33kaitykaity

[xaxat]

ebk57, you're so smart to have gone with Silent Cal. 

 

 

[ebk57]

ebk57, you're so smart to have gone with Silent Cal. 

 

Damn.  I was looking forward to getting that one.  I'd heard it was awful...

 

Still looking for cheapish tickets to both games on StubHub.  Maybe now they'll be cheaper for Sunday.

[smittykins]

The Yankees are scoring runs. Mind. Blown.

(Hey, guys, try to save some for the rest of the weekend, K?)

[mojoween]

With all apologies to Aim, the Yanks just needed to face some bad pitching.

Just saw an alert that Vin Scully is coming back next year. I don't generally listen to Dodgers games, but I still don't ever want him to retire. I hate change.

[Lantern7]

Mets finally ran out of magic against the Red Sox. The funny part was that the game went into the tenth inning, and that caused Bill Simmons to have Game 6 flashbacks. Check it out . . . here, here and here.

[King of Birds]

HA!  I loved those Simmons freak-out tweets. Thanks for the links.

 

Lantern7, was it "Mets finally ran out of magic"  OR "Red Sox finally yank out pitcher who can't throw strikes"?  HMMMM?

 

I'd be more happy about the Vin Scully news if the stupid "Time Warner blocking all games to 90% of Los Angeles" thing went away.  Seriously, two years blocking the local team, and local broadcast legend, from the masses. How fucked up is that?

 

eta:

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Phils are going to install extended netting for fan safety.

John Henry was sued for damages today by the woman who was hit by a foul ball last summer. (not the woman hit in the face earlier this year)

 

eta2: News for mojoween. 
 

 

The All-Star first baseman returned to the starting lineup on Tuesday and appeared as a pinch-hitter on Wednesday, but he told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he’s having “serious pain” when he attempts to run.

 

    “It’s not as good as I would have hoped,” Teixeira said. “Running is still a big struggle. I can’t run. It’s just as simple as that. It’s very frustrating.”

 

Edited August 29, 2015 by King of Birds

[jennifer6973]

King of Birds

 

why is that? (about the Dodgers)

[King of Birds]

Jennifer6973 & anyone else: I may have inflated the percentage but most of LA cannot receive the Dodgers games on TV.

 

BTW I have DirecTV, and have had the MLB games package since 1999.  The first dozen years I lived here in LA, there was minimal TV exposure to my beloved Red Sox. I decided the MLB cost was very much worth it to see the prime years of Pedro et al.  Anyhow...

 

 

To put it simply, Time Warner Cable overpaid and now fans are paying the price. Time Warner customers can watch the games. But DirecTV and other cable operators have refused to pay Time Warner's high asking price to carry the Dodgers channel — reportedly $5 per subscriber. As a result, games have been blacked out on those services for a year and a half. Roughly two-thirds of Dodger fans still cannot watch the games on TV.

 

Walter's theory of value — that live sports should command a premium due to DVRs — has reached its breaking point. Now the operative theory is the "greater fool" theory. Guggenheim found a greater fool in Time Warner Cable, but DirecTV has been unwilling to become an even greater fool. Time Warner Cable is hemorrhaging money and may have to write down the value of the Dodgers contract by $1 billion.

 

Guggenheim blames Time Warner Cable for this, but that's a dodge. Guggenheim is partners with Time Warner Cable — the Time Warner Cable logo even graces the Dodger dugout — and Guggenheim owns the channel. If they wanted to resolve this, they could do it today.

 

Walter doesn't see the urgency. "We're not talking about widows and orphans on the three sides of this transaction," he told the L.A. Times earlier this year. That comment overlooks the fans who have been blocked from watching the games, and who are the ultimate source of the team's value.

Under the previous ownership regime, fans got so mad at Frank McCourt that they boycotted the games. Attendance dropped 22 percent in 2011. Now fans have been effectively locked out. Even as Guggenheim spent lavishly on a winning team, Dodger TV ratings hit an all-time low last year, with just 42,000 households watching a typical game, a decline of 70 percent from the year before.

 

[jennifer6973]

Sounds like another Peter Angelos there.  

[MyAimIsTrue]

With all apologies to Aim, the Yanks just needed to face some bad pitching.

 

My father called this morning to rub it in.  He likened the offensive outpouring to Sherman marching through Atlanta.

[xaxat]

What happened in Houston makes LA look tame. A couple of years ago, the Astros, Rockets and Comcast created a regional sports network. The 'Stros and the Rockets provided content, Comcast ran the business end. Comcast failed to get other cable/satellite companies to carry the network. The games were available to only a minority of houses in Houston and, because they couldn't expand that base, the network failed and declared bankruptcy. 

 

Here's where it gets crazy. The Astros and Rockets are now suing Comcast, alleging that they intentionally sabotaged the network (of which they were a part owner) in order to force it into bankruptcy so Comcast could then turn around and buy the rights back at fire sale prices. So Comcast not only screwed over the fans in Houston, they may have screwed their own business partners.

[King of Birds]

This is why it is shown over and over, and repeated too many times, how the owners of sports franchises are never to be trusted, particularly when it's about "the modern luxury suite" and "stadium taxes."

[Lantern7]

Looks like I picked the right game to not visit. Mets lose, 3-1. I think the highlight was when SNY interviewed Jesse Orosco. Seriously, handing out 15,000 bobblehead dolls to a sell-out crowd must have been a pain. And they're doing it again tomorrow with toy trucks.

 

ETA: I didn't completely lose faith in the Mets. I kept the TV on them for most of the game. I don't think it says that much of me as a fan; rather, I think the sizable lead they have on the Nationals gives fans less to curse about when things go south.

[mojoween]

In the article from ESPN about the guy who died at Turner Field last night it said he was yelling at A-Rod when he slipped and fell 50 feet.

That is so sad. What could the Stadium have done to prevent it? Nothing, most likely. You can only do so much.

[tom87]

In the article from ESPN about the guy who died at Turner Field last night it said he was yelling at A-Rod when he slipped and fell 50 feet.

That is so sad. What could the Stadium have done to prevent it? Nothing, most likely. You can only do so much.

Yeah there is only so much they can do without obstructing the view of the game.   Even with more precaution you can never stop everything.

 

Like if you  extend the netting  20 more feet the ball can still be a scorcher that travels 21 feet further and if it hits ya in the right place thats it.

Edited August 30, 2015 by tom87

[King of Birds]

 He likened the offensive outpouring to Sherman marching through Atlanta.

Glad to see the Yankees have scored 15, 15, and so far (edit) 20 today.  Red Sox shut-out sweep, coming along to spoil Yankee dreams, coming right up!

Edited August 30, 2015 by King of Birds

[prican58]

Yankee fan so therefore not really a Met fan. The only good thing about the Mets' emergence is that David Wright gets to be a part of it, no matter how it turns out for them. I have always felt bad for him and his bad luck with rotten teams and his own injuries. He is such a good, loyal teammate that it would be a shame if they go all the way and he wasn't part of it. If this is his last season (spinal stenosis) at least he goes out with some fun memories.

 

Good guy.

[ebk57]

N A T S Nats Nats Nats Woooooooo

 

Thus ends my Natitude for this season :-)

 

 

This voucher will look fabulous on my shelf!

[xaxat]

Another one for the collection!

 

So what happened to the original Werth bobbleheads? Were they shipped to Africa like the loser championship T shirts? Were they destroyed? Will the remaining ones become the bobblehead equivalent of the Honus Wagner cards?

Edited August 30, 2015 by xaxat

[Lantern7]

Went to see the Staten Island Yankees trounce the Connecticut Tigers, 10-2. Overspent on food, including a toy helmet filled with soft-serve vanilla ice cream, but I reckon it was worth it. I'd go over the details of the game, but I didn't keep score because I didn't get there in proper time. It was Military Appreciation Day, and veterans of past wars were recognized, which was nice. I'll post pics on my Flickr account.

[ebk57]

Another one for the collection!

 

So what happened to the original Werth bobbleheads? Were they shipped to Africa like the loser championship T shirts? Were they destroyed? Will the remaining ones become the bobblehead equivalent of the Honus Wagner cards?

 

Because he looked like a blow-up sex doll in them? 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/08/28/nationals-arent-giving-away-those-crazy-jayson-werth-walk-off-bobbleheads-after-all/

 

 

I really want one...

[smittykins]

Yankee fan so therefore not really a Met fan. The only good thing about the Mets' emergence is that David Wright gets to be a part of it, no matter how it turns out for them. I have always felt bad for him and his bad luck with rotten teams and his own injuries. He is such a good, loyal teammate that it would be a shame if they go all the way and he wasn't part of it. If this is his last season (spinal stenosis) at least he goes out with some fun memories.

Good guy.

I remember my late husband being majorly pissed when the Mets traded Ty Wigginton to make room for Wright on the roster, even when I told him he was too good for the minors and was ready for the big stage. By the end of the season, he'd changed his tune. :)

[Lantern7]

Here are the pics. And yes, the mascot is really called "Scooter the Holy Cow." He had two friends in the beginning of the franchise's history; Red and Huck. I guess they were laid off.

 

ETA: Is it too early to be counting down magic numbers? I remember the good times of 1986, when the Mets steamrolled the NL East, and the Daily News counted down from 100.

[ebk57]

Here are the pics. And yes, the mascot is really called "Scooter the Holy Cow." He had two friends in the beginning of the franchise's history; Red and Huck. I guess they were laid off.

 

ETA: Is it too early to be counting down magic numbers? I remember the good times of 1986, when the Mets steamrolled the NL East, and the Daily News counted down from 100.

 

Pictures are wonderful.  Love the cow!  On one of our longer trips to the city, we took the ferry over to Staten Island and walked around the stadium.  It's very nice.  Unfortunately, the team wasn't home that week so we still haven't gone to a game there.

[mojoween]

I switched from the VMA's to watch the last two innings of the no-hitter. I'm amazed how the LA fans got behind Arrieta. It was awesome to see, but too bad he didn't do it in Chicago.

Dodgers, damn. Twice in a week?

[voiceover]

oops.  nothing to see here (hustles off to the NFL thread)

Edited August 31, 2015 by voiceover

[Lantern7]

I missed the no-hitter because of the VMAs. Also didn't hear about the Yankees scoring 20 runs for hours. Now I got this image of the two might-be porn stars in the last SNL sketch, and Terry Collins whizzes by on a bike, saying, "Did somebody say 'Subway Series'?"

[Rick Kitchen]

I was watching the A's play Arizona, and the A's announcers were complaining that the Arizona scoreboard showed the Yankees/Braves final score as Atlanta 6, New York 0 (because the scoreboard is not set up to display a "2" as the first digit.)

[MyAimIsTrue]

Thanks to turning 50 in March of this year and some family history I'm having my first ever colonoscopy today.  The timing seems appropriate considering the shitty way the Braves played all weekend.

[Moose135]

I switched from the VMA's to watch the last two innings of the no-hitter. I'm amazed how the LA fans got behind Arrieta. It was awesome to see, but too bad he didn't do it in Chicago.

Dodgers, damn. Twice in a week?

 

I wasn't watching the VMAs, but a friend was posting a "Get off my lawn" type rant about them on FB, and someone told him "switch to ESPN and watch this guy get the last 6 outs..." so I figured something good was happening.  It was cool to see how the folks in LA were cheering for him - I loved the one shot of the little kid, looking like he was praying in the bottom of the 9th.

[rippleintime17]

As a Giants fan, if the Dodgers would like to continue getting minimal hits for the next three days, that'd be great! I'm glad Jake was supported even though the Dodgers were getting no-hit for the 2nd time in 10 days! I've been an away fan at a no-hitter (Chris Heston's) and it was really nice to feel the support from the home crowd. 

[King of Birds]

Thanks to turning 50 in March of this year and some family history I'm having my first ever colonoscopy today.  The timing seems appropriate considering the shitty way the Braves played all weekend.

Almost six months after turning 5-0 to do that colonoscopy? I hit the same birthday milestone and keep thinking "there's no rush, is there?"

[jennifer6973]

I turned on the O's game and the first thing I see is Adam Jones getting robbed of a home run.  Nice catch dude.

 

 

Loved the pitchers reaction, I think I like Chris Archer because of his hair.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Here are the pics. And yes, the mascot is really called "Scooter the Holy Cow."

Well, damn, even a Mets fan like me has gotta love Scooter the Holy Cow.  I mean there is a New York God and everything.

[Rick Kitchen]

The A's/Angels game is currently in a delay because Shane Victorino crashed into the outfield wall and knocked a panel down.  The ground crew is trying to fix the fence.

 

There was a Raider game yesterday and they had about 24 hours (or less) to put the baseball diamond back into play, including rebuilding the outfield wall.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Rick Kitchen

[Lantern7]

Tonight was American Ninja Warrior night, so I missed most of the Mets' win over the Phillies. I was able to catch the part where Bartolo Colon got a hit, and the crowd gave him a huge ovation. After that, Curtis Granderson drove him in with a homer. Curtis was about four steps behind Bartolo on the way to home plate.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I turned on the O's game and the first thing I see is Adam Jones getting robbed of a home run.  Nice catch dude.

 

 

Loved the pitchers reaction, I think I like Chris Archer because of his hair.

 

I love Chris Archer because he's adorable.  Good hair doesn't hurt!

 

That catch by Kevin Kiermaier was incredible and I swear I haven't seen so many acrobatic plays by one guy since the days of the great Ozzie Smith.

[ebk57]

Tonight, the O's are commemorating the 20th anniversary of Cal Ripken's 2131st consecutive game.  We have almost the same seats we had way back then.  

 

20 years goes by soooooo fast.

[mojoween]

I still have that newspaper. Also the VHS tape of the game is floating around somewhere.

Is there a Ripken bobblehead giveaway tonight?

[xaxat]

I was living in DC when Ripken was playing. One September, a friend called to see if I wanted his tickets for that night's game. It was short notice, I was feeling lazy and just didn't feel like driving up to Baltimore. I thanked him and said no.

 

That's how I missed the last game in Ripken's streak. 

 

(My friend didn't go either, so he has the intact tickets on display.)