MLB Thread

[ebk57]

In spite of all the weirdness of this season, I already miss baseball.

 

Mazel tov to the Dodgers!

[mojoween]

Sigh.  Gross. Can’t root for the Dodgers (except against the Astros and Sox).

[AimingforYoko]

So all we need is the Rams to win the Super Bowl and we have our new Boston.

[shoregirl]

Congrats to the Dodgers. I was cool with either team winning and I am happy for their fans and the players. 

Fox Sports is reporting that Justin Turner was removed from the game because he received a positive Covid test.

[twoods]

I’m sure JT can celebrate with them later but bummer he isn’t on the field with the guys. Hope he’s okay. Congrats to the Dodgers! Hubby is crying and so are all my friends. Happy for them.

Love the Dodger fans booing Manfred. Fuck off fool.

[Carey]

 

9 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

So all we need is the Rams to win the Super Bowl and we have our new Boston.

What we really need is for the Bucs to win the Super Bowl and the circle of sports & titles would be complete.  Two for Tampa, and two for Los Angeles.

 

BTW, similar to 1988 we have the Lakers/Dodgers double in terms of championships.  Prior to that we had the best player ever in the NHL add to his list of accomplishments with a title and championship MVP.  So I guess it would be fitting if the reverse happened and the best player ever in the NFL added to his list of accomplishments with a title and championship MVP, following the LA Double

[emmawoodhouse]

Did they announce the MVP? I assume they'll give it to Mookie, but don't they usually announce it before handing out the Commissioner's Trophy?

eta: They just announced that MVP will be after the commercial. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by emmawoodhouse

[Carey]

 

1 minute ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Did they announce the MVP? I assume they'll give it to Mookie, but don't they usually announce it before handing out the Commissioner's Trophy?

Seager got it

[emmawoodhouse]

Kind of surprised. I thought Mookie was a shoe-in.

[mojoween]

Mookie’s bat wasn’t enough for MVP, I didn’t think.

Losers be damned, Arozarena should have gotten it.

[AimingforYoko]

Cash is giving a lot of fuel to the curmudgeons about analytics. I don't know if I would've pulled Snell in that spot.

[Carey]

I actually thought that Kershaw and Mookie would cross each other off, which may have helped Seager.  I think Corey received enough MVP votes to where it didn't matter what Clayton and Betts received voting-wise

 

Losers be damned, Snell Cash should have gotten it!

[twoods]

If Snell gave up a HR then they would have wondered why he didn’t get pulled earlier. He did get someone on base. 
Mookie wasn’t going to get MVP with how uneven he was in the series. Showing up for 2 games isn’t going to get you any votes. 

[Carey]

1 minute ago, AimingforYoko said:

Cash is giving a lot of fuel to the curmudgeons about analytics. I don't know if I would've pulled Snell in that spot.

AimingforYoko, Kevin Cash did this earlier in the postseason.  I actually was livid earlier for it; really I think I spent way too much time complaining about it.  I think you keep Snell in given the lack of run support and the lack of anyone good enough to bagel the Dodgers and force a Game 7.  Though if it was Game 7, despite the rotation, I would've pulled Snell for Morton.

 

Seriously, Kevin got lucky earlier and may have had an excuse (or not).  This is the nonsense that MJ was pissed off about (well somewhat similar).  I can't speak for anyone, but I'll respect analytics if your team wins the game, period.  The future is not promised, and therefore you take the risks and play your best players and your best game.  That's what crowns people, that's what creates legends, not analytics!

[Growsonwalls]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CG35u6Hj5Jw/?igshid=mkrnepr6gxee
 

heh.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Growsonwalls

[theatremouse]

Wait so - if Turner tested positive mid-game, then practically all the Dodgers, and probably the Rays catchers now need to quarantine. Even if they tested negative today, by the "15 total minutes within six feet unmasked in a 24 hour period" standard they need to be tested 3-5 days from now to be sure they don't have it. Even those who sometimes wore masks in the dugout weren't wearing them correctly every other camera shot I saw. What a mess. 

[Moose135]

40 minutes ago, shoregirl said:

Fox Sports is reporting that Justin Turner was removed from the game because he received a positive Covid test.

Did they test him during the 7th inning stretch? How did they not know this before the game?

[twoods]

17 minutes ago, Carey said:

AimingforYoko, Kevin Cash did this earlier in the postseason.  I actually was livid earlier for it; really I think I spent way too much time complaining about it.  I think you keep Snell in given the lack of run support and the lack of anyone good enough to bagel the Dodgers and force a Game 7.  Though if it was Game 7, despite the rotation, I would've pulled Snell for Morton.

 

Seriously, Kevin got lucky earlier and may have had an excuse (or not).  This is the nonsense that MJ was pissed off about (well somewhat similar).  I can't speak for anyone, but I'll respect analytics if your team wins the game, period.  The future is not promised, and therefore you take the risks and play your best players and your best game.  That's what crowns people, that's what creates legends, not analytics!

You honestly think he would have bageled the Dodgers for 9 innings? If the Rays scores more than the one run they scored in the first inning they would have won. There is blame all around.

[Carey]

4 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

Wait so - if Turner tested positive mid-game, then practically all the Dodgers, and probably the Rays catchers now need to quarantine. Even if they tested negative today, by the "15 total minutes within six feet unmasked in a 24 hour period" standard they need to be tested 3-5 days from now to be sure they don't have it. Even those who sometimes wore masks in the dugout weren't wearing them correctly every other camera shot I saw. What a mess. 

It's also painful.  It's a shame because Major League Baseball completed the season.  Despite the mess from earlier in the year, they got it together to the point where there weren't any positive tests.  I'm baffled as to how Turner caught it and what went wrong.

I actually feel bad for both parties involved.  Although there was a chance at one more game (which would have been a massive disaster with this positive) the season ended and everyone was ready to return to their families.  Now to have to go through the protocols when their off-season should be starting

[Carey]

2 minutes ago, twoods said:

You honestly think he would have bageled the Dodgers for 9 innings? If the Rays scores more than the one run they scored in the first inning they would have won. There is blame all around.

I can't say I would have bet on it, but I don't care how great LA's hitting has been.  There's no excuse for pulling Snell when he did.  Blake was dealing, and had previously given up one hit while taking down the top players, twice.  It's an elimination game for Tampa; it was the same thing with Charlie Morton in Game 7 of the ALCS.  In time we'll move on from this & Kevin Cash will be forgiven.  After all he has less to work with compared to the Dodgers.  I'll just never get on board with his decision, especially given who the Rays had for relief.  I think he should've had more trust in Snell.  I think having him pitch a complete game shutout is a little silly, and premature.  But with a low pitch count and dominance it led to the wrong result.  At the end of the day, it isn't Blake Snell or Kevin Cash's fault that Tampa hardly scored; I do have to give credit for L.A. for keeping them off the scoreboard for the most part (or completely after the Top of the 1st inning)

[shoregirl]

What the Fuck!?!?  Not even a mask? Not distancing yourself?

This is crazy. I guess the Dodgers figured they had already been exposed and apparently Turner is a free agent so this could be his last time on the field but it looks reall bad for MLB. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by shoregirl

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, shoregirl said:

This is crazy. I guess the Dodgers figured they had already been exposed and apparently Turner is a free agent so this could be his last time on the field but it looks reall bad for MLB. 

Unless multiple players get sick and suffer serious symptoms no one will care in a day or two (in which case, the story dies by Tuesday).  Just a hunch but I think the nation will be occupied with some other things by then.

Kevin Cash - the bizarro Grady Little. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by cambridgeguy

[morriss]

Snell was sharp, only  73 pitches thrown and  Anderson had 6 straight appearances in which he gave up runs....."Come on, man..."

[mojoween]

I don’t understand how everyone is tested, but you start the game anyways even though obviously all of the test results aren’t in, and then you find the positive guy, and tell him to leave, and he does, then he comes back, and you tell him to leave again, and he just ... stays.  WTF.

[mojoween]

Fucking hell Jason Williams is stating on his show that he is not putting the onus on Justin Turner, he puts it on baseball because they let him out there.

What the hell?  You’re basically saying that Justin has no personal responsibility here because he just wanted to celebrate after winning a World Series.  Fuck THAT.

[theatremouse]

I can sort of understand where that's coming from. That MLB said he took himself off the field to isolation is already weird. He should have been removed not only from the field but the stadium. So yeah it's on Turner for coming back like an idiot, but he should've been escorted off the premises by masked people who also insisted he immediately mask himself. He shouldn't have had the opportunity to go back. In other words, plenty of blame for everyone!

[Moose135]

12 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

So yeah it's on Turner for coming back like an idiot, but he should've been escorted off the premises by masked people who also insisted he immediately mask himself.

Yes, because it's too much to expect him to act like an adult.

[basiltherat]

So, Hagrid got the 'Rona and got pulled.  Cannot you think to sit on the ugly mf and take him off-site so he doesn't infect anyone further?  I hope he gave Manfred a big, sloppy, hairy kiss and Manfred gives him a suspension!  Also, I thought they were all in bubbles, so I want to know who did he get it from?  It's gonna be hella hard to contract trace.  Did he break the bubble and go out dancing or clubbing or catting?  I guess the Dogears are gonna have a big fat hairy asterisk next to their win if they have an outbreak where someone gets sick and maybe dies.  

[theatremouse]

FWIW, I'm not saying he should've been removed from the premises upon testing positive because they should've pre-emptively assumed he wouldn't act like an adult. I'm saying I'm astonished the protocol for a positive test of anyone at any time apparently did not involve immediately sending them to isolate offsite. 

[cleo]

Turner should never have returned to the field, what an ass. What's on MLB imo is he never should have been in the lineup at all. Apparently he had an inconclusive result Monday. So they let him play and then get the positive result mid game.

So they put everyone at risk just by having him in the lineup. That's on MLB and their protocols.

MLB's protocols are all half assed imo, same with their plans for fans in the stands.

That said, I'm glad LA won though normally I would root for the little guy. Turner is an ass for spoiling it for his covid picture.

Edited October 28, 2020 by cleo

[Carey]

This isn't going to come off as popular, and I apologize in advance to to that, but I didn't have a problem with Justin Turner postgame.  I understand how serious the pandemic is, but I can't blame Justin Turner.  I think it definitely would have been best to stay away and not return, but being isolated won't undo the fact that he exposed everyone.  Sure you don't want to make it worse, but the damage had been done. 

 

Maybe TPTB should've done a better job to prevent it.  I guess I'm callous for "siding" with Turner.  No way you pass up a celebration that might not happen for you again.  I don't know what precautions he took; if he violated it, then shame on him, but if he didn't, that's not fair.  IMO it's unfair to take him out midgame.  If it's disclosed after the fact, then that's that.  If it's disclosed before the game and he's pulled before Game 6, as sad as it is, I can respect that.  I'm a little forgiving for Justin because he made it through without any setbacks, and with no setbacks throughout the majors in two months.

 

I don't blame everyone that's mad at Turner, but MLB can go to hell for allowing this to happen.  Again, I don't know how he became positive or if he was at fault.  I should hold judgement until all of the facts are released.  Or not.  I'd probably be saying something different if he's at fault, but if he isn't, then enough is enough.  The people in charge screwed up and needed to do a better job to prevent any setbacks.

 

As mentioned, it's probably a story that will vanish as if it never happened by this time next week.  Unless there's an LA outbreak, in which case, it'll resurface during spring training

[cleo]

It's both of them. Also even if Turner thinks covid is bullshit- it is completely and utterly selfish of him to go out there bc he had to know it would be all over the media. His teammates should just be enjoying their success today, instead Justin is the story.

I totally think MLB is culpable for allowing a potentially infected player to be there at all. Imo he should not have been in the lineup at all. but Turner could also have not been an ass. His tweet about- I just wanted to celebrate is also completely tone deaf.

I feel bad for the rest of the players.

[jennifer6973]

I've always thought Justin was a douchebag and this just proves it.

[isalicat]

So, I'm old....and a lifelong SF Giants fan (I saw Juan Marichal pitch at a double header at Candlestick when I was eight and never looked back) and also a dedicated Golden State Warriors fan for over 20 years (long before the Splash Bros)....so let me share that 2020, which already entirely sucked, has now entered new levels of suckitude with the Lakers and Dodgers wins. I declare this year entirely wrong in every respect and demand that the Sports Gods take it back!

[mojoween]

The one thing I will begrudgingly admit is that all the pundits were calling the Dodgers as the WS champ BEFORE spring training.  So all they did was uphold the prophecy during a global pandemic that turned everything upside down.  The Lakers can go straight to hell, however.

[Jenniferbug]

2 hours ago, jennifer6973 said:

I've always thought Justin was a douchebag and this just proves it.

I will join you at this table. 

[Rae Spellman]

3 hours ago, cleo said:

I feel bad for the rest of the players.

I don't. David Price was right. 

It was disappointing to find out that Mookie said, “forget all that, he’s part of the team. We’re not excluding him from anything.”

This team thought it was okay to brazenly and enthusiastically break COVID protocols that they agreed to while regular folks at home are agonizing about how to celebrate the upcoming holidays after missing half a year of life enriching family and community gatherings/rituals.

The people I feel sorry for are players who were uncomfortable with the celebration but didn't feel brave enough do try to do something about it. Also, staff and any family members impacted by their bad decisions. 

It's still too soon to tell, but this dreadful team may have driven me to Giants fandom! 

[cleo]

Well we don't know what every player knew or thought in those moments. But yeah Mookie's statement is shit. I'm not going to judge what 40 guys by the actions of a few.

I still feel bad for the players that worked hard to achieve this and had it tarnished by Justin being an asshole.

I also feel like MLB is now working overtime to point the finger at everyone but themselves, but they played a role too.

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by cleo

[basiltherat]

Didn't the players and teams sign an agreement to abide by the protocol rules?  Sue them for breach of contract.  Hagrid needs to be put on suspension for at least 6 months and his salary go to Covid charities.  And assess a big fine to the Dogears for enabling him.  And have his ugly beard and hair shaved by barber school students.  And find out from him just what the hell he was doing that he ended up catching the Covid.  It is probably something his wife would not like.

[Rae Spellman]

1 hour ago, cleo said:

Well we don't know what every player knew or thought in those moments. But yeah Mookie's statement is shit. I'm not going to judge what 40 guys by the actions of a few.

I still feel bad for the players that worked hard to achieve this and had it tarnished by Justin being an asshole.

I also feel like MLB is now working overtime to point the finger at everyone but themselves, but they played a role too.

True. We don't know what they knew or thought. People get caught up in the moment. If the 35th or 40th guy on the roster thought it was a bad idea but went along with it because Kershaw and their cancer-surviving manager enthusiastically participated, I absolutely feel for that guy. If there were guys that didn't know that Justin was supposed to be quarantining, I feel sorry for them, too. It's just hard for me to feel sorry for the team as a whole when they actively participated in the events that might tarnish their achievement. I agree that MLB management and Dodgers management absolutely contributed to this fiasco.

It's surprising to me that any of them are this chill about all of this considering how COVID impacted Eduardo Rodriguez's season. Especially Dave Roberts and Kenley Jansen with their risk factors. 

 

 

 

 

[xaxat]

Is this the first night since the overall resumption of play, that we don't have at least one of the big four leagues playing?

 

[Rae Spellman]

Blake Snell definitely deserved to get all of his after dealing with the madness and the sadness of this World Series. 

[Carey]

32 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Is this the first night since the overall resumption of play, that we don't have at least one of the big four leagues playing?

I'm afraid so, xaxat.  I was used to it moreso in the spring than now.  Fortunately, the NFL is happening to where they nearly covered all of the days of the week.  And with the Big 10's return, I don't think it'll be a big deal.  IMO, the NHL and NBA, especially the NBA, aren't as relevant in the fall.  So unless you're a glorified gambler, you won't miss too much until hockey and hoops return sometime before football ends

[basiltherat]

Once upon a time, there was this baseball team, where someone or a few someones did a bad thing and other team members knew about it but didn't say a thing.  Now, am I talking about the 2017 Houston Astros bangin' on the garbage can or the 2020 LA Dodgers enabling Typhoid Hairy?!

[mojoween]

I’m sorry but I am putting this all on Justin.  HE knew he tested positive.  HE knows that once you are even NEAR anyone who is positive you have to isolate for 14 days.

Kids had drive-thru graduations this year.  Birthday parties went uncelebrated.  Easter was done on Zoom and Thanksgiving most likely will be as well.  Weddings ready to go in 2020 will hopefully be done in 2021.

FUCK his celebration.  Selfish asshole.

[Carey]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

I’m sorry but I am putting this all on Justin.  HE knew he tested positive.  HE knows that once you are even NEAR anyone who is positive you have to isolate for 14 days.

Kids had drive-thru graduations this year.  Birthday parties went uncelebrated.  Easter was done on Zoom and Thanksgiving most likely will be as well.  Weddings ready to go in 2020 will hopefully be done in 2021.

FUCK his celebration.  Selfish asshole.

While things might resemble the old-normal by the third quarter of 2021, it's people like Turner who'll push that back.  As long as that is the case, all the celebrations will be under the new normal until 2022.  Either way, it's still drive-thru and virtual during the first half of 2021, as of today.

 

I'll never put this all on Justin.  However, I'm still curious as to how it is that he tested positive on the last day but no one else did.  I might defend what I said earlier or just agree with everyone that's ripping him to hell.  I have to see the whole story.  Though we might not ever get the actual story even after it's released.  Maybe it has been released; I haven't seen it, mainly due to other stuff that I've been avoiding recently and really I should've done so long ago.

It's people like Justin Turner that makes it difficult to argue that "as adults" we should be making our own decisions as it relates to how to behave during a pandemic.  Instead some decisions are out of our hands.

A couple things.  Maybe the team could've said, "Get the fuck away from me!" during their celebration.  However, MLB needs to do better.  If a test was inconclusive, you hold Turner out, period.  Inconclusive does not equal negative.  Of course, this is the group that was more focused on punishing everyone outside of Houston for "retaliation" while allowing a team with a losing record to proceed as planned to where they were one win away from another World Series trip.  That, and holding CBA talks during the pandemic.

I get where Justin Turner is coming from, but man, he has to be better.  MLB punishing him for his pathetic decision would be fair enough but hypocritical.  The Dodgers could sue MLB if they wanted to for allowing a positive player around them; they might have a case

[cleo]

One baseball columnist I read pointed out if this happened during the regular season- the protocols say the game should be stopped and all players should quarantine until they're all tested again. 

MLB was never following its own rules. 

I think all the fucked up aspects of this will get shuffled away pretty quick.

[mojoween]

As we have learned more today I will concede that MLB was wrong. If all the tests weren't in before the game started the game should've been postponed, when they found an inconclusive test in the second inning the game should've been postponed.  

I will also concede that if Justin was positive in the eighth, he was positive in the first through seventh, so he already infected everyone.  However, I will not change my stance on his selfishness.

[smittykins]

Agreed.  MLB and Justin are both at fault here.

[NUguy514]

On 10/28/2020 at 10:04 AM, Carey said:

No way you pass up a celebration that might not happen for you again.  I don't know what precautions he took

Well, you certainly don't pass up a celebration like that if you're a selfish, thoughtless asshole, no.  And he wasn't wearing a mask or maintaining social distance in any way, shape, or form, so he took exactly no precautions.

I'm a Dodgers fan, but I can't be very happy for this win because I'm giving all 2020 sports champions asterisks; they barely played a third of the normal number of games this year in baseball and did so without crowds...eh, it just doesn't feel the same.  And now this shitshow.

Paul Manfred and the rest of the MLB management, the Dodgers management, and a few of the more vocal Dodgers players (*coughMookiecough*) certainly have their share of the blame here (Manfred most of all because he's the fucking worst), but Fire Crotch has the lion's share.  Yes, he'd already potentially exposed everyone, but that doesn't give him permission to expose people more; that just increases the possibility of transmission for god's sake.  No, he wanted what he wanted in the moment, so tough shit.  And that's a perfect encapsulation of why this country cannot get ahead of this virus.  One of my best friends from high school has it and is not doing well (like, one of our other friends reached out to the other three of us a little while ago to Zoom in an hour because she didn't want to update us via text...).  So, fuck you, Justin Turner.  Fuck you.