MLB Thread

[Carey]

I personally was not surprised that the Dodgers didn't get it this year.  Coors Field makes the most sense, but it would have been nice for the Yankees to get it this year.

Same with Los Angeles, but the last I checked, the decision to move it to 2022 was made in the summer of 2020.  Otherwise, the argument could be made for why LA wasn't getting it in favor of the reigning world champions

[Lantern7]

I’m guessing Denver was the best choice on terms of availability, space and politics. Holding it at Citi Field would’ve been funny as a unspoken tribute to Tom Seaver, seeing that the Mets would be taking something Atlanta originally had.

Seriously, though, is the ASG relevant at all? Everyone gets to play, the peak is usually the Home Run Derby, home field in the World Series is (rightfully) no longer being determined by the result, and it’s held on a Tuesday night. Are fifteen games on a Sunday really more profitable than joining the other major leagues?

Edited April 7, 2021 by Lantern7

[xaxat]

I think it didn't go to LA this year because the commercial partners would rather have a full blown party (with a bunch of fans) in post covid LA next year.

Today, PTI noted that Camden Yards opened 29 years ago today. Which made me feel old because I had so much fun in its predecessor, Memorial. It was a dump, but I'll never forget times like when I was with a couple of Army reservist friends (who may or may not have super drunk) who were determined to start a fight with a bunch of Navy midshipmen. (The midshipmen were disciplined and more sober, so nothing happened.)

Good times.

[ebk57]

10 minutes ago, xaxat said:

I think it didn't go to LA this year because the commercial partners would rather have a full blown party (with a bunch of fans) in post covid LA next year.

Today, PTI noted that Camden Yards opened 29 years ago today. Which made me feel old because I had so much fun in its predecessor, Memorial. It was a dump, but I'll never forget times like when I was with a couple of Army reservist friends (who may or may not have super drunk) who were determined to start a fight with a bunch of Navy midshipmen. (The midshipmen were disciplined and more sober, so nothing happened.)

Good times.

I was there on the first Opening Day and was shocked when I read that it was 29 years ago.  Where does the time go...  

And yeah, Memorial Stadium was a dump, but it was OUR dump, dammit!  I loved that place.  I was just reminiscing the other day about parking in the 'hood.  I don't know why that popped into my head, but it did.  It was always an adventure.

[catlover79]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

Same with Los Angeles, but the last I checked, the decision to move it to 2022 was made in the summer of 2020.  Otherwise, the argument could be made for why LA wasn't getting it in favor of the reigning world champions

OK, I didn't know that. Thanks!!

[xaxat]

2 hours ago, ebk57 said:

I was there on the first Opening Day and was shocked when I read that it was 29 years ago.  Where does the time go...  

I was there too! (Waves retroactively.) 

My friend (not the drunk soldiers) had season tickets at Memorial. So when Camden Yards was built he renewed. I remember walking up Eutaw Street thinking it was the best thing ever. Then we got to his new seats and we were about twenty rows back from where he used to be on the right field fence and I wasn't so sure it was an improvement.

[ebk57]

3 minutes ago, xaxat said:

I was there too! (Waves retroactively.) 

My friend (not the drunk soldiers) had season tickets at Memorial. So when Camden Yards was built he renewed. I remember walking up Eutaw Street thinking it was the best thing ever. Then we got to his new seats and we were about twenty rows back from where he used to be on the right field fence and I wasn't so sure it was an improvement.

Waves back!! (retroactively...)

I've had a partial plan since the first year they offered them - 1984.  My seats at Memorial were upstairs between home and first base, about halfway up.  My seats at Camden Yards are upstairs behind home plate, about halfway up.  That took some getting used to (the way I followed the ball was different), but I've come to love my seats.  Also, they're always in the shade which is very helpful in the summer.   The first few years, I wasn't crazy about the Park because it was always sold out with people who didn't really care about the game.  But that's changed since you have to care about the game to bother coming out to see this team 🙂 Anyway, I've come to love the place, although Memorial Stadium will always hold a special place in my heart. 

29 years.  Yikes. 

[theatremouse]

Ooph. I see Familia still doesn't want me to get my blood pressure under control.

[Lamb18]

Was Memorial Stadium the one with a fire station across the street? And people sat in lawn chairs outside the stadium waiting for fly balls? I remember watching games there on TV.

I went to Camden Yards for a couple of games in 2006 when I was working in Columbia, MD a lot that summer. It was the first of the new style of stadiums, wasn't it?

[DoctorAtomic]

Yes, I remember espn covering the architecture when it was done. It was also located more 'in the city' iirc and set a new trend for ballparks. 

[DXD526]

Re the All-Star Game, I used to love watching it back in the day. The Mid-Summer Classic was something I always looked forward to. For me, it became irrelevant when interleague play began. As a fan of a National League team (and a fan of NL play, will always hate the DH), I didn't pay much attention to the AL. The only exposure I got to AL players was during the postseason and the ASG, so it was special. Now, with interleague games - not to mention cable and satellite - players from both leagues can be seen all the time, so it's gotten to the point where I barely pay attention to the ASG. 

[DoctorAtomic]

Same. With only three channels you didn't see many players unless you read about them in the paper or watched the game of the week. 

I mean, I'm glad hardcore fans can watch a game whenever they want, but its purpose is different. 

[mojoween]

The ASG nearly always lands the week my hubs and I are on vacation the week of our anniversary, so it will always be something I look forward to.  Because normally he only watches sports if he is in the room when I am watching them.

Michael Kay, I am furious with you.  TWICE before the commercial break he says that Taillon has a perfect game.  After the break? TWO home runs for the O’s!  He should feel entirely responsible for this.

[catlover79]

On 4/6/2021 at 7:16 PM, ebk57 said:

And yeah, Memorial Stadium was a dump, but it was OUR dump, dammit!  

That's what we always said about the crumbling Municipal Stadium in Cleveland - which had been built on a landfill!!!!! 😳😝⚾️

[ebk57]

13 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Was Memorial Stadium the one with a fire station across the street? And people sat in lawn chairs outside the stadium waiting for fly balls? I remember watching games there on TV.

I went to Camden Yards for a couple of games in 2006 when I was working in Columbia, MD a lot that summer. It was the first of the new style of stadiums, wasn't it?

No fire station across the street that I'm aware of.  There was a school across the street where they did parking - blocked-in parking, so you couldn't leave in the middle of the game.  It was...interesting.   There was another school off to the side about a block away where my mom taught before I was a gleam in anyone's eye.  In other words, in the stone age. 

Camden Yards was the first of the new "old style" ballparks in the city, not the 'burbs.  And they did a really great job with it.  Although, Janet Marie Smith, the architect from HOK, had all of the seats facing the warehouse instead of the pitchers mound.  Because the warehouse was so fabulous and who would want to actually watch the game.  So for the first couple of years, if you were sitting down the lines in the lower deck, you needed a chiropractor before the All-Star Game.  They have since fixed the angle of the seats. 

[Kawaiiko]

16 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Camden Yards was the first of the new "old style" ballparks in the city, not the 'burbs.  And they did a really great job with it.

It really is a beautiful ballpark. The firm that designed it (Populous) went on to design many, many more MLB ballparks, which is just a testament to how amazing Camden Yards looks.

[mojoween]

Michael Conforto should be ashamed of himself.  Tsk tsk.

[cherrypj]

9 hours ago, mojoween said:

Michael Conforto should be ashamed of himself.  Tsk tsk.

Yes. The umpire, though, blew that call 100%. You can't be "hit" by a pitch that's a strike.

[mojoween]

Also if I am paying attention correctly, perhaps the Marlins should not have loaded the bases.

[bosawks]

That was a bullshit call, and I LOATHE the Marlins.

I do think Michael Conforto is going to unfairly carry a burden for this that is mostly the umpires fault.

[theatremouse]

The Mets will easily lose at least 10 games this year on similarly weird/unfortunate/headshaking plays. They always do. So I'm not especially concerned.

[mojoween]

44 minutes ago, bosawks said:

That was a bullshit call, and I LOATHE the Marlins.

I do think Michael Conforto is going to unfairly carry a burden for this that is mostly the umpires fault.

He did tee-hee about it a little in his postgame presser, he knows he moved his elbow.

[bosawks]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

He did tee-hee about it a little in his postgame presser, he knows he moved his elbow.

To be sure it was a dick move but the hyperbole of a stain on his reputation he'll struggle to remove is a bit much.

He's a dumbass not a master criminal.

[theatremouse]

He also - and I mean this sincerely - looks like a sweetie. He's got a babyface. Unless he develops a pattern of dick moves and we're hearing about it every couple weeks, no one's going to remember. He's not famous enough outside serious fans. 

[Moose135]

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

He did tee-hee about it a little in his postgame presser, he knows he moved his elbow.

He'll probably be eating some dirt in tomorrow's game.

[Lantern7]

Watching SNY. Am I wrong for wanting Gary Cohen to stop making “Sunshine Superman” the official nickname for Jacob deGrom?

[Moose135]

31 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Watching SNY. Am I wrong for wanting Gary Cohen to stop making “Sunshine Superman” the official nickname for Jacob deGrom?

No, you are not. That's a stupid nickname. I've been watching, but hadn't noticed him say that.

[xaxat]

I always watch DeGrom's starts with a sense of dread. Because I find myself waiting to see how the Mets will blow it.

 

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

I always watch DeGrom's starts with a sense of dread. Because I find myself waiting to see how the Mets will blow it.

 

Fourteen strikeouts and a loss. Hey, he signed the contract. He knew the risks. Now his ERA inflates to 0.64.

Anyone think deGrom is capable of winning a Cy Young with a losing record?

[xaxat]

I noticed multiple players had DMX's Ruff Ryder Anthem as their walkup music today. 

Nice.

[Lantern7]

In case you didn’t hear, the Padres finally got over the no-hitter hump on Friday night. Does that mean all thirty teams are now covered?

Edited April 11, 2021 by Lantern7

[emmawoodhouse]

36 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

In case you didn’t hear, the Padres finally got over the no-hitter hump on Friday night. Does that mean all thirty teams are now covered?

Yup. The Padres were the last no-no holdouts. 

[smittykins]

Rougned Odor looks weird clean shaven(and wearing Tanaka’s number).

[mojoween]

1 hour ago, smittykins said:

Rougned Odor looks weird clean shaven(and wearing Tanaka’s number).

His daughter doesn’t like it, heh.

I wonder, with the dumbass extra innings rule, how many times the away team has won.

[mojoween]

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton standing in the dugout with all the other players make the rest of the team look like they are standing in a pit.  It’s just the funniest visual.

[bosawks]

Zack Greinke’s 51 mph strike made me smile.

[ebk57]

Doubleheader.  First game into extra innings... the 8th.  

 

The 8th inning is NOT extra, dammit. 

[Lantern7]

3 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

Doubleheader.  First game into extra innings... the 8th.  

The 8th inning is NOT extra, dammit. 

Quick idea: doubleheaders have games with seven innings. If the game is tied, they go to nine. And then go to the obligatory base runners once they go to the tenth.

[theatremouse]

That's preferable to the current, but I still think 7 is a Little League convention and if you're older than 12 and it's not pouring rain, that's not a whole baseball game.

[catlover79]

Yu Chang received racist threats after he committed the error in last night's 9th inning that saw the Indians lose to the White Sox. 💔

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31248627/yu-chang-calls-anti-asian-racist-twitter-messages-error-cleveland-indians-loss%3fplatform=amp

[Crs97]

People are awful.  On the Tribe’s Facebook page (and it is indeed that simple): 

[xaxat]

The Padres and Pirates pitching staffs combined to throw 359 pitches in their game tonight.

[catlover79]

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

People are awful.  On the Tribe’s Facebook page (and it is indeed that simple): 

I'm glad that Yu stood up to the bullies. This is a guy, as per the Indians' radio announcers, who is rarely seen without a smile on his face. I'm glad that the team and fans have come to his defense.

[RedElf]

The Mets have found a unique strategy to get into first place.  Don't play any games.

 

[Kawaiiko]

6 hours ago, RedElf said:

The Mets have found a unique strategy to get into first place.  Don't play any games.

Are they still not playing?

The Nats currently have a 2-5 record. OOF. Now I'm scared that this season will be just like the last. 😞

[catlover79]

This really touched my heart:

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Kawaiiko said:

Are they still not playing?

The Mets managed to get in a double header Tuesday afternoon/evening - 7 innings each, although the first game went into "extra" innings. They still have 4 games (I think) to make up.

[mojoween]

Anyone know how to coach a team out of rapping into 74 quadrillion double plays?  Asking for nine friends.

[mojoween]

Man alive, how sucky to lose a perfect game by nicking the batter on the toe.

[catlover79]

As an Indians fan, the game wasn't fun, especially since Zach Plesac imploded early. As a baseball fan, it was interesting and thrilling. Carlos Rodan and his catcher pitched/called a great game - always give credit where it's due.