MLB Thread

[xaxat]

5 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Did Brodie get a new job yet?

Definition of a "gots to go" incident. I'd be shocked if he's not gone tomorrow. Even if he hadn't escalated to dick pics, that was a totally inappropriate relationship. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a bunch of high profile lawyers lining up to represent her in a civil suit.

[Growsonwalls]

Yeah I think he'll be gone tomorrow. Ugh. Why are men so dumb?

[smittykins]

Aaaaand he’s gone!(Quicker than I thought, TBH).

[mojoween]

Oh Mets.  

[AimingforYoko]

Jon Lester signs with the Nationals.

Looks like the Cubs are going back to being the Cubs. Enjoy that 2016 WS title Chicago!

[Lantern7]

4 hours ago, smittykins said:

Aaaaand he’s gone!(Quicker than I thought, TBH).

Apparently, the new boss has zero tolerance for such things, even if the guy landed Lindor. Deadspin did get in this lick:

Quote

It had been one of the few Mets offseasons with a glow. A new owner who, at least at the moment, wants to run the team like it should be run. The acquisition of possibly the most fun player in the league in Francisco Lindor. But this is the Mets, and stepping on a rake is never more than two strides away for them throughout their history.

The New York Mets: the Sideshow Bob of MLB. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[emmawoodhouse]

Don Sutton has passed. RIP. 😢

[emmawoodhouse]

Can't post past the emoji. Here's an article.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30743861/hall-fame-pitcher-don-sutton-dies-75

[AimingforYoko]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Can't post past the emoji. Here's an article.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30743861/hall-fame-pitcher-don-sutton-dies-75

Pro Tip: Run the cursor over the the written text holding down the left mouse button, then click on the link icon and paste the link in the form given.

Always enjoyed him on the Braves broadcasts. R.I.P.

[emmawoodhouse]

I'm on my phone. I can't delete the emoji. Oh well.

In other news, Springer to the Jays.

[JTMacc99]

When I think of of Don Sutton, one of the first things that comes to mind is the hair popping out of his baseball cap on his late-seventies baseball cards.  To quote Grandpa Simpson, "it was the style at the time..."

[smittykins]

I remember him on Match Game.  I want to say he was the only current athlete on that version.

[Calvada]

It's always a bit jarring to see current pictures of HOFers when the picture in my mind is from almost 4 decades earlier.  I will always think of Don Sutton as he looked in 1982 with the Brewers.  I think those from MLB age more than most because of so much sun exposure, especially those who played in times when people didn't think of skin cancer or wrinkles and certainly didn't use sunscreen.  

[mojoween]

You guys...Hank Aaron passed away today at 86.  😔 

[theatremouse]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Crashcourse]

Rest in Peace, Mr. Aaron.  

[emmawoodhouse]

We have to bubble wrap Willie Mays. 

RIP Hammerin' Hank. 😭😭😭😭

[AimingforYoko]

Class act all the way. How he endured '73 & '74, I'll never know. R.I.P.

[Mean Machine]

I always loved this picture.  No body armor.  Not even a batting glove.

 

[AimingforYoko]

Oh, and it's 760 now. (MLB now recognizes Negro League stats as MLB stats)

[Calvada]

Henry Aaron - an icon, for so many reasons beyond baseball.  In 1982 NINE!!! members of the Baseball Writers Association did not have him on their Hall of Fame ballot. Were they morons or racists?  Look at the records he still holds today, not to mention his impact on society.  Hank was a Hall of Famer as a player and as a person. 

Edited January 22, 2021 by Calvada

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, Calvada said:

Were they morons or racists?

Yes

[theatremouse]

I am very much onboard with the proposed Atlanta namechange to the Hammers.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, theatremouse said:

I am very much onboard with the proposed Atlanta namechange to the Hammers.

It's better than "Crackers." Would "44's" work? Probably not.

Aaron passed the day after I read this in Deadspin, an essay on voting for Bonds and Clemens into the Hall of Fame. The next day, this opinion piece came up: "Hank Aaron was everything, Barry Bonds was nothing."

Any guesses on who will be inducted next week? And will there be a return to the formal ceremonies in Cooperstown?

ETA: Realization . . . if you ditched the war cries of the "Tomahawk Chop," the arm motions could be likened to pounding a nail with a hammer. Eh? Eeeeehhhhh???

Edited January 24, 2021 by Lantern7

[smittykins]

Yankees reportedly get Jameson Taillon from Pirates.

[cherrypj]

On 1/24/2021 at 1:05 AM, Lantern7 said:

Any guesses on who will be inducted next week? And will there be a return to the formal ceremonies in Cooperstown?

The HoF will pitch a shutout. And no. Which is fine by me.

Quote

I ... don’t need the Hall of Fame to validate a given baseball player’s greatness. I watch baseball. I read a lot about it. I know that Greg Maddux was really good. I know that he was better than Mark Buehrle or Dave Tobik. I know that Barry Bonds was really good. I know that he was better than Bobby Abreu or Buddy Biancalana. I can talk about that in about 100 ways, be it quantitatively, qualitatively, or in a manner than is rotten with nostalgia, and come out in mostly satisfying places without the aid of 75% of the BBWAA’s electorate telling me whether or not my feelings are somehow valid.

The quote is from Craig Calcaterra's (subscription-required) newsletter. 

[catlover79]

On 1/9/2021 at 12:30 PM, roamyn said:

My heart is just broken this season.   Between the rumors abt my beloved Omar, Cookie, Francisco, the INDIANS history & pride, I don’t know if I can watch the team next year.  And I STILL haven’t gotten over 1997 or 2016.

Also, RIP to one of the most colorful and ardent support of MLB this past 50 years.  You truly deserve your rest Mr. Lasorda.  And Thank You.

I could not agree with this post more!!!! 😢💔

Edited January 25, 2021 by catlover79

[JTMacc99]

On 1/22/2021 at 2:18 PM, Calvada said:

Henry Aaron - an icon, for so many reasons beyond baseball.  In 1982 NINE!!! members of the Baseball Writers Association did not have him on their Hall of Fame ballot. Were they morons or racists?  Look at the records he still holds today, not to mention his impact on society.  Hank was a Hall of Famer as a player and as a person. 

It was a LONG standing tradition to not vote in anybody unanimously. Ty Cobb got 98.2% of the vote in 1936. After that some of the other high percentage vote getters were Babe Ruth at 95.1%, Willie Mays 94.7% and Ted Williams 93.4%.  When Hank Aaron got 97.8% of the vote, it was the highest percentage anybody got since Cobb in 1936.

10 years later in 1992, Tom Seaver got 98.8%.

It wasn't until 1999 when players started to get 98% or higher fairly regularly, but some old school guys still held out a vote to prevent unanimous votes, a tradition that FINALLY went away in 2019 when Mariano Rivera became the first person to be a unanimous selection.

 

So maybe some of the 9 were racists/morons, but it's also worth noting that Aaron's vote was the second highest percentage ever at the time, and the closest to unanimous since 1936.

[DoctorAtomic]

It just makes them make the process all about them (the voter) and not celebrating the player. And you know what? No one knows or cares who they were. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Players Association just turned down proposals for universal DH and expanded playoffs. We shall see...

[JTMacc99]

53 minutes ago, DoctorAtomic said:

It just makes them make the process all about them (the voter) and not celebrating the player. And you know what? No one knows or cares who they were. 

Exactly.

That's what I meant by FINALLY voting in somebody unanimously. Old traditions and beliefs often take way, WAY too long to go away.

[DoctorAtomic]

There's tradition, and there's 'this is the way we're doing it because we've only done it this way.' 

Obviously, everyone will know Aaron for the home runs, but he was an excellent 5 tool player. He was a little before my time, but that's what I read. 

I question whether releasing the % has any merit anyway. You're either in the hall or you're not. I do understand how you do need some time period to really assess a player's worth in that context, so making it on the 5th time isn't a big deal to me. I mean, you get in on the first ballot with either 75.01% or 99.9%, there's not really any argument that you were a no-brainer selection. Like I said, fretting over the actual % seems like making it more about the voters than celebrating a great career. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Welp, no one met the 75% threshold this year. Schilling came in at 71.1%, 16 votes short of election.

[Lantern7]

16 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Welp, no one met the 75% threshold this year. Schilling came in at 71.1%, 16 votes short of election.

I forgot to check. Good thing they didn’t do formal inductions last year, because now they can basically give Derek Jeter a full-on tongue bath, even if Yankees fans don’t risk their health when it happens.*

*Under normal circumstances, it’s exposing skin to the harsh August sun. Nowadays, it’s the COVID.

[cambridgeguy]

Schilling asked to be removed from the ballot so he won't be getting in next year either. 

Speaking of next year, aside from it being the final time for Bonds/Clemens we'll also be getting A-Rod (won't get in if those two can't) and David Ortiz (almost certainly in even though there will be plenty of bellyaching about him being an overrated one dimensional player).

[DoctorAtomic]

I'm not really an Ortiz fan, but I'm better with him than McGwire getting in. 

[mojoween]

Curt Schilling may be a trash human being, but as far as his baseball career goes, this Yankee fan says fuck that guy.

Next year’s vote total for David Ortiz and A-Rod will expose the depth of the hypocrisy of the baseball writers where PED’s are concerned.

[bosawks]

36 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Curt Schilling may be a trash human being, but as far as his baseball career goes, this Yankee fan says fuck that guy.

Next year’s vote total for David Ortiz and A-Rod will expose the depth of the hypocrisy of the baseball writers where PED’s are concerned.

I’m a Red Sox fan and a Phillies and I say fuck that guy.

[shoregirl]

3 hours ago, bosawks said:

I’m a Red Sox fan and a Phillies and I say fuck that guy.

I'm a Phillies fan who has a special place in her heart for the 93 team and I say fuck that guy. 

I am glad that Shilling is asking to be removed from the ballot. I hope the veterans committee also says fuck that guy.

The Phillies old GM Ed Wade once said that once every 5 days Curt Shilling is a Horse the other 4 days he's a horse's ass. If he ever gets in I hope they use that quote 😂

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by shoregirl

[Growsonwalls]

Ok I find Curt Schilling to be an absolutely horrible person in every respect, but he does belong in the HOF. His career merits it. He wouldn't be the first radioactive personality to make it into the HOF either.

[DoctorAtomic]

Taking his personality out of it, and I think that's fair, I know he's got some indelible games, but I wouldn't call him a shoo-in. Unless you're saying 3,000 Ks should be automatic. I'm not necessarily a fan of that. 

[cambridgeguy]

He's not in the Pedro/Randy Johnson/Maddux tier, but he's still better than a Jack Morris.  Throw in the playoff stuff and you've got a mid-level Hall of Famer. 

And Schilling the teammate might have been an asshole but it seems like he was more of a garden variety dick rather than the raging bigot he became later on. 

[shoregirl]

Leaving how I feel about him as a person I feel like he's a borderline Hall of Famer. He's a great Big Game pitcher but I don't think his Post Season success makes him a shoo-in . I don't think 3000 strike outs over 20 years does either. He played in 569 games so it averages it just about 5.5 strike outs per game. His average is 3.46 .

Cole Hamels has a 3.43 era over 15 season and his strike out averages to  6.05 a game . He like Schilling also has a World Series MVP. Is he a Hall of Famer?

Edited January 27, 2021 by shoregirl

[DoctorAtomic]

I don't know if he's better than Morris. That may be nostalgia talking though. I would argue that with the D-backs Shilling was part of a formidable duo with Johnson, while Morris was nearly alone. Both were quite good in the postseason, though Shilling benefits from more games in an expanded playoffs. I don't necessarily like to judge player by player viz a viz the against the era they played. I'd say borderline is a fair assessment. I wouldn't have cried foul if he was inducted. 

  

[Growsonwalls]

Cole Hamels' career was more uneven due to injuries. Again Curt Schilling is a huge raging asshole/bigot but HOF worthy. So are Clemens and Bonds despite their issues with PED's. 

And really, I feel like PED's were so rampant in baseball I don't feel like anyone should be excluded because of PED use. 

[Lantern7]

21 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I forgot to check. Good thing they didn’t do formal inductions last year, because now they can basically give Derek Jeter a full-on tongue bath, even if Yankees fans don’t risk their health when it happens.*

*Under normal circumstances, it’s exposing skin to the harsh August sun. Nowadays, it’s the COVID.

Looks like the Daily News agrees with that view:

“Didn’t one of those ‘PED cheats’ play for-“ “IT WILL BE DEREK’S DAY!!! DEREK’S!!!”

I know, also Larry Walker, but he’ll probably get three minutes for his speech. 😜😜

Edited January 27, 2021 by Lantern7

[mojoween]

An article about Hank Aaron’s memorial service mentioned his Mount Rushmore-worthiness so I tried to make a Mount Rushmore, but then had to make two and I know that’s cheating, but my first Mount Rushmore was all Yankees.

Yankees - Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle (it killed me to leave off Mo)

All others - Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and fine Ted Williams

[cambridgeguy]

That's a hitter's Mt Rushmore, so who gets to go on the pitcher's one?

Cy Young?  Walter Johnson?  Seaver?  Pedro?  Randy Johnson?  If it weren't for the PED stuff Clemens would be in contention as well.

[mojoween]

Oh man a THIRD Mount Rushmore?

I’m thinking Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, (I really want to put Rocket here but I agree I shouldn’t), Nolan Ryan and Cy Young.

Oh wait in that case I’m making a fourth for Mo, Whitey Ford, Mel Stottlemyre and Ron Guidry.

Edited January 27, 2021 by mojoween

[bosawks]

On 1/27/2021 at 2:57 PM, cambridgeguy said:

That's a hitter's Mt Rushmore, so who gets to go on the pitcher's one?

Cy Young?  Walter Johnson?  Seaver?  Pedro?  Randy Johnson?  If it weren't for the PED stuff Clemens would be in contention as well.

I remember seeing old footage of Bob Feller and his stuff still looked AMAZING.

And Steve Carlton’s slider might be the filthiest pitch I’ve ever seen.