MLB Thread

[xaxat]

I guess Bud Norris thinks Mickey Mantel had no respect for the game. WATCH: Mickey Mantle flips his bat and it is awesome

 

[jennifer6973]

I would say Griffey and Mussina (as long as the latter goes in as an Oriole)

[Lantern7]

Reason for Trevor Hoffman to get elected . . . he can walk up to the podium to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells." That might be the best entrance music from a reliever ever.

[smittykins]

Congratulations Mike and Junior!

[mojoween]

Griffey got 99.3% so now I'm wondering if Mo or Jeter will get 100%, or when it's their turn some of the voters will be like "eh they're going to get in anyways, I'll throw my vote somewhere else."

Piazza is in too.

[Rick Kitchen]

There are voters who are on the record saying they will never vote for a candidate in the first year of his eligibility.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I still think Greg Maddux should have received the highest voting percentage ever but I'm biased!  Very cool for Junior instead.

 

I just don't get Piazza.  Great guy, helluva player on offense but in my opinion he didn't call good games.

[mojoween]

The Night Mike Piazza Became a Hall of Famer

But there won't be any players in the Hall with a more profound signature moment than the night of Sept. 21, 2001, when Mike Piazza proved how much a simple ballgame can mean to people who need far more than a distraction.

[jennifer6973]

Is it possible to find out who didn't vote for him (it's just 3 people) so we can hunt them down and flog them with a wet noodle?

[AimingforYoko]

I still think Greg Maddux should have received the highest voting percentage ever but I'm biased!  Very cool for Junior instead.

 

I just don't get Piazza.  Great guy, helluva player on offense but in my opinion he didn't call good games.

I thought it would be Maddux, because of the type of pitcher he was in the era he played. But I have no beef with Junior breaking the record.

Piazza is interesting, he might be the one to break the logjam of the Steroid Era.

[Lantern7]

Finally! I figure Griffey got more votes than Seaver because he hit all those homers without tripping any alarms. I don't believe Piazza took steroids, though that might be because I'm a Mets fan.

[rallymantis]

*runs in, screaming, doing backflips and cartwheels and waving sparklers at the same*

 

LONG LIVE GORDO NATION!!

 

Kaufmann Stadium's left field: still closed for business.

[prican58]

Mike Piazza. As a long time Met hater, I actually became a former hater when they got him. I always liked him as a Dodger (no Dodger love on my part) and at the time Piazza got traded to SD/Florida there were a lot of beleaguered Mets fans who were calling the sports radio station and ranting about how the Mets management sucked because they never, ever tried to improve the club. How they should have been the ones to get Mike and yadda yadda. This went on for days.

 

Then one day out of the blue Pizza man comes to the Mets, of all clubs!  I have to say that I was shocked and impressed at the same time. This huge star was coming to NY! I was actually smiling. I found myself anticipating the new season to see how this was all going to play out.

 

His rep was that of a not so great catcher. He couldn't throw guys out, didn't call a great game, etc. Well maybe that's true but if he sucked so badly why wasn't he traded to an AL team to DH? He was no Johnny Bench but he wasn't a slouch.

 

So kudos to him. I was very happy to hear he got in.

 

Junior? I was never a fan of his. I hated Seattle and he always came off like a jerk to me because he said he didn't want to ever be a Yankee because Billy Martin never let him play in the clubhouse when his dad was on the team. Seriously? Maybe it's true, maybe it's an urban legend. All I know is that it rubbed me the wrong way and I never warmed up to the guy. Besides, Billy was dead so who gives a shit.

 

That being said I would be an idiot if I said he didn't belong. Unanimously. Those 3 or so writers should be ashamed of themselves. He did hit some monumental HR's and he never really seemed like he was in the game for the big bucks.(well, yeah he was but you could see he loved to play.) And some of those catches were unbelievable! Mariner fans are in heaven, I would guess. They should be. He was an all time great.

 

Good job by the BBWA. Really want to see Tim Raines in next year. Seriously, if Tom Seaver and Griffey Jr couldn't get unanimous votes it makes you wonder what will go down with Jeter and Mariano. I can see how some would say that Jeter didn't have the best range and I can see him getting Junior percentages but can anybody really not vote Mariano in with 100%? Mariano would probably not even care about the percentage because that's the kind of guy he is but he deserves it.

Edited January 7, 2016 by prican58

[Slade347]

I could see enough Sabermetrics types who wouldn't vote for Jeter to keep his vote in the 95 % range, maybe 96-97. Still very high, but I don't think he'll threaten Griffey's record. Rivera might be another story.

 

Still, at the end of the day, whatever anger I may have towards the vote isn't going to be directed by those who didn't vote for Griffey on a stacked ballot, but rather those who did vote for the likes of David Eckstein (3 votes), Mike Sweeney (8 votes), Jason Kendall (2 votes) and Garrett Anderson (1 vote). The people who made those 14 votes, those are the ones who have a lot more explaining to do in my mind. 

[King of Birds]

I won't argue against your anger Slade347, but you are a bit off on those numbers.

 

Sweeney got 3 

Eckstein got 2

it was Nomar Garciaparra who got 8

 

I don't mind these types of votes, baseball has a lot of different personalities in the game.

Here's the full results.

[cherrypj]

Is it possible to find out who didn't vote for him (it's just 3 people) so we can hunt them down and flog them with a wet noodle?

 

Eh. The plaque is just as bronze at 99.3% as it would be at 100%.

[Mrs. P.]

Damn! Bagwell came so close! Maybe next year...

[benteen]

Congratulations to both Griffey and Piazza!  That's a great pair to induct into the Hall of Fame.

 

Piazza should have gotten in on the first try.  I think he should go in as a Marlin though. ;)

 

The whole "no unanimous" bullshit pisses me off.  Just because writers were stupid enough not to vote previous players unanimously (these are the same "geniuses" who didn't vote Joe DiMaggio into the Hall on his first year of eligibility and I think his second year too) isn't a reason not to vote players who deserve it unanimously in the future.  The three voters who didn't cast their ballot for Griffey should lose their voting privileges permanently. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by benteen

[xaxat]

Today is National Bobblehead Day! Hmmm, If only I could find a picture of some bobbleheads so we could celebrate. Wait. . . I found one!

 

Here's an overview. It's tough to get them all in one shot.

 

Clarification, that's not my collection, it's our own ebk57's.

Edited January 7, 2016 by xaxat

[attica]

My sister has a phobia of bobbleheads; your collection would driver her into breakdown, xaxat!  

 

Hm... I might forward her the pic. Because if you can't torment your siblings, then what are they good for?!

[King of Birds]

Imagine what would happen if there was an earthquake in the Virginia/ DC area, where ebk works.  So many bobbles over your desk!  Death by bobble-head!

[shoregirl]

I only have a few bobbleheads but when we had the earthquake in NJ (I want to say 2011) my Ryan Howard one fell off my bookshelf and he was decapitated. My sister reattached his head but he doesn't have the same bobble anymore.

Edited January 8, 2016 by shoregirl

[Rick Kitchen]

So he's bobbleless?

[mojoween]

See now if I were that type of person I would make a remark about Ryan Howard's bobble injury and the use of HGH but I'm clearly too classy for that.

The only bobble I have is Coach K from Duke.

[King of Birds]

See now if I were that type of person I would make a remark about Ryan Howard's bobble injury and the use of HGH but I'm clearly too classy for that.

CLEARLY.  Too classy.

[Lantern7]

Heard something about how Ken Griffey might go into the Hall with a backwards cap. Out of curiosity, has anybody been enshrined as a Mariner? I'm thinking Randy Johnson, but I might be wrong. And I also heard Mike Piazza wants to go in as a Met. Natch, I support this, but were bridges burned that severely with the Dodgers?

[Rick Kitchen]

Heard something about how Ken Griffey might go into the Hall with a backwards cap. Out of curiosity, has anybody been enshrined as a Mariner? I'm thinking Randy Johnson, but I might be wrong. And I also heard Mike Piazza wants to go in as a Met. Natch, I support this, but were bridges burned that severely with the Dodgers?

 

According to Wikipedia, Griffey will be the first Mariner:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Baseball_Hall_of_Fame

 

Johnson went in as a Diamondback.

[ebk57]

Imagine what would happen if there was an earthquake in the Virginia/ DC area, where ebk works.  So many bobbles over your desk!  Death by bobble-head!

There actually WAS an earthquake here in 2011 (the one that damaged the Washington Monument and Cathedral).  Unfortunately (or not!), I was in Italy visiting my brother.  So I missed it.  To this day I can't forgive my boss for not taking a picture of the shelves before he ran out of the building in abject terror  :-)

 

 

My collection has grown quite a bit since April (a friend sent me a Roll Tide! 'head just today).  I'll try to remember to take a new picture for your amusement.  Or for my amusement.

[rallymantis]

[...]but I don't think he'll threaten Griffey's record. Rivera might be another story.

I dunno.  I heard a lot, a lot of anti-relief pitcher-talk during the lead-up to the announcement.  I think he'll be a first-ballot, but not unanimous.

 

p.s. Still breaking out in tears, and dance moves, on Day 2 of Alex Gordon is back.  Also receiving crow-eating tweets from local sportstalk guys & writers who said this would never happen.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Johnson went in as a Diamondback.

 

I recently read where after that choice Johnson was so worried that offended the good people of Seattle that he made a public apology to them.  Something about that struck me as sweet, a word rarely used to describe Randy Johnson.

[jennifer6973]

The Nationals traded Drew Storen and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays for Ben Revere and a PTBNL

 

 

 

Now who am I gonna be able to cuss out when the Nats lose in a close game in the late innings?.

Edited January 9, 2016 by jennifer6973

[ebk57]

The Nationals traded Drew Storen and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays for Ben Revere and a PTBNL

 

 

 

Now who am I gonna be able to cuss out when the Nats lose in a close game in the late innings?.

 

The current closer?  He seems eminently cuss-able... :-)

[bosawks]

Palpably cussable. Papelcuss......

[jennifer6973]

True, but I'd like him to get traded also.

 

 

Not to the Reds, who's on his approved list, but somewhere else.

[StaceyNotStacie]

The Nationals traded Drew Storen and cash to the Toronto Blue Jays for Ben Revere and a PTBNL

Now who am I gonna be able to cuss out when the Nats lose in a close game in the late innings?.

Papelbon seems cuss worthy.

All jokes aside, I'm somewhat glad to see Storen go. He has contributed to the suckiness that has been the Nationals bullpen over the last few years. I don't care who the closer is; I just want someone who can consistently close the game without giving up five runs in the process and I'd like to get a good night's sleep in the process (minimal extra innings).

[King of Birds]

Oh, this tweet/ article will go over FANTASTIC in this thread.

 

Mo: There's 'more momentum' for DH in NL

 

During an expansive question-and-answer session with the fans, general manager John Mozeliak fielded some pointed questions about free agents and trades, and one question he has faced in almost every year he's appeared at the Warm-up.

This year, his answer has changed.

 

Mozeliak said there is "more momentum" than in years past to bring the designated hitter into the National League. He said this mentioning conversations he's had with other general managers and owners. When asked to elaborate on the comments made to fans, Mozeliak described how the topic of the DH in the NL used to be a "non-starter" with officials, but now it's become more of a topic.

Moving the DH into the NL by the start of the 2017 season -- when, presumably, a new CBA would be in place -- would be quick, the Cardinals general manager said.

It has been discussed using a DH for all interleague games.

 

[xaxat]

Moving the DH into the NL by the start of the 2017 season -- when, presumably, a new CBA would be in place -- would be quick, the Cardinals general manager said.

It has been discussed using a DH for all interleague games.

 

Would it really be that easy? I'm not sure NL owners would be willing to pay fifteen new starters without asking for a lot in return in CBA negotiations.

[ratgirlagogo]

I know they've been talking about it for years, but OH GOD NO.  Fuck the DH and fuck all this BS interleague play.

[bosawks]

God, I'd really miss the national league style.

And I say this as a Big Papi lover.

[jennifer6973]

ratgirlagogo

 

there's always going to be an interleague game going on somewhere if all teams are playing.  (unless they add 1 team to each league)

[rippleintime17]

Madison Bumgarner is on my favorite team, so I'm going to say no to the DH. I know he's an exception to the rule, but he's proof that if a pitcher takes his hitting seriously and has pride in his results, he can contribute at the plate. I wish more pitchers followed his lead. 

[jennifer6973]

I personally love the no DH rule in National League.  Like it was said above Mad Bum is a good example of pitchers who can hit, I like that.  Pitchers are players too and should be able to give some good offense.

[Moose135]

Pitchers are players too and should be able to give some good offense.

 

Even the 76-year-old Bartolo Colon had some entertaining at-bats this year, and even got a few big hits.

[Lantern7]

I was just about to post that. And remember Steven Matz's first game? Good times.

[Crs97]

If the DH had always been in existence, would anyone have noticed Babe Ruth as anything but a great pitcher?

The baseball rules define baseball as a game played by nine players on each team. I don't know what the AL is playing, but it isn't baseball.

[jennifer6973]

Even the 76-year-old Bartolo Colon had some entertaining at-bats this year, and even got a few big hits.

 

 

Hey now Bartolo is my age.  :-P

If the DH had always been in existence, would anyone have noticed Babe Ruth as anything but a great pitcher?

The baseball rules define baseball as a game played by nine players on each team. I don't know what the AL is playing, but it isn't baseball.

 

Someone on MLB Network said it was the difference between checkers and Chess.  

 

So the AL is checkers  and the NL is chess.  (aka the smarter game)

[King of Birds]

So the AL is checkers  and the NL is chess.  (aka the smarter game)

Oh that's Bullshit. And, the game and how it's evolved is *nothing* like it was when Ruth played, so I don't want to hear that crap either.

 

Okay NL people, you want the game it was originally played? With no specialized bullpen, bench, etc? Fine, lets do that, because that's what has happened. The 7th inning guy, the 8th inning guy, the "closer" - bullpen guys who can't handle coming in with men on base, etc. The game is specialized, more than ever, and most pitchers are CLUELESS at the plate, which is not smart, and "Not Smart" in baseball leads to Injuries. 

 

Will I miss double-switches? Sure. But I HATE how many injuries there are each year because I like to see teams do their best.  Having pitchers hit?  That is not baseball at its best.

 

Bumgarner, and Grienke, and Matz and whoever else you want to pull out?  They are good athletes, and outliers.  And I can easily say JON LESTER for counter-balance. 4 for 62 last year. K'd 30 times - half the time he bats, so he's not even squaring up on the ball. 4 for 98 in his career so far.

 

Baseball pitchers make the majors by being pitchers. Not hitters. No one makes it because of a bat- that isn't even on the radar. Pitch well, throw strikes, fielding. 

 

All these lines are from the same Grantland article:  (boy, I'm gonna miss grantland during this coming season...)

 

Seven of the 10 worst offensive seasons for pitchers since 1973 have come in the past decade.

 

So, how did we get here? In an analytically driven sport constantly striving for excellence, how did we reach a point where everyone now accepts total incompetence in one out of every nine times at bat?

 

“Specialization,” says Pirates GM Neal Huntington. “As early as high school, more pitchers are only pitching, so their bat never develops. Even guys that pitch and play a position tend to be more focused on pitching, as that is more than likely their best path to professional baseball."

 

----

Then there’s the question of how best to use a pitcher’s time. Tommy John surgery has become such an epidemic for young arms that teams are now hyper-focused on keeping pitchers healthy and getting them to the big leagues before the injury monster attacks, rather than even feigning interest in teaching them how to hit. Once they get to the big leagues, they encounter a landscape in which starters are pulled from games earlier than at any other point in MLB history, which further disincentivizes batting instruction.

[cherrypj]

Oh that's Bullshit. And, the game and how it's evolved is *nothing* like it was when Ruth played, so I don't want to hear that crap either.

 

 

So much this.

 

The DH has been around since 1973. I've NEVER seen baseball without it, and I think most of us on this board fall into the same camp.

 

There's absolutely way less strategy in NL. You either hit for the pitcher or you take the out.

(boy, I'm gonna miss grantland during this coming season...)

 

 

Me, too. Trying my best to find where Jonah, Ben, Baumann have gone. I think Jonah went to SI.com, but don't really know. :(

Edited January 22, 2016 by cherrypj

[smittykins]

Chapman won't be charged; may still face discipline from MLB

[King of Birds]

MLB and the absolute bullshit blackout rules continue, even AFTER they "lose" the Garber lawsuit...

 

More details here. And this does NOT solve the Baltimore/ Washington issue, and still screws Iowa/ Vegas/ Hawaii.
 

First, the official settlement does place some restrictions on MLB’s ability to raise the price of both its single-team and league-wide MLB.TV packages in the future. Specifically, after setting the price of these service options at $84.99 and $109.99, respectively, for 2016, the agreement specifies that the league may only raise the price of these packages by no more than 3%, or that year’s inflation rate, whichever is greater.

So barring a major spike in inflation, MLB will only be able to raise the price of its MLB.TV packages by a few bucks per year until the settlement agreement expires following the 2020 season.

 

Second, the settlement also includes provisions covering the MLB Extra Innings cable/satellite service. In particular, MLB has agreed to give cable and satellite providers the option to sell single-team Extra Innings packages, should they wish to do so. While these providers aren’t obligated to offer a single-team service under the terms of the settlement, if they do elect to do so then they must offer packages for all 30 teams, and not just the league’s most popular clubs.

 

Third, although not directly eliminating MLB’s blackout policy, the settlement does try to provide some relief to what it terms “Unserved Fans.” Specifically, anyone who is completely unable to receive cable or satellite television service at their home will now be able to petition MLB for the ability to stream in-market games via MLB.TV.

 

To be clear, this provision is pretty limited. It only covers those who can’t subscribe to cable at all, and does not apply to those fans who are simply unable to subscribe to a particular RSN via their local cable provider. So this new option won’t help fans in Iowa or Las Vegas who often find themselves blacked out from as many as five or six games per night.

 

Unfortunately, while all of these apparent provisions in the settlement agreement are great for fans who currently subscribe to MLB.TV or a Comcast- or DirecTV-owned RSN, they will do little for fans who are presently unable to watch their favorite team play due to MLB’s blackout rules. Indeed, by all accounts it appears that Tuesday’s deal leaves the league’s existing local broadcast territories in place, meaning that the blackout policy will be unaffected by the settlement.