Minor League Baseball

[xaxat]

I haven't convinced myself of this argument, but I think this actually kind of makes sense. The minor leagues are developmental and the they don't have the kind of roster flexibility the major league teams do. So the commitment of young arms to complete an interminable extra inning game with limited ability to compensate afterwards isn't a good thing.

In addition, where I live, in upstate NY, extra inning games can really suck for the fans. The temperature drops to the fifties or even forties and it becomes an endurance event with you and the remaining hundred people. I don't drink coffee, but I once bought a cup just to keep my hands warm for a 14 inning Binghamton Mets (RIP) game.

[selkie]

For when you have some time to kill:

http://www.bushleaguefactor.com/baseball/index.php

[Silver Raven]

The Giants, as bad as they are, have nothing to look forward to with anybody coming up.  Sacramento is the worst team in the PCL. Richmond has the worst record in their division in the Eastern League. San Jose is tied for the worst record in the California League. And Augusta has the worst record in the South Atlantic League.

[MarkHB]

Article on quirky minor league team names, by the original Portland Sea Dogs beat writer.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Great article and the name Akron Rubber Ducks has to be one of the most clever because of the history with Goodyear.

There's a new class A affiliate in this area, the Florida Fire Frogs.  No one knows what the hell a fire frog is but everyone seems to love the name.

[Lantern7]

Midwest League Baseball: Catch the Action!! I have never heard of a player throwing a ball into a fight before. The minors are a great place for experimentation. Like the one batter who got hit and kicked the catcher before charging the mound.

Just thought to look up the Brooklyn Cyclones' site for promotions. Seinfeld Night is in August, with a Soup Nazi bobblehead and an appearance by Phil Morris, who has done lots of stuff but is best known for Jackie Chiles. And Villain Appreciation Night with Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore!! Oh, and we got three weeks until the New York-Penn League kicks off. I'd like to see the Baby Bombers, but I'm certain few people reading this would be hellbent on going. Coney Island is a bit of a haul, but I'd like to meet people there.

[MyAimIsTrue]

On Sunday we went to the St. Lucie Mets (advanced A affiliates) game against the Clearwater Threshers (Phillies affiliates) on a blistering hot day in Port St. Lucie.  Attendance was probably less than 200 but we saw a solid game with lots of good defense and pitching, and Clearwater won 1 - 0.

[ebk57]

On 5/29/2017 at 4:32 PM, Lantern7 said:

Oh, and we got three weeks until the New York-Penn League kicks off. I'd like to see the Baby Bombers, but I'm certain few people reading this would be hellbent on going. Coney Island is a bit of a haul, but I'd like to meet people there.

We'll be up there the last weekend in August.  I was thinking of trying to go to a game on Staten Island... if there aren't enough shows for me to see.  

 

We'll see how it plays out.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up to see if anybody wants to get together for a New York-based minor league game, either on Coney Island or Staten Island. While the Baby Bombers might not be as "sexy" as the Cyclones, all you'd have to do is find your way to the Staten Island Ferry. The ballpark is a short walk away from the terminal. The Cyclones would be a hike for me, but I'd be willing to drive out. If you want to make a day of it, the aquarium and Luna Park are nearby, as well as the original Nathan's.

I'm posting because the Cyclones were on SNY last night. They had a 1-0 lead on the Hudson Valley Renegades . . . then when I checked back, they were down 8-1. Like they got the manual straight from Flushing.

[Lantern7]

Went to see the Baby Bombers today, as they took on the Cyclones. My motivation: fans got to bring their dogs to the game. Lots of fun-looking pooches. Sadly, the attendance wasn't great . . . right now, the Yankees are the best team in the New York-Penn League. They are 23 games better than the Cyclones, and I'm thinking Mets scouts are about to die, or they're going to fake their deaths. I'm guessing their attendance is much better, so they don't call Flushing once a week to have Tim Tebow demoted from St. Lucie.

Imagine my surprise at the results . . .Cyclones scored six runs in the first four innings, and the Yankees couldn't crack the scoreboard. They also had four errors. Not the best game, to be honest. The dogs took the edge off, though my eye got itchy near the end. Here are the pics.

[mojoween]

Huh. The Mets are going to buy my local minor league team, the Syracuse Chiefs, from the Nationals.

Why do I have a feeling a ton of major  leaguers are going to be coming through on rehab assignments?

[Lantern7]

Great. Better than shipping them to Vegas.  Will another team adopt the 51s?

[jennifer6973]

Well the Nationals need a new one, so here is my proposal

A's get the 51's

Tampa gets Nashville

and the Nationals get the Durham Bulls.

[mojoween]

Correction - the Nats deal was only for 10 years and the Mets are buying the club directly from the local owners.

Which actually makes me sad because that family owned the team for almost 60 years.  And now the owners will be...The Wilpons.

[Lantern7]

Trenton Thunder's second batdog has passed away.

[Lantern7]

Staten Island Yankees rebrand on Saturday nights. This is the definition of "sad," right?

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

Staten Island Yankees rebrand on Saturday nights. This is the definition of "sad," right?

I can't decide if this is charming or not.  However, I think I'll stick to my original plan and go to the Mets game on August 4th - for the bobblehead, of course. 

[Lantern7]

@ebk57 . . . but the original Pizza Rat was spotted in Manhattan. Also, while "Pizza Rats" was the top name in the 2016 poll to rename the Baby Bombers, there weren't enough votes cast, and all of the choices were met with apathy at best. Resorting to a meme from 2015 is sad.

Anybody hitting the minors? Maybe get personally healed by Tim Tebow at an Eastern League game?

Edited June 14, 2018 by Lantern7

[Bort]

17 minutes ago, ebk57 said:

I can't decide if this is charming or not.  However, I think I'll stick to my original plan and go to the Mets game on August 4th - for the bobblehead, of course. 

I’m going to a Corpus Christi Hooks game next Saturday. They’re having a Jose Altuve Blue Ghost bobble head.

[Bort]

Oh cool, I found a pic of the Altuve bobblehead they're giving away at the Hooks game.

[Lantern7]

Brooklyn Cyclones set for Seinfeld Night. And I love the candidates for the one-night-only alt-nicknames. Way the fuck better than “Pizza Rats.”

[Silver Raven]

The Clearwater Threshers won a game despite not getting any hits or walks.

1-In minor league double headers, the second game only goes 7 innings.

2-In minor league games, when a game goes into extra innings, a runner is automatically placed on second base.

With the second game against the Tampa Tarpons tied 0-0 at the end of seven innings, Clearwater started the top of the eighth with a runner on second.  He went to third on an error and scored on a fielder's choice.  Tampa did not score in the bottom of the eighth, and therefore Clearwater won the game despite getting no hits or walks.

[mojoween]

Syracuse has succumbed to Tebow Mania and there appears to be no known cure.

I might have to move.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

Syracuse has succumbed to Tebow Mania and there appears to be no known cure.

I might have to move.

You'd think the Mets would have gotten a middle reliever for him. Also, aren't most AAA teams supposed to have different nicknames than the parent clubs? I get that "Chiefs" won't fly, but there culd be a better nickname than "Mets."

[mojoween]

I have no idea why they had to change, Chiefs was just fine for the Blue Jays and Nats.  And it tied in quite well with our Iroquois history , even If Chiefs turned into a train theme the last couple of years.

The most amusing about this whole thing is that this year, when the Mets are now a presence, the MLB Mets have ended their contract to have all Mets games broadcast on local radio.  As the slimeball owner of the station this affected said, this is a big middle finger to Syracuse.

Not that I listened anyways, but still.  The Yanks still air here.

[mojoween]

Ooh drama.

https://www.syracuse.com/mets/2019/05/syracuse-mets-get-revenge-after-feeling-disrespected-by-rhys-hoskins-home-run-video.html

On the flip side, the Syracuse reaction was a wee bit over the top.  On the other flip side, don’t give up dingers, Rhame!

[Bort]

4 hours ago, mojoween said:

Ooh drama.

https://www.syracuse.com/mets/2019/05/syracuse-mets-get-revenge-after-feeling-disrespected-by-rhys-hoskins-home-run-video.html

On the flip side, the Syracuse reaction was a wee bit over the top.  On the other flip side, don’t give up dingers, Rhame!

Quoting Carlos Gomez in the article doesn't exactly give them the high ground, he's a world class shit-stirrer.

[Lantern7]

"Well, it's a Syracuse Mets story without any of Tim- . . . and there we go. Peachy."

Anybody going to minor league games? Planning on it?

[mojoween]

I don’t want to, but Syracuse is having some neat theme nights and also if Scranton comes to town and Aaron Judge happens to be rehabbing I would have to go, wouldn’t I?

[Moose135]

11 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Anybody going to minor league games? Planning on it?

We're probably going to catch a few Charlotte Knights games this season.  Looks like they don't have any real restrictions on bringing a long lens into the stadium, and every Friday home game features fireworks after the game.

[Lantern7]

Baby Bombers don't have their full promo schedule up. By contrast, the Cyclones have theirs in force . . . including another Seinfeld night. The giveaway? Fuselli Jerry Figurine. Another classic callback . . . but given what happened to Kramer's creation in that episode, is that a good idea?

"Million-to-one shot, Doc! Million-to-one!!"

[Bort]

My brother lives in Corpus where the Astros AA club plays and they have some all fan bobblehead giveaways planned. I doubt I’ll go but I’ll be tipping him off as to which games are bobblehead days.

[Bort]

This Astros prospect has the best name: Seth Beer homers in two straight beer promo nights.

[Lantern7]

This is sad. Very sad.

[Moose135]

19 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

This is sad. Very sad.

What a ridiculous idea, but then, it's the Yankees so what do you expect?

[xaxat]

Pirates' minor leaguer Mason Martin hit three run walk off homers in back to back games of a double header today.

[AimingforYoko]

This is a quality PR campaign.

[Lantern7]

On 5/15/2019 at 11:39 PM, Moose135 said:

What a ridiculous idea, but then, it's the Yankees so what do you expect?

I think it's the Staten Island Yankees, not the big club. That occasional nickname is based off a years-old meme, and that didn't take place on Staten Island. It reeks of desperation.

[Lantern7]

Staten Island to host the New York-Penn League All-Star Game. I dunno . .  only time I ever went to an all-star game was the inaugural edition for the MLS back in 1996 at Giants Stadium.

[xaxat]

I think minor league all star games work a lot better when they are held in smaller, non MLB markets. Having a show like that come to Williamsport or Batavia is a pretty big deal locally.

[Lantern7]

Player gets death threats after using drag bunt to break up a combined no-hitter. This is Double-A Eastern League action. If you're going to invoke that "unwritten rule," it probably should be called out at AAA, minimum.

[Bort]

Fan eats mayo jug at baseball game.

Minor League mayonnaise man questions.

[catlover79]

Yikes...thank goodness no one got hurt.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/07/05/mets-farm-team-wanted-fireworks-ended-up-with-just-fire/?utm_term=.f832c36c2fa6

[Lantern7]

Bumping up because minor league teams might be getting cut off after 2020 . . . and it turns out the Staten Island Yankees are on the list.

*sigh* This is what happens when you don’t get around to watching games in person.

[xaxat]

A group of mayors have organized to oppose MiLB's proposed contraction. Currently, 42 teams are scheduled to lose affiliation with their MLB team, probably rendering a number of them economically nonviable.

It's not just mayors that are pissed. State legislators and members of Congress are also taking a lot of grief from residents of the potentially affected cities and towns. Manfred's not stupid, he had to know this was coming, so I wonder what his calculation was. Just take the hit and move on? Cut the list of eliminated teams to make the survivors feel grateful? A Hunger Games to extract stadium concessions out of desperate teams?

[Silver Raven]

A's long time minor league coach Webster Garrison (he has coached at Midland, Stockton, and Beloit and the A's Arizona League team) is reported to have coronavirus and is on a ventilator.

 

[xaxat]

My nearby team was on the MLB contraction list. It's seems pretty clear that the minor leagues probably won't restart this season. So, I've probably seen the last of them. 😥

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, xaxat said:

My nearby team was on the MLB contraction list. It's seems pretty clear that the minor leagues probably won't restart this season. So, I've probably seen the last of them. 😥

Who is your team? Last I checked, the Congressman for Staten Island (and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn) was working on keeping the Baby Bombers . . . but, well, you know what's been happening. Also, he just deployed with the National Guard to set up field hospitals. I'd like to think MLB would put contraction on the back burner . . . but I'm a pessimist by nature.

[xaxat]

Looks like the grim reaper has arrived. Sources: MiLB Ready To Agree To Significant Reduction In Teams

[Lantern7]

Plight of Minor Leagues is the cover story for the latest Sports Illustrated.