Official Baseball Discussion Thread

[racingchick1020]

Didn't see one of these here...

I figure that maybe with the football and hockey threads, we could have a thread about baseball. MLB, minors, college, high school. If it's baseball, it goes here. I guess you could mix softball into this if you want to, but you don't have to if you don't want to.

Who wants to begin?

[MDCSWildcats86]

Fan of the Colorado Rockies here, but it's no big deal if they don't make the playoffs in 2012 (unlikely they will).

In Oklahoma City, the RedHawks are an Astros AAA affiliate, after decades of being a Strangers affiliate.

[Melyssa56]

In 2008 and 2009, the Phillies' record after 15 games was 7-8, just like it is this year. I don't think they will be back in the World Series as they were both of those years, as their hitting is totally phutile and the manager and GM have phailed to address the situation.

[racingchick1020]

Here's a question that I think I've seen the answer to, but I don't remember it.

Why do pitchers bat in the National League, but a DH is needed in the American League?

[espnews26]

Why do pitchers bat in the National League, but a DH is needed in the American League?

Old time rule dating back to the 1970s. At the time, the American League owners were more willing than National League to accept the rule. I'm sure if EVIL Bud Selig would have his way, both leagues would use a DH all the time. He already did by blackmailing the new owners of the Houston Astros for the 2013 season.

[Melyssa56]

The EVIL Bud still has no clue how to run MLB. The GOOD Melyssa would do the following:

1. Fire incompetent, confrontational umpires at a moment's notice. Goodbye, Joe West. Adios, Angel Hernandez. See ya, C.B. Bucknor.
2. Put the DH in both leagues so fans with the Sunday package could see their favorite players more often. (Johnny Callison probably had more days off than on when I went to Phillies' games at Connie Mack Stadium in the 1960s.)
3. Have all night-time national telecasts start by 7:00 Eastern Time, and put the World Series back during the day where it was so successful for so many decades.
4. Force Joe Buck to root for the Phillies to keep his job.
5. Try to bring more parity, whether by an NHL-style salary cap (with a ceiling AND a floor) or by a stronger luxury tax.
6. For the draft, have international players be drafted just like American players. Also, anyone who is selected remains property of that team for five years unless traded or released, or said player goes to an independent league. That's for you, J.D. Drew.

[espnews26]

^^ I like most of those suggestions.

-FOX should can Buck from their MLB coverage. He doesn't even care that much about baseball. He loves the NFL.
-Expand Instant replay for Fair/Foul
-Force TBS to broadcast Sunday afternoon games featuring teams west of the Mississippi.

[racingchick1020]

Interleague play this weekend, and ESPN picks the only NL/NL game on the schedule for SNB.

[Melyssa56]

Interleague play this weekend, and ESPN picks the only NL/NL game on the schedule for SNB.

Two possible reasons:

1. No Yankees/Mets game.
2. Maybe they feel the same way about interleague as the Phillies do. LOL

[espnews26]

Two possible reasons:

1. No Yankees/Mets game.
2. Maybe they feel the same way about interleague as the Phillies do. LOL

It was a good matchup. Both first place teams and LA is one of the better teams in baseball. I believe best in the NL.

If you want to watch YANKEES/METS/RED SOX/PHILLIES, go watch TBS on a Sunday Afternoon. They don't show teams west of the Mississippi, unless they play the 4 above teams. Why do you think MLB Network now shows MLB Tonight from 1pm-8pm instead of 5pm-8pm on Sundays?

[Melyssa56]

I would rather have the Phillies on TBS than ESPN on Sundays, that way I could actually see the end of the game.

[espnews26]

Bobby Valentine = one of the worst managers in the game today.
Either that or Red Sox nation is overrated.

[M2nFarisFan]

^ + ^^ - I'm starting to get sick of hearing every day about how the Phillies and Red Sox are failing. No one but Phillies and Red Sox fans care about them any more. The Marlins, Orioles, Nationals, and definitely, the hometown Pittsburgh Pirates need to get lots more media coverage, because they are clearly being passed over by the national media.

I've been glossing over this thread for some time. I noted last year that the Phillies fans who came to PNC Park were cordial and polite. From what I heard about them this year, they were a little bit - scratch that, quite more than that, notably - obnoxious. BoSox fans have been probably the worst fans of any sport for the past 15 years, mostly because of their "entitlement" arrogance. Only Yankees fans are more reviled for their 1% attitude.

But it's beside the point. Stop kissing the Red Sox and Phillies' butts. There's a series going on in a week or so between two division leaders in Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh. That should elicit one, if not two, nationally televised games. Both are blue collar teams with budding fanbases which will definitely be worth watching if you are red blooded and are a sports fan with an IQ higher than your age. The era of big spending dominance is over.

[racingchick1020]

The era of big spending dominance is over.

Is it sad to think that I'm actually agreeing with you here?

[M2nFarisFan]

Is it sad to think that I'm actually agreeing with you here?

No, it's a sign you are seeing the light after all this time. I don't know if you remember the member jmart007 from many moons ago....he was the penultimate Boston sports fan. I had to hear from him all the time about how his town was the best, and that the salary cap was unfair, that having four championship-caliber teams in town meant the fans were better and such. He left, primarily because his talk was big but when the BoSox began drifting back into playing "catcher" to the Yanks, he didn't carry clout. In truth, it's the reason why I was so outwardly pleased when the Steelers won XL and having two champions in '09.

As to diagnosing why the standings seemingly have been turned upside down, I don't have a single diagnosis. But I think it's due to the fact that the income inequality is beginning to shrink. Look at the Bucs here....they drafted this guy named Appel represented by Scott Boras. It's a drastic change from the cautious "don't draft big because we can't pay 'em" scheme. It's kind of like when the Steelers drafted Big Ben....it was a long time since you had a marquee name. We all know how that turned out.

Nonetheless, I think there's a lot more investment in the teams in the past few years. The Nats with Bryce Harper and Steve Strasburg are finally beginning to blossom. But one only needs to look at who the teams are signing - the free agents are not being hoarded any more by a few, but rather are distributed. A lot of young talent is staying where they began. And the teams that had the old style "buy a championship" theme are faltering. (Asterisk: LA Dodgers not included.)