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MLB 2021
- Thread starter gmase
- Start date
gmase
Nattering Nabob of Negativism
.... and they'll win some because of it eventually. I am torn on it.
At the intersection of Sports and Politics: https://www.mlb.com/news/2021-all-star-game-draft-relocated
John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
I don't figure what politicians are thinking. One Queens representative, New York State Senator Michael Gianaris (Astoria, Queens) wants the All-Star game moved to Citifield because his thinking is that the All-Star game is as American as apple pie. And that Queens best represents America because of immigration. No, Mr. Gianaris. MLB should not "line your pockets" by having the All-Star game played in Queens. Your home base. Queens is not Ellis Island. Queens is not New York Harbor (where the Statue of Liberty is). Sorry.
Hank Aaron's January 2021 death shouldn't change anything. Atlanta was selected years ago. This just makes his death more tragic. MLB, if you want to "honor" Hank Aaron, move the game to Milwaukee.
That's all I'll say about that.
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The Mets start of the season and weekend series with the Nationals was postponed because of the Nationals players and team personnel testing positive for Covid-19. The Mets start of the season begins at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday. They are playing the Philllies. With Cy Young Award winner, Jacob deGrom sceduled to be taking the mound.
The Giants picked up their first win last night. A 6-3 win over the Mariners. Johnny Cueto started but did not get the win. Buster Posey and Evan Longoria homered again. The Dodgers won too. Their first. An 11-6 drubbing over the Rockies. Trevor Bauer with his first win.
Both teams are chasing the Friars. The Padres are 2-0. They seem to have gone back to the brown and yellow uniforms. A more "retro" feel to their uniforms. That is cool.
As a young Mets man in 1970, but for a short time, I had a Padres baseball cap in 1977 because of Randy Jones the 1976 Cy Young Award winner. Yes Legmann61, I was a Mets fan starting out. I saw many games at Shea Stadium. I was a huge Tom Seaver fan. M. Donald Grant's handling and then the trading of "The Franchise" soured my feelings towards the team. The chintzy and cheap Mets could not afford to give Seaver a $314,000.00 raise and Dick Young of the New York Daily News picked up on it. Dick Young called Seaver greedy. Both Young and Grant drove Seaver out of town. I became a Giants fan as a result because Bobby Murcer (who I was another big fan of) was traded to San Francisco for Bobby Bonds in 1975.
On June 15, 1977, I made it "official." - I changed my team's allegiances from the Mets to the Giants.
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John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
Fixed. Fled Cruz (R-TX), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Mike Lee (R-UT) -- All Pro Trumpsters who are leading the chorus. They are Fascists/Communists. Time for them to go!Milwaukee is the best idea I have heard yet.
Now, certain Republican Senators fight back and want to pull MLB’s antitrust exemption. This will get fun.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/546291-gop-senators-push-to-end-mlb-antitrust-status
Which won't pass the Senate because of Democratic Party control. And Vice President Kamila Harris having the key swing vote. Also the Democratic controlled House would have a say in it too. It would not be signed into law either by the President. President Biden in fact liked the idea of pulling the All Star Game out of Georgia.
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Today's Yankees-Blue Jays game will be interesting.
Yankees start Corey Kluber today. The ex-Indian. Blue Jays counter with Ross Stripling. The ex-Dodger. Both are trying to get their pitching careers back into form. Both sustained injuries while with the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Also today, The ex-Met Matt Harvey makes his first start in his debut for the Orioles against the Boston Red Sox. This will be his sixth team (Mets, Reds, Angels, A's, Royals, and Orioles) since 2018. Red Sox are starting Tanner Houck. Boston's #1 draft pick in 2017.
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John, the day the Mets traded Seaver, I stopped following the Mets (and baseball in general). It took me 3 years to finally return, when Nelson Doubleday bought the team and hired Frank Cashen as GM to rebuild a struggling and neglected franchise.
Dick Young was M Donald Grant's bagman (much the way super hack Andy Martino was for the Wilpons for many years). The final straw for Tom Terrific was when Young said the Seavers were jealous of the Ryans because Nolan was making more money as a California Angel:
The Midnight Massacre
+100. I also hate not throwing those four pitches for an intentional walk. Anything can happen in baseball!
John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
Yes strange things do happen on a intentional walk. I was at the Stadium with friends and we saw Gary Sanchez hit a sacrifice when the Tampa Bay pitcher didn't throw it out far enough. Brett Gardner scored on the play. I've also seen Tony Pena call for it against John Olerud. The Indians had a 3-2 count on the Blue Jays hitter. Pena put his arm out again for the fourth ball. Olerud saw him move outside from off the third base side. But then Pena crouched back down and then had Dennis Martinez strike out Olerud.
In a tied up game four of the 2014 NLDS, Washington's Aaron Barrett walked Hunter Pence in the seventh inning to load the bases. With Joe Panik on third, Buster Posey on second and Hunter Pence now on first. Pablo Sandoval came up. Barrett threw a wild pitch which allowed Panik to score. Matt Williams, Washington's manager, called for an intentional walk of Sandoval. So with Wilson Ramos with his arm out, Barrett's next pitch was another wild pitch. Posey tried to score but was thrown out by Ramos when the ball ricocheted off the batting cage. Barrett blocked the plate with his knee and tagged Posey out.
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A few years back, they asked Jim Leyland (who I greatly admire) about the "auto walk":
"I'm all for it,'' Leyland said. "Put up four [fingers] and tell the guy to go to first. Every blue moon one gets by the catcher, but I'd like to see us put this through. Keep the pace of the game going. To me, it's a no-brainer.''
Okay, but.... "every blue moon" someone can throw a perfect game or hit for the cycle or a team can turn a triple play or Benny Agbayani can hand a ball to a fan thinking it was the third out
Isn't that the beauty of baseball, that you just never know what to expect next? Why diminish that?
"I'm all for it,'' Leyland said. "Put up four [fingers] and tell the guy to go to first. Every blue moon one gets by the catcher, but I'd like to see us put this through. Keep the pace of the game going. To me, it's a no-brainer.''
Okay, but.... "every blue moon" someone can throw a perfect game or hit for the cycle or a team can turn a triple play or Benny Agbayani can hand a ball to a fan thinking it was the third out
Isn't that the beauty of baseball, that you just never know what to expect next? Why diminish that?
gmase
Nattering Nabob of Negativism
Well, because games have extended from ~2.5 hours to ~3.0. I understand both sides of the argument and, as stated above, am torn on it.
I am a semi-purist, but at some point sanity needs to enter the equation. The IBB was essentially a waste of time. Stepping out of the batter's box (or a pitcher stepping off the rubber) and going through some routine is a waste of time as well. I'd prefer to eliminate the latter, but the former is easier to regulate.
Rules have changed over time (we are not playing with 1900 rules) so we are living through a few.
As for what can happen next, I still lament the loss of my 1992 World Series tix via Sid Bream and Francisco 'fucking' Cabrera. Andy Van Slyke displays it best:
sj1
Love & Basketball
On the O's local broadcast yesterday they say they are experimenting with rules in the minors like all infield players must be standing on the infield dirt, they can play in of course for a bunt, they are trying to take away putting the 2nd baseman in short right field. Then they also have to play the infield with 2 guys on each side of 2nd base. So they are trying to take away from the infield shifts.
John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
If hitters would learn to hit to the other field, instead of pulling it all the time, then that would counteract all of the shifting. Both Tony Gwynn and Don Mattingly learned to hit to the opposite field at an early age. Don Mattingly learned to do it while playing wiffle ball. He had to because his father had a huge shed in his back yard. Anything hit over the shed was out of play, because behind that large shed was a fence and a big Mastiff was in the neighbor's yard. Tony Gwynn could hit to all fields and he started doing that at his high school, Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He continued to do that at San Diego State and later he perfected it at the professional level. The great Ted Williams gave him hitting advice.
I remember a game where the Cardinals' Shelby Miller was throwing a no-hitter and perfect game against the Dodgers through six and 2/3 innings. Adrian Gonzalez came up with two outs in the seventh. With Dee Gordon having struck out and Andre Ethier flying out. Mike Matheny, the Cardinals manager, directed Kolten Wong who was playing second base to move over into shallow right field. Matt Carpenter, the third baseman, moved behind and to the left of second base and Daniel Descalso, the shortstop, pretty much stayed at his position moving a few steps toward the second base bag. Anyway, Adrian came up, took a ball on the first pitch, he fouled the second one off into the first base stands. He took a ball, fouled another off, took another high pitch for a ball and with a 3-2 count, he then he drove a ball right off inside the third base bag. He was on base with a single. He rounded first and was halfway to second base but then he ran back to first. The no hitter was broken up. Yaseil Puig came up next and the Cardinals shifted again. This time moving all the way over to the left. Stacking things up on the third base side. Puig fouled the ball off into the third base stands. Soon the shutout was gone too. Because Puig hit the next pitch to the opposite field. Right field. Gonzalez was running on the pitch because there were two outs and he scored. Puig had an opposite field double and a run batted in. Then Miller was out of the game. The bullpen gave up another single to Carl Crawford. The Dodgers had scored two runs in the inning and then added another run in the eighth inning for a 3-1 lead. The Dodgers ended up winning the game, 3-2.
So it can be done. Hitters just have to learn to do it.
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sj1
Love & Basketball
I like the infield straight up and playing in at 3rd at times in case of the bunt. There are so many differences from the baseball I grew up watching and playing. Lacking a lot of the basic fundamentals of baseball and knowing about the situation , outs, who is on base, how the defense is playing, the pitcher and catcher and if the ball gets away from the catcher you have to decide right away, no hesitation. Hitters swing for the fences, strikeouts are up, when you get 2 strikes you choke up and try to put the ball in play. Small ballparks and juiced baseballs. I remember Don Baylor would stand on the plate and get hit many times. Then I think how so many players from Barry Bonds, Mo Vaughn, "Big Papi" to name a few, they wore all this padding on their elbow, legs and stand on the plate daring you to throw inside. When that happened they got pissed and both benches were warned. I do not think the majority of the pitchers are accurate enough to pitch in, away, down and up. So the batters have the advantage knowing you will not throw in and if you do they put there elbow out there with the protective padding. Then you have all these pitching changes, there were so many great hitters but can you imagine seeing a left handed pitcher come in and the Manager goes Hold on Ted Williams I am pitch hitting for you, you can't face a left hander. :eek: So many of the greats have great stories, Willie Mays was talking about one year early in the season he was batting just below 300 avg and he was like I got to start hitting better or they will send me down. The majority of the hitters now are not close to hitting over 300 avg. Willie Mays was talking about this one game he got in the the batters box leading off the game, had not really dug in which helped cause the 1st pitch was a fastball at his head from Bob Gibson. Willie was like I am glad I was not dug in good and hit the dirt getting out of the way. Willie was like I forgot who was pitching. I know there was another game it was Juan Marichal vs. Warren Spahn, July 2, 1963 at Candlestick Park. The Milwaukee Braves vs. the S.F. Giants. A few highlights from that game Willie Mays hit a solo Home Run in the 16th to win the game for S.F. 1-0 in 16 innings. Both pitchers started and finished the game with both close to 200 pitches. It was not uncommon to see that. One last thing maybe they should bring back the bullpen carts. I could talk about it all day but all sports are different from what they use to be. Like anything there are positives and negatives of the game. Well sorry for writing so much. Last one Joe DiMaggio in 13 seasons struck out a total of 369. His highest total of strikeouts in a season was 39 strikeouts in 138 games in 1936 and the least was 13 strikeouts in 139 games in 1941. Is 13 year career avg strikeouts in a season was 34. Take care and have a great day.
I could talk about it all day but all sports are different from what they use to be. Like anything there are positives and negatives of the game. Well sorry for writing so much. Last one Joe DiMaggio in 13 seasons struck out a total of 369. His highest total of strikeouts in a season was 39 strikeouts in 138 games in 1936 and the least was 13 strikeouts in 139 games in 1941. Is 13 year career avg strikeouts in a season was 34. Take care and have a great day.
gmase
Nattering Nabob of Negativism
I caught yesterday's 3rd inning over lunch. The announcers were commenting about the booing at Fenway: "We didn't hear much of that last year." You were in for a long day when your most effective pitcher is a rule 5 pick who had not pitched above AA before yesterday.
They are experimenting with a variety of changes throughout the minors: automatic ball/strike system, larger bases, limiting the number of pickoff attempts, and reducing the pitch clock. The results will certainly be interesting.
In the overall scheme of things, I personally like the shifts. It's like when a football defense crowds the line of scrimmage and then gets burned when the QB dinks a pass to the TE for a long TD. Hitters need to get better and beat the shifts. Just like Ted Williams.
sj1
Love & Basketball
When I watch baseball I see the infield shifted I am like choke up and hit it where they ain't. That is what I would do especially if the pitch was away, keep your eye on the ball and go with the pitch.
John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
Same old Mets. They lost their opener. Jacob deGrom pitched really well. He went six innings, struck out seven, walked two (Bryce Harper twice) and gave up three hits. DeGrom went 2-3 at the plate with two singles. His second hit drove in the second run and the Mets had a 2-0 lead. The bullpen and late inning defense blew this game once again. Like usual. Trevor May gave up 3 runs and Aaron Loup gave up two in a five run eighth inning onslaught by the Phillies. Luis Guillorme's throwing error at third base was huge. Of the five runs allowed in the eighth, only two were earned. Francisco Lindor didn't do much of anything at the plate,1-4 with a walk and a strikeout. Jeff McNeil went 0-4 and left five men on, two in scoring position He flew out, and grounded out three times, once into a double play. The Mets had ten hits. All singles. You won't win many games hitting just singles.
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John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
The Yankees have the Orioles number. A 7-0 whitewashing tonight. Yankees in the last five years have really dominated the Orioles. With 2019 being their best, a 17-2 season record. At one point, they won seventeen straight. Overall the Yankees have taken 49 games out of 68 since 2017 for a .721 winning percentage.
John_8581
FreeOnes Lifetime Member
Fernando Tatis Jr suffered a shoulder injury while up at bat last night in yesterday's Padres-Giants game. It looked very bad. He'll be evaluated by Padres medical staff today. The crowd at Petco Field got awfully quiet. The injury is called a shoulder subluxation.
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...-game-with-shoulder-injury-suffered-on-swing/
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/...-game-with-shoulder-injury-suffered-on-swing/
gmase
Nattering Nabob of Negativism
If Colorado can behave then it seems like the Classic may be heading here.Milwaukee is the best idea I have heard yet.
Now, certain Senators fight back and want to pull MLB’s antitrust exemption. This will get fun.
