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Community Forums => General Chat => Topic started by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 02:59:48 PM

Title: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 02:59:48 PM
The Official MLB Thread

(http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/3981/theunitedcountriesofbas.jpg)

Let have a place to discuss baseball!

This will probably get heated at times but lets try our best to keep it civil.

So post what your favorite teams, players, and stadiums are. Why you love baseball, and also thoughts on recent games and standings!


Division Standings
(http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/994isionstandings.jpg)

Wild Card
(http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/8821/wildcard.jpg)
   
...


So my favorite team is the Boston Red Sox. I lived in Boston for a few years when I was little and fell in love with the Red Sox.
(http://peltiertech.com/WordPress/wp-content/img200809/red_sox_logo111.gif)


My favorite player is a hard one. I have many favorites but one that really comes to mind is Jonathan Papelbon. He has some electric stuff and has electric attitude when pitching, you give him the ball in the 9th and you can be pretty sure your going to win.
(http://faninterference.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/jonathan_papelbon2.jpg)


My favorite stadium is Fenway Park. Its the oldest, and its a special place. Not much beats sitting on the Green Monster in the middle of the 8th then Sweet Caroline coming on....
(http://www.myredsoxtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/fenway-park-image.jpg)
Sweet Caroline from Fenway Park:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f33c24tuFTU&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f33c24tuFTU&feature=related)

GO SOX!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on August 11, 2009, 03:32:46 PM
I don't mean to grief, but I did purchase a broom this weekend...and a helluva division lead.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 03:41:13 PM
You really think a 5.5 game lead is going to last in the AL East? 5.5 games is far from a runaway in the division. Who has gotten a broom 3 times this year?

Well I think I heard this song last night....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a65H8PR17fY&feature=related
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on August 11, 2009, 04:28:58 PM
That baseball map needs a much larger area for the Jays.  Like maybe one the entire size of Canada.  Now baseball takes a back seat to hockey and Canadian football but IF you're Canadian and you like baseball the Toronto Blue Jays are usually your team.  When the Jays come to Seattle it's like an away game for the Mariners.  Most of the audience are British Columbians making the drive from the Vancouver area.

Safeco Field is the only ballpark I've visited.  Fortunately it's a REALLY nice park.  For the last couple years I've gone every year.  The first time I went specifically to see the Jays but they don't always visit at a time that's convenient for me so the Mariners have become my number two team.  My brother is specifically a Mariner fan and would taunt me if they were playing the Jays.  This year's trip is this coming weekend in fact.  I'll be taking Friday off work and checking out the last three games of their series against the Yankees.  Should be lots of fun as usual!

I don't follow baseball like I follow hockey though.  It's more of a "nothing to do, hey there's a ball game on" interest.  For me it's because there are so few spots in the MLB playoffs.  I'm sure purists prefer it that way but to me it really kills the interest.  The Jays haven't made the playoffs since they won the World Series in 1993!  And with the Red Sox and Yankees in their division it's going to take a major restructuring of those teams to change that.  All the other sports have more playoff spots and playoffs are fun.  Even if your team goes out in the first round it creates some hope for next year and gives the season some purpose.  With baseball the season is a waste of time for like at least half of the teams that day one the fans know are NOT going to make it.  The Expos only had one playoff appearance in their entire team in Montreal.  Well no wonder they moved.  Who wants to watch a team that's so irrelevent?

One may argue that by having more restrictive playoffs MLB is ensuring a higher standard of play.  I'll freely admit that basketball and hockey are generous to the point that's kinda phony.  But it gets the fans interested more than a winning team being irrelevent for over ten years because the divisions are such that they're stuck in a strong one while another team contends year after year because their division is made up of soup cans.  The thing is to win the Stanley Cup or the NBA Championship still is an accomplishment because the playoffs are long enough that you can't just fluke out.  It's a big enough grind to mean something, even if some subpar teams are in the playoffs.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Stogi on August 11, 2009, 04:33:52 PM
Ugh Baseball is like a girl...

You can ignore her for a while, but when you come back, nothings changed.

For real though. The only time I ever had a good time watching baseball is when I'm getting drunk. It's so dreadfully boooooorrrrrrrrinnnnnnngggg.

But please...continue.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 04:59:06 PM
I think Basketball is ridiculously boring....

I grew up watching the Red Sox and grew up loving baseball. You love the sport you grew up watching and paying attention to and for me that was Baseball. Sox fan since I was 4 years old!

I have two favorite teams, the Red Sox and who ever are playing the Yankees.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on August 11, 2009, 05:47:25 PM
...And you have one flavor: ignorant.

The Red Sox aren't an Evil Empire? Psh.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 07:04:23 PM
And what team spent $423.5 million on 3 players in one off season? Red Sox spent less than you will pay AJ Burnett in one season!

They are the Evil Empire because can throw any amount of money at any player and get them. These numbers don't lie, Yankees have the top 4 highest contracts ever. Then 5 above $100 million. How many do the Red Sox have? 1!

(http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/3586/contracts.jpg)

You want to tell me the Yankees dont throw money at players? When currently the Yankees have 4 players with 100+ million dollar contracts and the Red Sox have none!

Also overall payroll, Red Sox aren't even 2nd, or 3rd! 4th with a payroll of $80 million less than the Yankees in 09.

(http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/199/payroll.jpg)

One more thing, how much the players make in just the 09 season. I don't see one Red Sox player do I?

(http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/2555/sallaryyearly.jpg)

The Red Sox largest contract is JD Drew which is $70 million. Yeah, 4 of Drews contracts equals A-Frauds!

Sorry, but numbers don't lie....
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on August 11, 2009, 07:10:31 PM
Even if your team goes out in the first round it creates some hope for next year and gives the season some purpose.  With baseball the season is a waste of time for like at least half of the teams that day one the fans know are NOT going to make it.  The Expos only had one playoff appearance in their entire team in Montreal.  Well no wonder they moved.  Who wants to watch a team that's so irrelevent?

The people of the great state of Texas, that's who!  Our perennial also-rans are well loved in spite of their nearly nonexistent playoff record, thank you very much.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on August 11, 2009, 07:24:19 PM
Quote
The only time I ever had a good time watching baseball is when I'm getting drunk. It's so dreadfully boooooorrrrrrrrinnnnnnngggg.

EVERY sport is boring to someone.  I used to not watch sports at all and at first only hockey.  I've found that each game has different things about it that make it entertaining to different people.  Once you acknowledge that and take a game for what it is it becomes much more entertaining.

Though baseball on TV is presented in a pretty shitty manner.  Half the time the commentators just chat about whatever and completely ignore what the hell is going on.  You don't really see that in the other major sports.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 07:30:47 PM
I only watch Baseball on NESN. Its less so on your local networks than your Fox or ESPN's.

Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 11, 2009, 08:42:24 PM
delete
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Guitar Smasher on August 11, 2009, 10:23:07 PM
My team was the Expos.  I now support the Jays, although it's kind of a joke the way they run things.  And yes I find baseball to be boring, but it's nice when it's in the background.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on August 13, 2009, 04:43:01 AM
I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, or at least I was until they traded Victor Martinez.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: RABicle on August 17, 2009, 04:59:07 AM
Desperate for programming, Channel ONE has begun screening MLB here in Australia. I really don't see the appeal. It seems to be a goddamned miracle if people even make it to first base, let alone score a run. Also are batters required to close their eyes or something? Hitting the ball seems to be entirely based on luck.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: BranDonk Kong on August 17, 2009, 10:28:29 AM
Baseball is incredibly boring to watch, unless you're at the game. Then it's fun for the first 13 or 14 hours, but then it gets boring and you wish you were dead. Steroids should be legal - nay, mandatory, in baseball.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 17, 2009, 10:58:20 AM
That's all opinion. I watch at least one Sox game a week.

I also play Baseball for my high school. You couldn't just throw anybody up there and they get lucky and get a hit. Sometimes you do just get lucky but most the time not.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on August 17, 2009, 11:48:11 AM
I've always enjoyed baseball, but I am generally bored by it. In my opinion, live games are fun because of the overall experience, not because of the actual game. And the game usually only gets good if its close in the last three innings.

Although sitting back and putting on a baseball game is good background for playing a DS game. I think I played numerous hours of Diamond and Pearl while watching baseball with my dad in 2007.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on August 17, 2009, 12:25:38 PM
Well I watch the game to watch the game because I find it interesting. I have watched baseball since I was born, I have played since I was 4-5 playing catch. Its the sport that I love. No other sport really grabs me more than baseball. Everyone has a sport they are really into and mine is baseball.

Just about everyday I throw and about every week I will go out to the cage and hit. Then once baseball season for school starts I throw and hit nearly everyday.

Baseball is a huge part of my life.


By the way when you play baseball what position do you guys play? For my school I am a pitcher, when I was little I wanted to be a SS but I am not a guy to be a shortstop. Last season I had a 4-1 record, hit .389 and had a .440 OBP, had 4 home runs and 20 RBI's for the HHS Bearcats.

Our best player who is now a senior hit .494 with a .516 OBP, had 8 home runs and stuck out 90+ over the season. He was conference player of the year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on August 17, 2009, 12:36:18 PM
I played a lot of rec baseball up until the end of high school. I pitched, and played first and outfield. I call it the lefty curse; I'm relegated to only half the positions.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on August 17, 2009, 06:51:54 PM
Quote
By the way when you play baseball what position do you guys play?

I don't think I've actually EVER played anything resembling a real game of baseball.  The problem is you pretty much need nine guys per team and that just isn't realistic for a quick spur-of-the-moment game.  You can always play basketball or street hockey with less than the proper amount of players so those always got priority.

In the rare occasions where some baseballish mutant game is played I do tend to be assigned pitching duties a fair bit since among my very unathletic friends I can throw the most consistently and thus can throw something resembling a strike (ie: you can actually hit it).  No one wants to just play a game of all walks, right? ;)

Just got back from my trip to Seattle to watch the Mariners and Yankees.  As usual I had a great time.  The Mariners were quite frustrating to watch until the last game though.  They have a much weaker batting lineup than in previous seasons.  The top four or so in the batting order were okay (and Ichiro is great of course) but after that, I just couldn't get excited when these guys came to bat.  Lots of striking out with guys on base.  Bases loaded, only one out and the 8 and 9 guys just **** the bed.  Obviously the Yankees are at a higher level (and payroll of course) but they had some consistent hitting ability throughout their lineup.  There are too many Mariner players that felt like just guys filling a roster spot.

It's also sad when after a losing effort my Dad, who doesn't follow sports as much as I do, says to me "what's the big deal with this Ken Griffey Jr. guy?"  He really just doesn't have it anymore. :(
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on August 17, 2009, 07:32:02 PM
By the way when you play baseball what position do you guys play?

I only played baseball for one year when I was around 9 or 10.  I was in left field, and I was the only bad player on the second place team.

I could rant for a while about my horrible experience playing little league baseball, but I'll just say this.  Little boys do not have an innate knowledge of baseball encoded on the Y chromosome.  If they don't have natural talent, and you just stick them in left field and hope the ball doesn't get hit that way, without even explaining how to play the position, then you are a terrible person and not fit to coach (and you will engender a surprising amount of bitterness apparently, but not as much as that one umpire who called two ankle-high balls in a row strikes.  THIS ISN'T SOME KIND OF HIGH SPEED GOLF YOU JERK!  YOU'RE LUCKY YOU WERE WEARING A MASK!)


EDIT:  :D by the way.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: D_Average on August 21, 2009, 07:51:23 PM
I love to play baseball, but I don't watch much until the playoffs.  Just thought you guys should know.

Go Cubs!  and Go Rockies.... (in case the cubs choke again, gotta have a back up)
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on August 28, 2009, 11:08:26 PM
Can I just get a "WHAT THE HELL, UMP?!" for the travesty that just occurred in the Metrodome?  That wasn't even close to being a strike.  Thanks a lot for turning an exciting night of baseball into a bad joke.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on October 18, 2009, 12:09:51 AM
So right now I am watching the 2nd game of the ALCS and the Angels are up 3-2 in the bottom of the 11th versus the Yankees.Yankees have a 1 game lead.
While I was typing that Rodriguez hit a HR. 3-3 now.
Start of the 12th.
Tied still start of the 13th.
Bottom of the 13th tied still 3-3

Yankees won on a wild throw.Up 2 games to none.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on October 25, 2009, 07:54:11 PM
So yeah game 6 is starting of the ALCS.Yankees up 3-2 Do or die time for the Angels.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: D_Average on October 26, 2009, 01:49:12 AM
Man, I just have no interest in Phillies V Yanks.  Oh well, at least the Phils have a chance to prove they're true champs, its been almost a decade since a team has done so, with the last one being the Yanks.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on November 02, 2009, 11:31:04 PM
Well the Yankees lead 3-2. Phillys just won game 5. Hopefully they can win in 7.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: D_Average on November 03, 2009, 02:13:40 AM
Alright, lets go Philly!

Although, I gotta say, that move my Damon stealing two bases on Sun was pretty sweeeeet.  I think I did that in little league once.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: King of Twitch on November 04, 2009, 11:48:40 PM
dude, again with the yankees
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: BeautifulShy on November 04, 2009, 11:53:35 PM
Yeah Yankees just won.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: D_Average on November 05, 2009, 02:10:38 AM
Oh well. Doubt they'll defend the title and prove to be real champs.

That said. Go Cubs go! 
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on November 05, 2009, 12:58:52 PM
Yay Yankees!

While I don't think this team will have the firesale of the Florida Marlins, they'll be different next year as Matsui, Damon, and probably more won't be coming back.

Still, this is the first Yankees team 2001 that I've liked a lot. I've been a disheartened fan through the ridiculous and poor spending the past few years. They spent a crapton of money last year (and always), but they spent it on the right people. That's something that haters of the '90s Yankees don't geit; yes, they spent tons of money, but they got the right people.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on November 05, 2009, 01:10:15 PM
Always happy to see the Yankees win.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 08, 2010, 08:42:02 PM
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting excited for baseball season to start. I'm not sure why, because my Indians are going to be horrible this year, and in hockey, a sport which I like more than baseball, my Flyers are still very much in the hunt. I'm just in the mood for baseball, I guess; I bought MLB The Show when I was in GameStop picking up a Monster Hunter demo. Is anyone whose team is in better shape than Cleveland (basically everyone outside of Pittsburgh and D.C.) getting pumped?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on March 08, 2010, 09:33:36 PM
I am pumped every season for baseball! I still need to put away a bit more money so I can get MLB.TV this season. I got it in the last two months of the season last year for $30 and loved it. I just put the game on one monitor and did what ever on my main one.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on March 08, 2010, 11:36:44 PM
I think my excitement for baseball will amp up considerably when these two things happen:

1) The season starts
2) I buy MLB The Show

If my fiancee didn't have my PS3 at her place as a Netflix player, I'd probably have bought it already.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 09, 2010, 10:24:48 AM
Once you get The Show we should play online. I read they really fixed up the online this year, and maybe if I can win a few online it'll take the sting out of the Indians' almost certain 100 loss season.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on March 09, 2010, 05:55:56 PM
In regards to following the season I don't pay much attention to baseball.  My teams are the Jays and the Mariners and, ****, those teams aren't exactly contenders.  But every year I visit Seattle for a couple of days to check out some games with my dad, brother and a friend of mine and that's always a good time.  Baseball season means that trip is coming up so I always get pumped.  Hockey is the main sport I follow, but I see that as something to follow on TV (Canucks tickets are pricey) while baseball is something I see live.  I'd love it if MLB expanded and gave a team to Vancouver, even if they had to play in sterile old BC Place.  I'd be a regular attendee.  And there is an unequal amount of teams between the leagues.  The AL could use two more to balance things out.  *hint* *hint* MLB.

I've been thinking about what to do for vacation this year.  I like doing road trips but from Vancouver, south is really the only direction to go.  Too much middle-of-nowhere if you head east.  But I've done that road trip so to see California again, I would need something different to spice it up.  Well there are five baseball teams in California so I wonder if I could do a road trip to see a home game for each team.  My brother is interested but scheduling things might be hard.  Plus while Mariners games are very affordable I have no idea what sort of price teams like the Dodgers or Angels charge.  Those teams are, you know, GOOD.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on March 09, 2010, 08:03:13 PM
Once you get The Show we should play online. I read they really fixed up the online this year, and maybe if I can win a few online it'll take the sting out of the Indians' almost certain 100 loss season.

You can convince me to get it at PAX East. :)

I really don't see myself getting the Show until after PAX East anyway. I've got Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing almost finished for review, then Calling, Red Steel 2, and maybe Pokemon on the horizon. There's no time for games unrelated to NWR!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on March 09, 2010, 09:21:09 PM
Mariners are very much contenders this year and will probably win their division. They made some great moves this offseason. They have the best starting two other than the Red Sox starting 3 pitchers.

Hernandez and Lee are going to be filthy in Safeco.

Now the Jays will probably be the worst in baseball this year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 09, 2010, 09:44:53 PM
No way, my Indians are going to be way worse. Sucks for a friend of mine, though, who is both an Indians fan and a Blue Jays fan.

I'm getting really in the mood to watch one of the Major League movies right now.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_Neal on March 09, 2010, 10:31:20 PM
I'm getting really in the mood to watch one of the Major League movies right now.

Dammit! You're tempting me too much!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on March 09, 2010, 10:45:58 PM
No way, my Indians are going to be way worse. Sucks for a friend of mine, though, who is both an Indians fan and a Blue Jays fan.

I'm getting really in the mood to watch one of the Major League movies right now.

True, thanks by the way for V-Mart! He is AMAZING! When that trade happened I thought are the Indians stupid?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 09, 2010, 10:50:23 PM
No way, my Indians are going to be way worse. Sucks for a friend of mine, though, who is both an Indians fan and a Blue Jays fan.

I'm getting really in the mood to watch one of the Major League movies right now.

True, thanks by the way for V-Mart! He is AMAZING! When that trade happened I thought are the Indians stupid?

Yeah, our GM, Mark Shapiro, isn't going to have the job much longer. Because he's being promoted to team president. That is not a joke.

I'm getting really in the mood to watch one of the Major League movies right now.

Dammit! You're tempting me too much!

I couldn't resist, currently watching Major League 2. I love Bob Uecker; I'd consider listening to Brewers games just to hear him call them. I also fully intend to do in The Show 10 what I did in MLB 2K9, set up the custom soundtrack to play the song "Wild Thing" when I bring in my closer.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: kraken613 on April 03, 2010, 11:26:53 PM
Tomorrow it is finally here!

OPENING DAY!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 03, 2010, 11:32:36 PM
After originally being predicted to lose almost 100 games, the Indians are now being picked by some to be as good as a .500 team. What's really going on is that it's such a young and inexperienced team that, despite showing some promise in Spring Training, it's hard to figure out what they're going to do. I'm going to stick with the motto of Cleveland sports fans and say we're going to be pretty good two or three years from now.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on October 23, 2010, 12:35:18 AM
I am resurrecting this thread to say

HELLO WORLD SERIES!

Tonight was the best night ever to be a Texas Rangers fan.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: that Baby guy on October 23, 2010, 01:16:25 AM
When I was in 6th grade, I played on a little league baseball team with Michael Kirkman.  We won all but the championship game, pretty much just because of him.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: TJ Spyke on October 25, 2010, 10:59:32 AM
I don't care about the Giants or the Rangers, so I have very little interest in the World Series this year. I guess I will root for the Rangers, only because I hate the Giants (I don't care either way about the Rangers).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 08, 2011, 10:47:33 PM
We're a week into the season, and things aren't looking the way they were supposed to. My beloved Indians are actually playing really well, apart from the first two games, and I'm a lot more confident in the prediction I made a while back that they'd be over .500 this year. Also, Boston being winless is awesome.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 29, 2011, 10:26:12 PM
With tonight's win (on a walk-off grand slam by Carlos Santana) the Indians now have the most wins in April of any team in franchise history. I knew they'd be better this year, but this is insane. I keep thinking it's going to end, but it just keeps on going.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 04, 2012, 09:03:53 PM
The MLB season starts tonight (not counting the A's-Mariners series in Japan), and my Indians open tomorrow. I can't help but get excited, even though they're probably going to suck and I've got two other sports teams playing right now that are actually good. My roommates and I are watching Major League right now to psyche ourselves up, and we'll see how long that excitement lasts.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Shaymin on April 04, 2012, 09:31:42 PM
This is your reminder: Occupy the Marlins (http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1032676/boosh.gif)
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 27, 2014, 06:13:16 PM
So, yeah, four years later...

I was really pissed at the Dolans for being cheap bastards who were too stupid to take a deal where their best pitcher was giving them a significant hometown discount, and still am, but I just watched the movie Major League and now I'm pumped for the season to start. If Masterson walks at the end of the year, we have to, in the words of Jake Taylor, win the whole fucking thing while we've still got him.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Ian Sane on March 27, 2014, 06:42:35 PM
My primary team is the Toronto Blue Jays as they're the sole Canadian team and I have fond memories of their back-to-back World Series in the early 90's.  However I go to Seattle Mariners games every year since they're the team within driving distance so they've turned into my second team by proxy.

Here's how to sum up their upcoming seasons:

Jays - going with the same team that sucked last season in the vain hope that the only reason they sucked was due to a catastrophe of injuries and slumps.

M's - Signed Robinson Cano... and absolutely no one else.

Either team making the playoffs would only be possible if their handful of good players had historically great seasons to make up for the deadweight plaguing both lineups.  Though if you had the M's pitching staff and the Jays' position players you would have a contending team.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread
Post by: Phil on March 27, 2014, 06:52:41 PM
It was a tad disappointing last season seeing my hometown team lose in the World Series, but then again, I still have clear and fresh memories of the miracle World Series run against the Rangers. I wasn't feeling really greedy for the Cards to win so soon again.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 10, 2016, 09:59:09 PM
So it's my Indians vs. Shaymin's Blue Jays in the American League Championship series, both getting there via sweeps, both in series most people picked them to lose. If you notice any added tension between the mods in the next week, it probably stems from that.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: nickmitch on October 10, 2016, 10:19:59 PM
#GoNationals
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 11, 2016, 01:23:58 AM
I'd really like to see the Cubs win myself and that would be my main choice. But right behind them are the Jays so I'm with Shaymin in the ALCS battle. And boo-yah! Cubs just tied it up as I was typing this! Get that sweep!

Last year, both Cubs and Jays made it to their League Championship series and both failed to win and make the World Series. Cubs improved this year but both are playing like they've got unfinished business and know they can get to the World Series. We'll see what happens but I'm hoping at least one or the other can actually make it this year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 11, 2016, 01:59:08 AM
What a shock, Khushrenada takes the side opposite me. He's just too predictable.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 11, 2016, 02:53:22 AM
Ah, nuts. Cubs lost this one. No sweep for them. Only way I'm rooting for the Indians is if they are facing the Giants in the World Series.

What a shock, Khushrenada takes the side opposite me. He's just too predictable.

Not my fault you have poor taste in sports teams.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 12, 2016, 12:35:35 PM
Cubs are through. Kind of hoping the Dodgers make it through as well. That way, I won't be in to root for the Indians no matter who they play or who advances.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Wah on October 12, 2016, 08:45:29 PM
Pfft, I've never gotten into the glorified cricket clone.
Maybe this could be a new project for you isanolord? Try to get me to try baseball?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 12, 2016, 09:20:47 PM
Pfft, I've never gotten into the glorified cricket clone.
Maybe this could be a new project for you isanolord? Try to get me to try baseball?

Root for the Chicago Cubs everyday or you'll be banned for a month for every day you don't support and cheer them on.

There. New baseball fan acquired. Challenge met and beat. Khushrenada does it again.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Wah on October 12, 2016, 10:09:33 PM
why cubs? that's not very intimidating... why not bears?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 13, 2016, 12:44:22 AM
Because Chicago Bears had already been taken by the NFL and so they wanted a name to reference that team and since they were the newer team, they took the name Cubs to show their youth and affiliation to Chicago. ;)

Plus, cubs are cute. Don't you want to take a little bear cub and squeeze him tight with all that soft fur and play with it as it explores the world with its youthful curiosity?


Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Wah on October 13, 2016, 08:16:38 PM
As it ripped your face off? sure!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Shaymin on October 13, 2016, 11:47:51 PM
I'm rooting for Washington to come back and win this game against Los Angeles because I want the AL team to be cheered by the casuals in the World Series. That seems... weird.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 14, 2016, 01:00:01 AM
I'm rooting for Washington to come back and win this game against Los Angeles because I want the AL team to be cheered by the casuals in the World Series. That seems... weird.

Not sure what you meant by casuals cheering but it is not to be. The Brooklyn LA Dodgers are on to the next round. Really looking forward to both championship series this year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 14, 2016, 02:06:58 AM
I think he meant people with no stake in it would root for the Jays or Indians over the Nationals, but not the Dodgers (and especially not the Cubs).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Ian Sane on October 14, 2016, 06:18:35 PM
So I realize that the most recent champ of the final four teams is the Jays who last won 23 years ago.  So this year a new group of fans will get to celebrate a World Series no matter what with no Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals or Giants in sight.  That's very cool.

Though I'm a Jays fan and I suppose this tidbit would make them the least deserving team.  Both the Jays and Dodgers have won World Series titles in my lifetime which is not the case for Cleveland and Chicago.  The Indians have not even done it in my father's lifetime and the Cubs haven't in my grandfather's.  I think it's pretty obvious which teams are going to have more sympathy from neutral fans.  Of course if it came down to Cubs/Indians wouldn't that be a little lame, that in order to end the suffering for one fanbase their team will have to crush the hopes of another long suffering fanbase?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 14, 2016, 07:17:45 PM
The Cubs and Indians are the two teams that have gone the longest without winning a World Series out of all of them, not just among the ones still left standing.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Shaymin on October 14, 2016, 07:57:22 PM
Stupid injury power rankings, baseball edition:

1) Glenallen Hill injures himself after waking up from a spider nightmare (http://bluejayhunter.com/2012/08/flashback-friday-glenallen-hills-freak.html)

2) Joel Zumaya misses a playoff series due to a repetitive stress injury caused by excessive Guitar Hero (http://minnesota.sbnation.com/minnesota-twins/2012/1/15/2710095/the-crazy-injury-history-of-joel-zumaya)

3) Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer has to wait two days to pitch because of a finger injury from fixing a drone (http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/cleveland-trevor-bauer-game-2-injury-1.3805991).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 14, 2016, 08:37:01 PM
Not the first time Bauer's gotten himself into trouble with those things.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 14, 2016, 11:01:29 PM
Cleveland Indians 2016 Postseason Game Plan:

1. Get the lead

2. Give the ball to Andrew Miller
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 14, 2016, 11:04:48 PM
3. Lose to the Jays.


Sounds like a perfect 3 step plan to me!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 15, 2016, 07:01:43 PM
Andrew Miller simply isn't fair. 10 strikeouts in 3 and 2/3 innings in this series. The Blue Jays lineup has some great hitters, but you wouldn't know it from how this series has gone so far.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 16, 2016, 12:20:39 AM
Is there any better way to end a game than a grand slam?


Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: rygar on October 16, 2016, 07:51:58 AM
I was always partial to a strikeout off a cut fastball, but I'm biased.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 16, 2016, 11:54:59 AM
Is there any better way to end a game than a grand slam?

The Indians won a game this year (against the Blue Jays, funnily enough) on a walk-off inside the park home run, which I was a big fan of. My current forum avatar is Tyler Naquin's reaction after doing that.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 17, 2016, 11:41:15 PM
Tonight's a night I'm going to be telling my grandkids about. Trevor Bauer has to leave the game after only 2/3 of an inning, but the bullpen carries the team through the rest of the game, putting the Indians one win away from the World Series.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Wah on October 18, 2016, 12:13:51 AM
Do you even have kids? :D
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 18, 2016, 12:16:20 AM
No, and that's kind of the point. This game will be remembered far into the future.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Wah on October 18, 2016, 12:18:32 AM
OBJECTION!
you still lied about having kids >:(









XD
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Ian Sane on October 18, 2016, 02:02:22 AM
The Jays are going out in the way that is usually reserved for my Canucks - the team technically has a good season but gets eliminated in the playoffs in a manner where they seemingly double-down on their most frustrating habits that annoyed you all season.  It ends up making the whole season feel like some con where they tricked you into getting excited but were secretly terrible.  In this case the Jays bats have all gone cold at the same time, like they did for the first six weeks or so of the season and all of September and during little pockets of misery throughout.

Obviously your team doesn't win the championship every year but there are years you go out with a hard fought loss where either team could have done it.  You get feedback that your team is good, but only one team is going to win and it wasn't yours this time.  I'm fine with that.  But getting swept while playing the way they are?  That sort of thing actually makes me angry.  I feel ripped off.  It's okay to lose, but you don't you DARE play like **** in doing so.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 18, 2016, 02:11:14 AM
Considering this same thing happened to the Red Sox in the previous series, I'm not sure this is the Jays' bats going cold as much as it is the Indians' pitching being just that good.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Shaymin on October 18, 2016, 07:22:22 AM
As long as it's not a sweep, I'll be satisfied at this point. Given it's Sanchez against Kluber on short rest, I'm hopeful this will last to Wednesday.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Shaymin on October 18, 2016, 07:59:29 PM
And the good Sanchize comes through to prevent the sweep.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 18, 2016, 08:04:38 PM
And tomorrow we send out a guy with 11 major league innings under his belt.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 19, 2016, 07:17:23 PM
The Cleveland Indians, after losing their #2, #3, and #4 starting pitchers, not to mention playing without their all-star left fielder nearly the entire season, are in the World Series. My condolences to Shaymin and all the other non-asshole Blue Jays fans.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Shaymin on October 19, 2016, 07:19:45 PM
I don't know where you keep finding these pitchers, but congrats and best of luck in the World Series.

Check Andrew Miller's urine plz
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 19, 2016, 07:22:52 PM
Good scouting and the best damn pitching coach in all of baseball. Mickey Calloway's so good at his job he managed to get Ubaldo Jiminez a big money deal.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 21, 2016, 02:03:12 AM
Cubs offense is lighting it up! One win away from the World Series to decimate the Indians! Let's hope Steve Bartman is kept away from Wrigley Field for this one. Poor old Bartman. Just some poor schmuck who went to the game and had no idea it would change his life forever.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Phil on October 21, 2016, 03:28:24 AM
Guy's name is now Dale Evans. Works as a manager of a Shop 'n Save in Portland, OR. Was assigned the role years ago for the Witness Protection Program. Doesn't really work well since we know his alias and place of work.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Khushrenada on October 21, 2016, 06:47:38 PM
I guess even the Witness Protection Program doesn't want to protect him.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Phil on October 22, 2016, 10:58:48 PM
It's gonna happen this year! Bank on it!

Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: TrueNerd on October 22, 2016, 11:44:35 PM
Congrats to Cubs fans from a White Sox fan. I will be less forthcoming with goodwill in four years when the Cubs have done this five times in a row and the White Sox are still wandering aimlessly in the wilderness.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 22, 2016, 11:52:28 PM
Bring 'em on!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: insanolord vs. Shaymin
Post by: Ian Sane on October 23, 2016, 02:23:00 AM
And now the series is set where a team that hasn't won since 1948 will be seen as feelgood-story-ruining villains if they win.  If Cleveland wins the 2016 team might end up known as "the guys that ruined it for the Cubs".  Oh and lets all thank the Cavs for ruining the "Cleveland never wins" narrative mere months before this World Series.  Cleveland holding both the NBA and MLB titles simultaneously would turn the city from sympathetic to obnoxious. ;)

Though I found that the TV announcers were being a little too enthusiastic about the Cubs win tonight.  They haven't really won anything.  Making it to the World Series is not what any fan truly cares about.  Joe Buck said something like "everyone will remember where they were on October 22 2016" which is ridiculous.  An anchor on Sportsnet said "the curse is over".  What?  The curse is over if they win the World Series.  While 71 years since a World Series appearance has a certain pathetic narrative to it, it's the 108 years that really matters.  ****, the NFL, NHL and NBA didn't even exist in 1908.  The oldest person alive today was only 8 years old at the time.  If the Cubs lose that will just ADD to the "curse" and commentators prematurely acting like they won the whole thing will be seen as tempting fate.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Shaymin on October 23, 2016, 09:06:50 AM
At least there were people who were alive when the Cubs won the pennant and remember it. That's why they're playing up the angle of "finally" for just the NLCS win.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: TrueNerd on October 23, 2016, 12:35:37 PM
Ian is correct that the World Series is what really matters, but winning a pennant for the first time in forever is also a big deal in the moment.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 25, 2016, 11:58:50 PM
Roberto Perez has always been an elite defensive catcher, but tonight he brought his bat as well, hitting two home runs in the Indians 6-0 win in the series opener. One down, three to go.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on October 26, 2016, 03:03:40 AM
I have to say I'm starting to find the Indians are becoming a real pain to me this postseason. It seems like they might be getting a bit more banged up and injured as the postseason moves along but they just don't seem to show it. They've only played 9 games in the postseason but they've won 8 of them. If I was to rank my the top teams I'd root for in baseball, it would be the Cubs, Red Sox and Jays and the Indians have eliminated two of those teams already. I'm really hoping they don't make the trifecta here. I have a feeling that if the Cubs win, they'd probably drop from the number one spot but having seen the Red Sox win a few World Series, I really want to see the Cubs win one.

That said, it's only the first game and the Cubs came back from a deficient in their series against LA. They've been the best team in baseball all year and I just feel like they are a stacked juggernaut so I still think this is the year they pull it off. But the strong performance of the Indians right now makes me fear they might be peaking at the optimal time and upset the Cubs season.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 26, 2016, 03:49:11 AM
The Indians are actually getting less banged up right now, as Danny Salazar, their all-star starting pitcher who missed a lot of the later part of the season and all of the previous two playoff series due to injury, was healthy enough to be added to the World Series roster, and Trevor Bauer's healed from his drone mishap and should be able to go the full start in game 2.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: TrueNerd on October 26, 2016, 02:39:03 PM
If the Indians can win tonight, maybe they have a shot at winning this thing.

Then again I've picked against them every series and basically assumed they were dead after Carrasco went down so what do I know?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 29, 2016, 12:17:50 AM
The Indians' pitching is just unreal.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on October 29, 2016, 12:25:20 AM
It really bloody is. I don't follow baseball that closely in the regular season except to watch the standings here and there. I fully admit I'm only interested in the playoffs. But I just don't recall hearing anything about the Indians having the pitching prowess they have been showing off in these playoffs. I didn't expect this series to be a sweep (although as a fan of the Cubs I still hoped that could happen) so I'm not nervous yet but if the Indians go up 3-1 then I'm going to be worried especially when the Indians can win a 1-0 game like this.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: TrueNerd on October 30, 2016, 04:35:29 PM
Welp, Indians now look likely to pull this off with no Carrasco, Salazar, or Brantley against the best team in the league. Baseball is so dumb. I love it.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 30, 2016, 04:56:55 PM
Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller, and Cody Allen. Those three guys have combined to throw 54% of the Indians' innings this postseason, and in those innings have an ERA of 0.63.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on October 30, 2016, 11:49:33 PM
Cubs stay alive! Cleveland Cavaliers won the Championship down 3-1. Will the Cleveland Indians do the reverse and lose the World Series up 3-1? I'm hoping so. Game 6 should be interesting. What happens if Cubs win it and force a winner-take-all Game 7? I'd really like to see that.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 31, 2016, 12:02:35 AM
The Yankees had both Andrew Miller AND Aroldis Chapman and were somehow still bad enough to be sellers at the deadline.

Anyway, one bad inning sunk us tonight. Bauer's been inconsistent all year, really his entire career. I've got a lot more faith in Josh Tomlin at home, and if that falls through there's no one I'd rather have on the mound in a game 7 situation than Corey Kluber, who as my previous post points out has been nothing short of incredible this postseason, winning both his games in this series so far.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: rygar on October 31, 2016, 11:41:20 AM
The Yankees had both Andrew Miller AND Aroldis Chapman and were somehow still bad enough to be sellers at the deadline.

The Yanks have been a team in transition the last couple years and Girardi has done some of the best work in his managerial career just keeping them in contention late. They might not even have made the trades had Sanchez been called up sooner, but it ultimately worked out for everyone. Adding Clint Fraizer and Gleyber Torres to their already rebuilt farm system gives the Yankees their best collection of prospects since the early 90s. Things are looking bright.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 02, 2016, 12:40:34 AM
Game 7!!! Lets go Cubs!!! **** CLEVELAND
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Phil on November 02, 2016, 12:55:09 AM
This would be so crazy if Cleveland won the NBA championship down three games, and then the Cubs do that to Cleveland in baseball.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 02, 2016, 12:57:43 AM
Game 7!!! Lets go Cubs!!! **** CLEVELAND


Amen, brother, amen!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Stogi on November 02, 2016, 01:11:34 AM
Baseballe season is long as **** as it is, but you'd think they'd give them a couple days rest between games for the World Series.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 02, 2016, 03:33:00 PM
Had a doctor appointment today. As I was walking in the nurse saw my shirt and said “Indians, huh? How are they doing this year?”
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 12:01:31 AM
A rain delay now? Ugh. Even the weather wants to get in on the Game 7 action to prolong the suspense. Why did Maddon have to take out Lester? This game might have been over by now for the Cubs.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 12:22:52 AM
Oh baby! Bases loaded and Shaw is crumbling! Cubs are back in the lead. Do iiiiiiitttttttttt!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 03, 2016, 12:24:33 AM
I'm taking your mod powers away.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 12:30:07 AM
Noooo! Keep Shaw in. He's doing great!
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 12:33:47 AM
I'm taking your mod powers away.

It's too late. I've already cemented my status as greatest mod ever on the NWR Forums. The annals of history will be on my side.

If the Cubs do win and you need a release, you could ban me for a day or two. I'll understand.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 03, 2016, 12:52:29 AM
The Cubs won, Lebron Jinxed the Indians, Khush deserves a few days off (of mod duty ;))
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Shaymin on November 03, 2016, 12:56:27 AM
The Can't Predict Baseball Twitter account can hang it up now (https://twitter.com/cantpredictball/status/794038338923753472).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 03, 2016, 01:19:08 AM
That was a disappointing finish, but taking the World Series to 7 games, into extra innings, despite all the injuries and issues we've faced, is still a hell of a season. Next year we'll get Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar back, the rookies will have another year of experience, and maybe a guy like Bradley Zimmer emerges as a major part of the team. We'll be back stronger in 2017, and won't have the longest drought in baseball for long.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Ian Sane on November 03, 2016, 02:43:59 AM
Okay, NOW you can say the curse is over!

Hell of a game to watch as a neutral fan.  Overall I found the series kind of boring as the games tended to be one-sided but this game seven was an absolute classic.  I totally thought when the Indians tied it up that the Cubs were finished.  Nothing would be more typical Cubs then to be four outs away and then blow it.  Oh and to have Chapman give up the tying run after Joe Maddon made the questionable decision to work him hard the day before in a blowout?  Yeah, that's like Grady Little-Pedro Martinez level stuff that only happens to "cursed" teams.  I can't imagine what it was like for Cubs fans at that point.   But then maybe that's how this stuff has to happen.  The 2003 team wilted and died when that Bartman thing happened but this team handled adversity well and hung on to win it all.

I think it's pretty remarkable that in my adult life I have seen three baseball teams with 80+ year droughts win a championship.  There are people that lived full lives that never saw the Red Sox, White Sox or Cubs win a World Series and I have.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 03:22:17 AM
Wow. Just wow.

I'll admit it took a while for me to warm up to baseball. Hockey was a bigger interest of mine as child. I remember my dad tuning in as the Jays won their two back to back World Series and that was a big deal. Then the World Series got cancelled and I thought that was strange and just meant the Jays were automatically champs since no one else had defeated them yet. But my interest in baseball waned for some time and I just knew bits and pieces of it. The Yankees won a lot at the end of the decade but were despised for their high spending ways. Seinfeld sort of tempered my dislike for the Yankees though. I knew the Braves were a good team from commercials on TBS that would promote them a lot. It was always exciting to be able to stay up late and see something like SNL as a kid. I remember there was one bit on Weekend update and the Braves were playing the Indians in a series. A Native American was interviewed and was talking about all the ways that the Braves name and logo were offensive to Native Americans. But when asked about the Indians name and logo he was all positive about them and how it was all inoffensive. It’s funny what sticks in your head but I’ve always remembered that little segment.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 03:22:39 AM
After the World Trade Center attack, I remember also how people were actually rooting for the Yankees to win because of wanting to see something positive happen for New York. Watching that World Series is what started getting me into baseball. However, it was 2003 that really got me into a fan of baseball (at least for the playoffs). Having watched most of the episodes of Cheers by this point, I had begun to develop an affinity for the Red Sox and knew about their tortured history from the curse of the Bambino and other notable World Series losses. So, I was hoping to see them win to end that hex belief and make history having not won the World Series since 1918. At the same time, the Cubs also made the postseason that year and I became familiar with them and how they also were supposedly cursed and had not won since 1908 which was 10 years longer than the Sox. Both teams advanced to their League Championship series which of course resulted in more media coverage of the team’s histories.

I was really excited since it seemed they might both have a chance of making it to the World Series. The Cubs were up 3-1 in their series and while the Red Sox were behind 3-2 in their series against the Yankees, they tied it up and got it to Game 7. However, they lost in extra innings and the Cubs choked on their 3-1 lead with the Bartman incident happening in Game 6. It was so disappointing. I believe that was the year the Red Sox owner or GM called the Yankees the Evil Empire and referred to his team as the Rebel Alliance trying to topple them. A Star Wars reference like that helped endeared me to the Red Sox even further. Those early 2000 Red Sox / Yankee rivalry games were something though.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 03:24:03 AM
It was even crazier the next year when the Red Sox and Yankees again met up for the ALCS. The Yankees had acquired A-Rod that season making them more hated in my eyes because the Red Sox had tried to make a play for him and the Yankees just continued to keep buying all the top players they wanted even though the Red Sox did acquire Shilling. When the Yankees went up 3-0 that series, it was so tough to watch especially with the Game 3 blow-out. The ESPN 30 for 30 episode that documents the last 4 games of this series and the Red Sox comeback perfectly encapsulates my feelings through those final games and what it was like and is still amazing to look back at and see play out. Having defeated the Yankees in this way, it just seemed to give all the players and fans this sense of invincibility and confidence so that when the World Series began against the Cardinals, it was like a foregone conclusion they were going to win it and they swept that series ending the drought and curse.

My great-granddad was still alive at that time. He was 5 years old at the time that the Red Sox has last one in 1918 and was 91 years old when they finally did it again in 2004. He lived another 3 years before dying. I’m not sure that he really cared all that much about baseball or the Red Sox but I’ve always thought that was pretty amazing to have that sort of connection in one’s life and to know someone who lived through that span of time. Yet, in his whole life time, the Cubs never won a World Series. I’ve been thinking about all the history that has occurred between the Cubs 1908 – 2016 wins. The amount of people on Earth who have come and gone in between that span. It is a special thing right now just like when the Red Sox finally won it again in 2004.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 03:24:38 AM
Even when the Red Sox did win it again in 2007, it was still kind of special since they had to come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Indians (who clearly can’t handle 3-1 leads) in the ALCS before sweeping another World Series. It was still a novelty and a bit of a relief that one wouldn’t be waiting another 86 years to see a championship. However, with the recent 2013 victory, things have changed. Boston has seen many championships through the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins. The Boston fans are starting to become a bit too prideful in their teams and are no longer the long-suffering lovable losers. The Cubs pretty much took that mantle on after the Red Sox and White Sox victories left them alone with the longest drought narrative. This victory may know move that moniker to the Cleveland Indians who haven’t won the World Series since 1948 and have now lost their last two appearances in 7 games. If the Cubs pull off a few more championships like the Red Sox have done, it will definitely bring about a new identity for the team and it will have an effect of lessening the impact this championship currently has. If not and a new drought begins, then they’ll probably still be seen as the loveable losers who may one day pull off a magical run like they did in 2016.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 03:59:00 AM
That was a disappointing finish, but taking the World Series to 7 games, into extra innings, despite all the injuries and issues we've faced, is still a hell of a season. Next year we'll get Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar back, the rookies will have another year of experience, and maybe a guy like Bradley Zimmer emerges as a major part of the team. We'll be back stronger in 2017, and won't have the longest drought in baseball for long.

Honestly, for the Indians to sweep the Red Sox and practically sweep the Jays and push the Cubs to Game 7 extra innings is really impressive and not what I expected from them coming into these playoffs. They have the potential to be the next Royals. (Lose WS in 2014, Win it in 2015) I still like Francona from his time coaching the Red Sox and I think he's doing a great job with the Indians. Truthfully, I think this Indians team would have probably won had they faced a different team than the Cubs or had played like this in a different year. Heck, if they had faced the Mets last year, they'd have probably won like the Royals did.

I do actually feel bad for you too, Insanolord. You are truly a legit Indians fan and baseball fan and I know what it's like to see a team you root for fail at the end. I went through it hockey-wise with the Mighty Ducks in 2003 and the Penguins in 2008. I know it is easy to play up our roles as forum combatants and I've taken a hard stance against the Indians to bug you a bit this postseason but if the Cubs had lost I would have had the silver-lining of knowing you were able to bask in the satisfaction and shared victory that comes from seeing a team you care about and follow win a championship. Yes, sports are kind of a silly thing and luck or pure chance will have a bigger impact on a game or team than any spectator or amount of fans can. Yet, despite the vicarious nature of being a fan and rooting for the team from afar, there is still a big psychological effect it can have on you making you high or low. Having been able to experience the visceral thrill that comes from seeing a team you really cheer on beat all challengers to win it all, I'd have been satisfied in knowing you got to savour it yourself (especially since this particular team isn't from Philadelphia).

There are many occasions where a team does win a championship the next year after a heartbreaking loss and I could easily start naming them but I've posted enough tonight already. Much like how the Cubs got a lot of confidence last year and then built and improved on it this year, if the Indians do the same, they may be unstoppable next year like you say.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 03, 2016, 04:16:11 AM
I'm kind of used to it at this point. This is the fifth time I've watched a team of mine lose in the finals. They have a knack for ending up matched against some kind of super team: the '90s Braves dynasty, the late-'90s star-studded Red Wings, the 2010 Blackhawks, and now the slump busting Cubs. The one that really hurts is those goddamned Marlins who had no business being there in '97 and then sold off their whole team and were awful the next year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: Soren on November 03, 2016, 07:51:29 AM
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Shaymin on November 03, 2016, 09:15:37 AM
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.

Word.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: This Week's Sign Of The Apocalypse
Post by: BlackNMild2k1 on November 03, 2016, 09:16:12 AM
Wow, I can't believe the Golden State WarriorsCleveland Indians just blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA FinalsWorld Series.

LeBron says 3-1 Lead LOL
(http://i.imgur.com/gWogSo3.jpg)
...oh wait.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: ShyGuy on November 03, 2016, 10:06:45 AM
I'm kind of used to it at this point. This is the fifth time I've watched a team of mine lose in the finals. They have a knack for ending up matched against some kind of super team: the '90s Braves dynasty, the late-'90s star-studded Red Wings, the 2010 Blackhawks, and now the slump busting Cubs. The one that really hurts is those goddamned Marlins who had no business being there in '97 and then sold off their whole team and were awful the next year.

Curse of the Insanolord?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Ian Sane on November 03, 2016, 08:24:17 PM
Khushrenada's story about how he got in baseball has inspired me to explain the very silly reason for me getting into it.  I watched the Jays win the World Series in 92 and 93 but I was 10 years old and didn't pay much attention to sports.  I was just paying attention for the "local" team in the finals and then didn't pay much attention the rest of the time.  I did the same with the 94 Vancouver Canucks.

What got me seriously interested in baseball was actually Wrestlemania XIX.  It was held at Safeco Field in Seattle and being a big WWE fan at the time I had to go to a freakin' Wrestlemania being held within driving distance!  I ended up going with my Dad who is not a wrestling fan at all and the only reason he went is because no one else would - my friends were never into it.  While there we really noticed how nice the stadium was and thought it would fun to go see a game there some time.  I looked into it and realized the Blue Jays were playing there on the Canada Day long weekend so we got tickets and had a blast.  And we've made an annual trip ever since of going on a weekend to see Mariners games.  We try to time it with the Jays but it often doesn't work that way.  So that trip naturally created a general interest to follow MLB.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on November 03, 2016, 08:50:19 PM
There are many different paths that can lead a person into becoming a sports fan even if it was just because you liked the stadium. You still went because a team that interested you (Jays) was playing and I think that is pretty much the key to getting into any sport. You've got to have a rooting interest in at least 1 team. Plus, seeing a game live is much different than watching it. The only way I can watch a regular season baseball is when I've actually been there in the stands. Otherwise, I've always just changed the channel after a few innings.

However, in more shocking news, I happened to be scrolling through the initial posts that were made when this thread was created and discovered something that is going to be a bigger scandal than steroids!

Get a load of this:

I'm a Cleveland Indians fan, or at least I was until they traded Victor Martinez.

Insanolord isn't actually a Cleveland Indians fan after all! He renounced his fandom of the team years ago! He's been lying this whole time to cover up his sudden bandwagoning of the team because they happened to be doing well this year and he wanted to find a way to root against the Cubs since he knew that was my choice. For shame, Insanolord, for shame.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on November 03, 2016, 09:31:59 PM
That's hilarious, I didn't realize this thread went back that far.I wasn't alone among Indians fans being extremely pissed about that at the time, and there are still people who'd like to see him return. We ended up getting Carlos Santana to more or less replace him (and actually picked up his club option for next year earlier today), so it worked out in the end. A google search tells me that trade happened just a couple weeks before that post, and we got Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone in it. Those were two guys who were among our better players during the next few years, but that was an era where the team was pretty bad in general.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on November 15, 2016, 03:57:30 PM

Yankee ace Masahiro Tanaka bringing the pokeball heat
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: TrueNerd on December 07, 2016, 12:50:20 AM
The White Sox traded Chris Sale. I am very sad.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 07, 2016, 02:29:52 AM
They weren't going to contend with or without him, and they got a massive haul of prospects for him. Take it from someone who's been there, embrace the rebuild. Riding the fence isn't going to get you anywhere.

The Red Sox are really damned scary now with him in the mix, though. I really hope the rumors of the Indians being in talks to sign Edwin Encarnacion are true, or I'm not sure we're going to have a shot of getting past them
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on December 22, 2016, 09:07:48 PM
Holy ****, the Indians actually got Encarnacion. The biggest free agent contract in franchise history, but we got him. Add in a healthy Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar, plus little to no competition in the AL Central, and this team's got a real chance to repeat as American League champions and then some.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on January 18, 2017, 03:20:08 PM
What do you think about Bautista re-signing Shaymin?
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Shaymin on January 18, 2017, 06:47:35 PM
I hope the post-Anthopolous administration will be ready to decide whether to rebuild or reload after next year. Donaldson becomes a FA then, and we need heavy offense to go with the pitching staff (doesn't help that Aaron Sanchez signed with Scott Boras).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on January 19, 2017, 12:14:12 AM
Division looks stacked again.

There will be plenty of offense in the 2018 free agent class.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on January 27, 2017, 04:48:56 PM
World Series odds via Bovada:

Chicago Cubs +450
Boston Red Sox +500
Cleveland Indians +800
Washington Nationals +900
San Francisco Giants +1200
Houston Astros +1400
Los Angeles Dodgers +1400
New York Mets +1800
Toronto Blue Jays +2000
St. Louis Cardinals +2000
Texas Rangers +2500
Seattle Mariners +2500
New York Yankees +2800
Detroit Tigers +2800
Baltimore Orioles +3300
Kansas City Royals +3300
Pittsburgh Pirates +4000
Chicago White Sox +6600
Miami Marlins +6600
Los Angeles Angels +7500
Colorado Rockies +7500
Tampa Bay Rays +7500
Atlanta Braves +7500
Arizona Diamondbacks +10000
Milwaukee Brewers +10000
Oakland Athletics +10000
Cincinnati Reds +10000
Minnesota Twins +10000
Philadelphia Phillies +10000
San Diego Padres +10000

Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on January 27, 2017, 05:08:36 PM
I feel like the Indians should be closer to the top two. They lost the World Series in extra innings of game 7 despite missing three of their best players. Now they're going to have them back, plus Encarnacion.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on January 27, 2017, 05:18:14 PM
Yeah, considering they swept the Red Sox, I kind of think they should be 2nd, at least, if not number 1 with the addition of Encarnacion. Considering they had a 3-1 lead in the World Series, it's hard to see them not being the odds on favorites but it's not unusual for oddsmakers to prefer the most recent winner even though a championship team hardly ever repeats back-to-back these days.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on January 27, 2017, 05:54:26 PM
When you adjust the odds for the relative sizes of the markets and fan bases (which will artificially deflate the Sox/Cubs lines) Cleveland is probably a little closer naturally.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Soren on March 15, 2017, 12:14:40 AM
Watching this Puerto Rico vs Dominican Republic WBC game is great (and not just because I have a horse in the race with my beloved home of PR), Both teams are having fun, both are just jawing and yapping it up which is so good because it means so much to every player out there. I feel like in a regular season MLB game all the swagger and emotion being shown would have earned at least 5 beanballs and 3 bench clearing scuffles.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 15, 2017, 01:02:21 AM
You get to enjoy Francisco Lindor, which is nice.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Soren on March 15, 2017, 01:10:15 AM
There's a huge Lindor billboard that I see every day on my commute to work. Dude is already a big deal here. Honestly both lineups are stacked and this was a great game for mid-March baseball. Yadier Molina lit up and Javy Baez celebrated a no-look tag out before he even caught the ball. It was great.

https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/841866107745107968
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on March 15, 2017, 10:11:46 AM
The Dominican Republic is the team that gets me to tune into the WBC. Unfortunately, I needed to watch online last night and my cable company doesn't have a streaming deal with MLBtv. I pay for the MLB package monthly, so it hasn't kicked in yet. The Colombia game on Sunday was great too. There had been a lot of good games this year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 22, 2017, 12:24:39 AM
And the final is set. USA vs. Puerto Rico. Andrew Miller vs. Francisco Lindor. It's been a hell of a tournament, hopefully we get a final to match.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on March 30, 2017, 12:47:23 PM
Glad to see Severino and Judge announced respectively as the Yanks 4th starter and opening-day-right-fielder. Severino looks like he will at least pan out as a relief pitcher, but I'm holding out hope he bounces back as a starter after a difficult second year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on April 05, 2017, 11:46:10 PM
Man, this Indians team is fun to watch. Down 2 going into the 9th on the road, with the bottom of the order against a closer that got 38 saves last season? No problem. 5 runs later, including a Francisco Lindor grand slam, they cruise to victory. This team hits like the stacked lineups of the Indians teams from the mid 90s, but has the high end pitching those teams desperately lacked. It's going to be a fun year.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: rygar on May 14, 2017, 07:58:08 AM
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 08, 2017, 12:22:58 AM
My Cleveland Indians have now won 15 in a row, the longest streak in franchise history and longest by anyone in baseball since 2002. A local Cleveland window company ran a promotion earlier in the year where if you bought windows from them in July and the Indians went on a 15 game winning streak in August and September your windows were free, and so a bunch of people just got a total of $1.7 million because of tonight's win.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 04, 2017, 06:18:58 PM
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 11, 2017, 10:12:23 PM
So, with USA out of the World Cup having lost to the powerhouse soccer team of Trinidad and Tobago, if the Indians lose tonight against the Yankees, should we be concerned about Insanolord and the nearest bridges by his current location?

It's bringing up a lot of mixed emotions for me. On the one hand, I'd probably become Community Manager but, on the other hand, Insanolord would be dead. And I just don't know which of those I should celebrate first or would make me happier. It's very confusing.


(https://m.popkey.co/864f7b/bX4zW.gif)


(https://media.tenor.com/images/2176e7adc9bdcc0e84a48181e060fe6c/tenor.gif)


(https://media.giphy.com/media/ch2Ndmq9Kf8ti/giphy.gif)
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 11, 2017, 10:21:34 PM
Insanolord's reaction to that post:

(https://68.media.tumblr.com/edcfe415ff7ecec2e613b6c69b66e9a3/tumblr_nwvv2z5iaJ1r8oys1o1_r1_250.gif)

My reaction to his reaction:

(https://i.makeagif.com/media/8-19-2015/UhEPB4.gif)


Everybody else on the forum's reaction:

(https://i2.wp.com/gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Jerry-Seinfeld-No-Thanks-and-Leave.gif?ssl=1)
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 12, 2017, 12:04:15 AM
It's definitely been a really bad couple of days for me, but being a Browns fan for nearly three decades has prepared me for extreme sports disappointment, so it's going to take more than this to break me.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 12, 2017, 12:25:46 AM
Wowzers. I can't believe they actually did lose. Astros vs Yankees. Barf. Truthfully, I'd have rather seen Cleveland win. With Boston now out, I'm mainly rooting for the Cubs and Dodgers and am hoping the Cubs win so that one of those two teams will make it to the World Series. If both get knocked out then I'd have been fine with Cleveland winning. After that, I only care about who wins for trivia purposes like Jeopardy and such.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 12, 2017, 12:29:56 AM
Oh, and the Browns. Hoo boy. What a team that is! If you can watch them regularly and still root for them then this won't break you but there is a difference. With the Browns, they don't get a whole lot of expectations but on them besides the hope that maybe next season they'll actually be semi-decent. With the Indians, they were so close to winning it all last year and then they got even better this year but went down way to soon. Maybe they peaked too soon with their streak. Oakland A's never made it to the World Series when they had their 20 game win streak.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: ShyGuy on October 12, 2017, 12:42:14 AM
You know who consistently sucks? the Mariners.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Ian Sane on October 12, 2017, 01:48:17 AM
Tonight was one of the few times where I watched a playoff series as a largely neutral fan and yet was as pissed off with the outcome as I would be if my own team had lost.  The Indians and Astros were so awesome all year that I was looking forward to them squaring off in the ALCS.  Also both fanbases deserve a shot at the World Series so I would have been cool with either team winning.  But no, Cleveland has to go **** that all up and blow a 2-0 lead against the damn Yankees of all teams!  I think I can safely say that with the Yankees you're either a fan or you absolutely hate them.  There's no middle ground.  Most annoying of all is that they had a chance when they were only down 3-2 and then they had to bugger up the ninth inning.

Now I have this lingering dread: the Yankees are going to win the World Series aren't they?  After their "rebuild" of, what, missing the playoffs for one year?  Other teams suck for years to rebuild and these jerks just bounce back like a rebuild is a minor inconvenience.  Now I'm very much in anybody-but-the-Yankees mode and it's pretty much all the Cleveland Indians fault.  Yeah I know the Twins lost the WC game but I didn't expect them to do anything.  Cleveland had this in the bag.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 12, 2017, 03:07:35 AM
Well, if you look at as 2013, 2014 and 2016 with no playoffs and 2015 was a wildcard berth then it has been a bit longer of a retool/rebuild than just one year of no playoffs. They have not been that dominant for awhile and I can't say I've missed that since it allowed the Jays to finally get to the postseason. It's always sucked that the Jays have to be in the same division as the Red Sox and Yankees which are two high prestige markets to attract talent and have a lot of money to bankroll that talent making it that much tougher for the Jays to crack through. It's been great to see the Jays spending money to retain and attract talent, for once, since it felt like they were always shedding all their good players to keep costs down. Not that it did them much good this year.

Anyways, it figures that the first year they miss the playoffs in 2013 is when they draft Aaron Judge who's turning out to be a really impressive talent. But I guess that time of missing the playoffs and getting better picks is now allowed those picks to start maturing and they've had time to shed contracts and players to rebuild. I do think there is some middle ground for the Yankees. If the Yankees were to win, it wouldn't bug me as much as in some years. I'd be happy with victories for the Red Sox, Cubs, Jays or Dodgers and they're all in the top ten of spending so it's pointless to complain about the Yankees and their spending.

Plus, the Yankees are kind of underdogs so it is a bit different compared to say the late 90's and early 2000s when they were dominant all season and then crushed weaker lineups in the playoffs on their way to various World Series matches. (It's why the 2004 Red Sox 0-3 series comeback was so, so sweet.) As mentioned on ESPN, "For starters, we have three 100-win teams for the first time since 2003 and just the sixth time in history. The collective win total of the 10 teams is the most since the second wild card was added in 2012, and that's despite the Twins barely finishing over .500." If the Yankees were to win, they'd have done so having to go through the Indians, Astros and a 50/50 chance of facing the Dodgers. If it is the Dodgers then they'd have to defeat all 100 win aka top three teams. That's quite a feat. I'd be impressed. Especially since they had to play a winner-take-all wildcard game just to start such a playoff push (even if it was the Twins).

Another thing about the Yankees is that they don't really have any players that bug me right now. Having not been in the post season much these past few years, I haven't really been following their roster much to care about most of the players on it and losing players like A-Rod and Jeter and a few others that always annoyed me has left me without much of a reason to root against the team. Right now, I'm kind of a fan of Judge. I wish he was on a different team but from the highlights and clips I see of him, he's done nothing to make me root against him. Plus, he's a guy they actually drafted and didn't just pick up with obscene money on the free market so the Yankees success with him feels like they've legitimately earned it a bit more compared to picking up talent that other teams developed but couldn't afford to pay for anymore. I suppose there is some weird psychology at play with my mind there to make one type of success better than another but that's my take on it.

Sure, it'd be kind of disappointing to see the Yankees add yet another World Title to their club but I would respect their ability to keeping winning. If the teams I rooted for in any sport could average a championship every 4 years, would you be upset at that prospect? Part of the reason for rooting against the Yankees is because I'd rather it was a team of my preference winning that much. So, that's why I think there can be some middle ground on the team. Of course, if they suddenly got dominant again or were eliminating the Red Sox or Jays from the post season, I could see some grudges against the franchise resurfacing but, at the moment, my relationship with the Yankees is in a bit of a thaw.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Shaymin on October 12, 2017, 06:04:00 PM
Their manager had his bags packed after game 2 for a multitude of boneheaded moves; if anyone can cause the Yankees to flame out it's Joe Girardi. (Realistically, Cleveland should've been out in four but for Girardi not calling for an appeal on a "hit by pitch" in game 2 that immediately led to a grand slam).
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 18, 2017, 01:43:16 AM
Man, Dodgers are dominating this postseason. They seem to be last year's Indians. Just hope they actually can win the World Series. I like to think of them in Billy Joel's words "Brooklyn's got a winning team" because when I think Dodgers I think of them as Brooklyn even though they've been the LA Dodgers longer than my lifetime multiplied by two. I guess it just comes from all the old movies I've watched of that timespan or stories set in that time but if I think Dodgers, I think Brooklyn.

And wouldn't you know it but Ian Sane just might get his wish and have their old-long time nemesis of their Brooklyn days, the New York Yankees, meet them in World Series as well. Dodgers and Yankees are the two teams to have faced off against each other the most in a World Series and they haven't done it since 1981. We may be in for Round 12 yet and I'd be cool with that as long provided the Dodgers win. But since I'll root for the Red Sox, the Dodgers, or the Jays, I think it's pretty clear I'm not really on the Yankees side.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Ian Sane on October 22, 2017, 12:02:19 AM
Not the Yankees!  Woooo!!

I'm pretty neutral on the World Series.  I guess I would prefer Houston since they've never won but the Dodgers haven't won in 29 years so it isn't like the rich getting richer if they win it.  I just hope it's competitive and not a squash like the Dodgers series have been so far.

Either Clayton Kershaw or Justin Verlander is going to win a World Series for the first time.  That's pretty cool.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Should've Put Money On The Cubbies
Post by: Khushrenada on October 22, 2017, 12:52:44 AM
I'm actually disappointed the Yankees didn't make it to the World Series which might be the first time that's happened. However that's because I think Dodgers vs Yankees would have been an intriguing must watch match-up for the storylines and history. Dodgers vs Astros just doesn't have the same appeal even if it is for the World Series.

Kind of like how after the Red Sox came back from 0-3 against the Yankees. The World Series of Red Sox vs Rockies felt like an afterthought and was sort of anti-climatic even if it was the World Series on the line and the Red Sox still needed to win it to break the curse. Being that close to a Dodgers/Yankees final and not having it is now a bit of a letdown.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Shaymin on October 22, 2017, 08:53:53 AM
'04 was Red Sox/Cardinals, which was a letdown on both fronts after a classic NLCS and the ALCS.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 24, 2018, 03:41:46 AM
We're now less than a week away from Opening Day and I'm starting to get really excited for baseball. My Indians again figure to be one of the best teams this year, with an incredible pitching staff anchored by reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and two of the best young position players in the game right now in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

The real question this year that will determine how far this team can go is what they'll get from their outfielders. Starters Michael Brantley, Bradley Zimmer, and Lonnie Chisenhall all have the potential to be really good, but serious questions remain, from Brantley's ability to stay healthy to whether Zimmer can hit more like he did early in his rookie season last year than he did down the stretch.

Luckily for them, the AL Central figures to be the weakest division in baseball this year, with the Tigers, Royals, and White Sox all good bets to lose 90 games and the Twins decent, but not a threat. The Tribe should end up winning the division by more than 10 games, and will be able to make adjustments along the way if need be.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Ian Sane on March 26, 2018, 07:38:25 PM
The Blue Jays have had another typical uneventful off-season while the Yankees and Red Sox added to their already playoff-caliber teams.  Those few years in the playoffs were fun but now I fear we're back into old AL East routine of Boston and New York fighting for first place with Toronto spinning their wheels in third while Baltimore and Tampa Bay "fight" for draft positions.  Now last year was a bad one for injuries so maybe the Jays are actually better than they appeared last year.  Bautista (who was TERRIBLE last year) and Encarnacion are gone but other than that it's pretty much the same lineup as the 2016 team who made the ALCS.  So maybe this lineup can still do it but it has lost key players and management hasn't made a good effort to replace them.  The goal seems more to have someone eating up the games in the position rather than replacing the departing player's production.

Alex Anthopoulos was the prior GM and was the architect of the recent playoff teams.  One thing I liked about him was that if the team wasn't going anywhere he tried to shake things up.  In 2013 he made some big trades that got the fanbase excited for the first time in at least ten years.  It did not work out but then he did a big shake up again in 2015 and it did work out and the Jays finally returned to the post-season.  I like that approach.  You're not going to get anywhere spinning your wheels as an okay-but-not-good-enough team so if you have some solid players to build around, you build around them.  Then if that is clearly not working after a few seasons you try something else.  That comes across like an attempt to contend for the World Series as opposed to just letting seasons pass by uneventfully where it's all fine as long as ownership still makes a profit.  The current GM has pretty much just sat on his butt since he arrived.  Now staying the course still allowed for a post-season appearance in 2016.  Is the approach here that the current core is a playoff team so you don't need to do anything with it or is it just spinning your wheels?  If this season isn't going anywhere by the all-star break there should be some sort of tweaking or rebuilding starting.  I want to see an actual plan in place to return to contention, not just filling up roster spots with warm bodies and trotting out a few stars for jersey sales.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on March 26, 2018, 08:12:49 PM
The Blue Jays' current GM, Mark Shapiro, used to be with the Indians, and while he got a lot of credit for turning them into a contender the truth is the Indians didn't really start rolling until Shapiro moved up to team president and focused on the business side of things and renovating the stadium while Chris Antonetti took over the baseball side of things.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Ian Sane on March 27, 2018, 12:14:58 PM
Actually Shapiro is the president.  Ross Atkins is the GM.  So if Shapiro is a better president than GM then I guess the Jays are doing it right.  But Atkins is Shapiro's guy and as I mentioned the prior GM that I liked effectively got squeezed out despite doing a great job.

Deep down I really just don't trust the ownership of the Jays.  They play in the third largest MLB city and have a fanbase covering an entire country of 35 million people but act like they're some poor small market team.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 03, 2018, 01:34:38 AM
The 2018 MLB postseason kicked off tonight, and I'm not sure any game the rest of the way will be able to live up to this one. The Rockies knock off the Cubs 2-1 in a 13 inning pitchers duel of a Wild Card game that had a little bit of everything. The Cubs, who finished the regular season tied for the best  record in the National League, lose knockout games in their own building on back to back nights to become the first team eliminated. Just wow.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Khushrenada on October 03, 2018, 03:07:52 AM
Yeah, it's a bit of a shame. I was hoping the Cubs would be around a bit longer.

I'm a bit conflicted about tomorrow's Wild Card actually. Ever since Moneyball, I've become a fan of Oakland as the perpetual underdog team. Yet, I think it would be a big event if the Yankees and Red Sox could meet up again in the playoffs and American League Championship series. (Provided Red Sox win it.) It's been awhile since that rivalry was played with those kinds of stakes again.

Basically, it's just the Red Sox I care about in the East and they've had a heck of year so I'm hoping they can pull off the World Series win in 2018 just like they did in 1918.

With the Cubs out in the NL, I'm mainly rooting for the Dodgers and the Brewers.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on October 03, 2018, 04:13:13 AM
If the Yankees win they'll face Boston in the Division Series since as the Wild Card winner they'd face the #1 seed. The other ALDS matchup would be really interesting even if I weren't an Indians fan, as between them and Houston it's the two best pitching staffs in baseball facing off.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Khushrenada on October 03, 2018, 06:21:11 AM
Oh yeah. Huh. For some reason, I thought the Yankees had more wins than Houston even though I knew the Yankees were playing the Wild Card game. Shows how much I care about the Astros.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Khushrenada on October 29, 2018, 12:36:14 AM
Welp. They won it in 1918 and, 100 years later, the Red Sox are Champions in 2018 as well. They maintain a perfect year ending in 18 record.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
Post by: Shaymin on October 29, 2018, 08:22:38 AM
Hopefully this starts another one of those 86-year streaks.
Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
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Title: Re: The Major League Baseball Thread: Did SI Swipe The 2025 Sports Almanac?
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