2016 Baseball

[ErikL]

Half the league is on pace to win 162 games! It's good to see real ball being played again.

 

[James]

Will A-Rod move closer to Bonds and will he ever be liked?

Arod is actually liked now by many.
As to the empty seats at Yankee stadium. That's a tough one. Sure it's price to some extent but you could get a ticket for $10.
With the new stadium you can walk around and still watch the game from the walkway in many spots.
The new stadium does not have the wall of sound like the old one though. It's too dished and it's more open. The loudest apparently was when Mariano retired and then Jeter. Of course a walk off hit on your last home game helps.

Plenty of open seats too during the bad 80's and early 90's years.

How about that Daniel Murphy from the Mets to the Nats? Multiple hits with a homer in his 1st game. He's a disaster in the field though.

 

[SKI-3PO]

Added another stadium to my list last night. Last year for Turner Field seems pretty crazy.

 

[Philpug]

It has been an interesting year so far, the Cubs launched out of the gates then with the season beeing a marathon and not a sprint have come back to the pack and while then lead the NL central they don't even have the best record in the senior league. It is an even year, so that always puts the Giants in contention for another title.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Way to get after it SKI-3PO (and Arc-2D2)! Did you do the Tomahawk Chop?

Here in DC Stephen Strasburg is an unbelievable 13-0 for the Nats this season. Who knows when his head is going to get in the way of his arm, but it sure is fun while it lasts. And yes, Daniel Murphy's transfer from the Mets and his MLB leading .348 batting average is a blessing from the baseball gods. I'm planning to go see the Nats this Tuesday. They are giving out a bobble head of our new manager this year, who also seems to be having a very good year:

 

[SKI-3PO]

Did you do the Tomahawk Chop

There was no way I was going to do the chop. It was even more annoying in person. But I did enjoy the Braves fans misery at the terrible baseball their team was playing. Errors, wild pitches, dropped third strikes and grand slams, oh my!

It was also bobblehead night there...zombie AJ Perzynski to be exact? I did donate one of mine to a Braves fan who didn't get one.

And I'll root for Daniel Murphy this year...I took him on my fantasy team.

 

[crgildart]

 

[SKI-3PO]

Saturday we went to see the team with the best record in professional baseball. Of course, it's the Eastern League (AA) but the Reading Phillies are having a great season. Unfortunately we got to see one of their few losses. But I love minor league baseball and this stadium particularly. Nice old place with some modern touches added recently...including a great concession area behind first base and a pool in right field.

Minor league baseball generally has great between inning entertainment, such as the Crazy Hot Dog Vendor below. How can you beat a guy pretending to ride an out of control ostrich while throwing hot dogs to the crowd?

 

[Philpug]

We went to a minor league game that past week too, the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) vs. the Colorado Springs Sox (Brewers). A pretty good game. The highlight for me was a nuance and professional courtesy of the game. The catcher got hit with a foul tip. Instead of the ump throwing the ball back to the pitcher, he slowly walked it to the mound then as he walked back, he took his time brushing off the plate, all to give the catcher a couple of extra minutes to recover. Class.

 

[crgildart]

Whoa, no bleachers in the outfield at all? That is old school indeed. Durham Bulls play less than 2 miles from our house. We get to 2-4 games per season on average.

 

[Tricia]

The Tigers started out a little slow, but they've been picking up the pace. Fun watching them, as usual.

The Indians have been the surprise of the season. Never expected to see them play this strong.

 

[Tricia]

We went to a minor league game that past week too, the Reno Aces (Diamondbacks) vs. the Colorado Springs Sox (Brewers). A pretty good game. The highlight for me was a nuance and professional courtesy of the game. The catcher got hit with a foul tip. Instead of the ump throwing the ball back to the pitcher, he slowly walked it to the mound then as he walked back, he took his time brushing off the plate, all to give the catcher a couple of extra minutes to recover. Class.

View attachment 11556 View attachment 11557 View attachment 11558

That was a super fun game
Lets do it again!!

 

[crgildart]

Mets are playing the Yankees today. Where's Irul&Ublo? We're spoiled with a great minor league park less than 2 miles up the street. There isn't a bad seat in the whole park. Mrs crgildart got VIP passes from her work putting us row A between home and 3rd base with a parking pass. Best part is that it's free instead of $40 for 4 tickets. Seats are definitely better but like I said, every seat in that place is better than I was ever able to get for a Mets game in the late 80s.

 

[Philpug]

The "Experts" are calling for a Cubs/Indians series. Thoughts at the 2/3 mark? I am all in on the Cubs, I think Madden ins hte best coach in the league. Speaking of great coaches. Madden, Francona, Mattingly, Shoewalter...all are with teams that have were floundering before their arrivals...now are contenders. It shows how important a good top notch manager is.

 

[crgildart]

The "Experts" are calling for a Cubs/Indians series. Thoughts at the 2/3 mark? I am all in on the Cubs, I think Madden ins hte best coach in the league. Speaking of great coaches. Madden, Francona, Mattingly, Shoewalter...all are with teams that have were floundering before their arrivals...now are contenders. It shows how important a good top notch manager is.

Cavs and Cubs win championships? What next, the Browns?? Whoa, it really must be the Apocalypse if the Cubs win!

 

[Mike Thomas]

I hate to disagree with you Phil, but the manager of a baseball team has very little impact over the course of a season. In small samples it is easy to think "this manager is stupid and should be FIRED!" or "wow, the pinch hitter hit a home run, the manager is a GENIUS!". But at the end of the season you are looking, at best, at a 2 or 3 game difference between a great manager and a dunce. Heck, a dunce won the World Series last year! What really matters is a top flight front office that can 'win' the draft and, well, sucking for a number of seasons, which leads to high draft positioning really, really helps... which is what makes Madden, Shoewalter and Francona look like a genius. Lots and lots of young talent in a farm system that is successful in developing that talent makes managers look great. A bunch of highly paid old 'former-stars' and no depth to cover injuries or bull pen arms makes ANY manager look really bad.

MLB is a very different sport with most of the PED's gone (as well as amphetamines). Players are no longer staying productive in their 30's, which is when many 'stars' hit free agency. The key to winning in the modern game is to have a stream of young talent moving up through the system which can be complemented by an occasional expensive free agent. teams like the Yankees of old are a thing of the past, buying talent is gone. Teams are going to have to identify their three year window to go 'all-in' and try to win a championship, then accept sinking back a bit to re-load with talent. The new market is different than the old market.

 

[Jim Kenney]

My late father in law loved minor league baseball. He grew up in Portland, OR and got a baseball scholarship to Univ of Wash, but then WWII got in the way and he never finished college. He took me and my kids a couple times back around 1990-95 to see the Potomac Cannons in Woodbridge, VA about 30 miles south of DC. I was kind of a MLB snob and looked down on the proceedings, but my father in law knew minor league ball is the more Pure version of the sport in many ways.

 

[crgildart]

I saw Evan Longoria play for the Bulls 2 years ago as part of his rehab. I saw his first at bat following the injury. I don't remember who the Bulls were playing, but the opposing pitcher beaned him in the back on the very first pitch and everyone on the field and in the dugouts laughed including the Bulls and Evan.
They're having more "fun" in minor league ball.

Wow, looks like it was actually way back in June of 2012. My how time flies!

 

[Philpug]

I hate to disagree with you Phil, but the manager of a baseball team has very little impact over the course of a season. In small samples it is easy to think "this manager is stupid and should be FIRED!" or "wow, the pinch hitter hit a home run, the manager is a GENIUS!". But at the end of the season you are looking, at best, at a 2 or 3 game difference between a great manager and a dunce. Heck, a dunce won the World Series last year! What really matters is a top flight front office that can 'win' the draft and, well, sucking for a number of seasons, which leads to high draft positioning really, really helps... which is what makes Madden, Shoewalter and Francona look like a genius. Lots and lots of young talent in a farm system that is successful in developing that talent makes managers look great. A bunch of highly paid old 'former-stars' and no depth to cover injuries or bull pen arms makes ANY manager look really bad.

MLB is a very different sport with most of the PED's gone (as well as amphetamines). Players are no longer staying productive in their 30's, which is when many 'stars' hit free agency. The key to winning in the modern game is to have a stream of young talent moving up through the system which can be complemented by an occasional expensive free agent. teams like the Yankees of old are a thing of the past, buying talent is gone. Teams are going to have to identify their three year window to go 'all-in' and try to win a championship, then accept sinking back a bit to re-load with talent. The new market is different than the old market.

Baseball is like chess, I don't disagree that the front office sets up the pieces but it is the manager that still plays them. Dusty Baker has won err was highly competive where ever he has been and now in Washington. I don't think anyone but Joe Torre could have managed that lunatic asylum of the Yankee. I again agree that a manager cannot be judged on one play but the body of the season and I think a manager is good for 5-8 wins a season and that isusually the differance between making the playoffs and not. At that point it comes down to who's pitching and bullpen is hot.

 

[Mike Thomas]

This is a well done article on the value of managers:

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/08/26/managers-impact

In conclusion they determine the value of the manager on wins/losses about equal to a good relief pitcher. For reference, Mariano Rivera, arguably the best reliever of all time, was worth on average 2.9 wins per season.

A football coach is playing chess, a baseball manager is a middle school substitute teacher.