The MLB Thread

I can't remember the last time I watched the home run derby…. Chris Berman can only say "back back back" so many different ways….

Kubacheck wrote:
I can't remember the last time I watched the home run derby…. Chris Berman can only say "back back back" so many different ways….

The only thing worse than watching it on TV is being there live.  I've been to two (Anaheim in 1989 and Pittsburgh in 1994) and you wait around for so long that unless you're in the HR catching seats, it's a miserable experience.  The formats were completely different back then and it still seemed like forever - I couldn't imagine going now. 

But there's a clock now.

Nuke wrote:
But there's a clock now.

An ESPN implementation designed purely for appropriately timed commercial interruptions…

Also, this took up my morning:

Don't be Fooled by Baseball's Small Budget Success

vansmack wrote:
Also, this took up my morning:

Don't be Fooled by Baseball's Small Budget Success

That's an OK read and I love 538 in general but this is one of those articles they seem to do multiple times every month where the hypothesis was so obvious (payroll has a direct causal relationship with W-L record) I wonder why they took the time to actually statistically test it out. "Obvious things are obvious."

Julian, wrote:
Good read about international signings and why teams are so willing to completely ignore the "cap" on international prospects.

Haven't read it yet (in a meeting), but if it doesn't end with "we'll have a draft soon" then it's wrong.

It does.

Julian, wrote:
It does.

Yep, quality read.  I love how the owners create the problem by splashing out cash and then expect MLB to fix it so they don't have to splash the cash any longer.

vansmack wrote:
I love how the owners create the problem by splashing out cash and then expect MLB to fix it so they don't have to splash the cash any longer.

Its fascinating psychologically (and happens in every sport). You have these hyper-rich people who (1) want to make as much money as possible but also (2) are hard-wired to win, and it is bizarre how they NEED the leagues to step in and pass rules to keep an equilibrium between those two goals because on their own, they can't. If they show restraint on these sort of things, their chance of winning is reduced and that hurts their ego. And if they spend like crazy, they're minimizing profits, which also drives them crazy. It's only in a league mandate where they can maximize profits and yet not be at a competitive disadvantage.

Dear Dave Dombrowski: it's fire sale time.

Shhhh….

WEST W L PCT GB
LAA     48 40 .545 -
HOU  49 42 .538 0.5

Nuke wrote:
Jim Johnson gets a major league deal from the Braves and $1.6M guaranteed.  Wow.

And he's now their closer.

They're probably even going to get a solid return for him before the trade deadline.  Amazing.

Lose the Derby, win the Day.  I will now go back to worrying about his wrist.

If there was one glowing winner at the MLB All Star game last night, it was Pete Rose's dye job. Only Pete would have gambled that such a dark performance could have captured the hearts and minds of so many Americans.

vansmack wrote:
Shhhh….

WEST W L PCT GB
LAA     48 40 .545 -
HOU  49 42 .538 0.5

halftime

Space wrote:
If there was one glowing winner at the MLB All Star game last night, it was Pete Rose's dye job. Only Pete would have gambled that such a dark performance could have captured the hearts and minds of so many Americans.

We're big winners too, because we'll probably never see him behind the mic again.  What was Fox thinking?

Just how bad have Mariners backstops been? The club?s collective catchers are batting .150. The Mets (.176), Reds (.174), Giants (.165) and Nationals (.160) pitching staffs (> 100+ plate appearances) all have better averages at the plate. That?s horrendous.

We could be looking at the first rain out in Anaheim in 20 years,  and of course I'm in town with tickets.  I had tickets back in 1995 too.