MLB 2017

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by SoCalJoe, Apr 6, 2017.

  1. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Walnut, CA
    Missed Opening day, but still got 159 to go. As an Angel fan w/such low expectations I'm trying to bask in the glow of a 2-1 record thus far knowing that it might be the only winning record they attain all season. Good luck to everyone's teams. First noticeable rules change; the intentional walk, I don't mind the pointing to first base w/out the 4 pitches, but purists hate it.
     
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  2. BarryWhite

    BarryWhite Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2011
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    Newburgh, IN
    I'm pretty close to a purist but I don't mind the intentional walk change in the least.
     
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  3. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    A City by a Bay
    The intentional walk rule is a product of recent generations' short attention span theater - I'm with Barry, it seems an ok change to speed up the game but I didn't mind the 90 seconds of my life it took to throw 4 pitches b/c I've seen games change from a wild pitch on an intentional pass.
     
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  4. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    Yes, by all means. Let's increase time between innings for another 30 second commercial. Let's also have 43 instant replay incidents per game. We can make up for all of it by automating the intentional walk rule.

    I've seen interesting things during intentional walks, by the way, including a run scoring on a balk. I remember Willie Mays hitting a two run opposite field double during a game, and a very good pitcher -- whose name is lost in the fog of my mind -- lob a pitch over everyone's head and stop at the base of the screen behind home plate. But, I DO SO understand the desire to eliminate those pesky once a game 35 second intentional walks.
     
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  5. jumpkutz

    jumpkutz Well-Known Member

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    Sep 24, 2011
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    Louisville, KY
    I'm just waiting to see how the marginally retooled Cardinals look. Outside of signing Dexter Fowler, not many changes in St. Louis this season. But it's a long season. And they've dropped 2 0f the opening three at Busch against the world champions. It's going to be an interesting year.
     
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  6. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    Peoples Republic of South Texas
    No comments re-MLB teams or players yet for me. Our TV is STILL on the blink -- going on two weeks now. I'm sure I'll watch a game at some point.
     
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  7. encorespanish

    encorespanish Active Member

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    Minny
    And the Twins are undefeated at 3-0! I can't remember the last time I said that...10 years ago maybe? And that was after the first game.

    Just like @SoCalJoe I'll enjoy it while it lasts because it won't take long to get to that losing record.
     
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  8. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    @encorespanish, can we start the playoffs now? One thing that does give a glimmer of hope is teams can have magical years. Teams like ours need good starts and comeback wins (like the Angels scoring 7 in the bottom of the 9th to sweep Seattle) to get the good vibes going.
     
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  9. encorespanish

    encorespanish Active Member

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    I wish @SoCalJoe !! As it stands today, the Twins have the best winning percentage in all of MLB!

    That comeback for the Angels was amazing and unreal! I think the stat I saw was that teams with a 6-run lead going into the 9th inning had lost one game out of three thousand games such games. I guess they'd better make that two losses!
     
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  10. jumpkutz

    jumpkutz Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 24, 2011
    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    One of the great things about sports in general, and, for me, baseball in particular, is seeing perserverance rewwarded. It's obviously very early, but two such examples are playing out in the fledgling weeks of this season. One is in St. Louis, where career minor leaguer Jose Martinez, an outfielder by trade, beat out Tommy Pham, also mostly a minor leaguer, for the 4th outfield roster spot. He's gotten time mostly at 1st base, due to a since abandoned experiment to try Matt Adams in left field and some finger injuries to Matt Carpenter. Despite not being in the lineup tonight at Milwaukee, he's got a seven game hitting streak and was the only Cardinal hitting until this week's sweep of the Bucs. By the way, he's making $507.500 this season.
    The Brewer's Eric Thames is making $4 million this season after signing a 3 year deal for $16.5 million. A lot of money for a guy who bounced around the majors between 2011-13 before spending a year in Venezeula, then the last 3 in Korea. Not Japan. Korea. Hit his 8th homer tonight against Carlos Martinez, the other way, a no doubter. His slash is .408/7HR/12RBIs. And he is not missing many pitches at the moment. The league will eventually catch up to both of them, then they'll have to make adjustments, blah, blah, blah. But we can enjoy them for now, and the fact that they finally made it to The Show. Who knows? They may stick.
     
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  11. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    I love these stories
     
    #11
  12. astroevan

    astroevan Well-Known Member

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    Aug 5, 2013
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    Virginia Beach
    It surprises me sometimes how much I dislike Albert Pujols. He sounds like a stand up guy, never in trouble or starting controversy. But, man, he torments the Astros. He broke Brad Lidge for christs sake. It's time for him to go away.
     
    #12
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  13. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    I expected a wild card fight for the Giants - they've absolutely, totally (adjective heaven), failed as a club for 30+ games. The curse of Madison's dirt bike shall loom. And when you can't hit homers (or doubles for that matter...), or just score crooked numbers in an inning, you don't win despite some exhibitions of solid starting pitching in the past month.
     
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  14. jumpkutz

    jumpkutz Well-Known Member

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    Sep 24, 2011
    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    After a 3-9 start, St. Louis has climbed to 19-14 and first place in the NL Central. But the talk of the town right now is a kid they promoted from from Single A Jupiter due to Dexter Fowler's shoulder injury. In the immortal words of Ernie Capadino, "I know the goods when I see the goods." He's got the goods. The best part of the story is what he did when he was informed of the call up.

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/base...cle_a562de5d-e4d0-59be-9c43-5567c6a64d46.html
     
    #14
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  15. dcheather

    dcheather Administrator

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    Jul 29, 2005
    Took the little guy to see the his favorite team, the Nationals, on Mother's Day. Sadly, the bullpen gave up a two run lead to lose it in the 9th. Oh well, at least we had fun.

    Now he wants to go to Fenway to see the Red Sox (his second favorite team). I'm one happy, proud Mama. If only tickets to the Red Sox were as accessible and affordable as tickets for the Nationals or Orioles...sheesh. At least we have the Bowie Baysox, about 10 minutes down the road, free parking and cheap tickets.
     
    #15
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  16. HatterDon

    HatterDon Moderator

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    so cool!
     
    #16
  17. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    Giants v. Cards this weekend - Giants are still struggling, Cards trending upward, but here's a throw back to when these clubs had no love lost - could Clark have touched 2nd base on his slide? Oh, when baseball was akin to the wild west. I love the Cards v. Giants rivalry - classic national league baseball.

     
    #17
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  18. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Angel fans agree Evan. All things are true about Pujols; great in the community, great in the clubhouse, still somewhat productive, but his contract (along w/Josh Hamilton's that will be coming off the books) is a main reason that the prime years of the best player in the sport Mike Trout is being wasted.
     
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  19. nevzter

    nevzter Well-Known Member

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    Mar 5, 2007
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    As a fan of the game, man, it's hard to see HOF talent just sitting there. A road trip is in order; Mike Trout needs to hop in the '67 Chevelle and head 300 miles north to AT&T Park.
     
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  20. SoCalJoe

    SoCalJoe Well-Known Member

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    Sep 5, 2006
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    Well there goes the season...Trout having his best season ever, and tears a thumb ligament, out 6-8 weeks..sigh.

    Astros down 8-2 and put up 11 runs on the Twins in the 8th inning. The Stros are a runaway freight train at the moment.

    Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland with a brawl that had to make Nats fans cringe on multiple levels. The helmet throw was closer to McCovey Cove than the pitching mound, and the second he swings I'm sure Nats fans were hoping he didn't break his hand. Giants fans had to cringe when it took 3 or 4 guys to drag off Strickland, and he damn near dragged Hunter Pence down the dugout steps.
     
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