MLB 2011

[Paelos]

I need a good bandwagon team to root for.  Maybe I'll pull for the Orioles this year....

Texas or Cleveland is always a good choice.

[ghost]

Since I grew up going to Cleveland games and live in Texas those would be more fair-weather-fan teams, but I guess I'm cool with that.  I forgot that the Rangers were supposed to be good.

I have a hard time with NL teams, for some reason.  The Reds were close when I was a kid but NL just bores me to tears.

[Paelos]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

[HaemishM]

The Cubs are being pretty much what I thought they'd be this year - good one day, absolute shit the next. Losing your 4 and 5 starter to the DL after one start each is not a good sign, though Casey Coleman pitched adequately today. I don't expect they will compete this year but they won't be predictable either. And Starlin Castro is going to be a goddamn star.

DirecTv had their MLB Extra Innings preview this weekend, so I got to see some teams I'd never get to see like the Royals and Tigers. The Tigers seem deadset on stepping on their own dicks defensively. I have no idea how the Orioles have won so many games early, though I don't think it'll last. The Rays will be pretty terrible this year and the A's will be a hard luck team with some stud young arms.

[ghost]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

Maybe I'll bandwagon on the Giants.  If I get into it enough maybe the wife will let us go out for a game, since that is where she is from.   

[Ginaz]

If you're looking for a young, exciting team to watch this year, I'd suggest following the Blue Jays.  They probably won't make the playoffs, but they'll hit a tonne of HR's and could have some nice starting pitching.

[WayAbvPar]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

I can understand that, since I am sure your grew up watching games without the DH. 

[Paelos]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

I can understand that, since I am sure your grew up watching games without the DH. 

I grew up with both. Born with the Braves, lived with the Rangers for my schooling years. I've always preferred the pitcher hitting.

[Sjofn]

I am glad the DH exists, because I think it's nice for people who have a talent to smack the everloving shit out of a ball to have someplace to play even if that's their only talent (I'm a softie!), but I am also glad it does not exist somewhere else, because pitchers batting are hilarious.

[stu]

The thing about seeing a pitcher getting a hit is it can be pretty damn exciting. Kinda like watching a kicker make a tackle after a punt. Or Christy Brown writing a chalk letter "A" with his left foot.

Also, Matsuzaka. WTF, That is some bad sushi.

[Sjofn]

Wow, the depression in the Mariners' stadium is like. Tangible. It may be the most depressing thing I've seen this month.

[JWIV]

DirecTv had their MLB Extra Innings preview this weekend, so I got to see some teams I'd never get to see like the Royals and Tigers. The Tigers seem deadset on stepping on their own dicks defensively. I have no idea how the Orioles have won so many games early, though I don't think it'll last. The Rays will be pretty terrible this year and the A's will be a hard luck team with some stud young arms.

Arrietta's meltdown vs the Rangers aside, the O's have been pitching really well.   With some solid additions in the middle of the line-up, teams can't pitch around Markakis, so he's been a RBI machine so far.     But yah, it won't last, but still, I figure there's a good chance of 85 or so wins this season if the line-up can stay reasonably healthy.

[HaemishM]

That O's lineup ain't staying healthy. Roberts, Derek Lee and Vlad Guerrero are probably all going to spend time on the DL this year. 85 wins is seriously optimistic in that division, with an improved Blue Jay team and the only real holes in the Yankees lineup being their pitching - which they have enough offense to ignore. They might get to .500 this year though. And sooner or later the Sox will pull their thumbs out and starting winning multiple games in a row.

[ghost]

The Red Sox don't seem to have any mojo at all this year.  I don't expect them to do a full recovery.

[Ingmar]

I still don't think the Yankees are really all that strong a team, I expect the Red Sox to be in it at the end. I may change my tune if they still don't have their shit together in May, but it is a long, long season.

[ghost]

Toronto has the potential to be very good. 

[Ingmar]

Yep, and honestly Baltimore is not all that far off themselves, although they won't keep this current win % up obviously.

EDIT: I'm actually WTFing a little harder at the AL Central than the AL East, honestly.

[WayAbvPar]

Wow, the depression in the Mariners' stadium is like. Tangible. It may be the most depressing thing I've seen this month.

Try being a (nearly- they started playing when I was 7) life long Mariners fan. The end of the game helped, but it is way too long between fun games these seasons 

This did crack me up though-

Blue Jays fall to Toronto’s bullpen

[Ingmar]

Man, that game was 7-1 when I stopped watching it. Oops.

[stu]

It's amazing what an excellent manager can do for a team. Going back to last year, Showalter is 40-26 leading the O's. Reminds me a little of Leyland cracking the whip for the 2006 Tigers. The O's aren't capable of the across-the-board punch of that team, but faith and focus can go a long way.

As for Seattle, I noticed Smoak has an OBP of .381 through the first ten games. Definitely solid. Hopefully, he locates his power soon.

[WayAbvPar]

Man, that game was 7-1 when I stopped watching it. Oops.

I checked back when I got in bed and it was 7-4, so I watched the rest. Nice way to end the night!

Re: Orioles

Interesting article about the O's and M's here. If you are a baseball fan, that site (and especially that writer) is fantastic.

[JWIV]

Man, that game was 7-1 when I stopped watching it. Oops.

I checked back when I got in bed and it was 7-4, so I watched the rest. Nice way to end the night!

Re: Orioles

Interesting article about the O's and M's here. If you are a baseball fan, that site (and especially that writer) is fantastic.

Nice article  and yah - that's the  thing about baseball -there's enough games that eventually hot streaks and cold streaks will eventually average out.

[Sjofn]

Wow, the depression in the Mariners' stadium is like. Tangible. It may be the most depressing thing I've seen this month.

Try being a (nearly- they started playing when I was 7) life long Mariners fan. The end of the game helped, but it is way too long between fun games these seasons 

This did crack me up though-

Blue Jays fall to Toronto’s bullpen

Hell, I was actually rooting for Toronto, but the despair. I couldn't help but notice it and feel bad for the Mariners. I can't even explain what it was, really, it's not like I haven't watched games where the people in the stands all look miserable and aren't into it before.

Toronto blowing that lead is pretty hilarious, though.

[Ginaz]

Wow, the depression in the Mariners' stadium is like. Tangible. It may be the most depressing thing I've seen this month.

Try being a (nearly- they started playing when I was 7) life long Mariners fan. The end of the game helped, but it is way too long between fun games these seasons 

This did crack me up though-

Blue Jays fall to Toronto’s bullpen

Hell, I was actually rooting for Toronto, but the despair. I couldn't help but notice it and feel bad for the Mariners. I can't even explain what it was, really, it's not like I haven't watched games where the people in the stands all look miserable and aren't into it before.

Toronto blowing that lead is pretty hilarious, though.

Toronto's bullpen is going to be their major weakness this season I predict.

[Paelos]

Texas lost a game. PANIC! 

[Trippy]

That arm is something to panic about.

[Ingmar]

Yeah that's huge. That dude is never going to play a full season.

[Margalis]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

The thing I don't like about the NL is that is has adopted a very stupid style of play. Constantly running into outs, sliding into first, LaRussa using PITCHERS as pinch-runners, etc.

[Teleku]

The NL is for baseball purists, like myself. People who love pitching duels, and games that end 2-0.

Also for people who love stupid players and coaches.

....really?  You can honestly look at Boston and New York and say something like that?

[Ingmar]

 

[Margalis]

I toned down my comment a little but yeah, I can say something like that. By stupid I mean stupid on-field decisions. A lot of the time it seems like NL teams are trying to lose.

LaRussa using pitchers as pinch-runners twice in one post-season series, with disastrous results both times, is probably the funniest example.

[Ingmar]

I still will always think of LaRussa as an AL guy. Part of the reason you see stuff like that in the NL more often, though, is there's just more for a manager to do (and thus more opportunities to fail) when he has to work around a batting pitcher.

[Margalis]

Stuff like sliding into first is purely a culture thing. In the NL sliding into first is seen as a guy trying really hard, even though it very rarely makes any sense. (Basically only when the first baseman is going to be pulled off the bag and has to apply a tag)

Grady Little got fired from his Boston job for leaving Pedro Martinez in to pitch in the post season. La Russa kept his job after using TWO pitchers as pinch runners and having them run into two outs in the post season. Yes, La Russa was in the AL for a long time but I'm pretty sure pulling something like that in the AL would get him instantly fired. Obviously this is highly subjective but IMO the NL has a much higher tolerance for stupidity as long as the person being stupid appears to be giving their all.

[Trippy]

La Russa is known for trying unorthodox things if he thinks it'll help his team win. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

[Paelos]

I toned down my comment a little but yeah, I can say something like that. By stupid I mean stupid on-field decisions. A lot of the time it seems like NL teams are trying to lose.

LaRussa using pitchers as pinch-runners twice in one post-season series, with disastrous results both times, is probably the funniest example.

Dude there are a lot of things you can knock the NL for, but having stupid managers isn't one of them. That's just ridiculous.

What about guys like Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, Tommy Lasorda, Dusty Baker, and Bruce Bochy? I mean let's get real.