MLB 2011

[Ingmar]

I really don't think there's a culture that specific, these guys will all work for whoever.

[Paelos]

I really don't think there's a culture that specific, these guys will all work for whoever.

Shockingly, I disagree.

[HaemishM]

That arm is something to panic about.

Yep, he was on my fantasy team, and I already had Corey Hart on the DL. God... damnit.

Also, NL is for real baseball fans.   

[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

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.

Attending games in April (and sometimes into May) is a miserable experience even when the team is good. It is an outdoor stadium about 2 blocks from the Sound, so the wind is constantly blowing and it is fucking COLD. It is an amazing place to see a game when the weather cooperates though. Unfortunately the past few seasons the team has been out of the running by the time the weather turns.

 I may break my boycott of attending games in person (goes back to when they didn't fire Hargrove in the offseason on year, only to have him fuck off in the middle of the next season for whatever reason) since my son is getting old enough to think it was cool. He loves going to hockey games, even if he loses interest shortly after the actual game starts (he is only 2). Getting to go into the arena, see the Zamboni, and high five the mascot is enough for him 

[Sjofn]

Getting to go into the arena, see the Zamboni, and high five the mascot is enough for him 

That is so cute.

The "the weather probably sucks" thing did occur to me, I just didn't think it could impact the despair that much. I am insane, though, because I like going to sporting events when it is cold (it can even be cold AND rain, provided I am prepared for it). Anyway, there was this one dude in the stands I kept noticing. He had some sort of silly fan hat on (it was like ... a big yellow foam crown). But he looked like someone had run over his puppy. That pretty much summed up the whole feeling I was getting. I wanted to hug him.



Uh ... so ... baseball! It is happening.

[WayAbvPar]

That might have been Red (he sits behind the Mariner dugout about 6 rows deep or so). His favorite player of all time is Adrian Beltre, and he is still heartbroken that he didn't come back.

[Ingmar]

He was probably sad because the crown was for "King" Felix, the pitcher who was getting shelled when they kept showing him.

[WayAbvPar]

Well yes, but the real deep hurt is from AB leaving 

In other news, promising young catcher Adam Moore is out for the season for knee surgery. The way the team is playing, I think he got off better than the poor bastards that have to play every day and get their asses kicked.

[caladein]

Angels in first place!  I want to believe!  (I don't really, regression is a bitch.  Although if they play .500-ish ball from here on out, they probably have enough to make the division interesting.)

Okay, maybe I believe a little .

[Ingmar]

Lead picture for the local preview of the Giants-Braves series is Brooks Conrad looking sad. 

[Paelos]

Lead picture for the local preview of the Giants-Braves series is Brooks Conrad looking sad. 

We're going to lose game 1, or barely scratch out a 1 run win. I'm on record with that right now. Hanson has been totally erratic and our batting is horrid, not to mention having our guts ripped out in the last game.

Game 2, we're going to own the Giants. Lincecum has a bad outing and Hudson doesn't post two bad games in a row. He's our stopper.

Game 3 is a total toss-up. Beachy and Sanchez are both young. Whoever scores first probably takes it.

[Ingmar]

I dunno, Bumgarner has been pretty bad so far. I would say tonight is our most likely loss personally. Although I still don't trust Sanchez either.

[stu]

Bumgarner has performed better than John Lackey this year, which is to say he's currently the second least effective starter in the game. I know because I drafted him.  

[Sjofn]

It depends on if good Sanchez or spaz Sanchez shows up. He seems to think consistancy is for pussies.

[Paelos]

I dunno, Bumgarner has been pretty bad so far. I would say tonight is our most likely loss personally. Although I still don't trust Sanchez either.

Prediction #1 goes to you. I didn't expect Bumgardner to implode in the 3rd. That was the difference.

[Paelos]

Prediction #2 goes to me. Lincecum walked more guys than I've ever seen him walk in a game and it cost him dearly. We have the chance for the rare road sweep!

[caladein]

Lincecum just couldn't find the strike zone from the first pitch.  That could have turned into a rout early had he not gotten bailed out by a failed steal attempt and a double play ball in the first.

Just a weird game for him, and my fantasy team as I have both pitchers of record and Craig Kimbrel.

[Sjofn]

Prediction #2 goes to me. Lincecum walked more guys than I've ever seen him walk in a game ...

That's because I think that was, in fact, the most he's ever walked in a game.

[caladein]

The AP agrees with you.

Lincecum (2-2) was tagged for five runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings after he carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning Monday at Colorado. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner also walked a career-high six and struck out six, while allowing his most earned runs since also giving up five last Aug. 15 during a career-worst five-start losing streak.

[Sjofn]

Once I decide to nerd about something, I go all out, baby. 

[Paelos]

SWEEP!

Trim that Beard you hippy!

[Paelos]

So did Ingmar throw himself into the Bay in a mighty rage after that series?

[Ingmar]

Nah, I am more just  because a lot of my misgivings about this team are coming true.

[Paelos]

Nah, I am more just  because a lot of my misgivings about this team are coming true.

I was like  for about a day until I realized we're still not about .500, and then I was like 

[Sjofn]

Ingmar does not rage about his sport teams, he simply despairs. 

[Fordel]

I have no thing to add, I just want to make a  too.

[ghost]

MLBPA says that expanded playoffs are part of the discussion

Despite Selig's comments that baseball was moving "inexorably" toward adding two wild-card teams to the postseason field in 2012, union chief Michael Weiner told ESPN.com that the two sides have so far to go in negotiating expansion that "it's just too early" to predict anything.

I'm very against this.  MLB and NBA playoffs are already too long and boring as it is. 

[Sjofn]

I dunno, I didn't find the playoffs boring at all last season. It made me like baseball! 

[HaemishM]

Baseball could maybe stand with another two wild card teams, but IMO, only if they ditch about 20 regular season games. Fuck, it's already almost November when the damn World Series is over, you want to extend that? Baseball season is crazy long and it's almost to the point where a .500 team can make the playoffs and win the Series. I don't want that.

[ghost]

I only pay attention to baseball for about the first week of the season and the last couple of playoff rounds as it is. 

[Paelos]

Baseball was the last stronghold of American sport where the regular season really mattered. If you make it more like hockey and basketball, you make so much of the 162 game season completely useless. If it was like the NBA, heres what you would have:

#1 Tampa v. #8 Detroit                    #1 Philly v. #8 Dodgers
#2 Minnesota v. #7Toronto               #2 Giants v. #7 Rockies
#3 Texas v. #6 White Sox                 #3 Cincy v. #6 St. Louis
#4 Yankees v. #5 Boston                  #4 Atlanta v. #5 San Diego

Yall see how ridiculously top-heavy that gets in certain areas. The AL East and the NL West get 4 teams a piece in the playoffs, even though most of those teams don't remotely deserve a shot with their regular season play. The only one you could make a serious case for would be San Diego, but they had their shot to knock off San Fran and blew it. Boston, despite being 13 games over .500 still managed to finish 3rd in their division. Sorry, but I don't want a third place team in the playoffs.

I think baseball needs to contract and reorganize the divisions rather than expand the playoffs.

[Sjofn]

Baseball season is crazy long and it's almost to the point where a .500 team can make the playoffs and win the Series. I don't want that.

I do not understand this line of thinking at all. If that .500 team can get through the playoffs against teams that (I assume) you think are better and win the World Series, well ... I, personally, give them a mental high five. Try not to suck, other teams who lost to the .500 team!

This goes for the "waaah, I don't want a third place team in the playoffs" shit, too. Try not to suck against the third place team, other teams!

[Paelos]

This goes for the "waaah, I don't want a third place team in the playoffs" shit, too. Try not to suck against the third place team, other teams!

Here's why we say that, and believe me it stems from a logical place, not simply a preference.

Baseball is the ultimate grinder sport. You play everybody in your league several times over during a 162 game season that lasts six months. We know exactly how you stack up against everyone because we've already played a home and away series against you. In some cases of your own division, you will have played 18 games against the teams in question. We know who is better with a definite regularity in that division.

Baseball is also the ultimate momentum sport. The mental attitude and momentum swings happen very slowly and can carry teams through hot and cold streaks for weeks. What you don't want is a team who gets hot at the right time to hit the #1 team when their key members are worn down from slugging out a regular season and knock them off in a week. You've taken something where we know for a fact that over six months a team was dominate, and tough, and won everything, and tossed it out the window. While that's the nature of the playoffs at the highest level in some degree, look at what it does to the regular season in something like the NBA and the NFL when teams know they have things sewn up, or they know they can't make it when there's 1/4 of the season left. In the NFL that's only 4 games. In the MLB it would be 40.

[Sjofn]

So why have playoffs at all, at that point? Why not throw a little bag of confetti and tell the Rays good job, you were the best?

[Paelos]

So why have playoffs at all, at that point? Why not throw a little bag of confetti and tell the Rays good job, you were the best?

Because in the past you didn't play interleague, so you didn't know if the AL champion was better than the NL champion. The only way to decide that was the World Series. Then, in 1969 we had 12 teams on each side, so they opened it up to a Western and Eastern division of each league. The two division winners played for the pennant and the right to play in the World Series.

That was fine until 1994, when Selig reorganized everything and adopted the Wild Card. Purists hate it, but then again purists hated divisions back in 1969. At this point, you're pushing it, but you still get the sense of NL v. AL and the top four teams battling each other to prove they are the best. Then, in 1997 we got interleague play and this all fell apart. There is nothing more that I hate then interleague games.

So yes, Sjofn, I would love nothing more than to throw the Rays a bag of confetti, tell them to go play the Phillies in the World series and call it a day. We would have been better for the experience in my view.