MLB 2013

[Paelos]

Good for him. He gets to play for a contender if he's still viable.

[cmlancas]

So I went to see the Rays again on Tuesday, the game after Sam Fuld's terrific assist (yes, we all know he was safe at home, but herp derp move on).  My two friends and I were sitting one row off the fence in left field and Fuld was subbed in defensively in the 7th inning.  The season ticket members and myself were commenting just what a classy player he is just loudly enough for him to hear. Mid at-bat he turns around and tips his cap to us.   

The Rays have an amazingly special group of players this year.  Or, maybe I'm biased because I played against Matt Joyce as a kid.

[Paelos]

I think the Braves v. the Rays in the World Series would be funny because when you say the names out loud, they sound really similar.

[cmlancas]

I think the Braves v. the Rays in the World Series would be funny because when you say the names out loud, they sound really similar.

This would be the hardest series for me.  I know where I was in '95.  :)

[WayAbvPar]

I will never understand why Felix Hernandez continues to sign contracts with and play hard for the Seattle Mariners. What a fucking garbage fire. Last night was the 29th time in his career he has gotten a no decision after leaving a game having given up 0 or 1 run. And they had a fucking 5 run lead with 3 outs to go. Jesus. Fire everyone involved in constructing this abortion into the sun. They already wasted the career of one first ballot HOF'er this century, and they have wasted half of another.

[Paelos]

So they aren't .500 yet is what you're saying.

[WayAbvPar]

They hit 50 wins and flatlined. Boston just fucking owns them. Especially @ Fenway.

[HaemishM]

It seems like they've got some nice up and coming hitting talent. Just no bullpen or starting pitching outside of the King. They also currently have 1 more win than the Cubs, so...

[WayAbvPar]

If they can A) shitcan Morse and Ibanez, B) sign Morales to a decent deal, then C) find a way to sign Elllsbury and a D) decent back end starter on the offseason they could be very watchable next season.

That being said I expect the fuckheads running the team to resign Morse and Ibanez, let Morales go, miss on Ellsbury, panic and overpay for Choo (who they traded away for DICK when he was a prospect) and then fill the rotation with more garbage like Saunders and Bonderman while waiting for Walker/Hultzen/Paxton to be ready.

[Ginaz]

I just noticed, apart from Ryan Braun, everyone who was recently suspended for PEDs was Hispanic.  I'm not sure what to think of that.

[ghost]

Well, the clinic was in Miami, right?

[Ingmar]

I just noticed, apart from Ryan Braun, everyone who was recently suspended for PEDs was Hispanic.  I'm not sure what to think of that.

It means that people who come from shitty backgrounds in 3rd world countries will do whatever they can to not go back to their previous situation, and as foreigners who don't (always) speak the language, they have a harder time not getting caught? No real difficult conclusions to draw here.

[Rasix]

Weren't some of them also introduced by their agents?  Wouldn't be surprising that they'd be more reliant and trusting in their agents due to the language issue.

[Ingmar]

Yep - and because of the way baseball works in Latin America these guys were signed up with their agents at like age 16 in a lot of cases, which is a long time to build up an "I 100% trust this guy, he got my family out of poverty, I will do what he suggests" sort of relationship.

[HaemishM]

And unless your name is A-Rod, chances are losing 50 games isn't a significant economic impact when compared with the entirety of your career (and even if your name is A-Rod, it ain't much). We're entering the territory of "cost of doing business."

[ghost]

Miami is a wealthy town with a hispanic population of about 70%.  I would imagine a lot of these spanish only guys have a home there for at least the off season.  It's not shocking that the clinic had a lot of hispanic guys in this area.  If the clinic was in Detroit it would probably be a different mix. 

[Paelos]

Looks like Dan Uggla is going to have eye surgery. I suppose this is the last ditch effort to prove he's not a complete disaster as a player.

[Ingmar]

Meh, he's got good enough power and draws so many walks that he doesn't need to hit for average to be valuable. This is the first season where I'd say he's actually been a problem (last year he was pretty average overall), and that's as much to do with his bad defense as his Rob Deer impression at the plate. If he can get back up to hitting .240 or so he's legitimately good.

[Paelos]

He hasn't been close to .240 since he set foot in Atlanta. Last year all his value was in his OBP since he walked a ton. Now? If he wasn't hitting homers, he was a turnstile.

[Ingmar]

.233 is pretty close to .240.  

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised when middle infielders over 30 fall off a cliff, in any case. Robinson Cano is a very dangerous free agent.

[Paelos]

.233 is pretty close to .240. 

His .216 average in Atlanta overall isn't 

[ghost]

This is worth watching if you enjoy bad baseball.

[Ingmar]

Love this column.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9718373/mariano-rivera-overrated-well-beloved-respected

[Paelos]

He makes a good point about winning percentages with leads, but it really highlights how stupid the specialization of pitching has become. Now you need 4 relievers to finish a game or more, where two decades ago that would have been totally absurd. I'm not sure it's made the game better at all, or made fans or managers better at watching or working within the game.

[01101010]

Go Tribe!

[sickrubik]

Apparently Bud Selig is stepping down.

[HaemishM]

That's not breaking news. He's been talking about that for months.

[Paelos]

Apparently Bud Selig is stepping down.

Let him hurry the hell up. And while he's at it, apologize for the steroid era and the All-Star game, the fucking hack.

[sickrubik]

That's not breaking news. He's been talking about that for months.

I don't follow baseball, but the sports people that I do follow seem to be surprised about it. Just trying to pass it along.

[ghost]

Apparently Bud Selig is stepping down.

Let him hurry the hell up. And while he's at it, apologize for the steroid era and the All-Star game, the fucking hack.

Did Bud cause the "Steroid Era"?  And when exactly was this era? 

[Paelos]

He didn't cause it, he encouraged it along with the other owners who were raking in profits while ignoring testing. I consider the "era" to be from the mid-90s up to in many cases 2010 with the ARod thing and Bonds getting indicted.

[Ingmar]

It started long, long before the mid-90s. I'd count from the day Jose Canseco was called up, if not earlier.

[Paelos]

I'm not averse to that time period either. I don't think it was as widespread in the 80s though.

[Fordel]

So, did the Bluejays win the world series yet? 

[Paelos]

They juuuuuuust missed it. By 24 games.