MLB 2022

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Here we go again with a new yr. Let's try and keep this thread baseball related?

 

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Being a retired IBEW member, I am a lifelong union guy.  In these negotiations, I have said all along that both sides are equally at fault due to greed or power lust or whatever.  But when the PA turned down federal mediation yesterday(in my opinion a very stupid move that shows the intent of the union) it's now mostly on them.  They need new leadership TODAY.  Owners are still being greedy assholes, but at least, I think, they want to have a season.  Looking like the union will sacrifice the season for a power grab.  

 

I just want some baseball. There is plenty money to go around.

                           Go Team !

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https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33216709/joe-west-retires-umpire-rec...

With the strike, Joe West gets the headline, retiring with the most games umped record.  Umped his first game in September, 1976.  45 years is a hell of a run.

What strike?

You've seen the SNL All Drug Olympics, looks like 2022 will be baseball's All Drug Season.

This ought to be interesting in a 'look at the fuckin state of affairs' kind of way. 

MLB, players stop drug testing during lockout | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/hockey-barry-bonds-nhl-mlb-sports-fdcd0eba22f...

Well OK, we're back.

Naturally, all the Richie Richardson's took their foolishness & greed to the 13th hour, but at least both sides knew they couldn't afford to gouge into the season. MLB doesn't have that type of power with the fans these days.

Too bad about the DH, but that was inevitable, and I don't know what to say about the larger bags; I'll have to see what they look like before I decide if I hate it, and I don't like restricting the shifts, teams should be able to put their players wherever the hell they want and let the hitters adjust.

And as a Giants fan I also don't like what I'm hearing about restricting how many times a player can be optioned, since the Giants have recently used that function to great advantage. But I am relatively ecstatic that the little league 7-innning double-headers & idiotic extra-inning rules have gone away.

Whatever, at least we'll have ball games to distract us from the daily horrors of the real world.

And now the Giants jump right in and buy Carlos Rodón for two years at $44 million, which is a ton of dough for a guy who's had injury issues, but he's got an opt-out clause after the first year, so if he stays healthy and has a great year he can hit the market again next year, and if he struggles to get on the field the Giants haven't sunk too many lost years into him.

It's a risk so we'll see, but he's got real nice upside and the Giants have lots of dough to blow (more than a bit has come from me) so I'm OK with the signing.

Now go put a good hitter or two into Orange & Black, and let's play ball!!!

GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F the DH.  F the shift ban.  F most of the owners.

 

But it's better than nothing.

 

Did I mention F the DH?

Never been a fan of the DH, but the Giants used it to their advantage in 2020.

I hate the shift and am glad to see it going away next yr. More action. More stolen bases.

I think Rodon is a good gamble but surprised they paid him so much.  He could be a cy young candidate this yr.

The option limit will hurt the Giants. They have been using that alot the last2 yrs.

And I'll add fuck the players executive committee and all their leaders.

Just glad that the rank and file was not fooled by boros and the other highend agents.  I heard that the 8 man exec com was 8 players all signed with boros. Fuck that greedy bastard.

So, with all that mostly behind us, Let's play ball!

 

And GO Giants!!!

>>>I hate the shift<<<

I'm no fan of it either (despite the Giants using it very well the past couple of years) but at the risk of sounding like a conservative right-wing Trumper, I REALLY hate the league sticking their official hands into it and dictating where teams can position their players.

The only reason the shift exists is because elite professional hitters refuse to use the wide open spaces shifts give them and stubbornly try to launch every pitch one way. If they just used their skills and stroked the ball "where they ain't" there would be less strike-outs, more action on the bases and the shifts would go away naturally.

It's not really that big a deal to me, I just don't like the league mandating how teams strategize their games, and it annoys me that it also panders to the modern hitter's constant obsession with HRs.

I find it ironic that the league is consumed with shortening the games but then implements the DH and takes away the shifts, both of which will lead to more hitting, more scoring and longer games.

And once the stubborn, arrogant & often incompetent umpires force the league to incorporate a consistent electronic strike zone that the hitters can totally lock in to, the scoring is really going to soar. Games will regularly be 10 - 9, 12 - 11, 15 - 14. It will then be common to have 4+ hour games.

What will the league do then, make it five balls for a walk, two strikes and you're out?

Fuckin' suits.

I've been waiting for hitters to "just go the other way" since the shift has been around. But well.....

 

Not so sure on the electronic strike zone lengthening games that much, but hopefully we'll see soon.

>>>Not so sure on the electronic strike zone lengthening games that much<<<

The zone will be exactly the same, every pitch, every game. No more having to swing at a high one or an outside one because the damned ump is calling those today. The hitters will lock into what's a strike or not very quickly and then most will be more like Belt and learn to lay off the close ones, which will lead to more walks and more hits.

I hate the idea of an exact electronic strike zone that never changes, but the damned umps can't seem to call it consistently at all and will force the league's hand soon enough.

5 Met pitchers combine on no-hitter. Best story of the year so far.

Till this - Nice job BJ fan man !
https://www.mlb.com/news/aaron-judge-homer-toronto-fan-ball

Mets & Yankees best records in B ball. Mets got their No-No and yanks have won 11 in a row.  Good to be a New Yawker this week

Giants are playing like shit right now. Their pitching and clutch hitting is how they won 107 last yr.  They have neither right now. Everybody sucks.

Last year's Giants team was built well and were really good but they still played over their heads. This year's team is set up the same way, and until this past week they've been playing the same way, especially the pitching, but in any normal season slumps are going to happen. Last year's no-slump season was freakish and won't be repeated.

It's also fair to look at the fact that they've played 24 games in four weeks with only three days off, and in the middle of that was a 14 game, four city, 11-game road trip with no days off. Factor in all the injuries and wave of COVID subtractions and it's easy to see why they're slumping right now. Once they get through this latest nine-game stretch without a break their schedule gets back to a more normal one day-off a week routine, and that, along with getting back to a full roster should make a real difference.

Longoria & Lamont Wade will be back soon and that should help. Belt and a few pitchers will also be coming off the COVID list soon, and it's hard to imagine that Ruff will continue to hit this badly all season. He's not an all-star level player at his best, but he's better than he's been so far.  

On the plus side so far, Estrada & Gonzalez both look like real players. Add them into a full offensive roster along with the overall quality of the pitching staff when healthy and not over-used and I'm still cautiously optimistic that at the end of the season they'll be at 90+ wins with a chance to make some noise in the playoffs.

On the down side of this year, Bart's chin is bouncing off the bottom of the pool. His swing is beautiful & powerful, but that doesn't really matter since he never actually hits the ball. Hopefully he'll figure it out, and if he does he'll be a serious power hitter, but at the moment he's a disaster, and at some point they're going to have to think about letting Casali start more games.

The other thing that's unfortunate but not surprising, at least to me, is seeing Crawford fall back to the player he always has been, excpet for last year when he was twice as good as he ever was before. Funny how that happens so often with aging players on a contract year. I wonder why that is??? Still, he's a very solid player and will continue to help, but they can't count on him to be the top-quality middle-of-the-order hitter he was last year.

And Yastrzemski is Yastrzemski. It cracks me up that so many people think he's a great hitter. To me, he & Joc Pederson are the same hitter. Joc got off to a great start, but I'm betting that by the end of the year they'll both be somewhere between .220 - .240 with 15 - 20 dingers. They're good guys to have and they can both help a winning team, but neither are centerpieces.

Yaz in particular belongs lower in the order, NOT at the top or middle. IMO Gonzalez, Wade, Estrada & Slater are the guys that should be hitting at the top with Belt, Longoria, Pederson, Flores, Ruff in the middle, and I have a feeling that's what we'll be seeing as the season goes on.

Anyway, it's a long season and ups & down are going to happen. Like last season, I don't think they have a realistic shot at the division, the damned Dodgers are too damned good, but who knows, maybe a couple more of them will beat up some groupies and they'll also have a wave of injuries. One can always hope.

Either way, the Gmen are still talented, versatile, well coached and have depth. I think with a little luck they'll hang in there.

GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't believe you continue to waste your,  guy on coke after 2 pots of coffee prose, on the likes of us.

I seriously doubt even the giant or warrior fans here can stand to get thru your endless babble.

You have some kind of gift tho. Have you ever considered writing professionally, say for the Long Wind Gazette ? 

Ohtani is the only California sports story worth reading today. 11k's + almost sent a ball thru the Green Monster.

I don't write my blather in the sports threads for you Raz. Or for Mark or anyone else.

I write the monologues for myself. I enjoy typing them out while watching a game or TV late at night. I live alone these days, my little dog just passed, the writing helps focus my thoughts & opinions and passes the time nicely when I'm just hanging around. 

I don't spend time on sports blogs, most of those people are more predictable with their personal insults/no real thoughts comments than you are, and that's saying something.

I realize we live in a no attention span, no discourse, all insult world of non-communication these days, but I seek to defy expectations, and since Viva is about the only "discussion board" I frequent, this place gets my business.

Scroll-by is easy to do, no harm no foul.

And...

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'member when sports were on local tv?

Tom you need to ignore garbage baiting posts. Especially from ignorant shits.

 

Why is Ruf starting against righties over Slater? Slater much better defensively and at least hit one HR against a righty last week.  I just looked it up. Slater OPS vs Righties 1.057.  Ruf? .446.  Unbelievable.

 

I think 90 wins is a realistic goal, but they need to nip this shitshow in the bud.

Wade coming back will help and I cannot believe how ready I am for Longo to get back out on the field. I think that will help settle them down a bit.

I think they're just trying to get Ruff going. Bochy used to do the same thing when a guy was in a slump.

He's a dangerous hitter when he's rolling, and he's been hitting the ball better the last few games, in classic slump fashion screaming liners right at somebody, but he's been starting just about every game during this endless stretch, he could use a day or two off. 

As for Longoria, they NEED him to hit when he comes back, Wade and La Stella too. If that happens and they can get back to having five starters and can stop all these "bullpen games" then they can stop over-using the BP and I think the pitching will settle back to where it was through most of April.

I am really starting to like that Gonzalez kid. He's the rare modern player who swings for contact, not always for the HR. I think he's taking Duggar's job, and it will be interesting to see how they use him when everyone is back; they're going to have a lot of lefty outfielders. 

When La Stella comes back he should be DHing against righties. Estrada has earned the everyday start at 2nd, and he's a WAY better defensive player, but with the endless man-crush they have on Yaz I don't think they'll bench him, so it will likely be Peterson DHing against right-handers with La Stella at 2nd, and since most NL starters are right-handed Estrada is going to mire on the bench.

Meh to that.

As for Raz, he's OK. He just needs to play the east coast wise guy routine. Predictable, but harmless.

I'm going to the Buster Posey celebration game tomorrow.  I'm not usually into those type of rah rah deals and it's going to be a royal pain getting in & out as the Warriors are playing right down the street at the same time, but I already had a ticket for that one before they announced that would be the Posey tribute game, and Buster is Buster so I'm happy to be able to tip my cap to him one more time.

Atta' boy Bus!!!

 

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GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I read all your posts Lance...

and I'm a Met fan. But I do root for the Giants.

Duck the Fodgers

7 run 9th inning rally to beat the Phillies last night 8-7. Fun things going on with the Mets so far all without deGrom. 

Yeah, the Mets are the story of the league right now.

Which is pretty cool. Half the Mets colors are the Giants colors so there's a touch of the Giants in their DNA, and they're always the second cousins in NYC so I always like to see them do well.

Almost always anyway.

BTW, we can't let this slip by...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best baseball player to ever lace up a pair of cleats.

 

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91 years old and still chooglin'. Atta' boy Willie! Say Hey!!!!!!!

Tough loss tonight.

Have fun at the game Lance; Buster was sure a fun one to watch play baseball.

Rainouts suck.

I only fuck with those I love Lance.

Am totally serious about you having a gift, and would be happier than hell to see your stuff in publication. Send something in to the local SF paper. You're much more interesting than most of the sports shit I read.

BTW - Any truth to the rumor you're writing style inspired the unabomber's manifesto ? That's what I heard anyway.

1 Hit Nasty

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^ He threw a 2 hitter yesterday.

Waaaay early but the Yanks so far are takin names

Are the Red Sox still in the AL East or did they bump them chumps down to A ball yet ?

He seems to be the real deal.

RIP Iron Lou, passing in 1941. He'll be honored at every MLB ballpark today.

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In the 100th year of MLB's All-Star game, Jackie Robinson's widow Rachel turns 100 years old tomorrow.

The game is at Dodger Stadium.  Baseball Gods at work.

I fuckin love this game.

He does look like Gary Cooper in that shot.

 

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DODGER stadium. what a beautiful ballpark. don't you all agree?

Yeah. Except for all that blue garbage. Now, Oracle Park? That is a beautiful stadium.

>>>DODGER stadium. what a beautiful ballpark<<<

What exactly makes it "beautiful"?

I've been there a few times and I've been seeing it on TV my whole life. I think it's a fine stadium and I like it because in 60 years it's never really changed (and amazingly still has it's real name) and is filled with generations of memories, but while very nicely designed there's nothing really esthetically noteworthy about it. The palm trees? OK, those are cool and very LA, but beautiful?

IMO there are many really cool or unique baseball stadiums, but there aren't many "beautiful" ones. Where the Giants play (whatever they're calling it this year) maybe has the best argument because of it's setting, and the brick wall going from the stands across right field is really cool, but the venue itself is a pretty generic, serviceable (if cramped) stadium. Wrigley has a good case, and I guess Fenway could be considered beautiful because of it's unique design. Other than those, what baseball stadium is really beautiful?

Hell, I thought Candlestick Park was beautiful, but I think maybe that was based on similar reasons why Turtle thinks Dodger Stadium is beautiful, because it's where my team/s played, because I grew up with it and it's where I had so, so many great times.

Anyway, duck the Fodgers and their excellent traditional uniforms, their fine stadium, their generations of great players & history and that damned impossibly great team they're fielding this year.

Sigh.

GG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as you said, not that much has changed since I 1st set foot in 1976/77. 

the location, although an unsavory history behind it...is magnificent. No better climate for baseball to be played. The quality of light...is unique there. I can't quite put it in to words...

love ya lance.

i think its the best stadium in baseball. you all can have your vip tents, waterfalls, pools, and whatever other nonsense is in most modern stadiums.

LA sports teams may get inundated with transplants of every team in each sport, but not so much at DODGER games.

not to mention 2 of the best announcers in baseball history....Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin.

you can almost still hear Vin say "It's time for DODGER baseball!" ..blowing in the warm breezes...

 

 

I'll give ya Vin Scully. Maybe the best all time.

But the Giants have some great announcers in their past. Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges were the best duo in history until Some guys named Krukow and Kuiper took over that designation. And are still the best in all of present day Baseball.

Carry on.

Go Giants!

It is a lovely ball park, Giancarlo likes it as well,, likes him some dodger pitching too.

What I like about Dodger Stadium is the location.  Similar to the Hollywood Bowl, it's a place you can escape the feeling of being in the L.A. megalopolis for a few hours, and that is welcome relief.  The O'Malley's displacement of the Latino community that inhabited Chavez Ravine before Dodger Stadium got built messes a little with the feel-good vibe though.

Several high quality ballparks going overlooked.  Sure, Fenway and Wrigley have historic appeal, but they are cramped and not very functional designs.  Give me Baltimore's Camden Yards, the first of the retro stadiums, any day.  The warehouse in right, the irregular dimensions (although I'm not a fan of the big section of the left field seats they removed this year to reduce home runs), the proximity to the harbor and the Fells Point neighborhood.  It's a classy, fun place to see baseball, and it spawned a whole new generation of custom designed ballparks that replaced all of those cookie cutter monstrosities.  
 

I'm also partial to the Pirates new park, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, and T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

Stadium way used to be called chavez ravine road. My wife's grandpa lived up there after the family came from Mexico, it was pretty much the only section of town where they were tolerated at the time. He was drafted into the navy in WWII, and right before he left for the battles in the pacific, his mom took a photo of him in his uniform, standing on a long flight of concrete the steps up to the house. I believe this was on Elysian park rd, just outside the perimeter of where the stadium lots are now. That house is long gone, but when we poked around the area about 15 years ago, the steps still remained. Gone now, he was quite emotional hearing that little tidbit of news. ​

The game has changed so drastically over these decades, but there is still something special about the few ballparks that haven't. There is just an extra dimension to the experience. I've been to most of the parks. Petco is probably my favorite place to catch a game, but the sterility still just doesn't compare with the old spots.

Yeah, Petco is a good place to see a game.

 

28 - 5

Pardon My Take on Twitter: "Red Sox trying to stop the Blue Jays from scoring https://t.co/J3M1dS3fN8" / Twitter
https://mobile.twitter.com/PardonMyTake/status/1550663544307318785?ref_s...

The Blue Jays choked.  They had two on in the 9th with a shot to break the modern MLB record of 30 runs scored in a game, with Red Sox infielder Yolmer Sanchez on the mound, and couldn't get it done.  Still, a pretty impressive ass-kicking.  The Fenway faithful who stayed even booed the traditional singing of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline during the 7th Inning Stretch, lol.

I'm with Straw -

Ex-Yankees, Mets great Darryl Strawberry hopes Aaron Judge doesn’t repeat ‘biggest mistake of my career’ | Klapisch
https://www.nj.com/yankees/2022/07/former-yankees-mets-great-darryl-stra...

Big moving day in MLB with the non-waiver trade deadline at 6 Eastern Time.

Some teams will risk gutting their farm systems in hopes of getting a player that may get them into the play-offs.

This year's feel-good story, the Baltimore Orioles, are taking a more practical approach.  While they start the day a game over .500 and 2,1/2 games out of a wild-card spot, GM Mike Elias knows the Orioles rebuild is still a work in progress, as the flood of talent from their loaded farm system will be hitting the big league roster in 2023-2024.  
 

They just dealt veteran 1B/DH Trey Mancini and his expiring contract to Houston in a 3-way deal with Tampa yesterday for two pitching prospects, then moved All-Star closer Jorge Lopez to the Twins for four more young pitchers this morning.  They're still a ways from competing night in and night out with the Yankees and Astros, so these moves, while not popular in the short term, make sense.  Now they need to flip Anthony Santander for more prospects to open a spot in the outfield for Kyle Stowers, who is crushing it at AAA Norfolk.  

It will be interesting to see where Juan Soto winds up today.  If the Dodgers get him, it might net them another World Series crown.

^ well if the yanks couldn't get him, good, at least that'll keep him out of our way.

Bye bye Gallo, but not happy getting rid of Montgomery,, at all

Cubs / Reds on Thursday is gonna be played in the cornfield place in Iowa 

might be cool to watch

"Field Of Dreams" game.  Must gonna be a yearly thing now. Did it last yr too.

We're on the verge of September, and the stretch run.  Great time of year for baseball fans, especially if your team is in it.  Lots of intriguing storylines between the pennant races and individual awards.

In the American League, it's been fascinating watching the slow-motion train wreck that is the Yankees.  Their bullpen is a mess.  Aroldis Chapman has not been his usually dominant self this year, lost his closer role, and now is back on the DL from an infection he got from a tattoo.  Zach Britton is working his way back in a rehab assignment.  He'll help if he's back on form, but meanwhile the Bombers are bombing in the worst way.  They just got smoked by the lowly A's, and their once massive lead has shrunk to 7 1/2 games in front of the Rays.  Will Aaron Boone's head implode?  The schadenfreude is palpable.

Meanwhile, the Rays, Mariners, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Twins are all chasing the three wild card spots, with the Twins just two back of the Guardians for the Central lead.  The Red Sox look like they're dead in the water, and the White Sox are on life support.  
 

The Astros appear to be the front runners as they try to get Dusty Baker his first title as a manager.  They're good but my team, the Orioles, just took two of three from them in Houston in a showdown between the two teams with the best records in MLB since mid-May.

The Orioles are the best story in MLB this season.  They have the toughest schedule of all of the playoff contenders, and are meeting the challenge.  They're still a game and a half back of Toronto for the final wild card (2 1/2 back of the Mariners and 3 back of Tampa), but the future is blossoming right now as young stars like catcher Adley Rutschman, closer Felix Bautista, starting pitchers Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish, super sub Tarrin Vavra, and slugging outfielder Kyle Stowers are all making positive contributions.  September call-ups will include much-heralded shortstop Gunnar Henderson, although with the way Julio Mateo has been playing (likely Gold Glove, tied with teammate Cedric Mullins for the league lead in stolen bases, and raising his batting average over .230 after being down under the Mendoza Line the first half of the season), it may be hard to get young Gunnar in the line-up.  Pitcher D.L. Hall will be back up after getting a taste a few weeks back. He'll be in the bullpen for now, but is projected as a starter for next year.  We may see their top pitching prospect, Grayson Rodriguez, who has been sidelined with a lat injury he sustained a couple of months ago just as he was about to be called up.  He's projected to be their ace.  He's just started throwing again.

There is even more elite talent in the pipeline (2B/3B Jordan Westburg, AA Bowie OF Colton Cowser (in breaking news, Cowser and Baysox teammate SS Joey Ortiz just got promoted to AAA Norfolk), High A Aberdeen OF Heston Kjerstad (the former #2 overall pick, working his way back after being injured last year), and this year's #1 overall pick, SS Jackson Holliday.  GM Mike Elias will have a lot of trade bait to dangle this off-season, and has indicated the O's will be active in the free agent market for the first time in years.  They may or may not scrap their way into the dance this year, but the future looks rosy in Birdland, and the dark years are fading fast in the rear view mirror.

Out here in Seattle, their is justifiable excitement among the fan base as the Mariners look to break the longest playoff drought in MLB (20 seasons).  Their starting rotation is tough, especially with the trade deadline acquisition of Luis Castillo, and the return to form of reigning Cy Young winner Robbie Ray.  Their everday line-up looks thin to me.  I also feel they vastly overpaid rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez with his 220-400 million contract extension, and will be hamstrung by this move for years.  As the Mariners are one of the teams the Orioles are chasing, I find myself rooting against the home team.

In the National League, the Dodgers have met expectations as the elite team.  The Padres looked poised to make a charge after getting Juan Soto, Brandon Drury, and Josh Hader at the trade deadline, but the PED suspension of Fernando Tatis took the wind out of their sails, and Hader looks like a bust.  Manny Machado is carrying them and will get serious MVP consideration.

The Cardinals are stretching their lead in the Central division, and it just might be over for the Brewers, who find themselves seven games back of the Redbirds, and looking up at the Braves, Padres, and the resurgent Phillies in the wild card race.

The Giants are done, which is why this thread had dropped off the radar.  It's looking like it's rebuilding time in San Francisco.  Carlos Rodon will make a nice addition to someone's rotation next year in free agency.

The NL East battle should be entertaining.  The Mets have been out front all year, but are starting to show some cracks.  Getting punked by the scuffling Yankees in their recent two game series was telling.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Braves overtake them, and I wouldn't discount the Phillies either, who are starting to fire on all cylinders.

Aaron Judge's pursuit of 60 home runs may be the most intriguing of the individual award races. He's also in a battle with Guardians' MVP candidate Jose Ramirez for the RBI title.

This year has been a bumper crop for rookie talent.  The American League Rookie Of The Year race is led by the Orioles' Rutschman and Mariners' Rodriguez, but Cleveland's Steven Kwan (hitting just under .300 and among the league leaders) and Seattle starting pitcher George Kirby should also be in the conversation.

Hold on to your hats, and keep your eyes on the scoreboard, it's going to be a wild ride from here on in!

Impressed Dave!  What an deep and complete roundup....  great summary of where we are in the season.

Early in the season, when the Yankees had a winning % of ~700, manager Aaron Boone stated that 'We are just making deposits for later in the season'.

The Yanks have been at the ATM making withdrawals of late, but they will still win the division. Stanton is back, many of their injured pitchers due back. They should finish strong.

Easy schedule to end the season.

 

 

Mets are showing a few cracks but I wouldn't want to face Degrom and Sherzer in a 7 game series 2-3 times.  Mets need a few bats and mostly held at the trade deadline. They may not win it all this year but should go all in on an Ohtani trade in the off season.  

Good post there Dave. And yes the Giants are done. They have been for awhile. But they have been in rebuilding limbo for a couple yrs. Waiting for the old guys to go away. The minor league system that once looked so promising has been very disappointing this yr. Most of our top prospects have floundered but we have a few new guys that look promising.  I look for the Giants to be in full buy mode this off season. Belt and Longo will be gone along with many others.   So, I look for us to spend at 1st and third at least.  And in the bullpen which has been atrocious this yr.

Many announcers have called Judges HR goal as taking over the AL record for HRs in a season. What about McGwire? I know he was juiced, but did they take away his record?

What American League HR record did McGwire ever have?

And RIP to Maury Wills. Dude was a great player.

We'll Judge Judge in about a few weeks. The man is incredible. 

 

Go Yankees!

 

What an incredible game last night and tonight!!!!!

 

EPIC

I stand corrected. Mcgwire hit 70 HRs in 1998 but he had already moved to St Louis.

Wow. What a day of baseball.

So far these playoffs have been very entertaining overall, but damn, today was something else.

An 18-inning 1 - 0 game? Absolutely amazing.

The comeback by the Cleveland Indi..... oops, whatever the Cleveland team is called now? Big-time.

And congrats to the Phillies for taking down the champs.

But that Padres/Dodgers game, and really that whole too-short series.... wow.

I've been watching sports most of my life, and I've been in attendance for many, many amazing sports moments, but I'm not sure I can remember an event where the crowd was as wildly excited as those Padres fans were tonight.

That was really something. I have many reasons to not like the Padres, but I was happy for those people tonight. Good for them.

And I feel for those bums in blue as well. Losing always sucks, even if it's the Dodgers. 

Some REALLY thrilling games were played today, and will continue to be played.

People love to say baseball is dead, sports is dead.

Those people are wrong.

GO SPORTS!!!!!

(go Giants!)

Those were some exciting games yesterday.  

The Guardians exploited the Yankees weak bullpen last night.  If they can get Gerrit Cole out of the game early, they should be able to close out the Yankees today.  Might be Aaron Judge's last game in pinstripes.  Can't believe he got booed on Friday at Yankee Stadium.

Who would've guessed we'd see a Padres/Phillies NLCS?  Two teams on a roll.  Padres get the home field advantage, but I think the Phillies are peaking and will take this series.

 

And I feel for those bums in blue as well>>

On days like this, or last weekend w/the Muts, I feel bad not for the millionaires being paid by billionaires, but for the fans who cheered, & watched 3 clubs win over 100 & go home in a blink because next season the excitement of April>September is gone.  Another 100 win season means zip, you're saying let's see what happens when the games really count.

My first season watching baseball was the 2nd season of division playoffs instead of going right into the World Series, Orioles over the Reds.  Running home from grade school because World Series night games didn't start until 1971.  Now baseball has the same postseason as the other 3 major sports, multiple rounds to trip you up. Braves only won 88 last year, just 42-38 at home.  Get into the tournament & get on a run. 

Good for the old guard managers.  Baker, Francona, & Melvin. I had  Francona's father Tito's baseball card in my collection. 

Seeing recently retired, multiple title, Villanova coach Jay Wright in the crowd wearing a Phillies jersey waving a red towel after Realmuto's inside the parker was a great moment.

 

sigh.

choke.

i was weary of the 111 game win thing or whatever the number was...

fuck machado AND darvish.

but huge congrats to the city and fans of san diego! those guys were fuckin' rockin'!  i guess when you take a city's baketball and then football teams....its the only show in town.

 

>>>> fuck, machado AND darvish are exceptionally good ball players

 

fixed that for you

 

Padres are f'n gooooooood. Yanks about to see if DC is worth the $$ they're paying him. 

>>>I feel bad not for the millionaires being paid by billionaires, but for the fans<<<

That's what I meant. I rarely feel that bad for players, mainly because they get to play the game and leave it on the field, and in smaller part because they do get paid so well, win or lose. I don't begrudge them that at all though, it's entertainment and the dollars are there, and they're the ones creating the entertainment so they're the ones who should get that money.

And the billionaire owners? As always, fuck those fuckers.

Ah, but the poor fans. They're always the ones I feel bad for.

As far as teams that rack up wins during the season and then go down in the playoffs, that's just the way it is, and other than these divisional playoff series being the best of 5 I have no issues with the new playoff format. It's still in the best interest of the teams to build a roster that can compete through the regular season marathon, but also must have the right components to win short series sprints (pitching, pitching and more pitching).

Teams also must have a manager that's good at both the long & short season, which requires different abilities. Dave Roberts once again handled his team well through the season, and once again is in the hot water in LA for the way he handled his team in the playoffs.

To win it all you have to be good at both the marathon & the sprint, and I think that's pretty cool.

IMO the only changes they should make is to cut the regular season down to 154, or maybe even 148, allowing for a few more days off during the season, and make the divisional playoffs best of 7.

Otherwise, the new format keeps it exciting throughout the summer for MANY more fans than it used to be, which keeps it interesting and fun.

Anyway, I think the Phillies/Padres series is going to be a good one. I don't care how many games they won during the season, they won enough and they both have top level players up & down their rosters.

For my selfish sake I hope it goes the full seven.

Quote of the weekend from Deadhead Neil Everett on ESPN talking about Cleveland outfielder Myles Straw

"Not related to Jack Straw from Wichita"

Also "Alabama doesn't want to go back to Tennessee Jed"

<< fuck those fuckers

LOL LOL  who can deny that's a change of style for ya. Sounds like yer channeling your inner Ras.

That's the way buddy, yer gettin it,, it's all in the delivery.

Nasty Nestor for the win

i am pretty excited for Philadelphia

the city, moreso than the team

the yankess are, once again, playing like they want to be done already