Take me out to the ballgame......
Let's start talking about who we like, who we don't, who we think will have break out years, who we don't.....
Also if you have a particularly strong fancy for a daily game, here is the thread to spot your fancies!
I think the Nationals have a strong lineup this year and they could go all the way......I'm a HUGE Orioles fan so, wouldn't it be great if these two clubs meet in the World Series.
Let's go O's, Let's go O's!!!
Quote: RogerKintGo Dodgers!
They have a decent lineup too. Should be a cracking season!
Ok, so top pitcher Cole Hamels starts the year on disabled list, with shoulder trouble (no big deal for a pitcher). Reliable Cliff Lee inherit opening day and gives up 8 runs, 8 earned runs in 5 innings. After starters they have absolutely no bullpen. Last year they had noone to get from the starters to the closer, but this year, Pabelbon appears done. His fastball is 90 mph, down 6 mph form 4 years ago and it has gone down every year.
I hate to give up after 3 games, but this team is not going to win many games. It's going to be a very long season and they are going to be hard for me to watch.
I too, think the Nats will rebound strong from a very disappointing year last year. Strausburg and Harper are going to put up monster numbers if thy both remain healthy.
Quote: kewljPhillies fan here. watching the off season moves, I knew it was going to be a long season for Phils. I don't share managements opinion that this core group of guys, Howard, Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ruiz, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Papelbon, have one more un left in them. And if age hadn't already caught up with them, they went out and signed a few more aging players in Marlon Byrd and pitcher Burnet. Yikes, better buy geritol in bulk!
Ok, so top pitcher Cole Hamels starts the year on disabled list, with shoulder trouble (no big deal for a pitcher). Reliable Cliff Lee inherit opening day and gives up 8 runs, 8 earned runs in 5 innings. After starters they have absolutely no bullpen. last year they had no one to get from the starters to closer, but this year, Pabelbon appears done. His fastball is 90 mph, down 6 mph form 4 years ago and it has gone down every year.
I hate to give up after 3 games, but this team is not going to in many games. It's going to be a very long season and they are going to be hard for me to watch.
I, too think the Nats will rebound strong from a very disappointing year last year. Strausburg and Harper are going to put up monster numbers if thy both remain healthy.
I felt pretty similar to you when watchinig Ubaldo Jimenez pitch yesterday for the O's. He signed a big 4 year deal ($50 million) and I'm just unsure about his stuff. He seemed very hittable in his first start and he has lost that Colorado Rockies zip. His mechanics seem a lot better but mechanics only count for so much. I hope he finishes stronger than he starts (like last season) otherwise we could burn our fingers with the biggest single contract for a picther we have ever written.
Quote: ontariodealergo sox
bleecchhhh :)
On the NL side, I am going to go with the Pirates, for fun, though I think the Dodgers and Cardinals (and Nationals are stacked).
Quote: boymimboI'm a Jays fan, but they aren't going anywhere this year though I think they will amass 83 wins. I think this will be another year where the BoSox might go back-to-back. In the AL East, the Yankees are a mess with aging players and a weak rotation and weaker bullpen (plus I hate the Yankees more than I hate the Patriots), the Rays have no offencse, and Baltimore's a mess. Boston will find a way to be the AL champs and I also like the Tigers as perennial AL central champs (by about 14 games) in a colossally weak division. I always like the Mariners in the west but Oakland will take it.
On the NL side, I am going to go with the Pirates, for fun, though I think the Dodgers and Cardinals (and Nationals are stacked).
Calling Baltimore a "mess" is perhaps a little strong isn't it? :)
They don't have a bad lineup at all and their coach is also not the worst in town. What makes them a mess? Their starting pitching? Their BP?
Can't be their hitting or their fielding surely?
Quote: TomspurCalling Baltimore a "mess" is perhaps a little strong isn't it? :)
They don't have a bad lineup at all and their coach is also not the worst in town. What makes them a mess? Their starting pitching? Their BP?
Can't be their hitting or their fielding surely?
The starting pitcher for Baltimore is indeed a huge mess. Certainly not up to par with the rest of this division. They got a few guys who are a year or two away though, and at that point I can see them becoming a contender. As for this year, I think boston repeats. Solid starters, enough hitting, and a good bullpen.. Assuming the closer stays reliable.
Go Rays
My baseball expert here at work thinks I got a great deal, his estimate is the Rays chances are much better then 17 to 1, he was surprised I was given such long odds
We're gonna win, Twins! We're gonna score!
We're gonna win, Twins! Here the crowds all roar!
Smack out a home run! Shout a hip-hooray!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!
(not singing)
I have no idea whether they still do this in the stands; it's from the 50's and I learned it as a little kid. Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva days. But the sentiment sticks. I still have my charm bracelet with silver signed baseballs. Somewhere, anyway.
That is the sum total of what I know about baseball. Carry on.
Anybody want O's/Yanks tickets.....I got 4....anybody? Anybody? :)
Quote: kewljPhillies fan here. watching the off season moves, I knew it was going to be a long season for Phils. I don't share managements opinion that this core group of guys, Howard, Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Ruiz, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Papelbon, have one more run left in them. And if age hadn't already caught up with them, they went out and signed a few more aging players in Marlon Byrd and pitcher A J Burnett. Yikes, better buy geritol in bulk!
Ok, so top pitcher Cole Hamels starts the year on disabled list, with shoulder trouble (no big deal for a pitcher). Reliable Cliff Lee inherit opening day and gives up 8 runs, 8 earned runs in 5 innings. After starters they have absolutely no bullpen. Last year they had noone to get from the starters to the closer, but this year, Pabelbon appears done. His fastball is 90 mph, down 6 mph form 4 years ago and it has gone down every year.
I hate to give up after 3 games, but this team is not going to win many games. It's going to be a very long season and they are going to be hard for me to watch.
I too, think the Nats will rebound strong from a very disappointing year last year. Strausburg and Harper are going to put up monster numbers if thy both remain healthy.
As a fellow Phillies fan, I could not agree more. Howard is probably the most overpaid guy in the sport and this roster has to have one of the highest average ages in the league. I'd be shocked if they won 75 games.
Quote: beachbumbabs(singing)
We're gonna win, Twins! We're gonna score!
We're gonna win, Twins! Here the crowds all roar!
Smack out a home run! Shout a hip-hooray!
Cheer for the Minnesota Twins today!
(not singing)
I have no idea whether they still do this in the stands; it's from the 50's and I learned it as a little kid. Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva days. But the sentiment sticks. I still have my charm bracelet with silver signed baseballs. Somewhere, anyway.
That is the sum total of what I know about baseball. Carry on.
It's still the official rouser. They use it as the intro music on FSN. They definitely played it at the Dome all the time, too. I don't know if I've heard it at Target Field, but I've only been to a couple games there.
Quote: rdw4potusIt's still the official rouser. They use it as the intro music on FSN. They definitely played it at the Dome all the time, too. I don't know if I've heard it at Target Field, but I've only been to a couple games there.
That's very nice to know. I was feeling sentimental, stupid, and old, all at the same time. Thanks! :)
We're going to be okay.
Our family had season tickets from the 1920s until my dad moved to NE PA to live with us in 1998, our seats were first row behind the Pirates dugout. In the 70s my brother Jim and I saw every playoff and World Series game in Pittsburgh, including the first night World Series game ever, in 1971, when rookie Bruce Kison pitched 6 scoreless innings in relief, and also set a record for hitting three batters in one game.
We were at so many games that by sheer chance, Jim and I made the Pirates 100th Anniversary Yearbook, in a crowd shot on the Willie Stargell page. The photo is from the 1979 World Series. I'm the long haired guy right behind Willie's hand, and Jim is front and center. Jim passed away in 2009, I really miss him every year baseball starts.
Quote: boymimboI'd be thrilled if Pittsburgh made it to the post season. I love their stadium, one of the great places to watch a ball game.
true dat, second only to Camden Yards.
The game went 15 innings, Brooks Robinson made 2 errors and two of the greatest plays I'd ever seen, Reggie Jackson hit two home runs... it was just insane.
Here's a link to the box score, it includes a play-by-play at the bottom if you want to dig into it and see just how wild it was. The A's were winning 4-1, the Orioles scored 3 in the bottom of the 8th to tie it. Reggie hit a home run in the top of the 12th; Boog Powell hit a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 12th to tie it. Joe Rudi and Paul Blair both made two circus catches to save runs. Just a great baseball game, one I'll never forget. And the Bucs weren't eve near it!
The game ended at about midnight, and all the public transportation was done for the night, so we tried to hitch back to DC. Memorial Stadium was not in a nice part of town, so we found a train station and made it to the outskirts of the city, and hitched about halfway to DC, winding up on the side of an interstate somewhere with no way to cross, and it started raining. We found a phone booth and called a friend who was in the Navy and stationed in Arlington, and somehow he found us and took us back to his apartment, where we crashed for the night.
Quote: FrGambleHang in there Tom the Orioles are not only my favorite baseball team, but my favorite team in all of sports! Besides today, which was an awful day to play baseball, they have been hanging in there with underachieving pitching and hitting (only been four games). Didn't Britton look awesome the other day?
We're going to be okay.
Man, Padre, good to know there is another die hard fan out there. Today we at least had something to celebrate!!! :)
Also we have drawn a rediculously tough opening first few weeks of the season. Not only that but we are in the toughest division as it is!!!
Britton looked good coming out of the pen and Tillman was dominating today. I hope the other starters will take a lead from this performance and start pulling their socks up. Jimenez especially needs to show more but it is early doors yet :)
If we can win 90 this year I will be tickled pink!
Amazing story in the local paper today about the game the other day
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/2014/04/07/local-woman-scoops-up-cabreras-2000th-hit/
What a clutch hitter. Always got a piece of the ball, always. The year he hit 343 he only struck out 13 times. 13, Damn, how is that possible ?
Quote: IbeatyouracesAnd now this news...
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/25186247/tigers-pitcher-investigated-for-sex-assault
And it supposedly happened at Motorcity Casino.
And this from an already beleaguered bullpen. You can't expect your starting pitching to go 8 or 9 innings ever game can you?
And remember when you could BUNT with two strikes and bases loaded ?
Quote: IbeatyouracesHell if I know. I quit following baseball back in the early 90's. Only occasionally watch it.
Sorry, it was more a question for everyone not specifically directed at you :). Also I had no idea you don't want baseball.
Buzz, nothing is the same as it once was but we unfortunately have to live with what we have or go without. Sort of feast or famine really :)
Quote: BuzzardDon't mean I have to watch it. Still wonder how many steroids players will get into Baseball Hall of Fame before Pete. If they ever let him in ?
You are absolutely right, you don't have to.
Steroids will forever change the game and in my opinion, they should simply be legalized and regulated in the off season. They help you heal quicker and build up muscle quicker after a serious injury.
I know this is a radical opinion but so many guys are using them in ALL sports just about, why not accept that and regulate what guys can and cannot use?
Surely steroids don't give you better hand/eye co-ordination?
Since 1991, the MLB drug policy has not allowed steroid use unless the player possessed a legitimate prescription.
Quote: BuzzardDon't take this personal, but I think you are out in left field on this one.
I know, and I won't take it personally :)
For me it is similar to the war on drugs. These wars were not designed to be won. The war on steroids will never be over. There will always be better and cleaner steroids available that will allow these guys to hide what they are doing.
You are aboslutely right about kids using steroids. That can NEVER be good or be condoned. But at the end of the day, if a kid wants to use, he is going to find a way, no matter who tells him what or how illegal it is.
This is now the world we live in. As you have rightly mentioned before, it has changed beyond all recognition.
It will be condoned if baseball says, go ahead, use them. I mean like who did not know those guys were using. Give the kids a chance to compete on talent.
Quote: BuzzardIt's always a revolution in drugs and detection. But if you make steroids legal in sports, the good kids will succumb. Plus there are lots of players who played better , hit more home runs etc in late 30's that earlier years in their careers. So steroids do improve a players ability.
It will be condoned if baseball says, go ahead, use them. I mean like who did not know those guys were using. Give the kids a chance to compete on talent.
I agree with you in theory but the practical matter of fact is that there is a huge amount of people out there (including kids) who are already using steroids. This isn't going to change. The money is simply too big for them not to take the chance.
I don't care for steroids, I simply am trying to be pragmatic about the whole situation.
Quote: BuzzardI understand, but don't think baseball looking the other way is the answer.
I never said that. They wouldn't "look the other way", they would legalize it and regulate it. They have the power to do this.
By looking the other way you are saying they don't agree and it is illegal but they choose to ignore it because they still make stink loads of money......
Quote: beachbumbabs20 hits / 14 runs is a red letter day no matter what. A Capital Red Letter Day against the Yankees, I would think. Would love to see my Twins blow them out like that. :D
Twins did a nice job getting 2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie it today, only to have the bullpen implode in extras.
Quote: michael99000Twins did a nice job getting 2 in the bottom of the 9th to tie it today, only to have the bullpen implode in extras.
Rats. Thanks for the update, michael, sorry to hear the result. It's a little early to say it's gonna be another one of those years, but....sigh.
Still, anytime any team beats up on the Yankees, it is a good day in my book.
Sorry Speedy :)
Going to be an interesting series with Baltimore this weekend!!!
Let's go O's!!!
Quote: TomspurYou are absolutely right, you don't have to.
Steroids will forever change the game and in my opinion, they should simply be legalized and regulated in the off season. They help you heal quicker and build up muscle quicker after a serious injury.
I know this is a radical opinion but so many guys are using them in ALL sports just about, why not accept that and regulate what guys can and cannot use?
Surely steroids don't give you better hand/eye co-ordination?
I am not a fan of wrestling, but I am told that they are dropping like flies at an early age. Schwarzenneger had to have heart surgery as steriods may build up muscle mass..but will wreak havoc on internal organs. Steriods also cause rages which would be fine if they only happened with the person in a cage....but they(the rages)adversely affect family and the general public.
Other than that.....I guess people can say that if they are entertained it doesnt matter.
When someone on steriods goes home and the kids and wife have to walk on eggshelfs so daddy doesnt fly off the handle is a possibility.Can I say that as long as I can see a hme run its worth it. Not for me. Some hulking athelete on steriods screams at your daughter terrorizing her because they are out of cherry coke at the 7-11...and its just the price we pay for unleashing more steriod users on society by making it legal in sports...as long as we can get our fill of home runs.
I dont buy into that. Baseball becomes a freakshow
And more importantly in the light of the concussion lawsuits that the NFL faces....if any sports league allowed steriods, and they became the norm in order to keep your job.....get ready for the lawsuites 20 years later when health deteriorates.
