General Sports Talk

The only portion of Yankee Stadium that is a shorter dimension than normal MLB stadiums is right field. The Judge hits most home runs to left and center, so he gets few "Yankee Stadium home runs".

It's Memorial Day weekend, and he is batting .400 and leading in all three of the Triple Crown categories. I don't know what a "worthless" home run means.
He's putting up offensive numbers not done by non-steroid users since Babe Ruth.
Some people have to hate. It's all they have.

Quote: billryan

The only portion of Yankee Stadium that is a shorter dimension than normal MLB stadiums is right field. The Judge hits most home runs to left and center, so he gets few "Yankee Stadium home runs".

It's Memorial Day weekend, and he is batting .400 and leading in all three of the Triple Crown categories. I don't know what a "worthless" home run means.
He's putting up offensive numbers not done by non-steroid users since Babe Ruth.
Some people have to hate. It's all they have.
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If he continues at his current pace it will be the greatest season in MLB history.

And remember, he is ‘semi intentionally’ walked quite often.

Just looked it up. He has more HRs to right field than left field this year.

Yankee Stadium is only short if you hit it down the line. Right center is deeper than your average ballpark]. The big difference is that the old Stadium had ten-foot walls, and the new one has six-foot walls, so balls that used to be off the wall are now over it.
Looking at A.J.'s home runs this year, three would have been outs in most ballparks, including last night's home run on the road.
I can only imagine his numbers if he played half his games at Fenway.

Judge hit another home run today. This one was 405 feet and would have been a home run in every major league park.
It's May 24th, and he's batting .400, and if the season ended today, he'd be the triple crown winner.

Quote: gordonm888

I recently read a criticism of Aaron Judge. What I remember: he plays in a minor league park which exaggerates his power stats. And he is the poster boy for "worthless home runs."

I don't watch enough baseball to have an opinion. But I'd be interested in comments and analysis.
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Right here is all you need to know. Baseball park factors compare the effects of the park dimensions on batter performance all throughout the league.

https://swishanalytics.com/mlb/mlb-park-factors/

As you can see Yankee Stadium is very close to average in all respects, with the exception of triples which are rare and unimportant enough that they can't be included in any serious baseball analysis. About as down-the-middle as a ballpark can be.

Now look at Cincinnati's park. Does anyone ever call that a "minor league park?" (Which shows the article must have been written by a former softball champion- minor league ballfields are not on average smaller than major league one, only much less seating capacity.)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/minor-league-baseball-park-factors-2024/

Over the Yankees' last 162 games( a full season), AJ has hit .366 with an on-base percentage of .492, and an OPS of 1.265
He has 64 home runs and 162 RBIs, 142 runs scored, 210 hits, and 12 stolen bases. Those are historical numbers.

Quote: billryan

Over the Yankees' last 162 games( a full season), AJ has hit .366 with an on-base percentage of .492, and an OPS of 1.265
He has 64 home runs and 162 RBIs, 142 runs scored, 210 hits, and 12 stolen bases. Those are historical numbers.
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Just read article about others on pace for ‘historical’ seasons…. Strikeouts are way up…. Except if you are Luis Arraez…. Only 4 k’s in 200 ish plate appearances….
Tarik Skubal might shatter K/BB ratio for a full season starter….

And n the other side…. Rockies may set all sorts of negative records….

The MLB record for Total Bases is 458, set by Babe Ruth nearly a hundred years ago. Aaron Judge is on pace for 480, and the scary thing is his second half is usually superior to the first half.
The Rockies are a terrible ballclub with seemingly indifferent management and ownership. Baseball needs to weed out these uncompetitive teams. More than a couple of owners are happy with their revenue sharing and don't put the money back into the product.

Quote: billryan

. Baseball needs to weed out these uncompetitive teams. More than a couple of owners are happy with their revenue sharing and don't put the money back into the product.

I disagree, it is a business and the idea is to maximize profits and value. Someone who believes they can do better should just buy the team.

Quote: DRich

Quote: billryan

. Baseball needs to weed out these uncompetitive teams. More than a couple of owners are happy with their revenue sharing and don't put the money back into the product.

I disagree, it is a business and the idea is to maximize profits and value. Someone who believes they can do better should just buy the team.
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The league should force uncompetitive owners to sell or risk losing their franchise. Buying a baseball franchise is no different than buying any other franchise. If you buy a Blimpie's and decide to use inferior ingredients, they'll strip you of the franchise.
If I owned the Detroit Tigers, for example, I would want competitive teams to fill my ballpark and sell concessions. We've reached the point where teams like Pittsburgh, the Angels, and the Rockies don't compete, don't attract crowds, and hurt the league's numbers.
I'd set some easy-to-reach standards: winning 68 games three years out of five and not being in the bottom three in attendance over the same period. An owner who can't reach those marks has his franchise canceled and his initial purchase returned, while the league finds new owners.

Samford vs Mercer in college baseball. I'm not sure if these teams are rivals or not.

Samford is winning 3-1 when a Samford batter unleashes a long homerun way back over the centerfield fence. He rightfully celebrates, but as he is between first and second, he switches to a mocking skipping run, as he turned his back to the mound and got in each Mercer players face.
The second base umpire runs alongside him and ejects him the minute he crosses home, which sets off an even wilder celebration as Samford players pour out of the dugout to celebrate. Mercer pulled its team off the field in protest. Suddenly, a woman who turns out to be the home run hitter's mother is screaming and somehow gets onto the top of the dugout, where several fans join her. The game is delayed nearly half an hour as police get the fans off the dugout.
Later in the game, a hard tag during a rundown play nearly set off a brawl. Both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown.

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in the Knicks/Pacers playoff series the home team has failed to win in the first 3 games - and each time they were favored
that's pretty odd
in the NBA the home team wins close to 60% of all of the games

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Quote: lilredrooster

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in the Knicks/Pacers playoff series the home team has failed to win in the first 3 games - and each time they were favored
that's pretty odd
in the NBA the home team wins close to 60% of all of the games

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Same thing happened in Knicks Celtics series.

‘IF’ there was no correlation and the 60% stat is valid, then road teams would win first three 6.4% of the time. But since the home team for the first two games in a playoff series is usually a better team, I’d guess that it happens less.

Fans are getting their money’s worth in that series. Given the circumstances, I’d say Towns had one of the best playoff 4th quarters in the history of the NBA.
And Brunson was, of course, Mr. Clutch down the stretch
And when you need ONE contested rebound, there is Josh Hart
Deuce McBride, once out of the shadow of Brunson, will be a star, kind of like when Brunson got out of Doncic’s shadow.

My Knicks fandom is showing….

Quote: lilredrooster

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in the Knicks/Pacers playoff series the home team has failed to win in the first 3 games - and each time they were favored
that's pretty odd
in the NBA the home team wins close to 60% of all of the games

.
link to original post

If my AI-generated search is correct, home clubs are just 31-30 so far in the playoffs.

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I admit I thought the Knicks were done after they dropped the first 2 in the Apple
and the Knicks again overcame a 20 point deficit as they did as they did in games 1 and 2 against the Celtics
I didn't post a pick on it because I saw a vid from some sports betting expert saying nobody can beat NBA sides in the long run
you know, I think that may be true - anyway I know I can't - I need to look elsewhere

right now the series looks totally unpredictable

the Pacers have never won an NBA Championship

and the Knicks haven't won a Championship since 1973

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The Knicks of the early '90s might be the best team not to have won a championship—and also the most entertaining.

I watched an old rugby match between New Zealand and Fiji from wardsa few years ago. It was played in a near monsoon, and parts of the pitch were impassable.
Winds were in the 25-40 MPH range, but nasty gusts were blowing all game.
A rugby ball is slightly bigger than a football but weighs less than half, so it is very prone to wind. I played in a match under bad circumstances and saw a teammate attempt a kick, only to have the ball blown backward and land behind him.
Anyway, in the NZ/Fuji match, a kick from the left side seemed to miss, but the wind held it up and blew it back between the posts. It was a no-score.
Later in the game, a kick went through the posts, only to be blown back and land on the pitch.

Does the NFL or NCAA have rules that cover these circumstances?

Kudos to SD Padre pitcher Stephen Koleck. He is the first pitcher in 26 years to win a game after giving up six earned runs in the first inning.