MLB Thread

Want to talk sport? The Forum to discuss all sports not related to the beautiful game.

Moderators: Gnome, last.caress, Wilko1304, Rio, bristolhammerfc, the pink palermo, chalks

User avatar
Hemel Iron
Posts: 862
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Hemel Iron »

brothernero wrote:Back to the top for this forgotten thread.

Well the Yankees are in the post season but sadly my team has had an unprecedented total collapse.

We went from 15 games over in late late August and 1st place to now just 2 games over and trying to somehow see if we can make it to mount .500. To be polite about it, we ****ing quit and just gave up when the going got tough. Something rotten has happened inside the club house and no one really knows what.


Now talking of the Yankees, what do you think about the fact that they could win 100 games this year and yet will face a 1 game wild card decider v Oakland, who themselves could win close to 100 games. Yet the Cleveland Indians won their division some time ago but are still yet to even win 90 games. No wild card for them, they go straight to the ALDS with home field advantage.

Is that fair, or is it just one of those things.

To pad that out somewhat, Tampa Bay and Seattle could end the year with more wins than the Indians yet both those clubs have already been eliminated.

Again, fair, or just tough luck.


This was discussed during one of the games the other day and I for one agree with the guy in the booth doing the commentary (Don't recall his name)

He said that how he would change things is to still keep Geographic Scheduling but instead of having 3 individual Divisions in each of the AL and NL leagues, he would instead make it just one whole League in both.

So as it would then stand 15 teams in the AL and 15 in the NL. (IE Just 1 league in each)

The top 3 teams go straight to the post-season with home field advantage. The two teams who finish 5th and 6th play a 1 game play-off. 5th place with home field Adv. The winner of that then plays the team who finished 4th (4th place team also with with Home field Adv) with the the winner going onto the ALDS and NLDS.

I have to agree with him and do think that seems a much fairer way. It would also keep the season alive much longer for several teams making things more exciting in the last month and then days.

Because he is right when he says at present the 6 divisions are extremely flawed and not very fair.

A few others have also claimed this.
To me it is just one of those things. From memory, it didn't happen so starkly last year, the division winners had the better records anyway, with the exception your Dbacks won a game more as a WC than the NL Central winning Cubs.

It happens in the NFL when on a rare occasion you get a 9-7 division winner getting in and a 10-6 team missing out. But on the whole it tends to work out pretty fair. I think many would have enjoyed the year the filthy Patriots went 11-5 and missed the postseason.

As for the WC, agree the 1 game sudden death game is not great reward for a 162 game season. Best of 3 at least would seem better.
User avatar
bitter-iron-ny
Posts: 7257
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:17 am
Location: NYC
Has liked: 198 likes
Total likes: 221 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by bitter-iron-ny »

In the olden days you could win 100 games and not even get 1 postseason game.
1954 Yankees won 103 (in a 154 game season) and got to go home because the Indians won 111

There's so much about the sport that has changed. I try not to be a stick in the mud but there's many improvements in the game that I could do with out. Interleague play for starters...
User avatar
brothernero
Posts: 8711
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:03 pm
Location: Essex
Has liked: 700 likes
Total likes: 717 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by brothernero »

Inter league play is great, gives the fans a chance to see their team play other teams they might not otherwise ever get.

Another thing I agree with that needs changing is how many times each team play the other teams from their division. 19 times a year needs to be reduced. I would be happy to see that come down to 17.
User avatar
bitter-iron-ny
Posts: 7257
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:17 am
Location: NYC
Has liked: 198 likes
Total likes: 221 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by bitter-iron-ny »

brothernero wrote:Inter league play is great, gives the fans a chance to see their team play other teams they might not otherwise ever get.

Another thing I agree with that needs changing is how many times each team play the other teams from their division. 19 times a year needs to be reduced. I would be happy to see that come down to 17.
So reduce traditional rivalries to allow Tampa to play Milwaukee for no real reason, or so Arizona can travel to Baltimore to play in front of a crowd numbering in the hundreds? Amazing. There are less than half a dozen interleague matchups that are of any real interest. Plus because there is an add number of teams in each league there is always an interleague game going on. All contrived nonsense thanks to the idiocy of the self-serving low-life who was the prior Commissioner.

Keep the same # of division games and lose the interleague crap, spread those games out among the other teams within the same league.
User avatar
brothernero
Posts: 8711
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:03 pm
Location: Essex
Has liked: 700 likes
Total likes: 717 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by brothernero »

Er O'k you seem quite angry about the subject. You hate it, others love it. Some no doubt wont care either way. Kind of like the whole DH issue.

From what I have heard/read most fans, players and coaches have said that the introduction of Inter-League games was one of the better ideas baseball has had in the modern game.

Nearly Every time I have heard them discuss it, every baseball forum I have read, every player interviewed on the subject has said they love inter-league.

There is even talk of playing even more inter-league games if the expansion gets the go ahead. So I don't think you will be to pleased.


As for the last Commissioner, again I think you may be the first person I have heard slate him.


Other ideas that are being talked about in changing the game I am going to assume you really wont like at all.

Reducing the size of the pitching mound, or getting rid of it all together. (Something Rick Sutcliffe & others have called for)
Expanding the league by two new teams (One most likely to be a return of the Expos)
Making the Shift Illegal
Installing a Humidor at every ball park
Making baseballs heavier
A Pitch clock
Stopping players from stepping outside the batters box so they can keep adjusting their helmets, gloves ect
No or Less in game coaching, so none or less mound visits
No cheat Sheets any more
Having each team play a certain number of Double Headers each year
Changing the roster expansion in September
Adding another play-off game, similar to the one I mentioned above
Reducing the number of pitching changes that can be made, especially those that now happen in September because of the roster expansion
Electronic balls and Strikes (Something that the majority now seem to want)

There are others as well, but those are the main ones I have heard talked about the past few years, more so this year. Seems that a few will get the go ahead.
User avatar
Hemel Iron
Posts: 862
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Hemel Iron »

I don’t see many in that list that would dramatically improve the game.

In fact I can’t say I have noticed a massive difference with those introduced already, such as the mound visits and the instant intentional walk.
User avatar
bitter-iron-ny
Posts: 7257
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:17 am
Location: NYC
Has liked: 198 likes
Total likes: 221 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by bitter-iron-ny »

Mound size was changed before. Can't see them changing it again.

Brothernero, I don't know a soul who roots for any team that likes interleague play. There are those who hate it and those who are ambivalent about it but you are the first I've encountered who is enthusiastic about it. Would seriously be interested in seeing an example where a professional baseball writer has written a passionate defense of the concept. Like most things from the Selig era, it was a poorly conceived gimmick that has added nothing positive in the longterm. And you've never seen a critique of Selig? Have you looked on the internet because it's pretty easy to find them.
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://deadspin.com/bud-selig-interim- ... -718673025" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan ... 97339.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/741 ... all#slide0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-bud-s ... d-baseball" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2015/0 ... missioner/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Daily Beast & Breitbart agree Selig sucked, but nobody criticized him? Ok.... :lol:

A very different circumstance with the DH, where you have those who feeling strongly one way or the other. Philosophically I don't care that much personally, but on a practical level it is hard to have pitchers batting when there's only two significant leagues in the world where that happens: the National League and one of the Japanese leagues. It's completely pointless to have pitchers bat if they're not trained to do so. They're completely ineffective players in that role and it creates an unnecessary risk of injury.

Most of the rest of your suggestions are just goofy. And that's fine because part of the beauty of the game is talking about all its tangents and esoterica.
User avatar
brothernero
Posts: 8711
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:03 pm
Location: Essex
Has liked: 700 likes
Total likes: 717 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by brothernero »

They are not my suggestions at all. They are changes that have been talked about by pundits, writers, coaches, people who run the game ect.


My only suggestion regarding baseball at present would be to rethink extra Inning games.


Any onto the post-season. Good luck to all those who are going to the post-season this year. Well all those apart from the Dodgers. :thup:
User avatar
brothernero
Posts: 8711
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:03 pm
Location: Essex
Has liked: 700 likes
Total likes: 717 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by brothernero »

Crazy crazy end to the final round of games today.

LA Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies all needed to win and hope the other team in their division lost, if all 4 win or lose then there would be two game 163's tomorrow to decide who wins their respective divisions and who goes onto the Wild Card Game.


All 4 won and all 4 reached double digits in runs scored.


LA Dodgers 15-0 San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies 12-0 Washington Nationals
Milwaukee Brewers 11-0 Detroit Tigers
Chicago Cubs 10-5 St Louis Cardinals


Combined score of 48-5


Perhaps other than the Cardinals, the other 3 teams really put up no fight whatsoever.


Tomorrow should be fun. Brewers v Cubs and Dodgers v Rockies. (Go Rockies)
User avatar
Hemel Iron
Posts: 862
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Hemel Iron »

I find it a little odd that there must have been a criteria to decide who has home advantage in these 163 games, yet the same criteria isn't used to declare a division winner.
User avatar
brothernero
Posts: 8711
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 3:03 pm
Location: Essex
Has liked: 700 likes
Total likes: 717 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by brothernero »

Hemel Iron wrote:I find it a little odd that there must have been a criteria to decide who has home advantage in these 163 games, yet the same criteria isn't used to declare a division winner.

I would have assumed it would go on who had the better Head to Head record over the year. Isn't that the whole point of playing each team in your own division 19 times? So the odd number of games would mean there would be a better H2H record no matter what.

I do however think that is how they have chose who gets home field advantage.

I freely admit I love the Wild Card games (Sorry guys) but these two games coming up today seem pretty pointless and easily avoidable.
User avatar
dodger
Posts: 14679
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Scotland / London / Japan / somewhere in between the 3
Has liked: 277 likes
Total likes: 404 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by dodger »

Oh dear, I have neglected this thread for too long!

Sympathies on your D-backs brothernero. An odd season for them indeed...looked so promising and consistent for two-thirds of the year but then a poor end undermines all of that.

Yankees in the wildcard now. Looks like we might make it through but I don't fancy us against the Red Sox. We have a poor catcher and are too reliant on the home run. The strong bullpen and power hitting could see us scrape the series though (if we even make it there! Still only in the 6th of the WC...).

Can see another Astros-Dodgers World Series actually. Hoping I'm wrong though and the Yankees get the kind of momentum we had last year, but with just one more win against the 'stros this time.
User avatar
dodger
Posts: 14679
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Scotland / London / Japan / somewhere in between the 3
Has liked: 277 likes
Total likes: 404 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by dodger »

brothernero wrote:
Now talking of the Yankees, what do you think about the fact that they could win 100 games this year and yet will face a 1 game wild card decider v Oakland, who themselves could win close to 100 games. Yet the Cleveland Indians won their division some time ago but are still yet to even win 90 games. No wild card for them, they go straight to the ALDS with home field advantage.

Is that fair, or is it just one of those things.

To pad that out somewhat, Tampa Bay and Seattle could end the year with more wins than the Indians yet both those clubs have already been eliminated.

Again, fair, or just tough luck.


This was discussed during one of the games the other day and I for one agree with the guy in the booth doing the commentary (Don't recall his name)

He said that how he would change things is to still keep Geographic Scheduling but instead of having 3 individual Divisions in each of the AL and NL leagues, he would instead make it just one whole League in both.

So as it would then stand 15 teams in the AL and 15 in the NL. (IE Just 1 league in each)

The top 3 teams go straight to the post-season with home field advantage. The two teams who finish 5th and 6th play a 1 game play-off. 5th place with home field Adv. The winner of that then plays the team who finished 4th (4th place team also with with Home field Adv) with the the winner going onto the ALDS and NLDS.

I have to agree with him and do think that seems a much fairer way. It would also keep the season alive much longer for several teams making things more exciting in the last month and then days.

Because he is right when he says at present the 6 divisions are extremely flawed and not very fair.

A few others have also claimed this.
For me, similar to the commentator guy you mentioned, they should just increase the number of teams in the postseason.

Something like...
-Top team in each division (3)
-Two other teams with the best records (2)
-Two other teams with the next-best records to play off for the WC spot (1)

The teams with the best two records should be automatically through to the division series. The remaining four teams play a best of 3 series to get to that division series. Implement this way this year in the AL and it would look something like this:

Seed 1: Boston Red Sox (AL East pennant winners, best overall record)
Seed 2: Houston Astros (AL West pennant winners, second best overall record.
Pre-division series: Cleveland Indians (AL Central pennant winners), New York Yankees (next-best overall record), Oakland Athletics (next-best overall record).
Wild Card: Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners.

WC (1 game): Seattle Mariners @ Tampa Bay Rays.

AL Pre-division Series (best of 3, two home games for the side with the better regular season record):
Cleveland Indians vs WC Winner (game 1), New York Yankees vs Oakland Athletics (game 2).

AL Division Series (best of 5, three home games for the side with the better regular season record):
Game 1 winner vs Boston Red Sox (1), Game 2 winner vs Houston Astros (2).

ALCS (best of 7)

World Series (best of 7)
User avatar
bitter-iron-ny
Posts: 7257
Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:17 am
Location: NYC
Has liked: 198 likes
Total likes: 221 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by bitter-iron-ny »

Down to 8 teams. I'd be happy starting with 4 in the postseason but that's just me living in the past with no vested stake in TV money. :lol:

Think Cleveland is flying under the radar. Don't watch enough National League baseball to have a feel for that situation.
User avatar
Cuenca 'ammer
ex 'ouston 'ammer
Posts: 40710
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 4:19 pm
Location: Journey to the dead of night. High on a hill in Eldorado
Has liked: 1904 likes
Total likes: 1612 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Cuenca 'ammer »

Astros/Indians Friday afternoon in 'ouston around 1 ish I think

I'll be glued to the 'ammers game of course......

can't be arsed with baseball to be honest - not for me rushing out and buying World Series Winner tee shirts et al..

especially as it isn't a World Series at all - only an American one...

:x
User avatar
dodger
Posts: 14679
Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2003 12:16 pm
Location: Scotland / London / Japan / somewhere in between the 3
Has liked: 277 likes
Total likes: 404 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by dodger »

Cuenca 'ammer wrote:
especially as it isn't a World Series at all - only an American one...

:x
True, it's a silly name. However, the best baseball players in the world are playing in the league, and it really has no rival in that regard.
User avatar
Cuenca 'ammer
ex 'ouston 'ammer
Posts: 40710
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 4:19 pm
Location: Journey to the dead of night. High on a hill in Eldorado
Has liked: 1904 likes
Total likes: 1612 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Cuenca 'ammer »

winners of the Premier League to be crowned "World Champions" - because pretty much the best players in the world are playing in that...

when it's only contested in one country, hard to label them World Champions though...

(not digging you out Dodg......same as basketball..World Champions - aggravating to say the least)
User avatar
Hemel Iron
Posts: 862
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Hemel Iron »

Cuenca 'ammer wrote:winners of the Premier League to be crowned "World Champions" - because pretty much the best players in the world are playing in that...

when it's only contested in one country, hard to label them World Champions though...

(not digging you out Dodg......same as basketball..World Champions - aggravating to say the least)
That’s not really true now, is it?
User avatar
Cuenca 'ammer
ex 'ouston 'ammer
Posts: 40710
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2002 4:19 pm
Location: Journey to the dead of night. High on a hill in Eldorado
Has liked: 1904 likes
Total likes: 1612 likes

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Cuenca 'ammer »

which part isn't necessarily true ?

most of the world's best players play in the PL - not all

most of the best players in the world play in the NBA - no all

most of the best players in the world play in the MLB - not all
User avatar
Hemel Iron
Posts: 862
Joined: Sun May 08, 2011 8:33 pm

Re: MLB Thread

Post by Hemel Iron »

There are plenty of top players not in the PL.

There are very few top players not in MLB or NBA (or NFL for that matter)
Post Reply