BASE-BALL

[NWI_Irish96]

I've been enjoying the White Sox so far

Me too. Very weird game last night. 3 errors by the Sox in the 1st lead to 4 Twins runs, and an error on the easiest of fly balls leads to 3 Sox runs in the 9th.

Almost a foregone conclusion that the playoffs are forthcoming. Just a matter of whether they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

FWIW, it's a very good year for Chicago baseball, because my Cubs are in first place...again!

First place in a below average division, yes.

For sure. In this shortened season, the only out of division games are against the geographic counterpart in the other league. To date, the AL Central is 37-23 vs the NL Central. The 4th place Detroit Tigers are 9-4 vs the NL Central.

I would put good money on the NL Champion coming from the West.

[kevinb1994]

I've been enjoying the White Sox so far

Me too. Very weird game last night. 3 errors by the Sox in the 1st lead to 4 Twins runs, and an error on the easiest of fly balls leads to 3 Sox runs in the 9th.

Almost a foregone conclusion that the playoffs are forthcoming. Just a matter of whether they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

FWIW, it's a very good year for Chicago baseball, because my Cubs are in first place...again!

First place in a below average division, yes.

For sure. In this shortened season, the only out of division games are against the geographic counterpart in the other league. To date, the AL Central is 37-23 vs the NL Central. The 4th place Detroit Tigers are 9-4 vs the NL Central.

I would put good money on the NL Champion coming from the West.

Oh, you mean the Dodgers, tell me what other team or teams would qualify under the NL West.

[thspfc]

I've been enjoying the White Sox so far

Me too. Very weird game last night. 3 errors by the Sox in the 1st lead to 4 Twins runs, and an error on the easiest of fly balls leads to 3 Sox runs in the 9th.

Almost a foregone conclusion that the playoffs are forthcoming. Just a matter of whether they finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd.

FWIW, it's a very good year for Chicago baseball, because my Cubs are in first place...again!

First place in a below average division, yes.

For sure. In this shortened season, the only out of division games are against the geographic counterpart in the other league. To date, the AL Central is 37-23 vs the NL Central. The 4th place Detroit Tigers are 9-4 vs the NL Central.

I would put good money on the NL Champion coming from the West.

The two best teams in the NL as of right now, the Dodgers and Padres, could very well face each other in the Dvisional series.

[CoreySamson]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

[Takumi]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I'm far from a Yankees fan, but they've been masterful at that in recent years.

[jeffandnicole]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I'm far from a Yankees fan, but they've been masterful at that in recent years.

Of course, in years past, there was a reason they've been "masterful".

[thspfc]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I hope they win the series this year. Baseball would explode. All the whiners would be silenced.

[triplemultiplex]

The World Series trophy should be physically smaller this season.
A permanent reminder that the 'champ' only won a sprint and not a marathon.

[Alps]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I hope they win the series this year. Baseball would explode. All the whiners would be silenced.

I hate when cheaters win, but this country seems to be doing very well at that lately. (And this is even just talking sports)

[jp the roadgeek]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I hope they win the series this year. Baseball would explode. All the whiners would be silenced.

I hate when cheaters win, but this country seems to be doing very well at that lately. (And this is even just talking sports)

Unless your the Red Sox.  They just seem to be trotting out a weak sauce candidate and tanking for a top draft pick.  They're now inventing ways to lose, as evidenced by tonight's little league sequence to blow the lead then going full nuclear meltdown in extras.  The games should have a TV-MA rating they're so tough to watch.

[thspfc]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I hope they win the series this year. Baseball would explode. All the whiners would be silenced.

I hate when cheaters win, but this country seems to be doing very well at that lately. (And this is even just talking sports)

Yep, Patriots have won *checks notes* zero Super Bowls by cheating, Astros have won *checks notes* zero legitimate World Series by cheating. Gosh, all the cheating going on is really killing sports. 

[Alps]

Guess what? Jose Altuve got hurt earlier today in the win against the Rangers.

I'm in awe how the Astros are managing to put together a successful season with so many injuries and inexperienced players. Yet here they are, 21-15 and a virtual lock to be in the playoffs.

I hope they win the series this year. Baseball would explode. All the whiners would be silenced.

I hate when cheaters win, but this country seems to be doing very well at that lately. (And this is even just talking sports)

Yep, Patriots have won *checks notes* zero Super Bowls by cheating, Astros have won *checks notes* zero legitimate World Series by cheating. Gosh, all the cheating going on is really killing sports. 

zero "legitimate" i like what you did there

[amroad17]

I just would like to mention that one of the greatest pitchers not only in New York Mets history but in baseball history, Tom Seaver passed away last Monday at the age of 75 from Lewy Body Dementia.  I had the pleasure of watching him pitch on TV back in the 1970's.  While watching the games, you knew it was more than likely going to be low scoring with few hits allowed and anywhere between 7-11 strikeouts by Seaver.  He was just incredible to watch, and he was my second favorite pitcher of all-time--behind Catfish Hunter.

His record: 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts, 2.86 ERA (2.73 NL ERA-best ever in the "live ball" era), and 3 Cy Young Awards.  Led the NL in wins and ERA 3 separate times.  He still has two major league records: most consecutive strikeouts in a game (10) and most consecutive seasons with 200 or more strikeouts (9).  If he had struck out 4 more batters in 1977, he would have had 11 consecutive seasons of 200 or more strikeouts.  He also threw a no-hitter in 1978, as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, against the St. Louis Cardinals.  And, of course, he was part of the 1969 Miracle Mets World Series Champions.

Long remember "The Franchise"!  Long remember "Tom Terrific"!  Long remember #41!

[Henry]

Funny you should mention Tom Seaver, because the batter he faced most often was Lou Brock, who passed away yesterday at age 81. Not only was he part of the most lopsided trade in baseball history (going from the Cubs to the Cardinals in the deal that sent Ernie Broglio to Chicago), he was also the all-time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson took that title away. While this deal may or may not have intensified the bad blood that the Cubs and Cardinals had at the time, it certainly catapulted the Cards to one of their greatest periods ever, winning three NL pennants and two World Series titles from 1964 to 1968. Of course, my family is all Cubs fans, so we can only sit back and wonder what would've happened if Brock had never been traded away, but he's one of the most respected Cardinals for us, along with Stan Musial and Tony LaRussa, and all is forgiven. My condolences go out to the Brock family, and to the Cardinals.

[SEWIGuy]

Funny you should mention Tom Seaver, because the batter he faced most often was Lou Brock, who passed away yesterday at age 81. Not only was he part of the most lopsided trade in baseball history (going from the Cubs to the Cardinals in the deal that sent Ernie Broglio to Chicago), he was also the all-time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson took that title away. While this deal may or may not have intensified the bad blood that the Cubs and Cardinals had at the time, it certainly catapulted the Cards to one of their greatest periods ever, winning three NL pennants and two World Series titles from 1964 to 1968. Of course, my family is all Cubs fans, so we can only sit back and wonder what would've happened if Brock had never been traded away, but he's one of the most respected Cardinals for us, along with Stan Musial and Tony LaRussa, and all is forgiven. My condolences go out to the Brock family, and to the Cardinals.

Tony LaRussa???  No...

[NWI_Irish96]

Funny you should mention Tom Seaver, because the batter he faced most often was Lou Brock, who passed away yesterday at age 81. Not only was he part of the most lopsided trade in baseball history (going from the Cubs to the Cardinals in the deal that sent Ernie Broglio to Chicago), he was also the all-time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson took that title away. While this deal may or may not have intensified the bad blood that the Cubs and Cardinals had at the time, it certainly catapulted the Cards to one of their greatest periods ever, winning three NL pennants and two World Series titles from 1964 to 1968. Of course, my family is all Cubs fans, so we can only sit back and wonder what would've happened if Brock had never been traded away, but he's one of the most respected Cardinals for us, along with Stan Musial and Tony LaRussa, and all is forgiven. My condolences go out to the Brock family, and to the Cardinals.

Tony LaRussa???  No...

Cubs fans should respect Tony LaRussa a bunch. He was one of the biggest keys in covering up steroid use, and that allowed the Cubs to explode in popularity with Sammy Sosa.

[SEWIGuy]

Funny you should mention Tom Seaver, because the batter he faced most often was Lou Brock, who passed away yesterday at age 81. Not only was he part of the most lopsided trade in baseball history (going from the Cubs to the Cardinals in the deal that sent Ernie Broglio to Chicago), he was also the all-time stolen base king until Rickey Henderson took that title away. While this deal may or may not have intensified the bad blood that the Cubs and Cardinals had at the time, it certainly catapulted the Cards to one of their greatest periods ever, winning three NL pennants and two World Series titles from 1964 to 1968. Of course, my family is all Cubs fans, so we can only sit back and wonder what would've happened if Brock had never been traded away, but he's one of the most respected Cardinals for us, along with Stan Musial and Tony LaRussa, and all is forgiven. My condolences go out to the Brock family, and to the Cardinals.

Tony LaRussa???  No...

Cubs fans should respect Tony LaRussa a bunch. He was one of the biggest keys in covering up steroid use, and that allowed the Cubs to explode in popularity with Sammy Sosa.

Touche...

[Desert Man]

Minor League Baseball plans to end contracts with 4 minor leagues in the soon to be deleted Rookie and Short-season class-A levels, and 40-42 teams to lose affiliation agreements with Major League Baseball teams. The article is from last year but the plan was for the 2021 season. MiLB cancelled all leagues' 2020 season schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic (June 30th). And one of the 40-ish teams reportedly up for elimination is the Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado Rockies) of the California League, right in Los Angeles county. There will be 4 levels and 120 teams (30 for each level) of class A (advanced or high, and low), double-A and AAA, there will still be the Arizona and Gulf Coast leagues which do not have game admission charges and stadium concession stands. The Rockies need an advanced or high class A team to fill in the blank in their farm team organization system. If I have money, I would bring a Rockies farm team in Palm Springs in their upgraded stadium.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/all-42-teams-reportedly-up-for-elimination-in-mlbs-minor-league-reduction-proposal/

[Desert Man]

Possible scenario for minor league ball in So Cal: 1. A triple-A team in the San Bernardino area, most likely a LA Dodgers affiliate (currently, Oklahoma City in Pacific Coast League), 2. a replacement class A team for the Dodgers in Lancaster (not sure they have the JetHawks or plain Dodgers moniker), and 3. a new Cal League team under the Rockies affiliation in Adelanto's Stater Bros Stadium which is up to Cal League standards when they had the "High Desert" Mavericks (1991-2016).

[Stephane Dumas]

Minor League Baseball plans to end contracts with 4 minor leagues in the soon to be deleted Rookie and Short-season class-A levels, and 40-42 teams to lose affiliation agreements with Major League Baseball teams. The article is from last year but the plan was for the 2021 season. MiLB cancelled all leagues' 2020 season schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic (June 30th). And one of the 40-ish teams reportedly up for elimination is the Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado Rockies) of the California League, right in Los Angeles county. There will be 4 levels and 120 teams (30 for each level) of class A (advanced or high, and low), double-A and AAA, there will still be the Arizona and Gulf Coast leagues which do not have game admission charges and stadium concession stands. The Rockies need an advanced or high class A team to fill in the blank in their farm team organization system. If I have money, I would bring a Rockies farm team in Palm Springs in their upgraded stadium.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/all-42-teams-reportedly-up-for-elimination-in-mlbs-minor-league-reduction-proposal/

I wonder if the teams in these minor leagues might join the independent leagues like the current American Association and the Frontier League?

[ilpt4u]

The Cubs' Alec Mills threw a No-No in Milwaukee today

[ET21]

The Cubs' Alec Mills threw a No-No in Milwaukee today

First time that both Chicago teams have a no hitter in the same season

[NWI_Irish96]

The locations have been set for the playoffs. As a recap, eight teams qualify from each league, with the division winners getting seeded 1-3, the runners-up seeded 4-6, and the next two best records seeded 7-8. There will be no extra game tiebreakers. All ties within and across divisions will be broken by a sequence of tie-breakers based on head-to-head, division record, etc. The bracket will take the traditional 1v8, 4v5, 2v7, 3v6 bracket.


For the wildcard round, the entire best-of-three series will be played at the higher seed's home stadium. The home team will bat last in all games.

For the division series round, the highest remaining AL seed will play at San Diego, the other AL series at Los Angeles, the highest remaining NL seed at Arlington, and the other NL series at Houston. The higher seed will bat last in games 1, 2, and 5 (same as if they were playing the series in home stadiums).

The AL championship series will be played at Arlington, the NLCS at San Diego, and the World Series at Arlington, with the higher seed batting last in games 1, 2, 6, and 7 (same as if they were playing the series in home stadiums). The World Series will start October 20 and end no later than October 28.

[Henry]

The AL championship series will be played at Arlington, the NLCS at San Diego, and the World Series at Arlington, with the higher seed batting last in games 1, 2, 6, and 7 (same as if they were playing the series in home stadiums). The World Series will start October 20 and end no later than October 28.

You mean that the ALCS will be played in San Diego, and the NLCS in Arlington. My guess is, the two leagues have flipped to the other league's stadiums to avoid an unfair advantage for their teams. As for the World Series in Arlington, it'll be the first time in 76 years that the same stadium hosted every game in the Fall Classic, with the all-St. Louis Series in which the Cardinals defeated the Browns (the same team that's now known as the Orioles). Before that, the Giants beat the Yankees in consecutive World Series (1921-22) when both teams called the Polo Grounds their home; of course, the Yankees would get their revenge in 1923, when they moved to Yankee Stadium, their permanent home since then (but in three versions, with the team playing in Shea Stadium for the 1974 and '75 campaigns).

So for the first time ever, all four major sports championships will be decided at a neutral site, with the NBA championship being awarded in Orlando and the Stanley Cup in Edmonton. Of course, the Lombardi Trophy is always awarded at a neutral site, and that will never change.

[ET21]

The White Sox can clinch a playoff birth for the first time in 12 years with a win, a Det loss, and a Sea loss