BASE-BALL

[Flint1979]

I wish that Jerry Reinsdorf would sell the White Sox. I've been wishing for that for about 10 years now. Look the guy just turned 86 years old and he never was a very good owner. If we could get rid of some of these owners we might be in better shape.

Probably because he was more focused on running the Bulls and making them the best basketball team in the world, with Jordan, Pippen and Coach Phil Jackson being the main reasons why. See, this is the trouble with owning multiple franchises in different sports: While the Sox were actually pretty good in the 90s, they were somewhat overshadowed by the success of the NBA team that won six championships in eight years. And while neither the United Center nor Guaranteed Rate Field is in a good part of town, I'd feel safer in the former venue than I would the latter.

He got lucky with the Bulls really he bought them a year after Jordan was drafted and made a good move bringing Krause in that was really his only good move, I think it was Krause that brought Jackson in. Other than that Jerry just signed the checks pretty much until he destroyed the Bulls dynasty after 1998. I've been around both the United Center and Comiskey Park. I'd rather hang around Comiskey if I had a choice, I haven't been to either in a few years so I'm not sure how the neighborhoods around them have fared but the Bridgeport neighborhood has always been fine to me. The area around the UC always seemed like it was just surrounded by parking lots more than anything, Comiskey is too but not to the degree that the UC is.

I've felt more unsafe around Wrigley than I have Comiskey too I don't know why but I just did and it probably has to do with Wrigley being in a more densely populated part of town.

[Stephane Dumas]

There's a interesting rant in French about the MLB decision https://www.rds.ca/baseball/mlb/erreur-monumentale-1.15502178  and here the Google translation.
https://www-rds-ca.translate.goog/baseball/mlb/erreur-monumentale-1.15502178?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=wapp

I wonder if they'll hire some scabs as players?

[SectorZ]

I wonder if they'll hire some scabs as players?

Would you please not use the word? One, it's incredibly ignorant and condescending and two, these aren't assembly line guys possibly getting replaced (which they aren't anyways), it's guys who's minimum wage is ten years an average salary. That word is usually used by people who condone violence and vandalism on "behalf" of the union, something I've watched with my own eyes where I live.

[Henry]

Here come the bad memories of 1994...

[Stephane Dumas]

Would you please not use the word? One, it's incredibly ignorant and condescending and two, these aren't assembly line guys possibly getting replaced (which they aren't anyways), it's guys who's minimum wage is ten years an average salary. That word is usually used by people who condone violence and vandalism on "behalf" of the union, something I've watched with my own eyes where I live.

Ok how about "replacement players"? Btw, I wonder if the current crop of players might quit the MLB and create their own league in a pattern more or less similar to the Players league of 1890?

[SectorZ]

Would you please not use the word? One, it's incredibly ignorant and condescending and two, these aren't assembly line guys possibly getting replaced (which they aren't anyways), it's guys who's minimum wage is ten years an average salary. That word is usually used by people who condone violence and vandalism on "behalf" of the union, something I've watched with my own eyes where I live.

Ok how about "replacement players"? Btw, I wonder if the current crop of players might quit the MLB and create their own league in a pattern more or less similar to the Players league of 1890?

Better, and yeah I'd actually love to see the players nuke MLB and start something on their own. Most of the owners in MLB suck anyways. I don't think the players would because short and long-term I bet they'd be crushed financially, even if the entire 2022 season was killed off due to a lockout. That's a lot of money getting off the ground with stadiums, etc.

[triplemultiplex]

"replacement players"

Is Keanu too old for "The Replacements 2: Steeeriiiike!" ?

[Henry]

Second week of games, gone. It looks like the lockout will drag on, and we'll end up getting something much worse than the strike of 1994-95. Even though COVID did its best to wipe out 2020, it was nowhere near the scope of what we might get this year. Again, don't be surprised if no season occurs in 2022, in which case no World Series would be played for only the third time since its creation.

In hindsight, I always thought that the NFL was in the most danger of having its season cancelled because it has the shortest schedule of all the major sports leagues, but somehow in its two strikes (1982 and 1987) it still held a playoffs and a Super Bowl. But the NHL lockout of 2004-05 proved me wrong, and having been through that debacle, I'm beginning to get worried that the entire MLB season will be lost, with much worse consequences.

[NWI_Irish96]

MLB and the players' association have an agreement. Once it is formally ratified, trades and free agent signings can immediately resume. Spring Training begins within 24 hours. Opening Day now April 7. Games originally scheduled for March 31-April 6 will be made up by extending the end of the regular season by 3 days and by scheduling doubleheaders.

COVID-era 7-inning doubleheaders and placing a runner on 2nd in extra innings are gone.

Designated hitter in the NL and a playoff expansion to 12 teams begin this season. Restrictions on defensive shifts, a pitch clock, and larger bases begin in 2023.

[triplemultiplex]

Wow, that broke when I was in the middle of typing a rant about how disastrous it will be if this thing drags on for much longer. 

I know this was in the pipeline even before the lock-out, but I'm still disappointed to see the DH come to the NL.  "Real" baseball is dead.  Too bad, but compared to how they will eventually probably change the game, I guess I'll just have to deal. 

The larger bases thing is odd to me.  What's the point of that?  And how much larger?

Whatever though, just glad these idiots got their shit together.

[NWI_Irish96]

Wow, that broke when I was in the middle of typing a rant about how disastrous it will be if this thing drags on for much longer.  :sombrero

I know this was in the pipeline even before the lock-out, but I'm still disappointed to see the DH come to the NL.  "Real" baseball is dead.  Too bad, but compared to how they will eventually probably change the game, I guess I'll just have to deal. 

The larger bases thing is odd to me.  What's the point of that?  And how much larger?

Whatever though, just glad these idiots got their shit together.

Larger bases are supposed to reduce player collisions, especially at 1B.

[tchafe1978]

I'm glad they finally got a deal done, though I don't know how excited I am yet for the season to start. It shouldn't come down to the threat of having games cancelled for the two sides to reach and agreement. But I'm sure once the season starts I'll start watching.

I'm glad to see the beer league rules of 7 inning doubleheaders and starting a runner on 2nd in extra innings are gone. I just wish the NL would've stayed DH-free. Gone is the stragety of pinch hitting for the pitcher. But the players saw the opprtunity for an extra spot on each roster and took it.

[Billy F 1988]

Rant mode engage: Rob Manfred, I say you definitely and definitively have been the ire of the baseball world thus far in your tenure as MLB commissioner. And to the supposed scatbags of the union who took part of this lovely lockout debacle, you got lucky this time not having anymore games cancelled out, or worse yet, no season at all and no World Series to boot. I'm a bit torn on the DH heading to the National League, but, eh, what can 'ya do? And good the mother crike riddance to the 7-inning double headers! YUCK! You sure made some TV ratings STINK! As if another short season will make it any better is anyone's guess. Real baseball being "dead"? More like transformed into a god awful monstrosity I'm not so sure how fans will acclimate to. As stated before, the "good ole days" have been LONG! SINCE! PAST! This...is TWO THOUSAND the flyin' blue robin TWENTY TWO! Stop bringing up the past that none of you old hats could ever change! What Major League Baseball needs is a SINGLE chief arbiter, one that has a sharp eye of the game, knows all the ins and outs of the game, and can put together fair and balanced agreements together which I thought the union already has, but, I guess not! The game does not multiple arbiters bickering and bitching to the owners and presidents of the major teams and their shareholders! Get it figured out! We as observers of baseball hate to see the sleazy minions shut the sport down completely. If that were to be the case, we'd be forced to raise funds for a new major baseball governing body that doesn't gig players up the backside and leave them out in the cold. No more of this bull*POOP* from MLB! Yeah, you got your deal signed. Big whoop! Damn it! PUT ME IN, COACH! I'M READY TO PLAY TODAY!

[1995hoo]

https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1502062106862137351

Why bother having divisions and leagues at all if you're going to do this? Just have a single table and a 174-game schedule in which every team plays every other team three times at home and three times on the road (29 x 6 = 174).

[Buck87]

A possible format for playing everyone at least once within a 162 game schedule:

56 divisional games (4 x 14)
60 non division league games (10 x 6)
42 non rival interleague games (14 x 3)
4 rival interleague games (2 home, 2 away)

[Henry]

I really spoke too soon, because I'm glad that baseball is coming back!

A lot of us will hate the DH in the NL, mainly because it was an AL-only feature, but at least the pitchers will be happy that they don't have to bat anymore. I am a skeptic myself, but in time I could learn to live with it. I had the same feeling about a second wild-card team in the postseason, but after seeing the 2012 debacle that befell the Red Sox and Braves (IIRC), I decided that it was a very good compromise.

https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1502062106862137351

Why bother having divisions and leagues at all if you're going to do this? Just have a single table and a 174-game schedule in which every team plays every other team three times at home and three times on the road (29 x 6 = 174).

No, that's entirely too long, because the World Series will be pushed way into December. A simple solution would be to eliminate the four-game series altogether, but they can make two-game series if they want to. It would be fun to watch every team play the other 29 in the same season, and in this respect, MLB will resemble the NBA, NHL and pre-1970 NFL. Speaking of which, the only thing that's more ludicrous than your 174-game proposal is going into Roger Goodell's office and suggesting a 31-game schedule (which he'd shoot down immediately); this is why the NFL rotates its interconference games every four years.

[1995hoo]

I really spoke too soon, because I'm glad that baseball is coming back!

A lot of us will hate the DH in the NL, mainly because it was an AL-only feature, but at least the pitchers will be happy that they don't have to bat anymore. I am a skeptic myself, but in time I could learn to live with it. I had the same feeling about a second wild-card team in the postseason, but after seeing the 2012 debacle that befell the Red Sox and Braves (IIRC), I decided that it was a very good compromise.

https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1502062106862137351

Why bother having divisions and leagues at all if you're going to do this? Just have a single table and a 174-game schedule in which every team plays every other team three times at home and three times on the road (29 x 6 = 174).

No, that's entirely too long, because the World Series will be pushed way into December. A simple solution would be to eliminate the four-game series altogether, but they can make two-game series if they want to. It would be fun to watch every team play the other 29 in the same season, and in this respect, MLB will resemble the NBA, NHL and pre-1970 NFL. Speaking of which, the only thing that's more ludicrous than your 174-game proposal is going into Roger Goodell's office and suggesting a 31-game schedule (which he'd shoot down immediately); this is why the NFL rotates its interconference games every four years.

It doesn't have to push the World Series into December. You just schedule more doubleheaders, which baseball did for many years with no difficulty whatsoever. Since it would be only a 12-game increase in the total number of games, it might be feasible to focus the doubleheaders on the weekends when people are actually able to watch them.

I did consider whether the season should instead be shorter. Playing every team five times would mean a 145-game season (29 x 5), but that means you play each opponent an uneven number of times at each venue and that's undesirable.

Of course I recognize there is zero chance of this happening. But you know, your comment about "MLB will resemble the [other three major leagues]" points out exactly what turns a lot of people off to what they're doing with the schedule. A lot of longtime baseball fans relish the fact that it's NOT the same as the other leagues and that it's never had to be the same. (Edited to add: I suppose the one benefit will be if TV is forced to recognize that baseball includes matchups other than Yankees versus Boston.)

[gr8daynegb]

I really spoke too soon, because I'm glad that baseball is coming back!

A lot of us will hate the DH in the NL, mainly because it was an AL-only feature, but at least the pitchers will be happy that they don't have to bat anymore. I am a skeptic myself, but in time I could learn to live with it. I had the same feeling about a second wild-card team in the postseason, but after seeing the 2012 debacle that befell the Red Sox and Braves (IIRC), I decided that it was a very good compromise.

https://twitter.com/jareddiamond/status/1502062106862137351

Why bother having divisions and leagues at all if you're going to do this? Just have a single table and a 174-game schedule in which every team plays every other team three times at home and three times on the road (29 x 6 = 174).

No, that's entirely too long, because the World Series will be pushed way into December. A simple solution would be to eliminate the four-game series altogether, but they can make two-game series if they want to. It would be fun to watch every team play the other 29 in the same season, and in this respect, MLB will resemble the NBA, NHL and pre-1970 NFL. Speaking of which, the only thing that's more ludicrous than your 174-game proposal is going into Roger Goodell's office and suggesting a 31-game schedule (which he'd shoot down immediately); this is why the NFL rotates its interconference games every four years.

It doesn't have to push the World Series into December. You just schedule more doubleheaders, which baseball did for many years with no difficulty whatsoever. Since it would be only a 12-game increase in the total number of games, it might be feasible to focus the doubleheaders on the weekends when people are actually able to watch them.

I did consider whether the season should instead be shorter. Playing every team five times would mean a 145-game season (29 x 5), but that means you play each opponent an uneven number of times at each venue and that's undesirable.

Of course I recognize there is zero chance of this happening. But you know, your comment about "MLB will resemble the [other three major leagues]" points out exactly what turns a lot of people off to what they're doing with the schedule. A lot of longtime baseball fans relish the fact that it's NOT the same as the other leagues and that it's never had to be the same. (Edited to add: I suppose the one benefit will be if TV is forced to recognize that baseball includes matchups other than Yankees versus Boston.)

Wonder who will end up being the first Pitcher to have to bat under this new scenario outside of Shohei Ohtani.  Thinking back on the days of when a guy who was marked down as a DH, but then took the field giving up the DH logic here.  I remember Manny Ramirez doing that causing his pitcher to bat.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

I was at a game in Baltimore in 1993 when that happened. Baltimore's backup catcher was the DH but the starting catcher had to leave the game after getting hit in the side of the head by a bat or something similar. Most of the people attending were absolutely baffled when relief pitcher Gregg Olson came up to bat late in the game (and simply looked at three straight pitches) because you didn't see that happen very often.

I somewhat wonder whether at some point MLB might adopt the NCAA's version of the DH rule now that they've forced peewee rules on the National League. The NCAA rule would suit a guy like Ohtani pretty well. A player can be in the lineup in two positions, pitcher and DH, and if he is removed as the pitcher he can stay in the game as the DH (but he then cannot return to the mound, and if he takes another fielding position when leaving the mound, the DH role terminates like it does in MLB). I believe MLB used that rule in last year's All-Star Game. Some people complained, but since the game didn't count for anything, it didn't really matter.

[NWI_Irish96]

A possible format for playing everyone at least once within a 162 game schedule:

56 divisional games (4 x 14)
60 non division league games (10 x 6)
42 non rival interleague games (14 x 3)
4 rival interleague games (2 home, 2 away)

This is the breakout I've seen:

13 games each x 4 divisional opponents = 52
3 games each x 15 interleague opponents = 45
6 or 7 games each x 10 intraleague opponents = 65

[gr8daynegb]

^^^^

I was at a game in Baltimore in 1993 when that happened. Baltimore's backup catcher was the DH but the starting catcher had to leave the game after getting hit in the side of the head by a bat or something similar. Most of the people attending were absolutely baffled when relief pitcher Gregg Olson came up to bat late in the game (and simply looked at three straight pitches) because you didn't see that happen very often.

I somewhat wonder whether at some point MLB might adopt the NCAA's version of the DH rule now that they've forced peewee rules on the National League. The NCAA rule would suit a guy like Ohtani pretty well. A player can be in the lineup in two positions, pitcher and DH, and if he is removed as the pitcher he can stay in the game as the DH (but he then cannot return to the mound, and if he takes another fielding position when leaving the mound, the DH role terminates like it does in MLB). I believe MLB used that rule in last year's All-Star Game. Some people complained, but since the game didn't count for anything, it didn't really matter.

I know of Roger Clemens batting as a Red Sox player as well if I remember right also.  Something about baseball you tend to remember these out of the ordinary things that happen. 

Just curious who will be the first FA domino to fall.

I'm a fan of the now former NL style of play where you bat a pitcher, but as Brewers for most of my life were an AL team at least this isn't a new experience for me.  The banning of the shifts if what I didn't care for.  I know the Brewers have shifted the most(or next to the top of the list) in recent seasons.  But I'm of the thought then as a hitter you try and hit the ball where the fielders aren't playing.  If everyone is shifting to believe the ball will be hit between 1st and 2nd base that leaves a gaping hole that you have more or less one person playing between 2nd and 3rd base(as shortshop will be behind 2nd base shading slightly in either direction).  If players would either choke up, bunt, or use an inside out swing there are many hits to be had. It ages me but watched Yount, Molitor, Gwynn and Boggs to name a few that became HOF players because they did that.

[Buck87]

A possible format for playing everyone at least once within a 162 game schedule:

56 divisional games (4 x 14)
60 non division league games (10 x 6)
42 non rival interleague games (14 x 3)
4 rival interleague games (2 home, 2 away)

This is the breakout I've seen:

13 games each x 4 divisional opponents = 52
3 games each x 15 interleague opponents = 45
6 or 7 games each x 10 intraleague opponents = 65

I could see this happening because it gives them more 4 game series.

Though I definitely prefer the version I posted. It's more balanced (161 of 162 would be the same as everyone else in your division), and it preserves the yearly home and home against your regional interleague rival.

I've liked the times where they did regional interleague rival 4 game series over consecutive days with 2 games at one stadium and 2 games at the other. If it were up to me I'd make it a tradition where all 15 of these series happen on the same holiday weekend as 4 game wraparound series. Memorial Day would be my first choice but Labor Day could work as well. Have one league host all the Friday-Saturday games and other host all the Sunday-Monday games, which would rotate each year.

[snowc]

Thank you, God! We finally have baseball. After 2 and 1/2 months we finally got something to watch! 
Quick Question: When is spring training? 

[NWI_Irish96]

Thank you, God! We finally have baseball. After 2 and 1/2 months we finally got something to watch! 
Quick Question: When is spring training? 

Players have already reported. First games are Thursday.

[KeithE4Phx]

Thank you, God! We finally have baseball. After 2 and 1/2 months we finally got something to watch! 
Quick Question: When is spring training? 

Players have already reported. First games are Thursday.

Three games in AZ:  Cubs vs White Sox split squad, one game in Mesa, the other in Glendale, plus Diamondbacks vs Rockies in Scottsdale
One in Florida:  Twins vs Red Sox in Ft. Myers.