Conspicuously absent from the list above are any negative predictions, such as 'The Rockies are going to suck even worse than last year'. But I do have one negative prediction that is a 100% certainty:
The Braves will make the playoffs, but lose in the first round.
Thanks, @Hoodat. Nice job.
Can someone explain this to me?- Astros: Yordan Alvarez will win the AL MVP in 2024
- Rangers: Corey Seager will win the AL MVP
Can there be more than one? :shrug:
MLB..com jumped the shark when they (without warning) zotted all their fan forums. Haven't been back since
MLB..com jumped the shark when they (without warning) zotted all their fan forums. Haven't been back since
Thanks, @Hoodat. Nice job.
Can someone explain this to me?- Astros: Yordan Alvarez will win the AL MVP in 2024
- Rangers: Corey Seager will win the AL MVP
Can there be more than one? :shrug:
Does that mean you won't answer my question? :shrug:
It means that Joe Blow wrote the predictions for the Astros while Walter Floompdoop wrote the predictions for the Rangers.
The Wander Franco saga is getting worse as more details emerge. One has to hope MLB and players assoc will allow the Rays to void his contract if convicted.
Here's a link in case there's anyone else besides me who hasn't been following the story. 14 years old? Ewwww.....
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/rays-wander-franco-awaits-ruling-from-judge-after-d-r-prosecutors-allege-relationship-with-14-year-old-girl/
An Astro for Life!
:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10108287-mlb-rumors-jose-altuve-astros-agree-to-5-year-125m-contract-extension
@AllThatJazzZ
Reading furhter on that site, it seems that the team is warm to re-signing Bregman too for big bucks.
Problem with that is does that leave enough cash reserves to cover the real future of the team... Tucker and Alvarez. I think I would have let Altuve and Bregman walk for their involvement the '17 cheating stuff. And focus on the Alvarez who IMO may end up being the greatest Astros player of all time.
@catfish1957
Dayum, dude! I'm glad you're not calling the shots. 22222frying pan IIRC, you were the one thinking it was ill-advised to bring back JV, suggesting that he was on the decline. He served us well when we got him back. I wonder if you're given to overthinking? :tongue2:
Anyway, I can't wait till the season starts. I'm going to need the distraction during this contentious election year.
:tongue2:
Ya got me on JV. Still after being a obsessive fan for 60 years, I think I've alwas had a pretty good pulse on the team direction.
That said, are you going to be here to respond if we don't have the capital to pay Avalrez on his way to a 600 HR, 3000 hit , .300 lifetime average? :beer:
Baseball is so close I can smell it!
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oD6Fqp6aScg/UWVz8LSTqQI/AAAAAAAACmY/oXMzdgtxONk/s500/gomezsniff.gif)
@AllThatJazzZ
Remember this guy? When I first got into Rotisserie Baseball, our league allowed two minor league draft picks each year which enabled an owner to have first rights on any call-up they had chosen. My first pick was Wagner. He averaged over two strikeouts per inning in college.
Homerun to shallow CF
https://twitter.com/RaysTheRoofTB/status/1761848374779916642
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKGO_MU7DRw
An east or west coast team? Will never happen. And BTW, much as been written about how the BOSOX and NYY were cheating just as much as the Astros.
@catfish1957
The video has nothing to do with cheating using "trash cans", wearing wires and bleacher cameras relaying next pitches...it is about gambling on baseball...your own sport.
While the game is on, the "chance of winning percentages" are displayed.
Ohtani should be suspended without pay for at least an entire season. The idea that the translator had complete access to the funds is ludicrous.
@AllThatJazzZ @catfish1957
Wow...now I'm REALLY nervous about the upcoming season.
As of now the ORIOLES are 23-6 in preseason games...leading the entire MLB.
@catfish1957
The video has nothing to do with cheating using "trash cans", wearing wires and bleacher cameras relaying next pitches...it is about gambling on baseball...your own sport.
While the game is on, the "chance of winning percentages" are displayed.
Ohtani should be suspended without pay for at least an entire season. The idea that the translator had complete access to the funds is ludicrous.
@AllThatJazzZ @catfish1957
Wow...now I'm REALLY nervous about the upcoming season.
As of now the ORIOLES are 23-6 in preseason games...leading the entire MLB.
Suspended?
There are whispers that Ohtani bet on his own games. Pete Rose didn't even do that. If proven, he'll get a lifetime ban.
@catfish1957
No one is going to allow such a thing to be proven. I hope he's not dirty. I like Ohtani. He's an amazing player and scary good to watch. But he is idolized and is, thus, good for baseball's bottom line. Plus he's a Dodger -- one of the League's favored teams. I don't expect an honest investigation. Am I too jaded?
Talk about a CAN OF WORMS!! Right??
He should be suspended without pay for the entire 2024 season while an investigation for the truth is conducted.
IMO, the translator was the vehicle for placing the bets. Either that, or Ohtani 'invested' in the bookie's operation.
Hopefully, we'll find out soon. But for the 'sanctity' of baseball, he needs to sit this year out.
Baseball is trying to kill me! After crushing me to the floor (getting swept 4-0 at home by the Stankees), tonight our new starting pitcher (Ronel Blanco) pitched a no-hitter against the Blue Jays. A little history... in 2019-ish, Verlander pitched his 3rd no-hitter against none other than the Blue Jays in their ballpark.
I love baseball ........ I think.
Buccos are 5-0. We're only 157 games away from a perfect season! Woo hoo!!Of all teams...
Of all teams...I spoke too soon. :crying:
I spoke too soon. :crying:
LOL! I was going to say the same thing about my ORIOLES. Now they're at .600 happy77
Two starting pitchers sidelined with injuries.
Saving Grace...the Stankees finally lost one!
Only 2? Astros have 4 on IL. Verlander, Garcia, Urquidy, McCullers. Silver lining was to have a newbie pitching as a starter only to chalk up that historical no-hitter. I've been a baseball fan since 2017 World Series and I've already been fortunate to have seen 3 single-pitcher no-hitters and 2 multiple-pitcher no-hitters.
Only 2? Astros have 4 on IL. Verlander, Garcia, Urquidy, McCullers. Silver lining was to have a newbie pitching as a starter only to chalk up that historical no-hitter. I've been a baseball fan since 2017 World Series and I've already been fortunate to have seen 3 single-pitcher no-hitters and 2 multiple-pitcher no-hitters.
Players' unions have ruined the game. It used to be that if you didn't play it hit you in the pocket. Now we have multi-millionaires riding the pine for entire seasons. Careers in McCullers's case.
Players' unions have ruined the game. It used to be that if you didn't play it hit you in the pocket. Now we have multi-millionaires riding the pine for entire seasons. Careers in McCullers's case.
LMC Jr. ....Arm of glass. :cool:
Fortunately for me, I'm a newbie so I don't have that same frame of reference. It's not like I don't care about the exorbitant salaries. I think everyday folks are getting priced out of the game in many ways. I don't buy MLB merch. I don't attend the games. I just watch on local TV like so many other geezers.I was a huge fan in my youth. My family couldn't afford to attend a lot of games, but whenever my father took me to Forbes Field or, later, Three Rivers Stadium, it was a big deal. Years later, as a young adult, I attended as many Cardinals games at Busch Stadium as possible, watching from the cheap seats.
I was a huge fan in my youth. My family couldn't afford to attend a lot of games, but whenever my father took me to Forbes Field or, later, Three Rivers Stadium, it was a big deal. Years later, as a young adult, I attended as many Cardinals games at Busch Stadium as possible, watching from the cheap seats.
In contrast, now that we actually can afford it, we've attended no more than three MLB games in the last 28 years. :pondering:
@mountaineer
There's absolutely nothing better in life than taking your young children to their first major league game...seeing their faces/expression change as they come thru the short tunnel from the mezzanine and seeing that shade of green grass, just sprayed infield dirt, white chalk lines and snow white bases...the billboard outfield walls, the giant scoreboard...
First impressions are everything!
The first and only time I've been to Minute Maid Park, I cried when I walked inside. I entered at center field and walked over to the railing to take in the whole thing. My heart felt full, I got a lump in my throat, and tears stung my eyes.
I had been to an Astros game once before in the Dome, but I'd seen the Dome numerous times by then and I wasn't a baseball fan at that point. My cousin invited me because he couldn't get a date for the day of that game. I did it as a favor to him, although I would have preferred to stay home. His driving scared the liver out of me, and I swore that if I lived through the night, I'd never get in the car with him again. And I haven't! wink777
Y'all, I may need you to call the paramedics if the Astros don't pull it together. I'm not too thrilled about their offense, but I've seen that ebb and flow before. But the bullpen really has me nervous. What do y'all think, 'Stros fans? Am I too frantic too soon? Talk me down, y'all.
Y'all, I may need you to call the paramedics if the Astros don't pull it together. I'm not too thrilled about their offense, but I've seen that ebb and flow before. But the bullpen really has me nervous. What do y'all think, 'Stros fans? Am I too frantic too soon? Talk me down, y'all.
Not a 'Stros fan -- Go Braves!! -- but definitely too soon to panic. It's a LONG season.
Been a studied fan since '65, and looking at the team top to bottom, this might look like the weakest pitching staff that we've had in 10 years.
Doesn't matter if the team has Tucker Bregman, Alvarez, Altuve, Abreu..... This pitching staff's, even with a mid season Verlander return has holes galore. Just my take, but the ride might be over, as much fun as it was. My best guess is 5-10 over .500, and maybe make the playoffs as a WC, and then an early exit.... IF they make it.
I'm sorry to say that I can't be of any help to you @AllThatJazzZ you know why.
@Bigun
And I knew you wouldn't be weighing in ... except to tell me that you wouldn't be weighing in. :silly: wink777
@Hoodat
I've been watching baseball since WS 2017, and I was NOT prepared for this idiocy. I never dreamed this kind of incompetence would be tolerated, but here we are. **nononono* :shrug:
And if you call out his incompetence, you're a (say it with me, everyone) RACIST!
BTW, if you Google "Who is the worst umpire in major league baseball," guess whose name pops up.
Here's a summation of his performance last year, which was mercifully cut short due to a back problem.
https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/umpire-angel-hernandez-finishes-regular-season-with-worst-rating-in-mlb
HOLY CRAP!!
Orioles' Cedric Mullins just made the most incredible catch in centerfield that I've ever seen in my life...and I've been watching baseball for over 70 years!!
You will be seeing it on MLB this week for sure! It was super human, I tell ya!
Why we love baseball....
(A Jomboy breakdown)
John Sterling has reached the end of his illustrious Yankees play-by-play career.
The longtime Yankees radio voice is retiring effective immediately, the team announced Monday afternoon, and he will be honored with a ceremony on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
Sterling, 85, is retiring due to health concerns, The Athletic reported.
“I am a very blessed human being,” Sterling said in a release. “I have been able to do what I wanted, broadcasting for 64 years. As a little boy growing up in New York as a Yankees fan, I was able to broadcast the Yankees for 36 years. It’s all to my benefit, and I leave very, very happy. I look forward to seeing everyone again on Saturday.”
Yankees voice John Sterling retiring immediately due to health concerns
https://nypost.com/2024/04/15/sports/yankees-john-sterling-expected-to-retire-this-week-due-to-health-concerns/
@DCPatriot
Pretty awesome!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvKOCfyolBs
You're welcome. wink777
Jim Edmonds, 2004
=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiBd6MD6aUk] [/url]
Kevin Mitchell, 1989
=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u0MzrYPm4w] [/url]
Gary Matthews, Jr., 2006
=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWCvCTR3o3g] [/url]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aeni5vhobYw
Sometimes there's just not enough racism to go around. That doesn't keep them from making up stuff (https://www.yahoo.com/news/decline-black-players-mlb-warning-001750930.html).
Herzog was one of the last fire brands who graced the diamond, and rightfully ruled the team with intimidation and love of the game at the same time.
I miss old time baseball, where players were making fractional of billion dollar contracts, and have to be cotteled, and will whimper to their labor chiefs at any evidence of unhappiness. BTW..."Whitey" was his name in the baseball vernacular. And gladly accept this middle finger if anyone is bothered by that name.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/herzowh01.shtml (https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/herzowh01.shtml)
(https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/437940376_780934510818298_75887597579941226_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=Cy-jyq5xeCoAb5db8Bv&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&oh=00_AfAqajuauaP_Ub48Dp7m15x4cVLYPfDcog6IdV3Ron22MA&oe=6626CC31)
"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand."
I can't verify who actually said that. Some sources say former Major League catcher and manager Wes Westrum said it. More sources attribute the quote to another long-time Major League manager, Leo Durocher.
Leo was known by many names: The All-American Out, Swamper, Lippy, and Leo the Lip. As a manager, he was quite well-known for his direct, often confrontational style. Though he left pro baseball many decades ago, he is still near the top of the list for most ejections from a game. He was also quite well-known for winning. He was not, however, known as a church-goer. It seems that if the quote truly is his, though, then he had some experience in the church world. At least enough to understand that most of us are in a process of making sense of the mysteries of faith… and baseball.
How is baseball like church?
Let's face it. Baseball frustrates the uninitiated. My young son exemplified this when he yelled "What are you doing?!" at a pitcher who had just issued an intentional walk. A key principle of the game is to keep runners off base. So why did the pitcher purposefully put a runner on?
We attend. But we don't understand.
However, baseball excites and inspires us, too. Some inspiration is found in the tension we experience while we are constantly searching for better understanding. I've followed the game for a few decades, yet each season reveals new and fascinating peculiarities to the game. I love learning more.
Should I expect anything different from church? Afterall, church and baseball hold many similarities...
"10 ways baseball is like church:
Most of us have some experience with it.
Sometimes it feels like it will never end.
So. Many. Traditions.
Long lines for food and drink.
It requires sacrifice.
At some point, we all get to stand and sing.
It's a team endeavor.
There's something beautifully unifying in traditions.
"Home" is the final destination.
Participants will never be perfect… but we get to play anyway."
https://www.umc.org/en/content/baseball-is-like-church (https://www.umc.org/en/content/baseball-is-like-church)
@Polly Ticks @AllThatJazzZ
@DCPatriot
I love that! Thanks for the ping, baseball buddy!
:beer:
Once again you gotta play the azzhole, don't you?? :laugh:
Stop embarrassing yourself. Go back to the Ukraine War thread, and leave us alone.
Anybody can jump straight up waiting for the ball to arrive, dumb-cluck. Made a dozen of those myself in my playing days.
Check out where Mullins was at the crack of the bat and then where he ended up.
Long before the era of ESPN, and 24/7 baseball coverage and film, I remember seeing a play by CF Ceasar Cedeno (circa '71) that has to be the greatest I've seen.
This thread is about baseball, not about you, @DCPatriot .
None of the posted videos involved a player waiting for the ball to arrive and jumping straight up. Edmonds caught the ball backhanded. Matthews took his eye off the ball twice before gloving it. And Mitchell didn't even use a glove. They were all spectacular catches that any baseball enthusiast would admire. Not sure why you felt the need to insult me over it. Again, it wasn't about you. The Mullins catch was equally spectacular. I thank @AllThatJazzZ for posting it.
Long before the era of ESPN, and 24/7 baseball coverage and film, I remember seeing a play by CF Ceasar Cedeno (circa '71) that has to be the greatest I've seen.
Cedeno was playing in with man on 3rd with <2 outs, and a ball by a Pirate hitter(if memory serves) was smoked high and deep to center. Cedeno broke early and clean and dove at near the warning track catching it. Seemed impossible.
:beer:
Imagine all the 'impossible' catches there were BEFORE there were a half-dozen cameras covering the field.
Grew up watching in B&W with a single camera in the upper deck behind home plate.
The greatest catch of all time, and there have been many, was by the say hey kid (Willie Mays) in center field at Yankee Stadium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bLt2xKaNH0
Polo Grounds! Say Hey!
Polo Grounds! Say Hey!
Ahem... :judge:
@jmyrlefullerJust noticed some sniping going on... and that was just a "bang the gavel" graphic as a warning to get back in order. (Though it appears that already happened.)
I sense you're trying to say something, but the graphic is too small for me to make it out. Maybe someone with younger eyes can figure it out.
@jmyrlefuller
Just because you started this thread doesn't make you the hall monitor.
How about you Kiss Our Azz?
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bf/ad/3f/bfad3f72ed76df78b538fadf19604c77.jpg)
(removed for insubordination)Never mind, it appears you haven't.
How about you Kiss Our bleep?Check who the cat mod of this board is before you start running your fingers again. Or did you not learn anything from your last suspension?
It's so difficult for some folks to stay on topic.
I don't follow baseball much anymore, but Marcell Ozuna's season thus far sounds incredible - including his .344 batting average.
It's so difficult for some folks to stay on topic.
I don't follow baseball much anymore, but Marcell Ozuna's season thus far sounds incredible - including his .344 batting average.
I don't follow baseball much anymore either, except when it's either the Tigers or Royals playing - I just happened to look and they are playing today. It's hard to pick because I am a fan of both teams. More so I am a fan of the Royals I suppose.
In a massive feeling of schadenfreude around the game this year from others. The fact the 'stros are 7-19, with no improvement on the horizon?
To finish .500 Houston will have to play .545 Baseball tihe rest of the season.
The needle on my give a shit meter on the game has pegged to the bottom. Wake me in '25.
I'm from Pittsburgh. 'Nuff said. They will not get to the World Series in my lifetime. Thankfully, I'm old enough to have seen Clemente, Stargell, et al., in person.
I'm from Pittsburgh. 'Nuff said. They will not get to the World Series in my lifetime. Thankfully, I'm old enough to have seen Clemente, Stargell, et al., in person.
I'm from Pittsburgh. 'Nuff said. They will not get to the World Series in my lifetime. Thankfully, I'm old enough to have seen Clemente, Stargell, et al., in person.If the Red Sox and Cubs can win in my lifetime... anything is possible.
Great graphic, @DCPatriot!
*******************************************
Here's a graphic no team or fan would ever want, yet here we are. 8888crybaby
What the heck?????
That is what happens when the front office completely forgoes any pitching depth (esp. bullpen) during the previous off season. Saw this coming, but not at this level. A strong season by JV, Valdez, just might get us to .500 by end of season.
OTOH, it was a fun run, and time for some other fans to enjoy
Here's a text I got from my son-in-law (a decades-long baseball fan who bleeds Dodger blue).I have written 1000 word posts at baseball forums of how unfairly Luhnow was blamed for the cheating scandal. I still stand by that 100%.From the USA Today farm system rankings:
2) Houston Astros.... have not had a great farm system for quite some time now and perhaps that lack of attention to their lower levels is finally starting to take its toll... this team doesn't seem to have much going for it on the pitching side...
That "2" ranking is second-worst btw 😞
Isn't that what Jeff Luhnow was so good at? Was Dana Brown supposed to fill those shoes? What's Jim Crane's roll? Help me out, Astros fans. Who has let us down?
What you are witnessing is the dynasty that he built has been torn down systeatically by the likes of Crane, Bagwell, and Dusty Baker.
@catfish1957
For what purpose? :shrug:
No purpose, just in the highly competitive world of MLB, competence reigns. And Luhnow built the infrastructure of a team that competed at the highest level for 10 years. We are now seeing the decline with post 2020 neglect.