Baseball

[Strike For The South]

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~Rogers Hornsby

Well it's about time for my first true love, baseball. Women may come and go, money will be made and spent, old people will die and infants will come screaming into the world but baseball stays
Who else is excited?

I'm pretty stoked for this season, The sox have the best rotation in the AL and a very salty lineup if Ortiz can bust this seeming year long slump.

[Hooahguy]

baseball is boring.
next!

[pevergreen]

More boring than golf and tennis.

And that's saying something.

[Strike For The South]

Philistines, the both of you

[Centurion1]

Boston Rewd Sox for the World Series *woot* *woot*

i love baseball as all true americans should. meaning, pever you are excused and hooah you need to go wash out your mouth.

[GeneralHankerchief]

I'll give a free pass to pever on this because he's Australian. But I wash my hands of Hooahguy for not recognizing the beauty of the sport and all it represents. :snobby:

Sox this offseason put a major focus on defense and run prevention. It's an interesting strategy and I'm eager to see if it works. Also, at some point, the Yankees core group has to start slowing down. It's just ridiculous that Rivera is as overpowering as ever at 40 (no, I'm not bitter at all from the results of the last World Series :freak:). Also looking dangerous is the Rockies/Mariners/White Sox (especially if their pitching holds up).

I still like the Phillies' chances of going to a third consecutive Series and getting revenge on the Yanks. The local papers have been on fire with the whole Halladay/Lee swap all offseason and I'm not sure how I feel about it. That catch Cliff made in Game 1 of the World Series was magical. Frankly, I don't think I'll know how I feel until November.

But that's far off. It's Spring Training, everybody's optimistic, and every team's prospect looks great. Truly a great time of year. Who knows, I might even see some quality baseball played in DC this year, especially if Strasburg pitches as well as advertised.

[Strike For The South]

But that's far off. It's Spring Training, everybody's optimistic, and every team's prospect looks great. Truly a great time of year. Who knows, I might even see some quality baseball played in DC this year, especially if Strasburg pitches as well as advertised.

Have you seen him in action?

Is he worth all the hooplah? Prospects in general are hit or miss and pitching is even worse.

Do you think he'll be the 20 game winner everyone expects him to be?

[GeneralHankerchief]

Have you seen him in action?

Is he worth all the hooplah? Prospects in general are hit or miss and pitching is even worse.

Do you think he'll be the 20 game winner everyone expects him to be?

Washington's Spring Training is down in Florida, so I haven't seen him yet. But I've been keeping up on his scouting reports and supposedly he's wowing everybody he comes in contact with. Apparently even the great Pudge Rodriguez (Nats signed him over the offeason) offered up nothing but praise after catching him.

I think the Nats are going to stick him in the minors for the first few months just to delay his contract renegotiation/arbitration by a year, but from all reports he's ready to go and win in the majors now. No matter what happens, I'm definitely planning to see him pitch, be it this semester, sometime over the summer, or in the fall.

BTW, Opening Day is Phillies at Nationals. I could theoretically see Halladay vs. Strasburg. Class is definitely getting skipped that day. :laugh4:

[Strike For The South]

I've always had a soft sport for the team formerly known as the Expos. I was really sad to see Johnson get bought off by the pinstripes. Although it seems like Zimm is in there for the long haul and Strasburg is just one of a very good farm system. Hopefully the organazation learns from other small market clubs and plays some billy ball. There is talent there, lets just hope they don't squander it.

[GeneralHankerchief]

I've always had a soft sport for the team formerly known as the Expos. I was really sad to see Johnson get bought off by the pinstripes. Although it seems like Zimm is in there for the long haul and Strasburg is just one of a very good farm system. Hopefully the organazation learns from other small market clubs and plays some billy ball. There is talent there, lets just hope they don't squander it.

Johnson got shipped to the Marlins at the deadline last year, so don't feel too bad. Zimm's definitely the face of the franchise, although that could be about to change. Dunn is a reliable slugger, and Nyjer Morgan is also a good, speedy centerfielder when he's not hurt.

Having a bunch of successive terrible years will usually improve your farm system tremendously (see: Rays, Tampa Bay) and this looks to be the case with the Nationals. Right now in the pipeline we've got Strasburg and a future closer in Drew Storen, and another potentially good pitcher named Jordan Zimmermann (no relation) who had an injury setback last year. We also have the first pick in this year's draft and will probably go for a kid named Bryce Harper. Wiki tells me that he is described as the "LeBron of baseball" and can play catcher, third, and short.

All this Nationals talent will be coming up probably right as the Phillies' good run ends in a couple of years, but I don't like to think about that.

[Strike For The South]

He got shipped to the fins? Wow I don't even remember that lol.

[Hooahguy]

But I wash my hands of Hooahguy for not recognizing the beauty of the sport and all it represents. :snobby:
really. admit it, baseball is a shadow of what it once was.
besides, its boring.
its basically a bunch of waiting with short bursts of action.
think about it. you wait for your turn at bat, you wait for the ball to be thrown to you, and it goes on and on and on....
omg im bored even thinking about it.

[GeneralHankerchief]

really. admit it, baseball is a shadow of what it once was.
besides, its boring.
its basically a bunch of waiting with short bursts of action.
think about it. you wait for your turn at bat, you wait for the ball to be thrown to you, and it goes on and on and on....
omg im bored even thinking about it.

I reject the entirety of your statement, sir. Baseball is far more than just a game. Baseball is the embodiment of summer, the annual ushering in of hope anew, and the single sweetest way to connect to generations past. More so than any groundhog or page on the calendar, it is the mark of the end of a long, dark, cold winter. The league may have its ups and downs over the years, but baseball itself is eternal.

[bobbin]

meh its just rounders with funny clothes.

Ps why is it called the world series? as far I'm aware its only US and Canadian teams that play in it.

[pevergreen]

Free pass, score!

Summer is cricket. Winter is Rugby. (real rugby)

[Sasaki Kojiro]

meh its just rounders with funny clothes.

Ps why is it called the world series? as far I'm aware its only US and Canadian teams that play in it.

Why is it called "Great" Britain? :tongue3:

[Hooahguy]

I reject the entirety of your statement, sir. Baseball is far more than just a game. Baseball is the embodiment of summer, the annual ushering in of hope anew, and the single sweetest way to connect to generations past. More so than any groundhog or page on the calendar, it is the mark of the end of a long, dark, cold winter. The league may have its ups and downs over the years, but baseball itself is eternal.

yeah, whatever, think what you want.
it probably runs in my family. my dad, when he used to take us many years ago used to bring his student's papers to grade.
then we all had the revelation and stopped going.

have you noticed how no one really pays attention to the "world series" anymore?

[GeneralHankerchief]

have you noticed how no one really pays attention to the "world series" anymore?

Speak for yourself. You and your family apparently don't. That's fine. I know plenty of people that do.

I also fail to see what non-fans of the sport gain from entering into a thread about said sport and proclaiming their non-fanhood. Congratulations, you're not interested in something, good to know. You don't see me poking in the soccer threads.

[Hooahguy]

all for the post count my friend, all for the count.

plus im bored, waiting for the next episode of 24. :beam:

[Strike For The South]

really. admit it, baseball is a shadow of what it once was.
besides, its boring.
its basically a bunch of waiting with short bursts of action.
think about it. you wait for your turn at bat, you wait for the ball to be thrown to you, and it goes on and on and on....
omg im bored even thinking about it.

Baseball is a game of depth and meaning. You should'nt dismiss something simply because you don't understand it.

It's times like these where I wish I was born in the Dominacan

[Hosakawa Tito]

meh its just rounders with funny clothes.

Ps why is it called the world series? as far I'm aware its only US and Canadian teams that play in it.

Quite a few of MLB greatest players aren't from North America.

For those that don't appreciate or like the game there's no need to post disruptive spam comments and ruin the conversation for those that do like the sport.

[bobbin]

Why is it called "Great" Britain? :tongue3:
It's the name of the island not the country.

After the Old English period, Britain was used as a historical term only. Geoffrey of Monmouth in his pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136) refers to the island of Great Britain as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"), to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain"), the continental region which approximates to modern Brittany.


Quite a few of MLB greatest players aren't from North America.

For those that don't appreciate or like the game there's no need to post disruptive spam comments and ruin the conversation for those that do like the sport.
Half the premier league in the uk is from other countries but we still don't call it the world league,.
You make a fair point about spamming the thread though so I'll be shutting up now, i was a bored, accept my apologies:shame:

[Beefy187]

Free pass, score!

Summer is cricket. Winter is Rugby. (real rugby)

Soccer> Baseball>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Cricket

I just don't see how they can play on and on and on...

Baseball at most is 5 hours. If Carps are playing it, we'll keep spamming grounders and strike outs.. Should be done in 2 hours.

[drone]

Hooahguy has a point, baseball is boring. Yeah, there are amazing plays, but these are spread very thinly over the 2430 regular season games. Steroids ruined the game for me, small ball is way more interesting than watching the sluggers either strike out or put it over the wall. And the DH is an abomination.


edit-> get off my lawn!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Even in games that are more active and fast paced, like basketball, I have a hard time getting interested in watching a game with minimal importance. That's one of the best things about football--each game is huge.

Baseball and basketball are sports to watch in the playoffs for me. You get as many games as you do in the football season anyway...

[Csargo]

Can't watch it on TV, but I love going to the stadium and watching it live.

[GeneralHankerchief]

My 2010 predictions, v 1.0 (totally off the top of my head and subject to change):

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Phillies)
AL Cy Young: Jon Lester (Red Sox)
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward (Braves)
AL Rookie of the Year: Brian Matusz (Orioles)
NL MVP: Albert Pujols (Cardinals)
AL MVP: Ichiro (Mariners)

Predicted standings:

NL East:
Phillies
Marlins (wild card)
Braves
Nationals
Mets

NL Central:
Cardinals
Brewers
Cubs
Astros
Reds
Pirates

NL West:
Rockies
Dodgers
D-Backs
Giants
Padres

AL East:
Yankees
Red Sox (wild card)
Rays
Orioles
Blue Jays

AL Central:
White Sox
Twins
Tigers
Royals
Indians

AL West:
Mariners
Angels
Rangers
A's

NLDS/ALDS:
Phillies over Cardinals
Rockies over Marlins
Yankees over White Sox
Red Sox over Mariners

NLCS/ALCS:
Phillies over Rockies
Yankees over Red Sox

World Series:
Phillies over Yankees (well duh)

[seireikhaan]

I dunno how to feel about the white sox this year... as usual, I guess. I have the nagging feeling that a sub .500 year is heading our way, and I can't shake it. Other than that, things seem like they'll still be pretty similar from last year, although the Mariners may present something interesting out of the west. Pretty good odds the series will come down to a pair of east coast teams. Of course, even if the Yanks/BoSox win the series and the ChiSox flop out, I can always find consolation watching the Mets. :beam:

[GeneralHankerchief]

I picked the White Sox because of pitching and the fact that the AL Central is never consistent from year to year (well, save for the Royals). Don't think the Tigers did enough over the offseason to improve and because the Twins won last year, they're out this year. That leaves the Sox. Also, nobody seems to be giving the Rockies any credit for their turnaround last year, and this year they're getting a really good pitcher back from injury (Francis). These guys took the Phillies to a very tough four games in the NLDS last year and barring injury they're going to stick around.

[Strike For The South]

Care to say hello to the best rotation in baseball? ~:)

RHJosh Beckett (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Josh-Beckett.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Josh-Beckett.shtml)LHJon Lester (http://www.soxprospects.com/players/lester-jon.htm)RHJohn Lackey (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/john-lackey.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/john-lackey.shtml)RHClay Buchholz (http://www.soxprospects.com/players/buchholz-clay.htm)RHTim Wakefield (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/Tim-Wakefield.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/Tim-Wakefield.shtml) RHDaisuke Matsuzaka (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Daisuke-Matsuzaka.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Daisuke-Matsuzaka.shtml)

What we need to do is get Dice-K healthy and move Wake to the pen. His knuckleball for 3 INs will be lethal esp. if you've been seeing gas all day

I see 4 guys that could be #1s on half the teams out there and Clay is a great young prospect. I would enjoy 1 more lefty but if Dice-k can find his legs these guys are going to be a force

The pen is also very good, we may not even halfto score runs....which may be the case lol

[Megas Methuselah]

as far I'm aware its only US and Canadian teams that play in it.

What? Canadians play baseball? This is news to me.

[bobbin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Blue_Jays

[Cowhead418]

Care to say hello to the best rotation in baseball? ~:)

RHJosh Beckett (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Josh-Beckett.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Josh-Beckett.shtml)LHJon Lester (http://www.soxprospects.com/players/lester-jon.htm)RHJohn Lackey (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/john-lackey.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/L/john-lackey.shtml)RHClay Buchholz (http://www.soxprospects.com/players/buchholz-clay.htm)RHTim Wakefield (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/Tim-Wakefield.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/W/Tim-Wakefield.shtml) RHDaisuke Matsuzaka (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Daisuke-Matsuzaka.shtml) http://www.soxprospects.com/images/baseball.jpg (http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/M/Daisuke-Matsuzaka.shtml)

What we need to do is get Dice-K healthy and move Wake to the pen. His knuckleball for 3 INs will be lethal esp. if you've been seeing gas all day

I see 4 guys that could be #1s on half the teams out there and Clay is a great young prospect. I would enjoy 1 more lefty but if Dice-k can find his legs these guys are going to be a force

The pen is also very good, we may not even halfto score runs....which may be the case lolIf Dice-K is healthy, then yes Boston probably has the best rotation in the bigs. But watch out for my team, the White Sox. They pretty much match up with Boston pitcher for pitcher, and have less health concerns. People around baseball don't realize just how good John Danks and Gavin Floyd are and could be (especially Floyd), but I've been able to watch these guys every day and if Danks can find a little control he'll be a Cy Young contender easily. Gavin had an extremely rough start to 2009 (ERA north of 7.50 into mid-May), but after a story came out from the Sox pitching coach Don Cooper that he was tipping his pitches he went on a tear, and was one of the best pitchers in baseball for the next several months, bring his ERA down to respectable levels. We also have the always solid Mark Buehrle (who has worked out this offseason and done an arm-strengthening program, something he hasn't done in the past), and of course the dangerous Jake Peavy. At the fifth spot Freddy Garcia should do fine, but we also have Dan Hudson for insurance, the minor league pitcher of the year last year.

Of course, the Red Sox do have a much superior lineup, so my comparisons must unfortunately end there, ha.

Also, the Red Sox are the Sawx, not the Sox. The White Sox were called the Sox before that team from Boston, so we have original rights to that nickname, popularity be damned! :stare: :nice:

[Veho Nex]

SF giants! Woot woot! Time to get my glove outa the closet.

[Strike For The South]

My Fantasy team is looking good

[GeneralHankerchief]

Went to the Phillies-Nats game in DC today. Pretty fun experience, my boys won 8-4. The Nats' pitching is horrendous right now but that could change once Strasburg gets the callup and Wang and Zimmermann come back from injury.

I'm just glad baseball is back. It's been a long, dark, cold winter.

[pevergreen]

What does baseball have that compares to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_f5Rr93v_Q

[Beefy187]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pJXwPhVbOs

[A Nerd]

My two cents, mabey just one! Go Sox! The 2004 ALCS was brilliant! Though, I do remeber one year I watched the sox blow a ten run lead to lose in latter innings. I guess it was 'the curse of the bambino'! Do plan to follow the season a little this year. Hey, the beat the dreaded yankees a few days ago!

[pevergreen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pJXwPhVbOs

:laugh4:


Only in Japan. :laugh4:

[seireikhaan]

Oh. My. Lord. Guy gets a perfect game stolen by a bad call. Which the ump admits after the fact.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=crasnick_jerry&id=5245331

I don't even know what to say. I'm simply astounded.