***2024 MLB Regular Season Thread***

Originally posted by jrg:
ESPN mad?

Welcome to the worst World Series ever

link

This is how you know baseball isn't rigged.

The strike zone is subjective, but in general the umps do a fantastic job as a whole. They are by far and away the best officiators in sports. Outside the strike zone, its purely fair or foul, safe or out. Now with replay its gotten even more solid.

In the last 5 years now, the WS markets have been SF/Dallas, STL/Dallas, SF/Detroit, STL/Boston, and SF/KC. So 9 of the 10 markets in the last 5 WS have been outside the east coast. The networks get all pouty and bitter about it, but baseball should be happy that non east coast markets are getting time in the spotlight.

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by jrg:

ESPN mad?

Welcome to the worst World Series ever

link

This is how you know baseball isn't rigged.

The strike zone is subjective, but in general the umps do a fantastic job as a whole. They are by far and away the best officiators in sports. Outside the strike zone, its purely fair or foul, safe or out. Now with replay its gotten even more solid.

In the last 5 years now, the WS markets have been SF/Dallas, STL/Dallas, SF/Detroit, STL/Boston, and SF/KC. So 9 of the 10 markets in the last 5 WS have been outside the east coast. The networks get all pouty and bitter about it, but baseball should be happy that non east coast markets are getting time in the spotlight.

This. Then ratings suck because the game is going to end at midnight on a school night as well. Baseball has had that problem for years. They need to change the schedule a little so the WS starts on Friday or Sarurday night so it sucks people in over the weekend. That would make them want to watch on Tuesday. Some east coast fan who likes the Yankees is thinking f**k watching the royals at 1000 pm on Tuesday night.

What's happened? I grew up watching World Series heroes, Mantle, Mays, Jackie, Campy, Aaron, Matthews, Clemente, Ford, Frank and Brooks, Sandy, Drysdale, Duke, Musial, each year it gets less and less. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Pablo Sandoval, kids stopped playing baseball in the US and it shows.

Originally posted by RishikeshA:
What's happened? I grew up watching World Series heroes, Mantle, Mays, Jackie, Campy, Aaron, Matthews, Clemente, Ford, Frank and Brooks, Sandy, Drysdale, Duke, Musial, each year it gets less and less. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Pablo Sandoval, kids stopped playing baseball in the US and it shows.

What happened more than anything was that the black kids started focusing on basketball and football instead of baseball. In 1979 baseball rosters were made up of 30% of black players. Now it is around 8%.

You watched Campy and Duke? I thought I was old.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

What happened more than anything was that the black kids started focusing on basketball and football instead of baseball. In 1979 baseball rosters were made up of 30% of black players. Now it is around 8%.

You watched Campy and Duke? I thought I was old.

First game was 1954 in the Polo Frounds.

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
What happened more than anything was that the black kids started focusing on basketball and football instead of baseball. In 1979 baseball rosters were made up of 30% of black players. Now it is around 8%.

You watched Campy and Duke? I thought I was old.

First game was 1954 in the Polo Frounds.

Damn dude, so you've got to be approaching 70 years old?

Originally posted by Muggins:

Damn dude, so you've got to be approaching 70 years old?

66

^no doubt (although you can put any logo besides the giants in for where the cardinals logo is)

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

What's happened? I grew up watching World Series heroes, Mantle, Mays, Jackie, Campy, Aaron, Matthews, Clemente, Ford, Frank and Brooks, Sandy, Drysdale, Duke, Musial, each year it gets less and less. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Pablo Sandoval, kids stopped playing baseball in the US and it shows.

Thats not true, its just that with the expanded playoff system, the hot teams play for the title, not the best rosters. In those days, it was the 2 best record teams facing off, so you got the 2 powerhouse elites with all the big time players.

Now those teams are falling to hotter teams over 2-3 rounds before the World Series.

Also, the game still has big time stars, but they just havent finished their careers, retired, and became legends yet. Someday when im 66 ill probably be talking crap about the current players being nothing like 'legends' like Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, etc.

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:
What's happened? I grew up watching World Series heroes, Mantle, Mays, Jackie, Campy, Aaron, Matthews, Clemente, Ford, Frank and Brooks, Sandy, Drysdale, Duke, Musial, each year it gets less and less. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Pablo Sandoval, kids stopped playing baseball in the US and it shows.

Thats not true, its just that with the expanded playoff system, the hot teams play for the title, not the best rosters. In those days, it was the 2 best record teams facing off, so you got the 2 powerhouse elites with all the big time players.

Now those teams are falling to hotter teams over 2-3 rounds before the World Series.

Also, the game still has big time stars, but they just havent finished their careers, retired, and became legends yet. Someday when im 66 ill probably be talking crap about the current players being nothing like 'legends' like Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, etc.

Thats true. And FA has cheapened the feel for some people who grew up watching a player on the same team for his entire career.

Another thing about the big hitters he mentioned is specialized pitching. Not saying those guys werent great, because they were...but having to face a different specialized pitcher for the 7, 8, 9th innings (most who throw 95+ MPH) is a lot more challenging. Old time hitters faced the SP way into the later part of the game on their 125th pitch. Tired pitchers, big hit moments. Its talked about a lot on sports radio. Again, doesnt take away from that era, but it is a different game now.

Originally posted by Rubberneck36:

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

What's happened? I grew up watching World Series heroes, Mantle, Mays, Jackie, Campy, Aaron, Matthews, Clemente, Ford, Frank and Brooks, Sandy, Drysdale, Duke, Musial, each year it gets less and less. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Pablo Sandoval, kids stopped playing baseball in the US and it shows.

Thats not true, its just that with the expanded playoff system, the hot teams play for the title, not the best rosters. In those days, it was the 2 best record teams facing off, so you got the 2 powerhouse elites with all the big time players.

Now those teams are falling to hotter teams over 2-3 rounds before the World Series.

Also, the game still has big time stars, but they just havent finished their careers, retired, and became legends yet. Someday when im 66 ill probably be talking crap about the current players being nothing like 'legends' like Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, etc.

Thats true. And FA has cheapened the feel for some people who grew up watching a player on the same team for his entire career.

Another thing about the big hitters he mentioned is specialized pitching. Not saying those guys werent great, because they were...but having to face a different specialized pitcher for the 7, 8, 9th innings (most who throw 95+ MPH) is a lot more challenging. Old time hitters faced the SP way into the later part of the game on their 125th pitch. Tired pitchers, big hit moments. Its talked about a lot on sports radio. Again, doesnt take away from that era, but it is a different game now.

It's more international now than it ever has been. Look how long for It took for MLB to break the color line and allow blacks to play. You can bet your bottom bippee that there were deserving Latin stars back in the day who never got a shot to play. And don't get me started on the Japanese. It took well into the seventies for the furor over WWII to subside to where MLB would allow Japanese stars into the country...

Originally posted by kidash98:

She looks like a nice girl you would want to bring home for mom to meet...

Originally posted by Niners99:

Thats not true, its just that with the expanded playoff system, the hot teams play for the title, not the best rosters. In those days, it was the 2 best record teams facing off, so you got the 2 powerhouse elites with all the big time players.

Now those teams are falling to hotter teams over 2-3 rounds before the World Series.

Also, the game still has big time stars, but they just havent finished their careers, retired, and became legends yet. Someday when im 66 ill probably be talking crap about the current players being nothing like 'legends' like Mike Trout, Buster Posey, Clayton Kershaw, Bryce Harper, Andrew McCutchen, etc.

Funny my father said the same thing about the 1927 Yankees as his father said about Christy Mathewson. All I can say is that Sandy Koufax was the best pitcher I ever saw and Willie Mays, in 1954, showed me that baseball was a game meant to be played for fun.