***2024 MLB Regular Season Thread***

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

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.

I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Agree 100%, when the Giants left NY Willie lost all publicity, back then SF was like Siberia to the Eastern Media. Plus the fact that box scores were 2 days old from the West Coast. Also take into account that the wind at Candelstick blew his left field blasts back in play. He used to tell the right and left fielders to play the lines, he'd cover everything else.

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Agree 100%, when the Giants left NY Willie lost all publicity, back then SF was like Siberia to the Eastern Media. Plus the fact that box scores were 2 days old from the West Coast. Also take into account that the wind at Candelstick blew his left field blasts back in play. He used to tell the right and left fielders to play the lines, he'd cover everything else.

I love Willie and most baseball still consider him 2nd best to do ever do it, which he is. He definitely lost a lot of pub when we moved to SF though. I've always considered him far better than Mantle but Mantle was a Yankee and was viewed as a god.

I think the 8% black players thing is kinda blown out of proportion. MLB is by far the most diverse league in America. It's by far the closest to the racial demographics of the us. Basketball and football can be dominated in off athleticism alone, baseball can't. I think people are coming back around to playing baseball with all the concussions in football. Only time will tell but in sure the amount if African Americans playing will increase in the future.

Originally posted by MCrabs15:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Agree 100%, when the Giants left NY Willie lost all publicity, back then SF was like Siberia to the Eastern Media. Plus the fact that box scores were 2 days old from the West Coast. Also take into account that the wind at Candelstick blew his left field blasts back in play. He used to tell the right and left fielders to play the lines, he'd cover everything else.

I love Willie and most baseball still consider him 2nd best to do ever do it, which he is. He definitely lost a lot of pub when we moved to SF though. I've always considered him far better than Mantle but Mantle was a Yankee and was viewed as a god.

I think the 8% black players thing is kinda blown out of proportion. MLB is by far the most diverse league in America. It's by far the closest to the racial demographics of the us. Basketball and football can be dominated in off athleticism alone, baseball can't. I think people are coming back around to playing baseball with all the concussions in football. Only time will tell but in sure the amount if African Americans playing will increase in the future.

I dont think its blown out of proportion at all. NFL.. best athletes are black. NBA.. best athletes are black. MLB.. % of black players in MLB has declined from 30% to 8% in the last 30 years. To me, if MLB still had black kids coming into baseball at the % they used to there would be far more great players in the game.
It still blows my mind that the SF Giants do not have 1 African American player on the team.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by MCrabs15:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Agree 100%, when the Giants left NY Willie lost all publicity, back then SF was like Siberia to the Eastern Media. Plus the fact that box scores were 2 days old from the West Coast. Also take into account that the wind at Candelstick blew his left field blasts back in play. He used to tell the right and left fielders to play the lines, he'd cover everything else.

I love Willie and most baseball still consider him 2nd best to do ever do it, which he is. He definitely lost a lot of pub when we moved to SF though. I've always considered him far better than Mantle but Mantle was a Yankee and was viewed as a god.

I think the 8% black players thing is kinda blown out of proportion. MLB is by far the most diverse league in America. It's by far the closest to the racial demographics of the us. Basketball and football can be dominated in off athleticism alone, baseball can't. I think people are coming back around to playing baseball with all the concussions in football. Only time will tell but in sure the amount if African Americans playing will increase in the future.

I dont think its blown out of proportion at all. NFL.. best athletes are black. NBA.. best athletes are black. MLB.. % of black players in MLB has declined from 30% to 8% in the last 30 years. To me, if MLB still had black kids coming into baseball at the % they used to there would be far more great players in the game.
It still blows my mind that the SF Giants do not have 1 African American player on the team.

Casilla is black.

Signed,

White kids.

Originally posted by vrabbit:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by MCrabs15:

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
I still believe that Willie Mays is the greatest player ever to play the game. Again, I feel that the significant decline in the number of black players that are in MLB has diminished the amount of superstars in the game. It amazes me that rosters are made up of only 8% black athletes.

Agree 100%, when the Giants left NY Willie lost all publicity, back then SF was like Siberia to the Eastern Media. Plus the fact that box scores were 2 days old from the West Coast. Also take into account that the wind at Candelstick blew his left field blasts back in play. He used to tell the right and left fielders to play the lines, he'd cover everything else.

I love Willie and most baseball still consider him 2nd best to do ever do it, which he is. He definitely lost a lot of pub when we moved to SF though. I've always considered him far better than Mantle but Mantle was a Yankee and was viewed as a god.

I think the 8% black players thing is kinda blown out of proportion. MLB is by far the most diverse league in America. It's by far the closest to the racial demographics of the us. Basketball and football can be dominated in off athleticism alone, baseball can't. I think people are coming back around to playing baseball with all the concussions in football. Only time will tell but in sure the amount if African Americans playing will increase in the future.

I dont think its blown out of proportion at all. NFL.. best athletes are black. NBA.. best athletes are black. MLB.. % of black players in MLB has declined from 30% to 8% in the last 30 years. To me, if MLB still had black kids coming into baseball at the % they used to there would be far more great players in the game.
It still blows my mind that the SF Giants do not have 1 African American player on the team.

Casilla is black.

Signed,

White kids.

Maybe I should have included the Venezeulan players as blacks?

You can dominate football and basketball by being a great athlete. In baseball being a great athlete can only do so much for you, so blacks being the best athletes doesn't mean much in terms of baseball.

Originally posted by MCrabs15:
You can dominate football and basketball by being a great athlete. In baseball being a great athlete can only do so much for you, so blacks being the best athletes doesn't mean much in terms of baseball.

Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, Willie McCovey, Ken Griffey, Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas. SO many great black baseball players in the 60s 70s 80s and 90s. All HOF or worthy anyway and all great athletes.

Tell me..how many are there now? Andrew McCutchen, Gioncarlo Stanton, Adam Jones. Not many. IN my opinion, if the great athletes played more baseball at a young age and focused on that instead of basketball and football there would be so many more great stars in MLB. That is my only point. The amount of great players in baseball now would be much higher if there was a great influx of African Americans again in the game.

Originally posted by MCrabs15:

You can dominate football and basketball by being a great athlete. In baseball being a great athlete can only do so much for you, so blacks being the best athletes doesn't mean much in terms of baseball.

MLB is making a push to bring organized ball back to the inner cities. I don't buy what you're saying about being the best athletes doesn't mean much to baseball. How many black owners are in MLB? How many black managers have there been? Read the book "1954" by Bill Madden, it illustrates how baseball had a resurgence with the first group of black players introduced to the public. The problem is less opportunity.

Going through the minor leagues is no easy task. I think it's part of reason AA's are passing on baseball.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Joe Morgan, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, Willie McCovey, Ken Griffey, Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas. SO many great black baseball players in the 60s 70s 80s and 90s. All HOF or worthy anyway and all great athletes.

Tell me..how many are there now? Andrew McCutchen, Gioncarlo Stanton, Adam Jones. Not many. IN my opinion, if the great athletes played more baseball at a young age and focused on that instead of basketball and football there would be so many more great stars in MLB. That is my only point. The amount of great players in baseball now would be much higher if there was a great influx of African Americans again in the game.

I have no doubt that more great African Americans in baseball would make more black kids want to play, my point is why would someone like a Lebron James or a Megatron want to play baseball when they could dominate a sport based on how much bigger and faster they are compared to others. Baseball is hard sport, why struggle in it when you're big strong and fast and can play basketball?

Originally posted by RishikeshA:

MLB is making a push to bring organized ball back to the inner cities. I don't buy what you're saying about being the best athletes doesn't mean much to baseball. How many black owners are in MLB? How many black managers have there been? Read the book "1954" by Bill Madden, it illustrates how baseball had a resurgence with the first group of black players introduced to the public. The problem is less opportunity.

I get your point, but just like I said above there is no reason for an athletic kid to play baseball unless he loves it. Baseball is doing to the right thing by reintroducing the game in the inner city and building up that live for the game. Other than that, there is nothing they can really do.

might be Panda's last series with us.

Soon?

Originally posted by Frisco69ers:
might be Panda's last series with us.

doubt it.. he'll get paid.. it's just what the giants do

Originally posted by MCrabs15:
I have no doubt that more great African Americans in baseball would make more black kids want to play, my point is why would someone like a Lebron James or a Megatron want to play baseball when they could dominate a sport based on how much bigger and faster they are compared to others. Baseball is hard sport, why struggle in it when you're big strong and fast and can play basketball?


I get your point, but just like I said above there is no reason for an athletic kid to play baseball unless he loves it. Baseball is doing to the right thing by reintroducing the game in the inner city and building up that live for the game. Other than that, there is nothing they can really do.

Well you are obviously going to the extreme when you use Lebron as an example. What basketball and football have going for them is that the grade school and high school kids can be stars in their community. That doesnt happen in baseball. Its more fun to play the other sports and be stars.

But my point all along was not why black kids dont play baseball for a career. Its that they dont and because of it we dont see as many star players in baseball as we used to.