General catch-all baseball thread

[Bellhorn04]

As the title suggests, this thread is for anything about baseball, past, present or future.

[Bellhorn04]

One little story that came and went that I thought was kind of amusing was about Goose Gossage being banned from the Yankees training camp this year after being there the last couple of years. He was banned because of numerous comments basically disparaging some of the trends in modern baseball like the one-inning reliever and the reliance on newfangled metrics etc. Goose is unapologetically old school, let's put it that way.

 

When old Goose learned that he was not welcome this year he lit into Brian Cashman and said Cash had no balls.

 

One of the things that occurred to me was, can you imagine if something similar happened with the Red Sox? Say for example Pedro Martinez went a little funny in the head and started calling Dave Dombrowski a big pussy? That would get quite a bit of attention in the Boston media, I think. But the Gossage-Cashman thing went away quickly. The New York baseball media is actually pretty low-key compared to ours.

[Bellhorn04]

I watched the MLB Network documentary on the amazing 1941 season that started out with DiMaggio's 56 game hitting streak and ended with Williams hitting .406 by going 6 for 8 on the final day of the season. There were a lot of good clips and interviews with Ted. I must say this documentary gave me a little different perspective on Williams, who I had formed an image of as being this kind of grumpy, unhappy guy whose relationship with the Boston fans ended up as a sour one. They showed the famous clip of him homering on the last at-bat of his career at Fenway and refusing to acknowledge the fans who wanted him to come out of the dugout and wave to them.

 

But the clips of the young Williams from 1941 showed him with a lot of big smiles, looking like a kid having the time of his life. There's another famous clip of him hitting a walk-off home run in the 1941 All Star Game and practically skipping around the bases with joy. The All Star Game was a big deal then.

 

There's a nice little story from Bob Costas. Costas said he was talking to the older Williams and said something like this: 'You know that character that John Wayne played in all his movies? That character was you. But you played that guy in real life!'

 

Costas says Williams looked at him and said in his typical gruff way (but with maybe a little twinkle in his eye), 'Yeah...I know.'

[Youk Of The Nation]

One little story that came and went that I thought was kind of amusing was about Goose Gossage being banned from the Yankees training camp this year after being there the last couple of years. He was banned because of numerous comments basically disparaging some of the trends in modern baseball like the one-inning reliever and the reliance on newfangled metrics etc. Goose is unapologetically old school, let's put it that way.

 

When old Goose learned that he was not welcome this year he lit into Brian Cashman and said Cash had no balls.

 

One of the things that occurred to me was, can you imagine if something similar happened with the Red Sox? Say for example Pedro Martinez went a little funny in the head and started calling Dave Dombrowski a big pussy? That would get quite a bit of attention in the Boston media, I think. But the Gossage-Cashman thing went away quickly. The New York baseball media is actually pretty low-key compared to ours.

 

I think it might have more to do with the fact that NYC fans and media kind of expect people to act like unmitigated *******s. "Acting like an unapologetic douchebag for even the smallest reason" is the official sport of New York City (and I think it might actually be on the seal of the state of New Jersey).

[jacksonianmarch]

Goose also isn't Pedro. Goose has always had a dinkish side to him and it bit him in the ass while playing with NYY and now it will bite him in his retirement. He fails to understand that analytics by nerds with glasses actually helps select the players best suited to succeed at the major league level. If he wants to be a dinosaur, fine. If he wants to bash the analytics guy who happens to run the club, it will get him banned

[Spudboy]

So Rich Eisen is saying that MLB is considering a change in how baseball will be played in the 9th inning.

 

The idea is to allow the manager of the team that is losing in the 9th to send Batters up in any order that he chooses. In this way the best players will decide the game.

 

So they say.

 

What do you folks think of this idea?

[Youk Of The Nation]

No. No no no no no no no no no no no. Non, nyet, nein, nej, nei, nao, and ghobe', no no no no no. That's the worst idea I've heard since last year when they suggested starting extra innings with a free baserunner. I'm all for progress in certain areas of the game. Getting calls correct with replay is fine by me. Limiting mound visits is fine by me, because it does not fundamentally alter what the game is about. Abandoning the lineup structure most emphatically does.

[Kimmi]

So Rich Eisen is saying that MLB is considering a change in how baseball will be played in the 9th inning.

 

The idea is to allow the manager of the team that is losing in the 9th to send Batters up in any order that he chooses. In this way the best players will decide the game.

 

So they say.

 

What do you folks think of this idea?

 

That is a terrible idea. IMO, it just goes so against the integrity and the beauty of the game, making a major change like that.

 

Please, no.

[Spudboy]

That is a terrible idea. IMO, it just goes so against the integrity and the beauty of the game, making a major change like that.

 

Please, no.

 

I agree.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Let's just let the same guy bat repeatedly, subbing with pinch-runners. Imagine a ninth-inning game with David Ortiz batting six times in a row, how cool would that have been? Or maybe we could just start every inning after the sixth with the bases loaded.

[mvp 78]

But what if the Sox could use the cryogenically frozen head of Teddy Ballgame attached to a robot body in the 9th inning? That’s sounds reasonable to me.

[notin]

So Rich Eisen is saying that MLB is considering a change in how baseball will be played in the 9th inning.

 

The idea is to allow the manager of the team that is losing in the 9th to send Batters up in any order that he chooses. In this way the best players will decide the game.

 

So they say.

 

What do you folks think of this idea?

 

And maybe the 3 worst hitters can be used to load the bases for them too.

 

Also a baseball should no longer be used and the pitcher must underhand a volleyball...

[Jasonbay44]

So because a team is losing they get a random advantage for no reason in the 9th?

[Bellhorn04]

Here's a pretty good piece by Vaccaro on these new ideas for speeding up baseball:

 

https://nypost.com/2018/02/22/why-are-we-dreaming-up-insane-baseball-rules-in-the-first-place/

 

Here's his comment on this latest one:

 

But the new apex (or maybe low-pex) was reached thanks to an anonymous baseball executive who texted radio host Rich Eisen the other day, suggesting a new rule that a team trailing in the ninth inning could bypass its batting order and simply send up whomever it wishes. The idea quickly went viral and rapidly caused instant widespread outrage, a trial balloon that quickly turned into the Hindenburg.

[mvp 78]

Here's a pretty good piece by Vaccaro on these new ideas for speeding up baseball:

 

https://nypost.com/2018/02/22/why-are-we-dreaming-up-insane-baseball-rules-in-the-first-place/

 

Here's his comment on this latest one:

 

But the new apex (or maybe low-pex) was reached thanks to an anonymous baseball executive who texted radio host Rich Eisen the other day, suggesting a new rule that a team trailing in the ninth inning could bypass its batting order and simply send up whomever it wishes. The idea quickly went viral and rapidly caused instant widespread outrage, a trial balloon that quickly turned into the Hindenburg.

 

I bet it was Jeter.

[Youk Of The Nation]

a trial balloon that quickly turned into the Hindenburg.

 

I have to admire the craftsmanship of this sentence.

[Bellhorn04]

I have to admire the craftsmanship of this sentence.

 

Yes, that was a good one.

[Jack Flap]

If you think things are awkward with Steven Wright, consider that Miguel Sano is playing for the Twins right now...

[Bellhorn04]

I actually got a laugh out of Shaughnessy's latest column. It's about baseball in the age of the millenials. He mentions that the Red Sox employ

 

no fewer than four club mental skills coordinators and Dr. Richard Ginsburg, who is the PhD director of the club’s behavioral health program.

 

I asked Hall of Famer Jim Palmer if the Orioles provided him with a mental skills coach back in the 1970s.

 

“If we had one of those, the guy would have spent more time with Earl Weaver than he would have spent with us,’’ said Palmer.

 

“Motivational speeches? Here’s one. Earl would run out to the mound in the middle of an inning and say, ‘Hey, are you f***ing* trying?’ ’’

 

*It says [expletive] here in the actual article, of course.

[mvp 78]

I actually got a laugh out of Shaughnessy's latest column. It's about baseball in the age of the millenials. He mentions that the Red Sox employ

 

no fewer than four club mental skills coordinators and Dr. Richard Ginsburg, who is the PhD director of the club’s behavioral health program.

 

I asked Hall of Famer Jim Palmer if the Orioles provided him with a mental skills coach back in the 1970s.

 

“If we had one of those, the guy would have spent more time with Earl Weaver than he would have spent with us,’’ said Palmer.

 

“Motivational speeches? Here’s one. Earl would run out to the mound in the middle of an inning and say, ‘Hey, are you f***ing* trying?’ ’’

 

*It says [expletive] here in the actual article, of course.

 

Damn millenials: https://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=1014385&position=P

[cp176]

Jerry Moses has recently passed away. RIP Jerry - I remember him very well back in the day.

[Spudboy]

Jerry Moses has recently passed away. RIP Jerry - I remember him very well back in the day.

 

Wow.

 

A real catcher.

[Youk Of The Nation]

With Carlos Beltran retiring after last season, Adrian Beltre and Bartolo Colon are the last remaining active players who debuted in the 1990s. How's that for making you feel old? Makes me feel positively ancient.

[Station 13]

Broken bat HR by Harper. haha

[Bellhorn04]

Not even domes are safe in this kind of epically s***** weather. The Jays had to postpone tonight's game because ice was falling from the roof in the Rogers Centre.

[Spudboy]

Not even domes are safe in this kind of epically s***** weather. The Jays had to postpone tonight's game because ice was falling from the roof in the Rogers Centre.

 

Things will get gradually worse as far as weather interfering with schedules, etc.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Bautista signs a minor league contract with the Braves. How the mighty have fallen.

[Northern Star]

Tony Clark is an imbecile. Thinks the players shouldn't take a pay cut for a shorter season. Fool doesn't understand basic economics.

[Bellhorn04]

No-hitters are one of the most overrated events in sports - with one qualifier. Multiple no-hit games are impressive. Nolan Ryan had 7 of them, Koufax had 4. That's impressive.

 

But one-off no-hitters don't mean much.

 

Philip Humber pitched one of the 23 perfect games in MLB history back in 2012, in his second start of the season. Nice. Unfortunately in his next start he gave up 9 runs in 5 innings. He went on to finish the season with a 6.44 ERA. In 2013 he went 0-8 with a 7.90 ERA and that was it for him.

 

The history of no-hitters by Red Sox pitchers says a lot:

 

Clemens never had one.

Pedro never had one.

But Hideo Nomo had one.

In 1992 Matt Young almost had one, throwing an 8-inning complete game giving up no hits, but 7 walks and a run and losing 1-0.

 

(As hardcore Sox fans know, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester each had one, and Varitek caught them all, plus the one by Nomo.)

 

I'm just having fun with this, OK...

[Bellhorn04]

One of the all-time classic no-hitters was the one tossed by Edwin Jackson for Arizona in 2010.

 

Jackson gave up 8 walks in the game and had to throw 149 pitches. There was plenty of talk that maybe they shouldn't have let him throw so many pitches in spite of having a no-hitter going.

 

Concerns about the number of pitches proved to be justified. In his next 5 starts, Jackson went 1-4 with a 7.24 ERA.

 

Then Arizona traded him to the White Sox at the July 31 deadline.