Northern Star

Despite the intolerable number of HRs, attendance had declined four straight years before COVID, and MLB still has no clue how to market its best players or engage kids. Also, is anyone - parents, MLB - connecting kids to the game's past? Both to the legendary players and to the disgrace of the color barrier? Or do kids only care about the here and now?

Here's a question that also ties into the deadened ball - what is the optimum amount of offense for a baseball game, on average, and over 162 games? Because they've been tinkering with stuff like adding the DH, lowering the mound, now banning the shift, to boost it, while also juicing the ball. So, what's the optimum, how do you get to that point while keeping an honest contest between hitter and defense? I'm asking because I genuinely don't know. I do know the amount of HRs nowadays is ridiculous and skewing the contest. But who decides how much is enough and what to do about it?

The number of zeros on the latest megacontracts.

Not so hot with the tweets, though, apparently.

Not a baseball name, but it should be - Paul Semendinger. He's an educator/author.

Timing of this story is good, to remind us that there are still plenty of good people in the world.

Cordero's stats and age don't make me optimistic about his chances of being even equal to Beni at his best. But you never know. (Until he flames out...then you tend to know).

I remember Dave Littleyield doing that with the Pirates almost 20 years ago, and the results were predictably pathetic (in part because Littleyield was a terrible evaluator of talent). That is not an approach I want to see the GM of the Boston Red Sox doing. You rarely hit the jackpot with $1 scratchcards.

No offense to anyone, including him, but I can't get excited about someone named Franchy.

Thanks, Dave.

How about now? https://www.acufirestorm.com/roster/15/3/5167

To paraphrase from Major League, who gives a s***? He's gone.

Hammer Time.

Couldn't happen to a nicer franchise and fanbase.

Thought it was inevitable that Houston would come back. Enjoy watching the World Series on tv, dirtbags. Now the Braves have to win game 7.

Two sides of the same coin. Sox couldn't have done the amazing comeback without the Yankees choking.

I know we're just making conversation but I can't answer the question because I am not Trevor Bauer. He would have to be incredibly dumb to go year to year, though. One major injury or massive decline in performance, and he's f***ed. If he's talking year to year, it's only in the expectation that his value will keep going up, so he can keep pulling the lever and hitting bigger and bigger jackpots. He's not talking about letting the team protect their investment if his value nosedives... Much as I hate the stupid contracts being handed out, for the players, they're gold. Don't play well? No problem, you get paid the same! So why bother?? I'm generally against multi-year 100% guaranteed contracts, but if there's a sport that should have 100% guaranteed, it's football. Seems like those guys are risking their health way more than in the other three sports, and the physical beating they go through each week is brutal.

I know his job security seems fine, but surely when the franchise has been spending at these levels of payroll for the past 18 years, just two World Series appearances isn't going to cut it. Makes me wonder how many more years they could go without another appearance - this past decade being the first in history with none - before the pressure mounts.

I know the Rams have a long history in L.A. but that ten year stint in St Louis is enough to mean they're going to have to be in L.A. a few more years before I consider them a real L.A. team again. Obviously, the Chargers are NOT an L.A. team. No one in L.A. cares much about the Rams coming back, so they sure as s*** don't care about the Chargers. Angels are not an L.A. team. The owner blatantly disrespected the fans and the city of Anaheim when he changed the name to try to cash in more. I'd like to know how many people in L.A. jumped on board after the name change. I doubt it was many - L.A. will always be Dodgertown. Lakers are a team like the Utah Jazz, who should have changed their name when they relocated. Since "Clippers" referenced ships in San Diego bay, maybe they should have changed their name too. As with the Yankees, I estimate about 80% of the Lakers fans are frontrunning "casuals" who know next to nothing about the team or sport. Of course, the Lakers fan base shrunk considerably during their putrid stretch and this year has probably quadrupled. Does anyone in L.A. care about hockey? Genuine question. And really, the Kings are the only L.A. team out of the four major sports that has spent their entire existence in L.A.?

Especially ones with no replies.

Henry is right to get gunshy about these ridiculous, irresponsible contracts, but...he's in the wrong city to get gunshy about it.

Now, someone who knows the details of the abandoned plan for a new stadium can step in with the facts, but on a basic level, if Henry was worried about losing money (and he won't when he cashes out) shouldn't that have made getting a stadium deal done even more essential?

I may be wrong, but I thought blackout rules had nothing to do with attendance - certainly not for a market ten hours away by car. It's all about protecting the local cable channel's revenue. Well, guess what, dipshits? I don't have cable. My only choice is to watch on the computer. So if those local cable channels want to offer a subscription service for cordcutters, maybe we'll talk. (NOTE - this is based on the situation a few years ago, I don't know what the state of play is now with local cable channels and online. I know they were offering it for their existing subscribers in some cases).

lol thanks everyone - was definitely thinking of a different site.

Or did I dream it/am thinking of another site?