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Helped ya out there buddy.

I sure traveled all over the country and played 140 games while dealing with nagging injuries during my years as a 9-5 employee! Whew! That was hardcore!

At least mythbusters does factual research based on some sort of scientific method instead of spitballing and throwing out blanket statements on the internet like we're doing. As a guy who's wrecked obliques twice while swinging, I disagree. Then again, that's not the point: Playing baseball at the professional level is not easy. We can't prove (or convince each other) that it's easier or harder than any other sport mentally or physically. What's fact is that it's hard. Hitting is hard, getting ready is hard, the schedule is hard, dealing with fans/media is hard, and minimizing its difficulty is unfair at best, and pedantic at worst. If it's so easy, why didn't you or I go pro? We'd welcome Ortiz back with open hands, but if overuse injuries from this "Easy sport" are keeping him from coming back, that's his decision.

Not me, science. Look up the mythbusters episode on "the hardest skill to master", and look up the studies done on the effects of pitching (damage-wise) on the human body, particularly stuff by Chris O' Leary. They're the siths, since they made the conclusions, I'm just using them to prove a point.

Crawford would rather play in North Korea than here.

Again, that depends on a number of factors. Can you compare a kicker's 16 games to a full-time catcher's 130+? Is a starting pitcher's workload not comparable at least in terms of physical preparation/impact to that of an NBA/NHL player? The main problem is that baseball is unique in the fact that it's a six-month schedule of doing maximum effort type stuff on a nightly basis. It's not a direct comparison to any sport because of this, and features the single most damaging activity a human being can perform in sports (pitching) and the single hardest activity a human being can perform in sports (hitting).

It's not the easiest to master in terms of physical demands either. That depends on position, and there are sports besides the big four, and soccer. You made a blanket statement which (and was, no matter how much you move the goalposts) incorrect.

Also to note from E-Rod's start: The Blue Jays really stacked the deck with right-handed hitters, and it's an extremely difficult to navigate lineup (Bautista, Encarnacion, Donaldson, Martin) for lefties either way. That said, no K's and slightly lowered velocity are things to be concerned about.

Erik Johnsonn isn't the get for the Padres in the deal, he's just a warm body to throw some IP. He's also a guy who might benefit moving from US Cellular to Petco since his main problem besides control is a tendency to give up a lot of flyballs. The get is Tatis jr., who's raw but very toolsy and highly-regarded.

You don't get "labeled" a complainer. You are a complainer. You've admitted yourself that you mostly only come to this website to whine. This team needs pitching reinforcements, but goddamn let's wait until they're actually in trouble record-wise before turning the website into an unreadable litany of whining.

Estrada owns the Sox as hard as the Sox own Stroman.

Absolutely infuriating, mojo-destroying game.

Owens can't throw strikes, Johnsonn is getting treated for anxiety issues and Kopech is untouchable with his behavioral issues. Be realistic.

You are ignorant because you said baseball is the easiest and least physically demanding sport of all. 1) "Only a sith deals in absolutes" 2) That is absolutely false, and relative.

Baseball is not either the least physically demanding nor the easiest sport. Hitting is the hardest thing to do in any sport, for one. As a guy who nearly tore an oblique playing baseball and fast-pitch softball and had numerous other injuries, I just don't buy what you're selling. Sorry. That's what we're arguing anyway. In the end, everyone would welcome Ortiz back with open arms, but minimizing the difficulty and physical demands of the sport (even for a DH) definitely sounds like someone who never played.

Oh, also Dusty Baker (who by all accounts is a pretty nice guy but every time I see him with that toothpick I wanna suplex him back to the stone age), and Joe Maddon (who is eminently hateable and a massive tool, but I don't understand how I dislike so much.

Leon should be able to handle it.

Hasn't helped them enough, as their missed call ratio has barely moved in the past 10-15 years, and if they can use a system during games to decrease what is an average 14% missed call ratio (that includes, from personal research so I could be wrong, guys with custom strike zones like Angel Hernandez), then you jump on that, to improve the game. I'm sorry if you take it as an insult, but openly arguing against making the game more fair and respectful of the rules which constitute it without altering its essence (i.e keeping umpires and their responsibilities), is illogical and a result of personal preference. It's not an insult, it's just the way it is. I have an illogical and irrational hatred of the Yankees (the rivalry is pretty much dead, let's be honest), Jonathan Papelbon (even before he left the Sox), the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors (can't even explain that one), Denver Broncos and New York Jets. I'm a logical person, but that's an illogical aspect of my sports fandom. I embrace it and admit it, and it's not a big deal at all.

Maybe one wins, but also gets its three best players injured (I never wish injuries on players, but f*** the Yankees)

And a lot of maximum effort sprints/swings/throws.

You are concentrating on a point of the argument that only one or two people are making. I am not advocating for the replacement of human umpires. I am advocating for the league providing them with tools to improve their accuracy on what is otherwise an impossible job, and I have made that abundantly clear. Not helping umpires do their job correctly just because is indeed illogical.

Also fishing, billiards, curling, golf, and squash sure are tough!

I'm sorry but I have to ask. Did you actually play baseball at all? Because pitching and catching are two of the most physically demanding positions in any sport, the baseball season makes up for the lack of in-game activity with sheer number of games, and even worse, almost everything in baseball (especially hitting, besides pitching of course) is done in an explosive manner and is conductive to injury. It's not playing running back, but come on.

Out of the house, but must fulfill GT duties. Estrada vs Rodriguez. Rodriguez better not f*** this up! Win!

It has been failing. I am trying to mix it up.