MLB Off-Topic

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

^Yawn.

edit: should have done it in the 50s...if at all.

Why the '50s? They never played a regular season game in Mexico or Japan back then either.

[Knight165]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

He must mean the '40's since so many of our boys were already across the Pond.

M.K.
Knight165

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Some more of those ESPN series I posted about last week.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14602417/reimagining-baseball-improve-defense-making-team-take-infield-every-game

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14602800/reimagining-baseball-implement-dugout-dugout-netting-fan-safety

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14618257/reimagining-baseball-keep-replay-going-too-far

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14603397/reimagining-baseball-ban-save

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14...res-home-plate

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14...ent-dh-leagues

First off, thanks for posting these articles. Makes for great reading while waiting for ST to start.

I really want an automated strike zone.
It's the easiest and simplest way to increase scoring as well as keep a consistent strike zone.
How many times have we seen a lefty take a strike on a pitch that was 6" off the plate?

I don't think this hurts the 'integrity' of the game. Not when we already have replay challenges and other technological advances that have helped propel the sport forward.

Besides, it's already been done, and was seen as a success as far as accuracy was concerned.

Like the DH in the NL, it's only a matter of time before this makes its way into MLB ballparks.
Might as well get on board now.

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

MLBN airing a special on the Expos tomorrow.

SPTO, I expected to see a like here.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

SPTO, I expected to see a like here.

Done

I saw the advertising for it for the last week. You bet your butt i'll be watching it.

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

MLBN airing a special on the Expos tomorrow.

Thanks alot mlbn, now i really want the expos back!

Come on tampa, relocate. Montreal in AL east would be big for attendance. In Tampa,didn't seem like attendance changed much if they played al east team,or al central. Montreal, attendance would be huge in Montreal vs sox,yankees,jays.

Not to mention Jays attendance will be big for games in Toronto vs them(easily double what it is vs Rays). And Boston attendance is already huge,but for Expos games, fans definitely will make the trip down(only a 5hr drive), so could be some nice battling fanbases in crowd.

Rest of AL,dont see attendance changing much in their respective stadiums if they're in Tampa,Montreal,Charlotte or wherever. The increase for Jays home attendance vs Expos, along with Montreal's increase on not just divisional home games,but AL in general(maybe a temp interleague boost due to old fans remember Expos NL east days), could bring overall attendance increase in the 1.5-2M range compared to Tampa now.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

re: robot umpires

If they can program the robots to argue and get in the managers' faces and if the robots look something like Johnny 5 from Short Circuit, count me in!

Otherwise, no.


<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/POxMp61Ksbk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Thanks alot mlbn, now i really want the expos back!

Come on tampa, relocate. Montreal in AL east would be big for attendance. In Tampa,didn't seem like attendance changed much if they played al east team,or al central. Montreal, attendance would be huge in Montreal vs sox,yankees,jays.

Not to mention Jays attendance will be big for games in Toronto vs them(easily double what it is vs Rays). And Boston attendance is already huge,but for Expos games, fans definitely will make the trip down(only a 5hr drive), so could be some nice battling fanbases in crowd.

Rest of AL,dont see attendance changing much in their respective stadiums if they're in Tampa,Montreal,Charlotte or wherever. The increase for Jays home attendance vs Expos, along with Montreal's increase on not just divisional home games,but AL in general(maybe a temp interleague boost due to old fans remember Expos NL east days), could bring overall attendance increase in the 1.5-2M range compared to Tampa now.

Sportsnet ran a special on the '94 Expos last off-season called The Perfect Storm:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4818458/

Was this the same program shown on MLBN?
If not, I'd love to know the title of it so I can try to find it someplace.

I really hope MLB returns there. Great market and I believe it's viable even with a weak Loonie right now.

They just need a new park. They build a state-of-the-art rink hoping to get an NHL team.
Maybe they can do the same to attract an MLB club? Let's hope so!

[Majingir]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Sportsnet ran a special on the '94 Expos last off-season called The Perfect Storm:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4818458/

Was this the same program shown on MLBN?
If not, I'd love to know the title of it so I can try to find it someplace.

I really hope MLB returns there. Great market and I believe it's viable even with a weak Loonie right now.

They just need a new park. They build a state-of-the-art rink hoping to get an NHL team.
Maybe they can do the same to attract an MLB club? Let's hope so!

The one you're talking about:

http://youtu.be/74C1ERWPd_c

And the new hockey arena built is in Quebec City, not Montreal.

Montreal definitely needs a new stadium, but from what the commish said, sounds like its possible for them to get a team, without even building a new stadium. They need to have proposal in place for a new stadium to be considered for a team. So if they get one,they could still play at Olympic stadium for a few years while the new stadium is being built,then move there afterwards. If they don't, then they wouldn't have wasted all that money on a new place like nba and nhl want cities to do. So it could be like the nfl in la situation with the stadium.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Sportsnet ran a special on the '94 Expos last off-season called The Perfect Storm:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4818458/

Was this the same program shown on MLBN?
If not, I'd love to know the title of it so I can try to find it someplace.

The Colorful Expos with William Shatner narrating.


It was a pretty good show. I'll admit I got a bit misty eyed near the end. They kept going to segments where Cromartie, Floyd, Raines, Dawson were siting together at some fancy place having a helluva conversation. It made me feel like hearing those guys talking about their experiences would make a great Table for 3 type show. Anyways, it was quite well done and you really get the sense that the Expos as a franchise was a quirky, fun team to be involved with. Michael Farber made a great point that if the '94 season wasn't cut short and the Expos had gone on to win the WS that it would've saved the franchise because through the dark times the fans would have something positive and special to hang onto.

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

The Colorful Expos with William Shatner narrating.


It was a pretty good show. I'll admit I got a bit misty eyed near the end. They kept going to segments where Cromartie, Floyd, Raines, Dawson were siting together at some fancy place having a helluva conversation. It made me feel like hearing those guys talking about their experiences would make a great Table for 3 type show. Anyways, it was quite well done and you really get the sense that the Expos as a franchise was a quirky, fun team to be involved with. Michael Farber made a great point that if the '94 season wasn't cut short and the Expos had gone on to win the WS that it would've saved the franchise because through the dark times the fans would have something positive and special to hang onto.

Thanks! I'll have to try and find that online somehwere.

I read the book Up, Up, and Away: The Kid, the Hawk, Rock, Vladi, Pedro, le Grand Orange, Youppi!, the Crazy Business of Baseball, and the Ill-fated but Unforgettable Montreal Expos by Jonah Keri.

http://www.amazon.com/Up-Away-Busine.../dp/0307361365

It was a tremendous book and sparked a lot of memory's from when I was a kid.
I found it astonishing that the Jays were one of the teams pushing for the contraction of the 'Spos despite the fact that Montreal had gone out of it's way to help promote a team in Toronto.

I'd love to see that rivalry restored. Especially if they found themselves in the same division.

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

That Jonah Keri guy was in the movie a lot commenting on the Expos.

It's easy to forget how loaded that 94 Expos team was.

Pedro
Larry Walker
Cliff Floyd
Rondell White
Moises Alou
Marquis Grissom
Ken Hill
John Wetteland
Jeff Shaw

...insane talent.

[fugazi]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I miss them. Even as a Cubs fan, I loved them. As a kid, the clownish uniform was as awesome as it was garish...when they switched to the pinstripes and script, it was still nice.

I miss the Houston Oilers, too...

I'm also glad I never became a serious hockey fan...even from the outside, it's tough to think about the Nordiques, NorthStarts, and others.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

That Jonah Keri guy was in the movie a lot commenting on the Expos.

I had to chuckle a bit at Keri saying that the Big 3 from those '90s Yankees teams might not be legends today if they kept the nucleus of that Expos team because they'd be kicking their *** every October. I think that was a bit of over exuberant fanboyism but I could definitely see a run where those two teams would face off multiple times in that decade. It would've made for an interesting rivalry for sure.

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I had to chuckle a bit at Keri saying that the Big 3 from those '90s Yankees teams might not be legends today if they kept the nucleus of that Expos team because they'd be kicking their *** every October. I think that was a bit of over exuberant fanboyism but I could definitely see a run where those two teams would face off multiple times in that decade. It would've made for an interesting rivalry for sure.

In that book, Keri is an unapologetic homer.
To say he was a diehard fan would be an understatement. As a young kid, he'd spend his allowance on Expos tickets.
He and his buddies even cried after hard losses or when players were traded off.

One of the funnier stories was after Rick Monday knocked the Expos out of the playoffs in '81, he went to a Montreal restaurant during the 1982 season.
A waitress told him they didn't want any fights and asked him to leave.
Monday replied "I'm not going to start any fights?!", at which point the waitress pointed to a table of very angry looking patrons and said "You might not, but those guys will if you don't leave".

I don't think a lot of people realize what a huge baseball town Montreal is.
I think MLB would do extremely well. Especially if they had a new park to play in.