MLB Off-Topic

[slickdtc]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

There is now only one former Expo left in MLB (Bartolo Colon) as Maicer Izturis announced his retirement today.

Hah, retiring almost 3 years after your last meaningful games in the MLB. Taking one for the team. Hadn't heard his name in what seemed like forever.

It's Bartolo's torch to carry from here. What an interesting guy. Baseball sure produces some funny players. I think Julio Franco was playing some level of professional baseball up until this past season.

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Nice article by Jeremy Guthrie about creating a World Cup of Baseball in the middle of the season:

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/jeremy-guthrie-commissioner-for-a-day/

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Too bad American Idol is finished because my favorite interview in baseball has the singing voice of an angel.

https://t.co/KpJcuyuUu2

This is one of the better things I've seen. I really hope he makes the 25 man roster.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I enjoy the World Baseball Classic already. I'd work on establishing that and improving that further before adding a mid-season tournament.

[slickdtc]

MLB Off-Topic

Guthrie's idea is the same thing, just in the middle of the season to increase players attendance. Guys aren't ready to play at full bore in March. In July, everyone is in full baseball mode.

I know it would be hard to stop the MLB season for an extra 5 days as proposed (it would probably be more like 7 days with logistics and stuff), because that's never happened for an event like the one Guthrie proposes. But I think he's on the mark and it's a matter of breaking down that wall and doing it, and you'll see the response immediately.

Don't do fan voting though. That doesn't work. Too many internet clowns to rig the vote.

Baseball is ripe for a world tourney like that. There's a few countries who can field really good teams, though I like keeping it at 8 team field to keep it condensed and have it be top flight teams. So every country has a pretty equal shot. And USA not being the favorite perhaps may be a good thing; we love an underdog story line with US Soccer of late.

If ever a baseball commish would sign off on this, Manfred seems to be the one. I'm on board. Real, true international tournaments are amazing viewing. Ice hockey Olympics and soccer World Cups are amazingly captivating.

Not to mention the sports landscape in July is bare. It's baseball, and maybe some NFL training camp stuff. Hockey free agency that no one cares about anyway. TV schedules are free and kids are out of school or on vacation. Seems like a great opportunity, just have to convince the players that an extra week of baseball won't kill them every 4 years.

[Money99]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Guthrie's idea is the same thing, just in the middle of the season to increase players attendance. Guys aren't ready to play at full bore in March. In July, everyone is in full baseball mode.

I know it would be hard to stop the MLB season for an extra 5 days as proposed (it would probably be more like 7 days with logistics and stuff), because that's never happened for an event like the one Guthrie proposes. But I think he's on the mark and it's a matter of breaking down that wall and doing it, and you'll see the response immediately.

Don't do fan voting though. That doesn't work. Too many internet clowns to rig the vote.

Baseball is ripe for a world tourney like that. There's a few countries who can field really good teams, though I like keeping it at 8 team field to keep it condensed and have it be top flight teams. So every country has a pretty equal shot. And USA not being the favorite perhaps may be a good thing; we love an underdog story line with US Soccer of late.

If ever a baseball commish would sign off on this, Manfred seems to be the one. I'm on board. Real, true international tournaments are amazing viewing. Ice hockey Olympics and soccer World Cups are amazingly captivating.

Not to mention the sports landscape in July is bare. It's baseball, and maybe some NFL training camp stuff. Hockey free agency that no one cares about anyway. TV schedules are free and kids are out of school or on vacation. Seems like a great opportunity, just have to convince the players that an extra week of baseball won't kill them every 4 years.

Agreed. And perhaps this is where the league can take a serious look at reducing the games from 162 to 154.
So once every 4 years, they essentially go back to a 162-game season.

I want to believe a mid-season World Cup of Baseball would be wildly successful across the globe.
And as selfish as this sounds, I think it has to be on North American soil every time too.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Want to share this article:

Parity Is the Reward for Having Incentives to Lose

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Michael Saunders had a helluva day with 2 big bombs. If the current management are still in a hurry to trade him than the last couple ST games are really helping them in getting rid of him for something tangible.

[19]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Jenrry Mejia busting out his tin foil hat.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/jenrry-mejia-says-lifetime-ban-was-a-result-of-mlb-conspiracy-212356880.html

Alrighty then.

[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I hope this hasn't been shared yet, but I just saw it posted on Facebook.

Brewers prospect Brett Phillips has the best laugh ever

http://www.barstoolsports.com/baseball/brewers-minor-leaguer-brett-phillips-has-one-of-the-most-ridiculous-laughs-of-all-time/

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I hope this hasn't been shared yet, but I just saw it posted on Facebook.

Brewers prospect Brett Phillips has the best laugh ever

http://www.barstoolsports.com/baseba...s-of-all-time/

What in sam hill? Guy sounds like a goose.

[Knight165]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

OMG...that's hysterical....

They gotta get that guy on one of the Late Night shows...

M.K.
Knight165

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Hmmm...Might have to take a look at Boston this season vis a vis John Farrell.

This from Jeff Blair's weekly column on Sportsnet:

Finally, another instalment of ‘only in Boston.’ Friday, Comcast Sports New England’s Red Sox reporter Jessica Moran told the Boston Globe that she had resigned from her position claiming that it was in her best “personal and professional interests,” and confirmed to the Globe that “questions about the nature of her relationship with the team’s manager, John Farrell” were at the centre of the matter.

Farrell is in the process of going through a divorce after a battle with cancer, and there have been suggestions that new general manager David Dombrowski would love a palatable way to fire Farrell. Since the Globe is owned by John Henry, who also owns the Red Sox, it has raised the spectre of a campaign similar to the one that preceded Terry Francona losing his job.

[redsox4evur]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Hmmm...Might have to take a look at Boston this season vis a vis John Farrell.

This from Jeff Blair's weekly column on Sportsnet:

This is just Henry looking for a reason to fire Farrell after the team gets off to a bad start again. Hell he should've been fired after last season but we all knew that was never going to happen. And also not the first time something like this has happened with Red Sox reporters. Look at Jenny Dell, is now married or engaged to former Red Sox 3rd baseman Will Middlebrooks. She was fired after the news came out that she was dating Will.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I bet the Boston Globe article thrashing Farrell is already on file.