MLB 2018

[Hot Pepsi]

Look at Tampa and Miami (and to a lesser extent Arizona).

Reed is absolutely correct that the economics of NFL and MLB teams are very, very different.

Florida presents some unique challenges in terms of weather and the transient population, but neither the Marlins or Rays have had a combination of good ownership and an accessible appealing ballpark. If the Rays get the park in Tampa they want and the Marlins get good ownership, Florida may be the market that MLB hoped it would be.

At this point, the only available markets in the US are either on the smaller side - Portland, Charlotte, Nashville - or have teams nearby that would block a move/expansion - Northern New Jersey, Brooklyn, Etc.

Montreal has more upside than any of those, but it could be tough. It would probably have to be a retractable roof.

[Amor de Cosmos]

At this point, the only available markets in the US are either on the smaller side - Portland, Charlotte, Nashville - or have teams nearby that would block a move/expansion - Northern New Jersey, Brooklyn, Etc.

Montreal has more upside than any of those, but it could be tough. It would probably have to be a retractable roof.

So does Vancouver but we both know it won't happen. (We've done this before I reacall.)

[danielmak]

He gone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Aj-EQrSAUs

[Flynnie]

The way Manfred talks about Montreal, combined with a credible ownership group, years of excellent attendance at the Blue Jays spring training games in the Big O, and interest from the city and provincial government, makes it sound like a fait accompli that it's getting a team by expansion or relocation. Selig was always reticent, in a way that reminds me of how Gary Bettman always shits on prospective Canadian markets, to give Montreal much credit but Manfred has been much more free with praise.

In the same vein, Manfred's words indicate he doesn't think any other US market can handle a franchise as he's been increasingly talking about Mexico City or Monterrey as a prospective expansion candidate.

[ursus arctos]

This is indeed a weird thing about a weird team, and Roth (as always) describes it very well.

https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/status/1044239861203587073

https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/sta...39861203587073

[danielmak]

The Rockies are rolling right now. It helps that they are playing the Phillies, who are young and have packed it in once they fell out of the race. But next they follow with the Nats, who are vets and will probably not really show up since they are out of the race too. Meanwhile the Dodgers have to go to San Francisco, who will be looking to send the Dodgers to a wild card game.

In other news that most of y'all will probably read soon: CC cost himself $500,000USD by getting tossed in the fifth inning. He just needed to go seven innings to get that innings bonus. Boone should have told CC not to retaliate and Romine should have done the same.

[Gerontophile]

Won't he get it for two innings in the playoff wild card game? (Cos, we/they won't be going any further than that.)

*edit apparently not.

[ad hoc]

Not MLB but...

The City CATs in Brisbane (river buses) are all decked out in the colours and logos of the city's sports teams. Today I was passed by one which was obviously a baseball team called the Brisbane Bandits. Which raises a number of questions - is there a professional league, who plays in it (Aussies? Japanese?), is it a popular sport, etc etc

[Flynnie]

This is indeed a weird thing about a weird team, and Roth (as always) describes it very well.

https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/status/1044239861203587073

https://twitter.com/david_j_roth/sta...39861203587073

I don't think you're a Chapo head, but as Incan has said their Kavanaugh episode is excellent. Matt Christman is a pretty big baseball fan and had the very salient point of "Why the hell is Kavanaugh spending a quarter-mil on Nationals tickets? This guy grew up in Maryland in the 70s and 80s, why isn't he an Orioles fan?"

This critique is watered down a bit by my finding out Kavanaugh grew up in Bethesda, so I'm guessing Old Bay wasn't sprinkled on his head at his baptism, but I still think there's an element of truth in it. As bad as the Orioles have been for much of the last 20 years, 2017 was the only year in which the Nats made the playoffs and the Orioles didn't.

[Flynnie]

Not MLB but...

The City CATs in Brisbane (river buses) are all decked out in the colours and logos of the city's sports teams. Today I was passed by one which was obviously a baseball team called the Brisbane Bandits. Which raises a number of questions - is there a professional league, who plays in it (Aussies? Japanese?), is it a popular sport, etc etc

There is, the Australian Baseball League. It's mostly Australians with some US and North American prospects thrown in, it's a US winter league and some players like going there as it's an English speaking alternative to the Caribbean leagues. The quality of play isn't as good so it doesn't get the best prospects though.

My read on baseball's popularity in Oz is that it started as a winter alternative to cricket, Oz being the kind of place you can play baseball in year-round, and has a small but devoted following. A bit like the Netherlands proper (the Netherlands Antilles being actually quite mad for baseball). The Chappell brothers are famously nuts for baseball and I think Greg has hinted he actually prefers it to cricket.

One thing where Australia stands out in comparison to the Netherlands, however, is Oz has had much more success in producing MLB players. They've had a nice run of relief pitchers, which is interesting since the first two Aussies to make it in MLB, Craig Shipley and Dave Nilsson, were position players. Graeme Lloyd, Grant Balfour, Liam Hendriks, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Peter Moylan, it's an increasingly long list.

[ad hoc]

Thanks Flynnie. Might look out for a game next time I'm out here (if it's in the season)

[danielmak]

Cubs up 3-0 in the 5th.

Earlier in the game Hendricks (rightfully so after the Strop injury) jogged as slow as a major league player could job for first base. Wainright's toss was off the mark and had Hendricks even been remotely trying to run would have been safe. Again, I don't blame Hendricks, but it is a play that has tipped the scales for me: I am ready for the DH in both leagues. My thinking is basically this: in general I can't stand the big bopper DH who has no other value to a team, but now most teams just rotate a DH. The teams are smart and understand that players need some rest. Only 5-6 pitchers can actually hit well enough that they are fun to watch. And I don't want to see a pitcher jog to avoid injury. If a pitcher can hit then he will appear as a pinch hitter (a la Mad Bum the other night) or he can pitch and DH (a la Otahni).

So, my off-season rule changes: (1) DH in both leagues; (2) expand rosters to 27 or 28 but no September call ups to 40; (3) if two teams are tied at the end of the season and both teams are qualified for the playoffs but one of these two teams wins the division and the other is in the wild card, head to head decides the division winner and wild card entry; and (4) it's time to re-do the arbitration schedules with teams wanting younger players and starting to avoid signing guys in their 30s.

[ursus arctos]

You are out of your mind.

[danielmak]

In some cases, for sure. With these: no. I don't know if you are/were watching the game, UA, but that play was pitiful. (I assume the DH one is what has you disagreeing most with my commissioner rule changes). Again, I get it, in most cases Hendricks would have been out. But if any outfield player had been up, that player would have been running enough to have been safe. I'm not a fan of the automatic walk because I think there were enough situations in pressure games that an intentional walk was followed by something wild (wild pitch, hit batter, home run) because the pitcher was now off his game. But if we have an automatic walk then a pitcher who isn't going to even try to run on an infield hit then he should just take an automatic out. If he is going to be an automatic out then that's not baseball. I'd rather have the DH.

[ursus arctos]

The fact that Hendricks was running so slowly is what caused Wainwright to think about what he was doing, rather than reacting naturally. As a result, he threw high.

The same pitiful Hendricks just scored an important insurance run on a sacrifice fly after drawing a walk, advancing to second on a fielder's choice, and to third on a throwing errror.

No al Baseball Moderno

[ursus arctos]

BTW, MLB.TV is free for everyone for the last three days of the regular season.

I'm not sure this works in the UK, but it is worth a try.

[San Bernardhinault]

I am horrified to discover that we have someone in favour of DH on OTF.

[danielmak]

I am horrified to discover that we have someone in favour of DH on OTF.

Haha. I'd always been an NL guy. I only started following the Yankees when I moved to New York because that Mets team in the early 90s was loaded with first rate aholes and the Yankees were Steinbrenner-less and struggling admirably. But I was always down with the NL game...until now. I would add a twist on my thinking I noted above in that I would like DH in both leagues but with a caveat that the DH has to play X number of games in the field, so it is truly a rotated position. Don't need any Nelson Cruz types hogging the position because they can only hit.

EDIT: And one more change: umps no longer rotate among bases. The umps with the most accurate strike zones work the plate. The umps with the most accurate calls at first, second, and third stay at their respective bases.

[ursus arctos]

The Yankees just tied the 1997 Mariners record for the most home runs in a season.

[Hot Pepsi]

Two divisions tied on the last day. Exciting.

[Gerontophile]

Don't need any Nelson Cruz types hogging the position because they can only hit.

Edgar Martinez says hi.

[ursus arctos]

This has not begun well at all

[Hot Pepsi]

Who wins the central if it remains tied after today? What about the west?

[danielmak]

Who wins the central if it remains tied after today? What about the west?

BTW all games are free on the MLB app today. You just need to register for an account.

Currently Dodgers are pounding the Giants, Rockies and Brewers are both winning 2-0, and Cubs just scored 2 to tie it up.

If all 4 teams that need to win do so, Monday will feature two games to decide the division winners. Brewers-Cubs would be 1pm EST and Rockies-Dodgers would be 4pm EST. Both games on ESPN in the US. If only one game is needed tomorrow then that game will happen at 4pm EST. I expect that we will have two games tomorrow.

[danielmak]

Now the Cubs lead 3-2.