2014 MLB Thread & Pissing Match

[ChicosBailBonds]

I like the Cubs and Trout should have been MVP. The Triple Crown is some arbitrary thing that a writer made up 100 years ago.  What if he decided the Triple Crown should be HR, BA and SB?  RBIs are totally dependent on who bats in front of you.  Trout led off for most of that season as I remember. 

Yup.  Thanks for quoting Brand, he's on ignore for me but your response was correct.  I guess the other guys that voted for Trout were "homers".  He's the all around best player in baseball, which also makes him the most VALUABLE player in baseball.  Run, hit, throw, play defense.  That = value whether he is in the batter's box, playing center field, running the bases. 

They should rename the award.

[Lennys Tap]

Yup.  Thanks for quoting Brand, he's on ignore for me but your response was correct.  I guess the other guys that voted for Trout were "homers".  He's the all around best player in baseball, which also makes him the most VALUABLE player in baseball.  Run, hit, throw, play defense.  That = value whether he is in the batter's box, playing center field, running the bases. 

They should rename the award.

So, we should keep the nickname defined as a racial slur and change MVP award to the Greg Luzinski award because your guy didn't get it.

[buckchuckler]

Yup.  Thanks for quoting Brand, he's on ignore for me but your response was correct.  I guess the other guys that voted for Trout were "homers".  He's the all around best player in baseball, which also makes him the most VALUABLE player in baseball.  Run, hit, throw, play defense.  That = value whether he is in the batter's box, playing center field, running the bases. 

They should rename the award.

Good grief man let it go.  Trout is an astounding player.  So is Cabrera.  Cabrera won.  You're more bent outta shape here than I was when frank lost to roid monster Giambi.   

[brandx]

Yup.  Thanks for quoting Brand, he's on ignore for me but your response was correct.  I guess the other guys that voted for Trout were "homers".  He's the all around best player in baseball, which also makes him the most VALUABLE player in baseball.  Run, hit, throw, play defense.  That = value whether he is in the batter's box, playing center field, running the bases. 

They should rename the award.

Sorry, but "best" is not "most valuable".

Trout is obviously the "best" player on the Angels this year, but if the 2nd half is like the 1st half, Garrett Richards will be the most valuable player on the team. Without him, the Angels are just another team struggling to make it as a wild card.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Glad to see Aybar get in today. 

[buckchuckler]

Agreed.  It wasn't retaliation... that was just a convenient cover for the fact that Gibson just plain doesn't like Braun.

Benches cleared over some unintentional stuff yesterday in the cubs reds game.  Just so everyone can make note of it. 

[4everwarriors]

Looks like the Brew Crew has shot their load, hey?

[🏀]

Benches cleared over some unintentional stuff yesterday in the cubs reds game.  Just so everyone can make note of it. 

Unintentional?

[Benny B]

Sure, it sucks the Brewers pissed away a 6.5 game lead in just under two weeks, but it could very well turn into a war of attrition very soon (if it hasn't already), and so far, the Brewers have avoided having to put a key player (or two) on the DL for an extended period of time, something the Reds and Cards don't have the benefit of claiming.

Depending on who does what at the trade deadline, the bottom line is that there are nearly 30 games remaining to be played within a mini-division of the Brewers, Cards, and Reds (most of those being in September), and that's where the division will be won.  With Molina on the shelf until mid-September (at least), Phillips out until late-August, Votto going back on the DL, and Wacha not being evaluated until next week, the Brewers are in a decent place to at least hold serve, if not regain a little bit of a cushion, before September callups.

[wadesworld]

Cards fans still crying about the Lucroy All Star Game commercials?  The guy is as quiet/underhyped of a stud as you will find in professional sports.

The Brewers are doing everything they can to win themselves home field advantage for the World Series in spite of their manager.  Starting the best defensive center fielder in baseball in left?  Hitting a guy who is batting .340 in the 8 hole?  Grow a pair and play the guys where they deserve to be played rather than being all butthurt about some tongue in cheek commercials Matheny.  Not to mention playing favorites and starting Wainwright over Kershaw.

Gotta love that all 5 AL runs have come against STL pitchers and Brewers players have gone 3-6 and have played a part in every run the NL has scored so far.  But the Brewers are so damn unprofessional!

[chapman]

Brewers: 4-7, 1 Run, 2 RBIs. 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER

Keepers of Baseball Etiquette: 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER

[ChicosBailBonds]

So, we should keep the nickname defined as a racial slur and change MVP award to the Greg Luzinski award because your guy didn't get it.

We should keep Redskins because over 70% of Native Americans don't have an issue with it, and it is a private business in which a private business can do whatever the hell it wants.

MVP, well "valuable" is not defined for the BBWAA, so it's always going to be ambiguous.  It is what it is.  I made my argument, others will make theirs.  I would love to have seen Mike Trout against that AL Central pitching staffs two years ago and with Prince Fielder hitting behind him and in a stadium that doesn't kill baseballs like California stadiums do.  However, that isn't going to happen so I'm just going to keep going to games and enjoy this 22 year old kid, he's pretty valuable.

[brandx]

Ah.... the LaRussa legacy.

[brandx]

We should keep Redskins because over 70% of Native Americans don't have an issue with it, and it is a private business in which a private business can do whatever the hell it wants.

What could possibly be wrong with a derogatory name for a people against whom we committed genocide so we could steal their land?

The ultimate sin is that Snyder and the NFL think the name belongs to them - as long as the suffering of the "Redskins" can be used for profit. Americans who support these types of epitaphs should be embarrasses and ashamed.

[buckchuckler]

What could possibly be wrong with a derogatory name for a people against whom we committed genocide so we could steal their land?

The ultimate sin is that Snyder and the NFL think the name belongs to them - as long as the suffering of the "Redskins" can be used for profit. Americans who support these types of epitaphs should be embarrasses and ashamed.

Great, I'm glad the baseball thread is going to turn into the same thread we have already had a million times with this crap. 

[CTWarrior]

Back to baseball, after watching Clayton Kershaw pitch for an inning last night  I don't know how anyone ever gets a hit off that guy.  Quirky mechanics and filthy stuff.

[tower912]

 I would love to have seen Mike Trout against that AL Central pitching staffs two years ago and with Prince Fielder hitting behind him and in a stadium that doesn't kill baseballs like California stadiums do.

Comerica Park is a pitcher's park.   

[CTWarrior]

Comerica Park is a pitcher's park.   

From FanGraphs Ballpark Factors, Angels and Tigers ballpark factors are the same in both 2012 and 2013

Angels Ballpark Factor - 95 (decreases offense by 5%)
Tigers Ballpark Factor - 103 (increases offense by 3%)

They base this data, if I understand correctly and in the broadest terms, by comparing runs scored and allowed in home and road games.

Comerica is slightly a pitchers park with respect to HRs (99 both seasons) which may be why you think it is a pitchers park.

[tower912]

Correct.   When I say 'pitcher's park', I am referring to home runs.   

[wadesworld]

Hahaha Cards fans blaming Lucroy for Wainwright sucking. Absolutely hilarious. Hey Cards fans, blame your own manager for playing favorites and starting Wainwright over the guy who really deserved to start (Kershaw). And while you're at it, thank Lucroy for getting Wainwright off the hook for the loss. Too had your own other pitcher had to take the loss. That must've been Lucroy's fault too, from the bench. Awesome.

[swoopem]

Comerica Park is a pitcher's park.   

Absolutely. Remember when it first opened it was even bigger and they had to push the fences in.

[GGGG]

Hahaha Cards fans blaming Lucroy for Wainwright sucking. Absolutely hilarious. Hey Cards fans, blame your own manager for playing favorites and starting Wainwright over the guy who really deserved to start (Kershaw). And while you're at it, thank Lucroy for getting Wainwright off the hook for the loss. Too had your own other pitcher had to take the loss. That must've been Lucroy's fault too, from the bench. Awesome.

Here's the thing.  Individually, Cardinals' fans are some of the nicest people I have met.  I have been to Cardinals games in at least three ballparks, and I can't say I have had a bad experience with a single one of them.

But collectively they can be so annoying.

I'm wondering if that's how the Packer fan base is viewed?

[Benny B]

Hahaha Cards fans blaming Lucroy for Wainwright sucking. Absolutely hilarious. Hey Cards fans, blame your own manager for playing favorites and starting Wainwright over the guy who really deserved to start (Kershaw). And while you're at it, thank Lucroy for getting Wainwright off the hook for the loss. Too had your own other pitcher had to take the loss. That must've been Lucroy's fault too, from the bench. Awesome.

Actually, Wainwright is the one who admitted to throwing Jeter a meatball, and Lucroy knew nothing about it... he actually wanted the pitch down and away.  Regardless of whether or not Wainwright was joking, that's not something Wainwright says if his battery-mate was in the wrong.


Wainwright:
“I was going to give him a couple pipe shots. He deserved it,” Wainwright said. “I didn’t know he was going to hit a double or I would have changed my mind. I thought he was going to hit something hard to the right side for a single or an out. But I probably should have pitched him a little better.”


But I agree, Cardinals fans... keep blaming Lucroy for that one.

[🏀]

Hahaha Cards fans blaming Lucroy for Wainwright sucking. Absolutely hilarious. Hey Cards fans, blame your own manager for playing favorites and starting Wainwright over the guy who really deserved to start (Kershaw). And while you're at it, thank Lucroy for getting Wainwright off the hook for the loss. Too had your own other pitcher had to take the loss. That must've been Lucroy's fault too, from the bench. Awesome.

Seriously, who cares?

[wadesworld]

Seriously, who cares?

Well, I wouldn't care if the Cardinals made a clearly tongue-in-cheek commercial to get their fans to vote for their players by mocking the Brewers, yet their fans found issue with it.  Now if it ended there it would be fine, they took offense to something that was clearly a joke, it happens.  But instead they continue to keep going, blaming their player's performance on a Brewer.    is all I see/hear.  Especially when that Brewers player had the best game of any NL player, and the Brewers as a whole showed better than any time.  Honestly, it's not like it really matters, it's an All Star game and it's for fun.  But that's the point.  It's for fun.  Cards fans need to relax and quit being so butthurt over something so stupid.  Heck, even their manager took it so seriously he slighted Lucroy and Gomez by batting them 8th and 9th and playing Gomez in LF despite being the best defensive CF in the game.

Here's the thing.  Individually, Cardinals' fans are some of the nicest people I have met.  I have been to Cardinals games in at least three ballparks, and I can't say I have had a bad experience with a single one of them.

But collectively they can be so annoying.

I'm wondering if that's how the Packer fan base is viewed?

You're probably right.  I haven't really been around Cardinals fans at all as a whole to be honest.  The only time I can remember was one game at Miller Park against them and we had a middle aged man with his family sitting by us, and his family quietly sat there as he yelled "Get outta here, get outta here ball!" at pop flies that fell about 100 yards short of the warning track every time the Cardinals were up.  But there are those fans everywhere.

I just think it's absolutely hilarious that not only does their team act like they are the definition of what is "acceptable" in baseball, and if they don't agree in even the slightest bit with another team then you sure as heck are going to hear about it.  And now their fans have taken that on as their own identity as well.