2013 MLB Thread

[Lennys Tap]

My assumption is that they're going to make a run at Girardi and I don't blame them. If you can get a top 5 manager, you go for it. If not, they can bring in Dale Sveum 2.0 and be right where they are now.

Castro was a "see the ball, hit the ball" type of hitter for his first 3 seasons in the Majors. He hit .297 with a .336 OBP during that time. The Cubs wanted him to be more selective, take more walks and go the other way more often. As a result, they got him all out of sorts at the plate and his average, OBP and slugging all plummeted while his K's increased, walks decreased and his WAR dropped by over 4 points. If a team has a 23-year-old who's a proven .300 in big leagues, let him do his thing. I'm not pinning that all on Sveum but when something like that happens, there's going to be a fall guy.

Fall guy should be Epstein. I'm sure he's behind the effort to "convert" Castro into something he's never been and never will be. Don't want to draft, trade for or sign as free agents free swingers who don't fit your "model"? Fine. Don't even want those guys on your team? Again, fine. He could have traded Castro for a ton rather than trying to turn him into Wade Boggs. He's worth a lot less now, and that's on Theo.

[MerrittsMustache]

Fall guy should be Epstein. I'm sure he's behind the effort to "convert" Castro into something he's never been and never will be. Don't want to draft, trade for or sign as free agents free swingers who don't fit your "model"? Fine. Don't even want those guys on your team? Again, fine. He could have traded Castro for a ton rather than trying to turn him into Wade Boggs. He's worth a lot less now, and that's on Theo.

Be that as it may, Theo isn't going to fire himself, Ricketts sure as hell isn't going to fire him and Hoyer's not going anywhere. That makes Sveum the fall guy, especially when you consider that Epstein/Hoyer wanted Castro to be their type of player and Sveum (fairly or unfairly) couldn't turn him into that.

[SaintPaulWarrior]

I wouldn't count the Maddux brothers out of this race.

Or Ozzie.

[CTWarrior]

Go Tribe!

Got tougher for the tribe after last night.  I liked their chances much better against Texas than Tampa Bay.

[GGGG]

Be that as it may, Theo isn't going to fire himself, Ricketts sure as hell isn't going to fire him and Hoyer's not going anywhere. That makes Sveum the fall guy, especially when you consider that Epstein/Hoyer wanted Castro to be their type of player and Sveum (fairly or unfairly) couldn't turn him into that.

Theo et. al. may be to blame for overestimating Sveum's abilities as a manager, but he has done a pretty good job (from what I understand) in building up the farm system.  A guy like Girardi would not have considered the Cubs job a couple years ago because there wasn't much of a light at the end of the tunnel.  Now there is.

[wadesworld]

Yes he should've rounded the bases rather than admired his home run, but what is McCann doing dropping F bombs at him?  And what is Freeman doing stepping in front of him as he's rounding first and getting into his face?  And what is McCann doing blocking the plate on a home run?  Again, yes Gomez should've gotten around the bases quicker, but he is far from the first player to ever admire a home run, especially after a history of being plunked by Maholm.

Bingo.  The Braves get butthurt to easily, which is why I don't see them making the NLCS.  Maybe they will prove me wrong.

Shocking that the Braves were swept.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Shocking that the Braves were swept.

Ahem....sure about that?

[GGGG]

F*ck the Braves...F*ck Freeman...F*ck McCann.

Karma bitches.

[MUfan12]

Dodgers will likely have the chance to knock off both arbiters of the game to reach the World Series.

Also, noticed McCann didn't block the plate after Uribe's bat flip/celebration.

[GGGG]

Dodgers will likely have the chance to knock off both arbiters of the game to reach the World Series.

Also, noticed McCann didn't block the plate after Uribe's bat flip/celebration.

And went something like 0-13 for the series.

[wadesworld]

Ahem....sure about that?

Haha oops.  Early exit either way.

[CTWarrior]

As an aside, does anybody know how accurate that Pitch Trax graphic is on these games?  The Red Sox-Rays umpire seemed to get every pitch around the edges of the strike zone wrong.  Just brutal. 

All time classic at bat for Ben Zobist in the fourth.  He hit a foul pop-up with the first baseman camped under it, but it stuck in the lights.  Then on the 1-1 pitch, he hit a foul pop-up with the catcher camped under it.  He caught it, but it scraped the lights so it was a foul ball.  Next pitch the entire baseball is within the strike zone, part of it touching the middle of the nine sqaures on Pitch Trax (not even close to a ball) and the ump calls it a ball 2.  The next pitch 3/4 of the ball has the inside corner of the plate and its ball 3.  A foul or two later and he walks.  He was actually out 4 times and managed to walk.  The Red Sox got a slew of calls their way, too, so no sour grapes.  People make a big deal about instant replays on close calls and the like, but it would have a far bigger impact on the sport of baseball if balls and strikes were called more accurately.

[MU B2002]

And went something like 0-13 for the series.

And K'd 4 times last night.

[GGGG]

And K'd 4 times last night.

And then there's this.

http://deadspin.com/report-braves-players-boycotted-chipper-joness-first-1442463473

What a joyless bunch of asshats. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Dodgers will likely have the chance to knock off both arbiters of the game to reach the World Series.

Also, noticed McCann didn't block the plate after Uribe's bat flip/celebration.

$240Million payroll can do wonders....the payroll will be even higher next year, perhaps $300 million being thrown around. 

[wadesworld]

And then there's this.

http://deadspin.com/report-braves-players-boycotted-chipper-joness-first-1442463473

What a joyless bunch of asshats. 

Wow.

Shocked McCann didn't block Uribe from touching home plate.

[buckchuckler]

Dodgers will likely have the chance to knock off both arbiters of the game to reach the World Series.

Also, noticed McCann didn't block the plate after Uribe's bat flip/celebration.

Yeah completely different from what Fernandez did. 

[Otule's Glass Eye]

And then there's this.

http://deadspin.com/report-braves-players-boycotted-chipper-joness-first-1442463473

What a joyless bunch of asshats. 

That is absolutely ridiculous. When you are making class act, franchise cornerstone Chipper Jones out to be a bad guy there is something very wrong. If McCann was behind this he is now a 10 on the scumbag meter in my eyes.

[brandx]

That is absolutely ridiculous. When you are making class act, franchise cornerstone Chipper Jones out to be a bad guy there is something very wrong. If McCann was behind this he is now a 10 on the scumbag meter in my eyes.

While Chipper was an outstanding ballplayer but hardly a class act off the field.
A child with another woman while still married, public drunkenness, and probable steroid use are hardly the definition of class.

[NavinRJohnson]

And then there's this.

http://deadspin.com/report-braves-players-boycotted-chipper-joness-first-1442463473

What a joyless bunch of asshats. 

What happened to going out and proving them wrong? Something the a braves were incapable of doing, but seriously, to get offended because someone doesn't pick you to win. Good grief.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

While Chipper was an outstanding ballplayer but hardly a class act off the field.
A child with another woman while still married, public drunkenness, and probable steroid use are hardly the definition of class.

The true measure of how big of a douche McCann is lies in the fact he's made Chipper the "good guy" in this scenario.

[MerrittsMustache]

The true measure of how big of a douche McCann is lies in the fact he's made Chipper the "good guy" in this scenario.

Let's not forget that the Braves made the team with the $220M payroll look like the "good guys."

[MU B2002]

Hey now...Just because they make a lot of money and swam in someone else's pool, it doesn't make them bad guys.

[MerrittsMustache]

Hey now...Just because they make a lot of money and swam in someone else's pool, it doesn't make them bad guys.

I don't necessarily think they're bad guys but your average sports fan typically doesn't root for the team with the highest payroll in the league.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

Might have a ridiculous  payroll but are missing kemp and ethier on the field. $8 billion dollar tv deal goes a long way. Helps to have 55K in attendance as well