MLB 2018 Season

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I prefer no DH to DH personally. I've never liked the concept that 8/9 of the players have to be two way players, but 1 of the guys only played either offense or defense.

[buckchuckler]

Because I do like the double switches and such.  I think it's a purer form of the game.  Personal preference.

Nothing more pure than this right here.

[jsglow]

Nothing more pure than this right here.

So you ask my opinion, I politely give it, and get ridiculed.  Nice.  Have a great weekend.

[buckchuckler]

I prefer no DH to DH personally. I've never liked the concept that 8/9 of the players have to be two way players, but 1 of the guys only played either offense or defense.

Hahah, you must hate basketball then, because nowhere near 8/9 guys play offense and defense. 

[jsglow]

Hahah, you must hate basketball then, because nowhere near 8/9 guys play offense and defense.

And not 30 seconds later you ridicule another guy.  WTF?

[jesmu84]

Hahah, you must hate basketball then, because nowhere near 8/9 guys play offense and defense.

This isn't true. By definition, every player on a basketball court are always playing offense and defense. As they are on the court when their team doesn't have possession. Meanwhile, with DH, 1 of those 9 offensive players is not on the field for the defensive portion of the game.

[MUEng92]

Because I do like the double switches and such.  I think it's a purer form of the game.  Personal preference.

Well your personal preference is wrong and you should feel shame!!!

Couldn't resist even though I agree with you. I'm a strictly National League guy and I don't like change.

[MUEng92]

The concept of the DH has always seemed to me to be similar to when we would have ghost runners or "all time pitchers" when we were kids.  Or when we only had 8-10 kids each team would have fielders at 3rd, short, left field and center field along with a pitcher and would play that right field side hits were an out.

Sorry, nostalgia side track...

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Hahah, you must hate basketball then, because nowhere near 8/9 guys play offense and defense.

Well if by nowhere 8/9 you mean 10/10 then yes I agree with you.

[MUBurrow]

So you ask my opinion, I politely give it, and get ridiculed.  Nice.  Have a great weekend.

[buckchuckler]

And not 30 seconds later you ridicule another guy.  WTF?

Uhh.  Sorry, it was a joke.  I meant most guys don't play good defense.  Sorry.  Teal implied and I missed the mark.  I also didn't mean to ridicule you either, I was at first curious, as you said you prefer the NL but gave no reason, I was curious.  I posted the Colon GIF, because well, why would you pass up that opportunity. 

Sorry for stirring up the pot.  Didn't mean to make such a big thing.  I give myself a ban for the weekend.  Peace out all, I hope I didn't offend anyone. 

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Nothing more pure than this right here.

Pure entertainment.

[TallTitan34]

I agree. I don't get where there is more strategy in the NL.

At times you also have to decide if it's worth pulling your pitcher who is cruising, because his spot is up in the order with guys on base and you need runs.  You don't have to make these decisions in the AL.

[MU82]

At times you also have to decide if it's worth pulling your pitcher who is cruising, because his spot is up in the order with guys on base and you need runs.  You don't have to make these decisions in the AL.

Years ago, this had more credence.

Nowadays, the vast majority of pitchers get pulled because teams will not "overwork" their starters. 5 innings is considered a "solid start." A pitcher who works 200 innings - about 6 innings for each of 33 starts - is considered a freakin' iron man nowadays.

"Cruising" into the 8th or 9th inning - or even the 7th - has become quite rare.

[TallTitan34]

@BNightengale
The Milwaukee #Brewers clubhouse says they are cool with Josh Hader now after he cried during apology

Poor wording in this tweet.

[RJax55]

Years ago, this had more credence.

Nowadays, the vast majority of pitchers get pulled because teams will not "overwork" their starters. 5 innings is considered a "solid start." A pitcher who works 200 innings - about 6 innings for each of 33 starts - is considered a freakin' iron man nowadays.

"Cruising" into the 8th or 9th inning - or even the 7th - has become quite rare.

Spot on. Even in the post-season, managers have shown in this era a far greater reliance/trust in their pens and have no qualms pulling a starter pitching well for an opportunity to score additional runs.

[cheebs09]

The Nelson and Anderson injuries while hitting and running last year put me firmly in the DH camp. Pitchers are too important in my opinion to risk getting hurt on offense.

Also, I would say bunting is anything but routine now. It's painful watching the Brewers try to bunt.

[wadesworld]

Spot on. Even in the post-season, managers have shown in this era a far greater reliance/trust in their pens and have no qualms pulling a starter pitching well for an opportunity to score additional runs.

Right. And in the AL managers don't have to worry about that.

I think if you polled all MLB managers and asked is their significantly more strategy involved in non-DH games, slightly more strategy in non-DH games, equal strategy, slightly more strategy in DH games, or significantly more strategy in DH games you'd get at least 90% saying significantly more strategy involved in non-DH games.

Also, I would say bunting is anything but routine now. It's painful watching the Brewers try to bunt.

Also this. Even position players largely stink at bunting nowadays. Another thing that adds more strategy to the game. If you have first and second and 1 out and the pitcher is coming to the plate you're almost surely going to (attempt to) give up an out and move the 2 runners up to 2nd and 3rd. Or if you have the 8 hole hitter up and a 2-0, 3-0, 3-1 count with 2 down are you giving him the green light in hopes he runs into one or are you giving him the red light to try to clear the pitcher, give up a chance to score that inning, and start at the top of the lineup the next inning?

[ZiggysFryBoy]

From little league through at least high school or maybe college, pitchers are usually among the most athletic kid on a team.  The fact that pitchers don't even try to hit anymore is shameful(hyperbole) and a waste of athleticism. 

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

From little league through at least high school or maybe college, pitchers are usually among the most athletic kid on a team.  The fact that pitchers don't even try to hit anymore is shameful(hyperbole) and a waste of athleticism.

This is true. At my high school the top pitcher was almost always the top hitter. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule but it's prettt remarkable how their hitting just drops after hitting college or the pros.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

You would hope that his parents would have been teaching him all along that racist, homophobic comments are wrong.   18 year olds are idiots.    Most people grow out of it.   Some never do.

A lot of 18 year olds share those kind of thoughts and beliefs specifically because of their parents.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

and yet i would argue that most kids that are truly racists homophobes were molded into that by their parents.

of course hader shouldve known better than to tweet the clearly inappropriate things he did when he was 17 years old. but youre lying to yourself if youre telling people you didnt say insensitive stuff when you were a teenager. how much "better" is it to say "thats so gay!" when you don't like something than it is to say "i hate gay people?" is one more blunt than the other? yup. but if youre like "hey i have nothing against gay people" then why are you saying something is "gay" when you don't like it? are we going to say that every adult who ever said something like that when they were a teenager is a homophobe? youre also lying to yourself if youre telling people youve never quoted an inappropriate song or movie line.

it was stupid. it was inappropriate. it was unacceptable. but to say the "young and immature excuse doesnt play" is wrong. he was 17. it was 7 years ago, probably before he experienced any kind of diversity in his life and probably mostly while he was dicking around being a dumbass teenager.

im willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that hes grown as a person over the last 7, almost undoubtedly most shaping, years of his life. and given that before this weekend we never heard anything but how great of a guy he is im guessing he has grown since he was a clearly immature teen.

if some want to lie and say they never said anything insensitive and inappropriate when they were younger and less mature so be it. hader didnt back down or make excuses he owned it and said he screwed up. hopefully hes learned.

You actually graduated from Marquette?

[Vander Blue Man Group]

For some, DUI's at 29 count as youthful indiscretions.    For others, unsealed juvenile records of things that may or may not have happened at 14 are reason to not be allowed to pursue a career.     IMO, a 17-18 year old saying stupid crap on twitter still counts as a stupid kid.    I have frequently discussed with friends, family, and coworkers,  the notion that the nature of young people hasn't really changed over the years, just the tools with which they can get in trouble.    When most of us were kids, we would do stupid crap and there would be a circle of silence among our friends.    Today, the same stupid stuff gets posted on instachatweet and it is accessible to everyone and forever.   Kids don't think about long term repercussions.    They never have. 

An example.... a couple of years ago, at a holiday party thrown by a kid whose parents were out of town, an underage couple decided to have sex in one of the bedrooms.    Nothing new here.    Teenagers have been having sex since there have been teenagers and sex.   One of their friends entered the bedroom and busted them in the middle.    Still nothing really new here.   But the friend took a picture on his phone and posted it..... making him a child pornographer.      Is the friend really a child pornographer?    No, he is a dumb kid.    But in the eyes of the law, he is now labelled forever. 

Hader posted stupid crap while not yet old enough to vote.     It makes him a kid who was an immature jerk.    By all accounts, he has grown and matured.    And he should never go on social media again.

For the sweet love of God, what he tweeted were not just "stupid things".

[SaveOD238]

Hahah, you must hate basketball then, because nowhere near 8/9 guys play offense and defense.

As Jabari Parker says, they don't pay guys to play defense

[SaveOD238]

This is true. At my high school the top pitcher was almost always the top hitter. Obviously there are exceptions to the rule but it's prettt remarkable how their hitting just drops after hitting college or the pros.

I umpire a lot of baseball at different levels, and just about every level has the DH now.  Some teams don't use it because their pitcher can hit (and I've even seen hs teams use the DH for their second baseman), but mant do.  The NL is basically the only DH holdout out there.  I think one of the two leagues in Japan plays NL rules too.