Real MLB Thread

[jsglow]

The Brewers in #Craigtember

+1

Couns should be allowed 40 in post season, just because.   

[cheebs09]

+1

Couns should be allowed 40 in post season, just because.   

I feel that's the part about the Brewers strategy that frustrates fans. Stearns will look for the fringe guys that perform almost as well as the main free agents. It just takes awhile for them to figure out what works and not.


ETA: for the record,love Stearns. Talking about the Brewer fans that lose it during the offseason and deadline. Granted, I was hoping for more during the deadline, and I stand corrected since he got great value this year.

[The Sultan]

A think the strategy is fine. A lot of the "main free agents" get paid too much based on past performance and their contracts become difficult to manage.

[jsglow]

I feel that's the part about the Brewers strategy that frustrates fans. Stearns will look for the fringe guys that perform almost as well as the main free agents. It just takes awhile for them to figure out what works and not.


ETA: for the record,love Stearns. Talking about the Brewer fans that lose it during the offseason and deadline. Granted, I was hoping for more during the deadline, and I stand corrected since he got great value this year.

Honestly, it's a magnificent strategy for a small market team like MKE.  And Stearns seems to be particularly good at it with B- level pitchers that sometimes can't sustain forever.  Let me give you 2 examples.  Last year Chacin might have been the best 'value' starter in all of baseball.  And he will forever go down in Brewer lore for what he contributed.  But this year he couldn't do it.  And he was DFAed just a few weeks before his contract expired.  Also last year Anderson, one of the mainstays of the starting pool, just couldn't get it going.  This year he might just be the guy that starts a wild card game.  On top of that, young guys like Corbin and Freddy are going to be given every chance to get it going because they cost nothing.

Here's what the Brewers can't do.  They can't go out and sign guys like Darvish, Kimbrel or even Arrieta, because a long term mistake will cripple them for years.  They can do more of that with proven position players because it seems at least to me that performance is more predictable and consistent.  Who honestly doesn't thing Cain will have a good year next year once he gets the knee cleaned up?

For me, that's why it's so very easy to dislike the 'big market' clubs.  Ah, a $100MM mistake?  No matter, we'll just sign another one. 

[Dr. Blackheart]

Honestly, it's a magnificent strategy for a small market team like MKE.  And Stearns seems to be particularly good at it with B- level pitchers that sometimes can't sustain forever.  Let me give you 2 examples.  Last year Chacin might have been the best 'value' starter in all of baseball.  And he will forever go down in Brewer lore for what he contributed.  But this year he couldn't do it.  And he was DFAed just a few weeks before his contract expired.  Also last year Anderson, one of the mainstays of the starting pool, just couldn't get it going.  This year he might just be the guy that starts a wild card game.  On top of that, young guys like Corbin and Freddy are going to be given every chance to get it going because they cost nothing.

Here's what the Brewers can't do.  They can't go out and sign guys like Darvish, Kimbrel or even Arrieta, because a long term mistake will cripple them for years.  They can do more of that with proven position players because it seems at least to me that performance is more predictable and consistent.  Who honestly doesn't thing Cain will have a good year next year once he gets the knee cleaned up?

For me, that's why it's so very easy to dislike the 'big market' clubs.  Ah, a $100MM mistake?  No matter, we'll just sign another one.

It's the A's Moneyball strategy.  And it has worked well for years for Billy Beane. They key thing missing from above is you must have a very good farm system.

[muwarrior69]

https://whitesoxpride.mlblogs.com/meet-the-nine-year-old-cancer-survivor-who-designed-michael-kopechs-t-shirt-6b4d19d6d9e0

You guys are always in my prayers. Love stories like yours. Here is another though not as poignant as yours.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/carl-yastrzemski-mike-yastrzemski-first-pitch-giants-red-sox

[jsglow]

Kimbrel simply sucks.   

[Jockey]

Kimbrel simply sucks.   

Earning that big paycheck. He has definitely been good for the Crews hopes this year. Maybe Theo will ask Stearns to pay part of his salary.

[21Jumpstreet]

Kimbrel simply sucks.   

Absolute trash

[SaveOD238]

Earning that big paycheck. He has definitely been good for the Crews hopes this year. Maybe Theo will ask Stearns to pay part of his salary.

Naw man, he's cost us a shot at the division title.  We need you guys to beat the Cardinals!

[jsglow]

Naw man, he's cost us a shot at the division title.  We need you guys to beat the Cardinals!

While possibly true and while I have zero love for the Cards, anything that sends the Cubs fans home unhappy is all good in my book.

That's 5 straight losses.  That's gonna leave a mark.   

[MU82]

Epic choke.

Kimbrel used to be Davante Gardner. Now he's only automatic for the opponent.

[WarriorDad]

Last game ever on WGN.  That doesn't feel right. 

[GB Warrior]

Joe's already packing up his things and shipping them to San Diego

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Last game ever on WGN.  That doesn't feel right.

Where are the games moving?  All comcast sports?

[Mutaman]

Last game ever on WGN.  That doesn't feel right.

Hey hey hey.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Where are the games moving?  All comcast sports?

The Cubs Network where you can pay a premium to watch this crap.

[CreightonWarrior]

15 days ago the brewers were 5 games back of the cubs.

[Anti-Dentite]

While possibly true and while I have zero love for the Cards, anything that sends the Cubs fans home unhappy is all good in my book.

That's 5 straight losses.  That's gonna leave a mark.   

I agree with this analysis.

[Cheeks]

The Cubs Network where you can pay a premium to watch this crap.

This ^^^^^

And they want a lot of money for the network. Will be interesting to see who carries it, especially now that Sinclair owns the rights.  DISH has already dropped all Sinclair RSNs.  It will be called Marquee Sports.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Great article on the Cubs woes starting at the top...

https://chicago.suntimes.com/cubs/2019/9/21/20877470/any-reckoning-should-start-at-top-for-a-cubs-team-that-performed-as-well-as-its-roster-was-built

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

[Mr. Nielsen]

Last game ever on WGN.  That doesn't feel right.

Rest of the country they been off WGN for years now.

[shoothoops]

Rest of the country they been off WGN for years now.
[/quote

Yes, this.

Whenever a Cubs game is listed as on WGN, it is only shown on WGN in Chicago. The rest of the country gets reruns of old tv shows from several decades ago instead of Cubs game. It has been better for the rest of the country in recent years when their games have not been on WGN or local ABC 7. The truly old days of national WGN games were great, but it's been a while.

As for their new station, it will be interesting of DirecTV or Dish even carry it. Dodgers situation in L.A. gas been disastrous for many years. There are about 22 Fox Sports Regional and similar networks that have not been on Dish for months. First with Disney, now Sinclair.  It is a better financial deal for Dish to not pay that money for months or longer than it is to lose some subscribers. This of course draws the ire of sports fans.

I've been looking for various family accounts in different markets, and right now there is a lot of uncertainty out there.

Dish had been the least expensive for me but still had many of the sought after channels. They have recently publicly stated a desire to move away from sports. DirecTV has shown on various channels sports and non that it too will go long periods without programming and deals. Now they have been coming close to losing ESPN channels, Tennis Channel etc...it gets exhausting for customers. Cable has been more expensive than either of those. Youtube TV has been good but it's now $50 without movie channels and a few others. But you can share accounts which helps for now. It's definitely a year by year or less and re-evaluate situation.  It's good that most MU games are easy to find and get on various platforms.

[Cheeks]

Rest of the country they been off WGN for years now.
[/quote

Yes, this.

Whenever a Cubs game is listed as on WGN, it is only shown on WGN in Chicago. The rest of the country gets reruns of old tv shows from several decades ago instead of Cubs game. It has been better for the rest of the country in recent years when their games have not been on WGN or local ABC 7. The truly old days of national WGN games were great, but it's been a while.

As for their new station, it will be interesting of DirecTV or Dish even carry it. Dodgers situation in L.A. gas been disastrous for many years. There are about 22 Fox Sports Regional and similar networks that have not been on Dish for months. First with Disney, now Sinclair.  It is a better financial deal for Dish to not pay that money for months or longer than it is to lose some subscribers. This of course draws the ire of sports fans.

I've been looking for various family accounts in different markets, and right now there is a lot of uncertainty out there.

Dish had been the least expensive for me but still had many of the sought after channels. They have recently publicly stated a desire to move away from sports. DirecTV has shown on various channels sports and non that it too will go long periods without programming and deals. Now they have been coming close to losing ESPN channels, Tennis Channel etc...it gets exhausting for customers. Cable has been more expensive than either of those. Youtube TV has been good but it's now $50 without movie channels and a few others. But you can share accounts which helps for now. It's definitely a year by year or less and re-evaluate situation.  It's good that most MU games are easy to find and get on various platforms.

The Dodgers made their own bed here.  Pretty decent article explains Cubs Dodgers RSN situation below.

Customers complain about losing channels, but complain about prices going up....a distributor in an impossible situation.  If they fight the programmer to hold costs, they alienate customers.  If they cave, they alienate customers.  This is all coming to YouTube, VUE, etc. just happens to be the contract cycle at the moment and their turn is next. 



https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-09-20/cubs-dodgers-tv-marquee-sinclair-comcast-spectrum