Welcome to the AppalachianTrailCafe.net!
Take a moment and register and then join the conversation

Baseball Thread

    This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse this site, you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy.

    • Jack McDowell says Tony LaRussa was using electronic sign stealing back with the 80s White Sox. He also notes LaRussa was at the forefront of players on steroids (A's Bash Brothers Canseco and McGwire). I guess you could say he was consistent in trying to get a competitive advantage (perhaps at any cost). :/

      msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/forme…era/ar-BBZ3W51?li=BBnb7Kz
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Moving on from this sign-stealing stink-fest, lets consider the upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame Vote Stink-fest.

      I for one am hoping that Curt Shilling finally gets his due. I think his career stats are unquestionably HOF caliber. He has not been getting the vote these past years because people do not like his politics. I do not consider this a legitimate reason to keep anyone out of the HOF. He has managed to keep his mouth shut this past year, so I am hoping this is the year the writers give him his due.

      Roger Clemons and Barry Bonds: I'll lump these two juicers together because they are a similar story. Career numbers that are hard to ignore, but so tainted by their chronic juicing. Is this the year the writers just hold their nose and vote these two lunkheads in? I don't think I will loose and sleep if it goes either way.

      Derek Jeter: There is a big class of new candidates this year but the one that stands out to me is Derek Jeter. Is there anyone who does not think he belongs in the HOF. A class act all around.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • My HOF ballot.

      Jeter
      Schilling
      Wagner
      Kent
      Walker

      Walker was the toughest to justify, but his last chance. Definitely a much better player than Edgar Martinez, as was Lance Berkman who unbelievably fell off the ballot last year when everyone was voting for Edgar on his last shot.

      I believe a case could be made for Scott Rolen and Omar Vizquel. But this time I will save my imaginary ballot for Jeter, the obvious three that should already be in (but writers holding grudges against them for their honesty), and last chance all round good player Larry Walker.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I agree Derek Jeter was a good guy as a player, but he has been such a jerk as an owner that Andre Dawson and Tony Perez will probably skip (boycott) this year.

      Was graceful on the field and with the press as a player. But really butchered his firing of these two HOF players and others since taking over the Marlins.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • odd man out wrote:

      Dj was a local hero so voting for him.

      Question: Does the use of PED tarnish Clemens and Bonds equally since one was known for pitching and the other known for power hitting?
      Bonds I believe was worse since his body significantly altered, even his head size. And drastically elevated his statistics from prior performance.

      Clemens still bad due to roids rage in throwing bat at Piazza in World Series. His body didn't change much, but it did allow him to continue to put up good statistics in his "older age" when most pitchers decline and retire. But not freakish unrealistic stats like Bonds. He wasn't breaking records that would not have been broken under normal conditions.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Thought I do some recreational data graphing.

      Of the people coming back from this year's voter, Schilling is on track to get 75% before year 10. Clemens and Bonds have tracked each other vote for vote every year and were on a good trajectory for a while but have lagged in the last few years. Something needs to change for them to get there. Not a lot of data on Vizquel but he started better than Schilling so that's a good sign. Rolen, Wagner, Sheffield, Kent, Helton, and Jones all made big jumps this year, but for Sheffield and Kent it may be too little too late. Ramirez and Pettite are pretty stagnant. Not looking good. With only one data point for Abreu, you can't say there is a trend, but with only 5.5% in year one, seems unlikely. Give Sosa the award for staying just above the cutoff for the longest time. Not getting the love of the other roid boys in his class from 8 years ago.
    • Just took a look at the Red Sox 2020 schedule. Holy crap, Opening Day this year for all teams is March 26th? This is getting crazy. I'm sure March is a beautiful month in Houston, but let me assure you in the north we will be freezing our asses off.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Just took a look at the Red Sox 2020 schedule. Holy crap, Opening Day this year for all teams is March 26th? This is getting crazy. I'm sure March is a beautiful month in Houston, but let me assure you in the north we will be freezing our asses off.
      Maybe you taxpayers can build the Sox a climate controlled domed stadium. :)

      I'm sure the opening day has to be moved up a few days for everyone to accommodate "home" games in Europe, Mexico, and the Far East.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      Speaking of the paranoia about sign stealing, Manfred sez...

      "a longer term solution may come through technology that changes how catchers give signs such as a series of lights embedded in the pitching rubber."

      source: Feb SI
      Why not just give them earpieces so they can talk to each other? Then they could also eliminate all those endless trips to the mound. But wait. They would never go for that. It mightake the game last less than four hours. Can't have that.
    • odd man out wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      Speaking of the paranoia about sign stealing, Manfred sez...

      "a longer term solution may come through technology that changes how catchers give signs such as a series of lights embedded in the pitching rubber."

      source: Feb SI
      Why not just give them earpieces so they can talk to each other? Then they could also eliminate all those endless trips to the mound. But wait. They would never go for that. It mightake the game last less than four hours. Can't have that.
      Cuz some dude in the dugout will hack the signal and relay the pitch to the batter who is also wearing an earpiece. Much more efficient than banging on trash cans. :)
      2,000 miler
    • Although the whole Astros/ Red Sox sign stealing thing was a bridge too far, one aspect of the game I always appreciated was the batter who glanced back at the catcher to see what he might see. I always liked anticipating the beanball that was going to come next.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • Should be an interesting year with Dusty Baker. He told Chris "Maddog" Russo today that he is used to doing more with less, sd o he is excited to get a chance to do more with more.

      Said he was happy to go to Houston where his old roommate Ralph Garr lives.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • And in the latest baseball news...

      <snip>

      Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader Pete Rose filed a reinstatement petition Wednesday with the league and Hall of Fame based on recent penalties handed down to the Houston Astros for illegally stealing signs, according to Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.

      Rose has served a lifetime ban since 1989 for gambling on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds. His lawyers argue that commissioner Rob Manfred should remove him from the ineligible list because the league didn't punish the Astros players that cheated.

      "There cannot be one set of rules for Mr. Rose and another for everyone else," the petition states, according to Van Natta. "No objective standard or categorization of the rules violations committed by Mr. Rose can distinguish his violations from those that have incurred substantially less severe penalties from Major League Baseball."

      "It has never been suggested, let alone established, that any of Mr. Rose's actions influenced the outcome of any game or the performance of any player," the document reads. "Yet for the 31st year and counting, he continues to suffer a punishment vastly disproportionate to those who have done just that.

      "Given the manner in which Major League Baseball has treated and continues to treat other egregious assaults on the integrity of the game, Mr. Rose's ongoing punishment is no longer justifiable as a proportional response to his transgressions."
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      And in the latest baseball news...

      <snip>

      Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader Pete Rose filed a reinstatement petition Wednesday with the league and Hall of Fame based on recent penalties handed down to the Houston Astros for illegally stealing signs, according to Don Van Natta Jr. of ESPN.

      Rose has served a lifetime ban since 1989 for gambling on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds. His lawyers argue that commissioner Rob Manfred should remove him from the ineligible list because the league didn't punish the Astros players that cheated.

      "There cannot be one set of rules for Mr. Rose and another for everyone else," the petition states, according to Van Natta. "No objective standard or categorization of the rules violations committed by Mr. Rose can distinguish his violations from those that have incurred substantially less severe penalties from Major League Baseball."

      "It has never been suggested, let alone established, that any of Mr. Rose's actions influenced the outcome of any game or the performance of any player," the document reads. "Yet for the 31st year and counting, he continues to suffer a punishment vastly disproportionate to those who have done just that.

      "Given the manner in which Major League Baseball has treated and continues to treat other egregious assaults on the integrity of the game, Mr. Rose's ongoing punishment is no longer justifiable as a proportional response to his transgressions."
      As a manager his gambling impacted every game he managed and placed his players at risk of injury, especially pitchers.
      Loved "Charlie Hustle" in the way he played the game and got the most out of his talent, but crossed a very serious line when in a position of authority. :thumbdown:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Red Sox new GM from Tampa Bay Rays gets them under the Luxury Tax by trading Mookie Betts and David Price.

      Interesting because while a good investment in the future with young players returned, gave up on what could have been a contender for World Championship in 2020. Biggest winners short term are Dodgers and Yankees.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      Red Sox new GM from Tampa Bay Rays gets them under the Luxury Tax by trading Mookie Betts and David Price.

      Interesting because while a good investment in the future with young players returned, gave up on what could have been a contender for World Championship in 2020. Biggest winners short term are Dodgers and Yankees.
      Executive summary of an article in the WSJ...

      The good: Sox are now under the luxury tax.

      The bad: The dismantling of the Sox is now complete, with the result that the team has little chance of competing.

      The ugly: I'll <snip> the ending as they said it better than I can.

      The Dodgers got significantly better Tuesday night. They didn’t need to, but they did anyway, in the name of winning a World Series. The Red Sox got a lot worse, 100 years and one month after the Red Sox got rid of another player for the sake of their owner’s pocketbook: a little somebody named Babe Ruth.

      Here's the link but it may be behind a pay wall.

      wsj.com/articles/the-dismantli…oston-red-sox-11580907600
      2,000 miler
    • Astro wrote:

      Red Sox new GM from Tampa Bay Rays gets them under the Luxury Tax by trading Mookie Betts and David Price.

      Interesting because while a good investment in the future with young players returned, gave up on what could have been a contender for World Championship in 2020. Biggest winners short term are Dodgers and Yankees.
      This sums up the feeling in Boston...

      boston.com/sports/boston-red-s…ie-betts-trade-commentary
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


      John Greenleaf Whittier
    • IMScotty wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      Red Sox new GM from Tampa Bay Rays gets them under the Luxury Tax by trading Mookie Betts and David Price.

      Interesting because while a good investment in the future with young players returned, gave up on what could have been a contender for World Championship in 2020. Biggest winners short term are Dodgers and Yankees.
      This sums up the feeling in Boston...
      boston.com/sports/boston-red-s…ie-betts-trade-commentary
      He is good, really good!
      But 12 years for $420 million is crazy. :rolleyes:

      And they unloaded Price's contract.

      Can not really compare to Babe Ruth, since they only had 1 year of control left with Betts.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Hank Aaron sez...

      spoiler alert:

      But one MLB all-time legend and baseball's former home run king, Hank Aaron, said Thursday on "The Today Show" that anyone involved in the scheme should face the harshest of penalties: a lifetime ban.

      19 second video:

      twitter.com/The_FineMan/status/1225403298443939841

      USA Today article:

      usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/…ld-banned-mlb/4677799002/

      Edit to add: Hank is tough on crime as he is the "former" home leader only because he was passed by a cheater.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • max.patch wrote:

      Hank Aaron sez...

      spoiler alert:

      But one MLB all-time legend and baseball's former home run king, Hank Aaron, said Thursday on "The Today Show" that anyone involved in the scheme should face the harshest of penalties: a lifetime ban.

      19 second video:

      twitter.com/The_FineMan/status/1225403298443939841

      USA Today article:

      usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/…ld-banned-mlb/4677799002/

      Edit to add: Hank is tough on crime as he is the "former" home leader only because he was passed by a cheater.
      I have always loved and respected Hank Aaron, but what he is suggesting if done properly would probably mean suspending basically everyone on a MLB roster for the past 3 (or perhaps 40 years going back to Tony LaRussa and the WhiteSox). :rolleyes:

      Of course bringing up the "untainted" kids from AAA should lower prices at the ballgames as a plus. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • Having solved all of the country's problems, President Trump turns his attention to baseball.

      Cut 'n paste from twitter:


      Pete Rose played Major League Baseball for 24 seasons, from 1963-1986, and had more hits, 4,256, than any other player (by a wide margin). He gambled, but only on his own team winning, and paid a decades long price. GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. It’s Time!
      4:08 PM · Feb 8, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

      link to tweet:
      twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1226251504086065152
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 2 times, last by max.patch ().

    • max.patch wrote:

      Having solved all of the country's problems, President Trump turns his attention to baseball.

      Cut 'n paste from twitter:


      Pete Rose played Major League Baseball for 24 seasons, from 1963-1986, and had more hits, 4,256, than any other player (by a wide margin). He gambled, but only on his own team winning, and paid a decades long price. GET PETE ROSE INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. It’s Time!
      4:08 PM · Feb 8, 2020·Twitter for iPhone

      link to tweet:
      twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1226251504086065152
      Popular opinion, but lacks appreciation of impact of manager's decisions on longterm health of players, espeically pitchers. Ty Cobb is only 1.5% behind him in hits (not a large margin) and was still hitting over .300 when he walked away, while Rose was struggling to stay above the Mendoza line and only hit above .300 in one of his last seven seasons (only in lineup because he was writing his own name on it). He probably would still be chasing Cobb if Ty had of played 162 v. 154 game seasons and not served in WWI (nevermind retiring while still all star caliber).
      But hey after past the couple of weeks the tweeter-in-chief has had he deserves a right to be wrong on something and I won't complain. ;)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • If ya like to gamble and ya like prop bets...

      <snip>

      The Houston Astros have faced a large amount of criticism due to their sign-stealing scandal that has dominated headlines during the offseason. With that in mind, William Hill sportsbook set an over/under on the number of Astros batters that will be hit by pitches in the 2020 season at 83.5.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      If ya like to gamble and ya like prop bets...

      <snip>

      The Houston Astros have faced a large amount of criticism due to their sign-stealing scandal that has dominated headlines during the offseason. With that in mind, William Hill sportsbook set an over/under on the number of Astros batters that will be hit by pitches in the 2020 season at 83.5.

      I would recommend the under. Only 66 last year and 23 were by players no longer on the team. Chiririnos 13, Marisnick 6, and Kemp 4.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Also Manfred is trying to get out in front by warning against throwing at the Astros.

      I would rather he spend his effort investigating all the other teams he said were suspected. Without Mike Fiers it would have been business as usual. Only reason Red Sox are currently under investigation is Joey Cora connection. Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Rays, Indians, Brewers, etc.. get free pass. Biggest hipocrits now other than MLB front office are all of the "outraged players". Feel safe now that they know Manfred just wants to put out the PR fire and sacrifice just one (possibly 2) team.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Fans heckling Astros spring opener get signs stolen

      Now that headline from USA Today is just funny.

      <snip>

      WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Fans hoping to heckle the sign-stealing Houston Astros at their spring opener were met with quite the coincidence.

      They got their signs stolen.

      In the Astros’ first spring training game since their sign-stealing scandal rocked baseball, some fans brought signs jeering Houston, and ballpark personnel confiscated them before the exhibition opener against the World Series champion Washington Nationals on Saturday night.
      2,000 miler