2022 MLB Thread formerly the 2021 thread..

[El Barto]

Maybe I should start paying more attention to baseball. The game itself is kind of boring, but it seems to present some interesting side shows. I have no idea who this Bumgarner cat is, but the inspection that set him off really does come across as creepy AF. I'm guessing the umpire was trying to bait him, and he certainly came up with an innovate approach. At full speed it was probably less creepy, but would nevertheless have been an effort to stare him down, and that's not going to go over any better.

https://twitter.com/BALLYSPORTSAZ/status/1521908022267854850

On the surface, baseball can appear to be a boring game. But it's not... if you can latch onto a team and follow its travails, the minutiae, strategy and tactics involved, it's completely engrossing. Of course, the game is the antithesis of something like hockey, which is a dizzying swirl of continuous action, but in between every pitch, there's a world of nuance. It's hard to pin down, but as one of my friends once said... "There's something about baseball..." I've heard it said that baseball is like watching paint dry, or like watching a chess match, and it certainly takes a degree of patience to watch a game take shape... the slow buildup and intermittent bursts of activity. But to me, there's nothing quite like it.

I actually agree with you on that. There's a lot to like about baseball. I used to enjoy going to games from time to time, though that's probably a done deal now as indoor baseball is an abomination. I've made the argument that it's a better game than basketball, actually, and I think it is. At the same time, a baseball team spends 3 weeks a year actually on the field, not counting Spring and post seasons. That's a helluva lot of time to spend as a viewer watching out for bits of nuance in 3 hour intervals.

One thing has always fascinated me about baseball. A team can play 8 innings and generally suck it up. They go into the 9th inning and then mount an epic comeback. You see that in other sports, but it seems to occur with some regularity in baseball. Presumably not being stalked by a ticking clock, but rather your own ineffectiveness is better for a person's motivation.

[pg1067]

Maybe I should start paying more attention to baseball. The game itself is kind of boring, but it seems to present some interesting side shows. I have no idea who this Bumgarner cat is, but the inspection that set him off really does come across as creepy AF. I'm guessing the umpire was trying to bait him, and he certainly came up with an innovate approach. At full speed it was probably less creepy, but would nevertheless have been an effort to stare him down, and that's not going to go over any better.

https://twitter.com/BALLYSPORTSAZ/status/1521908022267854850

That's a standard inspection for foreign substances.  It happens anywhere between once and thrice for starting pitchers and at the end of every inning (or upon removal from the game) for relievers.  I haven't watched a full clip, but Bumgarner (who is and, for several years, has been THE most tight-ass, chappy guy in MLB) apparently had some beef with the home plate umpire.  He then apparently said something that the first-base umpire (who did the inspection) deemed worthy of objection, and Bumgarner had to be restrained.  Back in the day, he'd probably have been described as having 'roid rage, but no one thinks this is anything other than him being a massive chap-ass.

Including the prolonged eye contact? From the video I've seen he said something kind of trivial about the eye contact, the ump said something back, and then Bumgarner went off with a wonderfully defiant FU!. I'm not a baseball guy, but it really did seem like the 1b ump was trying to bait him, and succeeded.

Let's put this in context.  For starters, as I mentioned, Bumgarner is the chappiest of chap-asses.  Also, he went 2-0 to the leadoff batter before giving up a dinger on the third pitch.  Over the course of the rest of the inning there was one pitch on the bottom edge of the zone that was called a ball.  There was also a clear ball that was called a strike, but that wouldn't have meant shit to a guy like Bumgarner.  There was also a clear ball that was called a ball, but Bumgarner thought it should've been a strike.  So... through one inning, there were, in Bumgarner's estimation, two bad calls and he gave up a home run, so he's in a shitty mood (shittier than his normal mood).  We've also got a relatively young home plate umpire, so Bumgarner has zero respect.  Coming off the mound, he was jawing and gesticulating at the home plate umpire.  The crew chief was the guy who did the inspection and ejection.  Nothing wrong with the eye contact -- especially since Bumgarner was already giving the home plate umpire grief.  NO ONE needs to "bait" Bumgarner.  If anything, the crew chief arguably should have elected not to do the inspection at a time when Bumgarner was already peeved.

[LudwigVan]

Well, like I fool I gave up on the Mets in the 8th down 7-1 and switched over to watch the Rangers - Pens game. 

[TAC]

Well, like I fool I gave up on the Mets in the 8th down 7-1 and switched over to watch the Rangers - Pens game. 

Don't be too hard on yourself. 

[LudwigVan]

Well, like I fool I gave up on the Mets in the 8th down 7-1 and switched over to watch the Rangers - Pens game. 

Don't be too hard on yourself. 

What made it worse was that I was pulling for the Pens   .  Who I don’t see winning this series.

[LudwigVan]

So, ump apologizes.

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-umpire-dan-bellino-apologizes-for-role-in-madison-bumgarner-incident-013253504.html

[Dream Team]

Miggy Cabrera hit his 600th career double today.

.300 avg, 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 homers: Hank Aaron and Miggy, that’s it.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Miggy Cabrera hit his 600th career double today.

.300 avg, 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 homers: Hank Aaron and Miggy, that’s it.

If Miggy and Pujols both retire after this season, which seems likely, they will definitely both be inducted into the HoF at the same time.

[TAC]

Miggy Cabrera hit his 600th career double today.

.300 avg, 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 homers: Hank Aaron and Miggy, that’s it.

If Miggy and Pujols both retire after this season, which seems likely, they will definitely both be inducted into the HoF at the same time.

Obviously.

[pg1067]

So, ump apologizes.

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb-umpire-dan-bellino-apologizes-for-role-in-madison-bumgarner-incident-013253504.html

I hate stuff like this.  This shouldn't be public.  If he felt there was something for which he ought to apologize, he should have done it privately to Bumgarner (face-to-face, preferably).

Miggy Cabrera hit his 600th career double today.

.300 avg, 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 homers: Hank Aaron and Miggy, that’s it.

If Miggy and Pujols both retire after this season, which seems likely, they will definitely both be inducted into the HoF at the same time.

No question.

It's just baffling that the Tigers couldn't win a title with Cabrera, Verlander, Scherzer, Sanchez, et al.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Miggy Cabrera hit his 600th career double today.

.300 avg, 3000 hits, 600 doubles, 500 homers: Hank Aaron and Miggy, that’s it.

If Miggy and Pujols both retire after this season, which seems likely, they will definitely both be inducted into the HoF at the same time.

No question.

It's just baffling that the Tigers couldn't win a title with Cabrera, Verlander, Scherzer, Sanchez, et al.

The Giants made sure of that. 

[pg1067]

Absolutely freak and scary incident in the Dodgers win over the Angels last night.  Dodgers were up 2-0 in the top of the 9th, and Mike Trout was batting with one out.  On a 2-strike pitch, Trout got jammed on a high inside pitch and broke his bat.  The ball ended up dropping between the infielder and outfielder, and Trout ended up on first.  On Trout's follow through, the big piece of the bat spun behind him, and the broken end hit the home plate umpire in the face after passing between the bars of his face mask.  Trout actually paused before running to check what had happened behind him (otherwise he might have had a double).  Fortunately, it sounds like the umpire only suffered cuts near his eyes and no actual damage to the eyes.

[TAC]

I heard about the ump getting hit with Trout's bat, but I assumed it was a follow through. WOW What a picture!

[pg1067]

Right?!

Apparently, it got him on the nose and near the eye.  He left the game under his own power, and the second base umpire/crew chief took over behind the plate.

[T-ski]

Astros have two immaculate innings with two separate pitchers against the same three batters…..

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ftw/2022/06/15/astros-pitchers-luis-garcia-phil-maton-immaculate-inning-same-game/50376297/

[pg1067]

That'd be cool if it weren't the Astros.

[Dream Team]

Wow Ohtani continues to be ridiculous. Now up to 28 consecutive scoreless innings with 40 punch-outs, going 5-0 in the process. 

[pg1067]

Seriously...the guy is 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.  The rest of the team is 30-41 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP.  They have a starting rotation that has been mostly intact the entire season, and which includes Ohtani and Noah Syndergaard, and yet they're 7 games under .500 in 4th place.  Trout's having a typical Trout season, Ohtani is likely to start the ASG as DH.  They've even gotten a breakout year from Taylor Ward.  But Anthony Rendon is going to miss the remainder of the season AGAIN, and is rapidly becoming one of the worst free agent signings since...ummm...the Angels signed Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols (in fairness to Pujols, signing him was fine, and he had a few good seasons with the Angels, but that 10-year contract was just an awful thing).

The organization is just inept as fuck.  Mike Trout is now in his 11th season as a full-time player (including 2021 when he missed most of the season to injury), and he's played in THREE playoff games.  He continues to profess that he wants to stay in Anaheim (where he's signed for eight more seasons after this one), but his great career is going to be wasted if he does (and it's going to be even worse if, as is being discussed, the Angels trade Ohtani).

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

[King Postwhore]

That is so true pg. 

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Mike Trout is a once in a generation player and his talent is going to waste in the Angels organization. Too bad he doesn't want to play for a team that wants to be competitive. I'd give up the farm to have him as the Giants center fielder.

[TAC]

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

When we went out there to go to Disneyland in 2015, we thought we'd see a game in Anaheim. But the Angels were out of town, so I asked my wife, what about seeing the Dodgers and she was cool with that.

I must say that going to Dodger Stadium that day was a tremendous experience. So glad we didn't have to settle for going to Anaheim Stadium (although I'd still love to see a game there).

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

When we went out there to go to Disneyland in 2015, we thought we'd see a game in Anaheim. But the Angels were out of town, so I asked my wife, what about seeing the Dodgers and she was cool with that.

I must say that going to Dodger Stadium that day was a tremendous experience. So glad we didn't have to settle for going to Anaheim Stadium (although I'd still love to see a game there).

I'd love to see a game in every stadium. I've only been to Candlestick, AT&T Park (aka Oracle Park), Safeco (or whatever they're calling these days), and Petco. Oh, and I've also been to Tropicana Field.....what a dump 

[pg1067]

Mike Trout is a once in a generation player and his talent is going to waste in the Angels organization. Too bad he doesn't want to play for a team that wants to be competitive.

I see what he's trying to do.  He wants to be a guy who spends his whole career with the same team, and that's something I really admire.  Guys like Ripken, Biggio and Helton all got/get "bonus points" from me for doing that.  Trout desperately wants to win...with the Angels...and I think the Angels want to win.  I just think Moreno is a terrible owner, and he's hiring guys who can't get the job done (they've also had more than their fair share of bad luck with injuries).

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

When we went out there to go to Disneyland in 2015, we thought we'd see a game in Anaheim. But the Angels were out of town, so I asked my wife, what about seeing the Dodgers and she was cool with that.

I must say that going to Dodger Stadium that day was a tremendous experience. So glad we didn't have to settle for going to Anaheim Stadium (although I'd still love to see a game there).

It's got to be different for someone visiting as opposed to someone who's lived here his whole life.  I don't remember ANYTHING about my first Dodger game as a kid, but I do remember not being able to find the car in the parking lot and crying...and, on subsequent visits, sitting in the car for an hour and not moving an inch trying to get out of the parking lot...and not being able to get into the parking lot and missing the first FOUR innings when the Red Sox played at Dodger stadium about 10 years ago.  I'd MUCH rather go to a Dodger game, but the location of the stadium and getting into and out of the place is a HUGE disincentive for me and a lot of folks (to say nothing about parking costing 3x as much as it does in Anaheim because the corrupt former owner of the Dodgers still owns the parking lots).

I'd love to see a game in every stadium. I've only been to Candlestick, AT&T Park (aka Oracle Park), Safeco (or whatever they're calling these days), and Petco. Oh, and I've also been to Tropicana Field.....what a dump 

I've listed mine before, but...

Dodger Stadium
Anaheim Stadium (Angels)
Candlestick Park (the original)
AT&T Park (or whatever the current home of the Giants is called)
Petco Park (Padres)
Coors Field (Rockies)
Chase Field (D-Backs)
Fenway Park
Yankee Stadium (the new one)
Citi Field (Mets)
Camden Yards (Orioles)
Nationals Park

And...after next Thursday...Wrigley Field!

That'll leave me with 19 to go.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Mike Trout is a once in a generation player and his talent is going to waste in the Angels organization. Too bad he doesn't want to play for a team that wants to be competitive.

I see what he's trying to do.  He wants to be a guy who spends his whole career with the same team, and that's something I really admire.  Guys like Ripken, Biggio and Helton all got/get "bonus points" from me for doing that.  Trout desperately wants to win...with the Angels...and I think the Angels want to win.  I just think Moreno is a terrible owner, and he's hiring guys who can't get the job done (they've also had more than their fair share of bad luck with injuries).

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

When we went out there to go to Disneyland in 2015, we thought we'd see a game in Anaheim. But the Angels were out of town, so I asked my wife, what about seeing the Dodgers and she was cool with that.

I must say that going to Dodger Stadium that day was a tremendous experience. So glad we didn't have to settle for going to Anaheim Stadium (although I'd still love to see a game there).

It's got to be different for someone visiting as opposed to someone who's lived here his whole life.  I don't remember ANYTHING about my first Dodger game as a kid, but I do remember not being able to find the car in the parking lot and crying...and, on subsequent visits, sitting in the car for an hour and not moving an inch trying to get out of the parking lot...and not being able to get into the parking lot and missing the first FOUR innings when the Red Sox played at Dodger stadium about 10 years ago.  I'd MUCH rather go to a Dodger game, but the location of the stadium and getting into and out of the place is a HUGE disincentive for me and a lot of folks (to say nothing about parking costing 3x as much as it does in Anaheim because the corrupt former owner of the Dodgers still owns the parking lots).

I'd love to see a game in every stadium. I've only been to Candlestick, AT&T Park (aka Oracle Park), Safeco (or whatever they're calling these days), and Petco. Oh, and I've also been to Tropicana Field.....what a dump 

I've listed mine before, but...

Dodger Stadium
Anaheim Stadium (Angels)
Candlestick Park (the original)
AT&T Park (or whatever the current home of the Giants is called)
Petco Park (Padres)
Coors Field (Rockies)
Chase Field (D-Backs)
Fenway Park
Yankee Stadium (the new one)
Citi Field (Mets)
Camden Yards (Orioles)
Nationals Park

And...after next Thursday...Wrigley Field!

That'll leave me with 19 to go.

I totally forgot I went to Coors field in 2019.

And I agree with the sentiment of Trout sticking with one team and trying to win. At the same time I think he absolutely deserves a world series win and I just don't see it happening with the Angels, for all the reasons you stated.

[TAC]

On the other hand, I quite enjoy scoring cheap tickets for games played 10 minutes from where I work in a stadium whose parking situation is 100x better than Dodger Stadium.

When we went out there to go to Disneyland in 2015, we thought we'd see a game in Anaheim. But the Angels were out of town, so I asked my wife, what about seeing the Dodgers and she was cool with that.

I must say that going to Dodger Stadium that day was a tremendous experience. So glad we didn't have to settle for going to Anaheim Stadium (although I'd still love to see a game there).

It's got to be different for someone visiting as opposed to someone who's lived here his whole life.  I don't remember ANYTHING about my first Dodger game as a kid, but I do remember not being able to find the car in the parking lot and crying...and, on subsequent visits, sitting in the car for an hour and not moving an inch trying to get out of the parking lot...and not being able to get into the parking lot and missing the first FOUR innings when the Red Sox played at Dodger stadium about 10 years ago.  I'd MUCH rather go to a Dodger game, but the location of the stadium and getting into and out of the place is a HUGE disincentive for me and a lot of folks (to say nothing about parking costing 3x as much as it does in Anaheim because the corrupt former owner of the Dodgers still owns the parking lots).

Yeah, I'm not on a baseball pilgrimage but when we go on vacation, if it's a sports city, we try and get to a game.
My wife is cool with it as long as I don't spend a ton of money on the tickets and we don't have to stay for the whole game.

In that last few years, we've seen games in LA (Dodgers), Denver, San Fran, and San Diego. Years ago, we saw the Diamondbacks during their inaugural season, and we've been to Camden.

We went to San Antonio a couple of months ago, but that trip was originally planned for January. We had tix to go to a Spurs game.

We've seen the Bruins twice in Tampa, and on Long Island, and have taken in a Magic game in Orlando.

[pg1067]

Yeah, I'm not on a baseball pilgrimage but when we go on vacation, if it's a sports city, we try and get to a game.
My wife is cool with it as long as I don't spend a ton of money on the tickets and we don't have to stay for the whole game.

That's why I don't take my wife and daughter to baseball games anymore.  I just cannot take the nagging, "when can we leave?"  The only exception was when I took my daughter to NYC and Boston a few years ago.  I told her the price of the trip was that we were going to a Red Sox game (she was a freshman at the time, so I wasn't quite comfortable leaving her in the hotel room).  She said, "fine, as long as I don't have to pay attention."  Fortunately, I was able to get what I thought were really good seats for a price which I'd have been ok with for just one seat.

[TAC]

Yeah, I'm not on a baseball pilgrimage but when we go on vacation, if it's a sports city, we try and get to a game.
My wife is cool with it as long as I don't spend a ton of money on the tickets and we don't have to stay for the whole game.

That's why I don't take my wife and daughter to baseball games anymore.  I just cannot take the nagging, "when can we leave?" 

Yeah, but we're on a family vacation. The baseball experience isn't really important to me anyway. To me, it's visiting these different stadiums and seeing some action and getting a nice family pic. It's understood that we're generally out of there by the 6th inning. I have no problem with that. My family is humoring me. My wife and kids are totally cool about it. There's no nagging.

[pg1067]

That's fair, Tim, especially when the understanding is there going in.

[Glasser]

My wife loves baseball as much as  I do. We go to a lot of minor league games as well.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

My wife loves baseball as much as  I do. We go to a lot of minor league games as well.

Yeah, I catch a number of Reno Aces games each year, since I live fairly close to Reno. It's always fun to bring the wife and make a day out of it.

[pg1067]

My wife loves baseball as much as  I do. We go to a lot of minor league games as well.

In 2018, my son and I went to NY and went to Yankees and Mets game.  We also took the Staten Island Ferry and went to a Staten Island Yankees game.  I thought it was a really cool ballpark.





We've also been to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers Single A) and Sacramento River Cats (at the time, A's AAA).

My wife loves baseball as much as  I do. We go to a lot of minor league games as well.

Yeah, I catch a number of Reno Aces games each year, since I live fairly close to Reno. It's always fun to bring the wife and make a day out of it.

A friend of mine was recently hired as the backup PA announcer for the Aces!

[Glasser]

pg1067

That's very very cool!!!! I enjoy going to Scranton to see the Railriders (Yankees AAA). Friendly and beautiful environment. I'm a Yankee fan but going to Yankee stadium literally sucks. The workers are all miserable and god forbid you try to get a pregame closer look at the field they treat you like a criminal. I watch those games from my comfy chair.

[TAC]

Typical Sox/Yanks. Tonight's game is 3 hours old, and we're still in the 6th!

[Glasser]

Typical Sox/Yanks. Tonight's game is 3 hours old, and we're still in the 6th!

Lol! I'm watching.... Can you guess my favorite play of the game? 

[TAC]

Then you must've loved the Little Leaguer the Sox called up to play First last night!