[Other Sport] World Baseball Classic & Major League Baseball 2023

[ElectricNaz]

Ignore the actual baseball, I've just seen the Blue Jays have games where hot dogs are a dollar!!! Whaaaaaa

Sign me up for next season lol

(back to the baseball, I'm getting more nervous about the wild card round now!!!)

 

[Dave the OAP]

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

What happened to the Red Sox? Don't hate me, I've been to Boston a few times so picked them as my team.......

Fenway Park is a great baseball park. Visited it several times when I lived in NYC

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Fenway Park is a LEGENDARY baseball park. Visited it several times when I lived in NYC

On my bucket list for sure. Would love to see a game there, and at Wrigley.

Theres a group on FB that Im part of called Ballpark Chasers. Its for those who are trying to get to all 30 ballparks - and you have it officially stamped in a book by each club that you've been & done the game / stadium. Definitely something to think of doing in retirement!

One guy from the UK did all 30 ballparks in 35 days this summer...that is one helluva trip!

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

On my bucket list for sure. Would love to see a game there, and at Wrigley.

Theres a group on FB that Im part of called Ballpark Chasers. Its for those who are trying to get to all 30 ballparks - and you have it officially stamped in a book by each club that you've been & done the game / stadium. Definitely something to think of doing in retirement!

One guy from the UK did all 30 ballparks in 35 days this summer...that is one helluva trip!

As the oldest surviving MLB ballpark it just oozes history and class and you can feel the ghosts of the previous Red Sox giants. By comparison I found the new stadiums for the Yankees and the Mets very sterile and corporate.

 

[AZ Gull]

Well, all I can say is - thank god the season is done for the Padres. I know we have a few games left still, but now we are mathematically out of the post season race, Im not that bothered what happens from here on in. Time to start thinking what happens with this clubhouse in the off season.
What a truly bizarre year for the San Diego boys. Looking at OptaStats:

- a batter w/ 125+ walks & 35 HR (Soto)
- a batter w/ 25+ HR & 25+ stolen bases (Tatis)
- a starter w/ 200+ strikeouts & a sub 2.50 ERA (Snell)
- a reliever w/ 75+ strikeouts & a sub 1.50 ERA (Hader)

No other team in MLB history has had more than 2 of those 4 in one season. Yet we are sitting at 79-80.

Expected wins with our scoring record is 90-69. Should be locked into the playoffs right now, but left our best run (8-2) of the season until way too late!

W: 79

L: 80

.497

GB: 19.5

WCGB: 3.5

Last 10: 8-2

RS: 741

RA: 644

+97

ExpW: 90-69

The Padres can still make the play-offs! It ain't gonna happen but you're not (quite) out of it just yet!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

The Padres can still make the play-offs! It ain't gonna happen but you're not (quite) out of it just yet!

Yeah, maybe I jumped the gun a little bit...but its not happening - especially with all those scenarios needed!

 

[Badger]

Went to see the Blue Jays claim a much needed victory over the Yankees last night with 7 fellow Albion fans. We still haven't quite secured a Wildcard spot but a win tonight along with the Rangers beating the Mariners and I think we're in.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

Went to see the Blue Jays claim a much needed victory over the Yankees last night with 7 fellow Albion fans. We still haven't quite secured a Wildcard spot but a win tonight along with the Rangers beating the Mariners and I think we're in.

Any team which beats the Evil Empire is OK by me !

 

[AZ Gull]

Let's Go D'Backs!!!!

2-game sweep, on the road, of the NL Central winners Milwaukee Brewers. Arizona exceeded expectations this season just by reaching the play-offs (although they somewhat limped into the post-season, losing each of their last four games when they only needed one win to secure their spot and having to rely on the results of others, with their bats going stone cold). However, the match-up with the Brew Crew was probably the most favourable we could have.
This season Arizona have been dubbed the "Answerbacks" as they have had a tendency to immediately respond when they have fallen behind. This series emphatically demonstrated that: down 0-3 after 2 innings on Tuesday, the Answerbacks fought back to win 6-3. Wednesday they were behind 0-2 after the first inning but answered back to win 5-2.
Last season our bullpen was nothing short of a disaster. They weren't a whole lot better to begin this season, but through picking up the DFA'd Ryan Thompson from the Rays, promoting Andrew Saalfrank from within and trading for closer Paul Sewald from the Mariners at the deadline they have transformed themselves into a formidable unit. 9 1/3 scoreless innings across these two games - outstanding.

Bring on the Dodgers! No pressure on us, nothing to lose, we have momentum..... Beat LA! Beat LA!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Let's Go D'Backs!!!!

2-game sweep, on the road, of the NL Central winners Milwaukee Brewers. Arizona exceeded expectations this season just by reaching the play-offs (although they somewhat limped into the post-season, losing each of their last four games when they only needed one win to secure their spot and having to rely on the results of others, with their bats going stone cold). However, the match-up with the Brew Crew was probably the most favourable we could have.
This season Arizona have been dubbed the "Answerbacks" as they have had a tendency to immediately respond when they have fallen behind. This series emphatically demonstrated that: down 0-3 after 2 innings on Tuesday, the Answerbacks fought back to win 6-3. Wednesday they were behind 0-2 after the first inning but answered back to win 5-2.
Last season our bullpen was nothing short of a disaster. They weren't a whole lot better to begin this season, but through picking up the DFA'd Ryan Thompson from the Rays, promoting Andrew Saalfrank from within and trading for closer Paul Sewald from the Mariners at the deadline they have transformed themselves into a formidable unit. 9 1/3 scoreless innings across these two games - outstanding.

Bring on the Dodgers! No pressure on us, nothing to lose, we have momentum..... Beat LA! Beat LA!

Please do! Would like nothing more than to see the Dodgers head home early again this post season

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Seriously? - watching the Blue Jays game last night and they take Berrios out after 4 scoreless innings when he was all over the Twins batters...WHY??
Kikuchi comes in and gives up the deciding 2 runs immediately, and the Blue Jays are headed home. Kikuchi has been great as a starter this season without doubt, but that was a really odd decision to make the change at that point last night. Why not let Berrios go another 2 or 3 innings the way he was slinging the ball?

 

[ElectricNaz]

Schneider is a f***ing clown. Taking off Berrios was the dumbest decision I have seen in a long long time. Shapiro can go as well. What an utter waste of a season.

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

BBC Sport has revealed its plans to broadcast four consecutive Major League Baseball Postseason games this Saturday, 7 October.

Four games from the American League Division Series (ALDS) and National League Division Series (NLDS), known as the MLB Saturday Showdown, will air from 6pm on iPlayer, Red Button, and the BBC Sport App. These are the inaugural games from the two leagues, and are each part of a best-of-five series.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Phillies v braves this weekend could be a corker!

btw as Washington had to change redskins, how do the braves get away with it?

 

[Simster]

Seriously? - watching the Blue Jays game last night and they take Berrios out after 4 scoreless innings when he was all over the Twins batters...WHY??
Kikuchi comes in and gives up the deciding 2 runs immediately, and the Blue Jays are headed home. Kikuchi has been great as a starter this season without doubt, but that was a really odd decision to make the change at that point last night. Why not let Berrios go another 2 or 3 innings the way he was slinging the ball?

Schneider is a f***ing clown. Taking off Berrios was the dumbest decision I have seen in a long long time. Shapiro can go as well. What an utter waste of a season.

I watched last night. And yes, what an absolute twat. Mind you Vlad can also f**k off after we had 2 on, 2 outs and he wandered off base and got himself run out just when a hit would have got us back into it. Same goes to that f**king nob in the 6th who - with the bases loaded - ground out and allowed a simple double-play to end the innings.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

The downside of being a Jays fan is that you have expectations! As a Marlins fan, I had no faith whatever in our chances of getting past the Phillies so I wasn't disappointed. We'll never get anywhere until we bring back the teal, black and silver, and not just on Fridays!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Phillies v braves this weekend could be a corker!

btw as Washington had to change redskins, how do the braves get away with it?

Probably because Redskins was used as a derogatory term by whites...whereas Braves, Blackhawks, Seminoles etc are either actual tribe names, or considered a bit more "PC". Even the Cleveland Indians decided to change their name & logo to Guardians because of the way the name Indians could be taken in this day and age, and the logo was considered racist with the way it was drawn.

Mind you, the new Washington Commanders owners haven't ruled out a change back to the old Redskins name & uniform - and there has even been a law suit from a Native American group against them to start using the old logo & name once more, because the logo was an actual depiction of a tribal Chief & not a cartoon characterization.

"The name ‘Redskins’ carries deep cultural, historical, and emotional significance, honoring the bravery, resilience, and warrior spirit associated with Native American culture", the NAGA complaint states.

The Redskins were, it adds, "the only team in the National Football League (NFL) to honor an actual Native American."

Central to the NAGA argument is that the Redskins name and logo were inspired by real historic tribal leaders who played influential roles in American history and that this factual narrative was obliterated by the NCAI.

The franchise adopted the name Redskins in 1933 and, since 1972, the team logo was a portrait of celebrated late Blackfoot Chief John "Two Guns" White Calf.

Personally speaking, as someone who studied Native American Society & Art at Uni, I never had a problem with the Redskins logo, or the Indians name, although a case could be heard for changing the Washington name (I would've gone with Warriors tbh) & changing the Indians logo (just go with something similar to the Blackhawks and Seminoles which is a more lifelike image) IMO

 

[ElectricNaz]

The downside of being a Jays fan is that you have expectations! As a Marlins fan, I had no faith whatever in our chances of getting past the Phillies so I wasn't disappointed. We'll never get anywhere until we bring back the teal, black and silver, and not just on Fridays!

I have zero expectations tbf. Only time I really had any hope of a deep run and possible world series was ca. 2015/16

Only expectation I have is us to hit, and we couldn't even do that in the two games. As the comment above said, Vlad was a twat as well haha

 

[Simster]

I have zero expectations tbf. Only time I really had any hope of a deep run and possible world series was ca. 2015/16

Only expectation I have is us to hit, and we couldn't even do that in the two games. As the comment above said, Vlad was a twat as well haha

The 15/16 squad were a lot easier to warm to. Bautista and his batflip, Encarcion, Donaldson and so on - all great players. This lot are just a lot of well paid underachievers coached by a bit of a cock. We're basically supporting baseball's Everton (although actually I prefer Dyche to the Jays coach).