spring training 2017

the eternal question: does it really take 48 days to prepare for a baseball season

not if you're in The Best Shape of Your Life

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/60ef49691bd585bb63425be0a2cc2374c425f282/c=0-0-3024-4032&r=537&c=0-0-534-712/local/-/media/2017/02/13/DetroitNews/B99498354Z.1_20170213101528_000_GCD1BTAR2.1-0.jpg

Matt Harvey can feel his hand again

http://www.newsday.com/sports/matt-harvey-mets-hoping-for-healthy-drama-free-2017-season-1.13116509

alex reyes is likely out until 2018 because tommy john is demanding to perform surgery on him

i'm really disappointed, not just because he was obviously going to be a key part of the cardinals' season, but also because he is really fun to watch pitch. on a team with stacked with kind of boring 2.2 WAR types, reyes (and carlos martinez) really stood out for his potential to just obliterate the competition on any given day.

on the plus side, he's on the 40-man now so he can toke up and only get fined

it's a version of the american dream

@ChrisCotillo
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria being pushed by WH Chief of Staff Reince Priebus as candidate for Ambassador to France, according to @nypost.

perfect

dear france,

*bloody shit liquid dripping out of a skull*

- USA

enjoy!

http://www.sbnation.com/2017/2/10/14577044/bartolo-colon-video-trailer-atlanta-braves-omg-feels-all-the-feels

http://arizonasports.com/story/1025340/former-diamondbacks-gm-dave-stewart-trade-dansby-swanson-shelby-miller/

the smell of the grass, the crack of the bat, goose gossage yelling at clouds . . . baseball is really back

man, goose is like every stereotypical baseball dumbass, rolled up into one person

need to try to get him for the SABR con in NYC this year

@cmccosky
Don Kelly is on the field and in uniform. Not sure if he was just signed to minor league deal or not. Nothing official.

‏

@cmccosky
Don Kelly is warming up with the coaches, so...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5SY5HSWEAQ4BL-.jpg:small https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5SY_ZGWEAEbIJb.jpg:small

never been prouder of my cardinals colby rasmus jersey

he looks like he's from another age, not a previous one, just an alternate timeline

@dick_nixon
There's baseball on the radio Friday but the Commissioner is a goddamn kook who wants to turn it into God knows what.

LET'S DIG IN

http://www.springtrainingonline.com/features/master-schedule.htm

lineups, first pitch, baseball

running thru Boston lineup, Mets radio guy Josh Lewin said "They found Allen Craig."

sorry, it was Wayne Randazzo

(who said it, not who is at 1b)

aaron judge very nearly hit one over the scoreboard at george m. steinbrenner field

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C5sNi93WcAIt-bj.jpg:small

red sox and cardinals both wearing red = classic spring training

I just turned on the HOU-WAS game and the commish is in the booth. "The fans who are not here are more important than the fans who are here." Sweartagod.

the twins are losing 19-0 in the eighth and have not had a runner reach base

"The fans who are not here are more important than the fans who are here."

The Chuck Schumerization of MLB

good luck San Diego grounds crew

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/2/28/14761944/petco-park-san-diego-padres-flooding-photos-mlb

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/18791367/tim-tebow-relentless-pursuit-failure

gonna put this here too

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/69972428/v1228729083/mianym-guillorme-catches-hechavarrias-errant-bat/?cid=mlb

@CSNHayes
Fun fact: #WhiteSox catching prospect Zack Collins said he was named after 'Saved by the Bell's' Zack Morris.

@whitesox
The #WhiteSox have requested waivers on infielder Brett Lawrie for the purpose of granting his unconditional release.

Wow. And dude is only 27? The hell happened?!

@AnthonyDiComo
Tim Tebow is going to start Wednesday's game against the Red Sox at designated hitter. He'll face reigning AL Cy Young Rick Porcello. #Mets

that's only bcz of the WBC exodus, GODDAMMIT

haha DiComo *hates* having to talk about Tebow

perhaps bcz TT is a nothingburger who is going nowhere

Watching BOS-NYM because TIM TEBOW YEEEEEEHAWWWW THANK YOU JESUS and it it my imagination or has Terry Collins put on about 50 pounds in the offseason?

struck out looking. disappointed that porcello didn't plunk him

His swing didn't look quite... pro level.

@TheTomasRios
All pitchers should take on the group project of figuring out what's the slowest fastball they can consistently get past Tebow.

@DPLennon
Tebow bounces into a DP, run scores, trots off to a standing ovation. #Mets

like, it's interesting to watch someone who is ostensibly a good/capable athlete attempt to put ball to bat (nevermind field).

also, as a no-skill observer I'm watching his warmup swings and it's so obvious that motion and timing isn't going to work

he looks better at the plate than a lot of pitchers but he can't catch up to an average pro fastball and has no clue what to do with a breaking ball. he has no experience recognizing pitches and that can't be made up by hitting off a machine

the whole thing is just so bizarre. there are a lot of super-christian ballplayers! no one gives ben zobrist a standing ovation for grounding into a double play or would salute him for having the courage to try out for an NBA team. i guess tebow's ineptness somehow ties into evangelicals' persecution complex? so weird

@BryanHoch
Clint Frazier had his hair buzzed this morning. He said that he talked to Joe Girardi and they agreed it had become a distraction.

maybe . . . the yankees having a stupid policy is the real distraction

yankees being a bunch of fun hating dicks seems to be a theme this off/pre-season

or a mantle they decided to pick back up after being too boring for people to care about the last 4 years?

@BryanHoch
New York baseball for March 10, 2017: Clint Frazier gets a haircut, Tim Tebow catches a fly ball.

@cmccosky
Zimmermann: 1.1 IP, 5H, 5ER. 47 pitches, 28 strikes.
Translate from German

"Shit"

@AnthonyDiComo
Leading off the bottom of the third inning, Tim Tebow has stepped into the correct on-deck circle. #progress

jays reliever tj house took a line drive to the head and it sounds bad

orioles re-signed pedro alvarez . . . to play the outfield lol

is anyone else seeing millions of "chatting cage" commercials when watching on mlb.tv?

is it just me or is the level of quality roughly middle-school? it's clear that's it's edited down from another video because every version of the commercial (whether it's correa, arenado,etc) features a third window where some random dude who presumably is the intermediary for the "chat" just sits by his computer screen and watches and smiles and nods. he never says anything even though he is a recurring character. in one, some innocent kid asks george brett "what emotions were going through your head when you won the world series?", and brett starts his answer with "the biggest emotion was that we didn't have a game the next day, thank god," and goes on to a long rant about how long the season was and how he mainly just was glad that the long season was over, and he felt good about the season being over. that's it kid, that's what success looks like, you're just like "fuck it, i'm finally done. fuuuuuck" (brett isn't wrong but it's weird to watch the little kid's reaction to the answer as it goes on. AND the fucking literal third wheel guy smiling at brett and nodding at his computer screen, off in some weird desert bunker probably.

at least brett doesn't tell his pants shitting story, i'll give him that.

@cmccosky
Oh boy, on his 40th pitch of the first, Zimm gets a pop up in front o the plate that McCann dropped. Zimm is done. Logan Kensing in

Having a fun spring.

@EddieInTheYard
Chris Dickerson breaks up no-hitter with single to RF with one out in the 9th. #Orioles #Phillies

@brianmctaggart
Players on 40-man, like Moran, Reed, White and Hernandez, have 72 hours to report to Minor League camp.

optional three days off before walking to the back fields

i like to imagine the meetings taking place in 30 different clubhouses this time of year as each team designs its new On-Base Hand Gestures

@McCulloughTimes
Kenta Maeda on his minor-league outing: "Did you watch?"

Me: "No."

Maeda: "I struck out everybody. Every single guy."

cubs beat the reds 22-4 today, including a grand slam by someone named "bijan rademacher"

feel like within the last two years or so i've come across several adult bijans, few of whom seem obviously persian

raise the jaymcsignal

Rougned Odor extended by Texas: six-year deal for $49.5 million

@sdutdennislin
Jhoulys Chacin will start opening day. Will be followed by Clayton Richard and Jered Weaver.

i feel like there is a baseball hat thread but search is broken.

what hat should I get from here? I won a gift certificate for a baseball hackathon lol.
http://www.ebbets.com/category/ballcaps

I am leaning towards Tabasco Bananas b/c that name is incredible.

question mark is pretty unbeatable imo
friend of mine has the kitty face one, it's nice

walla walla

i liked question mark but then I don't want to be the riddler.

Nats have a closer

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/blake-treinen-is-going-to-close/

Jenifer Langosch ✔ @LangoschMLB
#STLCards roster plans have changed: Trevor Rosenthal will begin season on DL (right lat strain). Sam Tuivailala recalled from Memphis.

@joe_sheehan
Watching Dusty Baker run a high-maintenance bullpen is going to be fun.