General MLB 2011 thread for random game talk, juiced-baseball conspiracies, etc

i doubt it

that'd be a reached-on-error which aren't included in OBP

or the same status as reached-on-error at least, don't think passed balls/wild pitches are counted as errors in a box score

if the reds lose (they're down 3-1 in the 9th right now) and the cards win (they're up 5-3 in the 6th), there will be a 4-way tie for first between stl/chi/cin/mil. not sure why i'm so excited by this possibility 18 games into the season but hey

― ZERO TAXES (Z S), Wednesday, April 20, 2011 7:10 PM (3 hours ago)

TRUE PARITY ITT

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/baseball/mlb/04/21/expanded.playoffs.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

NEW YORK (AP) -- Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig expects the playoffs to expand from eight teams to 10 for the 2012 season.

MAKE IT STOP

http://imgs.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2011/04/24/042411-424x499-sportscorner.jpg

LOL

expanding the # of teams eligible to the # of teams - and years - that ever existed BUT IS THAT ENOUGH?

It makes me ill, after all the mouth/tongue/throat cancer in the league, to see players still dipping and chewing. wtf

fuck this expanded playoffs nonsense

the fact that there are playoffs AT ALL is an abomination and contrary to the spirit of the founding fathers

i hope eventually it's like soccer and there are reg. season trophies and playoff trophies and we just kind of treat them as two separate things.

that would be worst of all!

everyone gets an award!

no it wouldn't! would suppress any notion that they playoffs determine anything other than who was lucky enough to put together some wins in the playoffs.

morbius aren't you aghast at this watering down of "postseason stats"

yes, I fear all the Jeter and Pettitte ALL-TIME records will be smashed

srsly why have a 162-game season if a third of the teams are making it? they're probably putting in a one-game wildcard playoff, no?

I'm basically okay with adding a second wild-card team. That's about my limit--unfortunately, the slippery-slope principle suggests more and more teams will be added down the line. Career postseason records no longer have much meaning, and probably haven't for quite a while. But last year's postseason was pretty entertaining; I don't think the quality of postseason play was harmed by the introduction of the wild-card, and I doubt that it'll be harmed by a second wild-card team.

xp exactly; expanded playoffs only diminish the importance of the regular season, which is huge as it is.

if anything, they should be making the divisional round best-of-seven and the WS best-of-nine. try to take out a little bit of the variance in the game.

...without baseball lasting until Christmas.

When I'm World Dictator: four seven-team divisions, 162-game season, best of nine CS, best of nine WS, traveling Jeff Loria and Bud Selig dunk tanks, free ice cream for everybody.

don't get the Big Joe McGinnity-era 9-game WS suggestions, wtf?

i think it'll backfire on them pretty quickly ratings-wise when, say, a 95-win red sox or yankees wild card team loses the one game playoff to a 87-win oakland team

You can have your seven-game series as long as the dunk tanks and ice cream stay.

xpost

is it really going to be a one-game playoff??

decided by a coin toss.

home run derby imo

guys, how can the owners make more money unless the playoffs are expanded.

THINK ABOUT THE OWNERS HERE

I'm basically okay with adding a second wild-card team.

Just one more, bringing the total number of WC teams to two, i.e. total number of teams in the playoff per league to five? Do you suggest a bye round/play-in game?

I haven't heard Shulman say too many stupid things, but Ike Davis is the Mets' prime "untouchable," not Wright? He's wacky in Shastaland.

a) he's canadian
b) he's served his time as dick vitale's play-by-play man

so he's ok in my book

I guess b) means he won't be challenging Orel on "productive outs", being grateful he's not working with a talking-dog analyst anymore.

Do ILB'ers think in-market/out-of-market distinctions and "local" blackouts will last, or are they going the way of the dodo eventually?

justin.tv imho

I know about justin.tv; that wasn't the question.

eventually we're all dead

everyone's in a helpful mood today!

I think local blackouts and such will exist until the current model sustaining them collapses. I speculate that it will collapse (and they will subsequently ceases to exist) before baseball itself disappears, and sooner than Western civilization ceases to be, and sooner than humanity will cease to be. If I had to prognosticate I'd guess that we'll be done with blackout local games sometime before 2025.

and that'll be the least of our problems

mordy otm

betancourt made a crazy glove flip double play tonight

Do ILB'ers think in-market/out-of-market distinctions and "local" blackouts will last, or are they going the way of the dodo eventually?

― Stomp! in the name of love (WmC), Sunday, May 8, 2011 10:26 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

if you follow the logic behind blackouts it's pretty comical:

i can't view a local game online because it's blacked out, i also can't get to a tv set right now. that blackout protection is in place to prop up the nielsen ratings and make sure that online and portable devices don't erode those numbers. media buyers use those nielsen numbers (established in the 1960's) to determine the size of audience, and commensurate value and dollar amount they are willing to pay to reach that audience.

so an outdated broken metric plus the fact that no one knows how to consolidate online and mobile audience numbers into the tv viewership numbers is why you can't watch your local team wherever and whenever you want to.

Maury Brown from the Biz of Baseball has covered this issue very well for the last few years (also a map to see who get what):

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5155:mlb-extra-innings-and-mlbtv-consumers-deserve-better-treatment-by-mlb&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39

Since this is the beginning of the season, the annual rite of passage hits my in-box and Twitter feed. "Is MLB going to do anything about the blackout policy?" Here’s the short answer: No.

And, it’s not just, "No" this year, it’s likely to be years to come – maybe never – before the Lords of Baseball decide to do the right thing for its best customers. When asked if the topic of the blackout policy had been a serious topic for the owners to discuss as part of any recent agenda items, a high placed MLB source said, "It has certainly been a topic of conversation at owners meetings but it is a complicated issue with the regional TV networks that have contractual rights to specific territories."

To that I say, bollocks...

Was watching the Civil Rights Game ceremonies, and I think Jesse Jackson is losing it as far as cognitive abilities (shaddup Morbs). He did ok introducing Ernie Banks (though the intro was only one sentence), but kept trying to put a medal around Banks' neck while Banks was trying to get a hug and a handshake first.

Oakland general manager Billy Beane became the first MLB executive to issue a directive to a catcher on his team in the aftermath of the home-plate collision that ended the season of Giants catcher Buster Posey.

Beane told A's catcher Kurt Suzuki he wanted him to avoid putting himself in harm's way.

"I said to him, 'I don't want you planting yourself in front of the plate waiting to get creamed. You're an Athletic catcher -- be athletic,' " Beane told ESPN.

"I don't subscribe to the theory you should be a crash-test dummy," Beane said he told Suzuki. "I don't want to lose you for six months."

Beane said he joked with Suzuki that he can only think of a couple runs in major league history that would make it worth taking such a risk.

The directive, which Beane shared with A's manager Bob Geren, takes the onus off Suzuki, who will now not have to worry about criticism if he steps to the side and opts for a sweep tag.

There have been similar discussions in other organizations that have not yet been made public, according to major league sources.

As for any potential rules changes to protect catchers, which have been suggested by some after the Posey injury, an MLB source said there haven't been a lot of conversations in the league office, but that the Giants today reached out to discuss their ideas.

"you're an Athletic -- be athletic" would be a good season rolling thread title

mlb draft coming up in a couple days. kinda excited for it even tho my team is now controlled by mlb and unable to sign players over slot. that being said Ive read that the draft is crazy deep and I think we can still get value without "cheating".

http://www.plunkeveryone.com/

that's a great site.

lol

ANDINO DID 9(/29)/11

#Kevin_Goldstein
It's like something amazing happens every 93 seconds.

they should just cancel the playoffs

Walter Matthau as J0rdan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A2zB-e3mro

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg576/scaled.php?tn=0&server=576&filename=v38i.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640

Four games will be played on Saturday.

I know everyone's focused on the playoffs, but is there any point in doing an AL MVP poll? I figure the Boston players are probably officially out now (rightly or wrongly), leaving Bautista, Verlander, Granderson, and possibly Cabrera. I don't know if Verlander's a sure-thing, or if his missing 25 and the ERA title throws it back to Bautista or Granderson.

Yes.

By unanimous consent then.

this is slightly ott, but a nice summary video of last night in chronological order: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=19789807

can't-find-on-the-internet type question: Is there anywhere on the Web I can get all the 2011 regular-season game results on a single page in a more-or-less simple table? I've been through mlb, baseball-reference etc, but can at best find per week, per team etc.

may i ask why you're looking?

Easy import into excel for analysis etc. Historical seasons is easy because of Retrosheet; current season less so.

So is theo going to the cubs or no

Brewers-Tigers is the WS I'm hoping for btw.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/03/oh-good-a-j-pierzynski-to-be-a-part-of-foxs-world-series-coverage
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/03/oh-good-a-j-pierzynski-to-be-a-part-of-foxs-world-series-coverage
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/03/oh-good-a-j-pierzynski-to-be-a-part-of-foxs-world-series-coverage
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/03/oh-good-a-j-pierzynski-to-be-a-part-of-foxs-world-series-coverage
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/10/03/oh-good-a-j-pierzynski-to-be-a-part-of-foxs-world-series-coverage

still more likeable than joe morgan/tim mccarver/joe buck/almost every other baseball broadcasting personality

yeah the announcers have been terrible so far. the only decent one is Brian Anderson. maybe this is just because fans of the teams watch so many games and thus are exposed to so much more, but it's crazy just how often these guys are totally off base on just about everything. it's not enough that they suck at calling the games!

Joe Simpson is top-notch, you guys are crazy.

no one is as bad as chip caray was a few years ago

No argument there. He's a little improved, but still not very good. Fewer Mister Haney impressions, at least.

Watching the Rangers-Rays game, I realize I'm close to the point where Buck Martinez's voice is nails-on-a-chalkboard for me, maybe because I've put in extra time with him on local Jays broadcasts.

yeah the announcers have been terrible so far. the only decent one is Brian Anderson. maybe this is just because fans of the teams watch so many games and thus are exposed to so much more, but it's crazy just how often these guys are totally off base on just about everything. it's not enough that they suck at calling the games!

― frogbs, Monday, October 3, 2011 5:46 PM (53 minutes ago) Bookmark

I've liked him fine during Brewers telecasts, but he has been absolutely terrible during the ALDS.

Would Jason Giambi make a good commentator? He's got to be approaching the end (though all signs point to him being on the Rockies' 25-man in 2012) and seems to be full of personality - I understand he's one of the most popular players in the locker room.

I'm 100% in favor of Giambi as commentator if he throws "Your wish is granted, long live Giambi" out there at least once a day.

I've liked him fine during Brewers telecasts, but he has been absolutely terrible during the ALDS.

how so? tbh I thought the ones going the NLDS for Milwaukee/Arizona were awful because they knew absolutely nothing about the teams but kinda yammered on about them anyway, at some point just making things up. I suppose I wouldn't really know if the other announcers were doing the same things...

Michael Kay -- I mean Brian Anderson -- on Garcia having to remove a bracelet:

"...the Tigers searching for any possible advantage..."

― A Chuck Person's Guide to Mark Aguirre (Andy K), Sunday, October 2, 2011 3:37 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

Also, Brian Anderson: Tiger Stadium has been demolished. The Tigers do not play there.

― A Chuck Person's Guide to Mark Aguirre (Andy K), Sunday, October 2, 2011 3:39 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

Cabrera ranging too close to second has been a "constant theme for the Tigers this year." Probably the first time I've seen it happen all season. It was a problem when Cabrera first converted from third, though (years ago).

― A Chuck Person's Guide to Mark Aguirre (Andy K), Sunday, October 2, 2011 3:57 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

He wasn't bad for game three, but there are several other things I could have posted about, including his reaction to Russell Martin making a routine block on a pitch in the dirt. Something like "For a catcher, that's like hitting a home run!" It's not like preventing a runner from advancing?

Yeah I admit that what he says doesn't really line up with the facts sometimes but really very few announcers do that. I like BA because he has a good sense of the moment and has a good voice for TV, plus he can inject a little humor sometimes which is always welcome (at least, on the Brewers broadcasts). A lot of national announcers may not be terribly different but they don't really have "the voice". He's always struck me as fairly knowledgeable though. I guess it must be hell to have to suddenly announce another team as there are so many things to learn. It annoyed me on the NLDS broadcasts because the announcers were giving shit to the Brewers for doing things like "watching their home runs", c'mon nobody on the Crew does that (outside of Braun's big one that clinched a playoff berth), that's the Cardinals! I mean you can give them shit for untucking years ago, or the "beast mode" thing, or whatever Nyjer Morgan does, but come on, if you're gonna rail on a team at least get the facts right