2015 Baseball season/Off Season Discussion

[Falcon]

Meanwhile, the Cards have fired Scouting Director Chris Correa for his admitted involvement in the hacking scandal.

Make no mistake, this is a big deal - read more here:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-fire-scouting-director/article_b529088f-70c3-51c5-bab2-106afa1d2a12.html

CNN is reporting federal charges are pending on at least one Cards employee, odds are it's the name mentioned above.

[tim_m]

Meanwhile, the Cards have fired Scouting Director Chris Correa for his admitted involvement in the hacking scandal.

Make no mistake, this is a big deal - read more here:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cardinals-fire-scouting-director/article_b529088f-70c3-51c5-bab2-106afa1d2a12.html

CNN is reporting federal charges are pending on at least one Cards employee, odds are it's the name mentioned above.

The person or persons involved deserve everything they get for pure stupidity.

[Falcon]

So guys, does anyone give a flying fuck about the All Star Game and selections?

Not so much here...

[pilferk]

So guys, does anyone give a flying fuck about the All Star Game and selections?

Not so much here...

Not even one iota, really.

Currently listening to Mike and Mike talk about Arod being "snubbed".

Snubbed? Nahhhh...his numbers are borderline, anyway.  And he has no fielding ability, really, at all.  They're making something out of nothing...

[faldor]

So guys, does anyone give a flying fuck about the All Star Game and selections?

Not so much here...

It isn't nearly what it used to be, but I still enjoy the game itself. Hopefully the HR derby will be more entertaining this year with the changeover to timed rounds, instead of 10 outs. Pretty boring to see guys take 4 straight pitches in a HR hitting contest. As for the voting, the fans rarely get it right. It's nice to have fan participation and all, but it's basically a popularity contest. There are always going to be snubs though. Brock Holt has been a nice story for the Red Sox, and they haven't had a good season to this point. But Xander Bogaerts and Clay Buchholz are more deserving candidates. It's a flawed system for sure, but I don't see it changing as long as billions of votes are being cast.

[tim_m]

So guys, does anyone give a flying fuck about the All Star Game and selections?

Not so much here...

Not even one iota, really.

Currently listening to Mike and Mike talk about Arod being "snubbed".

Snubbed? Nahhhh...his numbers are borderline, anyway.  And he has no fielding ability, really, at all.  They're making something out of nothing...

I think you can make a case for him but as Yost said they already had 3 DH's. They didn't need another. A-Rod was simply the odd man out. It happens to several players every year. Some deserving just don't make it.

[TheBaconman]

So guys, does anyone give a flying fuck about the All Star Game and selections?

Not so much here...

It isn't nearly what it used to be, but I still enjoy the game itself. Hopefully the HR derby will be more entertaining this year with the changeover to timed rounds, instead of 10 outs. Pretty boring to see guys take 4 straight pitches in a HR hitting contest. As for the voting, the fans rarely get it right. It's nice to have fan participation and all, but it's basically a popularity contest. There are always going to be snubs though. Brock Holt has been a nice story for the Red Sox, and they haven't had a good season to this point. But Xander Bogaerts and Clay Buchholz are more deserving candidates. It's a flawed system for sure, but I don't see it changing as long as billions of votes are being cast.

I am looking forward to see the homerun derby as well, with the new changes...  The past few years have just been snoozers

[pilferk]

I think you can make a case for him but as Yost said they already had 3 DH's. They didn't need another. A-Rod was simply the odd man out. It happens to several players every year. Some deserving just don't make it.

I guess I just don't see the case. Certainly it's not overwhelming enough to look at the situation and get all worked up over Arod being "snubbed".  And this was NATIONAL level outrage..not just local NYC guys being homers.

Arods having a GOOD year.

There are DH's, in the AL, who are having better ones (Fielder and Cruz, specifically) AND those guys both have the advantage that...hey...they can actually play defense if they have to.

So you can choose to have a DH who can JUST DH...and who's numbers are actually less deserving than other candidates...or you can choose the guys with better numbers, overall, AND who can play defense.

Um...I don't see the case for Arod, honestly.

The only reason you consider A-rod is because of his name value and how surprising his season is ('cause lets be honest..nobody expected him to be hitting .280 with 15 HRs at the break).

SINCE MLB, in it's infinite wisdom, has decided to make the AS game actually count for something...that's not a good enough reason, IMHO.  If it was strictly an exhibition/spectacle....sure.  But not when you're trying to win (and lets face it, Yost has a pretty good shot at actually SEEING the benefit from an AS game win), not so much.

[GeorgeSteele]

^ I agree, on the merits, he doesn't have a case compared to Fielder and Cruz (maybe others as well).  I think the case for him is really more a case against the home field advantage gimmick and going back to the exhibition/spectacle route.  For example, Cal Ripken in 2001, wasn't really deserving that year, but it was cool to see him play SS one last time and awesome to see him crush that homerun.  A-Rod would certainly be a draw as well (but for very different reasons). 

[pilferk]

^ I agree, on the merits, he doesn't have a case compared to Fielder and Cruz (maybe others as well).  I think the case for him is really more a case against the home field advantage gimmick and going back to the exhibition/spectacle route.  For example, Cal Ripken in 2001, wasn't really deserving that year, but it was cool to see him play SS one last time and awesome to see him crush that homerun.  A-Rod would certainly be a draw as well (but for very different reasons). 

See, I think that's the route to go.  Go back to the "meaningless" version.

And kill the AL vs NL nature.

Fans vote in 22 players...11 NL, 11 AL....pretty much what they do now (8 position, 1 starter, 1 reliever, and one DH)

Two managers each get 12 more picks.

"Final Vote" gets each side (NL/AL) one more player.  That leaves a pool of 48 players.

And then...wait for it...DRAFT THE TEAMS.  Total fantasy style. Only rule is you can only draft so many pitchers (6 or 7 per team?).

Personally, I'd like to see someone OTHER than the managers do the drafting...just to keep it fun. And then the managers manage the teams they get (Red vs Blue).

I'd watch that!  Even if it were completely meaningless.

[GeorgeSteele]

^ I agree, on the merits, he doesn't have a case compared to Fielder and Cruz (maybe others as well).  I think the case for him is really more a case against the home field advantage gimmick and going back to the exhibition/spectacle route.  For example, Cal Ripken in 2001, wasn't really deserving that year, but it was cool to see him play SS one last time and awesome to see him crush that homerun.  A-Rod would certainly be a draw as well (but for very different reasons). 

See, I think that's the route to go.  Go back to the "meaningless" version.

And kill the AL vs NL nature.

Fans vote in 22 players...11 NL, 11 AL....pretty much what they do now (8 position, 1 starter, 1 reliever, and one DH)

Two managers each get 12 more picks.

"Final Vote" gets each side (NL/AL) one more player.  That leaves a pool of 48 players.

And then...wait for it...DRAFT THE TEAMS.  Total fantasy style. Only rule is you can only draft so many pitchers (6 or 7 per team?).

Personally, I'd like to see someone OTHER than the managers do the drafting...just to keep it fun. And then the managers manage the teams they get (Red vs Blue).

I'd watch that!  Even if it were completely meaningless.

Sounds good to me, put my name on that petition.

[tim_m]

^ I agree, on the merits, he doesn't have a case compared to Fielder and Cruz (maybe others as well).  I think the case for him is really more a case against the home field advantage gimmick and going back to the exhibition/spectacle route.  For example, Cal Ripken in 2001, wasn't really deserving that year, but it was cool to see him play SS one last time and awesome to see him crush that homerun.  A-Rod would certainly be a draw as well (but for very different reasons). 

See, I think that's the route to go.  Go back to the "meaningless" version.

And kill the AL vs NL nature.

Fans vote in 22 players...11 NL, 11 AL....pretty much what they do now (8 position, 1 starter, 1 reliever, and one DH)

Two managers each get 12 more picks.

"Final Vote" gets each side (NL/AL) one more player.  That leaves a pool of 48 players.

And then...wait for it...DRAFT THE TEAMS.  Total fantasy style. Only rule is you can only draft so many pitchers (6 or 7 per team?).

Personally, I'd like to see someone OTHER than the managers do the drafting...just to keep it fun. And then the managers manage the teams they get (Red vs Blue).

I'd watch that!  Even if it were completely meaningless.

That's what the NHL did this year. I don't like the make it an exhibition though. That makes the game a fucking joke cause no one tries to win.  Just look at the scores of the NHL all star game and the pro bowl.

[pilferk]

That's what the NHL did this year. I don't like the make it an exhibition though. That makes the game a fucking joke cause no one tries to win.  Just look at the scores of the NHL all star game and the pro bowl.

I'm OK with it being an exhibition/spectacle....much like the NBA All star game.

But that's just me. 

Because it's either THAT, or you make it meaningful (like it is now) and then have players expected to run hard, throw hard, and potentially get hurt in a game that may, but most likley will not, benefit their team.  And the managers make decisions based not on what the fans want to see, but based on the best way to win the game (without pissing off that players manager TOO much by overusing them, or getting them hurt).

It's trying to make one thing BOTH things right now, and it ends up failing at both, IMHO.

[tim_m]

The matter what they do there's gonna be people that are unhappy or players who don't make it that deserve to etc.

[faldor]

The MLB All Star game is the only one of the 4 major sports that I actually watch. It may have its faults, but it's better than it's competitors as far as I'm concerned.

[pilferk]

The MLB All Star game is the only one of the 4 major sports that I actually watch. It may have its faults, but it's better than it's competitors as far as I'm concerned.

I watch MLB and NBA.

Nobody watches the Pro Bowl.

The NHL's format has changed over and over again...I catch pieces, but I'm not a big pro hockey fan (since the Whalers left Hartford for Carolina)...so I'm not even sure what their format is, really.

I VASTLY prefer most things about the NBA's game.  No real defense, not running hard most plays, and just putting on a show.  There's SOME drive to win (especially when Kobe is playing), just for the sake of pride, but nobody is going to get hurt, it doesn't mean anything, and it's just a fun thing to watch.

MLB's is so hybridized, to me, it can't do either thing it tries to do all that well.

If they want it to "mean something", I say they put the DH rule up, for ALL of the following years inter-league (including WS) games.  If they keep AL vs NL format...if AL wins, DH rule is in place in all inter-league (no matter the park).  If NL wins, no DH rule (no matter which park).

Home field, IMHO, is too much.  MLB, though, says it's all about having huge advance notice for travel, etc.  Because, you know, no other sports league manages to figure that out during the playoffs.

[JAEBALL]

Having the all star game determine home field is one of the biggest travesties in all of sports right now. (not really... but this topic really annoys me)

Lets impact the world series... for a game nobody watches anyway... and if Kershaw and King Felix pitch on sunday... well they definitely can't play in the game...

It's such a hot mess.

[JAEBALL]

The MLB All Star game is the only one of the 4 major sports that I actually watch. It may have its faults, but it's better than it's competitors as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree... at least the other games understand that they are an exhibition only. The MLB all star game tries to be more... and it ruins it.

Plus the charm of the all star game went away with interleague play... it was cool to see Griffey when he was on Seattle go against Maddux and Glavine etc... but now these guys play each other all the time.

[faldor]

The MLB All Star game is the only one of the 4 major sports that I actually watch. It may have its faults, but it's better than it's competitors as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree... at least the other games understand that they are an exhibition only. The MLB all star game tries to be more... and it ruins it.

Plus the charm of the all star game went away with interleague play... it was cool to see Griffey when he was on Seattle go against Maddux and Glavine etc... but now these guys play each other all the time.

I agree that interleague play has made the All Star game less interesting, but I still far prefer it to the others. Was never into the Pro Bowl, obviously. And like pilferk, I haven't really cared about the NHL since the Whalers left Hartford. I used to love the NBA All Star game, but I've hardly watched it since the last time the Celtics were good, so it's been awhile. I don't think I've ever missed a MLB All Star game. Obviously I don't get as excited as I did when I was a young boy, but it's still worth watching to me. And I don't get all worked up over the home field advantage aspect. Unfortunately the year the game ended in a tie was an embarrassment and they felt the need to add an incentive for winning.

[Falcon]

Having the all star game determine home field is one of the biggest travesties in all of sports right now. (not really... but this topic really annoys me)

Maybe not a travesty, it's definitely the dumbest.

Plus the charm of the all star game went away with interleague play... it was cool to see Griffey when he was on Seattle go against Maddux and Glavine etc... but now these guys play each other all the time.

Agreed, novelty baseball has absolutely destroyed the allure - there's no more battle lines between the leagues.