2015 Baseball season/Off Season Discussion

[TheBaconman]

That's what makes it so hard though. You have to go through 4 teams and beat each 4 times out of 7. In baseball you only need 4 wins twice. 3 once and one other if you're a wild card. The Stanley cup playoffs have plenty of drama. You are guaranteed to see many overtime games each round.

You can be a bottom feeder team in hockey and just squeeze into the playoffs....   So getting into the playoffs isnt hard    Then one of those bottom feeders can get hot in the playoffs and win the whole thing.   The Kings did it a couple of years ago

I agree there is great drama in the Stanley cup playoffs.   At least in the first round.  Usually by the third round I am loosing interest.   Hockey in June is not my thing

And there is zero drama leading up to the playoffs   Especially for teams that have already locked a spot

Soccers/footballs World Cup would also be high on my list

[tim_m]

That's what makes it so hard though. You have to go through 4 teams and beat each 4 times out of 7. In baseball you only need 4 wins twice. 3 once and one other if you're a wild card. The Stanley cup playoffs have plenty of drama. You are guaranteed to see many overtime games each round.

You can be a bottom feeder team in hockey and just squeeze into the playoffs....   So getting into the playoffs isnt hard    Then one of those bottom feeders can get hot in the playoffs and win the whole thing.   The Kings did it a couple of years ago

I agree there is great drama in the Stanley cup playoffs.   At least in the first round.  Usually by the third round I am loosing interest.   Hockey in June is not my thing

And there is zero drama leading up to the playoffs   Especially for teams that have already locked a spot

Soccers/footballs World Cup would also be high on my list

Not so great teams get in baseball too with the wild card. The new division format in the NHL has helped. They now have two wild cards. Both conferences had playoff spots going right down to the wire. Even the president's trophy winners last season didn't clinch until pretty late and they were the first to clinch. Only about 3 weeks prior to the season ending. You can have MLB teams clinch early as well. There's still plenty of drama in the later rounds too trust me. I watch every year and there were multiple overtime games after round 1 that where the winner moves on. That's drama.

[tim_m]

Wow tonight is not the Cards night is it Falcon? A  7 run first inning for the Pirates.

[Falcon]

Wow tonight is not the Cards night is it Falcon? A  7 run first inning for the Pirates.

This whole winning every night thing can be a drag, man..

Kidding aside, a couple of misplays in the first opened the flood gates, it happens.

[TheBaconman]

That's what makes it so hard though. You have to go through 4 teams and beat each 4 times out of 7. In baseball you only need 4 wins twice. 3 once and one other if you're a wild card. The Stanley cup playoffs have plenty of drama. You are guaranteed to see many overtime games each round.

You can be a bottom feeder team in hockey and just squeeze into the playoffs....   So getting into the playoffs isnt hard    Then one of those bottom feeders can get hot in the playoffs and win the whole thing.   The Kings did it a couple of years ago

I agree there is great drama in the Stanley cup playoffs.   At least in the first round.  Usually by the third round I am loosing interest.   Hockey in June is not my thing

And there is zero drama leading up to the playoffs   Especially for teams that have already locked a spot

Soccers/footballs World Cup would also be high on my list

Not so great teams get in baseball too with the wild card. The new division format in the NHL has helped. They now have two wild cards. Both conferences had playoff spots going right down to the wire. Even the president's trophy winners last season didn't clinch until pretty late and they were the first to clinch. Only about 3 weeks prior to the season ending. You can have MLB teams clinch early as well. There's still plenty of drama in the later rounds too trust me. I watch every year and there were multiple overtime games after round 1 that where the winner moves on. That's drama.

Like I said when it comes to hockey.  A lot of it has to do with my team not making the playoffs in 10 years.   It's hard to keep watching for myself when I have no vested interest in anything.   Plus May and June are not sit around and watch hockey time for me.   

It's not like the jays are playing hahaha

But the oilers will turn it around this year.   We drafted what is supposed to be the next great one

[tim_m]

That's what makes it so hard though. You have to go through 4 teams and beat each 4 times out of 7. In baseball you only need 4 wins twice. 3 once and one other if you're a wild card. The Stanley cup playoffs have plenty of drama. You are guaranteed to see many overtime games each round.

You can be a bottom feeder team in hockey and just squeeze into the playoffs....   So getting into the playoffs isnt hard    Then one of those bottom feeders can get hot in the playoffs and win the whole thing.   The Kings did it a couple of years ago

I agree there is great drama in the Stanley cup playoffs.   At least in the first round.  Usually by the third round I am loosing interest.   Hockey in June is not my thing

And there is zero drama leading up to the playoffs   Especially for teams that have already locked a spot

Soccers/footballs World Cup would also be high on my list

Not so great teams get in baseball too with the wild card. The new division format in the NHL has helped. They now have two wild cards. Both conferences had playoff spots going right down to the wire. Even the president's trophy winners last season didn't clinch until pretty late and they were the first to clinch. Only about 3 weeks prior to the season ending. You can have MLB teams clinch early as well. There's still plenty of drama in the later rounds too trust me. I watch every year and there were multiple overtime games after round 1 that where the winner moves on. That's drama.

Like I said when it comes to hockey.  A lot of it has to do with my team not making the playoffs in 10 years.   It's hard to keep watching for myself when I have no vested interest in anything.   Plus May and June are not sit around and watch hockey time for me.   

It's not like the jays are playing hahaha

But the oilers will turn it around this year.   We drafted what is supposed to be the next great one

Haha yeah that would help. We'll see they keep getting the top pick a lot the last few years and still suck. I think management needs a good ass kicking on that team.

[tim_m]

Finally the Yankees put an end to their losing streak.

[TheBaconman]

That's what makes it so hard though. You have to go through 4 teams and beat each 4 times out of 7. In baseball you only need 4 wins twice. 3 once and one other if you're a wild card. The Stanley cup playoffs have plenty of drama. You are guaranteed to see many overtime games each round.

You can be a bottom feeder team in hockey and just squeeze into the playoffs....   So getting into the playoffs isnt hard    Then one of those bottom feeders can get hot in the playoffs and win the whole thing.   The Kings did it a couple of years ago

I agree there is great drama in the Stanley cup playoffs.   At least in the first round.  Usually by the third round I am loosing interest.   Hockey in June is not my thing

And there is zero drama leading up to the playoffs   Especially for teams that have already locked a spot

Soccers/footballs World Cup would also be high on my list

Not so great teams get in baseball too with the wild card. The new division format in the NHL has helped. They now have two wild cards. Both conferences had playoff spots going right down to the wire. Even the president's trophy winners last season didn't clinch until pretty late and they were the first to clinch. Only about 3 weeks prior to the season ending. You can have MLB teams clinch early as well. There's still plenty of drama in the later rounds too trust me. I watch every year and there were multiple overtime games after round 1 that where the winner moves on. That's drama.

Like I said when it comes to hockey.  A lot of it has to do with my team not making the playoffs in 10 years.   It's hard to keep watching for myself when I have no vested interest in anything.   Plus May and June are not sit around and watch hockey time for me.   

It's not like the jays are playing hahaha

But the oilers will turn it around this year.   We drafted what is supposed to be the next great one

Haha yeah that would help. We'll see they keep getting the top pick a lot the last few years and still suck. I think management needs a good ass kicking on that team.

They got more than a kicking they got a firing

The oilers fired all the scouts.   Brought in a new president of hockey ops and gm and a new head coach.   Hope all those moves this summer helps

[JAEBALL]

Bacon... you guys gunna let us win at least one this time?

[GeorgeSteele]

Falc, who's team MVP for the Cards so far (other than the scouting hackers)?  Looking at the lineup, roster, staff... there are no holes anywhere. 

Tough to say although Matt Carpenter would probably be my pick if forced to decide.

Beyond him, it's the whole pitching staff (and Yadi) - dominant starters and lock down relief.

Wainwright gone, Holliday gone, Adams gone, Walden gone... who would have thought they'd be 33 over .500 - not me that's for sure.

Lotsa baseball left though, the Pirates are really good and the Cubs are on a roll.

EDIT: Here's a metric-centric article from Grantland that goes deep into the Cards reason(s) for success thus far:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-mlb-st-louis-cardinals-cluster-luck/

Good article, I love metrics analyses though I tend to be wary of them when they try to isolate things down to one cause.  Like in this case, I think the various theories given for how well the Cards are doing are probably all true to some extent, plus some other reasons that might not have been considered.

[tim_m]

Bacon... you guys gunna let us win at least one this time?

If we don't we're in big trouble.

[Falcon]

Falc, who's team MVP for the Cards so far (other than the scouting hackers)?  Looking at the lineup, roster, staff... there are no holes anywhere. 

Tough to say although Matt Carpenter would probably be my pick if forced to decide.

Beyond him, it's the whole pitching staff (and Yadi) - dominant starters and lock down relief.

Wainwright gone, Holliday gone, Adams gone, Walden gone... who would have thought they'd be 33 over .500 - not me that's for sure.

Lotsa baseball left though, the Pirates are really good and the Cubs are on a roll.

EDIT: Here's a metric-centric article from Grantland that goes deep into the Cards reason(s) for success thus far:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-mlb-st-louis-cardinals-cluster-luck/

Good article, I love metrics analyses though I tend to be wary of them when they try to isolate things down to one cause.  Like in this case, I think the various theories given for how well the Cards are doing are probably all true to some extent, plus some other reasons that might not have been considered.

Metrics are great, hardly the end all be all of analysis and evaluation but food for thought.

Unfortunately the delivery method by a few of the talking heads (Kenny, Law, etc...) is so condescending it takes away from the message and becomes white noise for me.

[tim_m]

Sad news coming out of Boston. John Farrell has stage one lymphoma and will not manage the rest of the year.

[pilferk]

Sad news coming out of Boston. John Farrell has stage one lymphoma and will not manage the rest of the year.

That is sad...i wish him and his family the best. Hopefully, since its stage 1, they caught it early and the outcome is good.

[pilferk]

Jose valverde suspended 80 games for ped use.

[tim_m]

Sad news coming out of Boston. John Farrell has stage one lymphoma and will not manage the rest of the year.

That is sad...i wish him and his family the best. Hopefully, since its stage 1, they caught it early and the outcome is good.

Yeah he says it's a very small contained area and has a great chance for a full recovery.

[TheBaconman]

Bacon... you guys gunna let us win at least one this time?

I have a feeling the Yankees may faker 2/3 of the games this series

[Falcon]

Sad news coming out of Boston. John Farrell has stage one lymphoma and will not manage the rest of the year.

Sad news indeed, great they caught it soon though.

My older brother knew Farrell in their days at Oklahoma State, he was a walk on and got to know Farrell before he got cut. 

Farrell was an absolute stud in college on some great OSU teams that spawned a ton of big leaguers, always rooted for the guy and will continue to do so.

[tim_m]

Sad news coming out of Boston. John Farrell has stage one lymphoma and will not manage the rest of the year.

Sad news indeed, great they caught it soon though.

My older brother knew Farrell in their days at Oklahoma State, he was a walk on and got to know Farrell before he got cut. 

Farrell was an absolute stud in college on some great OSU teams that spawned a ton of big leaguers, always rooted for the guy and will continue to do so.

Absolutely, wish him a speedy and full recovery. Cancer is nothing to mess around with.

[tim_m]

Well the Yanks and Jays game sure turned quickly.