MLB 2013!

[Bill W]

Can you believe Jeter came back from an injury only to break his ankle in a game?  I wonder if this will end his career? 

[Daddydavek]

ESPN mentions a current quad strain, the broken ankle was how he missed 91 games up until this week.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Daddydavek

[Krista]

Looks like Reds fans will be disappointed again this year.. Bleh.. they are back sliding to the low end of the NL Central.. if the other teams weren't completely atrocious, we'd be in real trouble as of late...

[Bill W]

Krista, I like the Braves winning, but I'm sorry Cinn was on the receiving end in this laut series. 

[Krista]

Krista, I like the Braves winning, but I'm sorry Cinn was on the receiving end in this laut series. 

 

I know.. last part of June and all of July has made it difficult to be a reds fan.. and 2x worse to be married to one... I just hope Aaron doesn't have some weird ritual that involves him stopping the sex until they start winning again... lol. (He is that die hard so I wouldn't put it past him) 

 

Oh.. and at least I do like the Braves - until they beat the Reds..

Edited July 14, 2013 by Krista

[Krista]

I should probably gloat whilst I can, the REDS nearly swept the Cardinals and have won 2 in a row against the Dodgers! Yayyy! Lol. 

[Daddydavek]

And I will gloat that we swept the Pirates and have sole possession of the NL Central!  

 

P.S. The NL Central is the hottest division in baseball all year.  Thanks to those pesky Reds and Bucs!

[MikeL]

Baseball is my game, but some strange things do happen.  Take for example Jason Villar's slide into Brandon Phillips' butt:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=15L7IjGASg0

Edited September 19, 2013 by MikeL

[Conner]

The first time watching that video I was paying attention to the butt action and never noticed that Philips made the tag.  Really an excellent play.

Poor Villar, not only did he get "butted", but was tagged out as well.  Thanks for this one, Mike! 

[Daddydavek]

Jay Leno featured it last night on the Tonight show posing the question of base runners sliding in headfirst or feet first and then played the video.  The best part was not only did the defender make the tag, BUT held onto the ball.

[Krista]

I saw it, I thought Phillips had time to do a proper tag.. but then again, Villar didn't have to raise his head to kiss the butt either..

[Daddydavek]

Looked at the MLB standings and those pesky Bucs and Reds are still nipping at out heels.  On the bright side it looks like 3 teams from the NL Central will be playing after the end of the regular season.  

[Conner]

Looked at the MLB standings and those pesky Bucs and Reds are still nipping at out heels.  On the bright side it looks like 3 teams from the NL Central will be playing after the end of the regular season.  

 

Definiely agree that these 3 teams will be in the playoffs.  It's been pretty much this way since the All Star break.  One of the highlights of this season.  I don't have a favourite here, but if I were a betting man, I'd have to go with the Cardinals based on their playoff experience.

 

Over in the AL, the "race" is for the 2 wildcard spots.  Tampa Bay and Texas have them right now but there are 4 teams who are doing the "nipping".  Cleveland is a half-game back, Baltimore is 2 games off the pace, Kanas City is 3 and the Yankees are 3.5 back.

[Daddydavek]

The AL Wildcard spots are definitely more fluid.  Texas has been in it the past several years and I expect they will claw their way in again.  I'd rather see Baltimore or KC than Tampa or the Yankees. 

[Bill W]

DaddyD, I don't think you'll have to worry about seeing the Yankees. 

 

Go Braves!  hehehe

[Daddydavek]

Braves have done well this season and have sewed up the NL East for sometime already!   After the Dodgers horrible start, they did well to win the west.   The Giants after winning it all last year were mediocre at best this year. 

[hh5]

i hear they are a moneyball team

DaddyD, I don't think you'll have to worry about seeing the Yankees. 

 

Go Braves!  hehehe

[MikeL]

The New York Times Sunday Review has an interesting opinion piece on baseball titled Is the Game Over.

 

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL is doing just fine. Unlike the N.F.L. and the N.B.A., it has been free of labor strife for nearly 20 years. It has more exciting young stars than I can ever remember. It has even achieved that elusive “competitive balance,” with seven different champions over the last decade. Teams across the country are playing in brand-new ballparks that they somehow persuaded local governments to help pay for. Over the last 20 years, baseball profits have grown from roughly $1 billion to nearly $8 billion.

 

The game, in other words, has never been healthier. So why does it feel so irrelevant?

 

[Daddydavek]

"The game, in other words, has never been healthier. So why does it feel so irrelevant?"

 

The above question tries to be interesting, but itself is irrelevant because who cares how this pseudo-intellectual New York newspaperman feels?   Healthy franchises see 3 million fans and more come out during the season and pay big bucks.  Cable TV and radio packages bring in billions more in revenue and while baseball does not have the crushing impact of an NFL hit, nor the fast pace of basketball or hockey, it is a game of nuance that still appeals to a significant group of Americans. So my reply is piss on your own shoes.   How many readers actually buy the NYT say as compared to 10 years ago and does that columnist  really want to compare the trend of newspaper revenues with baseball revenue?  

[Krista]

Well said! I have NEVER been able to watch Professional Football and Basketball, actually I dislike them both a lot. But Major League Baseball, I will watch, and I do enjoy.

 

But heh, even though the Reds have imploded and can't get a damn ball out of the infield, unless it is an outfield pop-up, I might stop watching that too. Hmph. Might save Aaron and I a lot of money in the swear jar.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Krista

[Daddydavek]

Well the Reds did manage a couple of homers on Tuesday night but it wasn't enough.  My condolences, but as a Cards fan I can't be too disappointed.....or too happy.  After all, now we have to face those pesky Bucs. 

[Conner]

There were a few Canadians in last night's game.  Joey Votto for the Reds and Justin Morneau and Russ Martin for the Bucs. 

[Daddydavek]

The ESPN poll of who would win the Cards vs Pirates series done after the Pirates Cincinnati game Tuesday favored the Pirates 58% to 42% for the Cards.

After today's game,  the ESPN poll as to who would win and in how many games, gave the Cards the edge 64% to 36%  with the majority saying the Cards in 4 games.

Amazing what a blowout win does to change perceptions as the Cards won 9-1 in game 1. 

[Krista]

Hmm.. I'm very conflicted about the outcome of the Pirates and the Cardinals... the way the Pirates fans are acting, it makes me sick.. lol. But as a Reds fan, I just cannot like the Cardinals. Very sad that the Reds his a really low spot at the end of the season. The Manager was axed too and they're thinking about trading one of their best players as well. I hope they don't completely implode on themselves, they were just starting to get good again.

 

As long as the National League wins it, I guess I don't care who.  

[Bill W]

I'm so sad.     My Braves bit the dust.  Now I know what the Cubs fans feel like every year.