Random Baseball Musings

[Sammy Sofa]

Shhhhh, let's let him figure it out.

[OleMissCub]

Seems faulty.

 

Because he's looking solely at home runs or because he's comparing a 144 game season to a 162 game one?

 

Guess I forgot about the shortened season....dur.

[OleMissCub]

moving hurriedly past my negligent oversight.....How about we all joke about what an outlier Gonzo's 2001 season was?

[J.R.]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

[TruffleShuffle]

moving hurriedly past my negligent oversight.....How about we all joke about what an outlier Gonzo's 2001 season was?

 

i'm partial to brady anderson's 1996, when he went from nice leadoff hitter with really good on base skills and some pop to "wait this guy is going to hit 50 home runs?"

[USSoccer]

I bet my godfather $20 that Cecil Fielder would hit 50 HR whatever year that was.

 

That might be the last bet I won.

[UMFan83]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

[UMFan83]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

[Cubswin11]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

Yeah I think they were hoping to have the complete renovations/additions done by then and were going to try and get a special exception to not have it in and AL park that season.

[Guest]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

Yeah I think they were hoping to have the complete renovations/additions done by then and were going to try and get a special exception to not have it in and AL park that season.

 

Yep. Doesn't look like all of the renovations will be done, but they are attacking the clubhouse first and, according to ABTY, that was MLB's biggest issue with Wrigley as an all star venue.

[Guest]

http://www.uni-watch.com/2013/01/22/royals-forced-to-wear-brewers-road-uniforms-after-their-own-uniforms-are-stolen/

 

Awesome

[Guest]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

That would be two years after the 100th anniversary.

[UMFan83]

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130121/SPT04/301140041/Baseball-sources-All-Star-Game-coming-Cincinnati?nclick_check=1

 

Cincinnati will be handed the 2015 All-Star Game. The Mets get it this year, and the Nationals are expected to host in 2017. So the renovations should be long finished when Wrigley's next shot comes in 2019.

 

From what I've read the Cubs are still hoping to get the 2016 game for the 100th anniversary of Wrigley. Maybe that's changed over the last few days though. Who knows.

That would be two years after the 100th anniversary.

 

Sorry, 100th anniversary of the Cubs playing at Wrigley.

[OleMissCub]

Just came across this clip of pitchers blowing their arms out. Sick!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unF08R9YcOQ

[Derwood]

nope, can't make me click that

[imb]

Just came across this clip of pitchers blowing their arms out. Sick!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unF08R9YcOQ

 

Browning and Dravecky will be with me forever.

[Sammys Boombox]

This is a crazy fantasy land idea I came up with. Frankly, I'm surprised how much I like this considering I don't really like interleague play, want the NL to keep the DH and hate the new second wild card.

 

Here's my fantasy 32-team MLB (although if i was really going crazy I would also move Oakland and Tampa Bay to some other cities. The expansion cities were chosen because the proximity to a division that needed a team. And, yes, I know the Mets and Yankees would never go for a Brooklyn team.

 

Atlantic League

Division A

Phillies

Nationals

Orioles

Blue Jas

Division B

Mets

Brooklyn

Yankees

Red Sox

 

East League

Division A

Reds

Indians

Tigers

Pirates

Division B

Rays

Marlins

Nashville

Braves

 

Midwest League

Division A

Cardinals

Royals

Astros

Rangers

Division B

Cubs

White Sox

Brewers

Twins

 

West League

Division A

Mariners

Rockies

Giants

A’s

Division B

Diamondbacks

Angels

Dodgers

Padres

 

 

12 playoff teams. 3 playoff teams from each league (1 league winner, 1 division winner, 1 wild card winner). Each league winner gets a bye and home-field advantage for a best-of-five Division Series. Each division winner hosts all three games of a best-of-three Wild Card Series against a wild card winner.

 

Teams are seeded like this:

 

4 league winners: 1-4 based on overall record

4 division winners: 5-8 based on overall record

4 wild card winners: 9-12 based on overall record

 

No matter what division/league you come from 5 plays 12, 6 plays 11, 7 plays 10, 8 plays 9 in the wild card round. Like the NFL, teams are realigned based on seeding after each round. This way ANY two teams could play in the World Series even if they’re from the same division. This still allows for a crosstown World Series even though the teams are in the same division. Championship Series and World Series are best-of-seven.

 

DH in all leagues because it’s coming anyway, and a schedule where you play every team outside your league 3 games, every team in the other division in your league 12 games and every team in your division 14 games.

 

24x3=72

4x12=48

3x14=42

 

72+48+42=162

 

Each league is really a mega-division so don't get bent out of shape because the Cubs/Cardinals are in different divisions. It just means two less game per year. The main prize will still be getting the league championship because it comes with a bye. Winning your league will be much bigger than winning your division.

 

So how crazy am I?

[SouthSideRyan]

Depends on whether you are talking about an ideal situation or a realistic one that MLB would go for. Shortening the playoffs is a non-starter for the latter. Any realignment idea needs a minimum of 10 playoff teams at this point.

[jersey cubs fan]

You'd be better off with a team in NJ (Hudson County) than Brooklyn.

[Sammys Boombox]

Depends on whether you are talking about an ideal situation or a realistic one that MLB would go for. Shortening the playoffs is a non-starter for the latter. Any realignment idea needs a minimum of 10 playoff teams at this point.

 

I am ignoring the possibilities of something like this happening. This is just "if it were up to me."

[jersey cubs fan]

I think it's insane to hate the 2nd wild card but be all for such a overly convoluted set-up as the one you propose.

 

Also, Nashville?

 

Your East League is a cesspool of 2nd and 3rd rate MLB cities who will all suffer by not having any big drawing teams come to their stadiums. You want the Braves to play the Phillies and Mets 3 times per season? The White Sox to face the Tigers and Indians only 3 times?

 

You've just bankrupted half the league.

[Sammys Boombox]

I think it's insane to hate the 2nd wild card but be all for such a overly convoluted set-up as the one you propose.

 

Also, Nashville?

 

Your East League is a cesspool of 2nd and 3rd rate MLB cities who will all suffer by not having any big drawing teams come to their stadiums. You want the Braves to play the Phillies and Mets 3 times per season? The White Sox to face the Tigers and Indians only 3 times?

 

You've just bankrupted half the league.

 

Whoa, easy, just an admittedly fantasy land idea posted for discussion. Nowhere near perfect. For what it's worth if you assume we keep the current format of 30 teams I would still rather have only 4 playoff teams from each league, next I would prefer the 6-team playoffs and last I would prefer the 5-team. I don't think that's insane at all. Also, a 5-team playoff isn't so bad if it's a best-of-three and all three are played in the higher seed's park.

 

As I mentioned in the post expansion teams were chosen based on what division they fit into more than anything and I didn't put much thought into them. Still, I don't see why Nashville is such a terrible choice. I'm not going to say it's the best. I will admit it's unlikely, but that's not the point of this post at all.

 

It's not that convoluted. It's really no different than NCAA basketball except you are assigning a certain number of selections from each league and they are decided by record instead of a selection committee.

 

The Braves vs. Phillies/Mets are historical rivals. The White Sox vs. Indians/Tigers are historical rivals. This purposefully does not take those into account because after a few seasons of teams extremely close to each other duking it out for playoff positioning new (and better, imho) rivals will take shape. How many Braves fans do Mets and Phillies fans actually know?

 

Except for the Rays I would argue those cesspool teams would still get the same number of attractive matchups. Sure, the ones that were in the AL now get half as many home games against teams like the Red Sox and Yankees, but now they also get games against the Cubs, Cardinals, etc. that they didn't before. On the other hand, the NL teams now trade in games against Cubs and Cardinals for games against Yankees and Red Sox. I also think it would generate more interest in each of those series because they would only come to those cities once every other year instead of once a year. So, you basically get the same number of premium game opponents, they're just not the same ones you historically had. For instance, Cleveland would be within 4 hours of their entire division. The only team I see getting hurt in attendance would be Tampa Bay and like I said, I'd rather move them anyway.

[javy knows my name]

I think it's insane to hate the 2nd wild card but be all for such a overly convoluted set-up as the one you propose.

 

Also, Nashville?

 

Your East League is a cesspool of 2nd and 3rd rate MLB cities who will all suffer by not having any big drawing teams come to their stadiums. You want the Braves to play the Phillies and Mets 3 times per season? The White Sox to face the Tigers and Indians only 3 times?

 

You've just bankrupted half the league.

 

Hahaha, this is the Jersiest post that ever was.

[Guest]

So, like, I had forgotten just how good Andruw Jones was.

 

His WAR totals from his Braves years were ridiculous. From 97-2007, he put up 68.9 wins or 6.3 a year.

 

Guess that happens when you play CF extremely well and hit for very good power.

[sneakypower]

and he ate his way out of the HOF; hard to think of such a precipitous drop for a player by age 30 that didn't even involve injuries

 

best WAR for a player through his 20s, all-time

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=y&type=8&season=2012&month=0&season1=1871&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=20,29&filter=&players=0