General Baseball Chit-Chat Thread

[David]

how the hell did i not realize that SF has their bullpens on the field like wrigley used to

[Cubswin11]

how the hell did i not realize that SF has their bullpens on the field like wrigley used to

Lol. I think it was them or original petco (now fixed) that literally forgot to design bullpens in when they were built so had to make shift it.

[David]

how the hell did i not realize that SF has their bullpens on the field like wrigley used to

Lol. I think it was them or original petco (now fixed) that literally forgot to design bullpens in when they were built so had to make shift it.

 

Myth but yeah that's the story (for SF).

 

They were imitating Wrigley.

[imb]

Theo talking to SI about working on a Curt Schilling extension

 

Theo Epstein: So we were negotiating back and forth. He had fired his agent and he was representing himself. We were negotiating a contract extension back and forth.

 

PMT: That’s a mismatch. (Laughs)

 

Theo Epstein: Yeah, that’s what I thought. I thought we were doing pretty well in the negotiations. So we reach a deal. We’re happy with it and we go back to print it out in his little home office. We were using his computer and his printer to print it out and there on his desk is a well-worn dog-eared copy of the book Negotiating for Dummies…Every time he was pretending to go to the bathroom, he was running back and looking at that book.

[Sammy Sofa]

Cubs dominating just in time to solve baseball's lack of an identity:

 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19074938/where-all-mlb-superstars-gone

 

Between November and February, that firm surveyed more than 6,000 American sports fans, age 12 and older. If you don't count Tim Tebow (please don't) or Bo Jackson, guess the only three baseball players who showed up among America's 50 favorite pro athletes?

 

There was Derek Jeter, at No. 13. He hasn't played a game in 2½ years. Next came Babe Ruth, at No. 30. He's the only name on the list -- in any sport -- who hasn't appeared in a game for more than eight decades. And finally, you get to Pete Rose, at No. 50. The Hit King last played in the big leagues 31 years ago -- and he has been suspended from his sport for the last 28.

 

So there you have it. America's three favorite baseball figures: Guys who have been dodging the box scores for a combined 116 years.

 

The first active player who shows up on this list is Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo at No. 51. He can thank that raging epidemic of Cubs Fever.

 

In baseball's defense, respondents were invited to name either active or retired athletes. So the still totally retired Michael Jordan ranked as America's favorite basketball player (and favorite any kind of player, for that matter). And the no-longer-playing Peyton Manning was our nation's second-favorite football player (behind Brady).

 

But 15 active NFL-ers, six active hoopsters, two soccer stars (Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo), two tennis legends (Serena Williams and Roger Federer), one swimmer (Michael Phelps), one hockey player (Sidney Crosby), one sprinter (Usain Bolt), one race car driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), one mixed martial artist (Conor McGregor) and one Tiger (Woods) all make appearances on this list before a single active baseball player.

 

Oh, and one more thing: In polling 17,908 American sports fans on the same question between January and December 2016, the response was pretty much identical. The only significant variation: David Ortiz (at No. 23) was the one other baseball player to crack the top 50. But Jeter, who was just as retired last year as he is this year, was still the top baseball name on the list at No. 12.

[jersey cubs fan]

[tweet]

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[Banedon]

Cubs dominating just in time to solve baseball's lack of an identity:

 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19074938/where-all-mlb-superstars-gone

 

Between November and February, that firm surveyed more than 6,000 American sports fans, age 12 and older. If you don't count Tim Tebow (please don't) or Bo Jackson, guess the only three baseball players who showed up among America's 50 favorite pro athletes?

 

There was Derek Jeter, at No. 13. He hasn't played a game in 2½ years. Next came Babe Ruth, at No. 30. He's the only name on the list -- in any sport -- who hasn't appeared in a game for more than eight decades. And finally, you get to Pete Rose, at No. 50. The Hit King last played in the big leagues 31 years ago -- and he has been suspended from his sport for the last 28.

 

So there you have it. America's three favorite baseball figures: Guys who have been dodging the box scores for a combined 116 years.

 

The first active player who shows up on this list is Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo at No. 51. He can thank that raging epidemic of Cubs Fever.

 

In baseball's defense, respondents were invited to name either active or retired athletes. So the still totally retired Michael Jordan ranked as America's favorite basketball player (and favorite any kind of player, for that matter). And the no-longer-playing Peyton Manning was our nation's second-favorite football player (behind Brady).

 

But 15 active NFL-ers, six active hoopsters, two soccer stars (Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo), two tennis legends (Serena Williams and Roger Federer), one swimmer (Michael Phelps), one hockey player (Sidney Crosby), one sprinter (Usain Bolt), one race car driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), one mixed martial artist (Conor McGregor) and one Tiger (Woods) all make appearances on this list before a single active baseball player.

 

Oh, and one more thing: In polling 17,908 American sports fans on the same question between January and December 2016, the response was pretty much identical. The only significant variation: David Ortiz (at No. 23) was the one other baseball player to crack the top 50. But Jeter, who was just as retired last year as he is this year, was still the top baseball name on the list at No. 12.

 

Jason Stark was all worried about baseball not having a "face" yesterday on twitter. Brandon McCarthy and Len Kasper both made arguments that it's because baseball is way more regional than other sports. With the NFL, in particular, you see a lot more of the other teams around the league other than just your team. Sure, plenty of baseball fanatics see plenty of other teams, but your casual fans less so.

 

The argument being that the "face" of baseball is more about the "face" of your team, or at least your region. And also that that's ok.

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't think it's something "wrong" with the sport; most great baseball players usually being boring schlubs isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just is what it is, and hopefully this is yet another area the Cubs can capitalize on by being awesome while having a bunch of young, likable, charming dudes making up most of their roster.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't think it's something "wrong" with the sport; most great baseball players usually being boring schlubs isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just is what it is, and hopefully this is yet another area the Cubs can capitalize on by being awesome while having a bunch of young, likable, charming dudes making up most of their roster.

It's not about them being schlubs as much as it's about the sport being a regional sport. Football fans watch most football games and see the biggest stars all the time. They bet on all games and play fantasy with all the players.

 

Nobody plays fantasy baseball, the games are played every day on regional networks and as has been said repeatedly, the very best hitters make an out the majority of the time they are at the plate and the very best player has very little input into his team's success. The only national games are broadcast on summer weekend nights and people aren't watching games their team is not playing in. Baseball does fine drawing people to parks every day and drawing eyes to their disparate networks every night. They just don't have a centralized national policy of engagement with fans.

[Sammy Sofa]

I agree about how it's been, but I think a lot of things are changing for the better and pro baseball isn't going to stay as relatively regional and "obscure" as it has been thanks to MLB slowly but surely wising up with things like online clips and MLB TV and the network, and so many younger players rejecting the "unwritten rules" [expletive] that makes everyone so boring. Most of the best guys for years and years have had the personality of a cheesecloth, due in no small part to how willfully boring and well-behaved baseball has tried to be for so long. I don't think it's any coincidence that things like Joey Bats' epic bat toss get so much more attention than, say, Mike Trout's entire existence. As the game ages out of the sticks up its butt I think you'll see more players getting individual attention. Of course, dumb horsefeathers like the blackout rules doesn't help, but even with that, nothing is really all that "regional" in this day and age. That seems more like a dying leftover of a different time than something that is strongly persisting.

[jersey cubs fan]

nothing is really all that "regional" in this day and age. That seems more like a dying leftover of a different time than something that is strongly persisting.

 

I strongly disagree.

 

Things are more regional and decentralized than ever and that trend isn't going away.

 

Baseball thrives on local fans supporting the local team. You are not going to get a bunch of kids screaming about the Lebron of the MLB or the Tom Brady of the MLB because there will never be such a thing. In sports where the best players are often on the best teams and play in the championship games every year, it's possible for kids around the country to all fall in love with the same guy. That will never happen in baseball, and that should not be a goal of baseball.

 

A kid falls in love with his local team by seeing them play on TV every day and attending a handful of games. Sure, it's possible for a kid in New Jersey to grow up a Cubs fans or a kid in LA to grow up a Phillies fan. But it would take a strange set of circumstances for that to happen and it's not going to be by randomly falling in love with a specific player that everybody else loves as well.

 

The bottom line is talking about the fame of any individual players is a terrible and stupid way to judge the health of the league.

[Sammy Sofa]

Epic triple post. Edited April 6, 2017 by Sammy Sofa

[Sammy Sofa]

I work hard, and I post hard. Edited April 6, 2017 by Sammy Sofa

[Sammy Sofa]

I think you could argue pretty well that someone like Jeter and Brady are pretty similar figures/celebrities relative to their respective sports. Griffey is a good example of a singular player who became one of those next level-type figures. It's hardly impossible, and personally, I think you're going to see more guys along those lines as the game goes forward.

 

I don't know if you think I'm agreeing with everything Stark is saying, and I don't; I just agree that baseball has had a dearth of big time marketable players for a while (but I don't think this is necessarily terrible or pointing towards a bad fate for the sport; I just agree in that it's a thing that has been going on for a while that wasn't always the case) and I'm optimistic the Cubs can help change that. I think "the health of the game" or whatever is fine; it's not going to go south if it keeps chugging along without big national stars. I just like the idea of seeing those types of guys again, and I like the idea of the Cubs supplying them.

[biittner77]

The NBA has marketed players over teams for as long as I can remember. They can do that because there's only 5 guys out there at a time. Baseball has never really tried to market star players. They haven't really ever tried to market teams. They've always been "Here's our game, cheer for the team that you're parents love". It's fair to question how long that can last. None of my 3 kids like baseball very much.

[David]

happened upon this incredibly bizarre and very stupid take

 

[tweet]

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[Tim]

WTF is a restricted free agent in baseball?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

WTF is a restricted free agent in baseball?

 

A telltale sign not to click a link.

[jersey cubs fan]

WTF is a restricted free agent in baseball?

 

A telltale sign not to click a link.

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[Banedon]

WTF is a restricted free agent in baseball?

 

A telltale sign not to click a link.

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

Haha, that's....nothing.

[Splendid Splinter]

WTF is a restricted free agent in baseball?

 

A telltale sign not to click a link.

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

Uhh??? Nothing about being a restricted FA. Also that other rule at the bottom is something I've never heard of though. Is that new or has it always been there?

 

I hope you pointed it out to him that article says absolutely nothing about a restricted FA.

[Banedon]

[David]

 

A telltale sign not to click a link.

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

Uhh??? Nothing about being a restricted FA. Also that other rule at the bottom is something I've never heard of though. Is that new or has it always been there?

 

I hope you pointed it out to him that article says absolutely nothing about a restricted FA.

 

I'm pretty sure he posted that because of that and the fact that this guy is an idiot and that is funny because there is no such thing as restricted free agency in baseball.

[Bull]

Did we call him out on it?

[OleMissCub]