MLB Season

[VegasJustin]

I am surprised Joe hasn't posted a picture of a broom or something after the Mariners let the Angels sweep them. They did let them as they gave away a couple of games. I hate the Mariners sometimes.

[SoCalJoe]

I am surprised Joe hasn't posted a picture of a broom or something after the Mariners let the Angels sweep them. They did let them as they gave away a couple of games. I hate the Mariners sometimes.

This season has been so bad until 10 days ago, I have no room to talk (I assume your Pops handed you the broom). Best thing that happened is Vernon Wells (great guy off the field, but washed up on it) getting hurt. Mike Trout is as good a prospect as there is in baseball (and I'm including Harper), only 20, and a total beast. Mark Trumbo has been carrying the team, and FINALLY Albert Pujols is beginning to hit. Just hoping Jered Weaver is good to go in a couple of weeks. If he is, they can make plenty of noise come September.

[DCHeather]

So Youk is gone from Boston. The Red Sox are paying the bulk of his salary and we got very little in terms of player depth in return.

Yup, makes sense.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/r ... News_links

[VegasJustin]

He is nowhere near what he was. It was about as good a trade as they would get for him.

[AggieMatt]

Boston looks like they're trying to go on another 86 yr streak.

Meanwhile, it's almost July and Baltimore is still in contention for the division and a playoff spot.

[DCHeather]

AL East is tough this year, all the teams are above .500 right now. Red Sox are coming around slowly, but I won't count on them to do much this year.

[HatterDon]

Watching the Astros game last night and I heard the announcer say that MLB is on its way to the biggest attendance ever -- this inspite of the theorem that fans only want to see 9-7 games. With all the brilliant pitching going on this season, the opposite would appear to be true.

This rise in attendance hasn't come to Houston. In every game I've watched, the empty seats outnumber the filled ones, and the lower field boxes are most obvious by their absence. I am not the only die-hard Astros fan that is disgusted to see Houston going to the AL West next season. Fifty years in the NL wasn't enough to stop the latest IDIOTIC MOVE BY BUD SELIG -- an uneven number of teams in each league next season, and "we haven't figured out how this will affect scheduling next season." Really, you assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not that I'm emotional about the decision or anything.

[DCHeather]

You shouldn't hold your feelings in about this hatter, let it all out. It will make you feel better...I think.

[AggieMatt]

Watching the Astros game last night and I heard the announcer say that MLB is on its way to the biggest attendance ever -- this inspite of the theorem that fans only want to see 9-7 games. With all the brilliant pitching going on this season, the opposite would appear to be true.

This rise in attendance hasn't come to Houston. In every game I've watched, the empty seats outnumber the filled ones, and the lower field boxes are most obvious by their absence. I am not the only die-hard Astros fan that is disgusted to see Houston going to the AL West next season. Fifty years in the NL wasn't enough to stop the latest IDIOTIC MOVE BY BUD SELIG -- an uneven number of teams in each league next season, and "we haven't figured out how this will affect scheduling next season." Really, you assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not that I'm emotional about the decision or anything.

You realize the Disastros new ownership is equally complicit in this asinine move, right Don? At least you're giving them a farewell tour of your attention. I haven't bothered to look up a single score this year. Announcing that they were looking at changing the name/logo/colors in addition to the league switch pretty much killed my interest in the franchise.

[SoCalJoe]

HD, Don't blame you for being pissed about Houston going to the AL, but the 2 leagues are uneven now. The NL Central has 6 teams in it, while the AL West has only 4 teams. Houston moving will leave each league w/three 5-team divisions.


I'm in baseball nirvana right now. Arizona wins the College World Series and my Halos are on fire. For those that didn't see it, check out the AL batting leader, and only 20 years old, Mike Trout with an amazing catch last night in Baltimore (sorry Matt)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgZZpj8gPcw


EDIT: Don, hadn't really thought about the Astros moving over, but after chewing on it, thought I'd throw a few pros and cons out there. I can relate somewhat (apples and oranges) as my Seattle Seahawks were in the AFC for 25+ seasons before being switched to the NFC. Lost were the great rivalries they had built up, especially w/the Raiders and Broncos. However, in the long run, they experienced by far their most successful period and it was the best thing that could happen to the franchise.

Cons: The most obvious, is switching to AL style of play. If you hate the DH, this is a tough one to get over. Throw in the short porch in left field (that was idiotic when designed) that can chew up a pitching staff, and will only get worse in the AL. One other big one is losing out on playing St. Louis, Chicago (Cubs), etc. on a regular basis.

Pros: Have no idea what ownership got in return from MLB by agreeing to move (there had to some sort of financial compensation??), but Bud owes them some favors big time. A huge plus is moving to the same division as the Texas Rangers. It will crank up a great rivalry already to a whole new level. A side benefit will be how good the Rangers organization is. Are the Astros just going to sit around and get dominated by the team from Dallas?? It will force them to raise their game and get back to the level of those great Biggio, Bagwell teams.

One last Pro...My Halos will get a chance to smack around your boys every year

[HatterDon]

A couple ofpoints to clarify/make, Joe.
1. There's no comparing the NFL with MLB. There's always been games crossing division and conference lines since the NFC and AFC were formed. The problem isn't rivalries -- under the idiotic interleague baseball method, Houston's "close rivals" include Kansas City and Cleveland. In order to play games against these guys, we lose games with REAL traditional rivals [when there was only NL West and NL East] like Atlanta, San Francisco, and the Dodgers. We may actually get more games against SF and LAD as members of the American League.

2. MLB does NOT have an odd number of teams in each league the have two even numbers. This means that the idiotic interleague baseball could go away with no consequences. Under the 15 teams per league setup next season, there must be interleague play ALL YEAR LONG. Ignorant -- especially as interleague play undermines the "specialness" of the World Series. When the Yanks and Mets had their first "Subway Series," It was the 4th series between the clubs THAT season.

3. The DH is unusual in that it is a stupid idea that was NOT created by Bud Selig. It is no great asset to the enjoyment of the game. It's like having a designated free-throw shooter in the NBA or a designated corner-taker in MLS. The game should be played by 9 offensive AND defensive players. I quite enjoy NL baseball with its sacrifice bunts and stealing. So, no; having a DH won't help.

4. It took the Astros -- and the National League ONE SEASON to adjust to Minute Maid Park. Astros pitchers -- and others -- who made their living throwing fly balls learned to have them directed to the spacious centerfield area. Even with Houston's #1 starter really being a #3 and the rookies and second year pitchers who follow, the Astros pitchers have much lower ERAs at home than on the road. The STUPID dimensions for a ballpark is in Baltimore, where there is no challenging dimension. There's no place for a pitcher to induce a fly ball safely in that small park -- designed that was on purpose to "encourage scoring." As a result a franchise whose successes have been built on starting pitchers for over 50 years is now the home of 9-6 games and the Orioles suffer.

5. The Orioles are my AL team and the Angels are my wife's AL team. Those two are the only American League clubs I'll root for in the series, although I think the decision to call them The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was callous in the least. As a matter of fact, if there's any owner LESS sensitive to the wishes of his fans than the new guy in Houston, it's the [relatively] new guy in Anaheim.

Nice try, Joe. But starting next season, I have only one rooting interest in baseball -- The San Antonio Missions of the AA Texas League.

[nevzter]

The SF Giants pitching staff to the rest of the NL: "You'll get nothing and like it!!"

4 straight shutouts.

[VegasJustin]

I love the Astros move as the Mariners won't be last every year. As a fan of the Mariners and AL baseball, I hate it when we play in NL parks as the pitchers suck at hitting and it takes away from the momentum a team builds. I like offense and home runs and I can't even really watch NL baseball. This is a preference thing though, but I like the way the AL is.

[AggieMatt]

The SF Giants pitching staff to the rest of the NL: "You'll get nothing and like it!!"

4 straight shutouts.

1, they stole Mo's line. And 2, maybe they'd be a good a new favorite NL team for Don...except they aren't women.

In MLB, every city or state with 2 teams has them split evenly between NL & AL except PA. I like that b/c most people do have a preference between the 2 leagues and that gives you the ability to root for your local/state team either way. Or if you like both leagues, you get a rooting interest in each league if you so desire. I know that doesn't fly with the teams that split cities (NY/Chi/LA) so much, but the option is there.

Another gripe from a Houston perspective is that they'll now play all but one divisional game 2 time zones away. I realize the Rangers were already doing this. I also realize Houston had to play half of their games that way in the old NL configuration before the extra divisions were created, but I still don't like it.

Of course, I don't like the Central Divisions anyway. Or wildcards. Or this asinine 1 game playoff addition. So baseball is well on it's way to becoming largely irrelevant to me as a fan anyway. The only thing that keeps it from becoming completely irrelevant to me is that I went to my first O's game when I was 4, back in the day when baseball was still the national past-time, and that's hard to completely let go of. Although Peter Angelos has done his level best to tempt me these last 15 or so years.

[HatterDon]

I love the Astros move as the Mariners won't be last every year. As a fan of the Mariners and AL baseball, I hate it when we play in NL parks as the pitchers suck at hitting and it takes away from the momentum a team builds. I like offense and home runs and I can't even really watch NL baseball. This is a preference thing though, but I like the way the AL is.

Yeah, well you like the Lakers also. So ... .