Ok, so let's start the thread here. My first discussion reverts to what sparked it all. Reorganization of the league.
Should we add two teams and make it like NFL like I proposed? Or will this lead to dilution?
If we don't expand should we remove teams to help with parity and let talent spread to fewer teams?
And if we remove teams who should we remove? Should we remove them based on their performance or attendance records? And should history and tradition count (Pirates)?
My opinion is add the two teams. Add the Charlotte team and the New Orleans team. Look at the 2009 attendance % and the A's were last so move them to Portland. The more cities with baseball the better. Allow for young talent to come up from college and the minors because baseball is a sport of endurance. We all know that Pujols will be the starting first baseman in St. Louis for the next ten years so instead of their awesome 1B prospects sitting in the minors, let them go start in Portland. Let the games begin boys, I'm gonna invite some buddies and see how they do. If they suck, I'll just block them.
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Lets get serious. Ban aluminum bats.
ReplyDeletePirates are doing it the right way. (Like Atlanta) Drafting players out of high school, keep them out of college. Then there is no need for them to un-learn the junk many of them learn in college.
They (Pirates) are signing big guys. Notice how big many MLB pitchers are getting? Pirates are going this way. Do you think bigger bodies on pitchers will help them hold up longer?
I would love to never hear another "Ping" at a baseball field.
Will we are banning things, only real grass, burn the field in Toronto.
Are the Phillies in real trouble? I mean really?
I am not at all convinced that expansion is in the best interests of MLB.
Cast your vote now to make Nolan Ryan commissioner.
Fr. Stephen
Wait, where did aluminum bats come from? Random!
ReplyDeleteMy concern with expansion to 32 teams is the dilution that will inevitably come from skinning up the teams when you have to provide 50 MLB players to fill two 25 man rosters. Yes, it will provide for stud minor league guys to come up and play versus sitting behind young studs like a Pujols but ultimately it's the GM's responsibility to either move that player or have them change positions to get them to the right level. Expansion would be the extreme way to get them up to the Show.
I like your idea Nate of the 4 divisions with 4 teams each as currently the lopsided divisions don't make entirely as much sense as you'd think they would but not sure the expansion as a whole is in the best interest of the league.
History and tradition should ALWAYS count in baseball. Of any sport MLB IS tradition and history. There is more of each of those than in any sport in America. Without the Pirates we don't have a real National League just like without the A's the American League would not be the same. Low attendance or not that is still the same team that housed Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, Dennis Eckersley, Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, etc. etc. etc. They have a storied past and to move them to the city of the Trailblazers would be a shame.
I do nothing that is random.
ReplyDeleteI hate despise and detest aluminum bats and those who make them.
Its like using a baseball sized Super Ball.
"They have a storied past and to move them to the city of the Trailblazers would be a shame."
Now you know how the good people of Brooklyn felt when the Dodgers moved.
Tradition and history are important.
Watch the interviews on You Tube with Bob Gibson and other guys. That is how you learn and remember.
I love Nolan Ryan and his idea of throwing out pitch counts. Do you think pitch counts are good or bad?
Fr. S
Pitch counts are bad. If anyone makes the claim that 125 pitches a game is "bad" for a pitcher they never met anyone that played baseball prior to 1985 when baseball started treating players with kid gloves. Nolan Ryan threw 300 plus innings a year for pretty much his entire career. Even Randy Johnson threw some hefty innings in his career in the 2000's. The Joba plan is ridiculous. I feel it only sets players up for failure and doesn't ever allow them to work through their problems on the field. Players are just as strong but not given the chance to show how they can pitch because if they walk three guys, strike out 6 in the first 5 innings they are probably close to their "limit" and have to be pulled. Which then taxes the bullpen. I understand protecting your financial investment by attempting to prevent injuries but that is what a trainer is for and that is what risk is all about. Talk to the Japanese about pitch counts. Dice K's throwing program before the Red Sox cut him to pieces was incredible. 200 pitch bullpen sessions AFTER his starts??? 300 ft long toss for 100-200 pitches? Then they cut him to the "American" mentality after he'd been doing this for 10 years and suddenly he's getting hurt left and right. No, I don't agree with pitch counts. I actually would rank pitch counts up there with the worst things that have happened to baseball in the last 20 years.
ReplyDeleteJust got the link to the blog...very impressive. and Patriotic.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I don't think the players are learning bad habits in college...they use aluminum in high school too. Dangerous in college? yes. Interestingly, ASU and all major Division I schools use aluminum but the community colleges in Phoenix are a WOOD BAT ONLY league. Very competitive, and a great idea.
Pitch counts are stupid to a point. Overall, I think alot of the pitchers do begin to hit a wall around the 100 pitch count. However, I believe this whole idea of relievers in general is a new thing...? Now there are guys on the roster who are never expected to throw more than an out or two a night...execpt Rivera b/c he is the best ever. Did you see him throw last night? so good.
I have a question too, relating to the game we went to last night:
ReplyDeleteTop of the 9th, One out. runners on 2nd and 3rd after a "sacrifice" by Texiera.
The Home team (Dbacks, in the field) is up 5-4 with their "closer" in...
Arod is up, Cano is on deck:
What do you do? Pitch to him? IBB?
I won't post my say until I see what everyone else says. It's also important to note that Heilman (RHP) is pitching and walked those two guys on base before Texieria grounded to the right side for the "sacrifice". So do you IBB Arod to load the bases and set up a double play ball off Cano to end the inning or pitch to Arod with runners on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out and a 1 run lead in the 9th?
ReplyDeleteI personally would have pitched around him, but not intentionally. See if you can get him to swing at some bad pitches. Do not give him anything really juicy to hit, bring the infield in and see what happens. D Back suck the way it is so whats the worst that happens?
ReplyDeleteAj HInch needs to fired regardless of last nights game....
baseball is a game of failure, usually on the part of the hitter. Fail 7 times out of 10 and you might get in the hall of fame.
ReplyDeletePitch to him. their is about a 66% chance he will hit a grounder.
I personally don't think it matter a wit what he did in previous at bats.
If he is 4 for 4, then he is due to K.
If he is 0 for 4, then he is due to hit.
I DO NOT believe in momentum in any sport at all, ever.
Meaningless.
It's like poker. What does last hand have to do with this hand.
I hate it when Fox continually puts up stats like, he hits 378 against Heilman in 16 times he faced him! SOOOO WHAT???
BS
Pitch to him, thats your frickin job.
Fr. Stephen
Sorry there not their.
ReplyDeleteMatters, not matter.
You are technically not "failing" when you hit the ball. You are just not getting a "hit". Half full please. Half empty is depressing.
ReplyDeleteYou could make the same argument about 3pt% or field goal % or completion % in football. Success is measured in numbers in sports but it doesn't half to be "fail". It is more that baseball is a game of success. A pitcher got 87% of the batters out or the hitter makes contact 72% of the time.
Momentum is as important and viable a factor in sports as the ball, glove, bat, rim goal post, fans, hot dogs and beer. Ask any athlete in any sport if momentum is a factor in sports and I'd be SHOCKED if anyone said it didn't play a major role in the outcome of games.
Take the World Cup. A team goes up 1-0 in the first 5 minutes of the game. Think the team in the lead isn't going to be more pumped up and the other team immediately demoralized? That same team scores to tie the game five minutes later and the momentum has shifted and adrenaline kicks back in.
A batter that is 0-15 with 13 k's comes to the plate. Same batter a week later comes to the plate 10 for his last 17. The latter is going to be far more likely to be productive at the plate. Momentum and confidence go hand in hand.
A pitcher laboring through a 1 run game gives up a shot to the gap. Center fielder lays out and keeps the runners from scoring and makes the 3rd out of the inning. I do not believe for a second those batters running in from the field are not fired up and ready to give it just a little bit more than the dejected, so close but no cigar, team headed out to the field.
The timeout in the NBA, NCAA and every basketball game in America is designed to STOP MOMENTUM. Teams draining shot after shot, stealing the ball, quick 12-2 runs. The opposing coach calls timeout to try to STOP the momentum and attempt to get their team back in it.
If I'm running a race I know that when I'm totally done, burned, spent, and climbing a major hill and people are slowly passing me by I feel more tired, more burned, and more spent. BUT if I'm burned, spent, and exhausted but start coming up on other runners, start passing runners I immediately get a burst of energy, start running when I've been walking and I know that I got some momentum, at least for a while.
No, I do not agree with momentum being a non-factor in sports. I do not see how that possibly could be the truth. You watch three of your teammates tee off on the pitcher before you come up to the plate you are feeling more confident and more in tune at the plate than if you just watched three of your teammates get embarrassed and blown away at the plate. Sure, everyone still has the same opportunity at the plate but emotion is a major part of physical sports. Mental aspects play a major part of physical sports. Poker on the other hand is NOT a sport. Poker is a mathmatics dominated game with no outside influences. There is no weather, fans, heat, wind, excitement, emotion, pressure to succeed, fear of failure. In poker you cannot get "pumped up" by your teammates to give that little something extra in the field when it's a 1 run game in the 9th with a runner on 2nd base. In poker you are reliant on the hand dealt to you and the amount of risk you choose to put in that hand. No, poker and baseball are not the same and yes, momentum is meaningful.
Ask the '86 Red Sox (lost because of Buckner but lost Game 7 for the series)or '98 Cubs (Goat...)or '07 New York Giants who won each game in the playoffs and defeated the Patriots on emotion driven momentum. Phoenix Suns lost Game 5 this season vs the Lakers after a nail biter of a back and forth game to only lose on a throw in to Ron Artest with 1.2 seconds to go. Down 3-2 going into PHOENIX we lost. Had we won that game going back home I would bet money the Suns would have performed better than their Game 6 loss.
Momentum is huge in sports, I think Fr. Stephen makes remarks before really thinking them through. I think the greatest thing in sports are "Momentum Stoppers". Like in basketball when a team is on an 9-0 run and about to tie it and then the other teams steals it and runs down court to drain a three. It feels like walking in on your wife cheating on you. Dagger right to the hear just when you thought things were changing. I'm sure Red Sox fans know exactly what I'm talking about (prior to 2004 unfortunately).
ReplyDeleteI would have walked A-Rod to face Cano. I would have walked A-Rod to face Pujols or Ted Williams. It just makes sense to force a double play vs having a base open. Any little league coach probably would have done the same.
I'm going to make a bunch of new posts for people to comment on.
Dudes, what is momentum?
ReplyDeleteA team starts to do well and an announcer says they have the momentum. Then they fumble and the other team goes down and scores and they, the momentum has swung the other way! Baloney.
If momentum was real, the first team would not have fumbled in the first place, their "momentum" would have carried them down the field.
If I go up to bat with confidence, for whatever reason and I don't get a hit, does the pitcher have "momentum"? Or did I lose momentum?
If there are "momentum buster" how powerful is momentum?
Luck is more real than momentum.
How is a team scoring a basket after the other team has a 9-0 run a momentum stopper. They get the rebound and go back and score and it is still a 9-2 run.
What is momentum? All in your head. Psych.
Being able to dig deep and win a race has nothing to do with momentum, just guts.
When a team is on a roll, is it momentum or confidence? Confidence can be shattered with a K and so can "momentum."
ReplyDeletenoun
the product of a body's mass and its velocity; the momentum of the particles was deduced from meteoritic velocities;
an impelling force or strength; the car's momentum carried it off the road
Is this what happens in sports?
No momentum in sports. Cars have momentum, bullets have momentum.
Teams have streaks of success. Teams get confident and psyched up. That is all mental.
Momentum is not mental or psycholigcal.
A Larry Bird step back three to beat the Lakers in game 7 is a dagger cause the Lakers realize "we can't beat them", not because of momentum.
O
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/07/06/midseason.awards/index.html
ReplyDeleteMomentum is huge in sports. You have to believe that. I know you played sports Father Stephen, and you can't say you didn't feel momentum in your games.
ReplyDeleteMomentum was HUGE! And that is what made it fun. And it could change at any time...is that luck? maybe. call it a lucky streak then, but I totally agree that if I am walking into the batters box and my teammates just smoked two balls into the outfield that I have more confidence [and focus] stepping in.
I do see your point in a way. When an announcer says a team is 32-1 when leading after 8 innings, it means absolutely nothing for that game. Each instance is an individual experience in itself.
However, in the Dbacks instance, they have become the laughing stock of baseball post 7th inning. I'm sure the players always have that in the back of their head as soon as [enter any reliever] gives up his standard lead off single or walk, that the players have to be thinking, "here we go again." No faith. No momentum. It is a lot more difficult to try to come back in the 8th and 9th down 6-2 after your reliever just gave up a 2-run homer than it is 4-2. momentum.
Good Talk.
PS- how do I set it up so I get an email notification when someone posts here?
ReplyDeleteI keep forgetting to check in with you sports writers.
nevermind. its right next to the Post Comment button.
ReplyDelete