Strike Three... the 2021 Baseball Thread

[Guard Dog]

14 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

They did a great job with the Field of Dreams game. 

I hope that becomes an annual event. That was really nice. Plus the actual game play had it all!

[Gromnir]

22 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

They did a great job with the Field of Dreams game. 

first baseball game we watched in decades. were worth it. amazing ninth inning. however, is gonna be tough to repeat and subsequent games is gonna be unfair measured 'gainst white sox and yankees contest.

maybe once a decade as 'posed to once a year? once every five years?

HA! Good Fun!

[Guard Dog]

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Guard Dog

[Guard Dog]

Maybe Gromnir has a point. It was special because it was rare. But there are numerous historic ball parks throughout the land. I think it would go along way to growing the game if the MLB would schedule at least one game in a stadium like that every season. If not always the same one. For example the Pittsburgh Crawford’s Negro league team their home ballpark is still around and hosts the Pennsylvania Little League tournament. It would be cool to see a game played there wearing the Crawford‘s uniforms versus the Kansas City monarchs for example.

last year MLB eviscerated minor-league baseball. Over 40 clubs we’re dissolved or became independent and three whole leagues were disbanded. A lot of small towns lost pro baseball probably forever. The game grows when people have access to it. And baseball hasn’t been growing much for a long time. Quite the opposite actually. Staging events like this in historic locations around the country every year might do a bit to help reverse that.

[Gromnir]

5 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

Maybe Gromnir has a point. It was special because it was rare. But there are numerous historic ball parks throughout the land(s).

slight alteration. if this is a yearly thing, we would love to see doing smaller historical venues such as willimsport, pa, but am thinking there is likely fields in puerto rico and cuba which is well known to natives o' those places, and is important to many mlb players, but is unknown to all save the most hardcore fans in the US. might need be a three game series to legitimize the travel though and am not sure if any team is willing to give up multiple games worth o' ticket sales. japan. south korea and taiwan may be a bit o' a stretch for an in-season game, but is no doubt more than a few historical and smallish venues in the western hemisphere which could support a yearly kinda small venue celebration. 

not small, but hockey does their winter classic in different locales every year. smart.

complete unrelated, we would love to see a yearly nba game at a venues such as rucker park. 

but for baseball, do yearly field o' dreams game would have, in our mind, returns quick diminishing.

HA! Good Fun!

[Guard Dog]

Bithorn Stadium in PR definitely qualifies as a story. A lot of big names have played there in the international league and the Puerto Rican winter league. It was the Home Stadium for the Montreal expos for a few months well renovations were being done on Olympic stadium. Roberto Clemente hit a home run there that left the stadium all together. The MLB does put a regular season game there on a semi regular basis. Just going from memory I think the last one was two years ago. 2018f I think. They had a series in Monterey in Mexico in the early 2000s. Arizona versus San Diego if I remember correctly. I know they don’t want to play it in Mexico City. you think the balls fly out of Coors Field? Mexico City is another 2000 foot above that. Are used to play the opening series of the season in Japan. Although it’s been a pretty good while since they did that. I think the reason it stopped is the NPB changed the started their season to mid March. The KBO and CPB are both extremely popular in their respective countries. And I can’t recall off the top of my head of the MLB game has ever been played in either South Korea or Taiwan. It would be cool to see that.

 

[Guard Dog]

 So you like the Field of Dreams game and movie??? OK, let's make a new TV series based on it. 

Just like that they went too far. Maybe it won't suck. Not how I'm betting, but maybe. 

 

[Gromnir]

2 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

 So you like the Field of Dreams game and movie??? OK, let's make a new TV series based on it. 

Just like that they went too far. Maybe it won't suck. Not how I'm betting, but maybe. 

 

wish we could say this is surprising.

ok, the "nose job" crack were kinda amusing. 

HA! Good Fun!

[Amentep]

On 8/14/2021 at 12:37 PM, Guard Dog said:

Maybe Gromnir has a point. It was special because it was rare. But there are numerous historic ball parks throughout the land. I think it would go along way to growing the game if the MLB would schedule at least one game in a stadium like that every season. If not always the same one. For example the Pittsburgh Crawford’s Negro league team their home ballpark is still around and hosts the Pennsylvania Little League tournament. It would be cool to see a game played there wearing the Crawford‘s uniforms versus the Kansas City monarchs for example.

last year MLB eviscerated minor-league baseball. Over 40 clubs we’re dissolved or became independent and three whole leagues were disbanded. A lot of small towns lost pro baseball probably forever. The game grows when people have access to it. And baseball hasn’t been growing much for a long time. Quite the opposite actually. Staging events like this in historic locations around the country every year might do a bit to help reverse that.

Sadly, Poncey is long gone...then again I'm not sure the center field magnolia tree would have went over well with modern viewers. 

[Guard Dog]

Do you know what a good day is? When the Tampa Bay Rays win and the Boston Red Sox lose twice!

[Guard Dog]

We’re coming into the homestretch. The National League is a total snoozer. The NL West is a two horse race between the Dodgers and the Giants which is interesting. The Padres have faded into mediocrity. The Rockies have been wallowing in mediocrity all along. I don’t think the Diamondbacks are aware of the season has even started. 
 

The wildcard race for the second position has a little bit of drama. But whoever it is is going to be devoured alive by the team that does not win the national league west.

The American League is where it’s at. Lots of drama. The Yankees have won 12 games in a row now. They are for games back of the AL best Tampa Bay rays. Boy does it feel nice to say that LOL. The White Sox are in total control of the central, and it’s a three horse race in the west between the Astros, Athletics, and mariners. The American league wildcard race is hot. The Indians, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners, Athletics, Yankees, are all in hot contention. Right now the Yankees have the lead for the first seed in the wild card by +3. Lots of drama. Most teams have 35 games or fewer  to go. It’s crunch time baby!

Edited August 27, 2021 by Guard Dog

[Hurlshort]

23 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

 

The wildcard race for the second position has a little bit of drama. But whoever it is is going to be devoured alive by the team that does not win the national league west.

 

Anything can happen in 1 game, so I'm not going to bet on that.

[Guard Dog]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

Anything can happen in 1 game, so I'm not going to bet on that.

Exactly why the second wild card and that one-game playoff sucks

[Hurlshort]

25 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Exactly why the second wild card and that one-game playoff sucks

I don't know, I've seen some super exciting ones over the years. But it helps that the Giants have won all of the ones they have played. I like the idea that more teams are in the race late in the season. 

I also remember the Giants winning 103 games one year and missing the playoffs, so I'm happy to have a wildcard.

Honestly the 5 game series bothers me too. It is super short.

[Guard Dog]

If it were up to me I would get rid of the divisions. No more east central or west. Just the National League and the American League. There will be six playoff seeds per league based on record. The first and second seed gets a automatic advancement to the second round. The sixth  seed plays a three-game series in the Home park of the third seed. Fifth plays in the Home park of the fourth. Three games over three days beginning the day after the season ends. Then it’s a best-of-five for the division series in the best of seven for the league championship series.

[Hurlshort]

Playoff time!

I am super stoked to watch my Giants play the Dodgers for the first time of postseason history. What a race to the end. Posey just hit a splash hit to start the series off with a bang.

[Hurlshort]

Wow, can't believe the Rays are out. 

Giants look good. I'm stressed!

[Guard Dog]

3 hours ago, Hurlsnot said:

Wow, can't believe the Rays are out. 

Giants look good. I'm stressed!

Not happy. Not happy at all. 

[Guard Dog]

[Amentep]

Will Atlanta choke again against the Dodgers?  

[Hurlshort]

2 hours ago, Amentep said:

Will Atlanta choke again against the Dodgers?  

Beat LA is pretty much my mantra for the rest of the playoffs, so I hope not. I also think the Giants mentally wore the Dodgers out, so my team gets a bit of credit when the Braves advance. 

[Guard Dog]

Watching the Astros vs Red Sox now. Valdez has a no hitter going through 5!

[Guard Dog]

Watching the NLCS and pulling FOR the Braves. That is such a weird thing for me to do. But... it's the Dodgers on the other side. 

[Bartimaeus]

The consensus I read seemed to imply that the Braves were the only even semi-likeable team left after the Brewers got eliminated...but I don't know anything about baseball, so don't @ me.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[Guard Dog]

4 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

The consensus I read seemed to imply that the Braves were the only even semi-likeable team left after the Brewers got eliminated...but I don't know anything about baseball, so don't @ me.

I'd call them the least objectionable. But you aren't far off.