Post: #351

Astros were a hell of a team. I watched a great game back and forth game in Detroit that reminded me of the series. They ended up beating the Tigers the whole series except the Verlander game. Probably part of the reason they traded for him.

Post: #352

Quote:I'm really glad I put in the effort, as I got to spend quality time with my dad and also came to enjoy the sport way more than I ever expected I would.

That's awesome. I too bond with my Dad over baseball more than over any other sport.

Many people complain that "baseball is boring as shit," but it's really not. It just has a steeper fan's learning curve than NBA or NFL. But the more baseball you watch, the more strategic intricacies and details reveal themselves, and it becomes more and more interesting/fun to watch.

MLB has also taken several steps recently to speed up the pace of the game (limiting mound visits, keeping the batter in the box, etc.) which I fully support.

Post: #353

(11-03-2017 11:17 AM)JayR Wrote:  MLB has also taken several steps recently to speed up the pace of the game (limiting mound visits, keeping the batter in the box, etc.) which I fully support.

I think the game should be timed. Whoever is up by the end of let's say - 90 minutes - wins.

Post: #354

(11-03-2017 11:17 AM)JayR Wrote:  

Quote:I'm really glad I put in the effort, as I got to spend quality time with my dad and also came to enjoy the sport way more than I ever expected I would.

That's awesome. I too bond with my Dad over baseball more than over any other sport.

Many people complain that "baseball is boring as shit," but it's really not. It just has a steeper fan's learning curve than NBA or NFL. But the more baseball you watch, the more strategic intricacies and details reveal themselves, and it becomes more and more interesting/fun to watch.

MLB has also taken several steps recently to speed up the pace of the game (limiting mound visits, keeping the batter in the box, etc.) which I fully support.

Baseball is also a sport that was not created for TV, it is best watched live in person as it is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening.

Football (NFL) on the contrary is overrated live. The content stop in play gets boring after a while and if you don't have good seats or understand the game all you are doing is twiddling your thumbs waiting for a touchdown or big play.

Post: #355

The Astros World Series Parade is just about to start for anyone interested - Link

Post: #356

Just learned Roy Halladay died in a plane crash today. RIP.

One hell of a pitcher.

Quote:Roy Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher who retired from baseball nearly four years ago, has died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida. He was 40.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Department confirmed that a small single-engine aircraft piloted by Halladay was reported down in the Gulf of Mexico earlier Tuesday afternoon.

Halladay recently received his pilot's license and tweeted photos last month of himself standing next to a new ICON A5 plane, which was the model of aircraft that was recovered Tuesday in the Gulf.

Halladay was an eight-time All-Star and went 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA in his 16-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. He threw a perfect game during the 2010 season and a no-hitter that postseason.

"We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay's untimely death," the Phillies said in a statement. "There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden."

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21331...ulf-mexico

Post: #357

(11-07-2017 04:39 PM)Remington Wrote:  Just learned Roy Halladay died in a plane crash today. RIP.

One hell of a pitcher.

Quote:Roy Halladay, a two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher who retired from baseball nearly four years ago, has died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida. He was 40.

The Pasco County Sheriff's Department confirmed that a small single-engine aircraft piloted by Halladay was reported down in the Gulf of Mexico earlier Tuesday afternoon.

Halladay recently received his pilot's license and tweeted photos last month of himself standing next to a new ICON A5 plane, which was the model of aircraft that was recovered Tuesday in the Gulf.

Halladay was an eight-time All-Star and went 203-105 with a 3.38 ERA in his 16-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. He threw a perfect game during the 2010 season and a no-hitter that postseason.

"We are numb over the very tragic news about Roy Halladay's untimely death," the Phillies said in a statement. "There are no words to describe the sadness that the entire Phillies family is feeling over the loss of one of the most respected human beings to ever play the game. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we pass along our condolences to Brandy, Ryan and Braden."

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21331...ulf-mexico

What a tragedy. Several great baseball players have died in airplane crashes, unfortunately: Thurman Munson, Roberto Clemente, etc. Very sad.

Post: #358

Absolutely devastating news about Roy Halladay. Some of the best memories of my childhood are going to see the Doc pitch on Jr Jays Saturdays with my dad and brother.

Post: #359

Yanks get Stanton, Angels get Ohtani.

Yanks have to be the favorites in the east, but does Ohtani pull the Angels even with the 'stros?

Post: #360

(12-09-2017 01:45 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Yanks get Stanton, Angels get Ohtani.

Yanks have to be the favorites in the east, but does Ohtani pull the Angels even with the 'stros?

This is number 1 bullshit! Stanton will hit 70 home runs in that park. DAMN IT! I hate the Yankees! They got 2 defensive ends playing outfield now. FUCK!

Lets Go Mets.

Post: #361

(12-09-2017 01:45 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Yanks get Stanton, Angels get Ohtani.

Yanks have to be the favorites in the east, but does Ohtani pull the Angels even with the 'stros?

I don't think so. The Angels were way more than 'one good player away' from contending. Not to mention that Ohtani is still sort of a question mark- we can probably easily imagine him being a star, but I also think it won't be surprising if he doesn't quite live up to the hype (I expect the whole two-way player thing will be abandoned if there is a trip to the DL or he starts showing signs of fatigue because he's not used to the more rigorous MLB schedule).

I also can't help but think about how his wanting to pitch affects the rotation. Because he will require multiple days off, the Angels will probably need to go to some sort of 6 man rotation. It's hard enough to find two or three decent starters, let alone 6, but there is a whole hot stove season still to go.

Stanton on the other hand is an addition to an already potent offense. There are other far reaching implications as well, as the players in the heart of the order will paradoxically see some decent pitches, mostly because you can't walk Sanchez, Judge and Stanton every time they come around in the bating order. It will be interesting to see.

Post: #362

Gerrit Cole on the Astros now, and didn't have to give up a whole lot.

Scary scary rotation now.

1. Verlander
2. Cole
3. Keuchel
4. McCullers
5. McHugh/Morton

Filthy. Far and above the team to beat in the American League, even with the Yankees grabbing Stanton.

Post: #363

(12-09-2017 04:34 PM)Chowder Head Wrote:  

(12-09-2017 01:45 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Yanks get Stanton, Angels get Ohtani.

Yanks have to be the favorites in the east, but does Ohtani pull the Angels even with the 'stros?

This is number 1 bullshit! Stanton will hit 70 home runs in that park. DAMN IT! I hate the Yankees! They got 2 defensive ends playing outfield now. FUCK!

Lets Go Mets.

Mets pulling in A-Gon for league minimum is clutch. Is there not a lot of belief in Dom Smith right now? Or do people think he's a year or two away?

Post: #364

(01-15-2018 03:40 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  

(12-09-2017 04:34 PM)Chowder Head Wrote:  

(12-09-2017 01:45 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Yanks get Stanton, Angels get Ohtani.

Yanks have to be the favorites in the east, but does Ohtani pull the Angels even with the 'stros?

This is number 1 bullshit! Stanton will hit 70 home runs in that park. DAMN IT! I hate the Yankees! They got 2 defensive ends playing outfield now. FUCK!

Lets Go Mets.

Mets pulling in A-Gon for league minimum is clutch. Is there not a lot of belief in Dom Smith right now? Or do people think he's a year or two away?

I think they don't like his work ethic. He's a bit lazy and came to last years spring training overweight. He's got a good glove but his hitting was average at best. He may need one more year in the minors.

Post: #365

This is a great year to be an Astros fan. Since they effectively have seven starter-quality pitchers now (Verlander, Keuchel, Cole, McCullers, Morton, McHugh, Peacock) that will hopefully mean a less worn-out pitching staff by the time the playoffs come around. And guys like Bregman and Correa will definitely continue to become even better.

Post: #366

(01-15-2018 03:37 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Gerrit Cole on the Astros now, and didn't have to give up a whole lot.

Scary scary rotation now.

1. Verlander
2. Cole
3. Keuchel
4. McCullers
5. McHugh/Morton

Filthy. Far and above the team to beat in the American League, even with the Yankees grabbing Stanton.

And my local yokel Buccos traded McCutchen to the Giants.

UGH.

Post: #367

(01-15-2018 06:08 PM)IveBeenFramed Wrote:  

(01-15-2018 03:37 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Gerrit Cole on the Astros now, and didn't have to give up a whole lot.

Scary scary rotation now.

1. Verlander
2. Cole
3. Keuchel
4. McCullers
5. McHugh/Morton

Filthy. Far and above the team to beat in the American League, even with the Yankees grabbing Stanton.

And my local yokel Buccos traded McCutchen to the Giants.

UGH.

I don't know what the both teams were thinking with this.

The Giants upgrade offensively with Cutch, but he'll be back in CF I presume, playing in a larger park where his defensive liabilities will be exploited more than they were in PNC.

The Pirates must not have had any other offers. The Giants already had one of the worst farm systems in the league (especially after trading Christian Arroyo). The return for McCutchen is meh, so there couldn't have been any other serious bidders in the sweepstakes.

In my opinion, the Pirates would have been better served waiting till the deadline.

Post: #368

(01-15-2018 03:37 PM)Chunnel Wrote:  Gerrit Cole on the Astros now, and didn't have to give up a whole lot.

Scary scary rotation now.

1. Verlander
2. Cole
3. Keuchel
4. McCullers
5. McHugh/Morton

Filthy. Far and above the team to beat in the American League, even with the Yankees grabbing Stanton.

I am honestly not sold on Gerrit Cole, especially when he's not AL East material. He has a fighting chance in the NL.

Post: #369

Bumping this thread, season is underway. Astros are picking up where they left off. Dodgers seem a bit hungover, but I'm sure they'll figure it out.

For all the hype about Stanton the Yankees forgot to upgrade their pitching staff. To be honest, I think they were an ok team that got hot at the right time last year and rode that momentum until they finally ran into the Astros buzzsaw. And I don't think the Stanton deal puts them in a better position to beat the Astros this year. But the Yankees come to SoCal at the end of April to play the Angels, so I'll get to see them in person.

And the Giants definitely got off the wrong foot. You got a lineup of Posey, McCutcheon, Pence, Panik and Longoria and they only managed to score two runs in 4 games.

For postseason predictions, In the NL Cubs and DBacks are the wildcards, with the Dodgers, Brewers, and Nationals Division Winners.

In the AL, Twins and Yankees are the wildcards, with the Red Sox, Astros and Indians the Division Winners.

Nationals and Astros in the World Series, with the Astros winning in 5 games.

Post: #370

No surprise since I'm a fan, but the Astros are looking great. The whole pitching rotation is super solid, they're scoring lots of runs even though with Yuli out they haven't played a single game at full strength, and Cole looks great. I am really not concerned about the Yankees, I think that even with Stanton the Astros can beat them again. I'm also skeptical of the Dodgers making it to the WS again this year, it's early in the season but I don't get the impression that they're as driven or potent as last year. The once-invincible Kenley Jansen has already lost them two games.

Post: #371

Pure class by my fellow Buccos fans. Standing ovation for Cutch!

Post: #372

Former Illinois resident here.

I went to a bar for lunch, and saw the Cubs were playing the White Sox. It was the first inning and already it was 1-0 Cubs.

Also, the Cubs had bases loaded. I had just arrived at the bar, so I was concerned with ordering a tasty IPA and a whiskey on the rocks.

You all know what happened. I looked up a few seconds later, and the score was 5-0. Cubs got a grand slam, and I missed it. I love seeing a grand slam, but I want to really see it. I want to know it's bases loaded, and see the pitch and the hit live. I'd love to see one in real life where I truly am watching and paying attention. TV is second best, but far more likely. I had a chance to see one today, but I was too slack to keep my eyes on a bases loaded situation.

Post: #373

(05-11-2018 11:17 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  Former Illinois resident here.

I went to a bar for lunch, and saw the Cubs were playing the White Sox. It was the first inning and already it was 1-0 Cubs.

Also, the Cubs had bases loaded. I had just arrived at the bar, so I was concerned with ordering a tasty IPA and a whiskey on the rocks.

You all know what happened. I looked up a few seconds later, and the score was 5-0. Cubs got a grand slam, and I missed it. I love seeing a grand slam, but I want to really see it. I want to know it's bases loaded, and see the pitch and the hit live. I'd love to see one in real life where I truly am watching and paying attention. TV is second best, but far more likely. I had a chance to see one today, but I was too slack to keep my eyes on a bases loaded situation.

No worries! The fantastic thing about baseball is if you watch enough you'll probably have another chance to see a grand slam in person / on TV if you're attentive!

Post: #374

(05-12-2018 10:26 AM)Saccade Wrote:  

(05-11-2018 11:17 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  Former Illinois resident here.

I went to a bar for lunch, and saw the Cubs were playing the White Sox. It was the first inning and already it was 1-0 Cubs.

Also, the Cubs had bases loaded. I had just arrived at the bar, so I was concerned with ordering a tasty IPA and a whiskey on the rocks.

You all know what happened. I looked up a few seconds later, and the score was 5-0. Cubs got a grand slam, and I missed it. I love seeing a grand slam, but I want to really see it. I want to know it's bases loaded, and see the pitch and the hit live. I'd love to see one in real life where I truly am watching and paying attention. TV is second best, but far more likely. I had a chance to see one today, but I was too slack to keep my eyes on a bases loaded situation.

No worries! The fantastic thing about baseball is if you watch enough you'll probably have another chance to see a grand slam in person / on TV if you're attentive!

I typed wrong. I meant to say "I love to see a grand slam", rather than "I'd love". I have seen several of them, but not a tremendous number. I saw one a few weeks ago on TV between Baltimore and the Yankees. Baltimore got a grand slam in the 14th inning. It's not often you see the 14th inning at all, let alone see a grand slam in the 14th! I saw the bases were loaded and was paying attention, and sure enough, I saw the hit clearly. I saw the Cubs get a couple during the playoffs a couple years ago.

I've never seen one at a live game though. One of these days I will.

Post: #375

(05-14-2018 03:49 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  

(05-12-2018 10:26 AM)Saccade Wrote:  

(05-11-2018 11:17 PM)RoastBeefCurtains4Me Wrote:  Former Illinois resident here.

I went to a bar for lunch, and saw the Cubs were playing the White Sox. It was the first inning and already it was 1-0 Cubs.

Also, the Cubs had bases loaded. I had just arrived at the bar, so I was concerned with ordering a tasty IPA and a whiskey on the rocks.

You all know what happened. I looked up a few seconds later, and the score was 5-0. Cubs got a grand slam, and I missed it. I love seeing a grand slam, but I want to really see it. I want to know it's bases loaded, and see the pitch and the hit live. I'd love to see one in real life where I truly am watching and paying attention. TV is second best, but far more likely. I had a chance to see one today, but I was too slack to keep my eyes on a bases loaded situation.

No worries! The fantastic thing about baseball is if you watch enough you'll probably have another chance to see a grand slam in person / on TV if you're attentive!

I typed wrong. I meant to say "I love to see a grand slam", rather than "I'd love". I have seen several of them, but not a tremendous number. I saw one a few weeks ago on TV between Baltimore and the Yankees. Baltimore got a grand slam in the 14th inning. It's not often you see the 14th inning at all, let alone see a grand slam in the 14th! I saw the bases were loaded and was paying attention, and sure enough, I saw the hit clearly. I saw the Cubs get a couple during the playoffs a couple years ago.

I've never seen one at a live game though. One of these days I will.

Oh man, when I was younger, I think I was in the navy. I went to a cardinals game in los Angeles. I like the Cardinals.

This guy on the the cardinals hit two grand slams in one inning. It was cool. His name!was something like Julio De LA Baseball, I forget.

Aloha!