baseball

LET’S GO YANKEES

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

With the Tampa Bay series’ conclusion, the Yankees have extended their lead, and they head for Boston with the chance to continue their winning streak. Winning against the Twins is expected, but this series with Tampa could have ended with us looking up at them in the top spot.

The second half of the season has been especially rough on Yankees fans, and it is a sign of hope to see them take this series. The Yankees need to continue to roll. I’m not sure if the front office has it in them to thoroughly shake things up, but if they were up to snuff, they would DFA Hicks once Hader is ready to go. I think the administration and the manager have made it clear that they see no value in him. It would have been nice for them to have come to this conclusion before the beginning of the season, but hindsight is 20/20. While Hicks has been struggling, I worry that an abrupt departure could potentially derail the team yet again.

As a lifelong fan, I am used to the roller coaster of emotions that a season can elicit, but this year has been particularly tough. Last year the team was just plain awful. It was easy to see that they would spiral and sputter up until the last game, which is exactly what happened. This year started at such a booming pace that it felt like things would never change. I thought they would look at a season with over 110 wins, but we’ll be lucky to pull out a hundred.

The trade deadline ruined the Yankees.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Unlike most fans, I always dread the annual trade deadline. Every year there seem to be significant misplays by the front office of the Yankees, and this year has been no exception.

Yes, we are less than a week past that deadline, but the pulse of the team seems to have weakened. The trade of Montgomery to the Cardinals seems to have shaken this team to its core. There is plenty of time for them to return, but this current team is sad to watch. They have been slumping since before the deadline, and the new faces have not seemed to change anything. Sure, the Yankees still have the lead in the AL East, but how much longer can that last with a 5 game-losing streak looming?

Stop messing with Baseball.

/ Jo Redd / 1 Comment

As we continue slogging through this lockout, the players have gotten the bright idea that if the postseason is expanded to 14 teams, then at some point, a team (possibly multiple teams) should be able to start off 1-0 in their series. It’s been coined as a “ghost win,” and I think it is one of the stupidest proposals either side has come up with. I was on the player’s side, but I wonder if either side takes this seriously as time drags on. How does that do anything to help the game? Where is the excitement in a postseason that gives out “wins” that aren’t earned?

As a lifelong fan of baseball, I just want to see the game played like it was when I was a child. I’m not ancient, but I do remember a time when there were no seven-inning doubleheaders, and extra innings were seen as a treat, not a punishment. It was thrilling to watch a pitcher or a batter stall at the plate because of an aggressive at-bat; Bunting and base stealing were necessary to win a game.

I don’t care if a pitcher throws to check the runner twenty times in the first inning. If you don’t like the length of a baseball game, then you should not be watching baseball. I have watched football games that last just as long as baseball, and I don’t see nearly any complaints about that sport. The length of playtime is perfect and can add to the drama. MLB should not continue trying to implement a pitch clock. And, on a somewhat unrelated note, I’m still irritated that they now require relief pitchers to face a minimum of three batters. Again, some of the flashiest moments have come from seeing a pitcher specifically picked for one player. It is always thrilling to see if that pitcher can be successful in striking the batter out.

I don’t really care that owners spend a ton of money on the best players. If you own a team and you want it to be profitable, it is in your best interest to go out and spend the money to make that happen. Teams should not be in the business of tanking.

If there will be expanded playoffs, there need to be additional teams in the running for the postseason. There are a few places where a new professional team could really take off, and it’s about the only palatable option if the postseason is going to be manipulated even more.

Don’t forget, MLBtv auto-renews on March 1st.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Since the lockout is dragging on potentially into March, this is your friendly reminder that MLBtv usually auto-renews on March 1st. Less than a week ago, I heard the owners debate that players in the minor league should not be paid for Spring Training, they also argued in defense of cutting a ton of jobs, and we were blessed with the idea of expanding the playoffs. Baseball is becoming a joke, and I am not letting that organization take my money, considering the season is likely to be delayed.

The owners are making a ton of money. Every year prices increase when it comes to food, drinks, ticket prices, and this year you can bet a trip to the stadium will cost a pretty penny. That’s assuming that there is a reason to go to the stadium. 2022 is giving off serious 2020 vibes, and I’m not about to fall for that trick again. I ponied up the money to watch a short season because there was a worldwide pandemic occurring, but there is no excuse this year.

The only silver lining I can find in this situation is that the lockout has allowed the Yankees to pretend like they were ever going to sign a big-name player. The organization showed the fans their true colors with the rehiring of Boone as manager. Before the lockout, there were no movements with any true significance, and I have no hope that the period after the lockout will be any different.

How can the players get an extension done before the (theoretical) season gets started if Spring Training is already delayed? This is a serious question that I have not seen many people bring up on social media. We all act as though the pen will start flying and that all these gigantic contacts will spring out of the front office, but why would that be the case? These owners will retaliate if they come out on the losing end.

I realize that a lot of this is just rambling to people who do not follow baseball, but it’s something that is more than a little aggravating, given that most fans just want to feel like things are back to normal. The idea of not being able to watch baseball is depressing, and I really do hope the two sides can come together and agree.

A sad day for baseball.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

The votes are all in, and the single inductee for this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame has been announced. David Ortiz finds himself lucky enough to enter the prestigious club in his first year on the ballot. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens find themselves left out and out of chances. The voters for the HOF have again decided to be petty and punish Bonds and Clemens for their sins.

I would have agreed with this pretentious mindset in my younger years, but as I get older, I realize that it’s nothing but a bunch of crap. It’s time for baseball fans to come back to reality and realize just how many players use or used to use PEDs. These men are competitive. They want to win. I don’t know why anyone thinks that steroids are above these players. Clemens and Bonds were fantastic players before the steroids, and they played their hearts out each day. Clemens was a beast on the mound, and Bonds was a monster at the plate. He always went out on that field every day. He played in the NL, and there was nobody to take his place out on the grass.

Ortiz was a designated hitter. He sat on the bench every half-inning and watched his teammates play defense. As a Yankee fan, I don’t particularly see him as charismatic, but I can put that aside and address the lack of playtime. Ortiz was also a prevalent player that steroids seemed rampant throughout the years. There have always been speculations about Ortiz’s use of PEDs, but he could enter the Hall of Fame for some reason.

It would have been nice to see two of the most prominent players from my childhood get voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I can remember when Bonds was smashing away at those home runs, and while I was not a fan of him at the time, announcers would constantly talk about how he would be in that famed club of players one day. Today was saw that dream basically disappear for the man.

Will Spring Training start on time?

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Edited 2/10/2022

The owners are set to meet up today, and hopefully, they will change their tune and come to the table with a new offer once this group of meetings is completed. We have progressed to a spot where the owners want to turn to federal mediation, yet the players are not interested in that route. The players have come down from their initial numbers a couple different times, and now it is time for the owners to come up with their offer. This has been dragged on long enough, and it is beginning to look like the 2022 season will not be starting on time.

I watched an interesting video the other day from the guys over at Talkin’ Baseball and they explained in detail why the players rejected the call for federal mediation. I’ll never be able to do their segment justice, so head on over here and watch the video.

Photo by Rachel Xiao on Pexels.com

It’s been nearly a week since the meeting between the owners and the player’s union of the MLB. There seems to be no second meeting on the calendar, and the world of baseball remains silent. The fans are beginning to get restless. Again. While we all knew the talks that began last week weren’t going to come to an immediate conclusion, I think everyone expected there to be something happening. Trades aren’t being made, players aren’t able to work out and use the sports complex athletic trainers and other staff. This entire shutdown to the world of baseball is so detrimental to the sport itself. It felt like baseball was just gaining momentum again, and here we are, putting the emergency brake on.

Generally, at this time of year, talk is ramping up with the arrival of pitchers and catchers for spring training. Fans would be getting ready to make the trek to the various sites to get the first glimpses of their team in action. Sure the preseason games don’t matter, but it’s still fun to watch baseball. It is so gross to go look for the start date for baseball and see nothing but TBAs marked by all the teams.

The fans want baseball to come back. It’s already a long enough time from the last pitch of the world series to the first one the following season. Can we please just come to an agreement already? I don’t understand why the owners want a shortened season just so they can cram the postseason full of teams, and I don’t know why the two sides want to argue over numbers. Let’s be honest, if you have enough money to buy a baseball team, you have enough money to pay the taxes too.

Finally, there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Tomorrow the MLB owners and players will be sitting down to, hopefully, hash out a deal both sides can agree to. Fans around the country are ready for the postseason to begin in earnest, and that can’t happen without an agreement made by the two competing interests. Twitter has been abuzz with the news that there will be a meeting, and there has been heavy speculation that the owners are going to ask for a shorter season, as expanded playoffs and a universal DH. I am entirely on board for the DH in the NL league. However, the first two need to be left at the door.

No one wants to see less baseball in the regular season. No one wants to see an endless number of teams in the postseason, though. It’s a conundrum that only true fans will understand. 2020 was already a strange season, and many teams getting a chance at the postseason felt even weirder.

Not only was 2020 an aberration, but there were commentators who decided we needed to campaign on keeping around the expanded postseason. People were whining during the 2021 season that teams who didn’t make the playoffs should have. That is too bad. Play harder. The divisions could always be adjusted if teams feel like they are getting the shaft, but adding more teams after the regular season is lame.

While I am optimistic to see the two sides decide to show up and talk, I am apprehensive that there will be a lot of progress made on a deal. If either side chooses to not be flexible, this could be a terse meeting.

Pujols is Out.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment
By Dave Herholz – https://www.flickr.com/photos/dherholz/246301261/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16959273

In a somewhat surprising move, the Angels have released Albert Pujols yesterday. Pujols, who was in the last year of his contract, was a fan favorite, and it’s somewhat upsetting to see the Angels treat him this way. Yes, the Angels have been struggling, but they cannot blame it all on the rough start that Pujols has had.

While I’m not a big fan of the Cardinals, and I was more than a little perturbed by them not trying to keep Pujols around, I do think they should offer a short contract to him so that he may return home and play in front of the crowd that always loved him.

I miss Godzilla.

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

With the departure of Masahiro Tanaka from the New York Yankees, I got to thinking about my all-time favorite Yankee player: Hideki Matsui. He was on the team from 2003 to 2009, and he is the reason I have a special place in my heart for all the players from Japan.

Matsui was the pinnacle of good manners, unmatchable work ethic, and undying loyalty. I will forever believe that the Yankees made a mistake not resigning him after the 2009 season. Matsui was the MVP of the World Series and, while his knees were beginning to fail him, I think he would have been a better producer for us than Damon was. I’m willing to admit that I am heavily biased in this argument. I remember having pictures of Matsui in my locker at school, and I can remember always being super bummed when he was not in the lineup. On the other hand, Damon was a former Red Sox player, and he could not win me over.

Keith Allison – SPORT MLB BASEBALL

Matsui was such a hard worker in left field; I remember the game where he broke his wrist and, though you could see the obvious pain on his face, Matsui stopped the runners from being able to advance farther by finding the ball and throwing it in. I don’t know too many players today that wouldn’t fall to the ground and completely forget about the game (understandably so) after sustaining that injury. After Matsui was placed on the injured list, he actually released a statement where he apologized for letting down the fans. He was always so concerned about the impression he had on the fans, and that’s why everyone loved him.

One of the many reasons I respect the Yankees as an organization involves Hideki Matsui and the end of his career. When he was getting ready for retirement, Matsui worked out a one-day contract where he could officially retire as a Yankee. Matsui is instrumental in acquiring top talent from Japan signed to the Yankees, and he is a presence on the field throughout spring training and the rest of the season. It’s been nice to see him maintain a relationship with the Yankees because he’s always been someone to add to the clubhouse atmosphere.

I Stand Corrected…

/ Jo Redd / Leave a comment

Earlier today I made a post regarding the fact that music festivals are ripping their fans off by offering events that are non-refundable and now cancelled. I implied that the sports world was handling the pandemic better, and I see now that I am wrong on that.

But let’s back up for just a minute. My favorite team in the entire world is the New York Yankees and I did not miss a single game last season despite it getting such late start. I noticed, though, that in August they began selling group tickets for the 2021 season. I thought it was rather bold of them to assume that things would be back to normal and that there would be a 162 game season. As recently as a month ago the MLB was telling everyone that they should expect to report on time for Spring Training.

Today, we found out that was a lie. It has been reported here that the league is pushing for at least a month delay to the 2021 season. What a load of bull. I don’t care that they are offering to pay like its a regular season, the issue is that there are teams out here who have already planned for a full season. Once again we are seeing the fans screwed by the decision of the league. What has changed? I again bring up the fact that basketball and football have made it through their season with minimal trouble.

I’m in favor of a universal DH, but in my mind the delay is an attempt to force the NL to accept the Designated Hitter role as a permanent fixture on all teams.