The Swamp

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 12:14 am

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:33 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 9:39 pm If all that means “lifts weights”, he definitely did in his NYY days.

I’m not making any accusations just seems much thicker. But age also will do that even if you’re in shape

Oh, I don’t care either way because fuck Aroldis, but he was always cut as fuck in NY.

Yeah and he looks chunky big now.

Steve of phpBB wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 11:13 pm Sorry, O’s fans. Such a cruel ending to a great season.

Just gross.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:04 pm The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

I feel the same way about the oversized T on their hats/helmets.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 12:14 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:04 pm The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

I feel the same way about the oversized T on their hats/helmets.

Inexplicable Texas would have a large logo.

Its should be smaller on their away helmets because "everything is bigger in texas" amiright boys ha ha ha #sportslaughs



(Except when they're playing in Houston.)

is it too much to ask for the games tonight to be close after the 1st inning?

kthxguys #norunfirstinningsplease

BeckyHammon’s hoodie wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:55 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:04 pm The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

Agreed. And I had been to the “old” one. I thought it was pretty nice. Certainly standard early 90s chic.

Back in the mid-80s when I was in my mid-20s, I lived in a big, mostly young singles apartment complex in Arlington, Texas. It was just a short walk to old Arlington Stadium. Many summer nights, you’d get home from work, find a friend who lived nearby, and walk over to the stadium. The entire outfield was bleacher seats with no assigned seating. Bleacher seats were only a couple bucks, beer was cheap, and if it wasn’t a good game, you could just walk home without having invested much in the evening. Good times.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 1:32 pm

BeckyHammon’s hoodie wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:55 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 7:04 pm The Rangers stadium might be the ugliest, least necessary ballpark I’ve ever seen on tv.

Agreed. And I had been to the “old” one. I thought it was pretty nice. Certainly standard early 90s chic.

Back in the mid-80s when I was in my mid-20s, I lived in a big, mostly young singles apartment complex in Arlington, Texas. It was just a short walk to old Arlington Stadium. Many summer nights, you’d get home from work, find a friend who lived nearby, and walk over to the stadium. The entire outfield was bleacher seats with no assigned seating. Bleacher seats were only a couple bucks, beer was cheap, and if it wasn’t a good game, you could just walk home without having invested much in the evening. Good times.

And I tied an onion on my belt ...

Um...what's the tl/dr on the Arcia/Harper thing?

After Harper’s boner in G2, Arcia was reportedly yelling “attaboy Harper” to mock him.

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 6:26 pm After Harper’s boner in G2, Arcia was reportedly yelling “attaboy Harper” to mock him.

Ah, thanks.

tennbengal wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 6:41 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 6:26 pm After Harper’s boner in G2, Arcia was reportedly yelling “attaboy Harper” to mock him.

Ah, thanks.

Said all Phillies fans everywhere.

I love Bryce Harper.

This is like the perfect angle to watch his swing …

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:56 pm I love Bryce Harper.

How about you try to love yourself, man? Just this once.

Yeah.

I’m so lucky to get to root for the Astros. 7 straight years in the ALCS.

honestly there's a ton of (previously-justified) hate on the Astros but that's absurd - 7 straight!? Glad they finally won a legit one last year to put a lot of that shit to bed - this team is an absolute unit and fun to watch. Congrats Giff.


- Twins were my #2 team for decades and then as their streak of futility started and they got rid of Johan I gave up on them. So it would fit that after knocking off the Jays I'd fall for them again just in time to bow out meekly - WHERE ARE YOU NOW TOM BRUNANSKY

My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

A_B wrote: ↑Wed Oct 11, 2023 7:56 pm I love Bryce Harper.

Same. And Justin Verlander, too.

This year's Red Sox scared me away from watching baseball, but I ended up watching last night's Twins game. The overall talent was impressive -- great pitching, great hitting moments against great pitching. Alex Bergman making 3rd base look easy. And Dusty Baker comes across as very likeable. Only complaint was the home plate umpire strike three call when the Twins looked like they could do something.

AB sent me an awesome text re: Baker

"dusty baker looks like he just tricked someone with the "pull my finger" thing. all the time."

i'm absolutely stealing that for next game

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:41 am AB sent me an awesome text re: Baker

"dusty baker looks like he just tricked someone with the "pull my finger" thing. all the time."

I’m so clever.

I'm referring to the two dudes who were standing on the RF roof of Citizens Bank Park as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern until further notice.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

I think it has to do more with Drayton McLane selling the team to Jim Crane back in 2010-ish. Then Crane got the right FO structure in place. I mean, Luhnow had a ridiculous run as GM (got fired for ignoring the blatant cheating, but whatever), and the blueprint he left behind remains. Hell, that blueprint is in use in Baltimore (Mike Elias is from that tree).

Shhh. Don't let the Yankees' fans hear that.

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 9:55 am

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

I think it has to do more with Drayton McLane selling the team to Jim Crane back in 2010-ish. Then Crane got the right FO structure in place. I mean, Luhnow had a ridiculous run as GM (got fired for ignoring the blatant cheating, but whatever), and the blueprint he left behind remains. Hell, that blueprint is in use in Baltimore (Mike Elias is from that tree).

Started with 3 consecutive 100+ loss seasons. They got moved to the AL during this stretch because they sucked and nobody cared. It wouldn't upset the balance of power too much.

And they also used the international market. Valdez, Urquidy and Javier were all signed at the same time, 2015. They could have been signed by anyone but these gems were found and developed by a last place team.

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 10:03 am

EnochRoot wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 9:55 am

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

I think it has to do more with Drayton McLane selling the team to Jim Crane back in 2010-ish. Then Crane got the right FO structure in place. I mean, Luhnow had a ridiculous run as GM (got fired for ignoring the blatant cheating, but whatever), and the blueprint he left behind remains. Hell, that blueprint is in use in Baltimore (Mike Elias is from that tree).

Started with 3 consecutive 100+ loss seasons. They got moved to the AL during this stretch because they sucked and nobody cared. It wouldn't upset the balance of power too much.

And they also used the international market. Valdez, Urquidy and Javier were all signed at the same time, 2015. They could have been signed by anyone but these gems were found and developed by a last place team.

Oh yeah. The tank job was part of it, no question. But the direction (engaging in IFA market) was definitely part of the FO structure.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 9:50 am I'm referring to the two dudes who were standing on the RF roof of Citizens Bank Park as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern until further notice.

I was chatting with timgod about those two last night. Couldn't figure out who they are (they are not law enforcement), he theorized they are pyro guys.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 10:02 am Shhh. Don't let the Yankees' fans hear that.

Assuming the blueprint is "develop players and take chances on those kids rather than signing/playing "safe" veterans", the Yankees might have accidentally learned that in September.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

With all the interleague play, full DH, and common umpiring crews, it’s hard to tell a difference between leagues.

I've been saying this all year - I don't think there's any difference at all anymore.

Get ready within ~5 years to blow boomer-baseball fans heads off when they eliminate AL/NL altogether - it's definitely happening in some form; they'll probably keep the names but fully re-align nearly everyone.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 12:10 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

With all the interleague play, full DH, and common umpiring crews, it’s hard to tell a difference between leagues.

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 1:31 pm I've been saying this all year - I don't think there's any difference at all anymore.

Get ready within ~5 years to blow boomer-baseball fans heads off when they eliminate AL/NL altogether - it's definitely happening in some form; they'll probably keep the names but fully re-align nearly everyone.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 12:10 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

With all the interleague play, full DH, and common umpiring crews, it’s hard to tell a difference between leagues.

you think they'll go the Western and Eastern Conference route or stick with the current and NFL-like east and west in both conferences?

it's 100% bullshit out of my ass so i have no idea really but just reading the tea leaves so to speak - just if you look back how they've very slowly migrated to even divisions, and making the leagues uniform in all ways as sancarlos has pointed out - relatively open talks about expansion etc, i do think within 5 years we'll see a massive reorganization centered around geographical realignment combined with 2 new franchises.

It makes sense, honestly, and as much as i love thinking about "how it was" when i was a kid; organizing baseball cards into neat little stacks by team and by each of the (then) 4 divisions ... i have to be first to admit that baseball fans or maybe media want it both ways in terms of preserving tradition and complaining about how old fashioned it is. Shake it up, I'm ready.

(if it happens, future awards are gonna be FUCKED UP tho)

Isn't the latter (NFL style) where we are today anyway? I would expect they'd halve the total divisions, expand to 32 and then group geographically.

West: SEA, OAK, SF, LA, LA, SD, ARZ, (expansion)
NE/Mid-Atlantic: BOS, NY, NY, PHL, WAS, BAL, TOR, ATL

And then something that makes sense of the other 15 + 1 where you probably have the two Chicagos, STL and KC as a basis for one and the two Texas teams the other or something, even if it doesn't split nicely north and south?

degenerasian wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 2:31 pm

MaxWebster wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 1:31 pm I've been saying this all year - I don't think there's any difference at all anymore.

Get ready within ~5 years to blow boomer-baseball fans heads off when they eliminate AL/NL altogether - it's definitely happening in some form; they'll probably keep the names but fully re-align nearly everyone.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 12:10 pm

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 7:42 am My higher education years exposed me to a lot of Yankees fans. While I'm clearly no fan of the Astros, their success in the AL, contrasted with their 3 total series wins in the NL, does give me some ammo in the comparison of the strength of the opposing leagues.

With all the interleague play, full DH, and common umpiring crews, it’s hard to tell a difference between leagues.

you think they'll go the Western and Eastern Conference route or stick with the current and NFL-like east and west in both conferences?

They'll go Campbell and Prince of Wales.

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 9:50 am I'm referring to the two dudes who were standing on the RF roof of Citizens Bank Park as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern until further notice.

I feel like they’re more Waldorf and Statler.

Dude # 1: It looks like d’Arnaud is having trouble stopping the running game.

Dude # 2: Well, his name sure as hell isn’t d’Aryesse.

Both: Oh, ho-ho-ho!

L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 12, 2023 6:10 pm Dude # 1: It looks like d’Arnaud is having trouble stopping the running game.

Dude # 2: Well, his name sure as hell isn’t d’Aryesse.

Both: Oh, ho-ho-ho!

Lol