MLB 2021 Official Thread

[Benny Profane]

Speaking of the Big Red Machine can MLB reinstate Pete during this shutdown to generate clicks?

Well, fuck, now I turn on my TV and see ads for all sorts of gambling apps during games. Its absurd. They are direct sponsors/"partners" in some MLB ventures. Furgetabout the NFL. I'm not an NBA fan, but, that's gotta be big, too. Pete has to be steaming. But, he'll make it into the hall, after he dies, which will be soon. No way the veterans will allow him the speech on the lawn. That's his penalty.

[BmillsSkier]

Wow, you really think they'll let Pete in one day?

You have more faith in baseball than I do I guess.

[Benny Profane]

Well, honestly, I never thought I'd see commercials for real time gambling on my TV during actual games in my lifetime. It's only a matter of time before we see a headline all about a player or players that are caught doing bets on their phone back in the locker room before, after, or even during games. Certainly relatives.
But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see that FanDuel or SportsKing signed a stadium sponsor deal. It's coming.

[Jong Lafitte]

The marketing of the gambling is annoying AF. I voted to legalize it here but didn’t think about that. It wouldn’t have changed my mind but the efforts to recruit a whole new market are annoying. As if Jamie Fox got that fancy suit and all his money by being some big gambler.


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[Woodsy]

still cannot believe there has not been a lawsuit about the 2 different balls from a gambler.

[SkiBall]

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/s...435837448?s=20

Nature or nurture? Damn, kid.

[BmillsSkier]

That guy just breeds power hitters I guess.

[TNKen]

Vlad Jr. was in the Appalachian League when ex-SIL was there. We got to see him for a short while on his way up. Then saw him for a while in High A in Florida

[ötzi]

That guy just breeds power hitters I guess.

Must be the jeans.

err, genes.

[BmillsSkier]

Must be the jeans.

err, genes.

Tip your waitresses folks.



In related news:

HOF voters are self-important morons

[Benny Profane]

Hey, sportswriters. Used to be where you wound up if you couldn't get a real job in journalism.


I had forgotten how good Manny's numbers are.

[BmillsSkier]

Hey, sportswriters. Used to be where you wound up if you couldn't get a real job in journalism.


I had forgotten how good Manny's numbers are.

Well you don't just let anyone into Benny's Hall of Juicers and Bar + Grille.

[Benny Profane]

Manny will be bartender.

[BmillsSkier]

Proudly serving drinks in the shadow of Ted Williams frozen head.

[Woodsy]

Hey, sportswriters. Used to be where you wound up if you couldn't get a real job in journalism.


I had forgotten how good Manny's numbers are.

Couple of real journalists in the sportswriter ranks.
Ken Rosenthal being one.
Just got let go by MLB for speaking truth like :

[Manfred] and the owners, supposed stewards of the game, are turning the national pastime into a national punch line, effectively threatening to take their ball and go home while the country struggles with medical, economic and societal concerns.

Baseball is a business, we all know that. But it is a business that former commissioner Bud Selig describes as a social institution with social responsibilities, a business that holds an antitrust exemption, distinguishing it from every other professional sports league. Such a business should hold itself to a higher standard, but in these talks, if you can even call them that, Manfred and the owners keep sinking lower. Unless making dead-on-arrival proposals, tone-deaf public remarks and other assorted blunders is your idea of negotiating savvy.

much can be said about current labor negotiations ( and was)

Ken will be fine, Fox and the Athletic know what he brings to the table and will continue to pay him well, but it just shows again how out of touch and self interested Manfred and MLB are

[ex-powderbroker]

I didn't think we could do worse than Selig, but here we go. Watching the owners overplay their hand could very easily be worse than 1994.

[Timberridge]

Some teams fans might benefit from a break from baseball.
This might be ok.

[BmillsSkier]

Tito just confirmed he will be back for the 2022 season, so it would be nice to have this silly farce wrapped up in time to have a season.

Please, while he's healthy.




Timber, are you talking about Mets fans?

I feel like you're talking about Mets fans.

[Timberridge]

Yes, Mets fans. I think a year off from baseball might be healthy for them and it would give Buck and "Mr. Smiles" some time to bond. Maybe go fishing together.

[BmillsSkier]

Yes, Mets fans. I think a year off from baseball might be healthy for them and it would give Buck and "Mr. Smiles" some time to bond. Maybe go fishing together.

Frankie should spend some time watching his footage from 2019 during this break.

[BmillsSkier]

In lockout news, the Mets have agreed to terms that will pay Max Scherzer more than the entire payroll of at least two MLB teams next year.

Who says baseball is broken?

https://www.audacy.com/sports/mlb/ma...-teams-in-2022

[Woodsy]

Las Vegas Rays?

Portland Rays?

Nashville Rays?

Austin Rays?
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays...with-montreal/

[fomofo]

In lockout news, the Mets have agreed to terms that will pay Max Scherzer more than the entire payroll of at least two MLB teams next year.

Who says baseball is broken?

https://www.audacy.com/sports/mlb/ma...-teams-in-2022

I was thinking about this kind of thing a lot recently when I heard the news that a high profile athlete in another sport got a multi-year deal at about $50 mil/year. Specifically it occurred to me that if an average stadium employee earned say $25k/year then that single star's salary would represent the earnings of about 2,000 workers. Two thousand! Hmm.

Not to pick on these stars, as they are just lowly millionaires, (ok, multi-millionaires), and we're living in a time where the billionaire ranks are swelling. And they are admittedly the very best at what they do, and people want to watch em do their thing, and pay for it.

Still, something does seem a little out of whack, don't it?

[BmillsSkier]

No one is faulting the players for getting paid. The problem is you have teams that put nothing out there other than rookie minimum contract players, and then another team puts out guys who make more than the first team's entire payroll.

It's not good for the game and doesn't lend itself to long term success for the players as a whole or the sport. I don't know what the solution is but I know it isn't coming soon.

[ex-powderbroker]

how is it not good for the game if, say, that’s the astros in 13-15 and then they go on a half decade tear (granted the cheating helped)?