Baseball Opening Day is Tomorrow!

[Midnight Toker]

Looks like not all the rules changes this year were positive. I really like the pitch clock. Best thing they did in a long time. Where they really messed up was adding a wild card series. (One game and done was fine!) It, if anything, punishes the two best teams in baseball by making them sit and wait…and get cold! If there ever was a sport that relied on a regimented schedule, streaks, hot bats, mojo…it’s baseball. In football and hockey, a week’s rest before the playoffs is a earned blessing, not baseball. They either need to go back to a one game deal, or no wildcard teams at all! But I doubt they will because if the owners have a say, $$$$$ comes first!

After decades of embarrassment as an Orioles fan, it was a sad ending this year. I’m sure Braves fans aren’t happy either.

 

[davidbeinct]

My down the street neighbor is a Philly native so I know he’s pretty excited. He’s a very talented jazz drummer and the local high school music teacher who is also very involved in the community. All that almost makes up for him coming to New England and rooting for the Philadelphia sports teams.

 

[Default]

My kid won tickets to last night's game, so that was fun.
Kind of a cardiac stress test, but it was a good father-son evening.

 

[RBSinTo]

Midnight Toker,
They're still playing baseball????????
I thought the season finished after the Blue Jays used the bed as a toilet.
And if you think the Orioles and Braves fans are upset, you should be here in Toronto.
We are furious.
RBSinTo

 

[gjmalcyon]

Looks like not all the rules changes this year were positive. I really like the pitch clock. Best thing they did in a long time. Where they really messed up was adding a wild card series. (One game and done was fine!) It, if anything, punishes the two best teams in baseball by making them sit and wait…and get cold! If there ever was a sport that relied on a regimented schedule, streaks, hot bats, mojo…it’s baseball. In football and hockey, a week’s rest before the playoffs is a earned blessing, not baseball. They either need to go back to a one game deal, or no wildcard teams at all! But I doubt they will because if the owners have a say, $$$$$ comes first!

After decades of embarrassment as an Orioles fan, it was a sad ending this year. I’m sure Braves fans aren’t happy either.

The Astros didn't seem to have any issues with the layoff.

The Dodgers were doomed when Kershaw melted down - pitchers are supposed to need rest, but it didn't seem to help him. Shouldn't the layoff benefit the pitching staffs of the teams with the bye?

The bellyaching seems to mostly come from Atlanta who plainly can't stand the idea that the mean ol' Phils bounced them from the dance two years in a row. I did genuinely appreciate the great job our Phans did with the tomahawk chop.

Here's a nice take from The Sporting News about the "layoff controversy":

MLB playoffs 2023: Stop blaming layoff for Braves, Orioles and Dodgers starting slow

People are upset that baseball is not coddling its top teams enough.

www.sportingnews.com

"Attaboy Harper" indeed.

 

[bobouz]

I watched it live, and have watched it numerous times on youtube whenever I want to put a smile on my face. Kirk Gibson’s 1988 hobble-off home run against the seemingly invincible Dennis Eckersley in World Series game-one is one of the most dramatic & historic at-bats in baseball history. Down to the Dodgers’ last out & behind by a run, the way a banged-up Gibson works the count to 3&2 after two immediate strikes is an artistic dance, dripping with pulse-pounding excitement. Speed the game up & such moments would be lost to the ever growing ”so-what” trash heap of the sports world. Seriously, take a few minutes & watch that video to see what baseball is all about. Edit: There’s a version that’s 19:38 min long & gives you the full bottom-of-the-9th, with Vin Scully doing the play-by-play. Can’t get any better than that!