MLB Discussion Thread

I have been a die hard braves fan since the 80's. Through all the ups and downs.
I remember when I was 7 or 8 going to my first game and seeing dale Murphy hit a home run.
I will proablly watch the home run derby tonight even though the best hitters aren't in it. But that's my opinion.

 

Yeah, I follow the Cubs but haven't been paying much attention this year. They suck and I've been very busy.

Wait till next year.

 

If you'd been paying attention, you'd see that the Cubs are winning a few games and maybe not stinking as much as they should. They're building a very interesting core of players that has some talent. They're going to have to make some hard choices about a few of those players down the road (I'm looking directly at you, Starlin Castro), but they will probably be a contender in 2 years.

 

I'm mildly excited for HRD. Fielder is in it, which is exciting, but no Cabrera, which is lame.

Obviously not shy about flaunting my Tigers fandom. I typically stream almost every game, and try and get to as many as I can. I think we have a great shot at going pretty far this year, provided we get some closers who can actually close.

Also, Cabrera's on track for another Triple Crown. So there's that.

 

Agree about Castro. Beginning to wonder about Rizzo, what happened to his hitting?

Samardzija is from my town. He's a year older than my youngest son. They played basketball together. Jeff is only 18 months younger than Garza. I wish they would hold on to Garza and build a rotation around those two. But evidently that's not going to happen. I keep thinking Samardzija is going to blow up, loss of focus. Sort of has been a problem for him. But the team is really high on him. We'll see.

 

It's been a rough year so far as a Giants fan, but of course I can't complain after championships in 2010 and 2012. The Giants have this weird history of not being able to make the playoffs in consecutive years for some reason.

Tim Lincecum's no-hitter was great, especially being in the Bay Area for it. Everybody was buzzing.

I'll skip the HR Derby, but I always watch the All-Star Game.

 

I was glad to see somebody finally hit the truck in center...

 

As it should be when Mariano Rivera entered the game. Nice.

 

It's a lot like a glacier calving, isn't it?

 

It's coming down:

Brewers' Ryan Braun agrees to 65-game suspension - Yahoo! Sports

Braun suspended for the rest of the season... 65 games. And no appeal, no support from the players union. The league must have the goods this time.

Is A-Rod next? Will he ever don the pinstripes again?

I'm concerned for Jhonny Peralta. He's denied the allegations, but his name was in the Biogenesis books for some reason. The Tigers are very thin on middle infielders, and Peralta's absence could make a return trip to the World Series nigh impossible.

 

I wonder if MLB contracts contain anything in them regarding banned substances? They should at least provide the option if the team wishes to discontinue the contract.

 

Given the strength of the players' union, I doubt that was even considered in the last CBA. It will probably get included in the next one, though.

What's interesting is that Braun has never denied taking PED's. In the past he has always quibbled over the handling and testing procedures, not that there was never a banned substance. In the world of track and field, that's generally seen a clear sign that the athlete is dirty and is trying to buy time. It's rare that you see anyone say "wait, I never took anything that could produce that positive!"

Yesterday, the Cubs sent Garza to the Rangers for a bunch of prospects. They're getting ready to do the same with Sorriano to the Yankees in the next day or two. Prior to these two trades, they had raised the strength of their farm teams from the bottom third of the league to the top third - in 2 years. This will probably take them into the top 8 or 9 farm systems, which bodes well for the future health of the big league team and well as their fortunes. And it's nice to see a guy like Lake make such a big splash with a debut. It's going to be hard to send him back down when the time comes. Maybe hard enough that he stays.