Let's Talk Baseball!!!

[Aspen_Vale]

Are you a baseball fan? If so, who is your favorite team and/or player? What do you think about the state of the game today?

I'm a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, yes they are still the Indians to me lol.

My favorite player growing up was Omar Vizquel, the greatest defensive shortstop in baseball history as far as I'm concerned.

There's things I like about the game today. I love the pitch clock, the three batter minimum for relief pitchers, and the banning of the defensive shift. But I hate the DH being in the National League now. I've really grown to dislike interleague play, and I hate the de- emphasis of batting average when it comes to hitters

 

[hawk11pear99]

I really love Jacob Taylor. He steals bases himself but won’t let anyone else steal them.

 

[halcyondays]

Cleveland should have changed their name to the Lakers, not the Guardians! The first new US ore boat in 35 years was christened in Cleveland a couple years ago.

I'm a lifelong fan. I grew up in a location where my loyalties were split between the Phillies and Mets. Loathed the Yankees.

I like pitching over hitting. Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton were my faves. I hate the home run. It has ruined the game. I hate the arms race between pitching and hitting. Seems like it's all or nothing with the number of strikeouts and homers continuing to soar. Pitchers are having Tommy John UCL surgery before they even get out of college or the minors, then multiple times during their MLB careers. It's crazy.

I get it, though. I pitched when I was young. My arm still hurts.

I hate the designated hitter. I like the new rules which shorten the game but they wouldn't be necessary were it not for the arms race... which was inevitable. I look forward to the fully automatic strike zone.

I've lived out west for over three decades so follow the Dodgers and other west coast teams but am not attached to a team the way I once was. Nor do I have any favorite players. The sport is so homogenized.

I like the game but hate the business. Billionaires ruin everything.

 

[Aspen_Vale]

Cleveland should have changed their name to the Lakers, not the Guardians! The first new US ore boat in 35 years was christened in Cleveland a couple years ago.

I'm a lifelong fan. I grew up in a location where my loyalties were split between the Phillies and Mets. Loathed the Yankees.

I like pitching over hitting. Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton were my faves. I hate the home run. It has ruined the game. I hate the arms race between pitching and hitting. Seems like it's all or nothing with the number of strikeouts and homers continuing to soar. Pitchers are having Tommy John UCL surgery before they even get out of college or the minors, then multiple times during their MLB careers. It's crazy.

I get it, though. I pitched when I was young. My arm still hurts.

I hate the designated hitter. I like the new rules which shorten the game but they wouldn't be necessary were it not for the arms race... which was inevitable. I look forward to the fully automatic strike zone.

I've lived out west for over three decades so follow the Dodgers and other west coast teams but am not attached to a team the way I once was. Nor do I have any favorite players. The sport is so homogenized.

I like the game but hate the business. Billionaires ruin everything.

So true! I live smack dab in the middle of Yankee land, my dad is also a die-hard Yankees fan. But as a kid I fell in love with the smiling and winking Chief Wahoo and that was that lol.

I despise the Guardians name, nothing can ever replace Indians. But I get the idea behind it with the art deco statues on the bridge. Lakers would have been much better I agree.

All baseball is now is home runs and strike outs. It's ok to bat .210 if you hit 30+ home runs. Ridiculous!

I never pitched as a kid, had no talent for it at all. But I was a really good hitter so I was always the DH/EH on the team.

 

[hawk11pear99]

I'm a casual fan who just started watching baseball recently, but until a few years ago, my desktop wallpaper at work was Greinke.

All baseball is now is home runs and strike outs. It's ok to bat .210 if you hit 30+ home runs. Ridiculous!

Home runs are spectacular, and Kyle Schwarber is fun to watch, but I think small ball is really exciting, too. Which teams are playing good small ball right now? Cleveland? Baltimore?
Personally, since you went to the trouble of starting this thread, I think it’s more fun to talk about your passion than to complain.

 

[Aspen_Vale]

I'm a casual fan who just started watching baseball recently, but until a few years ago, my desktop wallpaper at work was Greinke.


Home runs are spectacular, and Kyle Schwarber is fun to watch, but I think small ball is really exciting, too. Which teams are playing good small ball right now? Cleveland? Baltimore?
Personally, since you went to the trouble of starting this thread, I think it’s more fun to talk about your passion than to complain.

Cleveland tries to play a variation of small ball that they call "Guardsball" but since they can't hit with runners in scoring position and their bullpen can't hold a lead it's kind of self defeating.

Oh well, it's just not our year lol.


But no doubt HRs are exciting! I just went to a minor league game and saw 5 homers hit, definitely a lot of fun to watch.

I remember when Greinke played for KC...he always pitched well against Cleveland.

 

[Southernboisb]

But I hate the DH being in the National League now.

YES!!! If you take the field, you take a bat.

&, while we're at it: switch Houston & Milwaukee back to their prior leagues.

 

[Aspen_Vale]

YES!!! If you take the field, you take a bat.

&, while we're at it: switch Houston & Milwaukee back to their prior leagues.

I remember the Brewers being in the AL with Cleveland! And Houston's NLCS with the Mets in 86 is one of the greatest ever!!!!

 

[Southernboisb]

How about when MLB had Atlanta in the West with SD, LA, & SF. That made a TON of sense.

Then I also remember those baby blue uniforms.

 

[Aspen_Vale]

I vaguely remember that, a very long echo from their years in Milwaukee. Those uniforms though were nowhere near as bad as the Padres. Brown and yellow

I would love MLB to scrap all the divisions and just have the NL and the AL. Have a playoff structure like hockey used to, 1 plays 8, 2vs7 and so on. No interleague play at all.

 

[Southernboisb]

I vaguely remember that, a very long echo from their years in Milwaukee. Those uniforms though were nowhere near as bad as the Padres. Brown and yellow

I would love MLB to scrap all the divisions and just have the NL and the AL. Have a playoff structure like hockey used to, 1 plays 8, 2vs7 and so on. No interleague play at all.

What can you do with brown? After all, does maroon & orange go together (Va. Tech)?
How about Tulane's green & blue?
I just remembered Cleveland NFL (brown & orange)?
Yes...not many use brown, so that does make you stand out. BUT, look at the difficulties in using it.


The catch to your idea is HOW are you going to make a balanced schedule for all? I'm sure some want to keep their annual rivalries & others don't have any/as many (like what college fb has to work around).

 

[Aspen_Vale]

What can you do with brown? After all, does maroon & orange go together (Va. Tech)?
How about Tulane's green & blue?
I just remembered Cleveland NFL (brown & orange)?
Yes...not many use brown, so that does make you stand out. BUT, look at the difficulties in using it.


The catch to your idea is HOW are you going to make a balanced schedule for all? I'm sure some want to keep their annual rivalries & others don't have any/as many (like what college fb has to work around).

If interleague was scrapped then think about how many more Yankees/Red Sox games there would be more Braves/Mets etc.

You mentioned the Cleveland Browns...but they hardly use the color brown. Mostly orange and white. But yeah... brown is a pretty impossible color to work with

I'm just nostalgic for the way baseball used to be, before it really became big business in the 21st century.

 

[Southernboisb]

I understand your scheduling, but:

Mets/Yankees
Cubs/White Sox
Marlins/Devil Rays
Dodgers/Angels
Reds/Guardians (Indians)
Giants/A's*
Expos/Blue Jays*
Astros/Rangers*
*rivalry ended/changed

You gonna get rid of those?

 

[halcyondays]

You mentioned the Cleveland Browns...but they hardly use the color brown. Mostly orange and white. But yeah... brown is a pretty impossible color to work with

The NFL Browns were named after founder Paul Brown and like you say used orange and while uniforms. Then he founded the expansion team Cincinnati Bengals who also wore orange and black, lol.

The AL St. Louis Browns (who moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles in 1954) actually wore brown before switching to Oriole orange and black.

I think the Padre brown is after the robes the friars wore.

 

[Aspen_Vale]

The NFL Browns were named after founder Paul Brown and like you say used orange and while uniforms. Then he founded the expansion team Cincinnati Bengals who also wore orange and black, lol.

The AL St. Louis Browns (who moved to Baltimore and became the Orioles in 1954) actually wore brown before switching to Oriole orange and black.

I think the Padre brown is after the robes the friars wore.

Long live the St. Louis Browns!!! They might be the least remembered team in baseball that lasted more than a single season. So the Seattle Pilots don't count hahaha.