MLB 2022

[Chas.Alpha]

5 hours ago, ElJavi76 said:

To me Judge is JUST the American League HR champ. That’s all you get bud. Nothing to sneeze at but the other stats all stand to me. 

Hank Aaron is the MLB Homerun champion. No juice, no BS... 744

[ElJavi76]

20 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Hank Aaron is the MLB Homerun champion. No juice, no BS... 744

Those guys were all hopped up on greenies. Hank Aaron himself admitted to popping a pill “once”. Sure thing Hank. He sounds like Johnny Dangerously. I took a greenie once. ONCE!  We need to stop romanticizing the past. I repeat, I genuinely dislike(d) Bonds… but dude never got busted. Bonds is in the record books as the all time leader. If he’s not the leader then change the books. End of story! 

 

20 hours ago, JohnS said:

I completely concur Javi, no need to rewrite the history books as that is always fraught with issues, especially in this age where modern culture regularly denounce past generations based on the values we have today. But that's another story.

Absolutely, the records still stand. I remember that McGwire/Sosa race in 1998 and even more so the incredible feat that Barry Bonds achieved in 2001. I remember thinking, "how many intentional base on balls can a guy get in a season?" I mean, no-one wanted to pitch to Bonds in the last two months of the 2001 regular season. I was especially miffed watching games because an intentional walk meant the pitcher threw to the catcher four times. In this aspect, I'm glad times have changed.

You can talk about the dead ball era pre-1920s, the grandfathered use of the spitball, the fact Maris played 162 games and Ruth played 154 or that Bob Gibson had an ERA of 1.12 in 1968 when the pitching mound was raised (and then brought back down the following season) but the records stand and that's how it should be...yes.

Bonds was so dangerous and hated that nobody wanted to pitch to him. In ‘98 Buck Showalter was managing the Diamondbacks. Bonds came up with bases loaded and the Dbacks up 8-6. Showalter walked Bonds with the bases loaded and walked in a run. ON PURPOSE! The Diamondbacks won that game 8-7. Vintage Buck. 
 

In the future we’re going to look back and remember the 7 inning double headers, the free runner at second base in extra innings, and maybe we’ll laugh. We might also be looking at pitch clocks coming to the majors in the coming years. Throws over to first base will be limited otherwise you will risk a balk. There are all kinds of ways that baseball has shifted and changed over the years. Nobody can tell me that a 7 inning no hitter is equal to a 9 inning no hitter. In baseball history there have been more than one No-Hitter broken up in extra innings. In one case a guy got the first 36 batters he faced and still lost the game 1-0. There’s beauty in all of sports and each era has its things. Dead ball. Juiced ball. Corked bats… remember Sosa telling folks he used a batting practice bat during a game after his bat exploded. It wasn’t enough that he was juicing but then he went and corked his bat. You take it all in. You like who you like and watch the times change. Nothing is constant. Not even in sports. 

[rolaand]

^^ I think this is exactly right. It is so hard to compare across generations and positions. Also, the lack of consistent regulation across eras makes it very hard to discern who was a "clean" player over time. The only thing consistent was MLB looking the other way throughout most of their history as players shot themselves up, took unmarked pills, took steroids/HGH, or used illegal substances pitching. MLB can institute more rigorous testing procedures, including using a B sample to be tested after a certain amount of time similar to WADA, but they don't.

 

After all is said and done we just don't have all the information. Enjoy the game and enjoy the spectacle but I laugh a little bit at the "purists" romanticizing the past. There are so many variables we don't know about and the game is just entertainment in the end. 

[brutusthebuckeye]

Bonds stands alone!!!!!

How do we know Judge isn’t taking some designer roid that can’t be detected????

 

Go Tribe..

[JohnS]

2022 Postseason Playoff Picture...

[Fezztone]

It’s nice to see the Padres in the picture no matter how brief it may be. 

[BigGuns]

Looking forward to this series, @Fezztone and @JohnS!!!

[RedLantern]

2 hours ago, Fezztone said:

It’s nice to see the Padres in the picture no matter how brief it may be. 

You misspelled Mariners

[BigGuns]

Scherzer. Ouch. 

[ElJavi76]

12 minutes ago, BigGuns said:

Scherzer. Ouch. 

I feel like Mets fans were sold a Bill of goods. We were told this was going to be the best 1-2 pitching punch in baseball. Scherzer and Degrom have both been frauds since the beginning of September. If Max hasn’t recovered from wtf he had with that oblique then keep him out. I know these athletes are proud and want to win but JHC these short types series give you no room for error. Now Jacob has to go win no matter what tomorrow before he signs with Atlanta in the offseason, according to Buster Olney. 
I want a bonafide bopper in that lineup next year. A real effin DH! Not some franken-DH platoon. Go pay Judge whatever he wants. Dump McCann. They cut Cano and his fat salary. Why not this dud? Give Alvarez a real look in the Spring. 
The Mets might yet win this series but I I’ve felt for some time that we just don’t have enough to finish the job yet. A couple of holes in the lineup and too streaky as a group. October requires a lil bit of luck just like any championship run but you have to be firing on all cylinders. The Metropolitans are not!

[Chas.Alpha]

Cards drop 6 runs in the 9th???

[brutusthebuckeye]

10 minutes ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Cards drop 6 runs in the 9th???

It was brutal. But my Indians won. 
 

Go Tribe. 

[Chas.Alpha]

And the Braves are yet again just sitting there... 🤔

[Ford2112]

5 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

And the Braves are yet again just sitting there... 🤔

Does anyone actually like the Braves?

[RedLantern]

M's advance! 

[rolaand]

Incredible! You love to see it!

[JohnS]

 

On 10/8/2022 at 10:41 AM, BigGuns said:

Looking forward to this series, @Fezztone and @JohnS!!!

You say that because of the following three reasons?

1. The Padres have taken both regular season series 2-1 against the Mets but the Dodgers have beaten up on the Padres in 2022.
2. The Dodgers have won almost three out every four games this season but the Mets actually took their regular season series 4-3.
3. You don't want the Dodgers to replicate the 2001 Seattle Mariners (of course, who does?) and if the Dodgers deserve to win it all this year then they should prove it against tough opponents (i.e Padres, Mets and Braves).

 

On 10/8/2022 at 12:56 PM, ElJavi76 said:

I feel like Mets fans were sold a Bill of goods. We were told this was going to be the best 1-2 pitching punch in baseball. Scherzer and Degrom have both been frauds since the beginning of September. If Max hasn’t recovered from wtf he had with that oblique then keep him out. I know these athletes are proud and want to win but JHC these short types series give you no room for error. Now Jacob has to go win no matter what tomorrow before he signs with Atlanta in the offseason, according to Buster Olney. 
I want a bonafide bopper in that lineup next year. A real effin DH! Not some franken-DH platoon. Go pay Judge whatever he wants. Dump McCann. They cut Cano and his fat salary. Why not this dud? Give Alvarez a real look in the Spring. 
The Mets might yet win this series but I I’ve felt for some time that we just don’t have enough to finish the job yet. A couple of holes in the lineup and too streaky as a group. October requires a lil bit of luck just like any championship run but you have to be firing on all cylinders. The Metropolitans are not!

You could be right about Scherzer and DeGrom not being 100% fit, you know...struggling with niggling injuries. I agree that the team is not 100% in place but Steve Cohen had a three-year goal (hence why Max got that three-year contract) and it takes time to build a team. Atlanta and Los Angeles proved that before winning their recent World Series Championships. Maybe it's perplexing as Baseball Fans hate losing but the measure of success can be quite small if you expect your team to win the World Series every year. It's like climbing a mountain, a lot has to be put in place to climb to the top.

Buster Olney also says that Aaron Judge will get a huge offer to go to the SF Giants. ESPN probably pay him a lot of money to say things about DeGrom and Judge so he has to say something!

[brutusthebuckeye]

Only took 15 innings…But bring on the Bronx Bombers. 
 

Go Tribe. 

[Ford2112]

31 minutes ago, JohnS said:

 if the Dodgers deserve to win it all this year then they should prove it 

They don't deserve anything ,they are the Scrubs.  

[JohnS]

12 minutes ago, Ford2112 said:

They don't deserve anything ,they are the Scrubs.  

You truly love the Giants! 🤣

[Chas.Alpha]

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta... 😄

[Ford2112]

3 hours ago, JohnS said:

You truly love the Giants! 🤣

With all my heart. 

[ElJavi76]

10 hours ago, JohnS said:

 

You say that because of the following three reasons?

1. The Padres have taken both regular season series 2-1 against the Mets but the Dodgers have beaten up on the Padres in 2022.
2. The Dodgers have won almost three out every four games this season but the Mets actually took their regular season series 4-3.
3. You don't want the Dodgers to replicate the 2001 Seattle Mariners (of course, who does?) and if the Dodgers deserve to win it all this year then they should prove it against tough opponents (i.e Padres, Mets and Braves).

 

You could be right about Scherzer and DeGrom not being 100% fit, you know...struggling with niggling injuries. I agree that the team is not 100% in place but Steve Cohen had a three-year goal (hence why Max got that three-year contract) and it takes time to build a team. Atlanta and Los Angeles proved that before winning their recent World Series Championships. Maybe it's perplexing as Baseball Fans hate losing but the measure of success can be quite small if you expect your team to win the World Series every year. It's like climbing a mountain, a lot has to be put in place to climb to the top.

Buster Olney also says that Aaron Judge will get a huge offer to go to the SF Giants. ESPN probably pay him a lot of money to say things about DeGrom and Judge so he has to say something!

They pulled that one out of the fire John. DeGrom wasn’t lights out DG but he got it done. The in-game adjustment to go to the breaking ball after the Grisham HR might have saved his night. Someone on Twitter said something interesting after the game 1 loss. The guy said, Mets need to do a better job of scouting just like other teams do. He said the Brave’s and the Padres knew exactly what pitches to lay off of. Which is why the change in pitching strategy worked. Sometimes you have to pitch backwards and go with secondary pitches because if they’re sitting dead red and you pump it in at 102 mph some of those balls will inevitably leave the yard. Offense woke up some. I wonder and hope that Max has the opportunity to atone for his atrocious stay in LA. He’s a cerebral pitcher and plays lots of mental games with himself. Being that the Dodgers are his former team maybe he amps himself up over that. 
In the meantime, great win by Cleveland (I can’t call them the new team name cause their former name just rolls off the tongue)! And an even better win by Seattle! Down 8-1 and to come back is pure insanity. Good for that young team and the fans of the Seattle Mariners. Congrats. And nobody cares about the Phillies, but they win too. 😂

[ElJavi76]

8 hours ago, Chas.Alpha said:

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta... 😄

Not to dump on the reigning world champs but Atlanta reminds me a lot of the Dodgers. I’ll preface what I’m about to say with, the Braves were my second fav team in the 90s in the NL.  Namely cause the Mets were awful, they were competing against the AL and especially the Yankees, and they were loaded with great players. The crime dog Fred McGriff, who can forget Sid Bream and the slide, Steve Avery, and those other 3 Hall of Fame starting pitchers. Problem I have with teams like the Braves and Dodgers is they’re really really good regular season teams, but they don’t finish the job that often. The Braves of the late 90s should’ve been a dynasty yet they won ONE single title. I’ll never forgive them for that 1996 meltdown. Jim Friggin Leyritz and that stupid one handed HR. A 2-0 lead in that series and you lose??? Yikes! Let’s see if this new Braves team is any different but 14 NL East titles in a row and 1 title to show for that. Dodgers aren’t very different. World beaters in the regular season. Their run differential this year was out of this galaxy but let’s see what that translates to. I think the 97 Marlins were the first Wild Card team to win a WS. Old man Jack McKeon took them all the way. So it’s not about how flashy you are but about where you finish. 

Side note, the late 80s Mets suffered the same outcome. A team that should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve been much greater. 1988 the Mets I think swept the Dodgers during the regular season series but in the end Mike Scioscia homered off of Gooden in game 4, Hershiser struck out Hojo to end the series, and the Mets crumbled into obscurity for a long long time. Baseball is a funny game. We’ll see how the Bye affects these 1/2 seeds in both leagues. Somebody is bound to get rusty. I hope it’s the Dodgers and Braves. 
 

#LFGM

[rolaand]

After the game max alluded to not getting any sleep bc he would be watching so much tape and i believe it.

Another consideration os that a lot of recent series (braves and pads in particular) have been punishing mets pitchers early in the count. A lot of first pitch hits which i don’t remember from a majority of the season. I listened to probably 90 games this year.