MLB World Series 2018: Eh. Dodgers/Boston. Eh.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I am of course extremely biased, but Omaha would (IMHO) be a good candidate for expansion, for at least one reason:

We already have a stadium.

Seriously. We do. We built it for the College World Series, but IIRC it was designed to be expandable to MLB standards with a minimum of effort. Probably all they'd need to do would be to make a new video board, and maybe a third seating deck, but the stadium itself is sound.

And we could play up a rivalry with the Royals. (Which, I might add, is the entire reason the Astros were recently shifted to the AL, so a rivalry with the Rangers could be manufactured.)

On a completely unrelated matter, apparently the translation of John Sterling's HR call (“Giancarlo, non si può stoparlo!”) is “Giancarlo, you can’t be stopped!”

9 out of 10 for effort, I guess.

 

[Timby]

I am of course extremely biased, but Omaha would (IMHO) be a good candidate for expansion, for at least one reason:

We already have a stadium.

Seriously. We do. We built it for the College World Series, but IIRC it was designed to be expandable to MLB standards with a minimum of effort. Probably all they'd need to do would be to make a new video board, and maybe a third seating deck, but the stadium itself is sound.

Wouldn't TD Ameritrade automatically be the second-smallest stadium in major-league baseball?

Anyway, the other issue is that Omaha would automatically become the smallest market in all of MLB, by a not-insignificant amount (by 600,000 people or so--and bear in mind the only reason there's baseball in Milwaukee is because of Bud Selig), and when you're asking 30 owners to dilute their share of $10+ billion in revenues, they're only going to accept it because a new team would be in a location that would make a lot of money. Omaha probably wouldn't fit that bill, being a city in a flyover state and not particularly known as a tourist trap. That's not a knock on Omaha itself--it's really a great city and I've enjoyed the times I've been there for speaking gigs--just speaking realistically in terms of baseball's economics.

 

[Skywalker]

Portland and either Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham could be interesting, if these expansion talks are actually serious.

 

[Kronos]

Omaha would cut into the Royals market, already a small team.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

...and either Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham could be interesting, if these expansion talks are actually serious.

As much as I would love for either of those locales to get a Major League team, they both have AAA teams, which would suffer from lost of revenue from gaining a Major League team.

 

[Timby]

Portland and either Charlotte or Raleigh-Durham could be interesting, if these expansion talks are actually serious.

Portland hates baseball so much that they converted their minor-league baseball stadium into a soccer-only stadium, and the Charlotte Knights just upgraded their park into basically a AAAA-quality park (and there are big territorial issues there, as well). Raleigh-Durham is ... an interesting concept, to be sure, but both the Nationals and Orioles have a territorial claim on the area, and the Orioles wouldn't be likely to acquiesce to another team moving into their market after they got fucked over with the Nationals.

 

[Timby]

The Cubs have signed Chris Coghlan to a minor-league deal.

JESUS CHRIST, NO ONE TELL MADDON. PLEASE.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Portland hates baseball so much that they converted their minor-league baseball stadium into a soccer-only stadium, and the Charlotte Knights just upgraded their park into basically a AAAA-quality park (and there are big territorial issues there, as well). Raleigh-Durham is ... an interesting concept, to be sure, but both the Nationals and Orioles have a territorial claim on the area, and the Orioles wouldn't be likely to acquiesce to another team moving into their market after they got fucked over with the Nationals.

The Durham Bulls Athletic Park is nothing to sneeze at either, even if it's been around longer.

I would think the Braves would have the stronger territorial claim over Orioles/Nationals, but I guess they're about the same distance apart and I grew up on the Bulls as a Braves farm team. Either way, as much as I loved the Bulls, I always lamented how we never had a Major League team even remotely close. That's why I always find it absurd to read about teams having "territorial claims" to areas that are multiple large states away. It's not like people in Raleigh-Durham were going to see the Orioles, Nationals, or Braves as a day trip.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

The Cubs have signed Chris Coghlan to a minor-league deal.

JESUS CHRIST, NO ONE TELL MADDON. PLEASE.

Are you kidding? Maddon probably went to pick him up in the RV.

 

[Timby]

That's why I always find it absurd to read about teams having "territorial claims" to areas that are multiple large states away. It's not like people in Raleigh-Durham were going to see the Orioles, Nationals, or Braves as a day trip.

It's largely due to television rights and the money teams get from said rights.

 

[Kronos]

Every place in the US will have a territorial issue, enough money can make that go away.

How about Mexico and Monterrey?

Cueto has a perfect game threw 6...hope I can ruin it ...Perfect Game...No Hitter...Perfect Game...No Hitter

 

[The Nth Doctor]

It's largely due to television rights and the money teams get from said rights.

Ah, okay, that makes more sense. Fucking TV dictating this shit. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

 

[Timby]

Every place in the US will have a territorial issue, enough money can make that go away.

How about Mexico and Monterrey?

Enough money can make it go away (that's what made Peter Angelos settle down regarding the Nationals), but there has to be the promise of more money being made. That's why the owners agreed to expansion twice in the '90s, although they really got strongarmed into Tampa Bay because the city literally had an empty stadium because of Jerry Reinsdorf being a massive cockmonster.

Mexico is likely a no-go. The peso is still completely in the tank, there are huge security issues, and because of the terrible economy any team there would have significant issues securing sponsorships.

I think we talked about this in last year's thread, but basically there are no realistic straight-shot options for MLB expansion outside of Las Vegas, and given MLB's history of gambling scandals and Vegas being, well, the gambling capital of the world, they're understandably gun-shy about even exploring the option.

 

[tomalak301]

Giants start the season with consecutive 1-0 starts for the first time since the reds did it in 1943. That’s pretty cool.

I wish they can get better run support though.

 

[Herbert]

I am of course extremely biased, but Omaha would (IMHO) be a good candidate for expansion, for at least one reason:

We already have a stadium.

Seriously. We do. We built it for the College World Series, but IIRC it was designed to be expandable to MLB standards with a minimum of effort. Probably all they'd need to do would be to make a new video board, and maybe a third seating deck, but the stadium itself is sound.

And we could play up a rivalry with the Royals. (Which, I might add, is the entire reason the Astros were recently shifted to the AL, so a rivalry with the Rangers could be manufactured.)

On a completely unrelated matter, apparently the translation of John Sterling's HR call (“Giancarlo, non si può stoparlo!”) is “Giancarlo, you can’t be stopped!”

9 out of 10 for effort, I guess.

They could call themselves the Omaha Mutuals

 

[Timby]

Josh Donaldson is fielding like he has a cooked shoulder, Jon Lester is hovering around 88 with his fastball and Kenley Jansen is throwing around 90.

Oof.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Josh Donaldson is fielding like he has a cooked shoulder, Jon Lester is hovering around 88 with his fastball and Kenley Jansen is throwing around 90.

Oof.

Has Lester been higher than that in recent years? I really don't know.

 

[Timby]

Has Lester been higher than that in recent years? I really don't know.

Lester's historically been around 91 - 92. The other day, I think 11 or 12 of his pitches broke 90, and his curveball was about as flat as it gets.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Lester's historically been around 91 - 92. The other day, I think 11 or 12 of his pitches broke 90, and his curveball was about as flat as it gets.

Didn't he start slow the last couple years?

 

[Timby]

Didn't he start slow the last couple years?

I forget but you're probably right, but I think we're just seeing the decline phase.