2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (LOL NO)

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Yeah, this debate came up in last year's thread (I think), and I stand by my opinion that people who trumpet wrong calls as a necessary and proper part of the sport that nothing should be done to curtail are just weird. Have a robo-strike zone, have balls and strikes called by a guy up in the booth, whatever.

Of course, the umpires' union, toothless as it is after Richie Phillips' hilariously stupid stunt back in '99, would revolt at such an idea.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

I don't really care about how the strike zone varies, I still wonder why the umpires need all that bulky gear when they're reviewing a call.

This is 2015, for crying out loud. There should be LESS gear, not more of it. All they need to do is talk to the 'head umpire' back at the command center. They shouldn't need anything more than, you know, a fucking PHONE when they do that. So what is the significance of all that extra shit?

Oh, and on a completely unrelated matter: If there's a reason why the Blue Jays are so anal retentive about closing the roof at Rogers Centre, I'm not aware of it. (Seriously. Was hardly a cloud in the sky the whole week I was there, and the roof was closed 4 games out of 5. )

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

^I agree about the replay gear. Honestly, a smart-phone should be sufficient to talk to the umpiring crew in New York.

Oh, and I think managers should be able to argue a call following a review, provided that they argue with the umpires in NYC as opposed to the crew working the game; if nothing else, it would be funny watching someone scream into a headset and then smash the headset after getting tossed.

--Sran

 

[Scout101]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

It's part of the show, look how important I am with all of this gear...

I mean, NFL guys get a nice hood, and get to make the call themselves. All these guys get is a phonecall to tell them they screwed up (again), so gotta make it look like they're involved in the review at least.

 

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Rob Manfred said the other night that the league is going to look into shortening the season in the next round of CBA negotiations.

 

[tomalak301]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Rob Manfred said the other night that the league is going to look into shortening the season in the next round of CBA negotiations.

How about shortening Spring Training instead, like cut a week off. Then maybe the season won't end on Halloween.

 

[Scout101]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Because we can't play in the northeast in mid-march? early April is even hairy sometimes. Worse than playing in early November, almost definitely will have snow or frozen ground still. ST should be shorter, but just start later, don't finish early. It was just in existence so people could work off the rust from their day jobs in the mines/farms/factories and get ready for baseball. Now that they're all multi-millionaires and work out year round, don't need more than like 2 weeks to figure it out.

Honestly don't care if they cut a week off of the regular season, takes forever. And sucks that a summer game, which plays most of its games in nice warm weather, plays all of it's most important games in 40 degrees.

Almost as bad as NHL finishing in June, but at least it's indoors so they can (mostly) control conditions. MLB playing outside, the World Series can be pretty rough, and doesn't really resemble the game played during the year. Don't want to suggest having to play playoffs in domes, but ending a couple weeks earlier wouldn't suck either...

 

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Because we can't play in the northeast in mid-march? early April is even hairy sometimes. Worse than playing in early November, almost definitely will have snow or frozen ground still. ST should be shorter, but just start later, don't finish early. It was just in existence so people could work off the rust from their day jobs in the mines/farms/factories and get ready for baseball. Now that they're all multi-millionaires and work out year round, don't need more than like 2 weeks to figure it out.

Honestly don't care if they cut a week off of the regular season, takes forever. And sucks that a summer game, which plays most of its games in nice warm weather, plays all of it's most important games in 40 degrees.

Almost as bad as NHL finishing in June, but at least it's indoors so they can (mostly) control conditions. MLB playing outside, the World Series can be pretty rough, and doesn't really resemble the game played during the year. Don't want to suggest having to play playoffs in domes, but ending a couple weeks earlier wouldn't suck either...

Issues with shortening the season:

1) Ticket prices will increase, because there's no way ownership takes fewer games without a corresponding balance in revenue -- and I'm sure the change in ticket prices would be fair and commensurate with the number of games reduced.

2) There's no way labor, which has been talking about a return to 154 games for several years, gets fewer games without having to give up major concessions (and I fear that this is a preemptive strike on MLB's part to put this out there because the union is making a lot of noise about service time gaming being a major issue next year).

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Add more Double Headers. Every Saturday for a few teams, they play two. I know this would never happen but I love Double Headers.

 

[Yanks]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

T - A - N - A -K - A for the sweep!!

 

[Scout101]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Tanaka was even better...

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Maybe Yanks is talking about that 300 pound college pitcher. Tank-a

 

[Yanks]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Tanaka was even better...

Maybe Yanks is talking about that 300 pound college pitcher. Tank-a

Are you talking about Ben Ancheff? That's a big dude!

Kind of reminds me of that Kentucky QB a few years back.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

^ Yep, he be the one.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSfiSD5is7I[/yt]

 

[Scout101]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

wow, Sebathia has lost weight!

 

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Starlin Castro currently ranks 142 out of 165 qualified batters in OPS+ this season, at 79.

He's under contract for between $37 - 53 million until 2020.

Kill me.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

The Cubs sign Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal. $4M seems high, must have been other teams after this guy (?).

Story

Soriano’s deal with the Cubs is for a $4.1 million pro-rated base salary and $4 million incentive package if and when he is called up to the majors...

 

[Corran Horn]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

Starlin Castro currently ranks 142 out of 165 qualified batters in OPS+ this season, at 79.

He's under contract for between $37 - 53 million until 2020.

Kill me.

meh. It's happened before and he's come back from it. We shall see.

They're better equipped to deal with these types of things than they were in the past.

 

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

The Cubs sign Rafael Soriano to a minor league deal. $4M seems high, must have been other teams after this guy (?).

Story

Soriano’s deal with the Cubs is for a $4.1 million pro-rated base salary and $4 million incentive package if and when he is called up to the majors...

The salary will be prorated, so when all's said and done he'll get like $2.5 million. I'm guessing that since Soriano hasn't pitched in a while that they want to get him a few tuneup appearances, and they signed him with a gentleman's agreement that he'll get called up in a few weeks.

 

[Timby]

Re: 2015 MLB Season - Can the Cubs FINALLY win the World Series? (No.)

The Mets got no-hit by a 27-year-old rookie replacement-level pitcher.