MLB 2023 Season: Rangers are going hunting for Snakes

[fireproof78]

Angels pick up where they left off. Wasting a gem from Ohtani and losing.

Going to be a long season.

How did they do that...?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Lack of run support and then the bullpen blew the tiny lead they did have.

I have Ohtani in one of my fantasy leagues now so I'm already seeing Digit's pain.

 

[Aragorn]

Lack of run support and then the bullpen blew the tiny lead they did have.

I have Ohtani in one of my fantasy leagues now so I'm already seeing Digit's pain.

Fantasy baseball is a different beast now. Starting pitchers don't go deep into the game. Closers share the job with others. My fantasy team has two short relievers who might get their fair share of wins and saves, but then again might not. On the bright side, stolen bases are back.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Fantasy baseball is a different beast now. Starting pitchers don't go deep into the game. Closers share the job with others. My fantasy team has two short relievers who might get their fair share of wins and saves, but then again might not. On the bright side, stolen bases are back.

Depends on the league. I'm in two different ones, head-to-head categories and points. Pitchers are a big factor in the points league, which is where I have Ohtani.

 

[fireproof78]

Lack of run support and then the bullpen blew the tiny lead they did have.

I have Ohtani in one of my fantasy leagues now so I'm already seeing Digit's pain.

I only caught the scores the next morning and I was still shocked by the blown lead.

I felt Digit's pain all the way up here in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Nerroth]

While the Blue Jays continue their start of the season on the road (with an April Fools Day loss at St. Louis), the SkyDome has been undergoing certain renovations:

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Alas, these renovations do not include installing a natural grass pitch into the stadium...

 

[Aragorn]

Angels score 11 in the third inning against the A's. Not even they could blow this one.

 

[Danny99]

While the Blue Jays continue their start of the season on the road (with an April Fools Day loss at St. Louis), the SkyDome has been undergoing certain renovations:

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Alas, these renovations do not include installing a natural grass pitch into the stadium...

Place is still a concrete nightmare. The upgrades feel like putting makeup on a pig to justify continuing to use it. I've long desired the roof tiles to be replaced with something that let in some natural light. It's a cave when the roof is closed.

 

[Nerroth]

Place is still a concrete nightmare. The upgrades feel like putting makeup on a pig to justify continuing to use it. I've long desired the roof tiles to be replaced with something that let in some natural light. It's a cave when the roof is closed.

So, in the medium-to-long term, do you believe the Blue Jays should take a page from the Fighters' playbook and build a dedicated ballpark somewhere in the GTA - or, perhaps, that they should build a new stadium on the site of the SkyDome itself?

I'm not sure how I'd feel about the current building going the way of the Kingdome in Seattle. But on the other hand, it wouldn't be ideal for it to end up like the big O in Montréal either.

 

[Danny99]

So, in the medium-to-long term, do you believe the Blue Jays should take a page from the Fighters' playbook and build a dedicated ballpark somewhere in the GTA - or, perhaps, that they should build a new stadium on the site of the SkyDome itself?

I'm not sure how I'd feel about the current building going the way of the Kingdome in Seattle. But on the other hand, it wouldn't be ideal for it to end up like the big O in Montréal either.

While it is in a good location on the subway line, there isn't the footprint there to build around it as has been discussed. While I'd love to put a stadium on Lake Ontario, I don't know if the land and the footprint would be there.

The current building is cold and sterile, compared to other parks I have been to (Atlanta & Detroit). It was not meant to be a dedicated baseball space. It lacks character and the Jays deserve something better.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm liking those renovations to the skydome. Can't wait to get there and see them for myself.

I'm sure the Jays love actually having real bullpens (and, from what I hear, a genuine warning track, not just the same turf painted brown like it used to be).

I'm actually hoping that they keep the stadium. As much as I like jonesing for new ballparks, in this case I would not.I definitely love having the attached Marriott. Even if the Jays build a new stadium right there, that would probably have to go away.

Edit: Never mind. I remember now that there's another Marriott, on Wellington Street, a couple of blocks away. So I guess it wouldn't be so bad.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There was a flyover at the Mets/Brewers game...with the roof closed.

 

[Aragorn]

Anthony Rendon to serve a four-game suspension immediately after an altercation with a fan. So the Angels lineup will be remarkably improved for those four games.

 

[Worf factor9]

There was a flyover at the Mets/Brewers game...with the roof closed.

Brew-Ha-HA.

 

[Danny99]

I'm sure the Jays love actually having real bullpens (and, from what I hear, a genuine warning track, not just the same turf painted brown like it used to be).

If I'm remembering correctly, they dug out trenches in the cement a few years ago to put in real or real-ish dirt.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/construction-begins-new-dirt-infield-rogers-centre-1.3442659

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Brew-Ha-HA.

I remember our PtP group using that name as far back as 1988.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If I'm remembering correctly, they dug out trenches in the cement a few years ago to put in real or real-ish dirt.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/construction-begins-new-dirt-infield-rogers-centre-1.3442659

No, I don't mean the infield, I mean the warning track.

The skydome's field used to have NO warning track - the area where it would be, was the exact same turf as the rest of the field, just painted brown. That's what it was when I was there last (in '19), anyway.

 

[tomalak301]

Giants had 7 HRs yesterday in Chicago. I felt bad for the Pitcher. He was taken out too late.

Also saw that Machado was thrown out arguing the pitch clock today. I'm sure that won't be the last time it happens.

 

[Aragorn]

Twins game today was 1:57. It this hurting food and beverage sales in the stadium?

 

[Timby]

Twins game today was 1:57. It this hurting food and beverage sales in the stadium?

They did a study in the minor leagues and the answer is no, because F&B sales are heavily frontloaded.

I asked minor league front offices: with their average game time dropping by nearly half an hour in 2022, did they see a drop in concessions revenue?

The answer I got back universally from more than a dozen minor league operators was no. Minor league teams did not see a loss in concessions sales because games were shorter.

“We didn’t see concession sales suffer due to shorter games as fans were staying the same amount of time as they normally would, but were now just staying until the end of the game instead of the end of the seventh inning,” said one minor league team GM.

“We did not see a negative effect on concession sales. People still eat and drink as much as they used to. The 7th-9th innings of a 3 hour, 30 minute game are not high concession sales,” said another.

“From a concessions perspective, we have not seen a drop off in per caps whatsoever. A game lasting an hour longer than normal on a Thursday night doesn’t benefit us on the concessions side, because 90% of the fans have already gone home to get to bed,” said a third.

A fourth operator said their concession revenue actually went up. He also noted that their post-game promotions where kids run the bases were better attended because families were much more willing to stick around for the entire game, which he took as a positive sign for developing young fans.

Multiple operators also noted that the gameday employees have said how happy they are with the change since they are getting home half an hour earlier than they were before.

Obviously we don't have nearly enough of a sample size in the majors to have any meaningful data, as the season is six days old, but if the minors are any indication, the answer is no.