MLB 2024: Baseball is for Everyone (subject to local blackout restrictions)

[Timby]

Friends, Romans, TrekBBSers, lend me your ears: The snow is melting, and our time huddling 'round the hot stove is finally at an end. The long, cold, lonely winter is over, spring is in the air, and on Thursday, March 28, baseball returned.

STORYLINES TO WATCH

- Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' $700 million man (with like $500 million of that being deferred into what feels like next century), has found himself embroiled in a gambling / embezzlement scandal allegedly perpetrated by his former trainer and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who has subsequently been fired by the Dodgers. The whole situation is very, very bizarre, and there's one question on everyone's mind: What did Ohtani know, and when did he know it?

- The Yankees are among the teams that essentially decided to run it back with last year's roster, outside of the blockbuster addition of Juan Soto, who infamously turned down a $440 million contract with the Nationals. The Yankees' season is going to be highly dependent upon Soto and Aaron Judge staying healthy ... is that even feasible anymore?

- Let's Go O's! The Baltimore Orioles surprised the hell out of the baseball world last year, winning 101 games and taking the AL East in a runaway. While losing closer Felix Bautista and switching to Craig Kimbrel is undoubtedly a significant downgrade, their trade for former Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes shores up what was undoubtedly their biggest weakness in 2023, their rotation depth. Is a regression likely, or is this young team going to hit All The Dingers?

- The St. Louis Cardinals had arguably their first truly dogshit season in what feels like 30 years in 2023. They're an old team with an old pitching staff and a manager who seems checked out. Does Oli Marmol even survive April at this rate?

- Will the Houston Astros' stranglehold on the ALCS (seven consecutive appearances) continue, or has their window finally started to close?

- What the fuck is going on with these new uniforms?

The long national nightmare is over; baseball is back. Play ball!

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

My questions are:
- Did Ohtani know? Probably. Unlikely an interpreter (not his accountant as far as we know) could be taking $4.5M out of his accounts without him knowing something was going on.
- Are the Dodgers helping to cover up something bigger? Could very well be.
- Is MLB helping to cover up something in order to preserve their sterling reputation? Also not out of the realm of possibilities.
Get an independent investigation going. No MLB people, no Dodgers people, nobody friendly with either of those 2 entities.

Will Soto mesh with the Yanks better than he did with the other egos in SD?

I'm a little surprised the Cards extended Marmol. He seemed to lose the team pretty early last year and never got things back on track.

Stupid Cubs wasted 2 bonehead plays by the Rangers to lose anyway, on top of maybe losing Justin Steele for a while.

 

[Timby]

I'm a little surprised the Cards extended Marmol. He seemed to lose the team pretty early last year and never got things back on track.

The weirdest thing about the Cardinals last year was when they did their temporary experiment of moving Willson Contreras to left field, because apparently it was his fault that he didn't suddenly, magically turn into the second coming of Yadi Molina behind the plate, and then less than a week later Mozeliak and Marmol were all "oops, our bad, Willson's our catcher."

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

The weirdest thing about the Cardinals last year was when they did their temporary experiment of moving Willson Contreras to left field, because apparently it was his fault that he didn't suddenly, magically turn into the second coming of Yadi Molina behind the plate, and then less than a week later Mozeliak and Marmol were all "oops, our bad, Willson's our catcher."

I was also thinking about the time Marmol publicly called out O'Neill (for something legit), but doing it in the media is unprofessional. The team as a whole really seemed to take that personally.

 

[Timby]

I was also thinking about the time Marmol publicly called out O'Neill (for something legit), but doing it in the media is unprofessional. The team as a whole really seemed to take that personally.

Remember a few years ago when Tony La Russa called out Yermin Mercedes for going yard on a 3-0 count late in the game?

The sooner this old breed of red-ass managers still devoted to the "unwritten rules" dies off, the better.

 

[Aragorn]

Remember when Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis made up an unwritten rule to complain about? Blue Jays had a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Jays OF Colby Rasmus beats out the shift with a bunt.

“I told [Rasmus] I didn’t appreciate it,” Lewis said. “You’re up by two runs with two outs and you lay down a bunt. I don’t think that’s the way the game should be played.”

When pressed further on what the problem with Rasmus’ bunt was, Lewis insinuated that the outfielder put himself before his team.

“I felt like you have a situation where there is two outs, you’re up two runs, you have gotten a hit earlier in the game off me, we are playing the shift, and he laid down a bunt basically simply for average,” Lewis said.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/...-colby-lewis-is-upset-that-colby-lewis-bunted

 

[BillJ]

Remember when Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis made up an unwritten rule to complain about? Blue Jays had a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Jays OF Colby Rasmus beats out the shift with a bunt.

“I told [Rasmus] I didn’t appreciate it,” Lewis said. “You’re up by two runs with two outs and you lay down a bunt. I don’t think that’s the way the game should be played.”

When pressed further on what the problem with Rasmus’ bunt was, Lewis insinuated that the outfielder put himself before his team.

“I felt like you have a situation where there is two outs, you’re up two runs, you have gotten a hit earlier in the game off me, we are playing the shift, and he laid down a bunt basically simply for average,” Lewis said.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/...-colby-lewis-is-upset-that-colby-lewis-bunted

I would have some choice words for Lewis, but they wouldn't be appropriate here.

 

[Timby]

Remember when Rangers pitcher Colby Lewis made up an unwritten rule to complain about? Blue Jays had a 2-0 lead in the fifth, Jays OF Colby Rasmus beats out the shift with a bunt.

“I told [Rasmus] I didn’t appreciate it,” Lewis said. “You’re up by two runs with two outs and you lay down a bunt. I don’t think that’s the way the game should be played.”

When pressed further on what the problem with Rasmus’ bunt was, Lewis insinuated that the outfielder put himself before his team.

“I felt like you have a situation where there is two outs, you’re up two runs, you have gotten a hit earlier in the game off me, we are playing the shift, and he laid down a bunt basically simply for average,” Lewis said.

https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/...-colby-lewis-is-upset-that-colby-lewis-bunted

Pitchers are generally notoriously psychotic crybabies, but holy shit, I had forgotten about this. What a dweeb.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

What the fuck is going on with these new uniforms?

Seconded.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Thirded. Not impressed so far.

 

[Skywalker]

The important thing is MLB saved some money with these new uniforms.

 

[cardinal biggles]

 

[Aragorn]

And the first no-hitter of the season goes to.... Ronel Blanco, Houston, in a 10-0 win over Toronto. 7 K, 2 BB (and he had retired 26 in a row in between the walks).

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ Blanco is the perfect name


Shota Imanaga had a perfect game into the 6th before he gave up 2 hits. Still, 9K's in 6IP and 0BB's was a nice debut.

Welcome to the Sho-ta.

 

[Timby]

^ Blanco is the perfect name

Just reminds me of the days when the Cubs had Henry Blanco at catcher, forming a battery with such luminaries as Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis and Sean Gallagher. Oh, those halcyon days of Hank White and his .230-hitting bat.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Bob Uecker, age 90, is into his 54th season in the Brewers radio booth.

Now just think about that for a minute.

 

[Timby]

Bob Uecker, age 90, is into his 54th season in the Brewers radio booth.

Now just think about that for a minute.

Much like Pat Hughes, Bob Uecker is a treasure on the radio and the NL Central will be all the more worse for it when they inevitably retire soon.

 

[Aragorn]

Missouri voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs. St. Louis Chiefs and Portland Royals, here we come!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Watching the Yankees/Dbacks game....Michael Kay said that they are not allowed to open or close the roof at Chase Field if there are fans present.

I thought that was really weird.

 

[BillJ]

Jackson County, Mo. voters reject money for Chiefs/Royals stadium upgrades.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2024/04/voters-reject-chiefs-stadium-measure