MLB Discussion - 2012 Season

[Pegaritaville]

How about some respect for Jered Weaver, who pitched a no -hitter yesterday?

A bright spot in an otherwsie dismal start to the season.

Great game by Weaver.

The way the Twins are batting this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more no-hitters thrown against them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Crap. Yankees are playing the Royals, and (as I live in Royals territory) I'm blacked out from watching it live on MLB.TV...

...so I gotta listen to John Sterling on the radio feed.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

You don't have a television?

 

[Skywalker]

Mariano Rivera may have torn ACL during BP, could be done for the year. If the tear's confirmed, he may be done for his career, too. If so, what a way to go out.

 

[Aragorn]

Crap. Yankees are playing the Royals, and (as I live in Royals territory) I'm blacked out from watching it live on MLB.TV...

...so I gotta listen to John Sterling on the radio feed.

It's mono radio... for Mr. Laser Beam... internet is blacked out... tttthhhhheeeee internet is blacked out!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Mariano Rivera may have torn ACL during BP, could be done for the year.

Dammit

You don't have a television?

Not cable TV, no. I got rid of cable a year ago.

 

[Scout101]

Stupid MLB.TV blackout rules, left over from times that don't really apply anymore. If your credit card (not your physical location at the time) is in the home market area, you can't watch that game.

This is great if you move and still want to watch your old team, or are just a junkie that wants to watch it all.

For MOST people, this disqualifies them from watching the product. If it was available to watch on your flat screen HDTV, you wouldn't watch on your iPad, or phone, or laptop. Unless you weren't home, in which case they aren't losing your eyeballs from the TV feed anyway.

I've wanted this for when I'm on vacation, or traveling for work, etc. Whenever I'm not able to watch on TV. But my credit card is always in my team's home market area, so I'm blocked out from actually using it for the only thing it would be useful for...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If your credit card (not your physical location at the time) is in the home market area

Actually they go by IP address, not credit card.

 

[Timby]

Mariano Rivera may have torn ACL during BP, could be done for the year. If the tear's confirmed, he may be done for his career, too. If so, what a way to go out.

Major bummer. Hate the Yankees with the fire of a thousand suns, but Rivera deserved to go out better than this. He's a quiet, humble guy who went out there and did his job every day, and it's impossible to hate on that.

Some fun Mariano Rivera facts, if indeed his career is over as it almost certainly is (ACL at age 42 ... yeah, that's not good):

- He'll retire with a 206 ERA+, best all-time. Granted, he did it in 1219 innings, but he's got a 52-point lead over Pedro Martinez, the next highest pitcher, and a 59-point lead over Hoyt Wilhelm, the next highest reliever.

- He'll retire with a career average of 6.9 hits per nine innings, good for 5th all-time.

- He and Addie Joss are the only two pitchers to retire with a career WHIP of < 1.00.

-Everything in this gray box:

- And he did it all with one goddamned pitch.

 

[Skywalker]

I hate the Yankees, too, but Rivera's still one of my favorite players. It's hard not to like and respect the guy.

Apparently Rivera has said that he doesn't want to go out like this and he's going to try and come back. I wish him luck, but y'know, maybe an injury like this is kind of a sign that it's time to call it quits...

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The thing is, he doesn't need to do anything to be great. No one is going to hold it against him that he ended this way. If he thinks he can come back, he should consider it, but he'd still retire with distinction either way.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Mo said this to reporters today:

"I'm coming back. Write it down in big letters. I'm not going out like this." Linky

Edit: In the wake of Adam Yauch's death, all of the Mets are using Beastie Boys songs as entrance music for tonight's game...

...and in NYY/KC: John Sterling, PLEASE stop calling Jeff Francoeur "Francona."

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Do people have any thoughts on Cole Hamels's suspension?

I'm perhaps too biased, but I can't see the big deal. He didn't peg him in the head. The Nats hit him back. He was stupid for admitting it, but I assume that's not what the punishment is supposed to be for.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Hamels was just being a dick. The problem wasn't that he hit Harper (although I don't know why he did that). The problem is that he admitted it. You just don't do that, no matter how intentional it was.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I have no problem with what Cole Hamels did, he was just stupid to admit it. He should be concerned about hitting someone in the future with a bit of a temper, they may think it was done on purpose and we get a bench clearing brawl.

On that note, as long as the pitcher doesn't go after your head, intentionally or un-intentionally. I find the whole charging the mound dumb. Just like Bryce Harper did, you get them back on the field. Bryce's stealing home and being safe made Cole look more foolish then any amount of retaliation, now if the Nationals would have won the game.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Why DID Hamels hit Harper, anyway? What did Harper do to deserve that? Was it just because Harper was a rookie and Hamels wanted him to know what it felt like to get hit? If Harper's ever done anything that would deserve him being thrown at, I'm not aware of it.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Hamels was just being a dick. The problem wasn't that he hit Harper (although I don't know why he did that). The problem is that he admitted it. You just don't do that, no matter how intentional it was.

So his problem was that he was being honest? Basically, MLB should reward lying and not honesty? If his problem was specifically that he hit him, that would make more sense.

As for the reason, he said it was just that he was welcoming him into the league and remind him that he's a rookie and shouldn't be cocky.

 

[tomalak301]

Josh Hamilton had a 4 HR night tonight, making him the 16th player in MLB history to accomplish such a feat. I saw a few of them (including the last one) and they were just rocket shots. I do wonder when you would start intentionally walking a guy, but it was a moot point by the time he hit the 4th.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

Yeah, was watching him hit his fourth HR on my iPad as I was watching the Mets comeback on the Philies, while switching back and forth to the Yankees game watching Robertson try and close the game, of course loading the bases before the Ump called the last batter out on a close, outside pitch.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Hamels was just being a dick. The problem wasn't that he hit Harper (although I don't know why he did that). The problem is that he admitted it. You just don't do that, no matter how intentional it was.

So his problem was that he was being honest? Basically, MLB should reward lying and not honesty?

Not lying, more like...just being vague.

If his problem was specifically that he hit him, that would make more sense.

Like I said, pitchers hit batters all the time. Sometimes for good reason, sometimes not. But it happens. It's normal. It's part of the "code". What is also part of the code is never admitting it. That's simply the way it is.

he said it was just that he was welcoming him into the league and remind him that he's a rookie and shouldn't be cocky.

Ah yes, about that...first of all, Cole Hamels is practically a rookie himself (he's only been with the Phillies since, what, 2006?). And what's he gonna do, throw at the head of every rookie who comes to the plate? (Especially since his own manager wishes he hadn't done it?)

That can't be it. There has to be something more to this. Hamels must have felt that Harper did something to deserve it, but I can't imagine what.