MLB Offseason 2012

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The public backlash kept the Braves from using the screaming Indian at batting practice.

Link

I am neither displeased nor surprised to hear this.

 

[Use of Time]

^True but I'm not sure why we were linked to the onion. Here is the actual story.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/02/11/braves-ditch-racist-cap-for-spring-training/1910789/

I'm not a big fan of the screaming/laughing Indian logo either. It was proposed but not implemented it sounds like. Just stick to the "A" logo.

 

[Starbreaker]

^True but I'm not sure why we were linked to the onion.

Because humor.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Gary Carter died one year ago today. link

 

[Timby]

^True but I'm not sure why we were linked to the onion.

Because humor.

It is a difficult concept.

 

[Use of Time]

^ Nah I got it, just wanted to give the link of the actual story to Mr. Laser Beam so he could see the real story.

 

[Starbreaker]

Predictions:

AL East
Blue Jays - Division
Orioles - Wild Card
Rays
Yankees
Red Sox

AL Central
Indians - Division
Tigers - Wild Card
White Sox
Royals
Twins

AL West
Angels - Division
Rangers
Athletics
Mariners
Astros

NL East
Braves - Division
Nationals - Wild Card
Mets
Phillies
Marlins


NL Central
Cardinals - Division
Reds - Wild Card
Brewers
Cubs
Pirates

NL West
Giants - Division
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Padres
Rockies

AL Wild Card: Tigers over Orioles
ALDS: Tigers over Blue Jays, Angels over Indians
ALCS: Conference: Angels over Blue Jays

NL Wild Card: Nationals over Reds
NLDS: Nationals over Cardinals, Braves over Giants
NLCS: Braves over Nationals

World Series: Braves over Angels in 6

 

[Timby]

I think people are really overrating the Orioles and the Tigers. In the Orioles' case, they played completely over their heads -- they aren't going to get a 111 OPS+ out of Nate McLouth again, and they have huge holes, offensively speaking, at 2B and SS. Their rotation and bullpen have huge question marks, too. They're due to regress in a big way this season.

And the Tigers ... well, I've said it before, but they fell completely ass-backwards into the playoffs and needed (and got) a pretty epic collapse on the part of the White Sox in order to make the postseason, and they're going to be trotting out the corpses of Torii Hunter and Victor Martinez on a daily basis. The two-headed monster of Sanchez and Porcello at the back of the rotation is pretty nasty, too. Also, given how huge they are, there's no guarantee that Cabrera or Fielder won't just fall apart at some point (or if they somehow collide, which I think would produce a singularity).

 

[Use of Time]

I agree with most of breaker's predictions except for the Braves winning the division. I'm excited about adding the Upton's but their careers have been wildly unpredictable. I'm hoping that they will be inspired by the changed of scenery to play to their potential. The Braves have this curse of signing big names that come to Atlanta to completely underperform. McClouth, Uggla, etc. That and for some reason the Nationals give the Braves fits. However, Michael Morse was an absolute Brave killer and I'll be glad to see him in the American League where he can't hurt them.

 

[Timby]

The New York Mets' highest-paid outfielders this season are Jason Bay and Bobby Bonilla.

Mets.

 

[Timby]

Yo, Danny99:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4SleSgaixs&feature=player_embedded

 

[Starbreaker]

Picture of Stan Musial waiting on deck at the Polo Grounds in 1962:

Link

 

[Danny99]

Yo, Danny99:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4SleSgaixs&feature=player_embedded

Love it!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Note to smartass Houston radio guys: Josh Satin's last name is, in fact, Satin. Not "Satan".

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

And a note to the NFL: Leave the Dodgers alone and don't make them move. Linky

 

[SmoothieX]

Note to SNY: Fuck the Mets. I'm already sick of them 2 innings into a Feb preseason game.

 

[Timby]

And a note to the NFL: Leave the Dodgers alone and don't make them move. Linky

There is no way that the Dodgers could be forced to move, considering they own Dodger Stadium outright and the NFL would have no standing to force them to abandon the location. They could have a dumptruck full of money put on their front lawn by the NFL, but the only thing that can actually force the Dodgers to move is the Dodgers themselves.

Traffic at Chavez Ravine is already ridiculous, though, due to the way the roads are constructed. There's no logistical way to fit another stadium in that area, especially because you'd need to rip up Dodger Stadium's parking lots, and now the ridiculous deal that Frank McCourt got for himself comes into play, as he owns 50 percent of the share in the lots and nothing can be developed on them without his consent.

The only arrangement that could work out here is if the NFL team rented use of the stadium from Guggenheim Partners, and even that comes with its own set of hurdles, like converting it from a Saturday baseball game to a Sunday football stadium.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

There is no way that the Dodgers could be forced to move, considering they own Dodger Stadium outright and the NFL would have no standing to force them to abandon the location.

Well that's a relief.

The only arrangement that could work out here is if the NFL team rented use of the stadium from Guggenheim Partners, and even that comes with its own set of hurdles, like converting it from a Saturday baseball game to a Sunday football stadium.

Urgh. I think it'd be BETTER to demolish the stadium than do that. Remember what Angel Stadium looked like in the 80's?

 

[Timby]

And there's no way the stadium will be demolished, considering that Guggenheim Partners just dumped $100 million into renovating the building from top to bottom.

This is a situation where the Dodgers have all the leverage and the NFL has exactly zero. The NFL's sniffing around Chavez Ravine because the sale of AEG has taken much longer than anyone predicted, and so construction of Farmers Field next to Staples Center is on hold because no one knows if whomever winds up buying AEG is going to want to dump $1.2 billion into a football stadium.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ The article I linked to implies that the NFL's main problem with Farmers Field is that it won't own it. Typical.

Note to SNY: Fuck the Mets. I'm already sick of them 2 innings into a Feb preseason game.

I'm liking what I'm seeing so far from d'Arnaud and especially Wheeler.