MLB World Series 2018: Eh. Dodgers/Boston. Eh.

[Timby]

Though if he pushes his luck too far, he might be sitting down, for a few days at least

In a perfect world, this would be a symptom of water going from sitting on a hot stove to starting to simmer as the union realizes just how much they've been fucked over and letting MLB know they'll strike in 2021 ... but that won't happen until they shoot Tony Clark into the sun and hire the most bare-knuckle labor lawyer they can find as their executive director.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The uniform police have set their sights on Wilson Contreras.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Why the fuck do they care? Is anyone actually going to be bothered by this?

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

^Apparently, Manfred is. He’s worse than Selig, as hard as that is to believe.

 

[Kronos]

Joey Votto "I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball,"
https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/joey-votto-dont-care-almost-canadian-baseball/

 

[Timby]

^Apparently, Manfred is. He’s worse than Selig, as hard as that is to believe.

Honestly, unless you were a huge fan of the Expos or Alex Rodriguez, there's a decent argument to be made that Selig was the best commissioner in baseball's history.

Don't get me wrong, he was a corrupt piece of shit and his sins are legion, but Selig:

- Presided over more than two decades of uninterrupted labor peace (something no commissioner in any other major sport in America can say)
- Was forward-thinking enough to realize that the Internet was going to change media consumption, so he formed MLB Advanced Media, ultimately leading to the creation of MLB.tv and BAMTech, which now powers ESPN's streaming, the NHL's streaming, WWE Network and a bunch of other things; its sale to Disney led to a >$50 million payout to every MLB team, which leads me to:
- Presided over an unprecedented, exponential level of economic growth for the sport
- Oversaw a ridiculous boom in ballpark construction (the ways he went about making that happen were terrible, but it still happened)
- Introduced realignment, the wild cards and interleague play
- Expanded the league from 26 to 30
- Convinced Don Fehr to agree to drug testing

That's a lot more than just about any other commissioner can say.

 

[1001001]

That's ridiculous.

Hopefully the Angels' bats will wake up for the series.

Or not.



@Timby you make some excellent point about Selig. Question the methods, but it's hard to argue with the results.

 

[Timby]

Joey Bats has been officially released by the Braves. Man, age was not kind to him.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Damn, that was fast.

 

[Timby]

Damn, that was fast.

I think it was always intended to be a short-term thing while the Braves had a spot open, and AA has always had a soft spot for Bautista. It was probably a favor to give him a chance to prove he still had something.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Joey Bats has been officially released by the Braves. Man, age was not kind to him.

Seems to be happening to a lot of guys simultaneously, as several older players seem to be on the decline. Reminds me of 1992.

 

[Starbreaker]

Bautista hasn't been the same since that brawl with Odor. No Atlanta fan wanted him after seeing his abysmal stint with the Stripers. I guess the hope was that he had still had something left in the tank before the trade deadline... but nah.

I'm not sure what the Braves have to do to get the respect of ESPN over the Nationals. We'll just keep on winning, I guess.

 

[Use of Time]

No joke. I didn’t buy the MLB extra innings package because the Braves were just abysmal to watch the last few years. I’m relying on ESPN and the MLB Network but they only want to show American League games like New York and Boston.

Tired of watching the MLB Network guys constantly say how fun and exciting the baby Braves are. Oh really, then how about letting us see them for crying out loud.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

No joke. I didn’t buy the MLB extra innings package because the Braves were just abysmal to watch the last few years. I’m relying on ESPN and the MLB Network but they only want to show American League games like New York and Boston.

Tired of watching the MLB Network guys constantly say how fun and exciting the baby Braves are. Oh really, then how about letting us see them for crying out loud.

As a Mets fan, they look so good and tons of fun to watch.

 

[Use of Time]

As a Mets fan, they look so good and tons of fun to watch.

Yeah, I still think their starting pitching and bullpen are going to be their Achilles heel but it’s nice to see signs of an emerging core group of players. They are ahead of schedule for sure.

I get why the Nationals are still favorites. It’s only May and they are still a good team on paper. They had an a rough series with the Dodgers this weekend. They may be feeling the pressure of making a run this year as it’s highly doubtful Harper stays on if they make another early exit. If he leaves their window is all but slammed shut.

 

[Timby]

If the Braves play .500 ball the rest of the way, they'll end up around 90 wins. Where the Christ did that team come from?

Meanwhile, chaosball reigns in the NL Central, with four teams still within a game and a half of one another. It would be nice if the Cubs would get out of their "win five, lose five" streak.

 

[Use of Time]

If the Braves play .500 ball the rest of the way, they'll end up around 90 wins. Where the Christ did that team come from?

Meanwhile, chaosball reigns in the NL Central, with four teams still within a game and a half of one another. It would be nice if the Cubs would get out of their "win five, lose five" streak.

I think they are fortunate that the Diamondbacks let go of both Swanson and Inciarte in that lopsided deal. Imagine how good Arizona would be with those two still in the lineup.

 

[Timby]

I think they are fortunate that the Diamondbacks let go of both Swanson and Inciarte in that lopsided deal. Imagine how good Arizona would be with those two still in the lineup.

I think most of all I'm shocked that Nick Markakis re-discovered his swing.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

I think most of all I'm shocked that Nick Markakis re-discovered his swing.

He’s quietly had a very good career, as he passed the 2,200-hit mark earlier this season.

In other news, the Mets are interested in Joey Bats. By season’s end, they could have Bautista and Tebow in the outfield together. Get ready, Mets fans!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

They already signed him to a 1 year deal.

 

[Timby]

Welington Castillo has been popped for PEDs and is now serving an 80-game suspension; once again, we see that steroids don't magically make you a good hitter.