MLB Season 2013

[riazp]

Hey Guys,

Baseball season is almost upon us! A week or so away from opening day. I for one cannot wait. Personally its one of my favorite sporting events to attend live. I'm starting this thread to discuss the mlb season, discuss our teams, standings, games, doped up players, you know the ususal.

I'll be keeping an eye on the Blue Jays this year, with their bolstered up roster thanks to Mr. Loria in Miami...(dont get me stated on Loria...) Expectations are high, Its defenitly Playoffs or bust with that team. I've always liked the BoSox as well. Something about that team always had me rooting for them. Pedro Martinez had a lot to do with it I think...Despite what pundits think, I think the Bosox are the second best team on paper in the AL East. I'll be following the Mariners as well since I am a seattle boy...they might surprise a few.

All in all, i'll be watching as much baseball as possible. My routine summer time is usually to have a cigar on my balcony with the ball game on the tv in the house, or listen to the games online via a streaming radio.

Howbout you guys? what do you think will happen this year? who do you root for? who do you think will be a surprise team?

Let the season begin!

[Puros Y Vino]

I cannot wait. I've pretty much given up on hockey. The Blue Jays are definitely the team to beat (on paper). I'm hoping that they can make the playoffs. It's been too long without an appearance. The team is definitely built for success. We'll see how well the new hires do. It's too bad we can't enjoy a stick up in the bleachers. Come on down Riaz. We'll catch a few games.

[riazp]

I cannot wait. I've pretty much given up on hockey. The Blue Jays are definitely the team to beat (on paper). I'm hoping that they can make the playoffs. It's been too long without an appearance. The team is definitely built for success. We'll see how well the new hires do. It's too bad we can't enjoy a stick up in the bleachers. Come on down Riaz. We'll catch a few games.

Thats the plan Frank, defenitly coming down for a few games this summer.

[tmac77]

Go Expos !

[canadianbeaver]

My dad and I can sit and watch a baseball game in near complete silence and only move to go to the bathroom or get snacks. When we do talk, it is to say, "did you see that?" Or that was interesting , that was weird.

We are fascinated by the specific rules of baseball and have this trivia puzzle for you.

Name 15 ways a batter can get on base.

[jlacava88]

Let's go.... Blue Jays.... LET"S.... PLAY..... BALL!!!!

[ChanceSchmerr]

I usually take the day off work on Opening Day to watch the game. Of course, these days I have to watch on TV instead of at the stadium........but I am super-pumped for the Jays this season. It's about Damn time we run over the Yankmees and Red Sux and make a playoff run.

I always get to at least one live game a year - I am tentatively planning to catch at least one game in Toronto the week leading up to the Mega Herf. Would love to see it with some BOTL's if anyone's interested!

Go Jays Go!

Fearless Prediction - Brett Lawrie gets his first 30HR-30 SB season

[jrb5783]

My prediction the pirates will finally end their streak of 20 losing seasons

[ChanceSchmerr]

Lisa - your trivia question - here goes off the top of my head..

1. Single

2. Double

3. Triple

4. Home Run

5. Walk

6. Hit By Pitch

7. Fielding Error

8. Passed Ball on Swinging Strike 3

9. Wild Pitch on Swinging Strike 3

10. Fielder's Choice

11. Fan Interference on ball in play

12. Basepath interference

13. Sac Bunt with lead runner thrown out (suicide squeeze)

14. Bunt Single

15. uh......Awarded first base at discretion of the Umpire?

[Skyfall]

I cannot wait. I've pretty much given up on hockey. The Blue Jays are definitely the team to beat (on paper). I'm hoping that they can make the playoffs. It's been too long without an appearance. The team is definitely built for success. We'll see how well the new hires do. It's too bad we can't enjoy a stick up in the bleachers. Come on down Riaz. We'll catch a few games.

Blue Jays are the team to beat??????? On paper or not, I think that's a little optimistic! ( By a little optimistic, I mean Batsh$@t Crazy Logic!)

I loathe the Angels, but "on paper", have you seen their roster???

[ChanceSchmerr]

I loathe the Angels, but "on paper", have you seen their roster???

I have, but I stopped reading and wrote off the Angels once I got to

OF - Wells, Vernon.

[Puros Y Vino]

Blue Jays are the team to beat??????? On paper or not, I think that's a little optimistic! ( By a little optimistic, I mean Batsh$@t Crazy Logic!)

I loathe the Angels, but "on paper", have you seen their roster???

It's not just "optimism". Even Vegas picks the Jays to win. Ranked above the Angels too.

LINK

[Skyfall]

My 2 cents: But what do I know??

The Angels will open the season thinking the World Series is already theirs and I think for the most part they are going to handle teams pretty easily, even cartoonish at some points. In the west, Seattle, Oakland and Houston won't stand a fighting chance. Houston is lined up to be tge worst team in all of MLB. The problem the Angels will have comes in the form of the mighty Texas Rangers, who have owned the AL west for the past 3-4 years. The Angels can roll over all of the other teams, but the road to the championship goes through the Rangers, and despite their best offseason efforts to absolutely ruin their team and start over fresh, they are younger, stronger and better than before. Rangers roll the AL west.

Detroit in the AL Central, easily with little stress, serious World Series Contender again.

AL East- it will come down to Boston and Baltimore, and I think Boston has the talent (edit strength & character) this year. Come October, Toronto will be no where in the running.

Phillies easily roll the NL east, the pick up of Michael Young was a strong move.

NL Central will come down to the Brewers and the Cardinals. Maybe the closest race once the season closes down. It's the Brewers that are the stronger team.

Dodgers roll the NL west with ease, SF will contend, but post all star break, will fall apart!

AL wins the All Star game this year, thus obtaining Home Field Advantage.

Phillies vs Rangers in the World Series

Rangers in 6 ( despite the most rediculous offseason in years, they will come out on top)

My 2 cents

[ChanceSchmerr]

My 2 cents: But what do I know??

The Angels will open the season thinking the World Series is already theirs and I think for the most part they are going to handle teams pretty easily, even cartoonish at some points. In the west, Seattle, Oakland and Houston won't stand a fighting chance. Houston is lined up to be tge worst team in all of MLB. The problem the Angels will have comes in the form of the mighty Texas Rangers, who have owned the AL west for the past 3-4 years. The Angels can roll over all of the other teams, but the road to the championship goes through the Rangers, and despite their best offseason efforts to absolutely ruin their team and start over fresh, they are younger, stronger and better than before. Rangers roll the AL west.

Detroit in the AL Central, easily with little stress, serious World Series Contender again.

AL west - it will come down to Boston and Baltimore, and I think Boston has the talent this year. Come October, Toronto will be no where in the running.

Phillies easily roll the NL east, the pick up of Michael Young was a strong move.

NL Central will come down to the Brewers and the Cardinals. Maybe the closest race once the season closes down. It's the Brewers that are the stronger team.

Dodgers roll the NL west with ease, SF will contend, but post all star break, will fall apart!

AL wins the All Star game this year, thus obtaining Home Field Advantage.

Phillies vs Rangers in the World Series

Rangers in 6 ( despite the most rediculous offseason in years, they will come out on top)

My 2 cents

I respect your Opinion...but humbly, yet vehemently disagree.

First, Boston and Baltimore play in the East. I think you may be west-focused a little too much there!

Second - Boston having the talent this year? Really? The consensus was that they upgraded their clubhouse with great character......but if you really believe players like Shane Victorino are the kind of player that put you over the top.....You may be mistaken. Their talent level is probably about the same as last year.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays massively upgraded their Rotation, middle Infield and Left Field, and retaining 2 potential 40HR sluggers, a rising star with Speed and have speed on the bench to burn.

Really? The stagnant Red Sox with their unproven Manager over that? I won't even qualify the Orioles - no one knows what the heck they will do. They ran away with all the horseshoes last season and everyone in baseball knows it. A miracle if it happens again, considering they essentially upgraded nowhere in the offeseason.

I think the Red Sox are a safe bet to lose 80 this year. Bank on it.

[BatFastard]

My 2 cents: But what do I know??

Dodgers roll the NL west with ease, SF will contend, but post all star break, will fall apart!

Love it!! Good call on the boys in blue. Go Dodgers!!

[Skyfall]

I respect your Opinion...but humbly, yet vehemently disagree.

First, Boston and Baltimore play in the East. I think you may be west-focused a little too much there!

Second - Boston having the talent this year? Really? The consensus was that they upgraded their clubhouse with great character......but if you really believe players like Shane Victorino are the kind of player that put you over the top.....You may be mistaken. Their talent level is probably about the same as last year.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays massively upgraded their Rotation, middle Infield and Left Field, and retaining 2 potential 40HR sluggers, a rising star with Speed and have speed on the bench to burn.

Really? The stagnant Red Sox with their unproven Manager over that? I won't even qualify the Orioles - no one knows what the heck they will do. They ran away with all the horseshoes last season and everyone in baseball knows it. A miracle if it happens again, considering they essentially upgraded nowhere in the offeseason.

I think the Red Sox are a safe bet to lose 80 this year. Bank on it.

AL west was a typeo, I meant east.

A team can have all of the skill and talent in the world, but if they lack the character , the team dynamic, the will to play a game, instead of work a job or a business, they lack that true strength that forms winning ball clubs.

Maybe instead of "talent", I should have said character and strength.

I'll always put my money behind a team full of loyal rag tag ball players who are united over a team full of big time celebrity contract donkeys!

[Orion21]

Lisa - your trivia question - here goes off the top of my head..

1. Single

2. Double

3. Triple

4. Home Run

5. Walk

6. Hit By Pitch

7. Fielding Error

8. Passed Ball on Swinging Strike 3

9. Wild Pitch on Swinging Strike 3

10. Fielder's Choice

11. Fan Interference on ball in play

12. Basepath interference

13. Sac Bunt with lead runner thrown out (suicide squeeze)

14. Bunt Single

15. uh......Awarded first base at discretion of the Umpire?

Add the intentional walk and you have 15. A walk and an intentional walk are different . . . I think.

[canadianbeaver]

1234 count as a hit. 13 ,14 = Bunt.

The rest are nice.

[canadianbeaver]

Here's some others

Ball get.s stuck in catcher's mask/ equipment.

Balk

fair ball hits umpire

Overturned out call by umpire

[canadianbeaver]

Here is the answer provided by the sportswriter

1. Hit

2. Walk

3. Hit by Pitch

4. Fielder's Choice

5. Reached on Error (includes MLB Official Rule 7.05 i)

6. Dropped Third Strike

7. Catcher's Interference (hindering the batter while in the batter's box, pitch gets stuck in umpire's mask)

8. Fielder's Obstruction (hindering the batter while he is running to first base)

9. Going in as a Pinch Runner (most often in the late innings)

10. Overturned Out Call

11. Balk (Made by Pitcher)

12. Intentional walk

13. Fair ball hits Umpire

14. Umpire Error at first base

15.Illegal pitch actions are penalized by adding a ball to the count

Interesting ways to be called out:

Broken bat. Treat the bat part the same way you would a runner: if in the umpire's judgment the bat interfered with the fielder's right to make a play on the baseball -- no contact with the fielder is even necessary -- the batter should be called out, the ball is dead and runners are not permitted to advance.

No-hit batsman. You cannot take your base when a pitch hits a piece of your emboldening equipment, enabling you to crowd the plate, no more than if a pitch hit your bat. Any pitch that strikes a piece of body armor equipment simply is ruled a ball and the at-bat continues. No hit batter.

[Skyfall]

[ChanceSchmerr]

AL west was a typeo, I meant east.

A team can have all of the skill and talent in the world, but if they lack the character , the team dynamic, the will to play a game, instead of work a job or a business, they lack that true strength that forms winning ball clubs.

Maybe instead of "talent", I should have said character and strength.

I'll always put my money behind a team full of loyal rag tag ball players who are united over a team full of big time celebrity contract donkeys!

Fair enough, man. We'll agree to disagree! Boston's clubhouse will be a great place to hang out this year. Especially in October when the players won't be around anymore!

I'll take a revamped ballclub built to win, and win now. I'd rather have a club with a little edge to it - one that drives everyone to succeed.

Lastly - I don't know that "loyalty" is one word to throw around with the Red Sox these days. Their Manager certainly doesn't have any idea what that means!

Here's some others

Ball get.s stuck in catcher's mask/ equipment.

Balk

fair ball hits umpire

Overturned out call by umpire

Damn missed those ones. Although I thought the overturned out call is the same as my #15 - awarded by the Umpire. Also - I'm pretty sure the batter is not awarded first base on a Balk (only the runners already on base move up)

[Skyfall]

Fair enough, man. We'll agree to disagree! Boston's clubhouse will be a great place to hang out this year. Especially in October when the players won't be around anymore!

I'll take a revamped ballclub built to win, and win now. I'd rather have a club with a little edge to it - one that drives everyone to succeed.

Lastly - I don't know that "loyalty" is one word to throw around with the Red Sox these days. Their Manager certainly doesn't have any idea what that means!

Damn missed those ones. Although I thought the overturned out call is the same as my #15 - awarded by the Umpire. Also - I'm pretty sure the batter is not awarded first base on a Balk (only the runners already on base move up)

All I said was Red Sox win the east, maybe wild card. But winning the east this year is no big feat. It is definitely the Inferior division compared to West and Central. I don't like the Redsox either. I'm just picking an east winner, maybe wild card. Either way, they get spanked in the first round by no matter what team they play!

[canadianbeaver]

Looked it up and you are right about the balk! The sports writer must have a different idea.

How about this one...

8.04

When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.

And he does this four times?

And yes, I have no life.

[khomeinist]

Mighty Rangers. Bwahaha.

Who won the AL West last year? Rangers are on the decline. Thank the gods.

Blue Jays are the roided-up Marlins of 2013. Yawn.

I like OAKLAND-SF for a Bay series redux. No earthquakes!!!