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MLB 2023

#101
buldog5151bass said:
Unfortunately, I doubt baseball will ever have a national contract. It's much more regional than any other sport. Basketball fans tend to cheer for a favorite player, regardless of where they play. Football fans tend to pick a favorite team regardless of where they are. I would bet over 95% of baseball fans either cheer for their local team, or their childhood team.

Over the years, I've gone to between 2 and 30 Mets games per year, and I've always lived at least 80 minutes away from the stadium. I've been to two NFL games (one a gift from my in laws, and one a gift to my son. I've never been to an NBA games, and only one NHL game.
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I think you're spot on. My attendance to live games is kinda funny. By FAR the most is Flyers games. Never been to MLB or NFL ( aside from watching the Sacramento Surge - does that count? :D ). I've been to a few dozen NBA games. I've been to a few dozen boxing matches at the old Blue Horizon as well. Most of my attended venues were as a kid, around 5 through 12 years old.
 
#102
buldog5151bass said:
Unfortunately, I doubt baseball will ever have a national contract. It's much more regional than any other sport. Basketball fans tend to cheer for a favorite player, regardless of where they play. Football fans tend to pick a favorite team regardless of where they are. I would bet over 95% of baseball fans either cheer for their local team, or their childhood team.

Over the years, I've gone to between 2 and 30 Mets games per year, and I've always lived at least 80 minutes away from the stadium. I've been to two NFL games (one a gift from my in laws, and one a gift to my son. I've never been to an NBA games, and only one NHL game.
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Right there with you. My wife and I haven't been to a Mariners game for a few years. We used to go fairly regularly, especially when the boy was young. When we lived in NYC, we took the subway out to Shea a few times every season. Football? Television or not at all. College football on the radio.
 
#104
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#105
Yeah, I meant to point that out; he's younger so they're only paying him until his mid 30's. He won't have a no trade clause either, so they could find a creative way to move on from him if needed a few more years down the line. I'm not quite convinced that he's deserving of this much $$$ but I'm no expert.
 
#111
buldog5151bass said:
Pitchers are harder to predict, especially given injuries.
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You know they will be injured at some time or another, too. Kids used to build arm strength over time. Now, they are throwing 90 mph sliders as 16 year olds. That means problems sooner rather than later. I work with a man who had a college scholarship as a pitcher before his elbow disintegrated. He had to reinvent himself completely because his elbow was never going to be the same. Those kids are on the same path if they aren't lucky.
 
#112
A couple of thoughts on pitchers and injuries:

1. Every pitcher who had Tommy John surgery, thorasic outlet surgery, or similar, would never had pitched again after the injury after the injury. That just gives you an idea how much harder pitchers are throwing today. It goes to my thoughts that pitchers did not use to throw every pitch 100%. They knew that they were expected to go 9 innings, and would "save their bullets". I saw Bartolo Colon pitch many times. It seems like almost every time he gave up a home run, it was with two outs and the bases empty. Pitchers used to pitch to contact. Now they try to strike everyone out, and figure after two times through the order, they likely will be removed from the game.

2. Tommy John surgery is looked on by some as preventative. I've heard of some high school pitchers who are having this surgery even after more minor injuries, on the theory that it will be needed sooner or later, so better to have it done early - sad and scary.
 
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#113
buldog5151bass said:
2. Tommy John surgery is looked on by some as preventative. I've heard of some high school pitchers who are having this surgery even after more minor injuries, on the theory that it will be needed sooner or later, so better to have it done early - sad and scary.
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It's been used in some cases to increase their draft value, which is a rather terrible precedent, IMO.
 
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#114
I have gone to one or two Rockies games the last couple of years.

From where I live it's a 90-minute drive, then paying for parking or an Uber depending on where we beach the car, 3+ hours for the game, and a 90 minute drive home. We always invite both daughters (who live in Denver) and if they come we buy dinner before heading back.

That's a full day for a team that isn't being managed to be successful.

About the only offseason news so far is that they traded for a Boston pitcher who has an up and down record. Not inspiring.
 
#118
I have a friend at the other end of the bar from me at the moment and she lived in Chicago in high school/college. A good friend of hers was on the grounds crew at Wrigley and used to let a small group in at night (no night games back in the 80s) and they would slide around on the tarps and party.
 
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