2018 MLB Season Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

I grew up watching the NFL when there were ties so I'm fine with such outcomes.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yeah, Malcolm...I was following football closely as a kid in the late 60s and early 70s.

I'd much rather have NFL ties than the current mess they are currently trying to pull off. But I'd prefer a 5th quarter (if tied after regulation)...and if still tied after that, a tie. But I watch so little football any more that it doesn't really matter.

 

[TonyD]

Mike you may be misremembering the nfl tie thing.


Tie games were frequent in the NFL from its inaugural season in 1920 through 1973, when the league did not have overtime during the regular season. During this period, the NFL had a total of 258 tied games. Only three seasons (1934, 1950, 1952) went without a tied game, while five seasons (1920, 1923, 1926, 1929, 1932) had at least ten ties. The most ties, 17, occurred in the 1920 season.[5]

Ties became uncommon after a 1974 rule change added one sudden death overtime period (15 minutes) to regular-season and preseason games if they were tied after regulation.[6] Under the original overtime rules, any score by either team in overtime would win the game.[7] The rules were modified in 2012; if the team that received the opening kickoff scores a field goal, the other team has an opportunity to tie or surpass that score, and if they are able to tie the score the next team to score any points wins.[8] The overtime rules were further modified in 2017, shortening the extra period from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games.[9]

 

[Mike Frezon]

I must be, Tony. I remember an extra 15-minute quarter...but not the part about first score wins the game. How arbitrary that is?!

That really surprises me. I was 15 years old in 1974. So I could explain away my ignorance based on that. Most of my football knowledge is based on the years 1967 - 71 (when my Colts finally won the Super Bowl after that 1969 disaster!) But I readily admit I had a completely different recollection of the way things used to be.

But I definitely remember my fifth grade teacher letting us leave class early so we could go home and watch one of the afternoon games in the 1969 World Series between NY and Baltimore!

 

[David Norman]

Ugh. I'm NOT an NFL-guy anymore. But I HATE the NFL overtime system (which seems to change year-to-year). I think the current rules are the most nonsensical amalgams of confusion ever. They used to just play a 5th quarter. That gives both sides a reasonable chance to have possession, score, etc. And a finite window in which to do it (unless they need a 6th quarter. or a 7th. )

But it's at least Football -- played on a whole field, normal rules. I could even live with the original Sudden Death rules since it was shown that the team winning the Coin Flip really had no better chance of winning the game than the team that lost the coin flip even with the possibility that a simple field goal on first possession would end it. I don't ever remember a full period being an option except in rest of the world Football

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I'm not a football guy, so I'll say this with the caveat that maybe I just missed it... but when football did overtime by sudden death, I never understood what the point of the clock was. Why time it if the time is irrelevant - which it is if "first team to score wins"?

I don't have as strong an opinion on the DH in baseball. I genuinely like that the two leagues have slightly different sets of rules. I think it's part of the charm of the game, and one way to differentiate between the leagues. If both leagues have identical rules, what's the point of having two different leagues at all?

For years, I've heard people make the case that when the teams meet in the world series, the NL team is at an advantage because they've won games all year with light-hitting pitchers, and now they get to have an extra professional batter than they're used to, which shifts the advantage to them. Having watched games all my life, I'm not sure that that's actually true. It can play out that way. But I think it can play out in the opposite way, that the NL teams get used to having one easy out each trip through the lineup, and their pitchers can be at a disadvantage having to go against an extra hitter than they're used to. In other words, I think it can work both ways. And I like that quirk because it means that in order to win the World Series, your team (whichever league they play in) must find a way to succeed at both styles of play. Isn't that a worthy quality to look for in a championship team?

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm not a football guy, so I'll say this with the caveat that maybe I just missed it... but when football did overtime by sudden death, I never understood what the point of the clock was. Why time it if the time is irrelevant - which it is if "first team to score wins"?

I don't have as strong an opinion on the DH in baseball. I genuinely like that the two leagues have slightly different sets of rules. I think it's part of the charm of the game, and one way to differentiate between the leagues. If both leagues have identical rules, what's the point of having two different leagues at all?

For years, I've heard people make the case that when the teams meet in the world series, the NL team is at an advantage because they've won games all year with light-hitting pitchers, and now they get to have an extra professional batter than they're used to, which shifts the advantage to them. Having watched games all my life, I'm not sure that that's actually true. It can play out that way. But I think it can play out in the opposite way, that the NL teams get used to having one easy out each trip through the lineup, and their pitchers can be at a disadvantage having to go against an extra hitter than they're used to. In other words, I think it can work both ways. And I like that quirk because it means that in order to win the World Series, your team (whichever league they play in) must find a way to succeed at both styles of play. Isn't that a worthy quality to look for in a championship team?

They had the same rules prior to 1973, and they still had two leagues. You have to remember that the NL is much older than the junior circuit called the American League. 1869 versus 1901. The two leagues with the same rules isn't much different than the conference setups in the other major team sports in America except MLB calls them leagues instead of conferences. Back in the day, the two baseball leagues had their own umpires for each league as well as league presidents with the baseball commissioner overseeing both baseball leagues.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I get that, I just reject the "sky is falling" notion that we're in some kind of crisis state because the pitcher bats in the NL but not in the AL. I'm not saying that's what's going on in this thread, but if you read any baseball commentary or watch any postseason coverage, at some point, the topic comes up, and you'd think that it was a crisis of epic proportions with the potential to doom all of humanity if not resolved quickly.

To me, it's a fun quirk.

I prefer the National League style of play, but my favorite team is an American League team. (My second favorite team is in the NL, but they were the first team that I watched as a kid, which is probably why I have the preference for NL-style play.) The existence of the DH doesn't bother me but I wouldn't want to see all teams using a DH; nor do I think I'd want to see the DH eliminated completely.

I'm in agreement with Mike that pitchers are elite athletes (many of whom played a position in their high school and/or college years), and I don't think the thought of them picking up a bat should be shocking or cause heart palpitations among spectators and team officials that they Might Seriously Injure Themselves doing so. We don't expect pitchers to hit well, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for a pitcher to hit well; it's just not where their focus is. I think in and of itself, that's fine. There are other positions on the field where the amount of hitting expected varies depending on the position and the defensive ability of the player. Most teams would choose an above-average defensive shortstop who couldn't hit his weight over an above-average offensive shortstop who was error prone and limited in range; there's just a calculation made that defense is more important than offense with that specific position. Pitchers not being elite hitters, to me, falls under that same calculation.

I appreciate the extra strategy that comes with the NL rules. I also appreciate the, I don't know what you'd call it, the focus or purity of the offense that comes with the AL rules. I really think a lot of the fun from the World Series comes with seeing teams from each side having to play a little differently than they're used to, and I like the idea that the team that best handles that challenge is the one who wins.

 

[Mike Frezon]

To me, it's a fun quirk.

No. It's a crisis.

 

[David Norman]

I'm not a football guy, so I'll say this with the caveat that maybe I just missed it... but when football did overtime by sudden death, I never understood what the point of the clock was. Why time it if the time is irrelevant - which it is if "first team to score wins"?

Basically -- whichever team scores first or 15 minutes (now 10 minutes). If after the 10 minutes are over nobody scores, then the game ends in a tie under NFL rules except in the playoffs when they repeat until it's over.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I'd respect the NFL more if they played over 100 games a season like the MLB guys do.

Can you imagine an NFL double-header? There would probably be lots of fun-to-watch fumbles towards the end of the second game.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'd respect the NFL more if they played over 100 games a season like the MLB guys do.

Can you imagine an NFL double-header? There would probably be lots of fun-to-watch fumbles towards the end of the second game.

In defense of the NFL, the players have gotten so big and fast that it's hurting the game because their violent collisions are taking a serious toll on their bodies. The speed of the game has increased due to the better conditioning of the players.

 

[David Norman]

Interesting concept --

Delay of Game -- if a pitcher hasn't thrown a pitch in over 15 seconds he's penalized to the back of the mound and and additional 3 feet fro consecutive penalties,

If a batter isn't ready too bad or the pitcher moves the the front of the mound for the next pitcher.

Designated rusher -- a player is stationed behind the mound near second base and can rush/sack the pitcher after the 15 seconds is up..

Soccer rules -- if a player is red carded for being an ass - the team plays a man short for the rest of the game and his place in teh batting order is an automatic out.

Basketball Free Throw -- If a pitcher hits a batter, the batter has the option of taking a base or bringing a Tee out, placing the ball on it, and a free swing.

Backyard Wiffle Ball rule -- variations of 3 foul balls after 2 strikes is an out.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I get that, I just reject the "sky is falling" notion that we're in some kind of crisis state because the pitcher bats in the NL but not in the AL. I'm not saying that's what's going on in this thread, but if you read any baseball commentary or watch any postseason coverage, at some point, the topic comes up, and you'd think that it was a crisis of epic proportions with the potential to doom all of humanity if not resolved quickly.

To me, it's a fun quirk.

I prefer the National League style of play, but my favorite team is an American League team. (My second favorite team is in the NL, but they were the first team that I watched as a kid, which is probably why I have the preference for NL-style play.) The existence of the DH doesn't bother me but I wouldn't want to see all teams using a DH; nor do I think I'd want to see the DH eliminated completely.

I'm in agreement with Mike that pitchers are elite athletes (many of whom played a position in their high school and/or college years), and I don't think the thought of them picking up a bat should be shocking or cause heart palpitations among spectators and team officials that they Might Seriously Injure Themselves doing so. We don't expect pitchers to hit well, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for a pitcher to hit well; it's just not where their focus is. I think in and of itself, that's fine. There are other positions on the field where the amount of hitting expected varies depending on the position and the defensive ability of the player. Most teams would choose an above-average defensive shortstop who couldn't hit his weight over an above-average offensive shortstop who was error prone and limited in range; there's just a calculation made that defense is more important than offense with that specific position. Pitchers not being elite hitters, to me, falls under that same calculation.

I appreciate the extra strategy that comes with the NL rules. I also appreciate the, I don't know what you'd call it, the focus or purity of the offense that comes with the AL rules. I really think a lot of the fun from the World Series comes with seeing teams from each side having to play a little differently than they're used to, and I like the idea that the team that best handles that challenge is the one who wins.

TBH, I'm tired of the leagues having this DH difference. I've lived with it for 45 years and I want it resolved. I hate watching pitchers hit especially AL pitchers. Is it a crisis? No, but I think it's time for uniformity. Furthermore, on another note, they need to improve their umpiring by getting rid of umpires like Country Joe West and Angel Hernandez.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

TBH, I'm tired of the leagues having this DH difference. I've lived with it for 45 years and I want it resolved. I hate watching pitchers hit especially AL pitchers. Is it a crisis? No, but I think it's time for uniformity.

I get that, and while I disagree, I do respect your opinion. I just wonder if other people who share your stance might not have considered that the leagues may consider it more of a "feature" than a "bug".

Furthermore, on another note, they need to improve their umpiring by getting rid of umpires like Country Joe West and Angel Hernandez.

The umpires have tried to be bigger than the game for a very long time. At least in recent years, they've finally begun talking to each other on the field, and even instituted replay. They've still managed to find a time consuming and inefficient way of implementing replay, but at least the attempt is being made. For too long, baseball has almost fetishized making a bad call as if it were some kind of magic part of the game. They still get some stuff wrong, but in general, it seems like they're making fewer egregious mistakes than they did twenty years ago or even sooner. I think the mentality is still there somewhat, and that's what needs to go: the idea that respecting the umpire is more important than getting the right call. If you can watch a play on TV at home and instantly see that the umpire made a mistake, it shouldn't take a series of replay experts to review seventeen angles of the footage to find out what everyone who's been watching already knows. I wish they'd throw an extra umpire up in the broadcast booth who had instant access to both that birds eye point of view as well as all the video monitors, who could just radio down to the field that the call was wrong and keep the thing moving along.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

While youse guys are busy talking.... isn't there a game tonight?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Gotta do something during the commercial breaks

 

[Robert Crawford]

Gotta do something during the commercial breaks

I'm not watching as I hate both teams, though, one more than the other.

 

[TonyD]

I do too and of the two I’m ok with the dodgers winning.

I am watching though because it’s still baseball.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I do too and of the two I’m ok with the dodgers winning.

I am watching though because it’s still baseball.

I can't unlike the NFL or NBA, I can't watch MLB playoffs without a rooting interest. In this case, I've hated both teams since I was a little kid.