2020 MLB Season (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

Only one of the teams deserves serious hate, since under normal circumstances they wouldn't have even been in the first round.

It would be hilarious if that team wins it all as it would illustrate to MLB they need to be careful in expanding the playoffs when a team with a sub-500 regular season record can will it all. I don't mind expanding the playoffs by a few teams, but having 16 teams is ridiculous.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Well, you know I'll definitely be rooting for the Rays, especially given whom they're facing for the pennant...

_Man_

 

[Walter Kittel]

You fellas just keep on hating on the Astros. Regardless of how well they perform through the rest of the season, making it to the ALCS for the fourth straight year is pretty satisfying for me. I don't blame Cole for chasing the paycheck, but it is mildly pleasing to see him at home while the Astros are still playing.

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

You fellas just keep on hating on the Astros. Regardless of how well they perform through the rest of the season, making it to the ALCS for the fourth straight year is pretty satisfying for me. I don't blame Cole for chasing the paycheck, but it is mildly pleasing to see him at home while the Astros are still playing.

- Walter.

What do you expect from other fanbases, love and kisses?

 

[Walter Kittel]

What do you expect from other fanbases, love and kisses?

Not at all. Maybe the recognition that there are other aspects to the club than just 'the scandal' and that part of the reason for their success is the talent the club has assembled. Rivalries are all part of the game, and I expect that everyone will pull for their team(s).

- Walter.

 

[TonyD]

Not at all. Maybe the recognition that there are other aspects to the club than just 'the scandal' and that part of the reason for their success is the talent the club has assembled. Rivalries are all part of the game, and I expect that everyone will pull for their team(s).

- Walter.

You’re not going to get that from anyone that wasnt already an Asterix fan.

 

[Jack P]

I am benefiting from my decision before this season to divorce myself forever from the current game of baseball and let only the memories be my guide from now on. It meant I didn't watch anything that happened and only read about it in the newspapers after the fact.

Suffice to say, I am not the least bit surprised to find out that Brian Cashman found another way to fxxx things up again by playing "Opener" in a post-season game. I'm glad I spared myself the aggravation.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Not at all. Maybe the recognition that there are other aspects to the club than just 'the scandal' and that part of the reason for their success is the talent the club has assembled. Rivalries are all part of the game, and I expect that everyone will pull for their team(s).

- Walter.

Not sure why you think others do not recognize those things while also recognizing they seem to be remorseless cheaters who got to sneak into this postseason only because of the expanded format. Com'on. It's not like these Astros even entered the postseason w/ a break-even record, but were 2 games under .500, LOL. IF they had actually won their division w/out cheating, then ok, but nope...

And it's not like most of their players come all that close to performing as they did w/ the bat before being caught cheating afterall...

And for the record, I did like the team and its players in general before the scandal (though found the upper-management, et al under current ownership to be rather "opportunistic", which makes sense in light of the scandal) and don't exactly hate the players or anything now. Just seeing them (both individually and as an organization) more clearly than before and recognizing better who and what they really were/are.

_Man_

 

[David Norman]

I'm starting to become afraid to turn the Game on every day now. 6 absolute legends in a few months now (I had forgotten Kaline).

Joe Morgan joins the parade.

Wonder if one of the Astros player will do the Chicken Wing flap at some point.
I was at a game in the Astrodome in 1970 (Houston/SD) and saw several Braves/Reds games at AFCS in the early 70's so I may have
seen him play live in both places.


Just looked at the Living HOF players at what would have the beginning of 2020 and found 74 players with Whitey Ford being the oldest.

Since April - I guess all 6 of these guys qualify as Inner circle HOF.
Al Kaline
Tom Seaver
Lou Brock
Bob Gibson
Whitey Ford
Joe Morgan

Current Oldest Living HOF Player -- inducted mainly as a player, not manager, or multi-purpose person.
Willie Mays 1931-Living
Hank Aaron 1934-Living
Luis Aparicio 1934-Living
Sandy Koufax 1935-Living

 

[MartinP.]

You fellas just keep on hating on the Astros. Regardless of how well they perform through the rest of the season, making it to the ALCS for the fourth straight year is pretty satisfying for me. - Walter.

Well, as the Astros organiztion tweeted out last week. "You keep hating. We'll keep winning."

That was after the team swept the A's and Carlos Correa said, “I know a lot of people are mad, I know a lot of people don’t want to see us here, but what are they going to say now?”

This is what I'll say: Thanks, Rob Manfred. Of course these players are happy. These guys are ballplayers. They love to play baseball. They're happy as can be. They are good and they still felt the need to cheat. You let them get away with cheating, Rob Manfred. And get away with it they did. The fans weren't going to let them get away with it, but even that was thwarted with the COVID situation. So these players are happy. They didn't have to hear it from the fans all season. They escaped again. Then you, Rob Manfred, decided to have a system that would open the door for them to be in the play-offs! Otherwise, they were out. So, these players were jubilant! They're going to the play-offs and weren't even supposed to, but, hey, what do you care. You let 'em get away with it once. Why not twice? With no fan pressures they could just go out and play the game they love with impunity. And, Rob Manfred, why not just let them go play in Dodger Stadium, too, for good measure, where legitimately po'd fans can't get in the stands? I'm surprised you didn't give them the Dodgers locker rooms. Or did you?

And the classy Astros organization tweeted out that "Stay mad. We'll keep winning." Oh, yeah, they really got the message with the punishments you handed out, didn't they? What a classy tweet that shows no understanding whatsoever. The players and the organization seem to be under the impression that people are mad at them because they're winning. People are mad at them because they cheated. If the subjects of your punishment don't get it, then they aren't being punished. And you let them play in the play-offs with a losing season and helped them every step along the way.

So, instead of doing the right thing with harsher punishments and ANY punishment for the players, this situation keeps escalating because YOU didn't do the right things in the first place. (I do not at all agree that you couldn't have found out the truth without granting immunity to the players.) So now there's a situation that this asterisked team from H*ust*n could conceivable be playing in their home state. And possibly against the Dodgers. So what now? You let in fans for the World Series. Fans from Texas, because, of course, that's where the WS will be played. I'm sure the thought of this is just giddy to no end for the clueless Astr*s players and the organization.

And now I keep reading MLB articles about how the Astros were such underdogs because of the whole cheating thing was such a burden on them and fans being angry at them somehow makes them all victims. So they're determined to win. It doesn't change the fact they cheated, that the players weren't punished, much less disciplined, that these guys who love baseball are still loving it and in a post-season where they shouldn't have been. Thanks, Rob Manfred!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Current Oldest Living HOF Player -- inducted mainly as a player, not manager, or multi-purpose person.
Willie Mays 1931-Living
Hank Aaron 1934-Living
Luis Aparicio 1934-Living
Sandy Koufax 1935-Living

Yeah. And my boyhood hero, Carl Yastrzemski, is just a few years behind Koufax. But he looks great at 81 and I'm guessing is really enjoying watching his grandson play in the majors.

The roster of HOFers who have passed this year is quite a list of great ballplayers. I think this era of players is particular poignant to the HTF membership as many of us grew up with this group.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I haven't been an Astros fan since they became traitors and switched to the god-awful AL.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Well, as the Astros organiztion tweeted out last week. "You keep hating. We'll keep winning."

That was after the team swept the A's and Carlos Correa said, “I know a lot of people are mad, I know a lot of people don’t want to see us here, but what are they going to say now?”

This is what I'll say: Thanks, Rob Manfred. Of course these players are happy. These guys are ballplayers. They love to play baseball. They're happy as can be. They are good and they still felt the need to cheat. You let them get away with cheating, Rob Manfred. And get away with it they did. The fans weren't going to let them get away with it, but even that was thwarted with the COVID situation. So these players are happy. They didn't have to hear it from the fans all season. They escaped again. Then you, Rob Manfred, decided to have a system that would open the door for them to be in the play-offs! Otherwise, they were out. So, these players were jubilant! They're going to the play-offs and weren't even supposed to, but, hey, what do you care. You let 'em get away with it once. Why not twice? With no fan pressures they could just go out and play the game they love with impunity. And, Rob Manfred, why not just let them go play in Dodger Stadium, too, for good measure, where legitimately po'd fans can't get in the stands? I'm surprised you didn't give them the Dodgers locker rooms. Or did you?

And the classy Astros organization tweeted out that "Stay mad. We'll keep winning." Oh, yeah, they really got the message with the punishments you handed out, didn't they? What a classy tweet that shows no understanding whatsoever. The players and the organization seem to be under the impression that people are mad at them because they're winning. People are mad at them because they cheated. If the subjects of your punishment don't get it, then they aren't being punished. And you let them play in the play-offs with a losing season and helped them every step along the way.

So, instead of doing the right thing with harsher punishments and ANY punishment for the players, this situation keeps escalating because YOU didn't do the right things in the first place. (I do not at all agree that you couldn't have found out the truth without granting immunity to the players.) So now there's a situation that this asterisked team from H*ust*n could conceivable be playing in their home state. And possibly against the Dodgers. So what now? You let in fans for the World Series. Fans from Texas, because, of course, that's where the WS will be played. I'm sure the thought of this is just giddy to no end for the clueless Astr*s players and the organization.

And now I keep reading MLB articles about how the Astros were such underdogs because of the whole cheating thing was such a burden on them and fans being angry at them somehow makes them all victims. So they're determined to win. It doesn't change the fact they cheated, that the players weren't punished, much less disciplined, that these guys who love baseball are still loving it and in a post-season where they shouldn't have been. Thanks, Rob Manfred!

Excellent post, sir. Manfred should tell those players and that organization behind closed doors to just keep their opinions to themselves. If I had the opportunity to respond to Correa’s comment, my response would be “I don’t have anything to say- I stopped following sports. I’d rather stop watching than hold my nose, and still watch.”

 

[Kevin Hewell]

The Braves are getting their asses kicked tonight.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It would be hilarious if that team wins it all as it would illustrate to MLB they need to be careful in expanding the playoffs when a team with a sub-500 regular season record can will it all. I don't mind expanding the playoffs by a few teams, but having 16 teams is ridiculous.

It's getting closer.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Random thoughts...

Getting past Snell was a pretty big deal. McCullers is going to have to go fairly deep tonight. Hope Pressley has got a little bit more in the tank. Correa may be talking the talk, but he is also walking the walk.

Regarding the Astro's regular season record. No it wasn't particularly good; but losing a guy like Justin Verlander will have an impact.

Man, Kershaw just can't get a break in the post season.

Go Astros!

- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I want this black eye for MLB as it serves the commissioner right for not punishing the players by not making the Astros ineligible for the post season in 2020.

 

[Jeffrey D]

I want this black eye for MLB as it serves the commissioner right for not punishing the players by not making the Astros ineligible for the post season in 2020.

Good point about Manfred should have tried to disqualify the Asterisks for the postseason, but I think the MLBPA would’ve fought that tooth and nail.

 

[MartinP.]

What do you expect from other fanbases, love and kisses?

Not at all. Maybe the recognition that there are other aspects to the club than just 'the scandal' and that part of the reason for their success is the talent the club has assembled.

Those other aspects, as if those other aspects should minimize or negate, as you put it, 'the scandal'? That's like thinking the water is clear except for the mud in it. In my post above I acknowledged that they were a good team and good ballplayers. Yet they still felt a need to cheat. And yet no Astros players were punished for that. They're all still doing what they love to do. What's the lesson there?

The organization had some punishments, but they still tweeted out a clueless tweet about winning: "You keep hating. We'll keep winning." Do you have any recognition that was wrong? It comes from having no consequences for the cheating.

Reminds me of this passage in the A Christmas Story movie:

Teacher/Miss Shields: Now I know that some of you put Flick up to this, but he has refused to say who. But those who did it know their blame, and I'm sure that the guilt you must feel would be far worse than any punishment you might receive. Now, don't you feel terrible? Don't you feel remorse for what you have done? Well, that's all I'm going to say about poor Flick.

Ralphie/Narrator: Adults loved to say things like that but kids knew better. We knew darn well it was always better not to get caught.

Better not to get caught, because getting caught meant consequences. Punishments. In the case of the Astros players: They got caught = No consequences.

No consequences = this is not going away no matter how well the Astros play. Americans are an unusully forgiving people for the most part. If the players and management even remotely suggested they had any remorse for this people might let it go, but they have not and worse, they've thrown it back in people's faces by being clueless as to why it keeps being thrown back at them.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I've recently taken to cheering on the Rays (and booing the Astros) thru this...

Cheer at the Ballpark

The Official Site of Major League Baseball

www.mlb.com

_Man_