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Official MLB 2023 Thread


Geoff Grace

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On 6/21/2023 at 8:41 PM, TommyRude said:

Giants v. Padres at Oracle Park tonight, beautiful night for a game!

20230621_203837.jpg

Hey, I was at this time! I came up from SD and caught the first two games of the Giants series. Wasn't too thrilled with the outcome BUT it was my first time finally making it up to  ̶P̶a̶c̶B̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶S̶B̶C̶ ̶A̶T̶&̶T̶ Oracle Park and what a great ballpark. I had heard so many good things about it, but it did not disappoint. Was fun taking CalTrain up from the peninsula too. (I always take the trolley to Petco park). 

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Shohei Ohtani is currently in the top 10 in the AL for all the "triple crown" stats for pitching and hitting: ERA, Wins, Strikeouts as a pitcher. Batting, HRs, RBIs as a hitter.

I am not for or against the Angels in general, but I hope the Angels can make the playoffs this year, for the sake of Ohtani and Trout.

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35 minutes ago, harmonizer said:

Shohei Ohtani is currently in the top 10 in the AL for all the "triple crown" stats for pitching and hitting: ERA, Wins, Strikeouts as a pitcher. Batting, HRs, RBIs as a hitter.

I am not for or against the Angels in general, but I hope the Angels can make the playoffs this year, for the sake of Ohtani and Trout.

just now saw this - - I'm not really following baseball, but WHAT THE HELL?!?  This is insane!

Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands

Tommy Rude Soundcloud

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23 hours ago, harmonizer said:

Shohei Ohtani is currently in the top 10 in the AL for all the "triple crown" stats for pitching and hitting: ERA, Wins, Strikeouts as a pitcher. Batting, HRs, RBIs as a hitter.

I am not for or against the Angels in general, but I hope the Angels can make the playoffs this year, for the sake of Ohtani and Trout.

Not to in any way detract from the greatness of these two all-time superstars, but I find myself furrowing my brow every time I read an article about how the Angels are doing the world a disservice by not making the playoffs so that we can see these guys play in the postseason, as if the Angels aren't trying to do exactly that.  

 

Also, consider that Trout and Ohtani combined are being paid something on the order of $100M (maybe a bit less) in 2023.  That's a lot of eggs to put in two baskets, and it obviously siphons resources away from what can be spread over the remainder of the roster.  Generally speaking is that really a winning strategy?  Some owners/GMs seem to think so.

 

Reminds me of the Barry Bonds years for the Giants, when he was paid so much that the rest of the team basically had to ride on his back.  Giants didn't start winning big until he retired.  If you look at how the Giants are winning now, it's a completely opposite strategy -- avoid the superstars, emphasize depth and versatility.  And this from a team that clearly has the deep pockets to go the superstar route.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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On 6/26/2023 at 10:04 PM, OB Dave said:

Hey, I was at this time! I came up from SD and caught the first two games of the Giants series. Wasn't too thrilled with the outcome BUT it was my first time finally making it up to  ̶P̶a̶c̶B̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶S̶B̶C̶ ̶A̶T̶&̶T̶ Oracle Park and what a great ballpark. I had heard so many good things about it, but it did not disappoint. Was fun taking CalTrain up from the peninsula too. (I always take the trolley to Petco park). 

Oracle Park is on my short list of stadiums I want to visit, along with Wrigley, Fenway, Comerica in Detroit, Truist in Atlanta, and this beauty in Pittsburgh:

 

image.thumb.png.de312f226471ba0a4d3559037f3bfc65.png

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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3 hours ago, Adan said:

Not to in any way detract from the greatness of these two all-time superstars, but I find myself furrowing my brow every time I read an article about how the Angels are doing the world a disservice by not making the playoffs so that we can see these guys play in the postseason, as if the Angels aren't trying to do exactly that.  

 

Also, consider that Trout and Ohtani combined are being paid something on the order of $100M (maybe a bit less) in 2023.  That's a lot of eggs to put in two baskets, and it obviously siphons resources away from what can be spread over the remainder of the roster.  Generally speaking is that really a winning strategy?  Some owners/GMs seem to think so.

 

Reminds me of the Barry Bonds years for the Giants, when he was paid so much that the rest of the team basically had to ride on his back.  Giants didn't start winning big until he retired.  If you look at how the Giants are winning now, it's a completely opposite strategy -- avoid the superstars, emphasize depth and versatility.  And this from a team that clearly has the deep pockets to go the superstar route.

This is why I do not want the Braves in the Ohtani sweepstakes. When Ozzie is making $35M for 7 years ($5M per) and Acuna is making $100M for 8 years ($12M per), introducing a guy into the clubhouse who is making $40-$50M per year for talent that is not even close to that disparity in pay would only create tension and resentment. Shohei might be worth that much to some teams, but not the Braves.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

The National League won the All-Star Game 3-2, ending the American League’s nine game winning streak. Even though the game no longer determines home-field advantage in the World Series, I’m glad the NL won. Nine years was more than enough.

 

Looking forward to the season resuming this Friday.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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3 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Even though the game no longer determines home-field advantage in the World Series

I did not know that they rescinded that rule. Good - it was a crappy rule.

 

The All-Star Game is rapidly losing luster. Players being held out by managers, pitchers not being allowed to pitch because it interferes with their regular rotation. I don't like it. Bryce Elder had been leading the NL in ERA and Spencer Strider is leading MLB in strikeouts and neither one of them could throw an inning in the All-Star Game? Ridiculous. They're not fragile flowers.

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The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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I always worry that an All-Star break will halt the momentum of the Braves when they are playing well leading up to it. Not so last night: Matt Olson hit a first inning grand slam, his second of the year, and the Braves rolled to a 9-0 win over the Chisox. Matt Olson has more home runs (30) than the Braves have losses (29). He became the first player in Braves franchise history to hit 30 homers within the team's first 90 games of a season. Ageless wonder Charlie Morton pitched a beauty, with his trademark curveball leading the way: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 83 pitches/54 strikes. He's 39 years old.

 

The Braves finished the first half with 169 home runs, most in MLB history.

 

 

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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That’s quite an accomplishment, Synthaholic! Atlanta has the best winning percentage so far this season too at .678. They should have no problem winning their division, and they could very well win it all.

 

The Dodgers are doing pretty well at .578 but are only narrowly in first place—currently just a game up on the Diamondbacks. Los Angeles had a similar outing last night to Atlanta’s 9-0 win, beating the Mets 6-0 in a duel between Julio Urías and Justin Verlander (who didn’t exactly look ageless last night, giving up six walks and three runs).

 

Best,

 

Geoff

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My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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5 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

That’s quite an accomplishment, Synthaholic! Atlanta has the best winning percentage so far this season too at .678. They should have no problem winning their division, and they could very well win it all.

 

The Dodgers are doing pretty well at .578 but are only narrowly in first place—currently just a game up on the Diamondbacks. Los Angeles had a similar outing last night to Atlanta’s 9-0 win, beating the Mets 6-0 in a duel between Julio Urías and Justin Verlander (who didn’t exactly look ageless last night, giving up six walks and three runs).

 

Best,

 

Geoff

Julio Urías has not been himself this year. Gonsolin, either. And Dustin May, man, you gotta feel bad for that guy. Dodgers need pitching, badly. I'm predicting they raid the White Sox at the trade deadline. And I think they're the frontrunner for the Ohtani Sweepstakes. Their payroll this year is only $109M, I read, so they can sign him, even for $50 or $60 million, and still stay way below the luxury threshold. 

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The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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The Braves are having a year for the ages.  If they have a weakness it's the  back end of the bullpen.  Most likely they will pick up Josh Hader or someone like that, for postseason invincibility. Or they could give the job to Jesse Chavez, who is like the Keith Richards of the baseball world.  But Chavez has never been a closer.

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Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

As the trade deadline approaches, the action has begun:


Dodgers bringing back Kiké Hernández in trade with Red Sox


Hernández was having a career-worst year with the Red Sox. Here’s hoping he will overcome his slump once he returns to LA.

 

In the days ahead, of course, the Dodgers' main focus will be to beef up its pitching staff.


Best,


Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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The Dodgers are now addressing pitching needs, and they’ve added another player from their 2020 championship roster in the process:


Dodgers trade for Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly in latest adds, sources say


They also added Amed Rosario a couple of days ago.


LA mostly gave up minor league players in the deals, but they also traded away the struggling Noah Syndergaard and the injured Trayce Thompson. I wish LA native Thompson didn't have to go, but maybe he’ll return another year when he's healthy.


Best,


Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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Shohei keeps making history:


Ohtani throws 1st MLB shutout, hits 2 HRs as Angels sweep Tigers after team says he's staying


Shohei became the first major league player to have thrown a shutout in one game of a doubleheader and hit a homer in the other. More than that, it was a one-hit, complete game shutout; and two home runs, not one. Amazing!


Best,


Geoff

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My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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On 7/26/2023 at 6:29 PM, Geoff Grace said:

I still cannot believe that an 8-3-5 triple play hasn't happened in that long a time. The 8-3 part is fairly common, catching a guy too far down the line toward second. Just hard to believe there haven't been more guys trying to tag up to swipe third before. Maybe they all made it there safely?

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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On 7/15/2023 at 10:14 PM, Synthaholic said:

Dodgers need pitching, badly. I'm predicting they raid the White Sox at the trade deadline.

 

10 hours ago, Geoff Grace said:

Dodgers trade for Lance Lynn, Joe Kelly in latest adds, sources say

 

 

I guess I called that one. But I'm a little aggravated that the Braves didn't get Lynn. We cannot count on Max Fried being 100%, or Kyle Wright later in the season, and Lance Lynn eats innings.

 

 

On 7/17/2023 at 12:29 PM, Adan said:

The Braves are having a year for the ages.  If they have a weakness it's the  back end of the bullpen.  Most likely they will pick up Josh Hader or someone like that, for postseason invincibility. Or they could give the job to Jesse Chavez, who is like the Keith Richards of the baseball world.  But Chavez has never been a closer.

 

Ya gotta love Jesse Chavez. The guy pretty much sucks for every team he goes to, then he comes back to Atlanta after each and is great again. spacer.png   I'm hoping they pick up Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, or Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals.

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The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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26 minutes ago, bill5 said:

The Orioles are in first, the Yankees are in last.

 

Mark it down folks, God only knows when it will happen again 

I'm getting very excited about being at the second to last Orioles game of the season, against the Red Sox. It will be a playoff atmosphere. I've never been to Camden Yard, Baltimore, or Maryland. I'm flying up for a Gino Vannelli concert and bought tickets to the game before the season even started. I just got lucky that the Orioles are finally good again.  spacer.png

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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12 hours ago, Synthaholic said:

I'm hoping they pick up Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox, or Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals.

The Angels nabbed Lopez. Dang.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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New York, Texas, Los Angeles, does it even matter?  How above whatever team manages to snag Max at the deadline, we call them the "Scherzers" and hope his arm doesn't fall off before November.  I kid, but only a little.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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On 2/28/2023 at 8:46 PM, Synthaholic said:

I would love to see Josh Donaldson and Marcel Ozuna be the Comeback Players of the Year in each league. I do not think that either of them is washed up, and Donaldson, at 37, is still a Top 3 defensive 3B. 

Marcel Ozuna hit another home run today, his 4th in the past 3 games. That's 22 homers and 49 RBI, and we haven't even hit August yet. So many Braves fans wanted him gone, and some were even angry that he had a great Spring Training because it meant the Braves weren't going to send him packing. I'm glad he's getting the last laugh. He couldn't hit anything for the first 2 months of the season, but since June he has been on fire. And he is loved in the clubhouse. I've read that he's a great bridge between the younger and older players, as well as between the Hispanic and American players.

 

I feel bad for Josh Donaldson. He's had nagging injuries and has hit very poorly. Now he's out for an extended time. I still consider him one of the best 3B gloves in the game, Top 5, maybe Top 3, even at 37 years old. But Yankees fans are absolutely brutal, unfair, and do not support their players when they get into slumps. As Joey Gallo found out. He's now having a great season for the Twins, also getting the last laugh. I don't know if Donaldson will ever get back to form, but during Domingo Germain's recent no-hitter was there anyone else in the Yankees organization you would rather have defending third base? That's a hard "no". And he proved it again in the last play of the game.

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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