Well, I kinda figured that there really wouldn't be too many people interested in either one of these topics. So I figured instead of making two topics that no one would reply to, I'd just pair them. 1) with baseball, the playoffs are going on, so it's always an exciting time of year. 2) Pokemon X & Y are coming out within the week, so that's also something really exciting for fans.
1) Like baseball, but haven't had time to watch much the last couple years. Cubs are out, and I'm not super-excited about any of the teams left (although despite being a Cubs fan, I have a bit of a soft spot for the Red Birds, having gone to college in St. Louis.) 2) I personally could not care less about Pokemon. But my son has been waiting for Pokemon X&Y to come out since June. He's already begun the conversation about how soon he could get it, since he doesn't have enough birthday money left, and he feels it's too long of a wait for Santa to bring it. Hanukkah is early this year, so I told him that might be an option, but in his opinion, that is still too long to wait.
1) LMAO! Oh god, the Cubs xD They are the most pathetic team in the MLB lol. I'm a Yankee fan and I'll be rooting for any team to knock out the Red Sox. I don't like the Dodgers or Tigers though, so it's a double edged sword. I hope the Athletics and Cardinals knock everyone out xD lol If they played, I would be happy either way. 2) Lol! He's a better kid than I was. I'm an only child, so I would have just demanded it xD
One day they'll have both pitching AND hitting (I know - what a concept!). My husband is a Yankees fan, but I just can't get into them. As far as the AL, my minor rooting interests would be the White Sox (it's still good for the city of Chicago if they win, but they didn't have a good season, either), and the Orioles (a remnant of my youth). I lived in Boston for 3 years, but don't have any particular affinity for the Red Sox, either (although I do really like Fenway Park and it's environs). I live near Philly now, and a few years ago it was exciting to have them do well (and they've got a great mascot and a nice ballpark). Nice that Ryno's coaching them now, but I wish he'd go back to the Cubs, particularly since they've got an opening now. Don't think my son isn't set on getting that Pokemon X&Y this month ;-)
Wow, you've been all over! Haven't you? lol My dad hates the Phillies because he's a Mets fan And yeah, he'll probably try to be extra nice to you
'Please tune in tomorrow folks when the excellent platerawriter will discuss the Scottish Enlightenment and his favourite cheeses.' What happened to the Moneyball fella? Are teams (is it thought that teams are) put together differently now or was his impact negligible? (Or was his approach not novel at all?) Englishman here. If you reply, please keep things tres simple.
Forgive me. Let me go again. What happened to Billy Beane the Oakland A's manager and did his method of recruitment/team selection (going on the numbers alone) really change the way other teams go about their business?
Well, in baseball, there are teams that I play the "money ball" game a little more and try to get the most for their money. Like for example, out of the top 5 lowest payrolls in the MLB, three of them made the playoffs this year (Oakland A's, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays). All three have payrolls under $70 million. However, on the other side of the spectrum, you have the top 5 highest payrolls in which 3 out of 5 are also in the playoffs this year (LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and Detroit Tigers). The Dodgers being over $200 million and the Red Sox and Tigers floating around $150 million. So as you can see, there's no clear cut process to winning. Money and players are no more important than as they play together and are trained. http://deadspin.com/2013-payrolls-and-salaries-for-every-mlb-team-462765594
Thanks, man. I notice there seems to be a minimum wage in operation - set at a measly 490k. Makes one go all warm and fuzzy on the inside!
I still love baseball despite its intensive efforts to ruin itself. I tend to tune out during the playoffs until the World Series because, let's face it, with every team playing 162 games, playoffs are completely superfluous, an artificial construction to squeeze more cash out of the old cash cow. My first year of fandom was 1961, a total of 22 teams, two leagues, no divisions. I was a Yankees fan in a family of old Brooklyn Dodger fans. My father did not take the news well.
Yeah, kinda tough these days - and I don't mean because of the state of their roster (hey, I remember the bad days of the late '60s - Gene Michael and Horace Clarke, Jake Gibbs behind the plate and Roger Repoz losing a fly ball in the moon).
Lol! I don't know any of those guys xD Baseball has become less interesting to me as I've gotten older.
There were two things I've always loved about baseball beyond the game itself and the players I got to watch - the history of the game and the literature of the game. Roger Angell's books - The Summer Game, Five Seasons and Late Innings were all collections of essays of multiple seasons, replete with details, great stories and a gentle kind of humor. Roger Kahn's The Boys of Summer was a great look back at two excellent Brooklyn teams (one from the year before I was born, the other the year I was born). Pete Golembock's Dynasty connected the great Yankees teams of the 1950s with the decline I knew in the 1960s. Murderer's Row by G. H. Fleming is a day-by-day account of the 1927 Yankees that lets you know how great the players on that team were who weren't named Ruth or Gehrig. I remember, many years ago, the Yankees were playing the Red Sox in Boston. Phil Rizzuto was still doing announcing for them and Ted Williams, the greatest player ever to wear a Red Sox uniform, was a guest in the booth. He and the Scooter were reeling off story after story from the 40s and 50s, great stuff. But in the meantime the Yankees were hitting line drives all over the lot, and at one point, Williams said, "Uh, Phil, you think maybe we should tell the fans what's going on in the game?" "Nah," Rizzuto said. "They know the game, they can see for themselves. So, like I was saying, we were in Cleveland and..."
