Around Baseball 2020

[connorp]

Mike Leake, Joe Ross, and Ryan Zimmerman have opted out of the season.

 

I guess you’ll have to start figuring out a compensation scale for the fantasy leagues

[Abomination]

I guess you’ll have to start figuring out a compensation scale for the fantasy leagues

 

For the people owning those guys, or for the rest of the league?

[connorp]

I’m sure it’d been posted but the Twins actually aren’t allowing some 65+ yo coaches to join the team. Though it’s well-noted that I believe the danger of the virus is overblown... certain groups are actually vulnerable and I think this should be done across the board. Look at a combo of age and health history and hold out the people like 65+ and fat

[Orgfiller]

I’m sure it’d been posted but the Twins actually aren’t allowing some 65+ yo coaches to join the team. Though it’s well-noted that I believe the danger of the virus is overblown... certain groups are actually vulnerable and I think this should be done across the board. Look at a combo of age and health history and hold out the people like 65+ and fat

 

RIP major league umpires, a bunch of coaches across the league and 85% of home team commentators.

[connorp]

RIP major league umpires, a bunch of coaches across the league and 85% of home team commentators.

 

Other than players, pretty much everything else is easily replaceable including managers. Not like they’re a football HC that matters. Umpires could use an ego check, especially the old ones.

 

I don’t see why announcers couldn’t continue though

[connorp]

Everyone agrees if someone gets really sick or dies it’s all over and if you take those people out of the equation the chances are about zip that happens

 

Like the season should end because some fat ass 67yo umpire that can’t even walk up stairs dies

[max silver]

Everyone agrees if someone gets really sick or dies it’s all over and if you take those people out of the equation the chances are about zip that happens

 

Like the season should end because some fat ass 67yo umpire that can’t even walk up stairs dies

 

Stay classy Connor.

[connorp]

Stay classy Connor.

 

Hey if something like that happens and season is cxl’d I’m going to bump the post

[Spanky__99]

Classic C-poop, lol.

[P2F]

When did everyone become such a pussy-ass motherf***er? You can't wish death upon someone now?

 

What's next to go - wishing death upon their family? The f***.

[Spanky__99]

When did everyone become such a pussy-ass motherf***er? You can't wish death upon someone now?

 

What's next to go - wishing death upon their family? The f***.

 

Meh, I say trip in traffic quite often... I'm good, lol. This is what connor's renowned for...

[connorp]

I’m not wishing it happens as I don’t want the season to be cxl’d. Jim and Max will post gleefully if it does happen “See?..See?.. Told you”... Family of hypothetical dead guy would prefer In hindsight if someone was an ******* and told their fat out of shape loved one that they needed to stay home

[Jimcanuck]

I’m not wishing it happens as I don’t want the season to be cxl’d. Jim and Max will post gleefully if it does happen “See?..See?.. Told you”... Family of hypothetical dead guy would prefer In hindsight if someone was an ******* and told their fat out of shape loved one that they needed to stay home

 

I haven't said "told you so" for any of the gazillion things you have been wrong about, why would I start now?

[L54]

I haven't said "told you so" for any of the gazillion things you have been wrong about, why would I start now?

 

Probably because you weren't right about any of them either

[max silver]

I’m not wishing it happens as I don’t want the season to be cxl’d. Jim and Max will post gleefully if it does happen “See?..See?.. Told you”... Family of hypothetical dead guy would prefer In hindsight if someone was an ******* and told their fat out of shape loved one that they needed to stay home

 

If all the old fat out of shape baseball umpires were told to stay home I don't think there wouldn't be anybody left to call the games.

[Spanky__99]

You guys are chucking around your political vitriol in here for what?

[BTS]

Can you guys keep your grudges to the Politics thread? Christ almighty.

[Spanky__99]

Can you guys keep your grudges to the Politics thread? Christ almighty.

 

Beat ya to it, lol.

[Orgfiller]

I’m not wishing it happens as I don’t want the season to be cxl’d. Jim and Max will post gleefully if it does happen “See?..See?.. Told you”... Family of hypothetical dead guy would prefer In hindsight if someone was an ******* and told their fat out of shape loved one that they needed to stay home

 

Connorp how slow at typing are you that you have to use that millennial abomination of an abbreviation for "cancelled"?

[connorp]

Can you guys keep your grudges to the Politics thread? Christ almighty.

 

My bad. Was a baseball topic but I did slip in a Jim/Max political swipe.

[max silver]

My bad. Was a baseball topic but I did slip in a Jim/Max political swipe.

 

I see you've decided to go by the "if you can't beat them join them" motto. 😁

[Boxcar]

I guess you’ll have to start figuring out a compensation scale for the fantasy leagues

 

They get one free roster spot per player

[Spanky__99]

I see you've decided to go by the "if you can't beat them join them" motto.

 

No, generally this happens.

[Ehjays]

Mike Leake, Joe Ross, and Ryan Zimmerman have opted out of the season.

 

Ian Desmond

[glory]

Ian Desmond

 

[connorp]

 

Looks like I have a least favorite player now

[TheHurl]

Ian Desmond just became one of my favourite players. That was a great post. Gave his reasoning, talked about what he is personally going to do, mentioned some things baseball does poorly, and in the end he cited being home for his family as the number 1 reason.

[Abomination]

 

I think it's interesting for people in general to point at baseball as having an issue with only 8% black players (~12% of people in the USA are black I believe), but basketball with only 20% white players is perfectly fine.

 

I agree with his other points though. I feel like we're going to see quite a few more players bail on the season as soon as the first clubhouse infections make their rounds, and I don't blame them at all.

[connorp]

I think it's interesting for people in general to point at baseball as having an issue with only 8% black players (~12% of people in the USA are black I believe), but basketball with only 20% white players is perfectly fine.

 

I agree with his other points though. I feel like we're going to see quite a few more players bail on the season as soon as the first clubhouse infections make their rounds, and I don't blame them at all.

 

I think basically the lazy insinuation is baseball is racist and that’s why there’s only 8% black people. Which is obviously ridiculous.

 

If you look at it objectively, the only thing you can come up with is it’s not pushed as hard in youth sports, especially in poor inner-city locations. But unlike basketball, there’s generally no sponsors for grass roots baseball. Only when you get towards the national level. Outside of that though you’re going to have to front all the travel team expenses. The good bats/gloves are $200-500 nowadays, along with the time required in you want to be an involved parent with that. Which is obviously crucial on the younger teams. Decent Fields are obviously also not easy to come by in inner cities. Combine that with baseball is the less cool sport with kids, I don’t think anything will change.

 

Blacks in the suburbs will continue to get the same chances as any other group

[glory]

Yeah I think it's way too simplistic to say "fewer black players in MLB = racism". There are a whole bunch of factors involved, including just the general decline in popularity in the sport among youth today. I hope for the sake of the sport that the % of black players increase over time, as some of the greatest players who ever lived were black, and in the future you want to the Kyler Murray's to choose baseball over CTE. However, it is going to require a lot of work from MLB, not just the RBI program but also making baseball more accessible period. Every black person in America needs to know who Mookie Betts is. Or Aaron Judge. or Tim Anderson. And so on. If young black kids see black athletes playing baseball on TV, it becomes a lot easier to attract them to the sport. MLB can't even market Mike Trout, so it's not a race issue with them, it's more about not having a clue how to market the sport or its players.

 

I remember reading that over 30% of MLB is Hispanic, and it is ~50% in the minors. That % is likely going to grow beyond any other race looking at the minor league trends (fewer draft rounds in the future will certainly add to that likelihood). Without looking it up, I'm pretty sure MLB has more Asian players than any other US sports league. I don't think it's fair to lump baseball in with hockey as a "white" sport. It's actually ignorant to do so.