2020 America and Baseball

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DOUGHBOYS
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2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Tue Aug 11, 2020 10:35 am

Some folks thought that baseball would fold under the first signs of the pandemic.
It didn't.
Like America, it persevered. Made some changes and moved on.
Baseball has now rolled on for almost three weeks.
It seems every problem baseball has had, has been magnified. But baseball is no different than our everyday life.
Baseball is part of the American fabric. It reflects our way of life. And in no year, and so short of time, has it reflected America more than in 2020.

We live in a pandemic. Some folks are wearing masks, some are not.
We see some baseball players with masks, we see some without.

We have communities or even states that are affected by the pandemic more than others, first New York then Florida.
We see the same thing in baseball, first in Miami, then St. Louis.

We have folks in America who KNOW they are not doing the right thing. They go to parties or out without thoughts of masks or social distancing.
Selfishly, these folks could come home and pass the virus to their folks or grandparents.
We see baseball players breaking protocol and they KNOW they are not doing the right thing by mingling with the public.
Selfishly, these players could have spread the virus to susceptible folks as a cancer surviving Carlos Carrasco or a Manager having health problems.

Baseball is America and America is baseball. We are tethered.
In 'Field of Dreams', Terrence Mann said, "The one constant through all the years, has been baseball.
America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time."
In 2020, with the brutality of a virus changing our lives, baseball is once again, marking our time.


(Edit- And on a personal note....Admit it....A baseball-less April, May, and June seemed to last an eternity.
These last three weeks have flown by like a lightning bug.
Baseball has made our lives more live-able.
A commodity like that is hard to find in 2020.)
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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Gekko
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by Gekko » Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:10 pm

Give the the protocols, Why in the world did clevinger and plesac decide to break protocol??? Remember, F.Reyes already had a protocol issue. U would have thought they were smarter!!! LOL

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:33 pm

Gekko wrote:
Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:10 pm
Give the the protocols, Why in the world did clevinger and plesac decide to break protocol??? Remember, F.Reyes already had a protocol issue. U would have thought they were smarter!!! LOL
Because some people are incredibly stupid and selfish.
There is no excuse. None at all.

Edit- It would have been easy to say that Plesac and Clevinger are like some in our Country who do not follow protocols.
BUT, they're not like other people.
And Reyes, Plesac, and Clevinger all defied protocols with a cancer recovering teammate in Carrasco and a Manager with current health problems.
As selfish as it gets.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Tue Aug 11, 2020 1:56 pm

Do Cardinals fantasy owners have an advantage once the Cardinals come back?...I was asked....

Not very damn much.....

Best case scenario, they start playing Friday. That leaves them 44 days to play 55 games if getting a full schedule.
What really screws over these owners is that the Cardinals only have two off days remaining and will probably keep those off days unless players relent contractually-wise.
Then you say, "Well, they'll have a lot of doubleheaders."
And you're right, they will.
Probably not enough to get to 60 games, but within five of that number.
The problem with doubleheaders is that Managers use them to rest players.
So although the multi games SOUND good, our players will be sitting for some of them.
There is also the fact that doubleheaders are each only seven innings long.
This robs us of at least one more at bat per game.
So yes Cardinal owners, we get screwed no matter how many games are made up.

Edit- And get this....

St. Louis does not have an off day from Sept 4 till the end of the season. With four doubleheaders already scheduled for that time frame.
The 'sprint' for them becomes a 'Marine double time march' with a 40 pound backpack.
And get this scheduling fluke...the Cards and Brewers will play each other 10 times between September 14-27, including a five game series ending the season.
They will be a busy team with most of the players coming off the virus and probably needing rest anyways.
With that brutal schedule, every Cardinals player on the roster will be used.
If the virus does not effect further Cardinal games (and that is a BIG IF), it'll be interesting to see how they pull off the month of September.
And more importantly for us, how it will effect our game.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:21 am

The Cardinals just have no luck at all.
They've been away from baseball for over two weeks.
They come back today to play a double header vs. the White Sox.
Now, the Reds have a player who has tested positive.
Who has a four game series with the Reds next week?
The Cardinals.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Sun Aug 23, 2020 7:12 pm

Half the season is over. That's right.
When Thursdays games begin, it's also starting the second half of the season.
Quick, right?

As Managers, we have little time to 'hope' somebody comes out of a slump or pitch better.
'It is what it is'. So, what is it? Let's talk about some...

Almost everybody that picked first or second drafted Acuna or Yelich.
How's that working out for you.
A lot of first rounders are not playing like first rounders, so you're not alone.

Frankie Montas started this week with an E.R.A. of 1.57
Ended the week with a horrible 5.22
If it were a regular season, we could look for time to heal our wounds.
Not this year.
In one fell swoop, Montas one week has literally ruined his statistics for the first half of the year.

The Indians are proud of their switch hitting infield.
They put all four hitters at the top of their lineup.
Are they hard to face?
No.
None of them have really scared anybody.
So when I heard somebody on radio say how wonderful Carlos Santana has been this year...I did a double take.
Yes, as I checked my radio station numbers, this was a fantasy baseball station.
The guy who was talking went on and on about Santana's walks.
Reminiscent of Votto followers, he was waxing poetic about Santana's walks.
If not in an OBP League, WHO GIVES A RATS ASS?
SERIOUSLY!
It's stupid.
Why can't these guys differentiate between fantasy and loving OBP?
Santana's line is this....187/14/3/13/0...and he has 28 walks and 17 hits.
Those walks are not helping his Runs.
And if walks can't help Runs, the at bat is like a bear crapping in the woods. Nobody cares.

What about next year?
Can you imagine a 50 round draft with no minor league numbers?
It may be the hardest year of drafting for just about everybody.
It is going to be a cluster the first few drafts!

Also, what about recency bias?
Are we going to buy into Acuna and Yelich not being first rounders?
Verlander?
Bellinger?
Arenado?
Buehler?

Here are my first rounders for next year.
Like this season, they could change tomorrow :)

In no order....

Trout
Yelich
Acuna
Betts
Cole
deGrom
Bieber
Story
Soto
Turner
Bellinger
Tatis
Lindor
Ramirez
Harper

And those are as temporary as can be.
Still, you'll notice that most were first rounders this year.
And despite not living up to their lofty status, do we replace them with a guy who had a hot month?
Tatis and Harper were first rounders in some drafts.
Bieber? The Stud blossomed.

Oh, and by the way, Trea Turner made the list, but barely.
Turner has been hitting great lately, even with power.
BUT, that's not why he's a first rounder. It really only makes him a little better than David Fletcher.
What we really want from Turner is his calling card.
The stolen base.
If his next month matches this month, Turner will not be a first rounder.....
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Tue Aug 25, 2020 12:22 pm

How bad of a year (month) has it been for Jeff McNeil?
Bad.
Here's a comparison with a part time player....

Jeff McNeil- ...67 AB's .269/5/0/8/0

Nico Hoerner- 57 AB'S .211/9/0/8/2

11 players have played 30 games.
All of those players come from the non-covid effected West Divisions.

Here is a comparison you can shove down a sabr's throat....

Jose Abreu.....322/22/11/28/0.....Abreu has just a .365 OBP and seven BB

Rhys Hoskins...224/19/2/9/1......Hoskins has a splendid .416 OBP and has three times as much as Abreu. 21 times.

Who do you want on your fantasy team?

Speaking of walks, Amed Rosario has 80 at bats, zero walks...

And the guy you WANT to take a walk...won't.
Adalberto Mondesi has 104 at bats. He's walked twice....Zero homers too...He is not second or third round worthy

Quick...Who leads baseball in getting hit by pitches?
Nope, not Rizzo.
It's Ramon Laureano.
He also leads the league in charging horseshit coaches....

We'll never see the best of Whit Merrifield for any other team than the Royals.
It's sad but true. He'll never get his due.
Next year, Merrifield will be 32.
This year, .301/20/5/18/6..... Beautiful

Mike Zunino....136/7/4/9/0

Gary Sanchez..132/8/5/9/0
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Wed Aug 26, 2020 7:33 am

It's 2020 and folks are more concerned with how they are perceived.
Native Americans want their names removed as the names of sports teams.
Understood.
I guess.
Their leaders take it as a slight to be used as a nickname for teams.
In my mind, it is no slight at all.
'Patriots', 'Cowboys', and 'Indians' are American as apple pie.

Teams have been named for several things.
The location of teams like 'Highlanders' or 'Phillies', or 'Twins'.
Something in that location's history or location standout like the '49ers' or 'Rockies' or 'Steelers', or 'Brewers'.
But mostly, names that make teams appear 'tough'.
The Giants, the Pirates, the Raiders, the Tigers, the Bears, etc.
These names were given as a compliment to our Native American friends.

After awhile, names become just names. We say "Pittsburgh Pirates' now and we think of their standing in baseball at the moment.
We certainly don't think of them as glorifying the terrorists of the sea.
Nor cartoon characters that make folks walk a plank.
They're simply, the Pirates. A crappy baseball team.

As far as 'tough sounding' now, it loses juice when the team plays badly.
The Pirates are and have been a bad team for the last few years.
In our minds they're not sea-faring plunderers. More like somebody learning to swim.
Last night, they were no-hit.
Don't worry, Lucas, it still counts!
Nothing makes a team look less tough than getting no-hit, no matter what you're called.
Actions speak much louder to us than a nickname.

It's all part of the wussification of America.
Luckily, the animals used in team names are above this.
In our own game, we prefer to be the 'Shark', not the 'Guppie'.
Garter snakes have not held protests because Diamondback and rattler monickers matter more.
Koala's and Panda's are not pissed that Grizzlies are usually pictured as team emblems.
Pigeon's harbor little ill will towards Eagles and Hawks.
And don't worry, guppies, garter snakes, koala's, panda's, and pigeons....
The wussification will continue to evolve where Americans don't even want their team names to even sound 'tough' at all.
Your time is coming.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Wed Aug 26, 2020 9:39 am

I must have received 20 communications on 'Opening Day' letting me know that Joey Votto had hit a home run.
Since then, nothing.
Which of course, means Votto has sucked since.

I'm not going to pick on Votto. He's doing that enough himself.
Through his career, Votto has been a good player.
He was a lot better before trying to take walks, but I acquiesce.
SABR's already have a drive going to get him in the Hall of Fame.
Which is great if allowing all 'good' players too.

Will Clark was a damned good player.
Never considered for the Hall of Fame.
Now, Votto has a Trump-machine already working for him :lol:

Clark and Votto have played for about the same length of time and the same position.
Sabrs look at Votto's .420 OBP and cream their jeans.
Is ONE stat really enough?
Here are their lines......

Votto .305/1020/287/952/79

Clark .303/1186/284/1205/67

We have 'earned runs' in pitching. Believe me, playing in San Francisco, Will Clark's home runs were 'earned'.
Votto has been afforded one of the best hitting parks in baseball and tried turning it into a hiking trail to first base.
It is hard to see where Votto's reliance on the BB actually helped his Runs accumulation.
But man, we can sure tell it in his RBI!
To put it bluntly, Joey Votto should have to pay to enter the Hall of Fame.
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Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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KJ Duke
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by KJ Duke » Thu Aug 27, 2020 12:25 pm

DOUGHBOYS wrote:
Sun Aug 23, 2020 7:12 pm
Here are my first rounders for next year.
Like this season, they could change tomorrow :)

In no order....

Trout
Yelich
Acuna
Betts
Cole
deGrom
Bieber
Story
Soto
Turner
Bellinger
Tatis
Lindor
Ramirez
Harper
Tatis being dissed once again next year, Dan ... how about this?

1. Tatis • 115 career games played: .313 BA, 34hr, 22sb (ss>of)
2. Acuna • latest 115 MLB games: .278 BA, 34hr, 31sb
3. Trout • laatest 115 MLB games: .283 BA, 44hr, 6sb (4 years older than, SBs tanking)
Last edited by KJ Duke on Thu Aug 27, 2020 1:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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KJ Duke
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by KJ Duke » Thu Aug 27, 2020 1:54 pm

Oops, I skimmed over the "in no order". But I think ▲ is a fair order.

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:08 pm

KJ Duke wrote:
Thu Aug 27, 2020 1:54 pm
Oops, I skimmed over the "in no order". But I think ▲ is a fair order.
Tatis will be a top 2 pick in almost every draft next year unless something unforeseen happens.......Better? :lol:
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Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:52 pm

Death is a weird thing. It effects all of us differently. We go through every emotion. The emotions peaking at it's highest when the death is a family member or somebody close to us.
We have had baseball folks from past generations pass away.
We're sad for awhile. And then it passes.
More than anything, when these folks pass, it's a great chance to remember their greatness.

Tom Seaver passed away this past week. So did Lou Brock.
Wow, just wow they were great players.
The 'Drop and Drive' pitcher has gone, but we'll remember them each time Seaver's name is mentioned.
Just like we will when Nolan Ryan passes.
Seaver was more known to everybody of that generation.
He was 'The Franchise'. He was Tom Terrific. He was amazing.

Lou Brock.
Let me tell you something about Lou Brock.
He averaged 700 plate appearances for 12 years.
He played in a ball park where the field temps got to 120 degrees.....ON ASTROTURF!
Yet, there he was being the most athletic being on the field.
He NEVER was put on the DL. Never.
Unbelievable when thinking about players now cutting their hands on dishes or getting blisters go on the DL.

Lou Brock took Stan Musial's Cardinals and made them Lou Brock's Cardinals.
Not only while he played.
The Cardinals kept the Lou Brock approach long after Brock retired.
Lonnie Smith, Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Vince Coleman, etc.
They were the 'GO-GO-Cardinals for a long, long time.
And when reaching the World Series, the combination of Brock and Gibson kicked ass.
Brock would steal seven bases in a World Series....twice!
Nobody has ever done it once.
Brock terrorized pitchers.
Sandy Koufax felt like he was in command in any game....Until Lou Brock reached first base.
When Brock was at the plate, Koufax would bear down. In his mind, he had the advantage.
But once reaching first base, he knew it was Brock who had the advantage.

The Golden years are gone.
The stolen base is now an afterthought.
We have the 'Three Outcome' game being played now.
Stolen Bases are only for those who WANT to steal bases.
Trevor Story leads baseball in Stolen Bases.
He's not nearly the fastest man in baseball. Not even close.
But, he wants to do what few others want to do in this style of baseball. He wants to steal bases.

It's too bad. Pitchers are not terrified any longer when a runner reaches first.
There is no mind play for the fan.
When a fan sees Trevor Story steal a base, meh.
Back in the day, for Lou Brock, it was totally different.
He didn't just want to steal a base, he had to. It was his job.
And everybody in the park....the Fans, the Pitcher, and especially Lou Brock KNEW that he was going.
The excitement of watching a base stealer steal a base that way is gone.
It was an excitement that I miss very much.
Thanks for those memories, Lou Brock.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: 2020 America and Baseball

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:41 pm

When the Hell are 'experts' going to turn the page on batters striking out?
TURN THE PAGE, willya?
Strike outs, love 'em or hate 'em are a part of our game.
Pitchers are AVERAGING a strike out an inning.
Hitters are swinging harder than ever before.
When doing anything at full speed, there are going to be misses.

A guy on radio was chiding Miguel Sano for leading baseball in striking out. What a dumb ass.
EVERYBODY is striking out. Sano just happens to have more than others at the moment.
Here are the top five players striking out...

Sano
Hiura
Baez
Gallo
Soler

All five of those players will be drafted highly in drafts next year. We have passed the Chris Davis era where the threat of a homer is worth 20 strike outs. Players can be productive while striking out many times.
But the 'experts' fall back on their old saw that striking out is a sign of weakness.
From a fantasy side, strike outs are a sign of strength.
If you're not striking out, you ain't trying!

Last night Adam Duvall hit three homers. Had nine RBI.
HE'S HAD NINE HOMERS IN HIS LAST 10 GAMES!
So, you know what a rotoblurb says?.... "Be careful, he has a 30% k rate."
Are you serious? Screw you!
What's there to be careful of?
The man has way overplayed his rounds in draft selection already. Even if striking out the rest of the season.
He's hit freakin' nine homers in 10 games and somebody is concerned about his strike outs? What an idiot.
Keep doing what you're doing, Duvall.
You can't help it if somebody is still reading a '92 version of the Forecaster.

Experts, we are playing in the three outcome era. When are you going to get it.
Walking is not a skill for fantasy baseball.
Striking out is not horrible for fantasy baseball.
Both are going to happen with alarming regularity.
'Experts' want to be smart as Tarzan in saying "Strike outs, Bad. Walks, good."
It's a different game now. Think outside the box, 'experts'.
The game is passing you by.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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