Baseball 2004 Discussion Thread

[MQP]

the best team the last 3 years is the a's.
too bad they fold like an accordion in the playoffs

The As are doomed to fold in the playoffs every year because of how their team is set up. Billy Beane may be a sabermetrics whiz-kid, but when he swaps his roster around every season, the "team" (and I use that term lightly) has no chance to gel into a cohesive unit.

I imagine that hanging in the A's clubhouse must be like chilling at a greyhound bus station.

MQP

 

[aurin777]

The A's didn't keep Giambi because he wanted a no-trade clause in his contract, and regretfully he didn't resign because the A's wouldn't give him that. Stuuuupid.
~~Brandon

 

[drothgery]

BWAHHAHAHAH.
thats the funniest thing ive read in weeks.

the mariners suck on paper. and in reality.

It's admittedly a stat-head's view, but the Mariners were, by the numbers I'm looking at, certainly the best team on paper last season. They had the best Pythagorean record (projected based on runs scored vs. runs allowed, which largely factors out the massive luck factors involved in any individual 1-run game). In reality, they finished second in their division and had a better record than two of the division winners (the Twins and the Cubs) -- and the World Series winning Marlins. I'm at a loss as to how you can claim the Mariners suck.

Are you, by some chance, a devoted fan of the Boston Red Sox, University of Texas football, or some other organization that consistently fields very good teams, hasn't won a title in a long time, and who's fans are routinely calling for the head of the coach? Just wondering.

 

[stevelabny]

my reasoning behind the mariners sucking

cameron, winn, ichiro.
UGH

an outfield with no hr power will do you in every time. yes they can run and catch a lot of fly balls but they cant hit any themselves.

the lineup might score runs in the regular season but when it comes to the stretch-run or post-season and theyre going against elite pitchers? ichiro is their "scariest" batter. they have no thumper to put fear in the opposing team and cause them to throw fastballs to the guy in front of them. this is a glaring weakness. and please dont bring up bret boone, the only people he scares are viewers of the ALCS hoping he doesnt ever become a broadcaster.

And for the record I'm a fan of the Yankees, the Washington Redskins in football, the North Carolina Tarheels in college hoops and anyone whos on any of my fantasy teams.

 

[drothgery]

Quite frankly, that's nonsense. The only way a baseball team is going to be significantly better in the postseason than in the regular season is if they don't have many quality starting pitchers (like, say, the Diamondbacks, especially in 2001), so the ability to use a 3-man rotation helps a lot. Everyone hits worse against good pitchers in the long run (if someone doesn't in the short run, it's almost certainly a fluke that will go away with enough at-bats).

 

[Michael Morris]

I won't read Bob's book. Bob is an idiot. His views on baseball are so stuck in the mud that his opinion carries NO weight. Bob needs to just stick to announcing what he sees and stop thinking his opinion is any more valuable than anyone elses.

It's easier to denounce than to hear and then rebutt.

team with the highest salary is 95% likely to be the champion?

Let me clarify - that's my exagerrated statement in a moment of disgruntlement, not Mr. Costas.

Here's some facts though

Fact: With the exception of the Marlins of '03 and the Angels of '02 no team has made the playoff since '93 that didn't have one of the top 10 salaries of the league. Both of these teams are reaping the benefits of restructuring their farm systems to try to bring talent to fruition before they are free agent eligible.

Fact: No other professional sport has a salary structure where any one team has a salary more than twice the least paid.

Fact: Player movement between teams is higher now than at any point in the history of baseball or any other sport. Some teams are turning over at least half their roster EVERY YEAR. Not only is this annoying to fans who would like to get to know the team, but it can't be easy on the player's or their families.

Baseball is sick and sickening. This should have been made abundantly clear in 1994.

 

[stevelabny]

you're right...everyone hits worse against good pitchers.
but even good pitchers know that if theyre facing a #2 hitter with a man on first and two monsters up next...that they they should throw fastballs or hittable pitches rather than get cute and possibly walk the guy and leave more men on base. simple baseball strategy.
and when a good pitcher is letting you put the ball in play, you stand a better chance then when he's not.

 

[Krug]

Tejada to Orioles. Sigh.. looks like A's are gutted.

I really enjoyed the book, Away Games, written around him, which explored MLB's dependence on Dominican Republic talent.

 

[drothgery]

Fact: No other professional sport has a salary structure where any one team has a salary more than twice the least paid.

Err... this isn't true, AFAIK.

While the NBA, NFL, and NHL don't have such a structure, it's my understanding (and I don't follow soccer, so I could be wrong about this) that Real Madrid and Manchester United have payrolls far higher than the other teams in their leagues (that, in fact, they both have a payroll more than twice the next-highest salary team in their respective leagues), and that the major European soccer leagues have somewhat weaker regulations on salaries and player movement than MLB does.

 

[Krug]

That's why soccer is just as unappealing to watch...