DeangeloVickers said:
9 mil for a guy who can't hit fastballs is scary
All others worth every penny
Heim’s transfer time from catch to throw was .57 seconds, per Statcast, the fastest recorded exchange by any catcher on a pitch in lower third of zone this season. Heim’s been great, but even by his standards, it was extraordinary https://t.co/BgeqDcMzSh
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) October 9, 2023
BassCowboy33 said:
I'm loving the media whiners complaining that the bye punishes teams with the best record. Smoltz's crying about how the Rangers being able to throw Montgomery in G2 was "unfair", despite them having to throw a bullpen game in G1 is next-level copium. Out here in the ATL, lots of people complaining that the bye puts the Braves at a disadvantage.
Playing Chess not CheckersDeangeloVickers said:BassCowboy33 said:
I'm loving the media whiners complaining that the bye punishes teams with the best record. Smoltz's crying about how the Rangers being able to throw Montgomery in G2 was "unfair", despite them having to throw a bullpen game in G1 is next-level copium. Out here in the ATL, lots of people complaining that the bye puts the Braves at a disadvantage.
That's why we let Seattle win 3 out 4. We preferred the WC
I think a lot of it is, more than any other sport, baseball media seems to be highly concentrated on the East Coast, and tend to inherently think those teams are better. There's a snobbery in baseball media that's annoying.DeangeloVickers said:BassCowboy33 said:
I'm loving the media whiners complaining that the bye punishes teams with the best record. Smoltz's crying about how the Rangers being able to throw Montgomery in G2 was "unfair", despite them having to throw a bullpen game in G1 is next-level copium. Out here in the ATL, lots of people complaining that the bye puts the Braves at a disadvantage.
That's why we let Seattle win 3 out 4. We preferred the WC
bdp514am said:
I think we'll need a bigger sample size to see how it all shakes out. But early returns suggest being the WC is at the least not a huge disadvantage. Certainly not the disadvantage it was when you had the 1 game WC and your rotation was screwed for the next series.
I mean, the Rangers were forced to throw a bullpen game against the Orioles ace and still won. That's an advantage any team in baseball will take. If you can't take advantage of that, then it's on you, not the format.bdp514am said:
I think we'll need a bigger sample size to see how it all shakes out. But early returns suggest being the WC is at the least not a huge disadvantage. Certainly not the disadvantage it was when you had the 1 game WC and your rotation was screwed for the next series.
Reseeding, which is how the NHL used to do it (and NFL still does). When the NHL ran the 8/8 reseeding bracket, it was the best format in sports. Now, its 4/4/4/4 format is stupid because it often pits the two best teams in the conference against each other in the second round. My biggest complaint about baseball for years has been the small playoff format made people lose interest at the end of the year because, usually, only a small number of teams were vying for playoff spots. It's also my argument for why an expanded CFB playoff will increase interest, because teams will be fighting for spots later into the season.Michael Cera Palin said:
The argument Smoltz made about Monty pitching game 2 as "unfair" was dumb as hell, but I do think there's a solid argument to be made that going 5 days without a game after playing non-stop for 6 months is going to throw some guys off their game/rhythm.
Now, if the wild card series goes the full 3 games then I don't really care what anyone says, the WC team is at a severe disadvantage.
Also, during the Dodgers-Dbacks game Bob Costas mentioned moving away from hard-set brackets and instead the lowest seed that advances from the WC round would go on to play the top seed which I agree with.
I do not understand why the NHL switched to its current format. It's annoying to keep track of.BassCowboy33 said:Reseeding, which is how the NHL used to do it (and NFL still does). When the NHL ran the 8/8 reseeding bracket, it was the best format in sports. Now, its 4/4/4/4 format is stupid because it often pits the two best teams in the conference against each other in the second round. My biggest complaint about baseball for years has been the small playoff format made people lose interest at the end of the year because, usually, only a small number of teams were vying for playoff spots. It's also my argument for why an expanded CFB playoff will increase interest, because teams will be fighting for spots later into the season.Michael Cera Palin said:
The argument Smoltz made about Monty pitching game 2 as "unfair" was dumb as hell, but I do think there's a solid argument to be made that going 5 days without a game after playing non-stop for 6 months is going to throw some guys off their game/rhythm.
Now, if the wild card series goes the full 3 games then I don't really care what anyone says, the WC team is at a severe disadvantage.
Also, during the Dodgers-Dbacks game Bob Costas mentioned moving away from hard-set brackets and instead the lowest seed that advances from the WC round would go on to play the top seed which I agree with.
Exactly. If we're at such an advantage, I guess the O's would have switched places with us and given up the bye and home field if given the opportunity?Water Boy said:
So the team that had a 4 game series in Seattle, flew out to Tampa and had to win 2 vs a 99 win team, then fly to Baltimore and pitch their best 3rd best pitcher vs the O's ace had the massive advantage? Did they mention our two best pitchers are not even pitching this series and that we lost 94 games last season?
BassCowboy33 said:
I'm loving the media whiners complaining that the bye punishes teams with the best record. Smoltz's crying about how the Rangers being able to throw Montgomery in G2 was "unfair", despite them having to throw a bullpen game in G1 is next-level copium. Out here in the ATL, lots of people complaining that the bye puts the Braves at a disadvantage.
Yep. We had to go on the road and play an extra playoff series. In no universe could that be considered an advantage.agent-maroon said:BassCowboy33 said:
I'm loving the media whiners complaining that the bye punishes teams with the best record. Smoltz's crying about how the Rangers being able to throw Montgomery in G2 was "unfair", despite them having to throw a bullpen game in G1 is next-level copium. Out here in the ATL, lots of people complaining that the bye puts the Braves at a disadvantage.
If there was even the slightest advantage to being the WC team then you would see teams intentionally tanking to steal it. Want an example? Look no further than the current AL West champs and consider that they won it on the last game of the season. Tanking entire seasons is no problem so tanking one game wouldn't be a problem either
Matt Hicks understood the assignment and gets an A+ with this awesome call of Mitch Garver's Grand Slam. #NeedForCreed #GoAndTakeIt https://t.co/1j4v5zrXi1 pic.twitter.com/MGfcYez4f5
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) October 9, 2023
I was talking with some family about this earlier today. Nadel's calls have not been as good as in years past. I know he was dealing with some mental health stuff the first 2/3 of the season, and his calls have been flat and uninspiring. Hicks and Sandler were great on their calls, and Hicks has become my favorite. Nadel is a legend, but I wonder if his heart isn't in it anymore.Michael Cera Palin said:Matt Hicks understood the assignment and gets an A+ with this awesome call of Mitch Garver's Grand Slam. #NeedForCreed #GoAndTakeIt https://t.co/1j4v5zrXi1 pic.twitter.com/MGfcYez4f5
— Jared Sandler (@JaredSandler) October 9, 2023
Also this happened on the radio broadcast
John Smoltz is an elitist *****. He's swinging all over the east coast nutsack. Guy probably was secretly jacking off to the thought of a Braves vs orioles World Series and here come the Rangers to try and ruin it. He brazenly sounded so disappointed when Mitch garver hit that grand slam in Baltimore. The announcing isn't much better than what we're used too, but Dave Raymond would've ****ed up the call on the Mitch slam so I don't know what to tell you.Michael Cera Palin said:
The argument Smoltz made about Monty pitching game 2 as "unfair" was dumb as hell, but I do think there's a solid argument to be made that going 5 days without a game after playing non-stop for 6 months is going to throw some guys off their game/rhythm.
Now, if the wild card series goes the full 3 games then I don't really care what anyone says, the WC team is at a severe disadvantage.
Also, during the Dodgers-Dbacks game Bob Costas mentioned moving away from hard-set brackets and instead the lowest seed that advances from the WC round would go on to play the top seed which I agree with.
Grapesoda2525 said:John Smoltz is an elitist *****. He's swinging all over the east coast nutsack. Guy probably was secretly jacking off to the thought of a Braves vs orioles World Series and here come the Rangers to try and ruin it. He brazenly sounded so disappointed when Mitch garver hit that grand slam in Baltimore. The announcing isn't much better than what we're used too, but Dave Raymond would've ****ed up the call on the Mitch slam so I don't know what to tell you.Michael Cera Palin said:
The argument Smoltz made about Monty pitching game 2 as "unfair" was dumb as hell, but I do think there's a solid argument to be made that going 5 days without a game after playing non-stop for 6 months is going to throw some guys off their game/rhythm.
Now, if the wild card series goes the full 3 games then I don't really care what anyone says, the WC team is at a severe disadvantage.
Also, during the Dodgers-Dbacks game Bob Costas mentioned moving away from hard-set brackets and instead the lowest seed that advances from the WC round would go on to play the top seed which I agree with.
The national guys are slightly better than our guys. If they weren't biased, it would be a lot better tho. I've been saying for years that the rangers need to clean house with their broadcast. Get rid of everyone and start over.
Carlo4 said:
And I say this realizing what I'm going through with my dad (i've posted about it a few times). I'm working part time balancing the many hats of Husband/son/father/manager making the 70 mile one way drive to the hospital along with making sure I take just enough time to release stress.
It weighs on you. When Lowe breaks out, he will in a MAJOR way.
bdp514am said:
I think we'll need a bigger sample size to see how it all shakes out. But early returns suggest being the WC is at the least not a huge disadvantage. Certainly not the disadvantage it was when you had the 1 game WC and your rotation was screwed for the next series.
Flounder Dorfman said:
I would have preferred to get a top two seed, but baseball players, particularly starting pitchers, are creatures of habit. They play on a set schedule for 7-8 months and then get it turned upside down with the bye.
Which is perfectly cool with me. Hopefully Baltimore and Houston are completely unable to adjust!
I think the 2 wildcard play-in games were fine. No byes for the ALDS. But MLB can't help itself by adding the wildcard round.Txhuntr said:
I absolutely think surviving the wc round is a huge advantage. You have a team that is chugging along business as usual vs a team that has gotten twice as much rest as any other point since April. It can be tough to get the wheels rolling again after they stop. MLB did this to themselves by inviting half the league to the playoffs, and I have no problem with the rangers taking advantage.
