2012 MLB Winter Meetings and Offseason

[Amsden]

Wonder if it will make strike zones a little more consistent. Most of the time they're fine but I've seen some pretty ridiculous ones in the past.

[kidsafe]

Strike zones are already graded/reviewed after every game with a technology similar to QuesTec from the 2000s. It's just that some umpires like Balking Bob Davidson, Joe West, Laz Diaz, Angel Hernandez, etc. have tenure and are given a bunch of slack. We aren't going to see balls and strikes overturned or called with real-time camera system and beeps/boops like they implemented in tennis at one point.

[draynay]

damn bums

[Apellosine]

I haven't been watching the standings closely so my initial reaction was "bullcrap!" but I'll be darned they actually are above .500. I currently live in a world where the Tigers are under .500 and the Pirates are above it. I am pretty sad right now. In before inevitable Pirates collapse and season 24 or whatever of under .500 baseball.

It's also a world where the Orioles are leading the AL East and the Nationals on top of the NL East while we are more than 2 months into the season. I've been trying to tell the Orioles that enough is enough and it's time to relinquish first place now, the Nats on the other hand I want to see go a long way behind Strasburg and Harper, they've got a good nucleus to build around.

[koodledrum]

Harper i think has silenced a fair few critics who thought he'd struggle with big league pitching - hit a line drive out of Fenway Park last night into the apex of the triangle in CF and sprayed another couple of hits to go with it, the Nats have been a surprise but there's still over a hundred games to go but there's a few surprises around baseball right now and they're one of them!

[conscript]

It's also a world where the Orioles are leading the AL East and the Nationals on top of the NL East while we are more than 2 months into the season. I've been trying to tell the Orioles that enough is enough and it's time to relinquish first place now, the Nats on the other hand I want to see go a long way behind Strasburg and Harper, they've got a good nucleus to build around.

Well the Nats is pretty much expected. That is a damn good team. Their pitching staff is great and they have several great hitters. It helps when you spend a decade drafting near the top of the draft every year and draft well. Plus Philly is hurt to hell and couldn't score if you paid them $200 million dollars. Cliff Lee is still winless despite having amazing stats. Rang up 12 ks on 92 strikes on 116 pitches this week. Still lost 2-1. The O's are definitely a surprise, but I still think that ends up changing once the Rays get Longoria back.

[koodledrum]

Yeah isn't Cliff Lee's ERA something sub 3 - he's gotta be pretty annoyed by now!

[Rennadrel]

ChiSox -- won 14 of 16, and now in 1st place! Keep it up, Sox!!!

Then dropped 2 games to the Jays. Just goes to show you how hard it is to determine which teams are going to be playoff bound and which are going to be going home at the end of the season.

The AL East is such an annoying division, and the Jays are so fucking inconsistent right now it's driving me nuts. Win two games, then lose 3 it seems to be the trend. It's sad that when their pitching is great, their hitting goes in the toilet.

[koodledrum]

CJ Wilson back to being a prize jerk again, apparently getting all pissed at Carlos Gonzalez for get this, breaking up a no hit bid in the 4th with a bunt single - yeah, the FOURTH inning, since when has the fourth inning really been when that "unwritten rule" is intended for, if it was 2 outs in the 7th then yeah, but 2 out in the 4th, get a grip! Money, guess it's true it can't buy you class!

[conscript]

CJ Wilson back to being a prize jerk again, apparently getting all pissed at Carlos Gonzalez for get this, breaking up a no hit bid in the 4th with a bunt single - yeah, the FOURTH inning, since when has the fourth inning really been when that "unwritten rule" is intended for, if it was 2 outs in the 7th then yeah, but 2 out in the 4th, get a grip! Money, guess it's true it can't buy you class!

Seeing as he ended up giving up 5 hits and the game was 2-0 at that point, ya what a douche lol.

[conscript]

Glad the Royals ended up losing last night after their outfielder pretended to catch a ball that went over the fence foul. Ball came out as he was falling, it rolled behind him and he picked it up and acted like he caught it. Somehow the first base umpire misses him picking it up off the ground despite being ~10 feet from him at the time.

---------- Post added 2012-06-11 at 09:07 AM ----------

Also, the Pirates are in first place. Not quite as impressive as being in first in late July last year, but damn close.

[koodledrum]

Haha that's a bush league play - shame it's happened in the last of the set or he was getting DRILLED next time round, ump needs glasses there.

[koodledrum]

congratulations to Matt Cain for the perfect game last night!

[belfpala]

Time to start looking at non-waiver trades, I think. Anyone want Josh Willingham or Denard Span? The Twins need pitching. Make a deal.

[conscript]

I went to the Cubs/Tigers game on Thursday. I knew the crowd was pro-Tigers from watching the two prior games, but yikes. The crowd must have been 75% Tigers fans lol. When the cheers of Lets go Tigers vastly, vastly outweigh cheers for the Cubs throughout the entire game you really appreciate just how truly awful the crowd is in Chicago for the Cubs. Wrigley is such a destination stadium that road teams get a huge following of fans, especially close teams like the Tigers who rarely play them. Walking around town it was nothing but Tigers and Red Sox fans in to watch them at Wrigley.

[Rennadrel]

What a shit week for the Jays. Got swept by Boston, lost 3 starting pitchers but are now rebounding against the Phillies after a big come from behind win after Encarnacion tied the game 5-5 in the 9th, Davis slugged one to close the game out.

[draynay]

I went to the Cubs/Tigers game on Thursday. I knew the crowd was pro-Tigers from watching the two prior games, but yikes. The crowd must have been 75% Tigers fans lol. When the cheers of Lets go Tigers vastly, vastly outweigh cheers for the Cubs throughout the entire game you really appreciate just how truly awful the crowd is in Chicago for the Cubs. Wrigley is such a destination stadium that road teams get a huge following of fans, especially close teams like the Tigers who rarely play them. Walking around town it was nothing but Tigers and Red Sox fans in to watch them at Wrigley.

cubs fans must be hibernating

[mrbadxampl]

cubs fans must be hibernating

hibernating! ha! good one!

can't believe Cleveland is still ahead of Detroit, with as bad as they've been lately... swept by the Reds, lose 2 of 3 against Minny, lose 2 of 3 against KC... if these 2 teams aren't careful, Chicago is gonna run away with the AL Central, which just should not happen

[Rennadrel]

Whelp bye bye Phillies, looks like a sweep by the Jays

[stopbeingdumb]

What a shit-tastic season. Thank you Red Sox, for breaking my spirit.

At least NFL is coming soon.