2012 MLB Winter Meetings and Offseason

[conscript]

Heh. The Twins played their A+ affiliate today and almost lost (squeaked out an 8-7 victory). The O's played a community college yesterday... and lost (granted, the college was using O's pitchers... but still...).

Yeah, I don't remember the start of a season ever being so strange. Always seemed like most teams started off the season on the same day.

Aside from starting the damn season in the winter the last couple of year, it is weird. Thankfully the winter was real short/non-existent so there isn't snow in Cleveland, Detroit, New York, etc. like the last two years lol. If the MLB is going to be so completely averse to playing double headers, day time dames, etc. then they need to cut down the damn schedule to 148 games or so rather than keep stretching out the 162 game schedule more and more to the point where it starts the first week of April and ends in freaking November. God I hate the people in charge of baseball. Remember when Bud Selig said he was going to retire TWO contracts ago? Didn't retire, signed another contract saying this was it. Didn't retire this offseason and signed another new contract. God I hate Bud Selig. Baseball needs a Roger Goddell type commissioner who will try and actually improve the game and stay up technology rather than adapt five year after they should have.
Fun fact: you can't upload anything related to MLB games to Youtube. Sweet clip of a diving catch? Blocked. Clip of that legendary hit from that big game in the past? Blocked. Meanwhile, the NHL, NBA and NFL allow their fans tons of freedoms with uploading clips and highlights to the internet and the game is better for it.
Fun fat #2: Bud Selig makes $22 MILLION DOLLARS to not adapt the game to the modern age, to not take on the steroid crisis for years. He makes twice as much money as Goodell who actually tries and league his league into the future rather than into the past, dragging his heels the entire way.

---------- Post added 2012-04-04 at 09:58 PM ----------

After watching about six innings of this game I am almost about to take back what I said about the Miami stadium. The green walls are really starting to irritate me. The green is way too green. It is like looking at a green screen or the grass. Aside from that though, ballin' stadium. AND!! Marlins fans actually showed up enough to make the attendance not embarrassing!

Until their game on Friday which will be super empty like always.

[Rennadrel]

The Jays are going to be 3rd in the AL East this year. Barring a healthy team all season, the Jays are a better and younger roster who had a very positive spring training this year. They go into the season with a reasonably good 1-3 starting pitcher combo and some fairly solid batting. Their defensive game was much improved last year, and they are going to have tough games against better clubs this year. But I can't see them being 4th this season with the Yankees getting older and having consistency problems, not to mention showing that the other teams in the AL East are all generally getting better (aside from Baltimore). While the Jays got better all around this summer I think, they still need a more suitable 2nd or 3rd starting pitcher. I dunno if Anthopoloous can get a guy to fill that void but I think if the guys we have can step it up through 162 games, we should be OK.

I am not going to say that it's a given though, I think the Jays are a dark horse team that could replace the Yankees or Red Sox in the 3rd place spot this year. I think both teams have their own drawbacks as well and you can't really predict who is going to step up and help the team win games, but I don't really know for sure. I think a lot of the Jays playoff chances rest on them beating divisional teams consistently. As many wins as they can take away from Boston and New York, the greater the chances of making the post season I think, that's always been the case. If the Jays do turn some heads and have a better team moving forward, maybe the team sinks some more money into improving the roster even further next summer.

[Masqerader]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/v...suicide-040412


sad story to read

[mrbadxampl]

AL West: Rangers
AL East: Rays

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Diamondbacks

WC AL: Angels
WC #2 AL: Yankees
WC NL: Giants
WC #2 NL: Braves


Phillies Vs. Cardinals in NLCS

Rangers Vs. Rays in ALCS.

Rangers over Phillies for the Series

you kinda left out a division, there... though it's the least competitive division (most likely, anyway) and I can't fault you for wanting to leave the Motor City Kitties out of the playoffs...

I wish I could say that I had any hopes for this season, but my Indians just don't seem to be anywhere near ready to compete... almost no new free agents worth watching (Kotchman being the exception), "veteran" players making headlines for all the wrong reasons (Ubaldo being suspended 5 games for "intentionally" plunking Tulo, and the Player Formerly Known as Fausto), looks like another looooooooooong summer...

[Rennadrel]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/v...suicide-040412


sad story to read

Well they can't say hockey players are the only athletes with mental issues now.

[sheffield]

LOL.. valverde doesn't blow a save all of last year and he goes and ruins Verlander's outing today on opening day

<3 beisbol

[conscript]

LOL.. valverde doesn't blow a save all of last year and he goes and ruins Verlander's outing today on opening day

<3 beisbol

So mad dude. So mad. Should have let Verlander just close out a CG. Great to see Verlander came in and picked up exactly where he left off last year. Two hits and a walk in eight innings of work is damn good.

[sheffield]

So mad dude. So mad. Should have let Verlander just close out a CG. Great to see Verlander came in and picked up exactly where he left off last year. Two hits and a walk in eight innings of work is damn good.

yeah man, he's gonna have another killer year..

I can't really kill Leyland for pulling him.. it's opening day.. and you've got last year's best closer on the mound.. it's just baseball.. what can ya do?

[conscript]

AJAX baby! 1-0. Only 161 games to go. Valverde just wanted a Win to start the year instead of a save.

[belfpala]

And... Austin Jackson with the walkoff, giving Valverde the W after blowing the save.

[sheffield]

And... Austin Jackson with the walkoff, giving Valverde the W after blowing the save.

WIN-WIN for Yankee fans

Valverde blown save and Red Sox loss.. it's a good day

[belfpala]

WIN-WIN for Yankee fans

Valverde blown save and Red Sox loss.. it's a good day

My team doesn't start until tomorrow. Can. Not. Wait. We'll probably suck again though.

[Masqerader]

jays tie it in the 9th with 3 runs 4-4

[belfpala]

jays tie it in the 9th with 3 runs 4-4

Bautista on pace for 162 HR!

[Rennadrel]

Bautista on pace for 162 HR!

If that happened, he would have to be either on steroids or is really Jesus incarnated :P

[Mikehuntz]

Another 10 months of baseball....sport shows will get boring once again.

[Masqerader]

Another 10 months of baseball....sport shows will get boring once again.

i was unaware they played till Feb



7-4 jays, 3 run home run in the 16th

[Rennadrel]

Way to start off a season with determination for the Jays

[Fuzzzie]

Way to start off a season with determination for the Jays

7-4 not bad. I hear the home opener is sold out. Guessing they'll keep the roof closed though it's FREEZING out..

[Rennadrel]

Depends on how the weather is that day. I dunno why the Jays can't start the season at home with the dome and all