Who is your Bball team?
Let’s go, Rangers! Darvish … 
I don’t like the Rangers but it is sad about Darvish. You hate to see such a great player out.
I have become disillusioned and/or disinterested in baseball, though I will listen on the radio because I don’t have to pay attention. I have a few major issues:
- Pace of game. The Red Sox beat the Phillies today 8-0. Should be a quick game but it was only that if you count 3 hours and 1 minute as quick. Why? A big contributor was 9 pitchers, 6 for Philadelphia. Note that I tried to watch some of the Cardinals/Cubs game and that also went 3 hours and used 10 pitchers. I think they need to restrict the use of relievers, either by requiring pitchers throw to a minimum number of hitters or by limiting the number of pitching changes in 9 innings. I don't want to see 10 pitchers.
- I find strikeouts boring as heck. I can't even understand them as a strategy: the idea that they're just an out and that players need to go deep into counts. Why are they going deep in counts? The evidence is pretty strong that bullpens are now better than starters, so why is the goal to "get into the bullpen"? I remember when 100+ strikeouts was considered bad hitting and now we're way, way, way over that. It isn't like power has increased; home runs are down versus before the steroid era (meaning I'm not counting those years). So if they're not swinging to contact, then why aren't they more productive? You can't argue they're productive in any fashion because scoring is down overall.
I have more but this is enough for now.
I just ordered this so I can get yard work and dog walks done while listening to the game . . .
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MSYFW4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Go Detroit Tigers!! They had a great opening day today!!
I have no complaints about the number of pitchers and hate fiddling with pitching substitutions, pitch counts, etc. The way to speed up the game is limit TV time outs (yeah right) and what they are supposedly doing which is making the batters get ready to hit sooner. Enough with fixing the velcro after every pitch!
As a strategy pitchers work with what they have. There are strike out pitchers and fly ball pitchers and ground ball pitchers and pitchers who just find out what they have on any given day and go with that. Ground ball pitchers tend to keep their counts lower and can often go deeper into the game (presuming they don’t allow too many runners). After Moneyball it got popular to try to work the count and draw a walk but it got kind of ridiculous with batters taking good pitches to hit. If you watch that first fast ball for a called strike it might be the best pitch you see the entire at bat.
I saw just a bit of pre-game and it looked cold!
My team went with their third best starter and beat the team that’s supposed to win the World Series.
It’s a nice way to start. 
Who is supposed to win the WS?
Nats have been projected for up to 100 wins and a good shot at it.
I actually don 't mind the slowness of baseball. If I’m at the park, I’m in heaven–one of my favorite places in the world to be. If I’m watching or listening, I can do stuff while it moseys along, and pay close attention when things get crucial. Also, I love baseball talk–they should do this, he should throw that, who’s coming up in the next inning, what are the other teams doing–there’s pretty much nothing about baseball I don’t like.
yep - me too We were kind of spinning our wheels when our baseball player went away to college. It’s weird not to be at games every day and DH coached for years.
I am hoping for a strong April and May for the Mariners this season. Last season that had a strong run late but they lost the fan base early with a slow start. A warm, winning spring would go a long way. I can’t wait for my portable radio to arrive!
So, apparently Alex Rodriguez got the biggest ovation of any player at Yankee Stadium today. Figures.
Oh gawwwwwd insert eye roll
Although I guess Yankees fans need something to cheer about this year . . .
Mets won! Rangers just started. Happy Opening Day, everybody!
Too funny - I just saw this (I’m here here as often as I used to be). The Reds are very sentimental for me - I grew up a Reds fan. And now live in Red Sox land. Going from the NL to the AL feels like changing religions but what can you do?
We felt the same when our baseball kid left for college - what to do in the spring now? My Sox did a nice job yesterday - I was pleased that Bucky looked settled on the mound. He can be such a head case sometimes. SO glad it’s baseball season again! Did you hear the article that Frank DeFord did about ARod on his NPR commentary about a month ago? He called him “Old Rod” haha