MLB 2011 THREAD
vintageinfants
4,538 Posts
i know that they're only showing up to spring training right now, but the fact that they've even got gloves on has me getting anxious for another year of baseball.
the phillies have arguably the best pitching staff ever assembled.
the yankees got ignored by virtually every free agent on the market.
the red sox picked up carl crawford.
the tigers made moves for victor martinez and joaquin benoit after contending late last year.
the giants are your reigning world champions, and are showing up this year with basically the same squad.
the reds and cardinals will be battling for the NL central in what may turn out to be the biggest rivalry of the year.
the white sox have only improved their line up from last year.
the toronto blue jays re-signed all of last years major contributors and added young depth to the line up and the pitching staff, while dumping a contract in the offseason that many believed to be undumpable.
APRIL CANT COME SOON ENOUGH.
predictions plaese.
the phillies have arguably the best pitching staff ever assembled.
the yankees got ignored by virtually every free agent on the market.
the red sox picked up carl crawford.
the tigers made moves for victor martinez and joaquin benoit after contending late last year.
the giants are your reigning world champions, and are showing up this year with basically the same squad.
the reds and cardinals will be battling for the NL central in what may turn out to be the biggest rivalry of the year.
the white sox have only improved their line up from last year.
the toronto blue jays re-signed all of last years major contributors and added young depth to the line up and the pitching staff, while dumping a contract in the offseason that many believed to be undumpable.
APRIL CANT COME SOON ENOUGH.
predictions plaese.
Comments
The gap between the end of football and the start of baseball is the darkest part of my sports calendar, I'm so psyched to have baseball back. It's been a nice off-season for us Giants fans, basking in the glow of our World Championship (yes I realize that the US and one city in Canada don't constitute "The World", but it's the tradition). Giants pitching should be solid, and we'll see what the bats can do. The Kung Fu Panda dropped almost 40 pounds in the off-season, they're calling him and his flatter but still cushy belly "El Situaci??n" on the Giants twitter feed. The Phillies scare me, I'll worry about the American League when we get to the World Series.
and if it's true Vegas was giving out 3 to 1 odds of them winning it all in 2011 after the Lee signing, then how the hell do I take the other side of that bet? Lots of hungry NL teams out there and anything can happen.
pretty safe bet that we'll find a way to fuck up in the fall.
but still...we gonna make people look stupid all spring and summer long
Well, you forgot a little move the Sox made in picking up Adrian Gonzalez. I don't see anyone really ousting the Giants and Phillies for the NL Championship. The AL East will be a beast as always, with the Sox maybe having the upper hand a bit on the Yankees. The Rays are back in respectable but rebuilding territory. As for the AL Central and West..... we'll see.
Man, I sure do love baseball.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=sh-vanmilangelstallestpitcher022311
Slagbal!
One more year as tenants in that Joe Robbie/Dolphin/Land Shark/Sun Life/Pro Player hellhole.
Baseball Prospectus predicts in running simulations of the season using projections based on past performances and historical trends, they have pegged this collection of talent for 67.5 wins and 94.5 losses ??? an average of their record in all the simulations. That is the worst in baseball, a game below the American League-worst Royals.
Don't overlook the Brewers...and I say this as a Reds fan.
The Cards are essentially the same team as last year, only minus Adam Wainwright now, so I see them falling short again. I mean, you have Pujols and Holliday as far as hitters, and pitching you have Carpenter...aside from that? Colby Rasmus is decent, and Lance Berkman can still be ok if he's healthy (but has to prove that last year was simply a down year and not the start of a tailspin), but there's still a lot of guys on that team I wouldn't hold my breath over. David Freese had surgery on *both* ankles and might not be ready opening day, and I don't think Ryan Theriot and Skip Schumaker strike fear in the heart of anybody. And that pitching staff...oy vey. Jaime Garcia is good but not as good as his numbers last year. Beyond him...who? Jake Westbrook? Kyle Lohse and his career 4.79 ERA is your #4 guy? Dave Duncan has some real magic to work this year.
The Reds are almost exactly the same team so a lot of how they do depends on the young pitchers doing well, and if the offense can come anywhere close to the numbers they put up last year. Most experts project regression for the Reds' offense, but we'll see.
The Brewers though... Offensively there's never been a question about them. Last year their pitching was awful though. So they went out and got Zach Greinke and Shaun Marcum. Honestly, the Brewers are the team I fear the most in the Central.
FUCK YEAH BASEBALL
the cincinatti v milwaukee game was straight BONKERS.
i may have about 30 of these $10 beers.
Scored 4 runs in the 8th against some Poet dude.
Yeah, I remember the days when I thought a league championship was a big deal, too.
Ian Kinsler became the first player to hit lead off home runs in the first 2 games of the season and Kinsler and Nelson Cruz became the first teammates to both his a homer in the first 3 games of the year.
Cruz hit his fourth tonight which only Mark McGuire and Willie Mays have done previously.
Picking up where we left off. I'm loving it! Incredible beginning to a really promising season!
I love sports media. I seriously heard this morning "Should Boston be panicing?" Hmmm, considering they have 49/50ths of their season remaining, probably not.
Hold on to that thought, you're going to need it.
(we were playing the astros tho)
/checks standings
We need Greinke and Hart healthy ASAP!
they'll be a lot of disappointment on the part of the bandwagoners from last season, but I still have faith; it's early.
and we made that well known last night, all 40 000 of us.
Giants look good but yer boy Zito is yet again a 5th inning basket case. And Tejada is kind of a baby. So much drama in every game but playing great baseball no doubt. Panda is playing great too.
Yankees and sox are all bats and cannot manage to spend their way into pitching.
Someone please remind my Oakland A's that they are playing baseball, not soccer. Yet again coming with the best pitching staff in the MLB but cannot hit with runners on base seemingly ever.
I am watching the white sox game and why is no one at the ballpark???? Its 5-5 in the 9th! You have a great team and a nice stadium, i dont get it. Seriously there are about 1000 people there right now.
Baseball has been hit hard by the bad economy.....all sports have.
This past weekend there was a NASCAR race about 10 miles from where I live.....this race usually draws a ridiculous amount of American excess in the form of half million dollar Redneck RV's, herds of Corvettes and successful Oxycodone dealers and their rescued Strippers.
But this past week.....empty......seemed like half as many people than usual......hell, they even still have Natty Light left at the Piggly Wiggly!!
I'm excited about the Rangers.....we have three young pitchers who were not in the rotation last year and thus far they are 6-0 with a combined ERA of 0,83.....Mike Maddux, Greg's brother, is our Pitching Coach and he may have been the MVP of our World Series team last year......Hamilton got hurt today and will be out 6-8 weeks but I don't think we'll miss him too badly.
Nice star at 10-2
He's starting to remind me of Fred Lynn. I hope he doesn't go that way because I really enjoy watching him play.