BBTV

cool. Unfortunately the Phillies lineup is full of guys that can’t field and should be DHs, so he’ll probably be forced to play in the field at least 50% of the time, if not more.

doesn’t negate my point

Why? He's wasn't arrested and isn't at risk of doing any jail time.

I don't think anyone knows. Has there ever been a massive release in the NFL like there has been in NHL and NBA? I think teams usually manage that stuff, especially since Nike isn't the manufacturer of the helmets. My completely uneducated guess is that some teams will announce once they have retail replicas in stock to sell, and others may do the 'surprise' unveiling like what you're suggesting with your Jets example.

Or suspend the spammers and delete the posts so we can follow the actual conversation (the thread is still valid, as there will be more '22 conversation once we see the new alt helmets.)

So other than hitting a dinger while the idiot announcer was giving his apology, is this Castellanos guy any good?

Yes the pitchers would have warmed up in the bullpen. Warm them up, and then when you know you're going to use them, bring them in to the bench so you can swap them in with minimal down time. Relief pitchers are treated with absurd levels of kid gloves - if they were that good and that worthy of being coddled then they'd be starters. Shut up and throw the ball.

No way. Bryce Harper was drilled in the face by a pitcher that was wild and all over the place but couldn't be removed because he hadn't met the stupid 3-batter minimum. The Cardinals manager even said that was the only reason he was in the game. Limiting pitching changes will lead to injuries - not only to the pitchers, but potentially the batters too. I agree that pitching changes suck, but they're necessary and there shouldn't be restrictions. That being said, they could make them go faster by reducing the warmups from the mound and by racing them to the mound on a motocross bike. And if a manager knows that a guy is only in for one batter, just bring the next guy into the dugout while the first guy goes from the bullpen to the mound. I'm sure sitting there for a minute while the lefty-specialist faces his one batter isn't going to make his arm get cold.

It's neat that they used the brick since there's the warehouse and it's the park that made brick cool again, but it's tough to see how well it actually looks on the actual patch. Also the "th" in 30th is kinda camouflaged. Might have been neat to work some green in there too since the green seats are (to me, anyway) one of the defining characteristics of the park.

Wouldn't vodka be a more appropriate sponsor for the Commies?

I don't understand the double-hook rule - can't you replace pitchers at will and keep the DH in there? I thought that was normal. As for the second part, I don't know about it because the third strike is the "out", and is really most analogous to someone dropping a fly ball or a first basemen dropping a putout. On the other hand, since any pitch can result in an out, it does kinda make sense. Would have to see it in action and see how often it actually comes into play. Do the official rules of baseball prescribe positions? Like first baseman, 2nd baseman, etc? Or do they simply say that the defense has 9 players, one of whom is a pitcher and one of whom is a catcher? Just curious. It blows my mind that the game was around for 100 years before some genius figured out that shifting was an effective defensive strategy.

pitchers are faster than ever. It used to be rare to hit mid 90s, now it seems like everyone is close to 100. I’m not sure how some of the past hitters would have fared against today’s pitchers. Rod Carew never faced Ardolis Chapman or DeGrom. He faced some legends for sure, but it’s a different type of challenge now. also when a guy is getting paid to hit dingers and drive in runs, laying down a bunt or trying to tap a ball against the shift is counter productive to his role, and ultimately affects his salary as a free agent. So they just try to hit homers, which generally results in an out.

Huh - you're right. I guess I was thinking about the dunking from the line. Not sure about the trap, but either way my point stands, as the 2-line pass was a staple of hockey and they changed it in the name of making the game more exciting. NHL also instituted those dumb lines behind the goal line because some goalies were too good at maneuvering the puck. The same arguments people are making for the shift could be made in almost any of these scenarios. But BASEBALL and TRADITION!!! How would these people have felt in the '40s? Games evolve because they have to. It's professional sports - it's about entertainment, not competition.

Did they formally ban the shift? I thought they couldn't do that this year. Regardless, every sport has seen rule changes in the spirit of better play. NBA instituted a shot clock, banned underhand free throws, and widened the lane because Wilt was too good, NHL banned the trap. This is no different. If I'm a fan in the stands, I don't want to get excited because Bryce Harper laid down a bunt to beat the shift (which he's done multiple times), I want to see him hit dingers. I used to be against legislating where players could stand, but now, much like the DH, I"m 100% for it. Every sport has undergone something similar - if baseball doesn't, it'll die.

But since there's no salary cap that can be raised based on a percentage of revenue, how can they "split" it? Without knowing what the true revenue is, they can't say something like "the luxury tax will be increased by x% of the revenue from ad patches", when they have no idea what x is. I'd really like to see the actual CBA - I think it would be a fascinating read.

I didn't read your link (yet) but PL has had at least one, if not more posts about her over the years. Good read(s).

There's not really anything more that can be said, and it just makes me angry to even think about it so I'm not going to post more about it, until the next time I post about it. One thing I don't understand is why it had to be collectively bargained, unless the players wanted a cut of a new revenue stream. I thought that wasn't the case, and that the money was going to the owners (and presumably trickling to the players through the higher CBT, which we all know won't actually happen.)

I'd give my left testicle and half of my right one to hear Mauro Ranallo broadcast an NFL game.

Ian Eagle? My god he's awful. I searched and found this post I made from earlier in the playoffs. Not sure how anyone could have enjoyed that boring broadcast.

Fox really didn't have a strong bench. I think Greg Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt are the #2 team, and that's not good. Can Kevin Halron do TV (and be bought out of whatever deal he's currently under)? There's nobody currently under contract at Fox that's top-team material. Not that it matters too much - I'm still watching a great game regardless of who's calling it - but good announcers can make even an average game feel bigger, and add to the drama of an already big game.

oops - I could have sworn they did since he was the first big-name player that suited up for them, even though it was only for a handful of games.

Probably one of those deals where they only sell those at the team stores as opposed to the MLB shop. I feel bad for collectors (actually no, I really don't) that may feel the need to get a new $400 polyester shirt every time they change the patch.

Maybe he'd have had a decent career had the football gods not cursed him for his selfish act.

So now there's a Nike ad and some other ad. I guess the other one will be on the sleeve?

Was Joe really fine with it though? Or was he put into a no-win situation and had to agree? It's the ultimate honor a team can give a player, and some POS like Dwayne Haskins - who isn't even good - thought that he'd just take that honor away from someone? Maybe it's because I have respect for people, but I feel it's very disrespectful to do that, and shows a lot about a person's character (or lack thereof.)