2020 MLB Season

[Marlins93]

I can almost guarantee that everything they've implemented for 2020 will stay around. Expanded playoffs, universal DH, 7 inning double headers. "Runner on second in extras" too probably, but that is clearly the most controversial and least certain. If these aren't normalized and formally encoded into the game by 2021, they certainly will be by '22 or '23.

 

It's a shame. Baseball doesn't feel like baseball, but I wouldn't be devastated if we get universal DH. That's by far bothered me the least. Expanded playoffs have bothered me the most, although the new structure alone is going to give the Marlins their first playoff birth since 2003. They wouldn't be making it if the NL had three division winners and two wildcard teams making the postseason.

[The_Admiral]

Do I get 22% off on my ticket when a rainout makeup turns it into the back end of a day-night doubleheader? What? I don't?!?

[Sport]

Last night I watched an important Reds game in late September for the first time in literally 7 calendar years. This season is a big sham (unless the Reds win it all, in which case I'll justify it's validity), but the last 10 days of baseball been a nice distraction from Hell World. 

[BBTV]

Now Manfred is talking about having fans for the playoff games?  In southern California and Texas?  AYFKM?  Doesn't that kinda defeat the point of a bubble?  I don't know how many people would realistically travel to see their team play in a neutral site, so it might be locals that just want to see a game, and I'm not sure why they'd go through the trouble of setting up a bubble just to let the idiots in Texas into it.

[TrueYankee26]

This could be the week the Miami Marlins clinch a playoff berth for the 1st time in 17 years, let that sink in!

[Fitzy0220]

nutting hasn't had to spend money on Fireworks, Free T-Shirt Fridays nor have to pay a Band (yinzers love their Styx) to play a Concert after the game, Shortend Season, Expanded Playoffs and the pIRATEs still cannot make the Playoffs smdh

[PittsburghSucks]

Pretty cool way to punch your ticket to the postseason...

[TrueYankee26]

Braves, Indians and Cubs clinch postseason, Braves and Dodgers win their division

[TheBigFiz21]

Soooooo....my Orioles got eliminated from the playoff race last night. I know, I know....I should not have expected such achievement in the first place being in a division with the deep-running Yanks and the BoSox winning WS titles every so often, but let me say this...

 

This season was a pleasant surprise of success. For this team to have made it this far and be as close as they are is quite impressive. The hot start out the gate after an embarrasing Opening Day in Boston, sweeping the Phils in Philly, putting that losing streak to the Yankees to a hard end this month...Santander's fire hitting streak before his injury and many more hot stretches for the batters that I don't have time to list right now. Not to mention, some good gems on the mound from Kremer and Means down the stretch. Furthermore, to have done all of this without Trey Mancini as he was battling cancer was amazing.

 

The pain of that rough week in NYC stings very hard now (1-5 at the Mets and Yanks after going 3-2 against both the week before at home) as it was pretty much our nail in the coffin aside from a near sweep by the potential AL East champ Rays. But a las, I guess I won't see the fun of October baseball again...yet.

 

Call me crazy because this team should be losing game after game to get another top 5 pick for 2021, but I like what these guys have put together this year. Looking forward to what 2021 can bring as far as taking another step in the right direction...

[AnPheitseog]

35 minutes ago, TheBigFiz21 said:

Soooooo....my Orioles got eliminated from the playoff race last night. I know, I know....I should not have expected such achievement in the first place being in a division with the deep-running Yanks and the BoSox winning WS titles every so often, but let me say this...

 

This season was a pleasant surprise of success. For this team to have made it this far and be as close as they are is quite impressive. The hot start out the gate after an embarrasing Opening Day in Boston, sweeping the Phils in Philly, putting that losing streak to the Yankees to a hard end this month...Santander's fire hitting streak before his injury and many more hot stretches for the batters that I don't have time to list right now. Not to mention, some good gems on the mound from Kremer and Means down the stretch. Furthermore, to have done all of this without Trey Mancini as he was battling cancer was amazing.

 

The pain of that rough week in NYC stings very hard now (1-5 at the Mets and Yanks after going 3-2 against both the week before at home) as it was pretty much our nail in the coffin aside from a near sweep by the potential AL East champ Rays. But a las, I guess I won't see the fun of October baseball again...yet.

 

Call me crazy because this team should be losing game after game to get another top 5 pick for 2021, but I like what these guys have put together this year. Looking forward to what 2021 can bring as far as taking another step in the right direction...

Honestly, for this team forget about picks. Moving onto improving and becoming competitive.

 

Going in, I expected them to lose over 100. They(by winning percentage of current wins/60) are at 62-100. One more game and they've already exceeded my expectations. Couple more and it's just better.

 

I have an Orange Birdland Membership and i'm way more excited for the 2021 season that I was for this year.

[Dynasty]

On 9/22/2020 at 8:51 PM, TrueYankee26 said:

This could be the week the Miami Marlins clinch a playoff berth for the 1st time in 17 years, let that sink in!

 

And it will be their third time ever, with them winning the WS those previous two times.

 

[TrueYankee26]

13 minutes ago, Dynasty said:

 

And it will be their third time ever, with them winning the WS those previous two times.

 

Atlanta is just having their way against Miami, not going to clinch that way

 

Speaking of Florida teams, Rays won the AL East with their win vs the Mets

[FiddySicks]

On 9/16/2020 at 12:42 PM, ManillaToad said:

I picked a good time to stop watching baseball

This is basically how I feel. I lived and breathed baseball just a few years ago, but for some reason this season (in particular, but really the last several) I’ve had absolutely zero interest in it. None of these changes make me even the least bit excited.

[AnPheitseog]

Yeah, I'm watching this season and enjoying the game but not caring about the season as a whole.

 

Might end up that way if this crap continues.

[Kramerica Industries]

I would say I've had a hard time caring as well, but the fact that the NHL and NBA postseasons have been concurrent have had a role to play in that as well. Regardless, I don't lend legitimacy to whoever wins the championship when only 35% of a normal season was even played and you didn't even play any regular season games against 2/3's of the teams in your own league.

 

By extension, I don't lend legitimacy to division winners, either. Imagine celebrating winning your division under these circumstances. I couldn't. Teams leading their division through 60 games end up finishing outside of first place all the time. I can't pretend this should be seen any differently.

[JayMac]

43 minutes ago, Kramerica Industries said:

Regardless, I don't lend legitimacy to whoever wins the championship when only 35% of a normal season was even played and you didn't even play any regular season games against 2/3's of the teams in your own league.

This is my ultimate consolation to the Phillies having no shot at the title, and the Orioles being eliminated from playoff contention. 

 

I guess a World Series title is a World Series title. However, I can't help but feel that it has been cheapened by the condensed schedule, not to mention, only playing your own division within your league.

[BBTV]

8 minutes ago, JayMac said:

This is my ultimate consolation to the Phillies having no shot at the title, and the Orioles being eliminated from playoff contention. 

 

I guess a World Series title is a World Series title. However, I can't help but feel that it has been cheapened by the condensed schedule, not to mention, only playing your own division within your league.

The counter argument to that is that the playoffs would be mostly matchups of teams that didn't meet before, which should theoretically make them more interesting.

 

In a few years, most people will overlook the strange nature of this season when looking back at title winners, and the winner will be treated the same as the winners in the strike seasons - as long as it's a legitimately good team, and not some sub-500 team.  That would blow the whole thing up.  So if my team isn't in it (which will be the case) i'm just hoping for one of the top teams to win, so that we don't need to tack on that asterisk. 

[AnPheitseog]

Yup, if a top 4 or top 5 team wins it it'll be thought of as just as legitimate(or close) as a regular season in a couple years.

 

An 8 seed winning it? Nope, reflection of the joke season. Even though we had upsets? The Stanley Cup final is being played with a 2 seed and a 4 seed so it'll mean just as much

 

(ignoring the other factors of course, such as they completed mostly a full season)

[DG_ThenNowForever]

40 minutes ago, _J_ said:

Yup, if a top 4 or top 5 team wins it it'll be thought of as just as legitimate(or close) as a regular season in a couple years.

 

An 8 seed winning it? Nope, reflection of the joke season. Even though we had upsets? The Stanley Cup final is being played with a 2 seed and a 4 seed so it'll mean just as much

 

(ignoring the other factors of course, such as they completed mostly a full season)

 

Kevin Durant said the bubble ring would be the most respected NBA title of all time given all the players are sacrificing, and that without crowds, it's the most pure possible form of basketball. I'd imagine it's a similar feeling for hockey too.

 

Can baseball players sleep in their own beds? Walk their dogs? See their kids? Hang out in their backyards? If so, the degree of difficulty is nowhere near what the hockey and basketball players are going through. Plus it's a short season in a sport that is necessarily long.

 

Good on whoever the World Series winner is, but to me, baseball hasn't really felt "real" since, I don't know, the Giants' titles. Since then it feels like a race to the bottom, with GMs and owners competing more to lose than to win. Or, worse, to outright cheat and hope not to get caught.

[AnPheitseog]

3 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

Kevin Durant said the bubble ring would be the most respected NBA title of all time given all the players are sacrificing, and that without crowds, it's the most pure possible form of basketball. I'd imagine it's a similar feeling for hockey too.

 

Can baseball players sleep in their own beds? Walk their dogs? See their kids? Hang out in their backyards? If so, the degree of difficulty is nowhere near what the hockey and basketball players are going through. Plus it's a short season in a sport that is necessarily long.

 

Good on whoever the World Series winner is, but to me, baseball hasn't really felt "real" since, I don't know, the Giants' titles. Since then it feels like a race to the bottom, with GMs and owners competing more to lose than to win. Or, worse, to outright cheat and hope not to get caught.

You know, I missed when Durant said that and I agree with him. Being bubbled up(especially Edmonton) makes it really hard on the players and it'll make it even better. I also hold that true for hockey as well.

 

I know Trevor WIlliams, to just name one, is struggling because his wife and family are back in San Diego and couldnt join him in Pittsburgh. I think the families in general could come, but for some reason his couldnt.