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MLB 2021 Season Thread


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53 minutes ago, dont care said:

He’s said he isn’t sure if he wants to play beyond this season, so I doubt that’s what they did

 

I think you misunderstood me.  Assuming this is his last season, and assuming he doesn't want to spend it on the bench, and assuming that was going to be the only role they had for him, they may have told him that if he wants the opportunity to play every day for the rest of his last season that it would have to be elsewhere and this is what they'd have to do.  They were probably like "you can spend your last season with us on the bench, or you could retire and say it was on your terms (which we know it isn't), or we could waive you and you could possibly DH somewhere and at least enjoy it."

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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1 hour ago, BBTV said:

 

I think you misunderstood me.  Assuming this is his last season, and assuming he doesn't want to spend it on the bench, and assuming that was going to be the only role they had for him, they may have told him that if he wants the opportunity to play every day for the rest of his last season that it would have to be elsewhere and this is what they'd have to do.  They were probably like "you can spend your last season with us on the bench, or you could retire and say it was on your terms (which we know it isn't), or we could waive you and you could possibly DH somewhere and at least enjoy it."

 

This seems to be essentially what happened. With Walsh at 1B and Ohtani at DH, there aren't a lot of ABs available for Albert. He didn't like being kept out of the lineup, and DFAing him seemed to be the best result for the team and Albert.

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3 hours ago, Red Comet said:

Obviously, the Angels have a motivation to get rid of him but consider where Albert Pujols was when he came to LA and where he is now. When he arrived, he was one of if not the, best players in baseball with a contract to match. The Best Fans in Baseball tend to be....annoying to put it charitably but they were underestimating Pujols if anything. And look where he is now. An afterthought. His departure being less a grand farewell and more of a "Wait, he's still in the league?" reaction. He probably just wanted to leave for his own personal pride at this point. 


It really is crazy, and I can’t think of any other superstar who’s just faded out as rapidly and depressingly as he did. He was the absolute MAN in St. Louis. One of the best players I’ve ever seen. Second only to Bonds in my book of pro baseball players that I just marveled at. 

 

I’m not primarily a Cardinals fan, but my dad is from St. Louis so I’ve always had a soft sport for them (much less so recently, for several reasons). I felt legitimately depressed the morning I heard he signed with the Angels. I just couldn’t comprehend a team like them letting the biggest star in the game and one of the best to ever play for them even with how old they are walk for a bigger deal. Like, they really couldn’t match it? It’s Albert Pujols! He just won World Series MVP and had three homers in game one. I thought they were just lowballing him and it didn’t really make any sense. But then he fell apart almost immediately and they hardly missed a beat (I do wonder how much they knew about his DOB, though. I’m assuming they at least had some idea). 

 

Watching him fall apart in Anaheim was less of a blow I think because I sort of just stopped caring about him after he went there. His name seemed to hardly come up and the Angels never got any better so it was easier to not see. Then all of the sudden it’s several years later and you still haven’t heard anything about him. The whole Albert Pujols saga has such a clean break that it almost feels like they were two different people. 

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On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said:
She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.)
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22 minutes ago, FiddySicks said:


It really is crazy, and I can’t think of any other superstar who’s just faded out as rapidly and depressingly as he did. He was the absolute MAN in St. Louis. One of the best players I’ve ever seen. Second only to Bonds in my book of pro baseball players that I just marveled at. 

 

I’m not primarily a Cardinals fan, but my dad is from St. Louis so I’ve always had a soft sport for them (much less so recently, for several reasons). I felt legitimately depressed the morning I heard he signed with the Angels. I just couldn’t comprehend a team like them letting the biggest star in the game and one of the best to ever play for them even with how old they are walk for a bigger deal. Like, they really couldn’t match it? It’s Albert Pujols! He just won World Series MVP and had three homers in game one. I thought they were just lowballing him and it didn’t really make any sense. But then he fell apart almost immediately and they hardly missed a beat (I do wonder how much they knew about his DOB, though. I’m assuming they at least had some idea). 

 

Watching him fall apart in Anaheim was less of a blow I think because I sort of just stopped caring about him after he went there. His name seemed to hardly come up and the Angels never got any better so it was easier to not see. Then all of the sudden it’s several years later and you still haven’t heard anything about him. The whole Albert Pujols saga has such a clean break that it almost feels like they were two different people. 

Take a look at how Hank Aaron's career ended. From 1973 to 1976 is one helluva cliff dive.

It's where I sit.

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But that was at the very tail end of his career when he was already, like, two decades in. For a couple of different reasons, the last ten years has been disappointing for Pujols. He signed with the Angels and the thought was he was going to help pull them out of relative obscurity and help them compete with the Dodgers. They never even came close. It’s really something how much talent the Angels have had in the last ten years yet have absolutely nothing to show for it other than one single ALDS where they got swept.

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On 11/19/2012 at 7:23 PM, oldschoolvikings said:
She’s still half convinced “Chris Creamer” is a porn site.)
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9 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

But that was at the very tail end of his career when he was already, like, two decades in. For a couple of different reasons, the last ten years has been disappointing for Pujols. He signed with the Angels and the thought was he was going to help pull them out of relative obscurity and help them compete with the Dodgers. They never even came close. It’s really something how much talent the Angels have had in the last ten years yet have absolutely nothing to show for it other than one single ALDS where they got swept.

Yeah, they signed the "best player in baseball at that point in time" and called up the guy who immediately became the "best player in baseball" early in the season, and yet, still have only made one playoff appearance in those 9 seasons and were swept out in 3 games in that lone series. As an outsider to Angels Baseball, it really has astounded me the various big names and money spent on the team over the last decade and these were the results.

 

Anyway, he'd be welcomed back into St. Louis with open arms. I think the lack of success actually may have helped heal any wounds that were open. He got loud, thunderous ovations every plate appearance when he came back in 2019. But with no current universal DH and Goldy at 1B, it would definitely be a bench role. I had hoped he'd sign next year for a farewell tour if the DH was in play. Wasn't expecting his departure from Anaheim this soon.

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The Angels didn’t just get swept, they got swept by the Royals. Imagine spending all that money and having all that talent and your only playoff appearance involved getting swept by a team that was long considered a joke. Reminiscent of the Steelers getting clowned by the Browns last playoffs. 

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Those Royals ultimately proved they were pretty good, though. 

 

I'm old enough to remember Cardinals fans behavior towards him was the same way Cleveland fans reacted the first time Lebron left Cleveland. The difference being that Pujols' departure was literally minutes after Pujols had helped them win a second World Series. It still doesn't make sense to me. 

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Yeah, it was sweet seeing the Royals take 2 straight pennants and a World Series. Sucked seeing them drop off the face of the Earth afterwards but 2014-2015 was magical. Seems like they’re trying again though and this time with an owner that didn’t bring some stupid Walmart philosophy to running a major league team. 
 

As for the Cards fans, they probably wanted to see him win more. Man, I would love the alternate timeline where Pujols stays and we potentially get an I-70 Series Part 2. Would’ve been lit.

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26 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

 

As for the Cards fans, they probably wanted to see him win more. Man, I would love the alternate timeline where Pujols stays and we potentially get an I-70 Series Part 2. Would’ve been lit.

Who gets to be Don Denkinger? 

I saw, I came, I left.

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Does any team besides the Phillies have a game or two every year that's not available in HD for some reason?  TOnight's game is on something called Cozi TV, which doesn't have an HD version in Philadelphia.  By the time I was finished searching what station it was on and then what number that station was, it was already 6-0 in the top of the 1st.  It's 2021 - how is a game not in HD?  Why do the Flyers, who are horrible and eliminated, and the Sixers get preference on NBCSN Phila and NBCSN+... a RSN that (is potentially for sale and) the Phillies now have a stake in?

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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Also, anyone that doesn't want "robot" umps behind the plate is a dope and probably a heavy drug user that needs an intervention.  I'm watching this idiot Wendelstat (sp) call perfect middle-of-the-plate pitches balls, pitches that nearly hit the dirt strikes, check swings that aren't even close to actual swings strikes without asking for help, and just generally been umpiring as if he's totally drunk.  The majority of his calls have benefited the Phillies (though the Phillies are legit demolishing the Braves regardless), and even the announcers are admitting that his calls have been absurd all night.  Is there no performance management in place for umpires?  You should never hear "if that's what the strike zone is today then it's going to be a long day" - it shouldn't be variable. Home plate umpires in general just can't get it done anymore, and should just be "supervisors" while the machine calls the balls and strikes.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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2 hours ago, BBTV said:

Does any team besides the Phillies have a game or two every year that's not available in HD for some reason?  TOnight's game is on something called Cozi TV, which doesn't have an HD version in Philadelphia.  By the time I was finished searching what station it was on and then what number that station was, it was already 6-0 in the top of the 1st.  It's 2021 - how is a game not in HD?  Why do the Flyers, who are horrible and eliminated, and the Sixers get preference on NBCSN Phila and NBCSN+... a RSN that (is potentially for sale and) the Phillies now have a stake in?

Yeah - when the Brewers play second fiddle to the Bucks, the alternate Bally Sports Wisconsin feed is low def.

It's where I sit.

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4 minutes ago, Sec19Row53 said:

Yeah - when the Brewers play second fiddle to the Bucks, the alternate Bally Sports Wisconsin feed is low def.

 

But there's so many other channels in the NBC family of networks.  Usually if both HD channels have the Sixers and Flyers, the Phillies would be on some former-UHF network in HD or (rarely) on the NBC network affiliate.  We had a game on a CW or "My" station the other day, but at least it was HD, not this Cozi garbage.  I'd expect a top 5 media market to be able to do better.

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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Shockingly, for the first time in years, the Giants might not be poop. This is no doubt thanks to the wisdom and guidance of their fantastic manager, Gabe Kapler. I know many Giants fans were down on his hiring, but there was never a doubt in my mind that he has what it takes to be a winner. I've been behind him all the way. This season has been going as smooth as coconut oil so far, and it's clear that all Kap needed was a fair chance, which those savages in Philly definitely didn't give him!

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23 hours ago, McCall said:

As an outsider to Angels Baseball, it really has astounded me the various big names and money spent on the team over the last decade and these were the results.

 

As an Angels fan, it's been equally astounding, although lately it's been "same old Angels". Aside from injuries, it's been a lot of signing/trading for aging sluggers like Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, Vernon Wells and Raul Ibanez to provide name value and fill the DH spot while they had their own name value aging slugger in Albert often either not on the field or just flat-out underperforming. I don't think I've seen a team miss more on "big" free agent signings more than the Angels, although that's probably up for debate. But Josh Hamilton, Zack Cozart, CJ Wilson, Gary Matthews and obviously Pujols say hello. The team hasn't had a true ace since 83-MPH hurling Jered Weaver, relying mostly on bounceback seasons from guys like Tim Lincecum, Matt Harvey, Julio Teheran and Alex Cobb. Dylan Bundy seems like he's working out, but he could be gone next year. Pitching is the glaring hole for the past few years, and they've tried (Bauer, Cole etc.) but ultimately failed to sign a front of the rotation guy. The bullpen has been much of the same. The last really good closer this team had was K-Rod, with some ok years of Brian Fuentes and I think one from Huston Street (until the wheels fell off).

 

Luckily, the future looks kind of bright (maybe), with at least a few prospects to looks forward to. With Albert's contract officially off the books next year, there's money to be spent hopefully on pitching, although it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if one of the big SS free agents is signed instead. Upton's contract is up the following year, freeing up even more money in 2023. With Trout, Ohtani, Fletcher, Rendon and Walsh currently on the roster and the potential of Marsh, Adell, Detmers and Canning, there's at least something to look forward to.

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It's really a shame that Mike Trout is having such a meaningless career there.  I don't blame him one bit for signing - he'd have been an idiot not to - but we'll never see him play in clutch situations and barring a trade, he'll go down as basically just a pile of statistics but nothing truly significant.  I would think it's likely he and his contract will get moved at some point (his Phillies have a gaping hole in centerfield... just sayin') but if not, would the sport be any different if he never existed?

"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

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5 hours ago, BBTV said:

It's really a shame that Mike Trout is having such a meaningless career there.  I don't blame him one bit for signing - he'd have been an idiot not to - but we'll never see him play in clutch situations and barring a trade, he'll go down as basically just a pile of statistics but nothing truly significant.  I would think it's likely he and his contract will get moved at some point (his Phillies have a gaping hole in centerfield... just sayin') but if not, would the sport be any different if he never existed?

 

I think it's ridiculous to say he's having a meaningless career. Just because he hasn't really played in the playoffs doesn't mean he hasn't had one or the best careers in modern baseball history, and he's only 29. It's not insignificant just because it didn't happen in October.

 

 

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