MLB 2021 Season Thread

[OnWis97]

12 minutes ago, Kramerica Industries said:

 

I don't know if I wrote what you're thinking of, and I also don't know if I remember a year where that specific scenario played out (it's entirely possible you just have the wrong teams or have them assigned the wrong way; either way it doesn't really matter), but I definitely was writing about this stuff a lot more circa 2013-'14, when I was a lot more active on this website and, frankly, more of a baseball fan than I find myself these days - it's really my #4 sport these days, if I'm being honest - and the scenario you describe always was and is a possibility where the #2 wild card is in a more advantageous spot than the would-be #1 wild card would be just because one is in a division race and the other isn't. 2010 would've been a similar case to that, had it existed, where the Red Sox would've been able to line things up for that game while the loser between the Rays and Yankees would've either in essence "punted" the division on the final weekend, or exhaust themselves in the process of trying to avoid the one-off. I'm sure, if I looked hard enough, I could find an example where this actually did happen somewhere between 2012-'19. The fact that the very real scenario exists of the #2 wild card being able to be in a more beneficial situation than the #1 wild card in the first place is just one of the many fatal flaws to this format.

 

There's definitely an argument to be had about that the unbalanced schedules are a contradiction to the wild card race. No disagreement on my part. In a year like 2018, when the 100-win Yankees faced the 97-win Athletics, where the AL West had four teams finish with 80+ wins and the worst team won 67 while the AL East had a 73-win team and a 115-loss team (in other words, more opportunities to pad the win total), you can argue the game is a worthwhile tiebreaker to be played. Still think the better solution there is to balance the schedules in the first place so that you don't need to use a Band-Aid solution to it, but I understand the "de facto" tiebreaker aspect of it. But at a certain point - much sooner than the one we have in the NL this year - it's abundantly clear one team is clearly much better and performed as such. Making the NL West "loser" have to play this game against any number of teams that barely finishes over .500...blech.

I'm pretty sure I have the teams correct but this was in, like, July. By August the A's were toast. So it was speculation that never even came close to playing out. But had it played out it would have likely had the bold scenario. That was the moment where I knew (even more) how awful this was.

 

A few years ago the Yankees hosted the Twins. The Yanks had a comfortable W/L lead on the Twins and probably a more difficult schedule. I was cheering for the Twins, of course, but I knew the victory would have been somewhat unjust. I don't think that was a situation in which #2 had a rotation-setting advantage or anything.  Just a time when the tie-breaker was breaking something that wasn't a tie.  I don't know that we've had a clearly "lesser" team go in with an advantage against a team that grinded down to the wire and ended up disadvantaging itself. But if this format sticks around long enough, it will happen.

[Sport]

On 9/7/2021 at 12:27 AM, Dynasty said:

The Reds are doing what they can to not make the playoffs. That's fine; I guess watching the Dodgers demolish the Padres in the WC is something I can live with since it's the most likely (and inevitable) outcome.

 

Here a week later the Cardinals are now a half game in front of the Reds. I've never been more sure of anything - this boring ass Cardinals team full of dull as dishwater clones will beat the Dodgers in the one game playoff. Put all your money on it now. 

[McCall]

39 minutes ago, Sport said:

 

Here a week later the Cardinals are now a half game in front of the Reds. I've never been more sure of anything - this boring ass Cardinals team full of dull as dishwater clones will beat the Dodgers in the one game playoff. Put all your money on it now. 

[Red Comet]

The Kansas City Royals are officially talking about a downtown stadium now. The reaction is rather mixed. Frankly, downtown Kansas City is a gilded sewer with overpriced lofts. I would know as I lived there for two years and a downtown stadium won’t fix that.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

9 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

The Kansas City Royals are officially talking about a downtown stadium now. The reaction is rather mixed. Frankly, downtown Kansas City is a gilded sewer with overpriced lofts. I would know as I lived there for two years and a downtown stadium won’t fix that.

 

That would be a shame. Kauffman Stadium is wonderful and a modern classic (at least from my TV; I have no idea what the stadium experience is like).

[Red Comet]

55 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

That would be a shame. Kauffman Stadium is wonderful and a modern classic (at least from my TV; I have no idea what the stadium experience is like).

I would hope they keep the screw off huge scoreboard and the fountains at least. 
 

Thing is, people here aren’t going to consistently attend ball games if there is nowhere to park and a high risk of getting your car broken into (again, happened to me when I lived there). Homelessness is an increasing problem too and dodging increasingly aggressive panhandlers doesn’t sound like a good experience IMO. I’m just wondering how long before I see needles and human feces more than once on the streets. Dissatisfaction with City Hall where I’m at is increasing to the point where 41% of residents want to split from Kansas City proper. And to top it all off, the sites they’re currently looking at are nowhere near the street car.

 

So in short, this downtown stadium is going to be a disaster and City Hall maybe should focus on other things lest they lose the biggest source of tax revenue. 

[BBTV]

He won't win it because the Phillies are a mediocre .500 team, but Bryce Harper is quietly having an MVP season.  He's been worth every cent they're paying him this year - and more, considering he's "only" the 18th or 19th highest-paid player.  He's just been outstanding.

[BBTV]

LOLZ Phillies were down 7, now they're up 7.  

 

Down 7-0, now up 15-8. 

 

EDIT: Also, Bryce Harper is incredible.

[Sport]

I went to a game like that once. The Reds scored 8 runs in the second inning against the Blue Jays and ended up losing 14-9. 

[tBBP]

On 9/15/2021 at 11:58 AM, Red Comet said:

The Kansas City Royals are officially talking about a downtown stadium now. The reaction is rather mixed. Frankly, downtown Kansas City is a gilded sewer with overpriced lofts. I would know as I lived there for two years and a downtown stadium won’t fix that.

 

Having been down there a time or two (fun fact: I briefly explored the idea of moving to KC not that long ago, being that my then-employer's biggest customer was in KC meaning I was already down and through there a lot more than a little bit), my question is: exactly where would they build it?? I mean, short of shuttering the Harrah's on the north side of the river and rebuilding on that site (which ain't downtown but dang close to it), or using whatever land is left next to those Union Berkeley lofts (if it ain't been built on since I was there last), I don't see where else they could possibly build. Add to that the torrid pace of developers buying up any patch of grass they can to throw up those luxury lofts you mentioned (like the aforementioned Union Berkeley)--which already has many of the natives up in arms from what I saw (but that's a different tangent of discussion for another forum)--I can't see that happening, at least not right in downtown.

[Red Comet]

1 hour ago, tBBP said:

 

Having been down there a time or two (fun fact: I briefly explored the idea of moving to KC not that long ago, being that my then-employer's biggest customer was in KC meaning I was already down and through there a lot more than a little bit), my question is: exactly where would they build it?? I mean, short of shuttering the Harrah's on the north side of the river and rebuilding on that site (which ain't downtown but dang close to it), or using whatever land is left next to those Union Berkeley lofts (if it ain't been built on since I was there last), I don't see where else they could possibly build. Add to that the torrid pace of developers buying up any patch of grass they can to throw up those luxury lofts you mentioned (like the aforementioned Union Berkeley)--which already has many of the natives up in arms from what I saw (but that's a different tangent of discussion for another forum)--I can't see that happening, at least not right in downtown.

Yeah, that’s my question too. Here’s the sites they’re looking at right now. Probably going to have to tear down a few buildings.

[SFGiants58]

 

I’m just thinking that the Sprint Center operators will get miffed about traffic.

[BBTV]

Is Kansas City really that developed that there's no open area for a stadium?  It's not exactly the Manhattan of the mid west.  Or is this just because they specifically want it "down town"?  If there's not really mass transit there, does it make sense to have a downtown stadium that thousands of people would have to drive to?

[Red Comet]

3 hours ago, BBTV said:

Is Kansas City really that developed that there's no open area for a stadium?  It's not exactly the Manhattan of the mid west.  Or is this just because they specifically want it "down town"?  If there's not really mass transit there, does it make sense to have a downtown stadium that thousands of people would have to drive to?

It’s because they want it downtown. The street car should (and emphasis on that word) extend a lot more by then so people could park in presumably safer locations, but it reeks of C-suite cargo cult logic that downtown stadium equals more money rather than actually taking the market into consideration. 
 

EDIT: Looking at @SFGiants58’s map again, the River Market site could work as its right on the streetcar’s path. If they could have the Missouri River visible beyond the outfield, it would be perfect. 
 

But that would require brains between City Hall and the Royals brass and I don’t see that happening. 

[GDAWG]

With the Oakland A's stadium situation coming close to a conclusion, let's check in on the Rays stadium situation....

 

 

[BBTV]

6 hours ago, GDAWG said:

With the Oakland A's stadium situation coming close to a conclusion, 

 

Is it though?

[McCall]

1 hour ago, BBTV said:

 

Is it though?

It's the annual conclusion.

[Red Comet]

So, turns out Royals fans are opposed to a downtown stadium even if ownership paid for it entirely. Good, Kauffman is a modern classic and the Truman Sports Complex should be renovated until it is no longer feasible too. 

[dont care]

3 hours ago, Red Comet said:

So, turns out Royals fans are opposed to a downtown stadium even if ownership paid for it entirely. Good, Kauffman is a modern classic and the Truman Sports Complex should be renovated until it is no longer feasible too. 

Even when it’s no longer feasible to renovate, build a nearly identical stadium next to it with all the bells and whistles that the then current stadiums have. There is enough land out there to build stadiums 10x over, with better access for fans to the stadium than trying to force one down town.

[bosrs1]

On 9/20/2021 at 5:11 AM, BBTV said:

 

Is it though?

 

Sounds like it. I mean the OAKLAND A's stadium situation at any rate. The Las Vegas A's situation still has some work ahead of it. 

 

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/athletics/as-look-to-finalize-list-of-potential-las-vegas-ballpark-sites-by-november-2442670/