2010 MLB Season Thread

[BrySmalls]

Since being called up from the minors, Danny Espinosa has been putting on quite the audition for a starting roster spot in 2011.

[FiddySicks]

I don't wanna speak too soon, but it looks as if the Padres are proving themselves to be exactly what I thought they were. Frauds.

No, the Padres are not frauds, they're still a lot better than they've been the past couple of years.

Oh, and the Padres have still been to the playoffs more recently than the Giants have. The fact that the Giants haven't even made the playoffs once with Lincecum and Cain in the rotation is pretty pathetic.

Lol, really? This is only Lincecum's third season, and this is the only team that he has been on that's consistent enough at the plate to keep them in games. Nothing "Pathetic" about it, it's called a rebuilding process. If anything, this team is playing better than they were expected to. Last season they were picked by some to be one of the worst teams in baseball, and they actually had a pretty good season. If anything, they're peaking long before they were expected to. Playoffs or not this season, they're gonna be a tough team to beat in the next few years. And good for the Padres, they made the playoffs with an 82-80 record one year then blew a huge lead to the Rockies in the next season. The Padres are doing what they do almost every year, playing like crap at the absolute wrong time. This is nothing new for San Diego, it's common territory. Sure they're better this season than they have been, but they've been playing WAY above their heads all season long and it's starting to catch up with them.

[dfwabel]

So... The Rangers were kind of boned today.

The announcers keep saying "A rule's a rule", but the actual rule says:

In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Incidental contact, if it happened (Young and Anderson both say it didn't, and the replay's inconclusive), doesn't matter unless Anderson assisted him in getting back to third base, if Young pushed off of him. That clearly didn't happen, and as it was, a one-run game with playoff implications was taken out of the ballplayer's hands, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Complete and total bull .

You should be less worried about one game and be more concerned on three other things from the weekend.

1-Josh Hamilton's rib injury which takes a legit bat from the lineup.

2-The fact that the Twins own the Rangers.

3-Ian Kinsler misses 40 games...again. The 3rd time in 5 full seasons.

[TheOldRoman]

So... The Rangers were kind of boned today.

The announcers keep saying "A rule's a rule", but the actual rule says:

In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Incidental contact, if it happened (Young and Anderson both say it didn't, and the replay's inconclusive), doesn't matter unless Anderson assisted him in getting back to third base, if Young pushed off of him. That clearly didn't happen, and as it was, a one-run game with playoff implications was taken out of the ballplayer's hands, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Complete and total bull .

It's the Twins. That is what they do. No flukish win is surprising with that team (and I'm not saying they aren't a good team). But rest assured, should the Rangers meet them in the postseason, the Twins will roll over and meekly exit after three games.

[Shumway]

The season may be all-but-over in Anaheim, but there's at least something to look forward to:

Hank Conger and Mark Trumbo called up

It must suck to be released on your birthday, but really, Stokes came to Anaheim just so Gary Matthews would leave.

[TopCat]

So... The Rangers were kind of boned today.

The announcers keep saying "A rule's a rule", but the actual rule says:

In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Incidental contact, if it happened (Young and Anderson both say it didn't, and the replay's inconclusive), doesn't matter unless Anderson assisted him in getting back to third base, if Young pushed off of him. That clearly didn't happen, and as it was, a one-run game with playoff implications was taken out of the ballplayer's hands, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Complete and total bull .

It's the Twins. That is what they do. No flukish win is surprising with that team (and I'm not saying they aren't a good team). But rest assured, should the Rangers meet them in the postseason, the Twins will roll over and meekly exit after three games.

What the hell? Yeah, the Twins have won a couple games off of lucky plays, but what makes you think they'd roll over in the playoffs? Twins would have home field advantage in that series, and ohbytheway the Rangers have now been swept twice at Target Field.

[rams80]

So... The Rangers were kind of boned today.

The announcers keep saying "A rule's a rule", but the actual rule says:

In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Incidental contact, if it happened (Young and Anderson both say it didn't, and the replay's inconclusive), doesn't matter unless Anderson assisted him in getting back to third base, if Young pushed off of him. That clearly didn't happen, and as it was, a one-run game with playoff implications was taken out of the ballplayer's hands, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Complete and total bull .

It's the Twins. That is what they do. No flukish win is surprising with that team (and I'm not saying they aren't a good team). But rest assured, should the Rangers meet them in the postseason, the Twins will roll over and meekly exit after three games.

What the hell? Yeah, the Twins have won a couple games off of lucky plays, but what makes you think they'd roll over in the playoffs? Twins would have home field advantage in that series, and ohbytheway the Rangers have now been swept twice at Target Field.

The precedent of 4 consecutive Divisional Round Losses, as well as the loss of a Division Playoff Game.

[BBTV]

If things hold (which is certainly not a sure thing), the Phillies will have fought back from the 7 game whole they dug themselves and reclaimed sole possession of first place for the first time in months.

[TopCat]

So... The Rangers were kind of boned today.

The announcers keep saying "A rule's a rule", but the actual rule says:

In the judgment of the umpire, the base coach at third base, or first base, by touching or holding the runner, physically assists him in returning to or leaving third base or first base.

Incidental contact, if it happened (Young and Anderson both say it didn't, and the replay's inconclusive), doesn't matter unless Anderson assisted him in getting back to third base, if Young pushed off of him. That clearly didn't happen, and as it was, a one-run game with playoff implications was taken out of the ballplayer's hands, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.

Complete and total bull .

It's the Twins. That is what they do. No flukish win is surprising with that team (and I'm not saying they aren't a good team). But rest assured, should the Rangers meet them in the postseason, the Twins will roll over and meekly exit after three games.

What the hell? Yeah, the Twins have won a couple games off of lucky plays, but what makes you think they'd roll over in the playoffs? Twins would have home field advantage in that series, and ohbytheway the Rangers have now been swept twice at Target Field.

The precedent of 4 consecutive Divisional Round Losses, as well as the loss of a Division Playoff Game.

Sorry, I should have said I was talking about the team they put on the field this season. The wishy-washy teams of past years only had to beat out either an equally wishy-washy Tigers or White Sox team to make it into the playoffs before promptly getting bulldozed. I never had any confidence in those teams, there were always multiple times during seasons where I felt like giving up on them because they were playing so poorly. Hasn't happened this year. Homer laced speech over.

[JayJaxon]

If things hold (which is certainly not a sure thing), the Phillies will have fought back from the 7 game whole they dug themselves and reclaimed sole possession of first place for the first time in months.

That they have.

Although I am discouraged by the way the Braves went about giving up that Division lead, it all but assures the fans of the Phillies and Braves that the last three games of the season will determine who wins the East. These teams have six more games against each other. That is something to be excited about down the stretch.

[BBTV]

Congratulations, you got on TV!!! Too bad some dude is grabbing your tit.

http://blogs.philade...r-boob-grabbed/

[Cartabago]

Rockies take the lead and go on to win against Cincy with a pure steal of home from Chris Nelson. On top of that, it was the first stolen base of his career!

[Shumway]

Congratulations, you got on TV!!! Too bad some dude is grabbing your tit.

http://blogs.philade...r-boob-grabbed/

Something tells me that dude's from Jersey.

[HedleyLamarr]

Every September, as every baseball fans knows, MLB teams can expand rosters to 40 players. For the contending teams, this is a chance to stockpile extra arms and bats to better their chances of reaching the playoffs. For those well out of contention, it's a chance to bring up their prospects and get their feet wet with MLB competition.

Every so often, teams will bring up players just to reward their services. A few years ago, the Marlins signed Mike Mordecai (a perennial utilityman that played for the Braves, Expos, and Marlins, who later became a part of the Marlins scouting department, if I remember right) to a contract in September, just so he could play in his 10th season and be able to collect an MLB pension after he retired.

This year's heart-warming story goes to the Dodgers and one of their call-ups: John Lindsay. He was drafted in 1995 by the Rockies (To put it in perspective, Todd Helton was drafted that same year, and his MLB career is winding down...), and spent 16 seasons in the minors without ever getting called up to an MLB club.

In Wednesday night's game in San Diego, Lindsay got announced as a pinch-hitter, and the Padres promptly make a pitching change. Joe Torre then calls Lindsay back and summons Andre Ethier. As he returns to the dugout, Lindsay is nothing but smiles, despite not getting to swing the bat or play defense. He's waited 16 years for this chance, and it's about as close as you can get without actually doing anything.

In tonight's game at Houston, Lindsay got the nod to pinch-hit in the 7th. His family's in Mississippi, so they were able to make the drive to see him play...including his 3-year-old son. Of course, he's got this big grin as he stands at the plate, and eventually flies out to center. His 16-year quest of getting into a big-league game came to fruition tonight. He's slated to start Saturday's Dodgers-Astros game. Hope he's able to get a few hits along the way!

[NJTank]

I remember a few years back the Mets did the same thing for Tom Glavine's brother Mike.

[BBTV]

Congratulations, you're in the majors - because we feel sorry for you. Yes, there's a "feel good" part of the story, but it's an insult to the guys who are legitimate prospects who might actually deserve this opportunity. Of course any more, being a major leaguer doesn't have the same mistique that it may have had 20 years ago, now that there's more teams and entire clubs who essentially field minor leaguers on a nightly basis.

[The_Admiral]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think the point of equilibrium is for major league talent? 16 teams were too few once the game grew and integrated, but 30 teams are clearly too many until Cubans can participate freely and the game grows elsewhere (or even domestically, God willing).

[HedleyLamarr]

Congratulations, you're in the majors - because we feel sorry for you. Yes, there's a "feel good" part of the story, but it's an insult to the guys who are legitimate prospects who might actually deserve this opportunity. Of course any more, being a major leaguer doesn't have the same mistique that it may have had 20 years ago, now that there's more teams and entire clubs who essentially field minor leaguers on a nightly basis.

If I recall correctly, Lindsay won the batting title for the PCL this year. While he's not in the long-term plans for the Dodgers, he definitely earned the chance to play for the big team in September. And the Dodgers are still mathematically alive, albeit not for long.

[NJTank]

Congratulations, you're in the majors - because we feel sorry for you. Yes, there's a "feel good" part of the story, but it's an insult to the guys who are legitimate prospects who might actually deserve this opportunity. Of course any more, being a major leaguer doesn't have the same mistique that it may have had 20 years ago, now that there's more teams and entire clubs who essentially field minor leaguers on a nightly basis.

Rosters can go as high as 40 players this time a year, for a team that is out of it why not throw a bone at someone who has toiled on minor league buses while playing for the love of the game. There still is something to having your name in the Baseball Encyclopedia.

[BBTV]

Congratulations, you're in the majors - because we feel sorry for you. Yes, there's a "feel good" part of the story, but it's an insult to the guys who are legitimate prospects who might actually deserve this opportunity. Of course any more, being a major leaguer doesn't have the same mistique that it may have had 20 years ago, now that there's more teams and entire clubs who essentially field minor leaguers on a nightly basis.

Rosters can go as high as 40 players this time a year, for a team that is out of it why not throw a bone at someone who has toiled on minor league buses while playing for the love of the game. There still is something to having your name in the Baseball Encyclopedia.

Because I'm not spending $45 per ticket to watch some guy who is playing because "everyone gets a trophy". The highest level of anything is something that needs to be taken seriously, and let's face it - not everyone reaches it. That goes for sports, or for any profession. Like I said, if I'm a prospect who's busting my ass and this guy steals my "cup of coffee", then I'm pissed. And if you in your 30s and making whatever the average minor leaguer makes, are you really doing it for the "love of the game" - or are you doing it because you're either not qualified to do anything else or you just can't let the dream go and move on? You may get the occasional Chris Coste, or the guy who moves directly into coaching / managing, but I'd suspect that those cases are the exceptions.

@HL - I know nothing about the guy in question, I'm more responding to what was posted about him, and the notion of just handing guys roster spots because they're "good guys".