2014 MLB Season Thread

[zpqmaowl]

There's no better way to commemorate 100 years of Wrigley Field than a game between a 7-12 team and a 5-18 team.

[The_Admiral]

It's the party of the century! 10% off bison burgers in the 3rd inning!

[CS85]

The 100th thing is important in terms of commemorating a long-standing (well, sorta if you don't count the parts that fall off) ballpark but to say that it's ripe with a winning tradition that merits celebration, absolutely not. The "moments" that this generation of fans remembers are shadows of happy thoughts that took place in fruitless campaigns.

The Top Whatever lists of Wrigley Moments articles that have blossomed like so many herpes sores reflect this sad legacy. I'd say most of the positive ones are as such:

• Kerry Wood's 20K game in 98 (pitching style was horrible for his arm and altered his career)
• Winning games 1 and 2 against San Diego in '84 (they lost the final 3 games and the series on the road)
• Kerry Wood's home run in game 7 of the 2003 NCLS (they lost the game 9-6)
• Sammy Sosa's 62nd home run (he had already lost the race to 62, the team blew it in the playoffs against Atlanta and, uh, steroids)
• Ron Santo's "this is my hall of fame" speech at his number retirement (he died before he could enter the actual HOF, loltrollface.jpeg)
• Clinching the Central division title in '03 against Pittsburgh (Steve Bartman)
• Clinching the Central division in '08 against St. Louis (the LA Dodgers swept them in the NLDS)

Etc. I don't mind Wrigley Field's novelties in terms of charming baseball aesthetic but I think it's not that great of a fan experience and the team, obviously, has perpetually sucked for a lifetime. The uniforms thing is nifty, the acknowledgment of the Bears and Blackhawks moments within the Friendly Confines was nifty, but it's more or less wiping the grime off of every headstone that dots a vast cemetery of baseball memories.

[HedleyLamarr]

I got the perfect Wrigley Field experience a few years ago.

-Day game (even if the locals were dreading the unbearable 98-degree weather)

-Doug Glanville sailing the ceremonial first pitch like 10 feet over the catcher's head.

-First play of the game, the Cubs' second baseman and shortstop both are expecting the other to catch the pop-up, lands safely around second base.

-A Cubs player made two errors on one play.

-Phillies jumped out to a big lead after two innings (either 8-0 or 9-0).

-Cubs were getting no-hit into the 5th inning.

-Cubs wound up losing the game 9-1.

[CS85]

Jeff Samardzija would probably eat a plate of if it meant getting the hell out of a Cubs uniform at this point.

[-kj]

It's the party of the century! 10% off bison burgers in the 3rd inning!

Vaguely related: the bison dog I had at Wrigley a few years ago was magnificent.

If there's something they know in Chicago, it's meat in tube form.

[Seadragon76]

*sigh* I knew that great start against Anaheim was an illusion.

Oh boy.. no way any fellow Mariner fans can enjoy what's going on. I mean, getting swept out of Miami? Houston possibly sweeping them at Safeco?!?

Well, it's early... that's all I can ask for right now.

[sportstar1212]

I got the perfect Wrigley Field experience a few years ago.

-Day game (even if the locals were dreading the unbearable 98-degree weather)

-Doug Glanville sailing the ceremonial first pitch like 10 feet over the catcher's head.

-First play of the game, the Cubs' second baseman and shortstop both are expecting the other to catch the pop-up, lands safely around second base.

-A Cubs player made two errors on one play.

-Phillies jumped out to a big lead after two innings (either 8-0 or 9-0).

-Cubs were getting no-hit into the 5th inning.

-Cubs wound up losing the game 9-1.

I saw quite the rarity when I went to Wrigley: the Cubs actually won!

[CS85]

I've been to 6 or 7 Cubs games, only 2 at Wrigley, and they've won every game I've been to.

[SFGiants58]

Jeff Samardzija would probably eat a plate of if it meant getting the hell out of a Cubs uniform at this point.

Well then:

Also, the Cubs won the game I went to last year.

[-kj]

They won the game I went to at Wrigley as well.

(Damnit.)

[DEAD!]

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Wrigley Field... the Cubs lose the only way they could...

[DEAD!]

Who would have thought Josh Johnson's season last year would be better than this season?
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/padres-right-hander-josh-johnson-to-have-tommy-john-surgery?ymd=20140423&content_id=73121894&vkey=news_mlb

[Soarindude]

Martin Perez for the Rangers has been probably the greatest sleeper signing I've ever made.

This is why I love Fantasy Sports-- I learn about players that I usually wouldn't know and become very attached to them.

[dbadefense1990]

There's no better way to commemorate 100 years of Wrigley Field than a game between a 7-12 team and a 5-18 team.

To celebrate the 100th birthday of Wrigley Field... the Cubs lose the only way they could...

It's as if the Cubs gave the world a "Sparknotes/TL;DR" summary of their 100 years at Wrigley. In a span of 30 minutes, the images of Billy Sianis, the Shea Stadium black cat, Steve Garvey, Leon Durham, Will Clark, Steve Bartman, James Loney and all other hellacious Cubs figures flashed before America's eyes at a birthday party.

Happy century mark, Wrigley!

[bosrs1]

Pretty sure you can get high at the Oakland Coliseum and no one will care.

Well, it's impossible to get into the upper decks during A's games due to the tarps (Which I still think were put there for that very reason). But ushers are too damn scared to tell the portly group of Mexican guys with 310 tattoos on their necks to stop during Raiders games.

Smoke a "doobie" (a term to appease the older folk) at a baseball game? That sounds like a beautiful combination.

I, ahem, "partook" once while watching Tim Lincecum finish out a complete game shutout vs the A's one time at AT&T Park. It was BY FAR the best game I've ever been to. The guy in front of me was pretty annoyed, but that's because we didn't have the good sense to share.

You should've seen that place during game one of the 2010 World Series. It reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert. You could almost see Josh Hamilton sweating.

Surprised they didn't kick you out of Pac Bell. You can't smoke in the stands, that includes weed.

[Billy B]

I got the perfect Wrigley Field experience a few years ago.

-Day game (even if the locals were dreading the unbearable 98-degree weather)

-Doug Glanville sailing the ceremonial first pitch like 10 feet over the catcher's head.

-First play of the game, the Cubs' second baseman and shortstop both are expecting the other to catch the pop-up, lands safely around second base.

-A Cubs player made two errors on one play.

-Phillies jumped out to a big lead after two innings (either 8-0 or 9-0).

-Cubs were getting no-hit into the 5th inning.

-Cubs wound up losing the game 9-1.

Pretty sure I was at this game. It was one of the Phillies' fat pitchers (Joe Blanton or Vance Worley).

I think my favorite Wrigley Field memory was a game against the Rockies where some guy ran out on the field just to yell at the Cubs pitcher for giving up a home run when they were getting blown out. There was also an MVP chant for John Mabry after he advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch.

And then there's the story of how I unfortunately became a Cubs fan. Way back (sometime in the 30s I'm guessing) the Cubs used to have a father-son day thing where your kid got in for free or 5 cents with his dad. Well, my grandpa wanted to go to the games, but his dad was straight from Poland and probably didn't know what baseball was. So my grandpa would walk to Wrigley Field by himself and convince a random guy each time to walk in with him and say he was his dad so he could watch the Cubs for free.

[FiddySicks]

Pretty sure you can get high at the Oakland Coliseum and no one will care.

Well, it's impossible to get into the upper decks during A's games due to the tarps (Which I still think were put there for that very reason). But ushers are too damn scared to tell the portly group of Mexican guys with 310 tattoos on their necks to stop during Raiders games.

Smoke a "doobie" (a term to appease the older folk) at a baseball game? That sounds like a beautiful combination.

I, ahem, "partook" once while watching Tim Lincecum finish out a complete game shutout vs the A's one time at AT&T Park. It was BY FAR the best game I've ever been to. The guy in front of me was pretty annoyed, but that's because we didn't have the good sense to share.

You should've seen that place during game one of the 2010 World Series. It reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert. You could almost see Josh Hamilton sweating.

Surprised they didn't kick you out of Pac Bell. You can't smoke in the stands, that includes weed.

Really? You don't say.

Good to see Michael PINEda learned his lesson the first time...

I'd love to see them make an example of him and give him a lengthly suspension, but I doubt that'll happen.

[wonderbread]

Pretty sure you can get high at the Oakland Coliseum and no one will care.

Well, it's impossible to get into the upper decks during A's games due to the tarps (Which I still think were put there for that very reason). But ushers are too damn scared to tell the portly group of Mexican guys with 310 tattoos on their necks to stop during Raiders games.

Smoke a "doobie" (a term to appease the older folk) at a baseball game? That sounds like a beautiful combination.

I, ahem, "partook" once while watching Tim Lincecum finish out a complete game shutout vs the A's one time at AT&T Park. It was BY FAR the best game I've ever been to. The guy in front of me was pretty annoyed, but that's because we didn't have the good sense to share.

You should've seen that place during game one of the 2010 World Series. It reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert. You could almost see Josh Hamilton sweating.

Surprised they didn't kick you out of Pac Bell. You can't smoke in the stands, that includes weed.

Really? You don't say.

Good to see Michael PINEda learned his lesson the first time...

I'd love to see them make an example of him and give him a lengthly suspension, but I doubt that'll happen.

about to comment on this, they should he is a repeat offender even if he only got caught with it once. but did he really think that they wouldn't be able to see it on his neck. it was so obvious it had a glare to it.

[bosrs1]

Pretty sure you can get high at the Oakland Coliseum and no one will care.

Well, it's impossible to get into the upper decks during A's games due to the tarps (Which I still think were put there for that very reason). But ushers are too damn scared to tell the portly group of Mexican guys with 310 tattoos on their necks to stop during Raiders games.

Smoke a "doobie" (a term to appease the older folk) at a baseball game? That sounds like a beautiful combination.

I, ahem, "partook" once while watching Tim Lincecum finish out a complete game shutout vs the A's one time at AT&T Park. It was BY FAR the best game I've ever been to. The guy in front of me was pretty annoyed, but that's because we didn't have the good sense to share.

You should've seen that place during game one of the 2010 World Series. It reminded me of a Grateful Dead concert. You could almost see Josh Hamilton sweating.

Surprised they didn't kick you out of Pac Bell. You can't smoke in the stands, that includes weed.

Really? You don't say.

Good to see Michael PINEda learned his lesson the first time...

I'd love to see them make an example of him and give him a lengthly suspension, but I doubt that'll happen.

Hey you'd be surprised how many pot smoking morons don't think of weed in the same vein as tobacco even though it's just as much smoking as the regular cigarette's as far as the law is concerned even in states where the crap is legal.