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Of the 13 players suspended yesterday, there was quite the NY connection: two Mets minor leaguers, Jordany Valdespin and Cesar Puello; two Yankees, Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli; a Yankees minor leaguer, Fernando Martinez, who started his career in the Mets system; and a former Yankee, Jesus Montero.

The statue of Jackie Robinson just outside of the Brooklyn Cyclones stadium has been vandalized.
Spray painted and racial slurs were also painted on the statue.

My, how far we've come in race relations.

Yankees win, however, Mariano Riviera has 3rd consecutive blown save for the first time in his career.

(If this thread is still open) The Phillies have replaced Manager Charlie Manuel with Ryne Sandberg on an interim basis.

and now he's 0-1...

"the bastard son of Bowie Kuhn and Charlie Finley,"

The DH remains the most polarizing element of baseball. It's what Bill Lee, who pitched for Boston and Montreal from 1969 to 1982, famously called "the bastard son of Bowie Kuhn and Charlie Finley," referring to the commissioner in 1973, the first year of the DH, and the A's owner who heavily pushed for the rule.

Forty years later, Lee hasn't changed his opinion.

"It's terrible," he said in a phone interview. "It's what's created steroid users. It created the BALCOs, the Biogenesis. It creates cowards out of pitchers. The game got worse. I want the National League to win the All-Star Game every year and punish the American League for using the DH."

What about ditching the DH altogether? The players' union wouldn't allow it, not when the position of DH garnered an average salary of $8.1 million last year, topped only by first basemen.

"I hate the American League for that reason," said Lee, citing the DH rule. "When I went to Montreal (in 1979), I loved it."

He insists the DH came into play because AL owners wanted to trim a roster spot and lower payrolls (it backfired), not because they wanted to generate more offense.

"It was a red herring," Lee said.

He wanted the DH eliminated then, and he wants it eliminated now.

"For the goodness of mankind," Lee said. "It'll save the planet Earth."

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/shea/artic ... 741077.php I only posted the important stuff.

Spaceman is brilliant

F'ing unions!

And not only did Shitley Finley want the designated hitter, he wanted designated fielders and designated runners too. He felt the game should be more like football. A specific offense, a specific defense, and "special teams." (Designated runners).
I wish he and Bud Selig would never have had anything to do with the once great game of baseball.

Tequila Revenge wrote:"the bastard son of Bowie Kuhn and Charlie Finley,"

The DH remains the most polarizing element of baseball. It's what Bill Lee, who pitched for Boston and Montreal from 1969 to 1982, famously called "the bastard son of Bowie Kuhn and Charlie Finley," referring to the commissioner in 1973, the first year of the DH, and the A's owner who heavily pushed for the rule.

Forty years later, Lee hasn't changed his opinion.

"It's terrible," he said in a phone interview. "It's what's created steroid users. It created the BALCOs, the Biogenesis. It creates cowards out of pitchers. The game got worse. I want the National League to win the All-Star Game every year and punish the American League for using the DH."

What about ditching the DH altogether? The players' union wouldn't allow it, not when the position of DH garnered an average salary of $8.1 million last year, topped only by first basemen.

"I hate the American League for that reason," said Lee, citing the DH rule. "When I went to Montreal (in 1979), I loved it."

He insists the DH came into play because AL owners wanted to trim a roster spot and lower payrolls (it backfired), not because they wanted to generate more offense.

"It was a red herring," Lee said.

He wanted the DH eliminated then, and he wants it eliminated now.

"For the goodness of mankind," Lee said. "It'll save the planet Earth."

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/shea/artic ... 741077.php I only posted the important stuff.

Spaceman is brilliant

Good for the economy!!!

Wino you know wrote:F'ing unions!

And not only did Shitley Finley want the designated hitter, he wanted designated fielders and designated runners too. He felt the game should be more like football. A specific offense, a specific defense, and "special teams." (Designated runners).
I wish he and Bud Selig would never have had anything to do with the once great game of baseball.

I still don't understand all of the vitriol towards Bud Selig.

Under his leadership:
-Attendance at Major League parks has nearly doubled on average
-MLB now has the toughest drug testing penalties. The argument that it hasn't been effective is wrong. Players will always cheat. I would say the NBA has the least effective, since only 5 players have EVER been suspended for even one game.
-The playoff system was expanded. I didn't like the idea at first, but now there are so many more teams playing hard in September.
-There is now revenue sharing, and small-market teams are actually relevant. (This year, see Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Oakland).
-MLB is the only major sport not to have a work stoppage in the last 5 years (NFL lost some preseason). Or 10 years. Or 15. Or 19. In fact, the last CBA was signed and agreed to a FULL YEAR before it was due to expire.
-We have interleague play. Now more fans can see players that they didn't get to in the past.
-International players are finding it easier to come to the MLB, increasing the talent level in baseball.

Reasons he is criticized:
-An EXHIBITION GAME ended in a tie 10 years ago. I should point out that he wasn't MANAGING the game...it was Torre and Brenly who mismanaged their rosters.
-As a result of that tie, he tried to make this exhibition game relevant. I'll give you this one, it's dumb, and needs to go. But at least it's better than the old system (instead of an exhibition game deciding home field, it was random luck of the calendar).
-Players are taking PEDs. To that I ask, "Is he feeding them to the players? Why is this his fault? He's done all he can to stop it!"


People don't like him because he's an awkward looking guy who doesn't present himself well. They won't forget the shrugged shoulders at the All-Star Game. But baseball is healthier than ever under his leadership. Look at the numbers. And he is the first commish to successfully take on the most powerful Labor Union in the world (the MLBPA) and get his way. That says something. So why don't people give him any credit?

I DESPISE interleague play.
Sorry, but if a fan in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, etc. wants to see Miguel Cabrerra, they can get in their car and DRIVE to Detroit (or the nearest American Leauge city when the Tigers are in town) the same as us schlubs in Cedar Rapids, Oshkosh, and Bendover have to do now.
I AM a purist, and I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a purist, and, to me, the game should be kept as it was. (Even though I'm a Yankee fan, an American League team that uses that GOD-AWFUL D.H.).
The only thing Selig ever did that I supported was declaring the winner of the All Star game to have home field advantage in the World Series. (Or the winning team from that league, that is).
I DO NOT dislike Selig because of his "looks" as you suggested. (That would REALLY be the pot calling the kettle black).
He could do one more thing that would cause me to curry favor with him.

UN-BAN PETER EDWARD ROSE AND ENSHRINE HIM IN THE HALL OF FAME WHERE HE BELONGS!!!

Wino you know wrote:I DESPISE
The only thing Selig ever did that I supported was declaring the winner of the All Star game to have home field advantage in the World Series. (Or the winning team from that league, that is).

I think that is a terrible rule. The team with the best winning record should have home field advantage.

That's a good idea too.
That way teams won't be inclined to coast through the rest of the season once they've secured a playoff spot.

Wino you know wrote: I DO NOT dislike Selig because of his "looks" as you suggested. (That would REALLY be the pot calling the kettle black).
He could do one more thing that would cause me to curry favor with him.

Didn't imply that YOU did. But I hear so many people make fun of him for that.

Wino you know wrote: UN-BAN PETER EDWARD ROSE AND ENSHRINE HIM IN THE HALL OF FAME WHERE HE BELONGS!!!

I agree. And Selig was allegedly on the verge of doing so, before Rose finally "confessed" by publishing a book. Selig got p*** that Rose decided to profit off of his crime, so he extended the ban.

And before Rose is un-banned, Shoeless Joe should be. He has a LIFETIME ban. He died 60 years ago!

Shoeless Joe DEFINITELY belongs in the hall of fame. Especially since all of them were acquitted of their charges.

Congratulations on hit #2500, Todd Helton!!!

Re-thinking my view on the 2nd wild card team thing.
Up until about 15 minutes ago I hated it. I think I still do, but I see in the paper how, two & a half weeks before the end of the season, 10 of the 15 teams in the American League have a legitimate shot of making it to the world series.
That's a GOOD thing, right?

Wino you know wrote:Re-thinking my view on the 2nd wild card team thing.
Up until about 15 minutes ago I hated it. I think I still do, but I see in the paper how, two & a half weeks before the end of the season, 10 of the 15 teams in the American League have a legitimate shot of making it to the world series.
That's a GOOD thing, right?

I suppose it is, I just don't like the one-and-done format.
But I also don't want another full round of playoffs tacked on.
DON'T BECOME THE NBA!!! The NBA playoffs drag on for far too long. Don't do it!!!

CaptainP wrote:

Wino you know wrote:Re-thinking my view on the 2nd wild card team thing.
Up until about 15 minutes ago I hated it. I think I still do, but I see in the paper how, two & a half weeks before the end of the season, 10 of the 15 teams in the American League have a legitimate shot of making it to the world series.
That's a GOOD thing, right?

I suppose it is, I just don't like the one-and-done format.
But I also don't want another full round of playoffs tacked on.
DON'T BECOME THE NBA!!! The NBA playoffs drag on for far too long. Don't do it!!!

Playing 162 games only to be eliminated in a single game makes no sense to me. But you can bet that in a few years, that will become a 3-game $eries, then 5 and then 7. Thus pushing the end of the season until mid-November.

I'd like to see a return to the 154-game schedule and eliminate inter-league play. Both worked for decades, but the owners would never give up the turnstile and TV money for 8 games.

chippewa wrote:

CaptainP wrote:

Wino you know wrote:Re-thinking my view on the 2nd wild card team thing.
Up until about 15 minutes ago I hated it. I think I still do, but I see in the paper how, two & a half weeks before the end of the season, 10 of the 15 teams in the American League have a legitimate shot of making it to the world series.
That's a GOOD thing, right?

I suppose it is, I just don't like the one-and-done format.
But I also don't want another full round of playoffs tacked on.
DON'T BECOME THE NBA!!! The NBA playoffs drag on for far too long. Don't do it!!!

Playing 162 games only to be eliminated in a single game makes no sense to me. But you can bet that in a few years, that will become a 3-game $eries, then 5 and then 7. Thus pushing the end of the season until mid-November.

I'd like to see a return to the 154-game schedule and eliminate inter-league play. Both worked for decades, but the owners would never give up the turnstile and TV money for 8 games.

everything you said, Chip...spot on

Wino you know wrote:Re-thinking my view on the 2nd wild card team thing.
Up until about 15 minutes ago I hated it. I think I still do, but I see in the paper how, two & a half weeks before the end of the season, 10 of the 15 teams in the American League have a legitimate shot of making it to the world series.
That's a GOOD thing, right?

Yeah .. but one of those 10 teams is the Yankees, ergo it sucks.