# Any baseball fans?



## Couch_Lock (Jan 27, 2020)

I've been a St Louis Cardinals fan since the age of 9. But the recent additions the Cincinnatti Reds have made has them as the most talented team in the NL Central. It should be a battle royal. The Cubs are good, too. Milwaukee got weaker.


----------



## spek9 (Jan 27, 2020)

I haven't watched or had interest in baseball in several years.

I was however a fan decades ago, and when Joe Carter hit the walk-off World Series winning home run at the Skydome in Toronto in 1993, I was at the game, and the party in the streets afterwards.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Jan 27, 2020)

It's the only sport, aside from MMA/boxing, I have ANY interest in anymore.


----------



## spek9 (Jan 27, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> It's the only sport, aside from MMA/boxing, I have ANY interest in anymore.


It's solely hockey for me. Go Leafs Go!


----------



## Couch_Lock (Jan 27, 2020)

If I resided in Canada I'd probably be a hockey man, myself. Played a fair bit in my youth, I'm way north in NY (NE)


----------



## Sunbiz1 (Jan 28, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> But the recent additions the Cincinnatti Reds have made has them as the most talented team in the NL Central. It should be a battle royal. The Cubs are good, too. Milwaukee got weaker.


The Reds have only moved ahead of the Pirates, while Cubs didn't get any better; despite a top 5 payroll.
I expect the same results in 2020 as we had last year.
No team from the NL central is a title contender, while the NL east is loaded.


----------



## Amaximus (Jan 29, 2020)

Mets fan here... You can begin laughing. *sigh*


----------



## Couch_Lock (Jan 29, 2020)

Mets have improved......Pitching + offense look good. Their problem is defense.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Jan 29, 2020)

Sunbiz1 said:


> The Reds have only moved ahead of the Pirates, while Cubs didn't get any better; despite a top 5 payroll.
> I expect the same results in 2020 as we had last year.
> No team from the NL central is a title contender, while the NL east is loaded.


Loaded? The Nats are very good, Braves have that young potential and are "good." Rest of the NL East is very weak.


----------



## Sunbiz1 (Jan 29, 2020)

The Phillies improved w/Wheeler/Girardi., and Mets definitely improved their pitching; plus they already had over a dozen more W's in 2019.
Even the Marlins should be improved, with their many, many prospects.
The Reds don't have enough pitching to compete w/the Cubs, let alone the Cards.
It seems you may have missed some key FA moves during the winter meetings last month?.
At any rate, the Cubs have done nothing to improve. So it's the Cards again as division favorite, on paper at least.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Jan 29, 2020)

Sunbiz1 said:


> The Phillies improved w/Wheeler/Girardi., and Mets definitely improved their pitching; plus they already had over a dozen more W's in 2019.
> Even the Marlins should be improved, with their many, many prospects.
> The Reds don't have enough pitching to compete w/the Cubs, let alone the Cards.
> It seems you may have missed some key FA moves during the winter meetings last month?.
> At any rate, the Cubs have done nothing to improve. So it's the Cards again as division favorite, on paper at least.


The Reds rotation of L.Castillo, S. Gray, T. Bauer, DeSclafini and W. Miley was among the best in the NL last year. They didn't have Wade Miley last year but hes an ok #5 (better then Wainwright in his last year). I'm on top of all baseball moves. I'd rate Cincy's rotation as the NL Centrals best. 

Mikolas is very hittable, Wainwright throws 90 mph tops and is scary these days. I'm a Cardinals fan, not a homer though. I'm realistic.

Phillies have no third baseman, relying on Boehm, a raw rookie. They got rid of Cesar Hernandez. their second baseman. If the recently injured aging McCutcheon is playing CF they are in big trouble. Signing ancient Cole Hamels might help that shabby rotation. Arrieta looks done.

Philly is a .500 team at best, Miami is a 60 win team once again. Mets might be 85-88 win team. Nats should win 100 in that weak division. Atlanta possibly 90, but Donaldson's bat will be missed. his defense also. Ozuna is a joke in LF, the Cardinals made no effort to sign him.

St . Louis 87 wins is my prediction.....Cincy 86 wins, Chicago 84 wins, Milwaukee 77 wins, Pittsburgh 60 wins, or less

Yahoo fantasy baseball begins tomorrow, I usually win or take 2nd place in rotisserie baseball every year.


----------



## Jhurst556 (Jan 29, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> I've been a St Louis Cardinals fan since the age of 9. But the recent additions the Cincinnatti Reds have made has them as the most talented team in the NL Central. It should be a battle royal. The Cubs are good, too. Milwaukee got weaker.


Braves fan, congratulating you right away for taking us out in the divisional round. Don’t be worried about the reds, they’re still a year or two away. Plus, you have an ace in jack. Best of luck this season!


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 17, 2020)

Spring training games begin in 5 days.....I'm in 4 fantasy leagues, 3 are for money........I won't be on RIU much during bb season.


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 17, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> I've been a St Louis Cardinals fan since the age of 9. But the recent additions the Cincinnatti Reds have made has them as the most talented team in the NL Central. It should be a battle royal. The Cubs are good, too. Milwaukee got weaker.


My Cubs shouldn't scare anybody, I'm thinking 85 wins. The reds did get better, the division is up for grabs..I'd give Cincy a slight edge( 89 wins)


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 17, 2020)

Sunbiz1 said:


> The Reds have only moved ahead of the Pirates, while Cubs didn't get any better; despite a top 5 payroll.
> I expect the same results in 2020 as we had last year.
> No team from the NL central is a title contender, while the NL east is loaded.



I think Atlanta steamrolls everybody in the East. Acuna might win MVP


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 17, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> Loaded? The Nats are very good, Braves have that young potential and are "good." Rest of the NL East is very weak.


Nats lost their best hitter, I expect


Couch_Lock said:


> The Reds rotation of L.Castillo, S. Gray, T. Bauer, DeSclafini and W. Miley was among the best in the NL last year. They didn't have Wade Miley last year but hes an ok #5 (better then Wainwright in his last year). I'm on top of all baseball moves. I'd rate Cincy's rotation as the NL Centrals best.
> 
> Mikolas is very hittable, Wainwright throws 90 mph tops and is scary these days. I'm a Cardinals fan, not a homer though. I'm realistic.
> 
> ...



Wainwright makes the Cubs look ridiculous, I don't get why these clowns are swinging out of their shoes.. just sit curve ball and Barrell it up.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 17, 2020)

Waino scares me this late in his career, if he's not throwing that 12 to 6 curveball for strikes he's toast. His cutter, sinker and fastball are not even league "average" anymore....velocity and spin rate have torpedo'd.

The Cubs have good position players, easily the best collection of them in the NL Central. Cubs need a good centerfielder and a steady BP to win the Central. Cards need a strong comeback from Matt Carpenter. Cards have a rookie outfielder I predict big things from soon, Dylan Carlson.

Reds have bad defense, this will limit their win total. I feel. Altho its looking like Chicago, StLouis and Cincy will be battling it out. Milw will crater this yr.......Thames + Moose are gone, Yelich just back from a shattered knee, Cain  almost finished in CF. No great starting pitchers on Milw.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 17, 2020)

Corso312 said:


> Nats lost their best hitter, I expect
> 
> 
> 
> Wainwright makes the Cubs look ridiculous, I don't get why these clowns are swinging out of their shoes.. just sit curve ball and Barrell it up.


Braves will miss Donaldson's Gold Glove defense at third, badly. Also the 35+ Hr's and 100+ walks. Riley and Camargo are shit ballplayers, can't hold Donaldson's jockstrap.

Soto will get better, Trea Turner also. Victor Robles in CF is a defensive wizard in CF....Carter Kieboom will play 3b for the Nats after Rendon got traded. He's got good tools, its all about self confidence for him.


----------



## Rolloff (Feb 17, 2020)

Football is the only sport I follow closely. I’ll watch baseball if it’s on for a inning but lose interest in it. Boxing or mma I’ll watch a match if I know who’s involved but not whole card.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 17, 2020)

MMA or boxing I watch all yr, but during baseball season I'm all about it.

Quit following the NFL and NBA twenty yrs ago. Other sports I never cared about besides the ones mentioned.


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 18, 2020)

I'm hoping we trade Bryant to Atlanta for a decent haul of prospects. Move Quintana too. Reload that farm.


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 18, 2020)

I hate this new rule, a pitcher has to pitch to three hitters, millennials don't like baseball, changing rules won't change that, it's just going to piss off the fans like me who watch already.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 18, 2020)

NL needs to go DH....AL has had it a long time, its inevitable....Prefer the game with no DH, theres more strategy involved then but the AL won't remove it. For the sake of statistics both leagues should be under the same set of rules.


----------



## Amaximus (Feb 18, 2020)

No, It's time to remove the DH altogether, not add another talentless, aging slugger position...

Furthermore... the 3 pitch rule? I'm ok with that. I once watched the Yankees change the pitcher 5 times over TWO batters, 7 pitches thrown total. it took 27 minutes. PASS.


----------



## Sunbiz1 (Feb 18, 2020)

Corso312 said:


> I'm hoping we trade Bryant to Atlanta for a decent haul of prospects. Move Quintana too. Reload that farm.


Not much choice there, as Theo and Co. cannot draft pitching.
And then there's Lester, highest paid player on the team; whose stats are falling by the year.

I'm happy with Cubs ownership, but the GM needs lessons from Tampa; who with less than a $50M payroll seem to compete every year.
How do they do it?, this is according to a Rays fan I asked recently:
"Tampa Bay and Houston have pioneered in this field, reducing the number of scouts that they have from around 40 to around 20. Rather than beat the bushes searching for talent, now talent is identified by data which didn't used to be available. Once the data team identifies a potential prospect, then the scouts are sent out to see what the guy is like. The idea is to eliminate wasted time chasing guys who looked good in one or two games which a scout watched, and zero in on the guys whom the data suggests might have a future."


----------



## Flash63 (Feb 18, 2020)

What do you guys think of a electronic strike zone?sick of umpires and their ever changing strike zones, smaller for veterans,bigger for rookies..depending on their moods..


----------



## Brettman (Feb 18, 2020)

Flash63 said:


> What do you guys think of a electronic strike zone?sick of umpires and their ever changing strike zones, smaller for veterans,bigger for rookies..depending on their moods..


I dont really like it but I feel like it is inevitable.


----------



## Flash63 (Feb 18, 2020)

How many times did Biggio get rung up last year on balls that were clearly out of the zone?


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 18, 2020)

Flash63 said:


> What do you guys think of a electronic strike zone?sick of umpires and their ever changing strike zones, smaller for veterans,bigger for rookies..depending on their moods..


Robot for home umpire I like, or a computerized consistent strike zone. Too many umpires feel "shown up" by batters shaking their heads or arguing balls and strikes. And after that happens? They are human, some react badly and continue to get balls and strikes wrong, on purpose.


----------



## Flash63 (Feb 18, 2020)

which Astro will be hit the most times this year Breggman?i think the over/under is 10..lol


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 18, 2020)

Some of those Astro players should be suspended for a year w/ no pay. Players will think TWICE about cheating, then.


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 18, 2020)

Sunbiz1 said:


> Not much choice there, as Theo and Co. cannot draft pitching.
> And then there's Lester, highest paid player on the team; whose stats are falling by the year.
> 
> I'm happy with Cubs ownership, but the GM needs lessons from Tampa; who with less than a $50M payroll seem to compete every year.
> ...



Nobody would be panicking about our farm system if we didn't make that awful trade for Quintana, if Cease and Jimenez were here it's all good. I hated the trade at the time..even worse than I imagined. 

We have slot of young arms in the system, we'll find out next year if they are worth a fuck.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 18, 2020)

Corso312 said:


> Nobody would be panicking about our farm system if we didn't make that awful trade for Quintana, if Cease and Jimenez were here it's all good. I hated the trade at the time..even worse than I imagined.
> 
> We have slot of young arms in the system, we'll find out next year if they are worth a fuck.


Cubs develop great position players, but for some reason never a pitcher. They need to fire the pitching scouts they have and hire new ones, imo.


----------



## New Age United (Feb 19, 2020)

Corso312 said:


> I hate this new rule, a pitcher has to pitch to three hitters, millennials don't like baseball, changing rules won't change that, it's just going to piss off the fans like me who watch already.


What's this new rule?


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 19, 2020)

New Age United said:


> What's this new rule?


3 batter minimum for all pitchers. No more pitchers brought in the game to face just one or two hitters.


----------



## New Age United (Feb 19, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> 3 batter minimum for all pitchers. No more pitchers brought in the game to face just one or two hitters.


Crazy, supposed to speed up the game but takes the strategy outta the game, I guess that will be a new strength or weakness for pitchers might actually make for some interesting ball, lot of walks.


----------



## Couch_Lock (Feb 19, 2020)

Or...if a reliever clearly doesn't "have it" that day, once he comes in ? Maybe a bit more offense.


----------



## Hugepeckerhead (Feb 19, 2020)

Amaximus said:


> No, It's time to remove the DH altogether, not add another talentless, aging slugger position...
> 
> Furthermore... the 3 pitch rule? I'm ok with that. I once watched the Yankees change the pitcher 5 times over TWO batters, 7 pitches thrown total. it took 27 minutes. PASS.


I agree. AL needs to lose the DH. These leagues are trying to make it better but dont realize they are ruining the game. Like football....they want to keep concussions low but dont realize players hitting as low as they are....are causing more injuries. They might not be life threatening, however they can be career enders.


----------



## doublejj (Feb 19, 2020)

Couch_Lock said:


> Some of those Astro players should be suspended for a year w/ no pay. Players will think TWICE about cheating, then.


MLB already said they will be monitoring the situation & if a pitcher retaliates and hits an Astro player they will face fines and suspension......which is more than any Astro player received for cheating....smh


----------



## Sunbiz1 (Feb 20, 2020)

Corso312 said:


> Nobody would be panicking about our farm system if we didn't make that awful trade for Quintana, if Cease and Jimenez were here it's all good. I hated the trade at the time..even worse than I imagined.
> 
> We have slot of young arms in the system, we'll find out next year if they are worth a fuck.











Chicago Cubs 2023 Salaries Payroll


Chicago Cubs 2023 salary cap table, including breakdowns of salaries, bonuses, incentives, cap figures, dead money and more.



www.spotrac.com





While Heyward wasn't an awful trade, he hasn't produced enough to be highest paid.
Contreras has been a much better asset, and due for a HUGE raise.
And then there's Kimbrel...we'll see.


----------



## Corso312 (Feb 26, 2020)

If the Cubs start slow, I'd expect KB, Lester, Chatwood and Quintana all traded. Severino went down for NY, they might make a move quicker for Lester or Quintana. 

If kimbrell looks sharp, we can move him too.


----------



## BarnBuster (Jul 27, 2020)

​








Dr. Anthony Fauci's baseball card just became one of the best selling in Topps' history | CNN


A Topps baseball card with a masked Fauci throwing the first pitch of the 2020 MLB season became the bestselling card in the history of ToppsNow, the company's collection of limited-edition cards.




www.cnn.com


----------



## doublejj (Jul 27, 2020)

4 games into the MLB season and it may be over, as 14 Florida Marlins players test positive for Covid-19...


----------



## BarnBuster (Jan 22, 2021)

RIP, Hank


----------



## BudmanTX (Apr 23, 2021)

ouch....watch that back swing.......that's gotta hurt....


----------



## LibertyCap76 (Apr 30, 2021)

Couch_Lock said:


> I've been a St Louis Cardinals fan since the age of 9. But the recent additions the Cincinnatti Reds have made has them as the most talented team in the NL Central. It should be a battle royal. The Cubs are good, too. Milwaukee got weaker.


NY Mets fan here, my first ever game was game 6 of the 86' WS.. Now enjoying the deGrominator


----------



## Herb & Suds (Apr 30, 2021)

I like beer?


----------



## BudmanTX (Apr 30, 2021)

Herb & Suds said:


> I like beer?


U too....especially when it's free and cold..


----------



## BarnBuster (Sep 29, 2022)

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits 61st home run, tying Roger Maris' AL record


Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs in a season, going deep for the New York Yankees against the Toronto Blue Jays on...




www.marketwatch.com


----------



## BWG707 (Sep 29, 2022)

GO METS!!!


----------



## Amaximus (Sep 30, 2022)

LFGM!


----------

