I am a New Yorker and Yankee fan living deep in the heart of Red Sox territory so have been keeping a low profile so far this season with the Sox playing so well and the Yanks slow start.

My youngest teenage daughter is a Baseball and Yankees fan and likes to wear logo sweatshirts so she has been taking some good natured flak from her Sox fans classmates at school. I told her to be patient and that it is early in the season and that he cream always rises to the top and sure enough the Yankees are coming out of their early season slumber.

They still are not hitting consistently but have to say I an happily surprised with their pitching as it looks like they have one of the better starting staffs in MLB now that Kluber, Taillon and German seem to be scrapping the rust off. We also have Severino starting to pitch to live batters in extended spring training and Deivi Garcia waiting at AAA in case of injury.

Once the hitting comes around if they can stay reasonably injury free I think the Yanks will be tough to beat as the weather warms up here in the NE.

Will be interesting to see if the Red Sox can keep pace or if they are just an early season flash in the pan.

Yeah, Yanks climbed out of the basement and the Sux have cooled off. Stanton seems to have woken up and remembered how to use his bat. I feel like you can't really judge baseball teams until they've played 30 or 40 games.

@bill_graham

That's funny. Similar thing. I have a friend, southside Chicago guy, loves the White Sux of course but he has season tix at Wrigley. I asked him why. He just loves baseball. He's a big guy and said he never wears any White Sux clothes into Wrigley. 

Posted by: @stephen

Tygiz’ve won 3 in a row tho - meanwhile Sawx’ve lost a like # - A’s are damn good, yeah the irony of them getting the bum’s rush from Oakland, wtf - they should be packin that big stadium every nite - but they never do -

have read MLB is trying to force em to build a new stadium, I say leave it, it’s the last of the cavernous cookie cutters😝(also Chavez Ravine) - a relic, a dinosaur, 1 of a kind🦕 

but I don’t think we’ll go the way of KC tho…..🪐....i hope…😮 it’s happened to C’s🏀 

 

……B’s see Wash 1st round, I love Z but he’s now the enemy & let’s hope he’s not on the ice or part of anything if any fights break out w/his goon teammate Wilson 

they’re very good & we’ll have our hands more than full - yes this would be a particularly sweet playoff win…

Huh? 😛 

Posted by: @porkchopbob

Here's one I never heard before:

Before the 1890 season, almost all of the Alleghenys' best players bolted to the Players' League's Pittsburgh Burghers. The Players' League collapsed after the season, and the players were allowed to go back to their old clubs. However, the Alleghenys also scooped up highly regarded second baseman Lou Bierbauer, who had previously played with the AA's Philadelphia Athletics. Although the Athletics had failed to include Bierbauer on their reserve list, they loudly protested the Alleghenys' move. In an official complaint, an AA official claimed the Alleghenys' signing of Bierbauer was "piratical". This incident (discussed at some length in The Beer and Whisky League, by David Nemec, written in 1994) quickly accelerated into a schism between the leagues that contributed to the demise of the A.A. Although the Alleghenys were never found guilty of wrongdoing, they made sport of being denounced for being "piratical" by renaming themselves "the Pirates" for the 1891 season.

Wow, I never knew that. There was a league called The Federal League in like the 20's or something and they tried to blackball those players, keep them out of The Bigs. Reminds me of The NFL being pissed when the USFL started in the 80s.

@lee yeah there were so many leagues all over in the late 1800s, teams would leap from one to another or a league would fold. Kind of like football leagues in the 20s, 30s and 40s.

Yeah they had Panthers as well as wolverines, Spartans etc in Mich (USFL) 

cool info about the history of team names - why wouldn’t WFT become the Americans, to join Nationals & Capitals - that’s be a fitting throwback name too

2 starters injured, but b4 you can say Bill Veeck, ChiSox have heated up - next thing you know they’ll be wearing shorts

BoSox will rebound, let’s go Sox

Posted by: @stephen

why wouldn’t WFT become the Americans

"Americans" and "Nationals" refers to the team's league, and Washington is in the National Football Conference.

I think WFT is too close to WTF.

Posted by: @lee

I think WFT is too close to WTF.

 

I always read it as that, too, especially if I see it in a sentence on the internet. Random acronyms and abbreviations are a pet peeve of mine.

Posted by: @stephen

Yeah they had Panthers as well as wolverines, Spartans etc in Mich (USFL) 

 

Funny you mention that. The Michigan Panthers were a fun team. They played in the same craphole as the Lions, The Silverdome in Pontiac, Mi. Their corporate office was right across the street from a little league baseball field from where me and my friends played. The guys would come into the office to get their paychecks and they would hang out with us. I remember John Corker, Bobby Hebert and a kicker whose name escapes me but they were like local celebrities for two summers. The only guy I recall going to the NFL was Hebert.

One of us figured out what day of the week they would be there to get their checks so we always made sure we were playing baseball that day. 

Sometimes they'd come over and take some swings with us. 

I went to the same thing as the championship game in the NFL. They won and went to their "Super Bowl" and lost. 

Been to a ton of Lions games there and I never saw as many people there. 😀 

Posted by: @lee

 They played in the same craphole as the Lions, The Silverdome in Pontiac, Mi.

Craphole? Are we talking about the site of the epic Wrestlemania III?!

Have a retentive brain for useless trivia, so that w/out looking it up the kicker was Novo Bojovic, or pretty close to that - seem to recall he was the hero when they won the USFL title

Seems too bad that conference/league affiliation limits what they can call themselves - Americans for the WTF would seem a natural, but sometimes ya just gotta say WFT, wait…..

Posted by: @stephen

Have a retentive brain for useless trivia, so that w/out looking it up the kicker was Novo Bojovic, or pretty close to that - seem to recall he was the hero when they won the USFL title

Seems too bad that conference/league affiliation limits what they can call themselves - Americans for the WTF would seem a natural, but sometimes ya just gotta say WFT, wait…..

Heh Heh, yeah that was him. 😉 Spoke broken English. Was a nice guy.

@stephen it would be sort of full circle since the Redskins played 3 seasons at Fenway, home of the Boston Americans. I don't think they are limited from using the name, it just wouldn't make much sense.

It is kind of cool when teams resurrect defunct team names like Titans and Nationals. When looking back on how fans and local media gave baseball teams their nickname, it seems silly how they go through focus groups and corporate branding firms that churn out dull names like Jaguars and Panthers.

There's a group in Nashville that has been trying to attract a baseball team. They had decided on the Nashville Stars, since the TN flag features 3 stars (echoed on the Titans logo). No one pointed out that there is already a team called the Stars, the Houston Astros. I wonder how much time and money they wasted on that one.

Good point PCBob - why don’t they keep it to just polling a cross section of fans, see what they get back, then go from there

it reaches right down to the HS level where there’s a good little cluster**** in Rutland Vt, where they changed the name a few years ago from the Raiders….to the Ravens

Now it seems they might have to change it back to Raiders b/c of some administrative blunder…..

that’s the gist of it, there could be more……but Raiders???? Get A Life Folks

Howabout WFT localizing to something like, the DC Demons, or the Washington Gridiron Monument…..

it’s bad for the brains thinkin about this stuff - can’t wait til we’re gifted w/the renamed rebranded WTFs😮🙃🤨😝

There it is Lee, they’re outta the cellah* & suddenly they’re rampaging both in the Motor And Windy Cities - who needs Jimenez & Robert, Tony LaRussa has led ChiSox to league lead

Now it’s Tygiz-Cubs wknd series, yow🧐 

Let’s Go Sox - Halos this wknd, unsure if we see Shohei - having a great season w/the bat & taking a turn on the mound, great to see indeed✊👏

*tied w/MN

Posted by: @stephen

There it is Lee, they’re outta the cellah* & suddenly they’re rampaging both in the Motor And Windy Cities - who needs Jimenez & Robert, Tony LaRussa has led ChiSox to league lead

Now it’s Tygiz-Cubs wknd series, yow🧐 

Let’s Go Sox - Halos this wknd, unsure if we see Shohei - having a great season w/the bat & taking a turn on the mound, great to see indeed✊👏

*tied w/MN

Unreal. How can the Twinkees be playing that poorly? Heck they have a guy that could win the MVP. I would trade the Tiggers roster for theirs in a heartbeat.

Regarding naming things, isn't there a Nashville Stars team? Minor league maybe. Regarding the Redskins, I hope they come up with a name. Someone threw out the idea of this group of WWII all black pilots. That might be a good idea.

As for fans coming up with ideas to name a team, when Auburn Hills, MI built The Palace in the late 80s, they didn't know what to name it so they floated the idea to fans. They took in thousands of submissions and whoever they decided upon won free tickets to every event at The Palace for life. Well, they decided on The Palace but a bunch of people suggested that so they drew a name out of a hat. 

The Pistons played there at the time and were really good, two championships. Saw a bunch of great concerts there. If I had won it would have saved me a lot of money. 

Back to Nashville, I wouldn't be shocked if they get an MLB team at some point. Although I'm not sure if they have the population to support it. I was there in like 1990, 1991, something like that and I went to a Nashville Sounds game. I don't recall who they were affiliated with at the time. I think it is the Brewers today. Anyway, they were playing the Pawtucket Red Sux and Mo Vaughn hit one of the farthest homers I've ever seen. He was kind of a precursor to David Ortiz. They kind of looked alike. 

The Brooklyn Tip Tops, cool - had heard of the Bklyn Superbas b4 but not this - named after Tip Top bread, too funny

The Braves changed their name to the Boston Bees for a few seasons b4 changing it back to Braves - also, the Indlans were the Cleveland Naps too, named for manager/HOFer Nap Lajoie

Re Twins roster, don’t know that Det. GM would agree with ya🙃 - Byron Buxton is one of so many modern day ball players - big press clippings - & Injured - all the time

Ya Sox, lets sting LA like a swarm of bees

There were baseball cards put out by The Tip Top Bread Company. Hard to find. I believe they put them in loaves of bread. I want to say they got greasy.

Regarding Buxton, maybe he is a diamond in the rough. Not sure I would trade farm systems with the Twins but their roster has to be better than Detroit's. Hey, the former Twins manager went to Detroit and quit before a season even ended.

There were some other baseball cards put out by food companies when I was a kid. Kellogg's would insert one in their cereal. They were made out of some sort of plastic. They would curl. I have a bunch of them.

Another one was Hostess. They put cards on the backs of the boxes of their treats. They are somewhat hard to find in decent condition because you had to use scissors to cut them off the boxes. 

And most importantly, HAPPY 68th BIRTHDAY to the greatest baseball player of all time, George Brett. 😀 Only player to win a batting title in three different decades. '76, '80 & '90.

Cool Lee, yeah from the early 80s b4 Lynn & Burleson, also Pudge, unceremoniously departed amid acrimony - we had Carney Lansford & Tony Armas as well as Perez on those teams

real impressive stat on Brett, that’s a heck of a record - yep Ty Cobb didn’t win a title in the 1920s even tho hitting .401 in 1922, .389 another year….

yeah the mask rules are vague at Fenway too - seems time to ditch masks, if for no other reason than to deconfuse the situation

it should start at Fenway & Wrigley as well as Comiskey, NYY - the benchmark stadiums/franchises etc….

their teams are going good, fans now want into the ballparks to cheer, boo, buy peanuts & crackerjack, pretzels hot dogs & beer

Posted by: @lee

And most importantly, HAPPY 68th BIRTHDAY to the greatest baseball player of all time, George Brett. 😀 Only player to win a batting title in three different decades. '76, '80 & '90.

Grew up in Omaha and watched a lot of great Royals players making their way to the bigs. Omaha was/is the AAA farm team. Always got in for free. I'd go with some buddies and chat with the players before games, including George. Very approachable. He was even dating a gal from our high school.

Some time later he was part of a baseball game, Brett Ball, which was sold through the region (at least mine) exclusively through a farm/western type general store. He was there autographing the game box. Took a 1980 Topps Brett and my son who had only been talking for a couple was weeks took the card up to George and said "Please sign!" Brett got a big belly laugh out of that. My son still has the card.

From my closet:

I actually found it in an antique store in Nashville. 

@oldcoot

That's a great story.  I've read different stories about his disposition, plus or minus. Still the greatest player ever. 😛 

I see a parallel between NYY & LAL🏀 - both have their full complement of athletes back & are rolling

NYY has won 15 of 21, NYK 15 of 19, & Bklyn’s ‘big 3’ is intact, so something is seriously happening in the Big Apple - have Knicks stolen Nets’ thunder etc

back & forth at Comerica today, Tygiz outlasted em - we need a sweep of LAA - what impact will Albert Pujols have w/LAD….

but yeah George Brett was something, that nuclear meltdown on that umpire at Yankee Stadium in the pine tar game, one of the great replays

Lets go Sox

So Pujols signs with the Dodgers. For the life of me I can't figure this one out. What on earth is a National League team going to do with a D.H.? If he was going to do that, I think it would be kind of nice to kiss and make up with St. Louis and finish there. I didn't know they had a falling out but apparently they did. 

Him and Miguel Cabrera should have something of a farewell tour. I caught bits and pieces of the Tiggers/Flubs game yesterday. I think Miggy went one for six and his batting average went up. 😮 He did break the record for most hits be a Venezuelan player. The team got the ball from the hit. Who would have known that was going to be a momento?