@lee I hope it doesn't happen, but that seems to be the trend across all leagues. NFL now has 7 playoff spots (and now 17 games). NBA installed a 4-team play-in series in each conference for the bottom seeds prior to the 1st round (which is already a lengthy 7-game series). MLB commish has mentioned playoff expansion. It's more money for them, but who wants to be watching baseball at Thanksgiving?
And basketball and hockey at your Fourth of July BBQ. 😉
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Not an unhappy fan in the house as Cubbies turn Dallas into Alice, then Whammo - no less than 13 unanswered as Comiskey crowd quiets Cubs contingent - ChiTown fans gotta be lovin this, esp Sox fans now😮⚾️ - wanna see visitors make it 13-9 or 10 or so, it’s only end of 5
BoSox - we just gotta try & keep up, think we will
14 was the unlucky number. Judge is locked in so time to start another streak
And if the season ended today the Red Sux would not be in the playoffs. Hmm... 😉
WC isn’t worth noting until after Labor Day, or the final week - still tons of time - 2 GB NY is nothing
that’s the hope anyway
the big key now,
getting past the other 2 div leaders
ChiSox getting hammered early again, we’d be tied w/them if it holds
then a matter of getting past Hou (3 GB after tonite, 5-2 Hou now)
Chris Sale & Kyle Schwarber can really help get us started toward that - if we do that it should be enough to overtake NY even when they’ve been unstoppable 2nd half
it’s still heart-attack time trying to close out games tho - no different today, obviously🤪
yes the times they are not a changing - Bob Dylan has been sued for drugging, then sexually assaulting a 12 year old girl - in 1965
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In another case of jumping into these I-Am-Offended-&-I-Want-Money times 30 years later, the guy who was on the cover of Nirvana’s Nevermind album in 1991 as a four month old has sued Nirvana, claiming it was child porn & he wants a huge settlement for emotional trauma etc….
Elsewhere (to put it mildly) - according to Newsweek, “man throws penis out window while fleeing police, says he cut it off to save the world”
Heckuva world
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hockey fans have noted the recent passing of 2 HOFers, Tony Esposito & Rod Gilbert
good to see Mets retire Jerry Koosman’s number - it’s deserved, even if he did go an unsightly 11-35 over his last 2 years w/them - last good year, 20-13 w/MN in 1979
didn’t take much to see SD Padres were more flash than substance - Toronto also
TB is 84-49, yet even w/Sox in town this week they drew only flies
even in SF, also 84-49 - normally a sellout there, esp w/the good teams, which they had this week - half full
People likely playing it safe w/covid, can’t knock that - vaccinated Sox are nonetheless getting hammered with positive results
Brewers SWEEP the Giant in SF. [Correction, didn't realize it was 4 game series]
Bumps the Giants out of 1st and into the WC.
And yeah, Tampa keeps rolling. And does anyone in TB care?
I can't believe how much San Diego has fallen lately.
Have I mentioned I hate the one game play in thing? 😉
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Brewers SWEEP the Giant in SF.
Bumps the Giants out of 1st and into the WC.
And yeah, Tampa keeps rolling. And does anyone in TB care?
Apparently not, even w/top rated football and hockey teams as well - weird
thought last week Sox could stay in it, but w/all the covid stuff & no bullpen, not as optimistic this week altho Ottavino saved it last night
it’d speak volumes if SF fans continued to stay home this wknd w/LA in town
Clutch performance by Cole with 7IP/ 15K's against the Halos. The man is a true ace in every sense and a favorite for the CY Young this year.
He was dealing 99-100mph in the 7th and even managed to make Ohtani look bad with 3k's where he had weak swings.
First time Cole was playing in his Cali hometown backyard since signing with the Yanks which I am sure gave him extra focus.
Tough stretch for the Bronx Bombers as they play 20 games in 20 days. Now we will see if they are for real or just teasing us Yankee fans.
Tampa is 28th in attendance at about 8.5k a game which is a disgrace IMHO. Even the sad sack Orioles draw better. Neither Florida team can draw fans. They need to relocate those franchises at some point I think but to where? Maybe Vegas? San Antonio?
I think the problem you run into with moving teams is that there is usually no built in fan base. A lot of people that live in certain locations moved there from someplace else. How many people that live in Miami, Tampa or Vegas are from there? Atlanta to an extent too. A lot of people move there for the weather. If I moved to any of those cities I would go to games because I am a die hard but I kind of doubt a lot of people are. Especially in Florida where you have a lot of retirees moving there.
I realize teams in all sports have relocated forever. Perhaps it just takes time to build up a fan base. Maybe a generation?
Just my opinion but I don't know if picking up and moving is necessarily the solution. The NFL is a perfect example. I honestly don't know where the California teams are anymore.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Ah I didn't realize Mil@SF was a 4-game series, so I probably jinxed it now. Game 4 is on the youtube, dialing that up now.
Rays main problem is they play in the biggest joke of a stadium, it's like watching a game in a County Fair tent. St Pete/Tampa area doesn't seem to want to build a new stadium, and I don't really blame them. Why build something with more empty seats. And Tampa is a nice baseball town...for the Yankees. I mean there's a George Steinbrenner bridge in Tampa, it's a baseball town in February and March, not June. All of the snowbirds are gone. The Rays haven't caught on, probably time to move.
The Marlins are similar, but they just got a new stadium, they're not going anywhere. They seem to get a little bit more of a following but Miami isn't a town that bothers when their teams suck - and who can blame them when the beach is right there?
You can still move a team, just look at the Nationals. DC is as much a city of relocated people as any, and they built up a decent fan base. Atlanta embraced the Braves as quickly as the Brewers forgot about the Braves and embraced Harvy's Wallbangers. I do think rebranding the franchise helps because what city wants another city's leftovers? Especially if the name is tied to the old city like the Hornets or the Expos or the Sonics (unless you're Utah and will take anything).
I imagine MLB would try to keep the Rays near the East coast. Nashville has been trying to get an MLB team for some time (the Oilers found a decent fan base there pretty quickly). Actually, the whole south is ripe for an MLB team since there isn't a team for hundreds of miles from Atlanta. Charlotte already has the Panthers and the Hornets, seems like a decent sports town.
The Rays discussed Montreal, which is interesting considering how that already went with the Expos. Actually, the MLB has been pretty stable over the past few decades - the Expos were the first MLB team to move since the 2nd Senators moved to Texas over 30 years prior.
I certainly don't know the answers but a few things. I was in Atlanta in 2004 for The ABB Fox run and I went there to take in a Braves game. They had dollar night to get in. There were not many people there to say the least. I got more giveaways than I needed. Perhaps things have changed. You would think they would have a decent fan base by now. Braves have been there since what, '66?
Tampa? I was there a couple of years ago and the best part of that place was going out to center field to pet the fish. Seriously. That place is horrible.
DC is I guess is indeed doing well. Except the roster they gave away. 😉 😉
Montreal. Didn't MLB decide a long time ago there was no market for them so they moved them to aforementioned DC? Do they think they can plant a team there?
Maybe Green Bay will buy a team! 😛
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Braves have a HUGE fanbase - most of the the south east. I'd wager they're in the top 5 behind Yanks, Sux, Dogers, and Cards. But the 1996 Olympic stadium was downtown. Atlanta is one of the sprawliest cities, traffic sucks, and people from the 'burbs didn't want to head into the city for a game. So just a few seasons ago they moved back to the burbs and they are 2nd in attendance this season.
When I went to a Braves game hardly anyone was there. For one dollar tickets on a beautiful night. My one experience. Perhaps an outlier. And as I mentioned they've been there since 1966 I believe so I would imagine there has been enough time to establish a fan base. Plus in the 80s and 90s they were on TV all the time. Got to see Dale Murphy and then David Justice in left field.
And you are correct in that the traffic there is terrible. 😉
Regarding sprawl, I don't think you can top Detroit but for different reasons. But people still drive in from the burbs which is where everyone lives to see the Tiggers and they have stunk for 15 years.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
When I went to a Braves game hardly anyone was there. For one dollar tickets on a beautiful night. My one experience. Perhaps an outlier. And as I mentioned they've been there since 1966 I believe so I would imagine there has been enough time to establish a fan base. Plus in the 80s and 90s they were on TV all the time.
I actually looked up the Braves games during the 2004 ABB Fox dates - they were in 1st place and swept the Marlins (who are not a draw even in their own stadium). But I wouldn't gauge the Braves' popularity on such a small sample size of 1 game in the Georgia heat, it might have just been late season malaise (it was the Braves 13th consecutive division title). A lot has been written about the motivations for the Braves' move from the relatively young Turner Field for the burbs, but they basically wanted public funding for upgrades or a new stadium. Atlanta, however, was in the process of doing that for the Falcons and hadn't really helped Turner Field thrive with limited parking and public transportation (it's now GA State's home field).
Still, the Braves have been pretty popular in the southeast since they got there - they brought Hank with them. Like the Cardinals, there was no other team in the region for decades - northern FL is Braves country (Derek Truck is a Braves fan), especially with the tomahawk chop connection with the Seminoles. Probably why the Rays have trouble gaining fans. Ted Turner's TBS broadcasts helped broaden their popularity, especially in the 1990s when they won 5 pennants and a WS. I don't like the Braves, but there are a lot of people who do.
Sorry I mentioned the Braves. I was just posting about my experience. And I think we were kind of saying the same things.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
@lee ah, well, I thought you were saying they hadn't caught on, like the Rays. I think, after Ted Turner sold the team, the Braves sabotaged their time at Turner Field once it was clear the city wasn't going to help them increase revenue or make improvements.
@lee ah, well, I thought you were saying they hadn't caught on, like the Rays. I think, after Ted Turner sold the team, the Braves sabotaged their time at Turner Field once it was clear the city wasn't going to help them increase revenue or make improvements.
Nah, I guess that was a bad example. Totally different than the Rays. I think they are kind of a mess.
As I said, they have been there since 1966 which again, is time to build up a fanbase which they indeed have done. And again, TBS probably built up a following just as WGN did for the Cubs. I was just surprised that on a beautiful Georgia night (no, it wasn't hot) that more people wouldn't show up for ONE DOLLAR tickets.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Biggest Busch crowd of the year, fans chanting for em late in the game - but Dave didn’t put him in
this year, .239, 16 HR, 48 RBI off the bench (a mere 251 AB), not awful
…more important, 3rd all time RBI, 5th in HRs, & right there w/Gibson as one of their all time greats, so Cards fans & all are cheering in this, presumably his last season
Amazed we coughed up the 7-1 lead today (NOT)
so what, half the team has covid/injuries but we’re always good to go at the plate - we made it a game, 11-10 & left bases loaded bottom of the ninth
- lotta PawSox callups in there - it showed, we made 4 errors altho Verdugo really had a tough sun out there
the forgotten Clayton Kershaw (who woulda thunk that) apparently has pronounced himself fit to return likely end of week
what if he regains his form
w/Scherzer going the way he is (13 Ks today) - oh also Urias, merely the league leader (16 wins) - also veteran Kenley Jansen in bullpen
They’re locked up w/SF & TB
…I would give it to LA in either series b/c of pitching
So tomorrow my in laws are coming to Chicago. My wife is taking them to Wrigley. I am gonna be in a suite at Comerica Park to see the Tiggers. She is seeing a day game and I am going to a night game.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Perfect, you’ll each be seeing the top 2 teams, SF & TB
but still
no Comiskey??
w/the greatest team on earth in town???
😆😜have a blast
Just like that, Tor has gone off, NY has slumped, & Tor, trailing by a ton earlier, is a half-game back
we gotta sweep ChiSox to pass em in the standings, let’s go BoSox
An amazing statistic - it was the first time since 1924 NY had not had a lead in a 4 game series!
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as Southerners apparently breath a sigh of relief (according to press reports) now that the Robert E. Lee statue has been removed
….unfortunately, a time capsule thought to have been left at the base of the statue at its 1890 installation, that was said to include a photo of the body of Abraham Lincoln in his coffin, was not found
gosh what a find that would’ve been…
He was mentioned in the same sentence w/fellow Tygiz HOFer Ty Cobb, & should’ve been
the only time since Ty did it in 1925, to belt 9 straight hits at 38 yrs old - & yep, the all time record, 12, is owned by another Tigers player, Walt Dropo
Miggy, watta guy - suddenly he turned back the clock & the old magic came back - guessed he’d end at about 2,980 end of season, at 2,971 currently
as was mentioned b4, his contract is a bit of an albatross around Det’s neck tho
didn’t take much to see SD Padres were more flash than substance - Toronto also
& literally from the day of this post, 13 of 15, now tied w/NY, which stopped its 7 game skid - who coulda foreseen it - SD yes, that was an easier call, but didn’t think Tor would light it up
Chicago, some bball town, 34G at Wrigley, 37G at ChiSox today/tonite - we’re still blowing big leads, closers haven’t coughed it up last few games tho
