Covid and MLB

Red(s)HawksFan

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santadevil

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Oh man I love this. Their teammates are justifiably pissed at them and taking control of the situation. Hope those two idiots learn their lesson and maybe put the team first.
But Plesac whined yesterday about how unfair he was being treated by the media
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2001991
Sounds quite clueless and although I never really followed the guy or his career to this point, I have zero respect for him now, along with Clevinger (for not speaking up sooner) and if true about Deshields Jr., being out with them, for not speaking up at all
 

CarolinaBeerGuy

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But Plesac whined yesterday about how unfair he was being treated by the media
https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2001991
Sounds quite clueless and although I never really followed the guy or his career to this point, I have zero respect for him now, along with Clevinger (for not speaking up sooner) and if true about Deshields Jr., being out with them, for not speaking up at all
So, he’s flat out lying about the bar thing? Screw him and his righteous outrage.
 

jon abbey

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Not sure about Plesac, but a few weeks in the ‘minors’ for Clevinger could push back his FA a year and cost him eight figures. Hope it was worth it, dude...
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Not sure about Plesac, but a few weeks in the ‘minors’ for Clevinger could push back his FA a year and cost him eight figures. Hope it was worth it, dude...
Being optioned is effectively a fine (losing the difference between active roster salary and minor league salary). Plesac is making league minimum as it is. The longer he's optioned, the more money he's losing out on.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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BaseballJones

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If one team has 11 doubleheaders, and another has zero, I don't see how that's fair. Especially when season is 30 doubleheaders long and doubleheader games are shorter. A 7 inning win isn't as good as a 9 inning win.
“Fair” isn’t really a major concern right now. They’re just trying to find a way - any way - to get games in.
 

snowmanny

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Totally agree that fairness is not the priority. BUT they way the playoffs are constructed if you miss them you had a losing record and you only have yourselves to blame. There won’t be a case of of a very good team - say 35-25 - missing the playoffs to a team that only played 40 games and went 24-16.

Anyone decent keeps playing.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
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I am very pro masking, pro SIP and think that in general this baseball season is a bad idea and shouldn't be happening, but I'm not sure the 10 days is the issue here people are making it. Most are in agreement that 14 day quarantine after exposure, right? It takes 4-5 days to trigger a positive test result after contracting the coronavirus, so if someone tests positive then they're at least that far in and 10 additional days should carry them beyond the contagious point.
 

cromulence

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I kind of doubt it. Some guys were OK with them coming back and the vet who threatened to opt out was Oliver Perez - I don't think they're gonna dump their promising young pitchers because of him. My guess is that they'll do their time and come back.
 

DJnVa

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I kind of doubt it. Some guys were OK with them coming back and the vet who threatened to opt out was Oliver Perez - I don't think they're gonna dump their promising young pitchers because of him. My guess is that they'll do their time and come back.
Yahoo article on subject says it was more than Perez. Adam Plutko also said some things as well: "They hurt us bad. They lied to us."
 

sean1562

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I thought this was a pretty interesting article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/sports/sports-fans-television.html
I am mostly writing this season off since the Sox are so terrible and it is only 60 games. I still browse the baseball subreddit pretty frequently to catch up on highlights to get my baseball fix but the lack of fan reaction is something that I think affects my enjoyment. I really noticed it when I was watching the White Sox hit 4 HRs in a row. If that stadium was full it would have been raucous, they were all no doubters.
 

tims4wins

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I thought this was a pretty interesting article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/sports/sports-fans-television.html
I am mostly writing this season off since the Sox are so terrible and it is only 60 games. I still browse the baseball subreddit pretty frequently to catch up on highlights to get my baseball fix but the lack of fan reaction is something that I think affects my enjoyment. I really noticed it when I was watching the White Sox hit 4 HRs in a row. If that stadium was full it would have been raucous, they were all no doubters.
It's a great point. As much as I want to get into the NHL playoffs, it doesn't feel the same. And it's not because it's mid-August.
 

jon abbey

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I think it really depends if your team is good or not, I haven't been able to bring myself to care about the NBA much yet (although in a normal season most of the end of the regular season usually sucks also).
 

edoug

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The Red Sox could use one or two good pitchers, what does Cleveland need that the Red Sox have?
I'd rather lose without them than win with them. Yes that's happening anyway. But if 2020 is good for anything, it's time time to make a stand. Jerks just aren't worth it.
 

tims4wins

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I think it really depends if your team is good or not, I haven't been able to bring myself to care about the NBA much yet (although in a normal season most of the end of the regular season usually sucks also).
It feels more like summer league. On balance I hope the Celtics and Bruins win, but it's not the same. Not really even close to the same.
 

Dahabenzapple2

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I think it really depends if your team is good or not, I haven't been able to bring myself to care about the NBA much yet (although in a normal season most of the end of the regular season usually sucks also).
Hockey has been enjoyable to me - even non-Bruins games while Basketball has been great when watching the Celtics but my interest in non-Celtics has been waning. I have watched zero baseball as The Sawx stink plus my interest has been fading even through 2018 as the game itself has so many issues outside of the pandemic. I’m new to my rejuvenated interest in Hockey but the game itself seems to be at a peak.
 

jon abbey

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the game itself seems to be at a peak.
This is how I feel about current baseball (this year is different obviously), genuinely.

The NHL I haven't cared about since I was a kid and an insane Islanders fan during their dynasty, I far far prefer Olympic hockey with the bigger rinks, more room to skate and pass and less board work.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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It feels more like summer league. On balance I hope the Celtics and Bruins win, but it's not the same. Not really even close to the same.
This was my biggest concern coming into the restart but I've been pleasantly surprised how much it hasn't felt like summer league or an exhibition. I think the NBA has done a great job using the video boards and arena sounds to replicate "home games" as much as possible. The quality of play across the board has also been excellent - some of the best, if not the best, of the season. I'm bummed they aren't playing at the Garden tonight, but I think the NBA has hit it out of the park.

MLB, not so much. Those games feel like spring training games at best to me.
 

jon abbey

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I think the NBA has hit it out of the park.

MLB, not so much. Those games feel like spring training games at best to me.
This is what I was saying above, this is totally reversed for me, but I am a Knicks*/Yankees fan and you are presumably a Celtics/Sox fan.

*I am a longtime hardcore Knicks fan who now roots for them to go 0-82 every year until Dolan sells the team. This is pretty enjoyable actually because they lose a lot.
 

OurF'ingCity

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For me, a big part of it is where the game is being played. I'm enjoying the NBA experience the most because of the "theater" set-up they have - because they have no empty stands, it doesn't ever really feel like anything is missing. Hockey and baseball, by contrast, are being played in large, empty arenas/stadiums that gives everything a vaguely ghostly, apocalyptic feel.
 

snowmanny

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Light-Tower-Power

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This is what I was saying above, this is totally reversed for me, but I am a Knicks*/Yankees fan and you are presumably a Celtics/Sox fan.

*I am a longtime hardcore Knicks fan who now roots for them to go 0-82 every year until Dolan sells the team. This is pretty enjoyable actually because they lose a lot.
This is true. I watched the first few Sox games, mostly because I was so happy to see sports back. I stopped watching when it became obvious they were a completely noncompetitive team. I feel the same way when I see highlights of other games too, though. I think it has more to do with the sham that is the 60 game season, COVID postponements, 7 inning DHs, etc. than not having fans. However, I'm a bigger basketball fan than baseball fan in general.

If anyone is looking for good baseball content outside of the games themselves, check out Trevor Bauer's Inside the COVID Season vlog on YouTube. It's a really well done behind the scenes look at what MLB life is like this season.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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Yeah, I really don't see the Indians trading away two starting pitchers who provide far more value on the field than they'll cost for the foreseeable future (because Clevinger was a late bloomer he'll be cheap until he hits the stage of his career where Cleveland wouldn't pay for him anyway, and Plesac has shattered all on-field expectations of him while making the minimum). The Indians aren't a team that passes up bargains or accepts pennies on the dollar over a temporary issue. At most, they'll leave them off the 28-man roster for the next couple months of this ridiculous season and then they move forward next spring with this being old news.
 

Dahabenzapple2

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This is how I feel about current baseball (this year is different obviously), genuinely.

The NHL I haven't cared about since I was a kid and an insane Islanders fan during their dynasty, I far far prefer Olympic hockey with the bigger rinks, more room to skate and pass and less board work.
I do not prefer this high strikeout/very slow pace version of MLB
 

jon abbey

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I do not prefer this high strikeout/very slow pace version of MLB
You and many other people, I am not sure why people prefer groundouts and fly outs to strikeouts, but to each their own. To me strikeouts are 'action' and I would much rather watch a pitcher get 12 Ks than 6 Ks and 6 other outs.
 

BaseballJones

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You and many other people, I am not sure why people prefer groundouts and fly outs to strikeouts, but to each their own. To me strikeouts are 'action' and I would much rather watch a pitcher get 12 Ks than 6 Ks and 6 other outs.
Obviously personal preference. But for me as a fan, it depends. Watching a great pitcher dominate is one thing. Pedro, Clemens, Cole, etc. You know you're watching an artist.

But watching mediocre pitching get tons of strikeouts because hitters are only swinging for the downs...that's not enjoyable for me. I'd rather see the ball put in play and see the fielders show off their talents, some of which will be fantastic plays in the field, than watch guys swing for the fences and strike out all the time.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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You and many other people, I am not sure why people prefer groundouts and fly outs to strikeouts, but to each their own. To me strikeouts are 'action' and I would much rather watch a pitcher get 12 Ks than 6 Ks and 6 other outs.
When most pitchers throw 95+ and bullpens are filled with guys who strike out more than a batter per inning it makes strikeouts a lot less interesting. They're just routine outs at this point.
 

jon abbey

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Right, I disagree. Strikeouts are different from each other just like home runs or singles or dunks or three pointers. If scoring was down, I would understand people’s complaints better, but it’s not. To me MLB is the best it’s ever been right now, as far as an on-field product.
 

OurF'ingCity

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You and many other people, I am not sure why people prefer groundouts and fly outs to strikeouts, but to each their own. To me strikeouts are 'action' and I would much rather watch a pitcher get 12 Ks than 6 Ks and 6 other outs.
I don't think the issue is so much "strikeouts vs. other kinds of outs" as much as it is "ball not put in play vs. ball put in play." It's just not the case that strikeouts or walks are the same "action" as a ball being put in play - in the former, there are 8 players just standing around whereas the latter involves at least a few other players doing something. And, of course, a ball put in play presents virtually infinite possibilities ranging from a great catch, a great throw, a baserunning blunder, a great slide, a comedic error, a rundown, or the team's left fielder deciding the cut off the center fielder's throw for some reason (ahem). None of which is possible when the ball is not put in play. (Home runs are a middle ground, since sometimes they will be close to outs, or be really cool and majestc, etc.)

Put another way, strikeouts and walks are only exciting in context. If the bases are loaded and it's the bottom of the ninth inning, sure, a strikeout or walk in that scenario is definitely going to be exciting. But balls put in play can lead to exciting outcomes regardless of game situation - it could be a 10-0 game but it's still cool when the losing team's center fielder makes an amazing catch, or still humorous when the winning team's first baseman lets a ball through his legs, etc.

You can't really have baseball without SOME strikeouts and walks, of course, and conversely I assume no one would disagree that baseball where the ONLY outcomes were strikeout, walk, or home run would be incredibly boring. There is a happy medium, but I'm among those who thinks the game is starting to trend too much in favor of the "three true outcomes." How to address that issue, to the extent one thinks it even is an issue, is another question entirely, of course.
 

jon abbey

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I don't think the issue is so much "strikeouts vs. other kinds of outs" as much as it is "ball not put in play vs. ball put in play." It's just not the case that strikeouts or walks are the same "action" as a ball being put in play - in the former, there are 8 players just standing around whereas the latter involves at least a few other players doing something. And, of course, a ball put in play presents virtually infinite possibilities ranging from a great catch, a great throw, a baserunning blunder, a great slide, a comedic error, a rundown, or the team's left fielder deciding the cut off the center fielder's throw for some reason (ahem). None of which is possible when the ball is not put in play. (Home runs are a middle ground, since sometimes they will be close to outs, or be really cool and majestc, etc.)

Put another way, strikeouts and walks are only exciting in context. If the bases are loaded and it's the bottom of the ninth inning, sure, a strikeout or walk in that scenario is definitely going to be exciting. But balls put in play can lead to exciting outcomes regardless of game situation - it could be a 10-0 game but it's still cool when the losing team's center fielder makes an amazing catch, or still humorous when the winning team's first baseman lets a ball through his legs, etc.

You can't really have baseball without SOME strikeouts and walks, of course, and conversely I assume no one would disagree that baseball where the ONLY outcomes were strikeout, walk, or home run would be incredibly boring. There is a happy medium, but I'm among those who thinks the game is starting to trend too much in favor of the "three true outcomes." How to address that issue, to the extent one thinks it even is an issue, is another question entirely, of course.
Yes, I understand all this and to me it is not a problem. For many others, it is, I'm aware.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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Right, I disagree. Strikeouts are different from each other just like home runs or singles or dunks or three pointers. If scoring was down, I would understand people’s complaints better, but it’s not. To me MLB is the best it’s ever been right now, as far as an on-field product.
Wow, totally disagree. The players might be the most talented ever but the product on the field is the worst in the history of the game.
 

johnmd20

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Wow, totally disagree. The players might be the most talented ever but the product on the field is the worst in the history of the game.
Seriously. Abbey made a pretty tough comment on this. The game is most certainly not at its best as a product. I still watch and I still love the game. But it's pretty boring overall.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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Yeah, I was a diehard hardcore Sox fan as a kid and through my teens and early 20s, which is the reason I joined the board. I find the three true outcome and slow paced nature of today’s game to be so boring and I’ve almost lost all interest over the past couple of years. I’m glad the Sox won in 2018, but I found the playoffs to be almost unwatchable the games were so glacially slow. I still love the game since I grew up watching and playing it, but man is the MLB product bad right now.