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MLB (Baseball)

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  • N
    neph93
    見習いボス
    Joined: 18 Aug 2014

    @mclaincausey:

    I think it would probably be a challenge to become a fan of baseball as an adult, but when you're steeped in it as part of your cultural background it's a great game with more magic to it than any of the other sports. Lots of strange things happen, there is great history, and every time you watch you're likely to see something that has never happened or only happened a few times over hundreds of thousands of games (unassisted triple plays, perfect games, and so forth).

    It's those elements of history and culture that I find appealing as well as it being similar to cricket in as far as the statistics are interesting. I agree that it would be a little forced/artificial to develop an interest for it on a whim, but I find it a fascinating part of your sporting culture.

    “Some of those that work forces
    Are the same that burn crosses”

    • Virginia Woolf
    last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 12:23 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • M
      mclaincausey
      見習いボス
      Joined: 12 Apr 2013

      You should check out a game live for sure. But there is so much to know, so many rules, traditions, historical context, and so forth, that it is a lot to get your head around in terms of the context that enriches the game for baseball lovers.

      And yes, for those of us who love numbers, statistics are king in baseball, but they always battle instinct in terms of strategy. Sabermetrics was born there to temper the effects of instinct, and those analytical methods have since spread to American football and other sports as well. However, risk aversion still wins, especially in football strategy, where teams go against the numbers routinely (e.g., punting on fourth down excessively).

      Think it, be it.

      last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 12:29 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • N
        neph93
        見習いボス
        Joined: 18 Aug 2014

        @mclaincausey:

        However, risk aversion still wins, especially in football strategy, where teams go against the numbers routinely (e.g., punting on fourth down excessively).

        I was actually reading something in The Guardian about how that has changed in the NFL this season. How the new generation of young QB's are going for more passes and less rushing yards and how anything goes on 4th downs now.

        “Some of those that work forces
        Are the same that burn crosses”

        • Virginia Woolf
        last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 12:32 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • M
          mclaincausey
          見習いボス
          Joined: 12 Apr 2013

          @neph93:

          @mclaincausey:

          However, risk aversion still wins, especially in football strategy, where teams go against the numbers routinely (e.g., punting on fourth down excessively).

          I was actually reading something in The Guardian about how that has changed in the NFL this season. How the new generation of young QB's are going for more passes and less rushing yards and how anything goes on 4th downs now.

          There's a great book called "Scorecasting" (IIRC) that takes an economic view (e., Applying regression analysis) of sports and finds that much of the conventional wisdom in various sports (punt on 4th down, freeze the kicker, "defense wins championships") doesn't make sense. But we are more fearful of loss and getting harangued for it than we are focused on winning, so this destructive, "safe" tendency (also covered in 'Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow") hampers how effective strategies are. If things were done by the numbers in football, punts would occur only in limited circumstances. But risk aversion plagues the fans as much as the strategists, and the teams suffer as a result. I believe baseball is less plagued by this, but even so it is still quite common–Billy Beane helped managers get away from some of this stuff and go by the numbers to a greater degree than some other sports. The "gut" is comfortable, but unreliable.

          Beyond sports, risk aversion plagues us as a species in many more ways.

          Think it, be it.

          last edited by 10 Nov 2018, 14:23 11 Oct 2018, 14:21 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • M
            Matty123
            Raw and Unwashed
            Joined: 4 Apr 2017

            Well said @mclaincausey

            @neph93 I’m a passionate baseball fan. Thank you for stirring the pot.

            I once participated in a game with an unassisted triple play. 11 years old. I was playing short stop. A man
            On first  and second base. The batter hit a line drive to second base for
            The first out. The runner on first was tagged out running to second and the second baseman who caught the ball ran and tagged second base as the runner on second  base had been advancing to third. Inning over  It
            Unassisted triple play

            Ruben you should go on YouTube and look up on assisted triple play

            Maybe so. Maybe not

            last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 14:22 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • M
              mclaincausey
              見習いボス
              Joined: 12 Apr 2013

              @Matty123:

              Well said @mclaincausey

              @neph93 I’m a passionate baseball fan. Thank you for stirring the pot.

              I once participated in a game with an unassisted triple play. 11 years old. I was playing short stop. A man
              On first  and second base. The batter hit a line drive to second base for
              The first out. The runner on first was tagged out running to second and the second baseman who caught the ball ran and tagged second base as the runner on second  base had been advancing to third. Inning over  It
              Unassisted triple play

              Ruben you should go on YouTube and look up on assisted triple play

              That is super cool!!

              Think it, be it.

              last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 14:27 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • M
                manufc10
                Iron Heart Deity
                Joined: 14 Mar 2015

                That also has to be super rare.  More rare than a perfect game maybe?

                last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:04 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • M
                  manufc10
                  Iron Heart Deity
                  Joined: 14 Mar 2015

                  I witnessed Tony Womack hit an inside the park Grand Slam for the Dbacks back in the late 90's/early 2000's I believe it was?  That was really cool and also super rare.

                  Admittedly baseball can have it's exciting moments but overall my opinion still stands, the game is slow and boring to watch in general.  MLB even acknowledges that the game needs to be sped up as they have been kicking around ideas on how to do so.  I'm not up to date on the latest rule changes but I know different ideas were being tossed around as far as limiting the pitchers time between each pitch, limiting manager visits to the mound, etc…not sure if anything has been implemented though.

                  last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:16 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • M
                    mclaincausey
                    見習いボス
                    Joined: 12 Apr 2013

                    Aside from arbitrary things like Shawn Green going 6/6 with two doubles and 4 HR, I think the unassisted triple play is the rarest single-game feat and probably the rarest play in baseball. Then you have to think of multi game feats such as DiMaggio's hitting streak or Ripkens starting game streak that seem to be insurmountable, one-off occurrences. Then you can get into playoff and WS records… All kinds of ways you can witness unprecedented events in the game, one of its many charms.

                    Think it, be it.

                    last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:25 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • M
                      mclaincausey
                      見習いボス
                      Joined: 12 Apr 2013

                      Wow, inside the park GS has to be super rare, requires all the baserunners in front of you to be good enough baserunners to score as well as the hitter.

                      Think it, be it.

                      last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:27 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M
                        manufc10
                        Iron Heart Deity
                        Joined: 14 Mar 2015

                        last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:46 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • M
                          Matty123
                          Raw and Unwashed
                          Joined: 4 Apr 2017

                          @manufc10:

                          That also has to be super rare.  More rare than a perfect game maybe?

                          23 perfect game in mlb history

                          15 unassisted triple plays.

                          Indeed much more rare.

                          I Love stats like that. Not Into saber metrics and all
                          That. But stats like that are cool.

                          Maybe so. Maybe not

                          last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:47 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • G
                            gaseousclay
                            Joined: 4 Nov 2016

                            @manufc10:

                            Admittedly baseball can have it's exciting moments but overall my opinion still stands, the game is slow and boring to watch in general.  MLB even acknowledges that the game needs to be sped up as they have been kicking around ideas on how to do so.  I'm not up to date on the latest rule changes but I know different ideas were being tossed around as far as limiting the pitchers time between each pitch, limiting manager visits to the mound, etc…not sure if anything has been implemented though.

                            I love baseball but don't follow it religiously. But I agree with your sentiment. It's for this reason that I haven't taken my son to any MLB games. It would likely bore him to tears and we'd likely leave after a couple of innings. I will say though, minor league games are fun to watch. The St.Paul Saints, which is co-owned by Bill Murray, always has fun activities between innings. I think this makes it more enjoyable for the kids in attendance but also less likely for you to leave before the game is over. My 2 cents

                            WTB:
                            IHSH-129 size L (blue)
                            IHSH-19

                            last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:49 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • G
                              gaseousclay
                              Joined: 4 Nov 2016

                              Baseball is also one of the national pass times in Japan when I lived there as a young 'un/teenager. It was amusing to me that washed up American ball players would play on Japanese teams when their careers were finished stateside. It was also interesting to see the influx of pro Japanese ball players joining MLB teams in the last couple of decades. I'm still looking for vintage Seibu Lions gear  😃

                              WTB:
                              IHSH-129 size L (blue)
                              IHSH-19

                              last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 16:52 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • C
                                Chris
                                Raw and Unwashed
                                Joined: 28 Jun 2010

                                @gaseousclay:

                                It was amusing to me that washed up American ball players would play on Japanese teams when their careers were finished stateside.

                                Like this classic of American cinema?

                                last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 17:37 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • G
                                  gaseousclay
                                  Joined: 4 Nov 2016

                                  @Chris:

                                  @gaseousclay:

                                  It was amusing to me that washed up American ball players would play on Japanese teams when their careers were finished stateside.

                                  Like this classic of American cinema?

                                  yep. Except replace Tom Selleck with this guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Wells_(baseball)

                                  WTB:
                                  IHSH-129 size L (blue)
                                  IHSH-19

                                  last edited by 11 Oct 2018, 19:19 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • topic:timeago-later,7 days
                                  • S
                                    scooter
                                    啓蒙家
                                    Joined: 26 Dec 2015

                                    "Uh, Houston, we've had a problem"

                                    I believe any team is going to have a problem with Boston. I'm holding out hope, my hometown Brew Crew turn things around at home, and take the next 2. Beyond that, I think they'd have to make a deal with the devil.

                                    Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

                                    last edited by 19 Oct 2018, 03:51 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • M
                                      mclaincausey
                                      見習いボス
                                      Joined: 12 Apr 2013

                                      I'd love to see the Dodgers win in 7 over Boston, mainly because they are my dad's team going back to when they were in Brooklyn, and as a Cubs fan I've always liked Boston since they had a similar run of futility. That said, it would have been historically interesting to have back to back franchise-first WS titles (Astros, Brewers), and I don't think the odds are very good of either NL team beating either AL team, probably less so for the Dodgers unless Kershaw and Hill can continue to dominate.

                                      I thought the Astros would take Boston out but man they are a murderer's row of a batting order and the bullpen was good enough against another formidable lineup.

                                      Think it, be it.

                                      last edited by 19 Oct 2018, 20:29 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • topic:timeago-later,20 days
                                      • S
                                        steelworker
                                        見習いボス
                                        Joined: 16 Apr 2014

                                        Red Sox!!!  😉

                                        Those are my principles, and if you don't like them…
                                        Well, I have others.

                                        last edited by 9 Nov 2018, 04:21 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • topic:timeago-later,2 years
                                        • G
                                          GoCougs
                                          Joined: 27 May 2020

                                          Go M's!  And anything can happen in this upcoming short 60 game season  😉

                                          last edited by 10 Jul 2020, 16:59 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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