MLB 2023 Season

[Westheim]

This ESPN broadcast is just too scatterbrained to enjoy. It's barely the sixth inning, and so far they have molested the Mets manager, the Mets GM, the Cards GM, some prospect stalker, Goldschmidt, Wainwright, and probably another guy or two while I was in the bathroom. Occasionally, they even talk about the game going on...

[Westheim]

Why are the Mets on ESPN two stinking days in a row?? Yesterday's broadcast was already atrocious!

Gotta watch somebody else. I just can't deal with that two days straight. How about Pirates-Orioles. Two teams with absolutely no ambitions. There'll be a lot of "it will get better". Perfect.

Also, the O's have Gunnar Henderson. You gotta love a guy named Gunnar!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Why are the Mets on ESPN two stinking days in a row?? Yesterday's broadcast was already atrocious!

Gotta watch somebody else. I just can't deal with that two days straight. How about Pirates-Orioles. Two teams with absolutely no ambitions. There'll be a lot of "it will get better". Perfect.

Also, the O's have Gunnar Henderson. You gotta love a guy named Gunnar!

Oh, if I were a forum moderator. I would transfer this post to the Mets thread and watch the sharks in that thread treat you like chum. One of those sharks would be you, lambasting yourself! Since when is too much Mets on TV too much Mets?

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Oh, if I were a forum moderator. I would transfer this post to the Mets thread and watch the sharks in that thread treat you like chum. One of those sharks would be you, lambasting yourself! Since when is too much Mets on TV too much Mets?

There was hardly any Mets going on! They frittered like an entire inning away by talking to somebody that rates prospects for a living and wasn't affiliated with either team...!

[Syd Thrift]

clickbait twitter article about baseball but I won't say whaaat you'll have to cliiiiick

https://twitter.com/jaycuda/status/1...EtG_0uFaD5kABQ

[Izz]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

clickbait twitter article about baseball but I won't say whaaat you'll have to cliiiiick

https://twitter.com/jaycuda/status/1...EtG_0uFaD5kABQ

I clicked... and was disappointed

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

clickbait twitter article about baseball but I won't say whaaat you'll have to cliiiiick

https://twitter.com/jaycuda/status/1...EtG_0uFaD5kABQ

Paraphrasing The Bard of Avon:

To click, or not to click: that is the question.
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous links,
Or to take arms against that sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them?

To not click; to refrain; no more nonsense;
And by such abstinence we end the heartache
And the thousand natural shocks and abuses
That the mind is heir to on the internet,
’tis a consummation devoutly to be wish’d.

[On the other hand,] To click, to indulge;
To be insulted, perchance to be hacked:
Aye, there’s the rub! For in that sleep of death
What nightmares may come even after when
We have shut our devices, must give us pause.

[In case you are interested, I chose "To not click." ]

[Antonin]

I'm more excited about this season than I have been for many years. The Guardians' spring training games in Arizona have been fun to watch. Maybe now that I'm retired and don't have to worry about getting up early the wife and I will attend some games this season.

Another thing I'm planning to do is join a free fantasy baseball league at ESPN. A friend of mine and I used to meet for drinks one Friday before the season began and make plans to either join an existing league or create one. He died in 2019. I miss our conversations over Heineken about our long-suffering Cleveland sports teams. I think this year I will join an ESPN league and name my team after him.

[Cobra Mgr]

Why would the umps arrogantly refuse a request from both teams to work a half inning in spring training because it wouldn't matter?

NONE OF THE SPRING TRAINING GAMES MATTER!!!!!

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Why would the umps arrogantly refuse a request from both teams to work a half inning in spring training because it wouldn't matter?

NONE OF THE SPRING TRAINING GAMES MATTER!!!!!

If ya got reservations at Tony's at 7:30, ya got reservations at Tony's at 7:30!

[cephasjames]

The game was over. The umps were not required to be there with the game over. If the kids want to keep playing, more power to them.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Why would the umps arrogantly refuse a request from both teams to work a half inning in spring training because it wouldn't matter?

NONE OF THE SPRING TRAINING GAMES MATTER!!!!!

The teams just called their own balls and strikes and everything else. Because as you said, these games don't matter.

But yeah, the umpires could of stayed around for the extra half inning. Only circumstance I could see that they should not of stayed is if that crew had another game they needed to get to.

[Amazin69]

Was watching a rebroadcast of the Stars' comeback win last night on Bally Southwest, and then we went live to the opening of Rangers-Brewers in the desert.

But for some unknown reason it was the Brewers telecast (is Texas too cheap to cover spring ball?), which means I got to see Vinny Rottino as a Milwaukee "analyst". Vinny promptly earned this post by not merely shilling for, er, praising the new "balanced" schedule, but by going on about how it's better to have fewer in-division games because…get this…

…because it was UNFAIR that the Phillies beat out Milwaukee for that last WC last year by playing the DC Doormats 19 times, "and they went 16-3 against them!"

Er, yes, Vinny. The Nationals do suck. So do the Florida Fish. You know who doesn't suck? The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. The Phightin's had to play each of them 19 times as well. Funny how that works out.

Meanwhile, of course, Milwaukee only got to play Pittsburgh 19 times. And 19 games with Stinkinnati. And 19 times with the Cubs. No wonder they couldn't make up for how badly they were treated by that powerhouse in St. Louis!

There's not enough in the world. Va fongool, Vinny!

[Boomcoach]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

And 19 games with Stinkinnati.

How dare you disparage my Reds . . . .yeah, I can't even type that with a straight face.

[dsvitak]

Not sure which Cardinal is about to lose their outfield job...but Jordan Walker is RAKING. His slugging percentage this spring is 1.167

https://www.ksdk.com/article/sports/...5-9480688cc944

[Cod]

FYI, if this to be believed, then T-Mobile is going to offer MLB.tv again in 2023 to T-Mobile customers: https://twitter.com/TMobileHelp/stat...63571238600704

[Westheim]

The Royals are 13-2 in spring. What's the line on them losing 100 games this year again?

[Cobra Mgr]

Diamond Sports Group files for bankruptcy.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Diamond Sports Group files for bankruptcy.

This will get very interesting.
MLB and NBA and NHL rely on these RSNs for a lot of their games.

I have to wonder if they will 'purchase' back rights and air their game on their own platforms.
They might either drop blackouts (best case scenario) or add an extra 'premium' tier that includes all out of market games and and local games (not optimal, but better than not getting to see them at all)

I can't imagine another linear media company would soak up all this debt.

The NBA is about to re up it's right deals. But RSNs were never a part of that.
It will be very intersting to see how this unfolds.

$425 mullion in cash is not a lot of operating funds when you are paying so many broadcast and production teams, travel costs, studio shows, etc

That will be used up quick.
The NBA and NHL seasons are almost done so they can kick this can down the road a bit. But I wonder how MLB will handle this when they suddenly run out of cash in say late May/early June

[Westheim]

How hard can it be for your guy to call their guy the day before a Spring Training game, and tell them, hey, we're gonna wear our blacks tomorrow. And then the other guy can say, okay, then we'll bring our whites. Or pinks. Or whatever.

But this...

THIS...: