2025 MLB Thread

[Westheim]

I am not sure to what degree 2,000 year old wisdoms from scriptures can readily be applied to running a billion dollar entertainment vehicle in 2025. The fastest social media back then was a guy on a horse shouting really loud while riding through the streets. [Disclaimer: I'm an atheist and guilty of several prohibitions that end with "should be put to death" as early as the book of Exodus, so I like to get my guidance elsewhere. Your mileage may vary and that is fine. ]

As a fan of discipline and law and order in general, I think Snitker was right in 2019 and failed this time. I didn't do research however down to the level of "how many warm bodies were left on the bench" and such. If you only have your backup catcher and a guy with a throbbing knee left on the bench late in a game, that might influence when you bring the hammer down on an offender.

That aside, I don't understand for the life of me why Snitker would say that he didn't watch the Kelenic play. Isn't that his whole job to begin with??

[Déjà Bru]

I have been thinking about this since my last post. My position has shifted a bit, upon further contemplation of the lameness of Snitker's responses to inquiry. While I am still not sure of the cause, his handling of the matter is reprehensible.

And yet, while I don't mean to be his apologist, something about this record argues against what seems to be the obvious cause:



The Athletic had these things to say:

Snitker created an opening for the team’s franchise player to question him. This controversy, like most fueled by social media, might very well have a short shelf life. But the issue raised by Acuña is the kind that might expose a rift in a team that is almost one-third Latin.

Most teams, the Braves included, are remarkably successful at blending different cultures. Most teams also experience occasional tensions. Striking the proper balance over a six-month, 162-game season can challenge even the most well-intentioned.

Snitker routinely draws praise for his even demeanor and stable leadership. Coming from the Bobby Cox school, he generally prefers to handle sensitive matters behind closed doors. This time, though, he looked out of touch. And short-term, [due to the team's recent struggles] the timing could not be worse.

When it became an issue, Snitker should have taken this approach: "Yes, come to think of it, I should have pulled him. I didn't, though, for whatever reason. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. I'll sit him down for tomorrow's game." A little bit of self-deprecating humor and a rectifying gesture and we are not talking about it today.

Instead, he got caught flat-footed with "Was I supposed to?" and "wasn't watching" which, to me, screams "old fud" much louder.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by DéjÃ* Bru

When it became an issue, Snitker should have taken this approach: "Yes, come to think of it, I should have pulled him. I didn't, though, for whatever reason. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. I'll sit him down for tomorrow's game." A little bit of self-deprecating humor and a rectifying gesture and we are not talking about it today.

Instead, he got caught flat-footed with "Was I supposed to?" and "wasn't watching" which, to me, screams "old fud" much louder.

Now you're cookin'!

No matter what the conscious/subconscious motives were, dude made a mistake. I say this all the time: "No one claims to be perfect, yet few will admit their mistakes. " His actions, words, and airing it out to the media set a precedent. Man up and say, "I goofed." And that is the end of it. Weak arguments trying to defend himself makes it worse and strains the relationship he has w/Acuna and the teammates that empathize with him. If he just humbled himself, the respect his players have for him grows. Any criticism would now sound constructive. But now it will have the appearance of bullying.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

I am not sure to what degree 2,000 year old wisdoms from scriptures can readily be applied to running a billion dollar entertainment vehicle in 2025. The fastest social media back then was a guy on a horse shouting really loud while riding through the streets. [Disclaimer: I'm an atheist and guilty of several prohibitions that end with "should be put to death" as early as the book of Exodus, so I like to get my guidance elsewhere. Your mileage may vary and that is fine. ]

As a fan of discipline and law and order in general, I think Snitker was right in 2019 and failed this time. I didn't do research however down to the level of "how many warm bodies were left on the bench" and such. If you only have your backup catcher and a guy with a throbbing knee left on the bench late in a game, that might influence when you bring the hammer down on an offender.

That aside, I don't understand for the life of me why Snitker would say that he didn't watch the Kelenic play. Isn't that his whole job to begin with??

Wisdom may age but it doesn't become out-dated. If Schnitker doesn't want to be called out in the media don't call out others in the same fashion. Can't call your treatment unfair if that is how you dealt w/ things previously. He was shown the same respect he gave Acuna.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Couldn't it simply be that Snit realizes he made a wrong move with Acuña and six years later, decided not to repeat his previous mistake? Less "double-standard", more "that didn't work, better try something else".

Emerson's "foolish consistency" and all that? Just a thought.

(Yes, Snit's excuses are lame beyond lame. But managers who publicly proclaim "I ****ed up" quite often swiftly become ex-managers, even if they've been in the organization since the team was in Milwaukee or however long Snit's been there.)

Then that is what he should have said and in the same statement apologized to Acuna. But that isn't what was said so again it is just making excuses for him. Not watching the game is a weak excuse and as a manager is worse than admitting to dropping the ball.

Just own up and apologize and he and Acuna can move on. Even strengthen the relationship. But now Acuna can't be blamed for looking at him side eyed.

[Hageneezz]

I'm calling it now!

Tigers v Mets World Series

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A346E met Tapatalk

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Hageneezz

I'm calling it now!

Tigers v Mets World Series

I think you had too much reggae.

[Hageneezz]

Originally Posted by Westheim

I think you had too much reggae.

There can never be too much reggae

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A346E met Tapatalk

[Déjà Bru]

Wow, I overlooked this when it happened a few days ago.

https://x.com/espn/status/1914102451872936209

Arraez was out cold.

I like this idea:

In college baseball, the NCAA has instituted what is known as “the double first base rule.” It is a safety measure that places two bags at first base for use on close plays — one bag for the defender, one for the base runner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c4qN1Yh3RY

[Déjà Bru]

Rowrrrr! Two local team day games on a beautiful day in New York (and Cleveland) and I missed them both. Why? Besides forgetting to check the schedule, that is?

Because I prioritized fertilizing the lawn and cleaning out the shed, that's why! Where the heck are my priorities?

Oh well. My Plan B in this case is to watch the encore presentation if the team won. Who will it be this time?



And the winner is . . . (to be edited)

EDIT: It's a tie! Both teams won. Yankees beat the Guardians 5-1. The Mets won in rather dramatic fashion, too (I tuned in just in time to see the 10th inning; they snuffed out a Phillies rally with only one run scored in the 10th, then scored two of their own to win it.) Now what do I do?

EDIT 2: Bah, who am I kidding. Same protocol as usual: Yankees first. Would I have watched the Mets if the situation was different; i.e., Yanks lose, Mets win? Yes. I have endured too many Yankee heartbreaks in my many years of fandom and besides, I've become a bit fond of that other team over in Queens. Don't tell those guys in the Mets thread.

[Cobra Mgr]

Bad umpiring

More bad umpiring

[Westheim]

The only day game on a Friday being delayed for rain makes me a sad little raccoon...

[low]

Originally Posted by Westheim

The only day game on a Friday being delayed for rain makes me a sad little raccoon...

On a related note, there are too many night games these days. I hate it.

[Cobra Mgr]

Is 4 homers in a game good?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Is 4 homers in a game good?

A look at every four-homer game in MLB history

You see some guys on this list that you would expect to see based on their career home run totals: Delgado, Schmidt, Mays, Gehrig.

And then you see some guys that you would not expect, based on that criterion: Gennett, Whiten, Seerey, and those two guys at the bottom from before the Dead Ball Era.



Fun fact: This is only the third time that this has happened and the player's team still lost the game. The other two: Horner and Delahanty.

Fun fact 2: Cameron and Bret Boone went back-to-back twice in the same inning in Cameron's game. Never been done before or since.

Fun fact 3: Whiten had 12 RBI's in his game, tying somebody named Jim Bottomley (1924) for most ribbies in one game. (Bottomley is a HoFer.)

Fun fact 4: The day that Gehrig hit his four home runs, Tony Lazzeri tried to show him up by hitting for the cycle. No matter; Lazzeri never did it again while Gehrig went on to hit for two cycles of his own over the next five seasons.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Is 4 homers in a game good?

Apparently not good enough to win!

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

A look at every four-homer game in MLB history

The thing that surprises me the most is Bob Horner had only 217 HR's. Would have sworn on a stack of Bibles he got past 300. Then I see he only played 10 seasons thanks to collusion. A shame.

[Amazin69]

Also remember, Gehrig nearly had FIVE bombs, but the fifth time, "Bucketfoot" Al Simmons (or "Aloysius Harry Szymanski" per his birth certificate), having been moved from his usual left field post to center after Connie Mack made the somewhat questionable decision to pinch-hit for Roger "Doc" Cramer with Oscar Roettger (who?), went alllllll the way back to near the Shibe Park center-field flagpole to haul in Gehrig's 460-foot shot.

Larrupin' Lou always ran as if his feet were killing him, but it's not impossible that blast off of Ed Rommel (later an umpire) could have resulted in an inside-the-park grand-slam, instead of the very long SF it turned into.

It should be noted that the game was still tight then; the Yankees only led by 14-12 at the time. (The Athletics' pitchers may have been getting killed, but they were the three-time defending AL champs for a reason; they fought hard the whole game.) Indeed, Yankees manager Joe McCarthy started the inning playing for an insurance run: after Lefty Gomez and Earle Combs singled to start the top of the 9th, McCarthy had Jack Saltzgaver bunt the runners over, at which point Connie Mack had Rommel intentionally walk Babe Ruth to load the bases for Lou.

(Yes, it takes nerve to issue an intentional walk in order to bring up the guy who already hit 4 HRs in the game…but Babe Ruth was still Babe Ruth, after all.)

McCarthy sent Myril Hoag in to run for Ruth, because, hey, that run might be important, what with Philadelphia already having scored 12 and probably having more in them. And indeed, on Gehrig's SF, Combs took 3B and Hoag took 2nd, which Babe might not have done, being in the later years of his career. (Babe was 37 then.) The open base at first tempted Mack into repeating his previous mistake and he had Rommel intentionally pass Ben "Such a Lovely Fellow in SO Many Ways" Chapman (y'all did see 42, right?), reloading the bags for Bill Dickey.

But having been told to throw balls on purpose, twice, Rommel couldn't find the plate against Dickey, and walked him, forcing in Combs to make the score 16-12.

(This is, you'll note, a perfect argument against what the Mets' production team calls "the Abracadabra Walk", that by simply letting a team wave the IBB to 1B, you eliminate the natural dangers inherent in the IBB [including wild pitches], but of course Manly Rob Manfred will do anything to increase the pace of play, history, strategy and logic be damned. I'm still waiting for him to go to 3 balls for a walk, 2 strikes for an out, and 2 outs per inning. Less baseball means more room for more ads, you know! [/endless seething hatred])

And then Tony Lazzeri capped off his cycle with a grand-slam to left, becoming one of only 14 players to date to hit a "natural cycle" (single followed by double, then triple, then HR) and the only one to finish such a cycle with a grand slam. Pretty good day for "Poosh 'em Up, Tony!", who had such a horseshoe up his butt that when A's starter George Earnshaw picked him off 1B after his single, Earnshaw threw the ball past Jimmie Foxx at 1st, allowing Tony to go to 2nd, and Dickey to score from 3rd.

And then Lefty Gomez (summoned in relief because Dusty Rhodes and Jumbo Brown had been having trouble holding the lead after starter Johnny Allen was tossed for complaining about being squeezed by home plate umpire Harry Geisel [presumably no relation to Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, who was probably still at Dartmouth then, but you never know…]), armed with an 8-run lead now, sailed through the A's 9th, only giving up a solo HR to Foxx (his league-leading 19th).

So it ended up being a pretty good day for the two Yankee immortals who proved all-too-mortal, not even celebrating 80 birthdays between the two of them. (Gehrig checked out at age 37 due to ALS, as is known, and Lazzeri passed away at 42, having an epileptic fit and falling down the stairs to the basement of his San Francisco home, where he died alone in the dark [to quote Red Smith's memorial column] and probably trying to choke out a call for help.)

And, to add to the bitter irony, on this brightest of all days for Tony and Lou, they were all but pushed off of the front page of the sports section when John McGraw (due to chronic sinus issues) resigned as manager of the cross-bridge NY Giants, barely a month short of his 30th season in charge. (How McGraw became the manager of the Giants in the first place was "totally ruthless and unscrupulous", to quote Charles Alexander's biography of McGraw…but that's a different story, even though it largely centers on the Yankees.)

So The New York Times gave this colossal tussle one column on the first sportspage, but gave two to McGraw's retirement, two to Bill Terry's announcement as McGraw's designated successor…and one for the reaction of Terry's wife. I'm sure the Yankees fans of the day thought that the NYT never gave enough credit to the American League interlopers, but so it goes.

(Supporting info from SABR, box score from Baseball-Reference, albeit I had a chunk of the details on my own [including Lazzeri's death from my battered copy of Into the Red, a compilation of Smith's columns of the late 1940s].)

[Déjà Bru]

Good stuff.

[low]

How do you guys feel about micing guys up and interviewing them on the field during play, like they do on ESPN?

As a player, I would probably absolutely not do this.