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DaveSchmidt said:
Not as much as I’m looking forward to watching Team USA’s MVP in red pinstripes this year.
He's my favorite player. Don't know why if they had the money they didn't offer it to him instead of Correa.
jfinnegan said:
Don't know why if they had the money they didn't offer it to him instead of Correa.
Never underestimate the influence of a spouse who grew up on the Philly fan side of the N.J. divide.
DaveSchmidt said:
Never underestimate the influence of a spouse who grew up on the Philly fan side of the N.J. divide.
I don't underestimate that, but I never heard anything about the Mets making him an offer. He's a fun player to watch. I would have understood if they said they didn't want to have another large contract, but then they went out and offered Correa a similar deal to what Turner got.
This is the season that Phillies fans start appreciating Rhys Hoskins.
100% on-board with the pitch clock.
Close to that on the shift change- I know many disagree.
But limiting the pitcher to two pickoff attempts before making it high-stakes?
The runner controls that situation.
Ridiculous…
jimmurphy said:
100% on-board with the pitch clock.
Close to that on the shift change- I know many disagree.
I’ve read that some teams have been experimenting with extreme outfield shifts. I haven’t seen any, but I presume they move the left fielder into a hole behind the diamond between first and second.
Sounds … risky.
DaveSchmidt said:
I’ve read that some teams have been experimenting with extreme outfield shifts. I haven’t seen any, but I presume they move the left fielder into a hole behind the diamond between first and second.
Sounds … risky.
I haven't seen it, but the Red Sox did that against Gallo.
Not a rule change, but a friend and I were watching a highlight of Trea Turner when he was still with the Nats where he hits a slow roller near the catcher and he ended up getting hit by the ball right as he was touching first base. He got called out for touching the ball in fair territory. The base is in fair territory so he would have to be in fair territory. My friend said they should just have the extra base like in softball for the runner to step on. Maybe something they can try out in the minors first.
jfinnegan said:
Not a rule change, but a friend and I were watching a highlight of Trea Turner when he was still with the Nats where he hits a slow roller near the catcher and he ended up getting hit by the ball right as he was touching first base. He got called out for touching the ball in fair territory. The base is in fair territory so he would have to be in fair territory. My friend said they should just have the extra base like in softball for the runner to step on. Maybe something they can try out in the minors first.
Sounds like this play, in which Turner was called out not for touching the ball in fair territory (think of how many times you’ve seen a throw hit a baserunner — sliding into a bag, say — without the runner’s being called out) but for interfering with the first baseman.
DaveSchmidt said:
Sounds like this play, in which Turner was called out not for touching the ball in fair territory (think of how many times you’ve seen a throw hit a baserunner — sliding into a bag, say — without the runner’s being called out) but for interfering with the first baseman.
Yeah, that was the play. I have watched it multiple times and I still can't see what he did wrong. Was he not supposed to step on the base so the first baseman could make the catch? Manny Machado also would have no excuse for stepping on guys' ankles at first if there was another base. He seems to have gotten that out of his system at least.
DaveSchmidt said:
Play ball!
Nice to still be able to root for deGrom. For a day at least. 
jimmurphy said:
Nice to still be able to root for deGrom. For a day at least.
Feel free to jinx him anytime.
DaveSchmidt said:
Feel free to jinx him anytime.
Rooting doesn’t have much impact. At least from afar.
I didn't see the play, but how was the catcher on the Cards so crossed up with the pitcher? I thought pitchcom is supposed to take care of that.
nobody should ever go on the field. And if they do they should be immediately removed and arrested. But does anyone think this security guard went way over the top here? I seem to be in the minority though. I haven't heard or seen anyone suggesting this might have been excessive force.
jfinnegan said:
I didn't see the play, but how was the catcher on the Cards so crossed up with the pitcher? I thought pitchcom is supposed to take care of that.
I recall reading at least one report last season of a catcher pressing the wrong button, calling a different pitch from what he intended (and expected), so maybe something like that happened?
Speaking of catchers: Interesting first-day observations from J.T. Realmuto.
https://theathletic.com/4366966/2023/03/30/phillies-rangers-opening-day-pitch-clock/
“With the pitch clock, you can’t ever slow the pitcher down. It’s crazy. Once an offense gets rolling and the pitcher gets on the ropes a little bit, it’s really hard. You have to make a pitch quickly to get an out. Because momentum is going to be huge now with how fast things happen and the pitcher not being able to get a breath in.”
…
He knew the clock would require him to alter how he approaches situations. But Realmuto does not think there was a way to simulate this.
“I mean, it was a different feel than it was in spring training,” Realmuto said. “Obviously, in spring training, the outs don’t matter as much. Here, there’s a plan. A million things are going through your head as a catcher and as a pitcher. And you just don’t really have time to evaluate things and decide what you want to do. You just have to go.
“It’s going to take a little time to adjust to, but obviously, that’s not the reason why we lost. They’re going through the same thing. But it’s definitely different. It was a completely different thing. I have never felt that rushed before in big situations. It was weird.”
ml1 said:
nobody should ever go on the field. And if they do they should be immediately removed and arrested. But does anyone think this security guard went way over the top here? I seem to be in the minority though. I haven't heard or seen anyone suggesting this might have been excessive force.
“Should be immediately removed.” Immediacy becomes a challenge, though, if the intruder flees. How often have we seen people drag out the disruption by running around? The tackle left no room for escape.
Now, was the kneeling Romeo likely to bolt if six security guards had approached to escort him out? Probably not, which makes the force seem excessive in this case. And maybe the guard had malice in his heart and was just salivating at the open shot. But I think an impulse to stop these trespassers in their tracks is understandable.
Random thought inspired by an off-limits baseball discussion:
“Woe are us” Mets fans are funny.
Re Realmuto, he should have been addressing this in the clubhouse during spring training. That's professional preparation.
Re Mets fans, very true about many of us, although as with any baseball team Facebook is an echo chamber for old men.
DanDietrich said:
Re Realmuto, he should have been addressing this in the clubhouse during spring training. That's professional preparation.
The veteran major-leaguer had me convinced that, as is sometimes the case for all of us, it was hard to prepare for real conditions.
Re Mets fans, very true about many of us, although as with any baseball team Facebook is an echo chamber for old men.
I’m not on Facebook, so I wouldn’t know about those fans.
jfinnegan said:
I didn't see the play, but how was the catcher on the Cards so crossed up with the pitcher?
I don’t think Contreras was crossed up. Just didn’t get the glove down in time, it looks to me.
https://www.mlb.com/news/willson-contreras-exits-cardinals-debut-with-injury
DaveSchmidt said:
ml1 said:
nobody should ever go on the field. And if they do they should be immediately removed and arrested. But does anyone think this security guard went way over the top here? I seem to be in the minority though. I haven't heard or seen anyone suggesting this might have been excessive force.
“Should be immediately removed.” Immediacy becomes a challenge, though, if the intruder flees. How often have we seen people drag out the disruption by running around? The tackle left no room for escape.
Now, was the kneeling Romeo likely to bolt if six security guards had approached to escort him out? Probably not, which makes the force seem excessive in this case. And maybe the guard had malice in his heart and was just salivating at the open shot. But I think an impulse to stop these trespassers in their tracks is understandable.
I think the guard could easily have let up during his last couple of steps and tackled the guy without hitting him like an NFL linebacker.
It's a funny story afterwards because nobody got hurt. But if the guy moved a bit and got hit full force in the head and suffered a TBI this would have been a very different story.
I'd be totally in camp Schmidt on this one, but for the you'd-never-catch-me-Phillie-self-deprecating woe is me shot. Hurt a little, gotta admit.
Train_of_Thought said:
I'd be totally in camp Schmidt on this one, but for the you'd-never-catch-me-Phillie-self-deprecating woe is me shot. Hurt a little, gotta admit.
”Woe are us” Phillies fans are funny, too. Funnier, even. (With 11,188 losses to back them up.)
my last word on this will be to comment on this angle of the incident. The D-Backs left fielder's reaction suggests maybe he thought it was excessive force. And he's presumably the guy most in need of "protection" from security in a case like this.
Pitch clock doesn't bug me. Lack of shift I like. But these ads on the uniforms, that's too much. This isn't little league. Does this revenue get handed to Pittsburgh as well?
Not as much as I’m looking forward to watching Team USA’s MVP in red pinstripes this year.