2019 Season

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I hope the Athletics can give the Astros a fight. The Yankees need the Astros to get taken deep in the first round.

Hodge, you haven't said a word in so long! Are your Dodgers ready for this postseason?

Devil Rays will not give the Astros any competition either.
I heard Houston's starting pitchers:
1 - Verlander
2- Cole
3 - Greinke
How do you beat that starting pitching?

Now, I heard my Dodgers will start:
1 - Buehler
2 - Kershaw
3 - Ryu
I'm not overly confident, but I'll take my chances.

The only way to beat that starting pitching is with great offense. I think the only team in the postseason that might beat them IMO is the Yankees.

I'm confident your boys can handle DC. Though the Nats are a better team than they have been in previous years, the Dodgers are better too.

If i had my druthers, i'd like to see the Yankees playing the Nats in the Series, but realistically the Dodgers will probably lose to Houston again, or maybe the Yankees.

But seriously, Greinke is their number 3 guy. There are plenty of pitching staffs in the bigs where he'd be the ace. Cole too, obviously. They have a solid closer too. But the chink in their armor is in middle relief. They have some good arms, but not a lot, and none of them can handle too many innings. So IMO the strategy against Houston needs to be centered on plate discipline: take lots of first pitches in the first few innings even though they'll consistently throw strikes, foul off anything you can in deep counts, try to extend every plate appearance and make the starters throw high pitch counts in early innings, in the hope of getting into the team's middle relief where real damage can be dealt.

Great pitching in the opening game by, Buehler! Buehler. Buehler. Along with the whole staff. 6-0, shutout!

Just heard, the Astros win 6-2, with Verlander going 7-innings of shutout baseball. This will probably be s sweep.

The Yankee offense prevailed against Minnesota's ace, too. We might have two ALDS sweeps.

Neither NLD Series will end with a sweep, though. Atlanta managed to win game 2 at home and the Nats were able to steal a win in L.A. I still feel pretty confident about the Dodgers, and i don't expect St. Louis can actually win two out of the next three from the Braves, either.

How about those Tampa Bay Rays?!? They got to Grienke early and piled on, forcing Houston to use 5 pitchers total! They got some serious production out of the bottom of the order too, with their shortstop Willy Adames, who bats 9th, going 3-3 with a walk, 2 runs scored, and 1 batted in!

Sources say Justin Verlander wants and will get the start on short rest. This will be the first time in his career that he's starting a game on short rest following a normal game. He pitched on short rest twice before, but one was in relief and the other was when he was following a one-inning start that was cancelled for weather.

Nobody as old as Verlander (36 1/2 +)has won a postseason start on short rest since Andy Petitte did it for the Yankess in 2009. Whether he wins or loses, that would give him only three days rest before game 1 of the ALCS, scheduled to start Saturday. So he'll either not start that game or be pitching on short rest consecutively, either way it gives the Yankees a little boost. The Yankees swept the Twins and will have everybody rested and ready to go on Saturday.

I don't think the Rays can handle Verlander, even on short rest, but i hope they give him a better fight than they did in game 1. If they CAN win, that would be a massive gift for the Yankees. Having Gerrit Cole pitching on long rest in game 5 in Houston would be pretty much a lock, but i'd love to see the Astros have to go there.

Over in the senior circuit, things are even more interesting.

Kershaw continues to pitch poorly in the playoffs, the Dodgers will be sending Walker Buehler to the mound, and the Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg start. The Dodgers are reputed to be 149/100 favorites, but imo if Strasburg is dialled in it could be a HELL of a game. Oh, Hodge! Make sure to have plenty of Rolaids on hand for that game, my friend!

The other NLDS is also heading to an ultimate game 5, and Mike Foltynewicz is projected to take the bump at home for Atlanta, while the Cards will turn to Jack Flaherty, who lost game 2 in spite of a solid performance. If Folty can repeat his performance from that game, Atlanta will punch their ticket to their first NLCS since 2001.

Maybe i was a little surprised to see both NLDSs go to five games, but i was SHOCKED by the eventual outcomes of two game 5 upsets!

Maybe the Braves/Cards outcome shouldn't have surprised me so much given the histories of the franchises, but i really thought that Atlanta had a pretty clearly superior squad.

And sorry to say it, Hodge my friend, but shocked as i was, i was thrilled by that game 5 Nats win. I was flat-out stunned by the decision to keep Kershaw out there. It was the wrong call for SO many reasons i won't try to list them, but when he took the bump and got the strikeout, i thought, "That was risky but it worked." Bringing him back out for the next inning was a terrible decision. Someone should lose their job for that. Nevertheless, i AM very happy for Nats fans (Hi Maturin!!! ).

I think the Nats are a better team than the Cards, but i thought that about Atlanta too, so i guess all bets are off. Kinda wild to see a 3 seed v 4 seed matchup in an LCS.

And THRILLED that the Rays won game 4. I'm rooting for them to win game 5 too, but just by getting to game 5 they've defied the odds and helped the Yankees immensely. I'd like to point out that the Rays have succeeded as well in this series largely because, IMHO, they did what i said needed to be done against the Astros: display plate discipline, take lots of first pitches, extend at-bats with as many 2-strike fouls as possible, and getting the starters into deep pitch counts as early as possible, and exploiting the lack of houston's bullpen depth. Keeping the Astros to 3 or less runs in 4 of those games helped a lot too, they've played some solid defense.

I forgot to mention that it's now official that the Nationals are a better team without Bryce Harper, which is something i've suspected since pretty early in the season.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...Kershaw continues to pitch poorly in the playoffs, the Dodgers will be sending Walker Buehler to the mound, and the Nationals will have Stephen Strasburg start. The Dodgers are reputed to be 149/100 favorites, but imo if Strasburg is dialled in it could be a HELL of a game. Oh, Hodge! Make sure to have plenty of Rolaids on hand for that game, my friend!

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...And sorry to say it, Hodge my friend, but shocked as i was, i was thrilled by that game 5 Nats win. I was flat-out stunned by the decision to keep Kershaw out there. It was the wrong call for SO many reasons i won't try to list them, but when he took the bump and got the strikeout, i thought, "That was risky but it worked." Bringing him back out for the next inning was a terrible decision. Someone should lose their job for that. Nevertheless, i AM very happy for Nats fans (Hi Maturin!!! ).

Obviously Kershaw is a first-ballot HoF, but what is it about the playoffs that gets his goat?
He loses his opener and Game#5.

Needless to say, I heard they burned him in effigy outside Chavez Ravine.
Congrats Maturin!

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I think the Nats are a better team than the Cards, but i thought that about Atlanta too, so i guess all bets are off. Kinda wild to see a 3 seed v 4 seed matchup in an LCS...

Jesus H Christ!

The Nats sweep the "Red-birds". What's that about?

Thank God the "Stros" are up against the "Pin-strippers". I love me some Altuve and their pitching.
Heard game #4 of this series was rained-out, which pushes the World Series back even further.

The rain delay isn't going to push back the World Series, at least not yet. As of right now, the Astros and Yankees won't have a day off to travel back to Houston if the Yankees can win a home game.

I would definitely prefer to see Washington win the Series over Houston. I wouldn't even be too butt-hurt if the Nats beat the Yankees. No disrespect intended to the Astros franchise or any of their players, especially Altuve, but i'd prefer not to see them win it again.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

The rain delay isn't going to push back the World Series, at least not yet. As of right now, the Astros and Yankees won't have a day off to travel back to Houston if the Yankees can win a home game...

Looking at the World Series schedule again, its not as bad as I was led to believe.
Thanks for forcing me to check again.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I would definitely prefer to see Washington win the Series over Houston. I wouldn't even be too butt-hurt if the Nats beat the Yankees. No disrespect intended to the Astros franchise or any of their players, especially Altuve, but i'd prefer not to see them win it again.

Well, I'm hoping the Nats can win the whole thing.
Has there been an interview with Bryce Harper since the Nats won the NLC? Man, that would be something to hear. Oh Maturin!

The rain delay gave Zack Greinke and the Astros bullpen an extra day of rest when they really needed it. I'm not convinced that it cost the Yankees the LCS, but i think it cost the Yankees the one chance they had of taking it to game 7 and having a chance at the LCS. It hurts the Nats too, because if the LCS ends at less than 7 games, all the arms will have plenty of time to rest up, basically eliminating the advantage the Nats were getting for having swept their LCS.

As for Bryce, i've been tiptoeing around saying it since mid-season, but i've been thinking Washington might actually have a better team without him. After they won a playoff series, i was thinking it really loudly, but i decided not to say it because i didn't want to jinx them. Whether they win or lose the Series, i'll bite my tongue on actually saying it until it's over, but then i'm saying it.

Bryce himself is very talented not only on the field but also with the press. I'm sure he'd say that he's very happy for all his old friends's successes and he wishes them all great things and butterflies forever, but it's time for him to concentrate on making the Phillies better through his contributions there.

Stat of the night: tonight's game was the 1,609th postseason game in MLB history, and it was the first one ever in which both teams scored in the first inning but neither scored again.

_______

I really didn't expect James Paxton to pitch like that. I believe that tomorrow's starters will be Cole and Severino, both pitching on three days rest and without a travel day as the series moves from the Bronx to Houston. So IF IF IF there were to be a game 7, probably Masahiro Tanaka and Zack Greinke would both be on short rest and shorter leashes. Zack Britton saw considerable work tonight, he will not be available for both games 6 & 7; IMO that really evens up the bullpens.

Go Yankees!

The Yankees gave their fans another great season this year. 103-59 (.636) in the regular season, good for their 19th AL East Divisional Championship. They also swept the Twins en route to a 5-4 postseason record this year, ultimately being undone by Houston's superior starting pitching and Jose Altuve's unbelievable skill set. I couldn't bring myself to feel bitter about this season if i wanted to.

I hope we have a great World Series this year.

Go Nats!

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...As for Bryce, i've been tiptoeing around saying it since mid-season, but i've been thinking Washington might actually have a better team without him. After they won a playoff series, i was thinking it really loudly, but i decided not to say it because i didn't want to jinx them. Whether they win or lose the Series, i'll bite my tongue on actually saying it until it's over, but then i'm saying it.

Bryce himself is very talented not only on the field but also with the press. I'm sure he'd say that he's very happy for all his old friends's successes and he wishes them all great things and butterflies forever, but it's time for him to concentrate on making the Phillies better through his contributions there.

Read an article the next day after asking this question, and Bryce said exactly this.
It's like you went to his house and asked him over dinner.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

The Yankees gave their fans another great season this year. 103-59 (.636) in the regular season, good for their 19th AL East Divisional Championship. They also swept the Twins en route to a 5-4 postseason record this year, ultimately being undone by Houston's superior starting pitching and Jose Altuve's unbelievable skill set. I couldn't bring myself to feel bitter about this season if i wanted to.

I hope we have a great World Series this year.

Go Nats!

I wish I could say the same.
HRD, I'm so disappointed with my Dodgers, I'm glad I had other things to think about.
Also, I'm not sure what the franchise needs to do to get over the hump.

The Dodgers had a great season too, arguably better than the Yankees, certainly comparable. But i think i can understand why you feel more let down. The Yankees still have a great young core to build around, and a lot of great bullpen depth that will be returning.

As for what's needed to "get over the hump," i hate to say this, but.... Kershaw's postseason performance anxiety is a crying shame. He needs to be replaced somehow. Good luck with that one.

_______________

Great stuff from the Nats in the first two games. Game One was a real nail-biter, and tonight's game just got out of hand. The showed the way to get to Verlander: score off of him early if you can, and show nearly perfect plate discipline, swinging on two-strike pitches to extend at-bats and get him throwing extra pitches so he's at or over 100 pitches by the end of the 6th. Then they really exposed Houston's middle relief.

D.C. is going to host their first World Series game since the Game 5 loss in 1935! I wonder what Maturin will be wearing to the stadium? Hopefully a Bryce Harper Phillies jersey!

I predict a sweep. Or 4-1 at best. A friend of mine said: should have pulled Verlander before the dam done burst.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...As for what's needed to "get over the hump," i hate to say this, but.... Kershaw's postseason performance anxiety is a crying shame. He needs to be replaced somehow. Good luck with that one...

Mo, I've got to agree with you.
I was actually proud of Davey Roberts for making that series change and starting Buehler. Buehler! Buehler, instead of Kershaw, but for all he's done for the franchise, he let him start #2 and it was a diaster.  

I'm hoping the above scenario gives management the impetus to make additional changes where Clayton is concerned.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Great stuff from the Nats in the first two games. Game One was a real nail-biter, and tonight's game just got out of hand. The showed the way to get to Verlander: score off of him early if you can, and show nearly perfect plate discipline, swinging on two-strike pitches to extend at-bats and get him throwing extra pitches so he's at or over 100 pitches by the end of the 6th. Then they really exposed Houston's middle relief...

davidalan wrote:

I predict a sweep. Or 4-1 at best. A friend of mine said: should have pulled Verlander before the dam done burst.

I'm hoping getting to both of Houston's "Cy Young" candidates will give them enough confidence as the series continues.

And no Davidalan, this will not be a sweep. I'm praying the Nats can win in 6.
Believe me, the Astros won't go down without a fight. I got them winning two of the three games in Washington.

HRD gave the League the prescription to win against Justin. Take him deep into the count, foul-off a lot of pitches, and get him in the middle innings.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...D.C. is going to host their first World Series game since the Game 5 loss in 1935! I wonder what Maturin will be wearing to the stadium? Hopefully a Bryce Harper Phillies jersey!

I can't believe Maturin hasn't joined us. Let the Cowboys go to the Super Bowl, and I'd setup a tent right in the middle of the forum.  

I don't exactly expect a sweep, i almost never do in the World Series (and when i have i've been wrong except once), but i have to admit that all the momentum is in Washington's favor right now. Personally, i'd like to see them wrap the Series in five or less, as giving up two home games will hurt a lot more than winning those two road games so far helped, morale-wise. Also, it's nice to wrap the Series at home when possible.

I'm very excited for tonight's game.

definitely not a sweep. both teams tricked me!

Hodgepodge wrote:

Believe me, the Astros won't go down without a fight. I got them winning two of the three games in Washington.

Wow, Hodge. I sure hope you're right that the Astros win only two out of three in Washington. I don't think there's ever been a World Series where the road team has won every single game.

Turns out that according to Wikipedia, the last home World Series game in Washington before this year was 1933, not 1935. My apologies for my mistake. The Sens won game 3 at home that year but i was right that they lost the Series in 5 games. Ergo, should Houston win this Series it becomes debatable whether 2019 or 1933 (also the first year booze was legal in the US again, FYI) was a better year for DC baseball, UNLESS the Nats win game 5. IF the Nats win game 5, 2019 is the best year for DC baseball since at least 1925, when the defending World Series champion Senators won 2 home games but lost in 7 games to Pie Traynor's Pittsburgh Pirates, who had their legendary Hall-of-Famer Honus Wagner serving as a hitting instructor that year. 1924 was the last time DC won the Series itself, beating the NY Giants; it featured 3 home wins for the Sens, including a dramatic 12-inning game 7 walkoff win. It doesn't seem like 2019 stands a chance at being objectively better than that for our nation's Capitol's baseball fans. Of course, it was also 95 years ago.

Hodgepodge wrote:

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...D.C. is going to host their first World Series game since the Game 5 loss in 1935! I wonder what Maturin will be wearing to the stadium? Hopefully a Bryce Harper Phillies jersey!

I can't believe Maturin hasn't joined us. Let the Cowboys go to the Super Bowl, and I'd setup a tent right in the middle of the forum.  

I'm pretty disappointed too, Hodge. If i had to bet, i'd bet she's afraid of laying some kind of "jinx" which IMO is just silly.

nvm

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Wow, Hodge. I sure hope you're right that the Astros win only two out of three in Washington. I don't think there's ever been a World Series where the road team has won every single game...

This thing may be over!
Can't believe the Astros took 3 from Washington in Nationals Park.
Got'a believe Houston can take 1 back at home.

I gotta believe that the home team can lose every game. Home teams are 0-5 so far this series, why not make it 0-7?!?

How about Trump's Washington D.C. ovation?LMFAO that was great shit right there. DC baseball fans won some hearts and minds right there LOL

Go Nats!!

0-6!!!!!

Except for the first game no games have been close. I give the advantage to Washington because of trends but I wonder if this next game won't be a nail-biter. I think it's Washington who had more jitters at home and so probably is grateful to be on the road where they don't have their own fans staring at them and expressing disappointment. Will 2019 be called the Performance Anxiety World Series?

Congrats to the Nats!

The Houston Astros have become the first team to go 0-4 in home games in a best-of-7 series in combined MLB, NHL, and NBA histories.

Congrats to the Nats and their fans on finally reaching the mountaintop. It was a long and crazy ride and this franchise really earned it the hard way. I'll have a drink to Maturin tonight.

First off, let me add my congrats to the Washington Nationals fans and especially our own Maturin.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

The Houston Astros have become the first team to go 0-4 in home games in a best-of-7 series in combined MLB, NHL, and NBA histories...

Isn't this also the first time in major league sports history, that no team won a home game. Well, there goes the home field advantage.

On learning that Strasburg was named Series MVP, i had a memory from many years ago, over at our old main site: Strasburg's rookie year, the Nats shut him down for the year in mid September even though the Nats were in Wild Card contention, and gurufrisbee's head exploded. He was convinced that the Washington Nationals were committing a vile crime against their team, their fans, and the very game of baseball itself. In spite of the fact that Strasburg accepted the decision maturely, in spite of the fact that his teammates loudly and sincerely applauded management for doing right by their young pitcher, and in spite of a virtual mountain of sabermetric statistical data AND the professional opinions of the team's and Strasburg's medical and training staff, guru was incensed. He pointed to what the Brewers did to Sabathia, who is older than Strasburg anyway, of how a pitcher should be used. Oh, and also in spite of the fact that iirc no other forum contributors agreed with him, although that might have been more of a motivating factor rather than something he needed to overcome - i'm not really sure.

Now, Sabathia's had a pretty good career with the Yankees ever since that year, but he's never had the stuff he had before the Brewers did that to him, and the Brewers didn't even make it to the World Series that year. It's great that CC got a ring for the 2009 series for the Yankees; i can't help but wonder if he mightn't have had one or two more if they hadn't rubberized his arm like that.

I'm glad Strasburg pitched a few solid innings in this year's NL Wild Card game where the Brewers were eliminated. The story of the Brewers season was amazing and all, but i think anybody who's read this thread knows that i was pulling for DC to win the pennant all the way, and to win the Commissioner's Trophy since the Yankees went out of contention. Plus it just seems like a little poetic justice for them to get blanked for a few innings in the postseason, all these years later, by a young pitcher who was whose own personal future was actually considered all those years ago, while the pitcher they rode like a rented mule is probably done playing MLB now - no official word on that yet, though he let slip he'd be happy to take another one-year veteran minimum deal to help out in whatever capacity the Yankees would like to have him fill, if there is one.

I'd like to point out that 8 MLB teams had better regular season records than the Nats this year, including FOUR(!) with more than 100 wins. Also, the Cleveland Indians had the same regular season record as the Nats and didn't play in the postseason at all. Just some fun trivia there.

Hodgepodge wrote:

First off, let me add my congrats to the Washington Nationals fans and especially our own Maturin.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

The Houston Astros have become the first team to go 0-4 in home games in a best-of-7 series in combined MLB, NHL, and NBA histories...

Isn't this also the first time in major league sports history, that no team won a home game. Well, there goes the home field advantage.

It is the first time in a best-of-7 series, Hodge. Idk about shorter series.

Jesus H Christ!
The Yankees pull off the signing of the century. Garrett Cole! I don't see how they can do it season-to-season.
Yeah, they haven't won the AL pennant in a few years, but they're always trying to buy one. They're doing it again.
Where's the rules that's suppose to forbid teams from stacking their rosters? How do they always seem to skate by?

Hodge, the Yankees haven't made a high-profile free agent acquisition in many years, unless you count Aroldis Chapman, who was with them before entering free agency other than the half-year rental to the Cubs so they could finally win a World Series, or if you want to count the two one-year deals to keep Sabathia around, but he would've retired instead of going to another team, and they didn't spend much money to keep him. Sonny Grey was acquired by trade and calling that acquisition high-profile is highly questionable.

In fact, the Yankees haven't paid any salary cap luxury tax in a few years now. Catch up, my friend. I don't think the Cole deal puts them into luxury tax status, either.

Now that that's said, i gotta say that it is about damned time the Yankees brought in some better starting pitching. Severino is a solid ace, and Tanaka is a solid number two guy, but together they're not good enough and durable enough to carry a rotation. Having Sabathia stick around the last couple years has helped enough to get the Yankees to the postseason, especially with the Renaissance year he had in '18.

Cole/Severino/Tanaka is a much better starting 3, and with the great bullpen the Yankees are bringing back, it'll make them genuine contenders. If they can bring in one more really strong starter, it could make them agenuine contender in a way that's been lacking for most of the last decade.

I don't know if anybody around here noticed or not, but the 2010's is the first decade without a Yankees World Series win since the 1910's. Having won in '09 helps take some of the sting out of that, and there were definitely some worthwhile things happening with the franchise. I'm not one of those Yankee fans that expects them to hoist the Commissioner's Cup every single year, but after a ten-year drought, it's time to get back on the horse, so I'm glad that Cashman and the Steinbrenner did what they had to to bring in the best FA starting pitcher in the market this year.

Is Cole worth that kind of money, especially on a NINE year contract? Probably. After several years of winning economically, the Yankees have a sizeable war chest, so this isn't a continuation of a decades-old strategy, it's a return to a strategy that has worked in the past, and don't be too surprised if the Yankees return to spending outrageously over the next several years. Hopefully Cole is merely the first, sort of like back in '95 when they went out to get Tino from the Mariners. The homegrown talent is in place, just like it was in '95, and hopefully FA acquisitions can be blended in as needed to keep the franchise competitive for another couple decades.

ETA: I realized last night as i was drifting off to sleep, that i'd totally overlooked the splashy acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. I think one could hardly blame me, considering the amount of playing time he saw last year.

But more to the point, i also realized that the person whinging away about the Yankees deep pockets is a Dodgers fan! The Dodgers ranked number one in player payroll each year from 2014 to 2017, that's four straight years, and they dropped to fourth overall in 2018. The Yankees ranked 2nd each year from 2014 - 2017, and dropped to 6th overall in 2018. Yankees' opening day payroll for this past year was $203,897,446; the Dodgers was $196,279,677. So last year, the Yankees finally passed the Dodgers in spending for the first time in 5 years, and the Dodgers had been second inspending to the Yankees in 2013 by a thin margin, less than $5M. With all the needs the Didgers have yet to fill by opening day, they might wind up first in spending YET AGAIN for 2020.

I think you just have sour grapes because your team didn't land the best pitcher in this year's free agency market. So there! [/ETA

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

Hodge, the Yankees haven't paid any salary cap luxury tax in a few years now. Catch up, my friend. I don't think the Cole deal puts them into luxury tax status, either...

Well, MLB needs to acquire a new accounting firm.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I don't know if anybody around here noticed or not, but the 2010's is the first decade without a Yankees World Series win since the 1910's. Having won in '09 helps take some of the sting out of that, and there were definitely some worthwhile things happening with the franchise. I'm not one of those Yankee fans that expects them to hoist the Commissioner's Cup every single year, but after a ten-year drought, it's time to get back on the horse, so I'm glad that Cashman and the Steinbrenner did what they had to to bring in the best FA starting pitcher in the market this year...

Oh boo hoo hoo!

HRD, you know I feel about the Yankees like I feel about the Alabama "Crimson Tide", the New England Patriots (hi Peggy), and the Boston Celtics. I hate any team with a dominant resume.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...ETA: I realized last night as i was drifting off to sleep, that i'd totally overlooked the splashy acquisition of Giancarlo Stanton. I think one could hardly blame me, considering the amount of playing time he saw last year...

How can you forget a guy who puts "Paul Bunyan" to shame.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...But more to the point, i also realized that the person whinging away about the Yankees deep pockets is a Dodgers fan! The Dodgers ranked number one in player payroll each year from 2014 to 2017, that's four straight years, and they dropped to fourth overall in 2018. The Yankees ranked 2nd each year from 2014 - 2017, and dropped to 6th overall in 2018. Yankees' opening day payroll for this past year was $203,897,446; the Dodgers was $196,279,677. So last year, the Yankees finally passed the Dodgers in spending for the first time in 5 years, and the Dodgers had been second inspending to the Yankees in 2013 by a thin margin, less than $5M. With all the needs the Didgers have yet to fill by opening day, they might wind up first in spending YET AGAIN for 2020...

I'm not whining!   I just want to win the damn thing.  

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...I think you just have sour grapes because your team didn't land the best pitcher in this year's free agency market. So there!

You take that back!

I guess the boys in blue are losing Ryu too. Ouch.

At least they have a couple pennants in the last few years.

Wanted to take a minute to comment on the current MLB scandal.

Being a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan, I'm of a mind both the 2017 & 2018 World Series should be vacated, and the Dodgers should be given the win.

Given everything that'd happened with Beltran in the last couple of days, i'd been wondering how you'd be feeling about those series.

Hired in November, and retired in mid-January. I'm pretty sure that breaks Billy Martin's modern record for brevity in a big league managerial position.

Now, correct me if i'm wrong here, but stealing signs has always been a part of MLB (and lower ranked leagues too), even though it's always been frowned upon. I'm under the impression that it's not technically against the written rules.

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...Now, correct me if i'm wrong here, but stealing signs has always been a part of MLB (and lower ranked leagues too), even though it's always been frowned upon. I'm under the impression that it's not technically against the written rules.

You're right, but using "technology" in the endeavor is where the line is drawn.
Now it's gotten to the point where Altuve has been accused of wearing a device to help him during his at bats.

I guess i have mixed emotions about that. That seems like a common-sense line to draw, but it also seems almost impossible to enforce. It seems like it would be really difficult to draw the line between using technology for legitimate scouting purposes and using it for the purpose of trying to translate/interpret sign systems.

Will this be another situation where MLB relies on self-reporting, or non-reporting as the case may be?

i should probably spend some time reading up about the whole thing?

His Royal Dorkness wrote:

...Will this be another situation where MLB relies on self-reporting, or non-reporting as the case may be?

i should probably spend some time reading up about the whole thing?

I heard, the Commish is looking at somehow turning off technology during games. That's individual teams, not regarding television and everything involved in that aspect of it.