The MLB Thread

[neko]

You'll get stung by customs on those, as I found out to my cost a few years ago when I bought some BoSox stuff. TA sports are a UK dealer who sell a good range of MLB stuff.[/quote

 

Why did you not say earlier, you taffy twat.

Going to NYC early Nov, any ideas if I can get SDP gear in NYC?

 

one thing is certain about american sports - the merchandising machine is well oiled.

 

there isn't a town or city in america that wouldn't have what you need.

 

edit: wouldn't it be great if your initials were SD - no need for expensive monograms on your clothing

[RedKnight]

I still live with the memory of buying the wrong size Broncos jersey when I went in '98.

[reder]

I have always followed the yankees in MLB. The links with you know who make is difficult nowadays. However, I do have a soft spot for the Brewers. I could never support the Cubs, their song is the beyond gay ....

 

[OmarVizquel]

I have always followed the yankees in MLB. The links with you know who make is difficult nowadays. However, I do have a soft spot for the Brewers. I could never support the Cubs, their song is the beyond gay ....

 

 

The Cubs' stadium (Wrigley Field) is, by far, the greatest in baseball. So much character....I was there when I was little. (Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn hit a home run for the Padres that day.)

 

Cubs fans are pretty annoying, though. Most couldn't care less and go to the games to get sloshed by the 4th inning and take their shirts off in the bleachers (these are fat men, mind you).

[Indian Red]

is cricket`s ginger younger step-brother

[Allan]

I started following the Braves just at the end of the Glavine, Maddux & Smoltz era and have done ever since.

 

No real reason why, I think they happened to be televised on Channel 5 one night shift and I liked what I seen, may have even been a rerun of a game from many moons ago during a washed out game.

 

I do miss Channel 5's coverage on Wednesday and Sunday nights when all is quiet at work. Nothing like live sport between 01:00 and 05:00 to get you through a dull shift...

[G Richards]

I was in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and went to a Reds baseball game. Only cost $5 to get in. Decent night. Nice stadium right on the Ohio River.

[Fugitive]

Baseball is not a Sport. It's a pastime at best or Hobby but defo not a Sport.

[Allan]

5-4 Win for the lads yesterday.

 

Just a little link for fellow Padres fans

 

The Official Site of The San Diego Padres | padres.com: Homepage

 

That win for the Pads over the Rockies last night has opened the NL wild card race up good and proper.

 

I'm hoping that the Cards can do a job over the Rockies in the upcoming series, the Braves win the series in Washington and the Pads can do a number on the Giants in their last 3 games.

 

It could be one hell of a race to the post season for the NL wild card spot as things stand.

 

Team 	        W	L	PCT	GB	
Colorado      	86	67	.562	-	 	 	 
Atlanta	        82	70	.539	3.5	 	 	 
Florida	        82	71	.536	4.0	 	 	 
San Francisco	82	71	.536	4.0	 	 	 
Chi Cubs	79	73	.520	6.5

[RedKnight]

Whilst watching the baseball I've discovered something even more awesome; college football. Good to see the Texas Rangers get beat yesterday though.

[RedKnight]

[/b]

 

 

Noticed that myself, good to see. Can you get relegated?

 

No, I don't think any top American sports do relegation.

[RedKnight]

I was watching the South Carolina Gamecocks last night and looking at their merchandise, they have a t-shirt that says 'Go Cocks'. Which simply has to be bought.

[Dirk]

For you baseball heads, you can buy an MLBtv subscription for about £60 for a year and watch whatever game you want live online, the picture quality is superb. They are doing a deal, 15 dollars for the rest of the season. I used to have it but I was too busy to make use of it, it's worth the money if you can find the time to follow.

[Allan]

I gather the pads have no chance, but still have a big say? God I love my new club.

 

The Pads were eliminated from a potential post season a little while back, but they could have a huge say in the wild card race, as they already have done winning the series against the Rockies 2-1.

 

The Pads were hit hard by the loss of their number 1 pitcher, Jake Peavy in July. Though to be honest, they were probably out of both the NL West and NL Wild Card races at the time.

[OmarVizquel]

No, there's no relegation in American sports. Thank God.

 

The Padres were out of the playoff race months ago. They won't really have much impact on the wild card race either, as they don't play any of the serious contenders for the wild card in their final games.

 

Unfortunately, their division (the NL West) includes the LA Dodgers, who have deep pockets. Next year will be a tough one for the Padres....and baseball is a looooong season of 162 games. If you suck, you suck all spring, summer, and part of the fall.

[Allan]

No, there's no relegation in American sports. Thank God.

 

The Padres were out of the playoff race months ago. They won't really have much impact on the wild card race either, as they don't play any of the serious contenders for the wild card in their final games.

 

Unfortunately, their division (the NL West) includes the LA Dodgers, who have deep pockets. Next year will be a tough one for the Padres....and baseball is a looooong season of 162 games. If you suck, you suck all spring, summer, and part of the fall.

 

They have the Giants in their final home stand of the season, so as long as the Rockies don't sweep the Cards, the Pads can have a big say in the NL wild card, and like I said, the 2-1 series win over the Rockies has already meant they've opened the race up for the other sides, the Braves, Marlins and Giants. The Rockies only hold a 3.5 game lead over the Braves now.

[Allan]

 

Explain that bit please mate.

 

The Rockies have played 1 game more than the Braves, probably due to washout in one of the Braves earlier season games.

 

Each season consists of 162 regular season games, so far the Rockies have played 153, the Braves 152.

 

If the Braves win their game in hand, the Braves will be within 3 games of the Rockies, while a defeat for the Braves will put the Rockies 4 games clear.

[OmarVizquel]

They have the Giants in their final home stand of the season, so as long as the Rockies don't sweep the Cards, the Pads can have a big say in the NL wild card, and like I said, the 2-1 series win over the Rockies has already meant they've opened the race up for the other sides, the Braves, Marlins and Giants. The Rockies only hold a 3.5 game lead over the Braves now.

 

Maybe, maybe, but I have the feeling the final spot is going to come down to the Rockies -- who have been playing crappy -- or the Braves, who are looking strong (plus, I think the players will want to get into the playoffs for Bobby Cox). But, Colorado's lead at this point looks pretty solid.

 

Who knows! I love leagues with playoff formats though, as opposed to (ahem) other sports I follow......

[Allan]

Maybe, maybe, but I have the feeling the final spot is going to come down to the Rockies -- who have been playing crappy -- or the Braves, who are looking strong (plus, I think the players will want to get into the playoffs for Bobby Cox). But, Colorado's lead at this point looks pretty solid.

 

Who knows! I love leagues with playoff formats though, as opposed to (ahem) other sports I follow......

 

It is most certainly theirs to throw away, but with the Cards needing to win 1 more game to clinch, things may start falling apart for the Rox. I'd expect that the Cards would want to build momentum going into the post season, and a series win against the Rox would go a long way to helping that.

 

As a Braves fan, I'm hoping Colorado blow it, and that we don't need to rely on the Pads beating the Giants. It'll be great for Bobby to reach the playoffs, though I think the players would be more fired up this time next year, if we're in the same position as we are now.

 

Still can't see beyond a Dodgers Yankees world series at the moment, but play off games are all about your pitching staff coming hot at the right time, so you never can tell.....

[OmarVizquel]

The Padres have won 3 straight since you chose them, including two over the Rockies, who currently are winning the wild card race. Not bad.

[OmarVizquel]

I'd be worried about this report, however; dude's crazy:

 

GM Kevin Towers says San Diego Padres could have interest in Milton Bradley - ESPN Chicago

 

Padres would take chance on Bradley

 

When Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry begins aggressively shopping troubled outfielder Milton Bradley this winter, don't be surprised if one of his first phone calls is to San Diego.

 

Padres GM Kevin Towers said Friday that he would be open-minded about discussing Bradley, who played 42 games with San Diego in 2007 before his blowing out his knee in an on-field altercation.

 

"I haven't had any calls from Jim about him," Towers told ESPN.com. "But I think people kind of know what players we target. We have to take chances sometimes. We took a chance on Milton the first time we had him, and he actually played pretty well [before the injury].

 

"We could be in the market for an outfielder. I'm not saying it's necessarily Milton. But our experience with him was rather a positive one. It wasn't really a negative one."

 

Bradley's tenure in Chicago is almost certainly over after a whirlwind series of events last week. The Cubs sent Bradley home last Sunday after he gave a newspaper interview criticizing the team for its lack of a "positive environment" and saying, "You understand why they haven't won in 100 years here."

 

Amid reports of a possible Players Association grievance, the Cubs worked out an agreement with agents Seth and Sam Levinson. The Cubs agreed to pay Bradley the $400,000 owed him for the rest of the season, even though he remains suspended, and Bradley issued an apology. In return, no grievance was filed.

 

"I chose Chicago as a free agent because I wanted to be part of finally bringing a championship to Cubs fans," Bradley said in a written statement. "I expected to have a great season and I am deeply disappointed by my performance and the team's struggles."

 

After signing a three-year, $30 million deal with Chicago last winter, Bradley quickly fell out of favor with Cubs fans because of his lack of production. He hit .257 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs, and became the focus of vigorous booing at Wrigley Field.

 

Hendry will find it a challenge to move Bradley for two reasons: The Cubs still owe Bradley $21 million over the next two seasons, and Bradley has developed a reputation for volatility in his seven previous stops in the majors. It's likely that any club with an interest in acquiring Bradley would want Chicago to pick up a significant portion of his salary.

 

Towers declined to talk about Bradley in depth, in light of baseball's tampering rules, but said the Padres believe they can take risks on certain players because of the low-key environment in San Diego and the relative lack of media attention.

 

"San Diego is different than Chicago," he said.

 

The Padres acquired Bradley from Oakland in a trade for pitcher Andrew Brown on June 29, 2007. Bradley hit .313 with a 1.004 OPS in 144 at-bats as a Padre, but his season ended prematurely because of a knee injury. Bradley tore his right ACL while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black during an argument with umpire Mike Winters, and underwent surgery to repair the tear.

 

Bradley signed with Texas in December 2007, led the American League with a .999 OPS in 2008 and was the American League's starting designated hitter in the All-Star Game.

 

Towers has acknowledged the Padres' need to upgrade the offense in 2010. The Padres have a 33-21 record and a .611 winning percentage since July 28, but they're tied for 27th among the 30 major league teams in runs scored.

[RobbieOR]

Baseball is silly boys rounders.

[odris]

Negged.

[Allan]

The Yankees clinched the AL East tonight with their 100th win of the season.

 

The Red Sox are now just 2 games away from clinching the AL wild card, despite their loss to the Yanks, after Texas lost against the Rays.

 

The NL wild card race is still interesting as my team, the Braves won their 6th straight and are just 2.5 games behind the Rockies, who beat St. Louis to keep their noses in front in the wild card race.

 

Elsewhere, the Dodgers lost away at the Pirates which means they have to wait before clinching the NL West, and the race for the AL Central is becoming more interesting as both the Tigers and Twins lost leaving a 2 game gap between them.

 

The Twins now have to travel to the Tigers for a 4 games series that they must win to keep their post season dreams alive you'd think.

[RedKnight]

Disappointing for the Red Sox, getting Lester hurt in the first game didn't help but they were pretty lacklustre before he got whacked on the knee.