Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
Times and dates in your local timezone.
Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.
Team USA defeats the previously undefeated Japan to face Puerto Rico for the Championship!!!
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Automatically Appended Next Post: And USA are Champs for the first time!
Never seen an 8-0 game with the stadium packed like that at the end. Classy Puerto Rican team remaining on the field, clapping, real great sportsmanship! Of course, as stated above, its sorta their win too.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/03/23 05:02:56
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Homeplate umpire just got rocked hard by a foul tip right to the face in Toronto v. Baltimore. Neck braced him and carted him off. Hope he's ok.
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
nels1031 wrote: Homeplate umpire just got rocked hard by a foul tip right to the face in Toronto v. Baltimore. Neck braced him and carted him off. Hope he's ok.
No doubt, hope he comes out OK. Some of those umps are fairly old.
I'm sure I'll eat these words later in the season, but I love seeing Toronto in the midst of a franchise record terrible start. Particularly love watching Grilli get tuned up, first on opening day by Trumbo, and again by Smith in the 9th tonight. Dude is a spazz.
Once the bats of Toronto come back to life, they'll be a force again, I'm sure.
People are starting to put wood on Zach Brittons pitching, which worries me. O'day makes me nervous every time he takes the mound and Ubaldo will cause me to kill my liver. Its going to be a wild ride.
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
nels1031 wrote: I'm sure I'll eat these words later in the season, but I love seeing Toronto in the midst of a franchise record terrible start. Particularly love watching Grilli get tuned up, first on opening day by Trumbo, and again by Smith in the 9th tonight. Dude is a spazz.
Once the bats of Toronto come back to life, they'll be a force again, I'm sure.
People are starting to put wood on Zach Brittons pitching, which worries me. O'day makes me nervous every time he takes the mound and Ubaldo will cause me to kill my liver. Its going to be a wild ride.
Meanwhile, the Yanks are having a fairly decent start. Doesn't look like anyone is ice cold, nor scorching hot. Pitching is doing fairly well, and while it's very early on, the bullpen has a Majors leading ERA.
Watching the Yankees last night, and Holy Gak, Aaron Judge hit an absolute monster home run that landed half way up the upper bleachers section in left field. The official measurement was 458 ft. but it certainly *looked* much bigger than that.
I know it's early, but I think the AL East is a 3 horse race already, same as NL West (I was watching a game the other night and the commentary was talking about the Padres actually *trying* to tank this year in order to build the farm). The AL West and NL Central are both divisions that I think we will see more separation soon-ish. I haven't watched much of the NL East, but to me, looking on paper, it looks like that one will be a 3 horse race between the Nats, Mets, and Marlins.
The division that looks the craziest to me is the AL Central. You've basically got an entire division at .500, and no team looks great, but doesn't look terrible. IMO, they all look like they are good playoff teams that have holes here or there. Obviously, we'll have to see how this season plays out, which teams get the DL bug and which don't, etc.
jasper76 wrote: Looks so far like the AL East is gonna come down between the Os, the Yanks, and the Sox.
I haven't shed any tears over the Jays occupying the basement.
And the somewhat decent Rays will keep it interesting and play the spoiler to any of those 3 teams that don't keep their gak together.
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
If that's true, then maybe Pedroia ought to talk to the pitching staff a bit more before more of them get hit with 4+ game suspensions. I honestly have no idea what went down, but I saw on the sidebar of FB that one of the Sox pitchers got 4 games for throwing at Machado.
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
If that's true, then maybe Pedroia ought to talk to the pitching staff a bit more before more of them get hit with 4+ game suspensions. I honestly have no idea what went down, but I saw on the sidebar of FB that one of the Sox pitchers got 4 games for throwing at Machado.
Here's a breakdown:
Spoiler:
Dustin Pedroia effectively rendered a decision about his teammates’ actions in the Manny Machado affair Sunday, about 24 hours before Major League Baseball issued the terms of discipline against pitcher Matt Barnes and the Boston Red Sox on Monday.
After Pedroia called the Red Sox's retaliation attempt against Machado a “mishandled situation” and apologized to Machado and the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday afternoon, all that was left for MLB to do, really, was identify the appropriate level of penalty. Barnes was given a four-game suspension and a fine for nearly hitting Machado in the head with a fastball.
The penalty for Machado, who injured Pedroia with a slide Friday night? Nothing.
The penalty for any other member of the Orioles? Nothing.
That is exactly how it should’ve come down after a weekend in which the Red Sox seemed to wait and waffle in their response to Machado’s slide before completely botching the whole thing Sunday. The best part of the incident was that Machado was able to walk out of Camden Yards, rather than being wheeled out on a stretcher. The Orioles, on the other hand, were a model of comportment in the aftermath of Machado’s slide -- starting with Machado himself, who immediately reached out to Pedroia empathetically, both on the field and with a text message.
Dustin Pedroia was in obvious pain after Manny Machado slid into him. Matt Hazlett/Getty Images
The 33-year-old Pedroia was drafted by the Red Sox in 2004 and immediately became a favorite within the organization for his passion, confidence and accountability. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and the AL MVP Award in 2008 and was integral to Boston’s championships in 2007 and 2013, while inspiring about a billion stories with his blunt humor. It had to have been upsetting to Red Sox players when they saw Pedroia struggle to get to his feet after Machado clipped him just above the ankle with his slide. It seemed to upset Machado too; this is the sort of respect Pedroia has engendered.
But the immediate reaction among a lot of players and executives on other teams about Machado’s slide was that it wasn’t really that out of line.
“It was kind of an awkward slide,” one scout said. “Because he started a little late. But when he went down, his feet popped up. It wasn’t like he targeted [Pedroia].”
From a player: “What’s all the talk about? His foot bounced up, and he hit Pedroia accidentally. ... Anybody who reads intent on that play is imagining things. He wasn’t trying to hurt him.”
"What's all the talk about? His foot bounced up, and he hit Pedroia accidentally. ... Anybody who reads intent on that play is imagining things. He wasn't trying to hurt him."
MLB player on Machado's slide into Pedroia
Still, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the Red Sox had some kind of proportional response Saturday, even after Pedroia indicated to reporters that he personally didn’t have any trouble with Machado’s slide; he said he wasn’t the slide police. If knuckleballer Steven Wright had bounced a fastball off Machado’s calf or thrown a pitch behind him Saturday, it probably wouldn’t have surprised anybody on the Orioles’ side.
You do wonder if somebody in the Red Sox clubhouse was spurred into action by outside forces: In at least one case, a reporter suggested that retaliation against Machado would be appropriate, and there were other tweets and words that went almost as far.
There is some precedent for the media fueling this sort of thing. Years ago, after Roger Clemens threw a shattered bat in the direction of New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza in the 2000 World Series, there was such enormous media scrutiny leading up to Clemens’s next game at Shea Stadium that Shawn Estes -- who wasn't even on the 2000 Mets -- felt compelled to flip a half-hearted fastball in Clemens’ direction in the batter’s box.
Whether the Red Sox sincerely believed that Machado had crossed the line or they allowed themselves to be bullied by media expectations, Eduardo Rodriguez seemed to finally attempt retaliation against Machado on Sunday. In Machado’s third plate appearance, Rodriguez repeatedly -- and carefully -- threw the ball down and way inside to Machado, who stepped around the pitches.
If all of the Red Sox had followed one of the unwritten rules of situations such as this, that attempt would’ve ended the matter.
“Once you take a shot at somebody like that,” one team staffer said Sunday evening, “that’s it. If you missed him, that’s on you.”
Instead, Barnes threw a fastball behind Machado’s head, the placement a lot of hitters consider the most dangerous because the reflex is to duck backward from an inside fastball. The pitch missed Machado, Barnes was ejected, and Pedroia looked over at Machado in the on-deck circle and separated himself from the choices made by others, saying: That wasn’t me.
On Monday, there was a lot of speculation around baseball that Pedroia might have to make amends with others wearing Red Sox uniforms after he criticized his team’s actions. But Pedroia seemed intent on trying to do the right thing, and so did the Orioles.
Machado has charged a mound before and has made more than his share of mistakes. Lessons can be learned, however, and after Barnes’s beanball attempt, the 24-year-old Machado said nothing to the pitcher and made no move toward the mound. No Oriole did.
It would be reasonable to assume that the Orioles at least discussed possible retaliation, but no Baltimore pitcher used a baseball as a weapon against a prone and helpless target. Neither Mookie Betts nor Andrew Benintendi was treated as a human piñata.
The Orioles did all the right stuff in an incident that escalated from something unfortunate into something colossally ridiculous and dangerous, and Major League Baseball was right to assign all blame and the discipline to the Red Sox.
And Buck Showalter has to be the douchiest of douchebag managers going right now - even out-Scioscia'ing Mike Scioscia.
Or maybe Mike Scioscia can't Showalter as 'well' as...Showalter?
Wuuuuut!?
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/25 02:00:47
"Sometimes the only victory possible is to keep your opponent from winning." - The Emperor, from The Outcast Dead.
"Tell your gods we are coming for them, and that their realms will burn as ours did." -Thostos Bladestorm
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
If that's true, then maybe Pedroia ought to talk to the pitching staff a bit more before more of them get hit with 4+ game suspensions. I honestly have no idea what went down, but I saw on the sidebar of FB that one of the Sox pitchers got 4 games for throwing at Machado.
Earlier in the series, Machado slid way too late, kinda sort hurt Pedroia , but it didn't look, for lack of a better term, 'too intentional'.
Then, as most baseball teams do, the Sox 'got him back' a game or so later, but unfortunately Barnes was an idiot and, instead of throwing at Machado's legs, he threw at his head, so he gets a suspension he definitely deserves.
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
If that's true, then maybe Pedroia ought to talk to the pitching staff a bit more before more of them get hit with 4+ game suspensions. I honestly have no idea what went down, but I saw on the sidebar of FB that one of the Sox pitchers got 4 games for throwing at Machado.
Earlier in the series, Machado slid way too late, kinda sort hurt Pedroia , but it didn't look, for lack of a better term, 'too intentional'.
Then, as most baseball teams do, the Sox 'got him back' a game or so later, but unfortunately Barnes was an idiot and, instead of throwing at Machado's legs, he threw at his head, so he gets a suspension he definitely deserves.
Yeah, I was scrolling through FB, saw MLB Network/Smoltz coverage of it, including the incident.. . . The slide, to me, looked wholly incidental. Like, yeah, it was a bit late, but he wasn't going in intentionally spikes high. He was spikes high because it looked more like he slid to keep from tripping/falling over himself.
And, in regard to the video I was watching, Smoltzey is definitely correct: When a manager makes the call to retaliate, the veteran pitcher or whatever that does the retaliation does it the "right way." This, as Pedroia's reaction indicates, was Barnes taking things into his own hands, almost like Farrell (or whoever the Sox manager is these days) talked with Pedroia, saw what happened and determined that things were settled. . . . Apparently someone needs to put it on official Memos for someone like Barnes.
And Buck Showalter has to be the douchiest of douchebag managers going right now - even out-Scioscia'ing Mike Scioscia.
Or maybe Mike Scioscia can't Showalter as 'well' as...Showalter?
With all due respect, what on earth are you talking about? Showalter is probably one of the classiest, inherently decent, and well respected managers in the game.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/04/25 11:44:26
Had some drama in last nights Boston v. B-more game. Going to be interesting to see how it plays out for the rest of the season. I think it will taper off, Pedroia and Machado are friends, so it will probably be a non-issue going forward. But if not, its going to be intense when these two teams play from here on out.
If that's true, then maybe Pedroia ought to talk to the pitching staff a bit more before more of them get hit with 4+ game suspensions. I honestly have no idea what went down, but I saw on the sidebar of FB that one of the Sox pitchers got 4 games for throwing at Machado.
Earlier in the series, Machado slid way too late, kinda sort hurt Pedroia , but it didn't look, for lack of a better term, 'too intentional'.
Then, as most baseball teams do, the Sox 'got him back' a game or so later, but unfortunately Barnes was an idiot and, instead of throwing at Machado's legs, he threw at his head, so he gets a suspension he definitely deserves.
Yeah, I was scrolling through FB, saw MLB Network/Smoltz coverage of it, including the incident.. . . The slide, to me, looked wholly incidental. Like, yeah, it was a bit late, but he wasn't going in intentionally spikes high. He was spikes high because it looked more like he slid to keep from tripping/falling over himself.
And, in regard to the video I was watching, Smoltzey is definitely correct: When a manager makes the call to retaliate, the veteran pitcher or whatever that does the retaliation does it the "right way." This, as Pedroia's reaction indicates, was Barnes taking things into his own hands, almost like Farrell (or whoever the Sox manager is these days) talked with Pedroia, saw what happened and determined that things were settled. . . . Apparently someone needs to put it on official Memos for someone like Barnes.
By this point in his career, he REALLY should know that he's got no reason to ever throw at or even near someone's head.
And Buck Showalter has to be the douchiest of douchebag managers going right now - even out-Scioscia'ing Mike Scioscia.
Or maybe Mike Scioscia can't Showalter as 'well' as...Showalter?
With all due respect, what on earth are you talking about? Showalter is probably one of the classiest, inherently decent, and well respected managers in the game.
So? He mentioned that the press is making too big a deal about the Red Sox flu problems. And he said he wasn't trying to tweak the Sox when asked. There's no crying in baseball, so it goes.
And he stares at umps when he disagrees with their calls. What would you rather him do? Run out on the field, kick dirt, and make an ass out of himself on the regular?
P.S. Yes, I'm an Orioles fan.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/25 15:06:09
OK, so you're an Orioles fan - I mean, there almost isn't any point in continuing to describe how Showalter isn't really someone that the word "classy" would describe, but...
It isn't too hard to find many examples of him whining on about the Yankees and the Red Sox.
I mean, sure, he's trying to pull a Maddon here and get the O's all fired up ala the Rays when they became...the Rays, with that "We're Not Gonna Take It Attitude" and not be bullied by the AL East's top teams, but... really?
Maybe just shut up, play ball and win?
And - ironically enough, that IS what the O's have done lately - they've won a lot.
Well, in the regular season maybe.
Sure, they haven't won it all since 1983 - but yeah, just shut up and win, and stop all the chirping!
I'll just add that something you might not be aware of about Showalter (as well as many Os players, especially Adam Jones) is the amount of time, energy, and promotion he does for charity. He really is classy, even if you don't think he's classy with his press statements, he does alot for a community that desperately needs it, and it's impossible for me not to include that stuff when I think about him as a manager...baseballs just a silly game compared to what he does with his prestige off the field.
I'm sure alot of players and managers around the league do the same.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/04/25 17:34:37
