OffThePost.org

So long as complete and utter morons like Angel Hernandez continue to be employed by MLB I want robot umps. The human element there is TOO flawed.

I just hate how the game has now had to be severely legislated because teams are just blindly looking at the numbers and acting accordingly. They now have to force teams to use pitchers for 3 innings because before they were just telling them to hurl until their arms bled and yanking them out of the game too quickly.

And don't even get me started with the absolute HORSESHIT going on in extra innings and doubleheaders.

It ain't even just how on-field strategy has been affected. Rob Manfred effectively used a spreadsheet handed to him by that cheating douchenozzle Greg Luhnow to effectively destroy minor league baseball, and basically half, if not two-thirds of the entire league just up and tanked for 2-3 years. Except for the Rockies. They never really tank, they're just bad with no discernible direction or purpose.

I forgot to reply to the umpire part. I get wanting the human element, but it's far too flawed. Balls and strikes are easily called by computer, and correctly. And players/managers aren't supposed to argue over balls/strikes. Well then get it right. The arguments are one of the most exciting parts of a baseball game, whether or not they're allowed. Maybe they're exciting because they're allowed?

I have a rule change idea. Fighting. If a pitcher beans the batter and he charges, they can fight. Anyone else gets third man in and is ejected for that game and suspended 3 more games. Anyone who runs in from the any other position, the dugout or bullpen is automatically suspended 5 games. Want to throw at a guy's head? Be prepared to get punched. Okay, that's mostly a joke, but I'm so sick of seeing half the building empty onto the infield because a guy got brushed back.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Love the pitch clock, limiting mound visits, limiting pickoff throws. Get the damn ball in play.

The failed starter->now reliever->Now we're in the playoffs so our good starters get the hook super early so we can go to our failed starters thing kills me. We will see where pitching goes.

I hate the human element of "pitch framing" aka umps not doing their job correctly and calling balls and strikes when they cross the plate. If the umps are showing that they won't and/or can't make correct calls consistently then don't let them influence the outcome of the game. That's my problem with it. "Established zone" is what's in the rulebook, not what an ump feels like calling on a given day. Too much inconsistency.

_________________
Thanks Chuck, E.L. and Harmy!

In its purest form, umps are not there to call balls and strikes super accurately, they were originally put there to keep the pace of play moving and to prevent arguments between the pitcher and batter. Of course, that was when pitchers were hurling goat stomachs over the plate.

_________________

That's funny because they cause 99.9% of arguing in the game. Have for the last 50 or more years. If Angel Hernandez can stay employed as a major league umpire, it shows how broken their system is. I don't expect robotically similar calls, but being within 1' would be nice. Makes me wonder if he's betting on games, or tells a family member to bet on games he works.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Two weeks till pitchers and catchers and four of the top free agents are still on the market: Snell, Bellinger, Chapman, Montgomery.

Of course, they're all Scott Boras clients.

It sucks for everyone involved: the players, fans, general league excitement. But it also works for his clients, and athletes deserve to get paid well and not be screwed over by owners. I don't know how to make this equitable in a way that doesn't turn free agency into an endless slog that drags into the season.

But as it stands, it's awful. We've been waiting over three months for something to happen and Boras/general managers keep playing chicken over a few million. Someone is going to pay 200M for a Cy Young winner and instead of excitement the reaction will be relief.

_________________

Rockies fans got some huge news this offseason. Todd Helton, who played his entire career in Colorado, got into the Hall of Fame.

Fun Fact, if you didn't already know: Helton was the starting QB at the University of Tennessee, and his backup at the time was a young Peyton Manning. They've remained close friends ever since.

Helton, like so many other Rockies greats, deserved much better, but this time he gets some overdue honors.

As for the team itself, well, they literally did NOTHING this offseason. Nothing. No notable signings, no trades, nothing. Just gonna play the kids and see what happens. Which, I guess, is the most we can hope for, but so long as Monfort continues to own the team, we'll see talent developed, get wasted while Monfort counts the gate revenues, and then watch them depart for very little or even nothing in return.

I can't help but be very excited about spring training being here.

Even the Giants spent the most in free agency besides the Dodgers and picked up some fun pieces: Korean Ichiro-type Jung-Hoo Lee, Mr. 105 MPH fastball Jordan Hicks and Cuban Homer King Jorge Soler. I think they're marginally better than last year's club but will be way more entertaining.

_________________

The whole Fanatics-made uniforms issue has blown up so badly the PA is now getting involved.

Make sure you buy your shit NOW, before Fanatics fully takes over for the NHL next season.

I think I've told this story on here before but a while ago I accidentally bought unlicensed Isles jerseys straight from China (Black Friday ad on FB with a web address close, but different from, the real Fanatics site). The name plate and numbers were puffier than than the real ones, but besides that they aren't bad. They didn't have the one for Miss18.2 so I ordered one for her through Fanatics. That one looked better from a distance, but didn't have the real 2 color stitched name/number. It was printed, including printed stitches. Fuckers. I wound up getting all of my money back from the fake site after reporting the fraud to my credit card company. And I got to keep the fake jerseys. F U scammers!

The fakes weren't much worse than the Fanatics one, which was more than twice the price.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Well, shit.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/397 ... ired-theft

We haven't even started the season yet and somehow we already have a major scandal (or potential scandal I guess) on the book. Yes, pun intended.

The Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani's longtime interpreter and friend over what appeared to be massive gambling debts and the wire transfer of millions from Ohtani's account to cover the costs. Thing is, were those debts really Ippei's or were they Ohtani's? The longer this story lasts, the more it looks like Ippei is the fall guy here. Just not a good look for anyone.

Doesn't help the Dodgers that their other big ticket guy, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, got absolutely shelled in his MLB debut.

Better ban Shohei for life just in case. No, I'm not being biased...

_________________

Seconded!

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Rockies fans and Giants fans finally agreeing on something.

No idea when this happened but Fubo got the YES network, so I'll be able to watch Yankee games this year. Or at least most of them. Only 1 of the first 3 is on YES.

Stumbled upon last night's game while flipping channels. Soto with an RBI single and one hell of a throw from RF to gun down the would-be tying run in the bottom of the 9th.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

*Checks Rockies season opener score*

Yep...not watching baseball this year.

Three games in and Jung Hoo Lee is already my favourite player.

_________________

Yankees are 3-0, with three come from behind wins vs the Assholes, I mean, Astros. First time they've started 3-0 since 2003. I can actually watch games again, so, yay.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Its baseball opening day in Colorado and that means its time for the MLB to try new biometric tech on people!

Now rolling out Palm Scanning stadium wide for beer purchases this year!

https://venuesnow.com/aramark-installs- ... ors-field/

Now I don't know if this is required (like the Houston airport)......because I have not been to a Rockies game in a few years. They rolled out a test case last year...but its full blown now.



For now.............

_________________
No AI has been used in the making of this post