Regular interleague play has made this game redundant and even more of a joke than it always was. Time to kill it for good.
I thought the Home Run Derby was last night.
What, don’t you like a good joke?
The game does have something of a “just for fun” atmosphere, and I’m not at all sure that’s a bad thing. Just think of it as the baseball season’s halftime show.
Josh Hader had a very bad night. He gave up a three run homer, and then things got worse…
Offensive tweets by Brewers pitcher Josh Hader surfaced during the All-Star Game
My guy Scooter Gennett kept it rolling for a minute at least…Sounds like the Reds want to keep Gennett, whom is deservedly a fan favorite, and I don’t want to see him go, but…why keep him at this stage? Why?
Last night we saw the full genius of Joe Buck on display. Observing that the games to date have been evenly split with each league racking up 43 wins and there have been 2 ties, Joe notes “that makes each team is 43-43 and one”. No, Joe, that’s 43-43 and two.
The game is majestic and steeped in history, but for the love of God take the broadcast rights away from Fox. I for one would like each year to hear what the PA announcer for the home team sounds like, but no we have to hear Joe Fucking Buck hog the spotlight. Want to hear the rendition of O Canada? Sucks to be you, they’d rather sneak in another commercial. And how do we honor the game? Put a microphone on the players and talk to them during the game and work in a few football questions. Yeah, Joe, how about you talk baseball with Tom Brady during the football playoffs?
And who the fuck died to make Manny Machado king? Granted, he’s a very good player but is he going to be that big of an impact player for the Dodgers to bring them to the World Series? I’m a bit skeptical and it seems to me that this signing was very much overblown.
As for the game, yay great the good guys won and Judge got a homer.
It’s not a bad thing. Let players and fans have fun doing something fun for fun.
Last night was the first All Star game in which I did not see a single pitch. My 8 year old self would be in disbelief, but honestly, I don’t even miss it. And my team was well represented, the Red Sox had 5 guys on the roster.
As I get older, and as professional sports continue to evolve, I think Seinfeld was right all along. We’re just rooting for laundry. I mean, I still enjoy going to games and watching on TV because I love baseball. But my rooting interest has dampened considerably, which is sad because that is what got me to love baseball in the first place.
He’s young and isn’t a free agent until 2020. I’m sure they’ve been listening to offers, but you gotta have SOME good players and you can always accept the arbitration deal and deal him in 2019 if need be.
Considering how dreadful the Reds started the year, they’re not doing all that bad. Look at that lineup; this team can hit, and except for Joey Votto no one is old or expensive, and they’re committed to Votto, who will post .400 on base percentages until he gets tired of doing it. The Reds are a classic example of a team that isn’t good but has a very clear weakness that can be corrected. Add a good starter, have one other guy rebound, and this team could be damn good in 2019.
I’m not gonna lie to you, they have to bring in external help for pitching. But it’s quite plausible one of Castillo, Romano or Mahle could take a big step forward in 2019.
According to MLB.com: “Machado to Dodgers trade reportedly ‘happening’”
Quiet! You’ll jinx it!
I wonder what happened to all the great baseball writers at the New York Times. I guess they just got old and were put out to pasture. Here’s what it’s like now:
Hai guys, here’s a great idea: Trade Aaron Judge for Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom!
OK, so now they’re going for clickbait. But I was just reading a brief article about Manny Machado that included this gem:
:smack:
As for the all-star game, it was fun watching the players have fun. This place is really fuddy-duddy…OMG, they took selfies. Some of them even had tats!
I’m curious. I’m a Sox fan too, and I find my interest has waned over the years, but I wonder if that would be the case had the Sox not “broken the curse?”
I’m in my 40’s, so I remember the past heartbreaks with the team, hearing stories of the older ones from my Dad and Grand parents. Sox games used to have a much more important feel to them. I still watch, but no longer will mess up my day if they don’t win.
Yeah, that guy sucks on defense. The Orioles really ought to lower their asks to the Dodgers for someone who rates so poorly on the other side of the ball. <cough>
Agreed. MLB’s version of the ASG still looks the most like the real competition as compared to hockey, basketball and football, and it’s not a close call. Whatever antics are happening peripherally, each pitcher and each batter is actually trying to win that match-up. Is the game important? No, not at all. But it’s still kind of entertaining.
I gave up on it a long time ago. It used to be interesting to see the best players from The Other League that never came to your town, but with interleague play and everything on cable, that attraction isn’t there anymore. It did used to seem that the players took bragging rights seriously and played the game straight up, even if the managers had to get everyone in like in tee ball, but not so much anymore.
What I think turned me off finally was the Home Run Derby. That emphasized that it’s all for show, not a real game, and the players think so too (selfies on-base during the game? Really?).
I don’t bother with other sports’ ASG’s either.
I basically tuned out. I watched parts of the first inning, but regular season baseball is competing with so many other things on TV it’s just hard to follow now. I keep up with the standings and catch the occasional game on TV at a bar on an odd summer night in July or August, but that’s it. Playoffs are as good as they’ve ever been, though.
Machado is a very good third baseman. He is a bad shortstop. He doesn’t make many errors, but his primary strength is his arm. At short he lacks the third-step range you need to cover enough ground.
Given more time, maybe he could get good at it, largely by adopting a Cal Ripken approach of playing ludicrously deep, but he arm isn’t THAT good - Ripken had as good an arm as anyone who ever played the infield.
“Major League Baseball announced today that it will require Brewers pitcher Josh Hader to undergo sensitivity training and to participate in the league’s “diversity and inclusion initiatives.” The determination came down quickly, after it emerged last night — in the midst of the All-Star Game — that Hader had sent a variety of offensive tweets before he became a professional baseball player.” | Link |
That’s a fair question. I think I’d still be less invested at this point because I’ve lost some level of rooting interest in other sports, too. And again, it’s not like I’m completely disinterested. But the Red Sox on TV used to be appointment television for me (I don’t get NESN). Now, I just catch highlights on my phone from time to time.
It seems a bit silly based on tweets from high school. However, I’m surprised his agent didn’t make sure a complete social media review was done when he signed.
I watched the ASG last night (though, admittedly, I was multitasking, and not paying 100% attention to it). Granted, it’s essentially an exhibition game, but it started to feel, to me, like a video game: half of the 20 hits in the game were home runs, all but one run scored via a HR, and there were 25 strikeouts. It was a microcosm of how the game has changed – as quoted on SI.com:
Home runs are cool, yes. But, I feel like the old guy, shaking my cane at the yoots, when I bemoan the loss of “small ball” in the game.