2019 MLB Regular Season running thread

Oh.......Scherzer pitched last night.
Unreal.

 

The PNW is glorious in summer — and was even better when I lived there in the mid-2000s, where a 90-degree day was cause for concern. I worked construction, and when we had a week of mid-80s, we'd go to work at 6 a.m., which pretty much sucked. The last few years, however, the weather has been way hotter there than it was 15 years ago.

Thank goodness there's no global warming to worry about.

All that said, the minor league team in Portland drew fairly well when I lived there, and I think a major league team with good ownership could thrive (which could be said about many sports franchises).

 

a good team can thrive in almost all places not located in Florida. Put a good team in Memphis, Charlotte or Portland and they will do well. And by good I mean Kansas City and Minnesota level. They win often enough that being a champion is not out of the realm of possibility, but they have more winning seasons than losing seasons. Seattle supported the team when it was doing well and even moderately well. Baltimore is getting less than 10K to actually show on a regular basis. Even when they were bad they used to draw 30-40K for Boston and New York. THats 18 games a season. Now, they get in the low 20s. 20 years of shit ownership can kill a franchise.

Move the Rays to Portland.

 

Memphis is small and poor. It is not going to support a major league team. Income and presence of large corporations are important for a team to survive.

Anybody know how MSAs work out. Like is Boston's geographically smaller compared to places in the south and west because of population density and other cities nearby? For instance,

 

If this is true, fuck ‘em. I’m done.

https://twitter.com/jeffpassan/status/1141761834434871297

 

The MontRays, or the RayMonts. Sounds like a 1960s band, like the Gentrys (Keep on Dancin and a Prancin), the Rivieras (California Sun), the Ventures or the Chantays.

So, half the year they are paid in US dollars, the other half in Canadian dollars? The tax implications on the players would be confusing and onerous and finding a place to live would be a nightmare. I can't see the Players Association ever approving this.

PS: "California Sun" is a tremendous song.

 

Pro athletes are never paid in Canadian dollars. All the major sports pay American money.

 

OK, did not know that. Still, have to be some tax implications as part-time Canadian residents, right? Can't see Ontario and Quebec just getting nothing for income earned there.

 

Won't it depend on how the dollar is doing vs the loonie? That was a factor when Quebec and Winnipeg lost their NHL teams, no? Taking in loonies and paying in U.S. funds?

 

The only baseball stadium in North America shittier than the Tropicana Dome is (drum roll) ... Olympic Stadium!

 

The Kansas City-Omaha Kings approve of this.

I’d imagine the MLB players union wouldn’t.