MLB 2022: The Long and Winding Thread

National writers and most older voters fawn over St. Louis at a level just below the Yankees and Red Sox. Molina is getting in. He just doesn’t deserve it on merit.

 

Always love the postseason - though it makes me laugh when these teams suddenly try to manufacture runs - particularly bunting after ignoring the practice all season long. Even better when a team butchers the pitcher fields the bunt and throws to first/ or runs and takes throw at 1B - you know the FIRST thing we see when Spring Training gets going.

 

Yes, I missed his 2013 SS award. My bad.

I don't care either way, but he will get a lot of traction because he played for one of baseball's marquee franchises. He had a nice career, but if Harold Baines, Don Sutton and some other HOFers get criticized for being compilers to put up their career numbers, so must Molina.

Player B in my comparison is Lance Parrish. An outstanding player for many years who remains in the Hall of Very Good, which is probably exactly where Molina belongs too.

 

Still think Tommy John Hall-worthy. 288 wins, lower ERA, better postseason all better than Mussina, who's in.

 

Mussina has a better ERA+. Context matters.

 

I mean at least you added relevant numbers to make an argument. My point is more the toughest position in baseball that ruins legs, beats you up constantly, Molina kept going longer than his contemporaries. Yeah the Cardinals should have transitioned sooner, but the author of that tantrum thought he had a gotcha because guys had similar fWAR when they didn’t play similar lengths by a significant amount.

I mean legitimate arguments can be made against him. But none of them should start with a treatise against a fan base.

 

Fels wrote it that way to elicit exactly the emotion shown here for five pages -- moral outrage. Deadspin writers do that.

 

So you're saying I'm the putz who fell for it ...

I have a clever retort, but I should quit while I'm not ahead.

 

Fels related to the Bennington College Fels dorm?

Judges would've accepted meshuggeneh.

 

Gary, Keith and Ron are definitely the best.

But I had no issue with what Buck did. His ears looked like they were covered in something more than sweat. Andrew McCuthchen speculated it was “red hot” and not sticky, just a mental thing pitchers use to stay locked in. Like Roger Clemens having trainers run bull liniment on his balls before games.

Aside from the appearance, Musgrove’s spin rates were way above his averages, apparently.

Turns out the guy just pitched a helluva game. Good on him.

Without all that, chalk the move up to gamesmanship. Trying to disrupt him. No different than every Padres hitter calling timeout three times an at-bat to disrupt Bassitt.

That worked, tho.

 

What I love too are the SPs becoming relievers. (in my lifetime, that's Maddux, Big Unit, MadBum, Scherzer) Just builds more meaning. I love it.

As for the Mets, the Giants feel your pain, 107 wins last year and zilch to show for it. With Scherzer and DeGrom at the top and can't win 2 of 3? Just goes to show you that a team beats the Aces sometimes. Now I've got more problems with the Mets lineup. I only watched the 3 games but no one was hot and no unknown (think Lemke, Eckstein, Cody Ross) exploded. Canha and Nido were automatic outs. Need more hitting.

 

Wut?