The 2023 Running Baseball Thread

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

Shouldn’t be this emotional in public but whatevs. AMAZING

 

Goal #2 unlocked. (AL East).

Now win and advance. Win and advance.

 

Congrats to O's fans. Good story last year, great story this year.

They'll be an easy team to root for in the playoffs for this Mets fan.

 

Two weeks ago, the Giants’ ownership said they supported Farhan and Gabe Kapler and would be looking to resign both. But after getting eliminated from playoff contention and looking rather terrible in the process (losing 10 of the last 13 and going 6 for the last 34 on the road to finish up), KNBR asked Farhan if anyone’s job was up for reconsideration.

Farhan didn’t say yes or no but he said he appreciated the ownership’s support. Then he went on to say everything will be looked at after the season and called out things that may have been fine if they were winning, but a terrible look when losing (a not so veiled jab at John Brebbia playing hide the baseball when Kapler came to take him out of the game they ended up getting eliminated officially). He went on to say he wondered if the team was approaching the two-game series against Arizona with the right intensity.

Long story short, Kapler could very well be fired come Oct. 2. Wish Farhan joins him in cleaning out his office.

 

Birdland appreciates your support.

 

Stop me if you've heard this before, but, it's been said "you can't fire 25 players, but you can fire the manager." But, if the Giants think the roster as currently constructed is a playoff team, well, what are they growing in that garden behind the center field fence? That's even factoring in some of the much ballyhooed prospects.

 

I’d rather the Rays had won the division because anything can happen in the wild card round, but if another team must win it, I’m happy it’s these Orioles. Hopefully there will be a head-to-head matchup, but I’ll root with equal fervor for whichever team prevails.

 

I blame the guy who built a platoon squad, didn’t bring anyone in when the pitching went to hell and they were using starters three times a week, traded for AJ Pollack instead of filing needs, and lucked into a 100-win season. Fire that guy. But Gabe probably needs to go too under a new regime.

 

I know that Bill James pretty much downplayed the value of steals in his abstracts in the late 1980s, all of which I have somewhere.

What is the current thinking on the real value of a stolen base? Does it have a real impact on total runs scored by a particular team, or is it so much eyewash?