MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

These things can also be avoided by getting rid of the idea that every team needs to play every other team. Trust me, I do not need to see the Mets play the White Sox or the Yankees play the Rockies. Get rid of interleague except for six-game home-and-home rivalry series and open every season with divisional or regionally friendly games. It'll be much easier to make anything up thereafter. If the Mets and Brewers get rained out again this weekend, when are they gonna play?

 

They're already about as geographically balanced as you can get. The Florida and Texas teams are a little misplaced, but they're geographical orphans no matter what you do. Same with Colorado. And if you move them then you have to move someone else as well for balance.

Even if you start mixing and matching teams you wind up with the same problem. Unless you want a bunch of mongoloid divisions with weird numbers of teams just to put the Yankees and Mets and Cubs and White Sox in the same division.
The current geographical alignment is fine.

 

Holyfield found him.

 

That'll happen when they expand to 32...after, of course, the next labor stoppage in which the owners all cry poor.

NORTHEAST
Yankees
Red Sox
Mets
Blue Jays

MID-ATLANTIC
Phillies
Orioles
Nationals
Charlotte/Tennessee/TBA

SOUTHEAST
Braves
Rays
Marlins
Royals (?)

RUST BELT
Guardians
Tigers
Pirates
Reds

MIDWEST
Brewers
Cubs
White Sox
Twins

SOUTHWEST
Rangers
Astros
Diamondbacks
Cardinals (?)

CALIFORNIA
Dodgers
Angels
Giants
Padres

FAR WEST
Athletics
Portland/TBA
Rockies
Mariners

Every division is pretty easy to figure out except the Southeast & Southwest. Splitting the Royals & Cardinals up there is sorta dumb but hey, St. Louis was in the NFC East and Atlanta in the NL West for decades!

 

My favorite sportscenter commercial. Brilliant.

 

Picking nits here b/c they're both classics, but I'd argue his turn as the Melrose Place pool boy is even funnier.

"Hi Sydney. I'm Bobby. I'm the new pool boy. Want to rub some cocoa oil on my back?"

 

I mean, I think "Follow me! Follow me to freedom!" is possibly the single best line in one of those commercials, but I remain partial to the charity super-single, "Don't Walk."

"In this league there's somethin' brewin' / You can see it in Patrick Ewing!"

 

apologies if we've already done George Will's baseball quiz

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2024/george-will-2024-baseball-quiz/

Mets outfielder Cleon Jones once asked the home plate umpire whether a player could get thrown out of a game for thinking. The umpire said no. So Jones said: “Well, then, I think you’re doing a lousy job.” Do a good job thinking about:

Question 1 of 41
Who hit the most home runs in a final season.

 

The Blue Jays would almost certainly have opened at home today but are on the road until April 8 due to the next phase of Rogers Centre renos which happened over the winter. I'm sure there's still a few things that need to be finished.