MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

Right, but you don’t mess with a hammy.

 

Go gay, improve your play:

 

For those looking for a crash course ahead of Thursday night, NPR has a podcast called Road to Rickwood.

Listen to the latest episode of 'Road to Rickwood'

 

Had an interesting debate on X. The guy said he was troubled that framing pitches has taken precedence over good catching mechanics. I countered that framing IS good catching mechanics. Framing wins games.

Amirite?

 

"Good mechanics" will return when the computerized strike zone renders framing into the buggy whip era.

 

Joe Sheehan wrote that MLB umps call catches, the robot umpires call pitches.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about losing that human element. And I mean just that ... I don't really know how I feel about it.

 

One of the advantages of replay has been the total elimination of those ridiculous manager-umpire rhubarbs that never changed a damn thing.

 

That is an excellent point.

 

In fact I’ve got some equipment I’d like to sell … the massage table, jacuzzi, our alternate mascot costume.

https://woodducks.milbstore.com/products/collard-green-mascot-cornbread

 

OK, but they also brought the human element into the game and they were fun. Ninety-nine percent of the time, both sides were in on the joke. Tom Hallion just went on Terry Collins' podcast re: the ass in the jackpot game. Decades later and people are still watching these clips. A clip of Earl Weaver arguing w/an ump has 809,000 views on YouTube. Something titled "Lou Piniella goes crazy" has 315,000 views. Who is going to search for "meaningless safe/out call overturned at first base in 2022 Mets-Rockies game" in 2060?