MLB '24 Regular Season Thread

I hear they just picked up Whit Merrifield, who doesn't seem to enjoy life in the National League.

 

They also called up Nacho Alvarez Jr. from AAA. He's now a big cheese. Or a chip off the old block.

 

I'd like to see Detroit just play this out without any major changes.
The team chemistry seems tremendous right now. Sort of reminds me of Kansas City when the Royals were on the cusp of big things. Of course, Dayton Moore then added via trade.

 

It was a long, hard trip to the bigs.

 

I understand somewhat that you don't want to be in the muddled middle in terms of draft position, stuff like that. But I think the Tigers are kind of in a waiting room toward good things and I'd hope they just mostly mind their business. If they can get something for Flaherty or one of the other rentals, good, but I think they're OK in place right now.

 

I bet I know one team that won't chase down Flaherty (for a second time).

 

We had a local guy who did something similar with basketball. He was a good Division I college player, but not NBA material and he knew it. So he left school a year early (I think he had his degree by then) and made a decent career for himself playing overseas. The last story I did, he'd played in seven countries on three continents over the span of about five years. He said it was sort of a self-perpetuating thing, where he'd made so many contacts in different leagues around the world that it was never too difficult to find one to play in. Foreigners in those leagues usually make a nice living, as well, since they often get perks like housing and cars.
The closest he ever got to the NBA was a brief stint with a G League team. He didn't regret it, though. He worked the system and made a career out of doing something he loved while traveling around the world. Hard to beat that.

Another local guy washed out of the NFL in training camp and got cut by a CFL team after that. He went and played in the German Football League and became a legend there. He played for about 15 years and now is coaching. Talking to him, he said it was the best thing that ever happened to him because it gave him focus. He said he was a little wild, but knew he had to straighten out because he was afraid of messing up his immigration status if he got arrested.
Another example of just going where life takes you, even if it's not the big time. There are a lot of roads that lead to Happy.

 

I have a coworker who does the same thing. He is 30, played basketball at a mid major and has been playing in pro leagues in Asia for years. He's part Filipino, so he gets to play as a local player instead of an import.

He comes back to the states each summer and works for our agency. He said he hopes to do this for another five years. He makes good money and gets free housing and other perks for he and his wife.

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/braves-to-sign-whit-merrifield.html

 

Hahaha. I watched "The Long Game" last night, the racially charged Mexican golf movie set in Texas in the 1950s. He showed up as the father of one of the guys and I stumbled for a minute before I realized it was him. Oh, he had a wooden leg.

 

This is a bit of a surprise. Dodgers are calling up a kid to start tonight and will need another 40-man spot for Kershaw later this week. Paxton hasn't been good, but they have won most of the games he has started.

Dodgers To Designate James Paxton For Assignment - MLB Trade Rumors

 

Poor cholera, having to put up with Trevor Bauer: