2013 MLB Regular Season running thread

I had to choose someone to drop Sunday because Betancourt came off the DL. I have a strong pitching staff and it was really difficult to drop Bailey. I did so because he had just 4 wins and a 3.88 ERA even though he had 102 Ks.

By dropping him I also lost out on the first no-hitter bonus of the season.

Hi #RIPRon.



On another note, Jeff Locke is 3rd in the NL with 2.06 ERA.

 

Not to change the subject, but MLB fired umpire Brian Runge for drug use. Hasn't umped in the majors this year due to an injury, but has a family history as umpires.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-on-baseball/22613088/ap-umpire-brian-runge-dismissed-due-to-drug-violation

 

Back to the no-hitter:

1st round of 2004 draft (Bailey, Verlander, Weaver, Humber) now has 6 no-hitters

 

Could ESPN have tapped into one of the local feeds?

 

I've been working on this for the last couple of weeks. It's kind of long, and some of you might think it might be unrealistic.

I did this for fun, so if you're not interested to give proper feedback, then I suggest you to just skip over this post entirely.

Here's a new MLB realignment proposal for the near future which takes into account AAA affiliates. In this scenario, we expand to 32 teams and realign NFL-style, while the AAA teams follow suit. Here I give the IL and PCL more accurate and descriptive (even if boring) names, the Eastern and Western League, respectively.

In the majors, I've shifted the Athletics to San Jose -- and to hell with the Giants ;D -- and (reluctantly) moved the Rays out of Tampa Bay. Here they go to Austin to become the Cyclones. I was going to go with Lone Stars, but the name just doesn't do much for me. If you've got anything better, pipe up. The Marlins are stuck in Florida mainly due to their fancy new stadium. I've added expansion teams in Montreal and Portland. I've also done some team renaming, both in the majors and in AAA, as you can see. No "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" nonsense -- they're back to the California Angels.

Down in AAA, I tried to represent Canada more because there's currently only one MiLB team altogether in Canada, the Level A Vancouver Canadians. I shifted the Gwinnett Braves to Ottawa, the Reno Aces to Newark, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to Hartford, Tucson to Vancouver, and New Orleans to Tampa Bay (the "demoted" Rays), while adding expansion teams in Calgary and Edmonton. The presence of an MLB team in Austin meant I had to move Round Rock, which went to San Antonio. The awesome name Utah Raptors (see dinosaur) is not my invention -- credit goes to the blog Sport Change for that one.

MLB

National League
East Division: Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates
North Division: Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals
South Division: Atlanta Infernos, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, Washington Senators
West Division: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants

American League
East Division: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays
North Division: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Spiders, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins
South Division: Austin Cyclones, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers
West Division: California Angels, Portland Beavers, San Jose Athletics, Seattle Mariners

AAA (MLB parent clubs in parentheses)

Eastern League
Northeast Division: Buffalo Bisons (TOR), Ottawa Lynx (MON), Rochester Red Wings (MIN), Syracuse Stars (PIT)
Atlantic Division: Hartford Dark Blues (NYY), Lehigh Valley Ironmen (PHI), Newark Bears (NYM), Pawtucket Patriots (BOS)
Midwest Division: Columbus Clippers (CLE), Indianapolis Hoosiers (CHW), Louisville Sluggers (CIN), Toledo Mud Hens (DET)
Southeast Division: Charlotte Knights (ATL), Durham Bulls (WSN), Norfolk Tides (BAL), Tampa Bay Rays (MIA)

Western League
Northwest Division: Calgary Vipers (POR), Edmonton Wolverines (AUS), Tacoma Rainiers (SEA), Vancouver Vulcans (SDP)
Pacific Division: Fresno Grizzlies (SFG), Las Vegas Blackjacks (ARI), Sacramento River Cats (SJA), Utah Raptors (CAL)
Central Division: Des Moines Demons (CHC), Memphis Mustangs (STL), Nashville Cougars (MIL), Omaha Twisters (KCR)
Southwest Division: Albuquerque Isotopes (LAD), Colorado Springs Sky Sox (COL), Oklahoma Outlaws (TEX), San Antonio Stallions (HOU)

Note that no AAA teams have the same name as any MLB teams. (That's just lazy.) I also swapped ownership of Las Vegas and Reno/Newark between the Mets and D'backs so that the affiliates are geographically closer to their parent club. And then there's this "musical chairs" of affiliate swaps starting with the new Montreal team taking the Braves' AAA club:

Gwinnett Braves (ATL) > Ottawa Lynx (MON)
Charlotte Knights (CHW) > Charlotte Knights (ATL)
Indianapolis Indians (PIT) > Indianapolis Hoosiers (CHW)
Syracuse Chiefs (WSN) > Syracuse Stars (PIT)
Durham Bulls (TBR) > Durham Bulls (WSN)

And after the Rays become the Austin Cyclones, they get the expansion Edmonton Wolverines as their AAA affiliate for a slice of historical irony.

You like? Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.

 

Three years in jail.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9445977/milton-bradley-sentenced-960-days-jail-abuse-case

 

If MLB ever expands to 32, the AA Texas League should get the two additional franchises. That is a way-underserved league considering the footprint population and number of teams in contrast with the other two AA leagues.

 

Washington Senators? Please, no.

 

If not this, than maybe a West Coast-friendly AA league? Currently, the Dodgers are in Chattanooga and the Giants in Richmond (and don't even think of getting rid of the Flying Squirrels), for example. Tucson and El Paso come to mind as unserved AA/AAA-sized markets under Gehrig's brainchild.

 

The Ogden Raptors would probably want to be involved in any conversation about any Utah Raptors.

 

Also, the Braves have made a particular point about naming all their minor-league clubs the Braves; the only one that isn't is the Lynchburg Hillcats, which is also the only one they don't own. Having put that AAA team in Gwinnett in part for geographic proximity, I doubt they'd want it moved to Charlotte.

 

I think the Nats are close to moving its low A team from Hagerstown (Md.) to Fredericksburg (Va.) to align it along the 95 corridor with Potomac (high A) and the big club. Harrisburg (AA) is close enough, I guess, but Syracuse (AAA) is a good ways away.