MLB 2025 Spring Training Thread

[maumann]

Ha! True.

It's a new SUV. Chevy Tahoe. Which can get you anywhere in 15 minutes.

Dang. I was hoping it was a DeSoto.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

As we've mentioned before, prices for spring training games have become ridiculously high. Another thing ruined by greed.capitalism.

FTFY

 

[maumann]

If you're willing to pay $35-40 for the opportunity to watch one at-bat of possible major leaguers followed by six innings of 40-man roster fills and spring training invites, be my guest. I'll be on the backfields in Bradenton and Sarasota for the next few weeks for free, watching the actual AAA and AA prospects directly behind the backstop from a folding chair with a cold drink and umbrella.

 

[Webster]

Big Stein rolling over in his grave.

Yanks amend facial hair policy, to allow 'well-groomed beards'

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Has anyone done an in-depth dive on why ESPN has scaled its baseball coverage back?

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Even ESPN has 24-hour days. If you expand one sport, another's gonna suffer. When baseball starts, so do the NHL and NBA playoffs. When baseball enters the stretch, here comes the NFL and college football, where ESPN has many very expensive commitments. And aside from part of the first round, ESPN is blocked out of the playoffs. Half a billion bucks is a lot to pay for the marginal return of Sunday Night Baseball.

 

[Webster]

Has anyone done an in-depth dive on why ESPN has scaled its baseball coverage back?

Long story short is that they are paying way too much for a weekly game which no one watches.

 

[FileNotFound]

if this leads to the elimination of the Sunday night game, I won't be sad.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Dang. I was hoping it was a DeSoto.

Outstanding.

 

[MTM]

if this leads to the elimination of the Sunday night game, I won't be sad.

It's baffling how bad that broadcast got. Besides showing 6 teams over and over, the booth is terrible.
Ravetch seems unprepared and makes big gaffes every week and Perez brings nothing. He talks about everything but the game. I may be an old man yelling at clouds, but I don't need 5 minutes on Bryce Harper's cleats.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

It's baffling how bad that broadcast got. Besides showing 6 teams over and over, the booth is terrible.
Ravetch seems unprepared and makes big gaffes every week and Perez brings nothing. He talks about everything but the game. I may be an old man yelling at clouds, but I don't need 5 minutes on Bryce Harper's cleats.

The crazy thing is it shouldn't be that bad. They're all good broadcasters and hardcore baseball guys. It's not like when Joe Buck was bored and just didn't want to let go of all his toys. But goodness, it's almost unwatchable. Baseball is by far my favorite sport but barring a crazy national hook, I'm not watching SNB if the locals aren't playing.

 

[HanSenSE]

The crazy thing is it shouldn't be that bad. They're all good broadcasters and hardcore baseball guys. It's not like when Joe Buck was bored and just didn't want to let go of all his toys. But goodness, it's almost unwatchable. Baseball is by far my favorite sport but barring a crazy national hook, I'm not watching SNB if the locals aren't playing.

The last time I recall watching SNB, it was a Mets-Giants game from San Francisco. 5 p.m. start, when the sun hasn't dipped below the rim of the stadium yet. They decide it would be a great time to interview the Mets left fielder during the game, and they continue to do so even after he says he can't see.

Say what you Wan about Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, but they didn't need gimmicks like that. And recall for the first few seasons, one of the selling points was doing at least one game from every park.