I didn’t know until this week that Omar Lopez has been with the Astros organization for 27 years. Have they had a Bobblehead Day for him? He deserves it.
The bottom line is this is baseball Even in ideal conditions/situations, the better team wins the game only 60-67% of the time. Any baseball event that is not constructed of multiple series or at the very least double/triple elimination is essentially luck.
I don't see Mark DeRosa ever getting a MLB manager job anytime soon after this masterclass of how now to manage a baseball team.
The 2019 Astros team is the perfect example of that. I'll never get over that loss till I die. We had the best line up in the league with the best 1-2 duo in recent history
Plus an all-star #3 starter in Greinke and setup man... and Will Harris had a 1.50 ERA and higher WAR than Pressly.
almost just as big of an indictment of where the NBA is at this time... high stakes playoff-type baseball is high drama and that does draw viewers. Will there be even more playoff games/teams after the next lockout? Its the owners best way to to inflate TV contracts...
I liked the scheduling tweak I heard earlier: Play the group games in the spring Play the knockout rounds during an extended All Star Break.
Will MLB teams be more or less likely to allow their high leverage relievers or starters throw max effort pitches during the season… or before the season? (Or after?) It’s obviously a positive event for the game (and television networks), despite MLB teams’ apprehension. I know soccer leagues worldwide figured this stuff out decades ago, and it’s as big a part of those leagues/teams as anything (and again, major revenue all around). Baseball has an opportunity to do something with it. I just have no confidence there will be a perfect solution when MLB is in charge.
It's about the money. TV viewership far exceeded expectations. If the owners get a share of the revenue, they will be motivated to have better players and higher effort involved. Personally I do not watch or follow any baseball (or any sports) except the Astros and their minor league teams. I just want it to go away but I'm fighting a losing battle.
Agreed… even though this has been around 20+ years (with some USA teams showing far more emotion in past versions), why does it seem to be gaining momentum/viewership in this time where streaming/options abound more than ever? One theory, in regards to live sports being the only thing people watch “live” anymore, is that the product of baseball has actually improved in recent years (mainly due to the pitch clock, times of games)… whereas you could say the NBA and NFL products really haven’t improved ‘aesthetically’, and in some cases have regressed amongst fans (tush push, 24/7 NFL fatigue, everybody shooting 3’s, foul-baiting). We all know baseball has the ability to elevate the drama in playoff situations… likely moreso than the other sports (maybe hockey is up there too). You just hope MLB figures out what the right thing is to do as they will likely try and capitalize on the momentum (and summarily flush it down the toliet if there’s a work stoppage).
