The MLB 2010 Season Thread

[63dot]

Down to the wire, but unfortunately in my division

The Giants have had a good year and a potential for a great year, but with 84 wins with very little season left (12 games), they are not only facing off one close chaser in their grouping with San Diego at 83, but a pretty strong Colorado at 82 wins.

I think only one in the west will go to the playoffs with little hope of a wild card from this division.

Philly has this pretty much wrapped up for a wild card if not better, and most likely Cincinnati also has their division wrapped up, and if there is a wild card, I say it will go to Atlanta as they are at 86 wins already.

It would be shocking if the Giants get to 90 but fail to get in to postseason when this is all over.

What do you think about what seems to be these safe predictions?

As for the AL, it looks like NY, TB, MN, and TX and I would be shocked if it wasn't to be these four.

It may be early, but NL seems to have Phil, CN, and Atl with a great chance of all going in which leaves a winner take all in the NL west. Whoever wins this high pressure NL west race when the regular season is over will get the NL pennant imho.

 

[ucfgrad93]

It may be early, but NL seems to have Phil, CN, and Atl with a great chance of all going in which leaves a winner take all in the NL west. Whoever wins this high pressure NL west race when the regular season is over will get the NL pennant imho.

I agree, it seems like Atlanta will win the Wildcard leaving just the winner of the NL West to go to the playoffs. But I don't see them as having a lock on the NL pennant though. The Phillies are playing great baseball right now.

 

[macfan881]

I think it is time to let Mo go this year. Two blown saves in the last 7 days. He sucks. Let's get Papelbon.

please tell me that's sarcasm

 

[63dot]

I agree, it seems like Atlanta will win the Wildcard leaving just the winner of the NL West to go to the playoffs. But I don't see them as having a lock on the NL pennant though. The Phillies are playing great baseball right now.

The NL west's tight race is like a world series in itself with every game being extremely important. It's a nail biter. Players on all three contender teams in the NL west are putting their best foot forward. This type of pressure and doubletime makes for a team that can tear through the NL side.

That being said, the Phillies, if they go to the World Series, won't be a surprise if they win another ring. They have been a force in the last few years and I expect them to for a few more. This is their mini dynasty time right now.

This postseason is going to be very exciting. Will NYY keep their title? Will it be Philly and New York again? Will the 2010 Rockie team go the distance? Is Atlanta destined for another championship this year?

With Seattle being out of it, it will be interesting if Ichiro, at 149 games and 193 hits as of now, will tie the ten career years of 200+ hits of Pete Rose but doing the ten huge hit seasons in just ten years consecutively. If Ichiro does this, then it's a no-brainer most will call him the best baseball player of the decade. And down the line a few years, if Ichiro with his very late entry into American baseball, reaches the 3,000 hit mark in a half career, he will be the greatest baseball has ever seen in its history in Japan or the USA...now if only the Giants can somehow get the guy and give SF the ring they pine for.

 

[aloofman]

Joe Torre is leaving us!!!!! WTF!??????

It's like 2004 when Shaquille and Phil Jackson left the lakers!!!

Ahhhhhhh!!!!

Were dead anyways...

Damm that divorce

We've known this for quite a while. Torre broke off talks about a contract extension at the beginning of the season and hasn't been doing his usual "I'll see at the end of the season" routine.

And it's nothing like Shaq and Phil leaving, since Torre never led us to a championship and isn't doing it the day after losing the finals.

With Seattle being out of it, it will be interesting if Ichiro, at 149 games and 193 hits as of now, will tie the ten career years of 200+ hits of Pete Rose but doing the ten huge hit seasons in just ten years consecutively. If Ichiro does this, then it's a no-brainer most will call him the best baseball player of the decade. And down the line a few years, if Ichiro with his very late entry into American baseball, reaches the 3,000 hit mark in a half career, he will be the greatest baseball has ever seen in its history in Japan or the USA...now if only the Giants can somehow get the guy and give SF the ring they pine for.

I'm as big an Ichiro fan as anyone. He's a lock for the HOF with a high average, lots of SBs, lots of hits, and the best outfielder in baseball for 10 years in a row. But it's going to take a lot more than that for him to be considered the best ever. A LOT more. As many hits as he has, he doesn't have much power, hasn't driven any many runs, and doesn't get on boss when he doesn't hit. And like I said, I think he's very underrated, but no way he's in the top ten all-time. He's not even the best of the decade with Pujols out there. Even Alex Rodriguez is arguably a better POD choice than Ichiro, as much as it pains me to say it.

 

[63dot]

I'm as big an Ichiro fan as anyone. He's a lock for the HOF with a high average, lots of SBs, lots of hits, and the best outfielder in baseball for 10 years in a row. But it's going to take a lot more than that for him to be considered the best ever. A LOT more. As many hits as he has, he doesn't have much power, hasn't driven any many runs, and doesn't get on boss when he doesn't hit. And like I said, I think he's very underrated, but no way he's in the top ten all-time. He's not even the best of the decade with Pujols out there. Even Alex Rodriguez is arguably a better POD choice than Ichiro, as much as it pains me to say it.

Bonds pretty much considered Ichiro and Pujols as the best of this era when some suggested that Barry was the one. Barry knows his place in history and as egotistical as he seemed and abusive towards the press, he knew what he could do and what he couldn't do.

It's a great thing to be a big home run hitter like Bonds with the most in a career and in a single season, but incredible consistency at bat and with the addition of amazing field play make a player the best overall. A player can't just dominate the sport yielding a bat.

I will say with just a small number of home runs, Ichiro won't be remembered like Bonds. I have seen him only breaking the top #20 in best of all time based on what he did at the end of the season in 2007. But remember 2008 and 2009 were 200+ hit seasons for Ichiro, too. It's hard to say, but a giant milestone will be tied if he gets his 10th season of over 200 hits and he will move up that list. Other lists I have seen already have him in the top ten but it's still early to tell. For all we know, he can play too long and fizzle out miserably.

It's Ruth, Maris, Aaron, McGwire, Sosa, and people who had big home run seasons or big career home run numbers who get the most press in this sport in their respective eras. I remember when "61" was considered THE record in baseball and hitting that many runs or more in a season is not a likely event.

Personally, I think "262" is just as impressive a record (single season hits in a season held by Ichiro) as most home runs in a season, and also having a lot of shutouts as a pitcher is something I consider amazing but lacking the story of smashing 61 balls over the fence.

 

[macfan881]

Excelent cermony the Yankees had for the boss today, Nice to see all the past Yankees there to the best part of the tribute I liked was Mo being the last one there staring the Plaque, just shows there will never be such a classier guy then him and a great win to Yankees needed it also

 

[aloofman]

It's a great thing to be a big home run hitter like Bonds with the most in a career and in a single season, but incredible consistency at bat and with the addition of amazing field play make a player the best overall. A player can't just dominate the sport yielding a bat.

Actually a player can. Most of what most people would agree are the top ten players ever were far more famous for hitting than for anything else, Mays being the main exception and Ruth remembered by at least some people for pitching in his early seasons. But does anyone remember what Ted Williams' fielding? They shouldn't because gave little effort in the field or on the bases. Hank Aaron was apparently a great fielder, but few remember that. Before his knees went, Mantle was also considered a great outfielder, but he spent most of his career being known for hitting home runs. It can be done.

More importantly though, the bottom line is how many more runs did the player cause to score (or prevent from scoring) that an average player would not have? That's the name of the game: score more runs than the other team. Some players are so great on defense (Ozzie Smith, Bill Mazeroski, Brooks Robinson) that you can't leave them out of the HOF, but most have to hit or pitch to get in. And when it comes to creating runs, Ichiro isn't one of the top ten guys. Like it or not, home runs create more runs than singles do.

I agree that Ichiro's body of work is amazing. And I never thought Sisler's single-season hit record would be broken. I don't think it got enough attention. But 61 home runs didn't make Maris one of the all-timers either. It's quite possible that he could finish with 3000 hits in MLB, but with so few extra-base hits, he still won't have created nearly as many runs as other 3000-hit club members like Eddie Murray or George Brett. I wish he could crack the top ten, but I doubt he will. His hitting style is too old-school.

 

[63dot]

Actually a player can. Most of what most people would agree are the top ten players ever were far more famous for hitting than for anything else, Mays being the main exception and Ruth remembered by at least some people for pitching in his early seasons. But does anyone remember what Ted Williams' fielding? They shouldn't because gave little effort in the field or on the bases. Hank Aaron was apparently a great fielder, but few remember that. Before his knees went, Mantle was also considered a great outfielder, but he spent most of his career being known for hitting home runs. It can be done.

More importantly though, the bottom line is how many more runs did the player cause to score (or prevent from scoring) that an average player would not have? That's the name of the game: score more runs than the other team. Some players are so great on defense (Ozzie Smith, Bill Mazeroski, Brooks Robinson) that you can't leave them out of the HOF, but most have to hit or pitch to get in. And when it comes to creating runs, Ichiro isn't one of the top ten guys. Like it or not, home runs create more runs than singles do.

I agree that Ichiro's body of work is amazing. And I never thought Sisler's single-season hit record would be broken. I don't think it got enough attention. But 61 home runs didn't make Maris one of the all-timers either. It's quite possible that he could finish with 3000 hits in MLB, but with so few extra-base hits, he still won't have created nearly as many runs as other 3000-hit club members like Eddie Murray or George Brett. I wish he could crack the top ten, but I doubt he will. His hitting style is too old-school.

I believe baseball is more of a team sport. Besides the hits, steals, and lead offs, he's 10 for 10 in all star selections and 9 in 10 in golden gloves. At only 10 years, he's tied for 165th in hits but imagine if he goes let's say four more years and approaches 3,000 and what could have been had he started his career in the USA. All those little things add up to make him a top ten of all time, and certainly a super all around player for the ages. Being good at bat and in the field/bases helps your team win. But what I will agree with you is that the baseball press and public will remember the big home run hitter. With his numbers, some newsworthy and some hidden (yet amazing) may never be seen in any "old" man entering the majors the way he did. Given a whole career in the USA, I would have guessed 4,000 hits, a couple of 262+ seasons, a dozen or more 200+ hit seasons, and a pretty decent batting average.

In the Time Life baseball series a commentator mentions when Bonds was in baseball, it was Bonds and then everybody else. As far as the press went, and ironically with the BALCO thing, Bonds was loved and hated but never ignored. He was, if one was to use just the press as a barometer, baseball in a nutshell. While he may not have been the only one who juiced up, he was the poster boy, or bad boy of baseball. Good or bad, he's a legend that defines his generation more than any player from his period. And I am a Giants fan. But you know they did have a few (forgotten) but great pitchers that gave them two trips to the world series. But the big hitters of those two great teams led the headlines, namely Bonds and the Pacific Sock Exchange before that.

So from the media point of view, yes, an all time great can dominate with just gripping a bat and hitting the big ones.

EDIT: As of late on the 21st, Ichiro is at 197 hits as well as leading the majors again. It's just a matter of a day or two before he gets that magic tenth big hitting season and ties Mr. Rose. And give Ichiro one more 200 hit season on top of that within the next few years and it's safe to say Hall of Fame is his for sure. If he goes three years more, he will have to pass 2500 hits.

Adding Japan's Hall of Fame to what will be Ichiro's Hall of Fame in the USA after retirement will get more people talking about him being the greatest, not just some statisticians or Seattle fans. Of course, if things continue as they have been for Pujols, he will also be considered a candidate for "the greatest ever" title. At the very least I am glad that he has that ring, but with Pujols' numbers, there are no need for rings to take into account if a person is the best individual player ever. In football, Joe Montana considers ringless Dan Marino the greatest offensive football player ever. Nobody has ever played quarterback like Dan Marino and I doubt there will ever be anybody like him.

 

[robo]

Phils swept the Bravo's. Ten in a row Oswalt was deal'n tonight

Watch out boyz...

 

[furcalchick]

espn mini-rant coming. on their bottom line, they show all the magic numbers of all the teams (save the nl west and nl wild card, which is a dead heat), expect for the rays, who btw, have a magic number of 5 to clinch of playoff spot. are you saying, espn, that because they are in a wc spot, they have to wait until the last day to clinch a spot? the rays and yankees can clinch playoff spots this weekend (although the al east could go down to the last day). i think the rays have a slight upper hand as they own tiebreaker against the yankees, and the rays play all cellar dwellers, while the yankees have six against boston and three against the jays.

meanwhile, i think my braves are finished. they look like they gave up during this series, and now we're 6 back in the east and just 1/2 game up on the wild card. we collapsed, and it's going to be no playoffs AGAIN.

 

[63dot]

meanwhile, i think my braves are finished. they look like they gave up during this series, and now we're 6 back in the east and just 1/2 game up on the wild card. we collapsed, and it's going to be no playoffs AGAIN.

I think Atlanta is probably safe for the wild card.

The NL West is going to be a hobbling three way fight for the division and second place in this division simply won't go to the playoffs. Of the three teams in contention, two will collapse, and one will barely survive but hopefully will get a boost from making it which I will bank on. While I want the Giants for the NL West, I will root for whoever wins this division to go all the way.

AL looks like the stronger finishers here this late in the season though.

 

[robo]

espn mini-rant coming. on their bottom line, they show all the magic numbers of all the teams (save the nl west and nl wild card, which is a dead heat), expect for the rays, who btw, have a magic number of 5 to clinch of playoff spot. are you saying, espn, that because they are in a wc spot, they have to wait until the last day to clinch a spot? the rays and yankees can clinch playoff spots this weekend (although the al east could go down to the last day). i think the rays have a slight upper hand as they own tiebreaker against the yankees, and the rays play all cellar dwellers, while the yankees have six against boston and three against the jays.

meanwhile, i think my braves are finished. they look like they gave up during this series, and now we're 6 back in the east and just 1/2 game up on the wild card. we collapsed, and it's going to be no playoffs AGAIN.

Your right your Braves ARE done I was at last nights game and both Hanson and Oswalt were deal'n. Your bullpen is real good but it came
down to CLUTCH hitting Its"Red October...

 

[macfan881]

Bautista hit his 50th HR am I the only one who smells sterroids or HGH? his carrer high is 15

 

[furcalchick]

the braves are like so through. 7 games back and we look like quitters. we'll lose the wc lead soon.

 

[quagmire]

please tell me that's sarcasm

Idk. You think the Red Sox will take a trade package of CC, Swisher, and Cano to get Papelbon?

 

[robo]

the braves are like so through. 7 games back and we look like quitters. we'll lose the wc lead soon.

You could always route for the Ray's Oh sorry you will

Magic # is two...
Go Phils...

Peace

 

[joshuarobi]

I love Buck Showalter.

 

[63dot]

The Rangers join the Twins as being in the playoffs. Congrats to them both for getting in and also winning their respective AL divisions.

It will be interesting to see how TB does tonight.

In the NL, the Phillies and the Reds pretty much almost have it wrapped up (EDIT: Phillies get into the playoffs and the Reds are in unless the unlikely event they lose every remaining game and the Cardinals win every remaining game).

And I hope my Giants keep their NL West lead tonight (EDIT: which they eventually did with their 88th win and the Padres losing keeping them at 87 wins right now. The Rockies are still barely in the hunt with 83 wins making the NL West the most exciting division for the rest of the season.

 

[quagmire]

What a freaking tense game. Quite appropriate for a Yankees-Red Sox game. With the win, we are still in the division race( if we lost, I would say wild card for the Yankees).

 

[63dot]

What a freaking tense game. Quite appropriate for a Yankees-Red Sox game. With the win, we are still in the division race( if we lost, I would say wild card for the Yankees).

I can see this being TB's year in the AL in general. The Yankees have zero room for error if they want the AL East. I don't know if the Yankees got lucky and won tonight or they are losing their momentum at this point in the season. TB has nothing to lose and they are going to go all out.

 

[macfan881]

I can see this being TB's year in the AL in general. The Yankees have zero room for error if they want the AL East. I don't know if the Yankees got lucky and won tonight or they are losing their momentum at this point in the season. TB has nothing to lose and they are going to go all out.

I had a felling the Yankees were gonna win when they get to the redsoxs pen they just flat out suck especaily when it comes to the Yankees.

 

[63dot]

I had a felling the Yankees were gonna win when they get to the redsoxs pen they just flat out suck especaily when it comes to the Yankees.

That's why 2004 was so special.

There is no Babe Ruth curse anymore, but because of the Yankee budget, it's just the roster now and forever which will usually make the Yankees dominate the Red Sox and put on a new curse.

Of course, there will be exceptions, but for every Red Sox ring in the next 100 years, there will likely be several Yankee rings to counter that. And if the Yankees ever run into trouble, and see a decade without at least two rings, all they have to do is just dig into their wallet and they can easily get an Ichiro, Pujols, Lincecum, or anybody they want to beef up their aging or injured roster.

I don't think any of us will live long enough to see any team pass up the Yankees in WS championship wins, even though it's technically possible but highly unlikely as long as NY has the money to get the best players they can buy.

 

[yg17]

That's why 2004 was so special.

There is no Babe Ruth curse anymore, but because of the Yankee budget, it's just the roster now and forever which will usually make the Yankees dominate the Red Sox and put on a new curse.

Of course, there will be exceptions, but for every Red Sox ring in the next 100 years, there will likely be several Yankee rings to counter that. And if the Yankees ever run into trouble, and see a decade without at least two rings, all they have to do is just dig into their wallet and they can easily get an Ichiro, Pujols, Lincecum, or anybody they want to beef up their aging or injured roster.

I don't think any of us will live long enough to see any team pass up the Yankees in WS championship wins, even though it's technically possible but highly unlikely as long as NY has the money to get the best players they can buy.

And that's why everyone else hates the Yankees. Other teams win their championships. The Yankees buy theirs.

 

[aloofman]

That's why 2004 was so special.

There is no Babe Ruth curse anymore, but because of the Yankee budget, it's just the roster now and forever which will usually make the Yankees dominate the Red Sox and put on a new curse.

Of course, there will be exceptions, but for every Red Sox ring in the next 100 years, there will likely be several Yankee rings to counter that. And if the Yankees ever run into trouble, and see a decade without at least two rings, all they have to do is just dig into their wallet and they can easily get an Ichiro, Pujols, Lincecum, or anybody they want to beef up their aging or injured roster.

I don't think any of us will live long enough to see any team pass up the Yankees in WS championship wins, even though it's technically possible but highly unlikely as long as NY has the money to get the best players they can buy.

Near as I can tell, the Yankees have a payroll of $206 million. The Red Sox payroll is $162 million. So if the Yankees disappeared, the Red Sox would become the new Yankees. The Yankees/Red Sox mini-war is a major reason that salaries have skyrocketed in the last seven or eight years. Both have nationwide fanbases, own their own TV networks, and price all but the wealthiest out of their stadiums.

So a Red Sox fan complaining about the Yankees payroll is just a hollow argument at best.