Diamonds are a girl's best friend---The 2023 Baseball thread

[HeatherC]

Orioles win the AL East! And a 100-win season!

YAY! I just got home to see that news and I am SOOOO happy for all those guys!!! Rooting hard for them in the post season!!

Hoping to cheer my Reds to a post season appearance next season after an AMAZING year this year (no one thought they would even have a winning season, much less be in the wild card battle these past few weeks)! I know there's still a SMIDGE of a change they could sneak in this season but realistically, I think our year is gonna be next year with this young core gelling together even more during this off season and knowing how close they were to getting there this year. These young guys are HUNGRY in Cincy!

 

[BlueRidge]

Orioles win the AL East! And a 100-win season!

Congratulations Baltimore!!

The world is right again, the Orioles are a great team!

Taking some hope from the Orioles quick turnaround for the Nationals to return to winning ways in the next years.

 

[annie720]

Way to go, Os!!!

 

[BlueRidge]

The Phillies dispensed with Miami and now we get to the real post-season. Phillies vs Braves! I need to find a radio station for this...

 

[Kasey]

I know that TV-wise it'll be on TBS. Not a neutral channel, we'll see how biased the announcers are!

 

[BlueRidge]

I'm going to have to do an old fashioned search the radio dial kind of thing Saturday as I'll be off the grid so to speak.

 

[Debbie S]

I can't decide if the Rangers beating the Rays is a good or bad thing. Theoretically, the Rays were a better team but the Orioles had a better season record against them.

Good thing MLB scheduled Game 1 in the afternoon. The Billy Joel/Stevie Nicks concert is that night at the football stadium, which is essentially next door to Camden Yards. They share parking lots. If the game goes into extra innings, things could get dire.

 

[HeatherC]

Go Orioles!!!!

 

[Debbie S]

I knew the Rangers could be trouble, after the way they took out the Rays. I hope the Orioles can come back tomorrow and somehow win the series.

And I'm annoyed that Fox didn't show any pregame. I wanted to hear Joan Jett sing the national anthem. Hrrrmmph.

 

[Kasey]

I don't think Atlanta was expecting the Phils to take game one in Atlanta! Especially against Strider. Off to Citizen's Bank Park for two! Go Phils!

 

[Debbie S]

Well, baseball season is over for me. What a depressing end (couldn't they at least have won 1 playoff game?) to what had been a great season. I know it's a young team and most of the guys will be back but who knows what will happen with injuries, etc. We won't have Bautista next year so they better find a closer in the off-season. And we need a true ace. Maybe John Means will be able to get back to his regular self. Hopefully Rutschman and Henderson (who better win Rookie of the Year!) will keep developing, plus Mullins, Hays, etc.

 

[Kasey]

Yay for my Phillies for toppling the Braves to get back to the NLC S for the second year in a row!

 

[MsZem]

I think MLB is going to have to give serious thought to the playoff format, since the first round bye does not seem to be an advantage to say the least.

 

[Firedancer]

I think MLB is going to have to give serious thought to the playoff format, since the first round bye does not seem to be an advantage to say the least.

Agreed it is too much time off until the division series

 

[BlueRidge]

Go back to one game wild cards?

The Phillies were going to win anyway.

 

[Debbie S]

MLB also needs to change the seedings/brackets and do what the NFL does....teams with the best record play the (remaining) teams with the worst record. Right now, the #1 seed plays the winner of the wild card game between seeds 3 and 4, instead of 5 and 6. That's wrong.

 

[Coco]

Bryce Harper seems like a jerk.

 

[MsZem]

Go back to one game wild cards?

When the three best teams during the regular season look like the Braves/Orioles/Dodgers did, it's worth thinking about the format. It's a small sample size, but the same thing happened last year in the NL. I know the Braves did intrasquad games this year because they thought the extended break was disruptive in 2022; clearly that didn't help. No idea what the Dodgers did this year. But the first round bye is supposed to be an advantage, not something for teams to have to work around.

If MLB is good with the postseason becoming the baseball equivalent of March Madness, they should say so. If not, go back to the drawing board.

 

[Kasey]

Bryce Harper seems like a jerk.

He’s a highly intense player for sure, but all of the interviews I’ve seen of him he seems like a nice family guy.

 

[her grace]

Let’s go, ‘Stros!

 

[MsZem]

Bryce Harper seems like a jerk.

He’s a highly intense player for sure, but all of the interviews I’ve seen of him he seems like a nice family guy.

I'm obliged to dislike Harper as a player on a rival team. OTOH:

Bryce Harper Comes Out as Romance Reader | Kirkus Reviews

The Phillies right fielder has a taste for the novels of Elle Kennedy.

www.kirkusreviews.com

Can't fault his taste in romance, Kennedy's Off-Campus series is good.

 

[Coco]

Ya gotta love a feisty retirement speech.

May rips A's owner while announcing retirement

Athletics relief pitcher Trevor May ripped owner John Fisher while announcing his retirement on his Twitch stream Monday, telling Fisher to "sell the team."

www.espn.com

 

[Rob]

I'm obliged to dislike Harper as a player on a rival team. OTOH:

Same - we Nats fans loved him of course, but now can't stand him. He was certainly polarizing, super talented, but criticized his own teammates publicly for not playing as hard as he did, teacher's pet always going to the owners (he was a kid when he started with the Nats), plenty of chances in the playoffs, but not necessarily the guy who inspires everyone around him play better. Turned down a $300M new contract because he wanted to get the most money ever (but was eclipsed by Trout just a few weeks later - by a lot). It was pretty sweet when we won the WS his first year away from the team. But it looks like he will still get his in the next couple of years, if not this year.

We won from the wild card spot too. We were the worst in baseball until May 24, then surged all the rest of the way. https://www.mlb.com/news/wild-card-teams-to-make-the-world-series-c273264024

 

[Vash01]

In the ALCS I am ok with either Texas team winning, though it will be nice to see the Rangers in the World Series.

As an Arizonan I am rooting for the DBacks to win it all, no matter how impossible it seems.

 

[Rob]

Not a Houston fan at all since the scandal, but I am a Dusty Baker fan.

Not a Rangers fan, but I am a Max Scherzer fan. (and they were an iteration of the Washington Senators after all).

Not a DBacks fan, but they aren't the Phillies or Braves.

Phillies

Rangers v. DBacks are my vote. Rooting for Max!

 

[Firedancer]

I’m not a fan of any of the teams left but I just don’t want to see the Astros win. Any of the others are fine

 

[Vash01]

Not a Houston fan at all since the scandal, but I am a Dusty Baker fan.

Not a Rangers fan, but I am a Max Scherzer fan. (and they were an iteration of the Washington Senators after all).

Not a DBacks fan, but they aren't the Phillies or Braves.

Phillies

Rangers v. DBacks are my vote. Rooting for Max!

Max Scherzer played for Arizona long ago. He was good. I was sad when he left.

 

[Kasey]

Hehehe, go Phillies!

 

[Sarah]

Go Phillies!

That said, I’m sure all Philly teams are polarizing…

 

[just tuned in]

D-Backs is a terrible team nickname.

When I hear it, I think "d-bags." (douche-bags. Admittedly, one of the dumbest insults.)