America's Favorite Escape- Baseball ⚾️

[Aceon6]

And baseball is BACK!!! DH is on the sofa watching a Red Sox double header from spring training. They're going against their traditional "foes" for the first ST games, first vs. Northeastern U, then Boston College. It's f'ing SPRING, folks.

 

[Aceon6]

Sox of the Red variety are looking quite good so far. Any spring training impressions from other camps?

 

[Rob]

I'm heading to Nats Spring Training next weekend!

 

[Lovemyvike]

Omg guys, last week I went to a game and ended up in the same row as TOMMY LASORDA! We asked if we could come over and take pics quickly between innings, but he apparently loved that all 3 of us were such hardcore Dodger fans that he asked us to stay and chat for the rest of the game! Then, later that night, his assistant called and invited my friend and me to join Tommy and a few coaches for dinner. He's such a freaking legend!

https://instagram.com/p/BfxHVfPnDBW/

Also, my love Matt Kemp is having an AMAZING spring and it looks like he'll be with the Dodgers on opening day. Pinch me!!

 

[Aceon6]

I'll be heading to the Fort Myers area shortly. The only problem is that I don't have JetBlue Park tickets and the last few games have been sellouts. Counting on some scalpers, but, geez, having to find scalped tickets to a spring training game is just so....

 

[annie720]

Go O's!!!

 

[NeilJLeonard]

Red Sox win it all in 5 games. 4th time since 2004. I never thought I'd live to see it...

NJL

 

[Aceon6]

Red Sox win it all in 5 games. 4th time since 2004. I never thought I'd live to see it...

NJL

^This. They sucked for so long, it’s hard to think of them as a dynasty. I’m still getting over Buckner!

 

[Lovemyvike]

My Dodgers went out with a whimper. This one hurts....

 

[NeilJLeonard]

^This. They sucked for so long, it’s hard to think of them as a dynasty. I’m still getting over Buckner!

Among many other things...LOL

NJL ( for many decades they were one of the most creative teams in sport for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory... …)

 

[NeilJLeonard]

BTW and FYI this is the 9th time the Red Sox have won the series. This makes them #3 on the list of winners. The St Louis Cardinals are #2 with 11 and the Damn Yankees are # 1 with 27.

NJL ( the "Athletics" have also won 9 championships: 4 in Oakland and 5 in Philadelphia. The "Braves" have won 3: one each in Atlanta, Boston and Milwaukee..... )

 

[PDilemma]

Seven teams have never won one. But since they are all newer teams, the record for World Series futility is owned by Cleveland who last won in 1948.

If you mentioned Cleveland's long draught in 2016 around here where there an inexplicably large number of Cubs fans, you got told there are no Indians fans and that their daddy/grandpa/uncle/babysitter/dogwalker/the postman or stepfather's boss's secretary's veterinarian took them to Cubs games when they were kids so being a Cubs fan is different than being a fan of other teams and they, at the ripe old age of somewhere around 30, had been waiting 108 years for this. Because every other baseball fan on the planet chose their team by pulling a name out of a hat when they were 21. Or something like that.

The Mariners and Nationals/Expos have never even played in a World Series in spite of both having spectacular seasons a few times. So that is some serious futility as well.

 

[Rob]

Wow, Mike Trout is reportedly signing a 12 year extension for $430M. Blows Bryce Harper out of the water!

 

[Aceon6]

Sox/Rays rained out again. We need signs of spring, dammit.

 

[HeatherC]

Heading to Opening Day to see my Reds next week! I can't wait to see my ballpark again and I'm SUPER excited about my guys this year. They may not get to the postseason but no one can say that my team is gonna be boring! They've got some offensive firepower for sure and Y. Puig has been an absolute trip this year. I'm really excited to see him tear it up in Cincy. Go Reds!!

 

[rosewood]

The final moment of Ichiro's long career. He is just retired.

 

[MsZem]

Here's a short version of Ichiro walking off the field, a victory lap, and a hug from Ken Griffey Jr - whom Ichiro will join in the Hall of Fame in a few years' time.

What a career.

 

[judiz]

Gotta love someone whose walk on song is Baby Shark!

https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna151199

 

[Tesla]

Gotta love someone whose walk on song is Baby Shark!

https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna151199

That the sweetest thing!

 

[Aceon6]

Major league suckage by the reigning WS champs. Les Sox Rouge looked more like a minor league team.

 

[MsZem]

I still feel that a baseball thread should have a more suggestive title.

Also, this MLB promo is a lot of fun.

 

[HeatherC]

Gotta love someone whose walk on song is Baby Shark!

https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna151199

One of my Reds players is using it too. He had two hits in our opening day game yesterday so I have a feeling I'll be hearing it a lot as well!

Opening day was SOOOO much fun yesterday. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the guys even picked up a win too! Its gonna be a fun year at Great American Ballpark!

 

[Debbie S]

I'm not expecting much from the Orioles this year but hopefully some of the young guys will have a breakout season. I'm kind of just looking forward to football (and skating) season but I hope we have some exciting pennant races and that some less-heralded team surprises everyone.

 

[MsZem]

Not MLB: Israel's baseball team has qualified for the Olympics. I suspect very few of them could actually converse in Hebrew, but hey, that's true for most of our figure skaters, too

Israel's national baseball team qualifies for 2020 Tokyo Olympics

The Israeli team made history Sunday by defeating South Africa 11-1 in Italy, after beating the Netherlands on Thursday and tournament host Italy on Friday.

www.jpost.com

 

[Rob]

I am going to the National League Wild card game! Let hope Max has a good night. Can't trust our bullpen!

 

[skipaway]

N..A..T..S, N..A..T..S, NATS, NATS, NATS. WOO!!!!!

 

[BlueRidge]

I am going to the National League Wild card game! Let hope Max has a good night. Can't trust our bullpen!

Except when Stephen Strasburg is in it!!

@Rob, what was it like being at the game? It sounded insane on the radio!!

 

[Rob]

We were saying all along that Stras should have started, but it all came out well in the end. Hudson too!

It was electric. In the pregame, the crowd was going insane, but then Max walked one, gave up a HR, and the place went silent. It is always shocking when Mad Max is Bad Max. Takes the air out of the place. It took a while to get the crowd going again. Then Stras came in and started smoking it up, and the crowd picked up. That 8th inning was absolutely nuts, everyone screaming and jumping and high-fiving. So happy for Zimm and Soto! Got a little lucky with that error, but if he'd fielded the ball, we'd have been tied with 2 out and still in play. I barely have a voice today. We hung around for some of the celebration, then got home about 12:30, but we were so pumped that we didn't get to bed until 2 am! This is the first time we have won a decisive postseason game so hopefully there is a monkey off the back, but I am not that optimistic about the Dodgers. We are the hottest team in MLB right now though with 9 Curly Ws in a row!

 

[BlueRidge]

We were saying all along that Stras should have started, but it all came out well in the end. Hudson too!

It was electric. In the pregame, the crowd was going insane, but then Max walked one, gave up a HR, and the place went silent. It is always shocking when Mad Max is Bad Max. Takes the air out of the place. It took a while to get the crowd going again. Then Stras came in and started smoking it up, and the crowd picked up. That 8th inning was absolutely nuts, everyone screaming and jumping and high-fiving. So happy for Zimm and Soto! Got a little lucky with that error, but if he'd fielded the ball, we'd have been tied with 2 out and still in play. I barely have a voice today. We hung around for some of the celebration, then got home about 12:30, but we were so pumped that we didn't get to bed until 2 am! This is the first time we have won a decisive postseason game so hopefully there is a monkey off the back, but I am not that optimistic about the Dodgers. We are the hottest team in MLB right now though with 9 Curly Ws in a row!

I hadn't been really following the Nats for a few years but I picked up listening to the games on the radio in June and have been having so much fun!

I listened last night. I admit I'd pretty much given up in the 8th and I thought Soto being so young would probably overswing and strike out. On the radio, I heard Charlie Slowes say he hit a line drive and then I couldn't tell what he was saying as he was trying to yell over the roar of the crowd, until finally I heard three runs score and the Nationals go ahead! I was astonished because I thought they were tying it. Then the 9th with Daniel Hudson was fantastic!

I don't figure they'll beat the Dodgers but it was huge that they would get this wild card win! Everyone should just savor it!

 

[Lovemyvike]

Heard it was a great game last night and I'm looking forward to seeing the Nats in the NLDS. GO DODGERS!