MLB Thread

[CFCNick]

The season started in Japan last week with Seattle and Oakland splitting a 2 game series, but the real season opener is tonight on ESPN America between the reigning champs St Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins.

Anyone watching this? Who's your team?

[Calamity Jane]

Go on. Take a wild guess as to who my team is.

Yes it's the beer guzzling, KFC munching, Boston Red Sox. Their season starts tomorrow afternoon against Detroit. And next week it's the home opener against who else but the Evil Empire. Bring it on.

Must sort out some tickets, but not until the weather warms up (you're right, I'm a grade A wuss).

[sportsportsport]

Yes it's the beer guzzling, KFC munching, Boston Red Sox.

I have found my new favourite MLB team.

[rugby-leafhockeyrocker]

ahhhh so the expensive rounders season has started again

but being honest I did go to Chicago when I was 12 and saw the White sox play the tampa bay team...... that is as far as my MLB knowledge extends...... ohhhh and it was elvis appreciation night as well

[CFCNick]

Who's your picks for the postseason?

I'm going with this

AL

East - Yankees
Central - Tigers
West - Angels
WC - Red Sox & Rangers

NL

East - Braves
Central - Cardinals
West - Dodgers
WC - Phillies & Dbacks

[Calamity Jane]

Yes it's the beer guzzling, KFC munching, Boston Red Sox.

I have found my new favourite MLB team.

They had a mega collapse at the end of last season and it turned out that half the team was drinking beer and eating junk food in the clubhouse during the game. And they call themselves athletes?!

[CFCNick]

ahhhh so the expensive rounders season has started again

but being honest I did go to Chicago when I was 12 and saw the White sox play the tampa bay team...... that is as far as my MLB knowledge extends...... ohhhh and it was elvis appreciation night as well

I used to think like that. Then this time last year I sat down to a full game and was hooked. The drama of a close game is quite something after you've sat there for 3 hours.

@Calamity - similar to the Braves but minus the beer and junk food. LOL

[rugby-leafhockeyrocker]

I used to think like that. Then this time last year I sat down to a full game and was hooked. The drama of a close game is quite something after you've sat there for 3 hours.

Well i also know the that the cubs had a curse regarding a goat (that those crazy americans i was with liked to tell me) and that infamous catch by the man in the turtle neck listening to the radio.... steve someone.

Oh and that (a wild guess) CJs Boston red sox people also had a curse

[CFCNick]

Yeah the curse of the Bambino.

They made a remake of Fever Pitch called The Perfect Catch based on them ending it with Jimmy Fallon as a Red Sox fan.

[Calamity Jane]

We had the curse of the Babe.

And I think the poor guy who doomed the Cubs to yet another year without a World Series was Steve Bartman.

[Jonzee]

Glory supporters, all of you.

[Calamity Jane]

Totally! I arrived in Boston in August 2007. Two months later they were World Series champions.

Right. Off to the pub.

[NYR_UK_Marc]

Not much of a fan but if i prefer the Mets to the Yanks

[ronnie pander]

I first became aware of what a cool sport baseball is about 20 years ago - around the same time as ice hockey. Both because of games on the Megadrive. However whereas in these internet days I can actively and easily follow hockey I don't see how people do the same with baseball from this side of the pond. The games last for ages and if I can't watch a sport live or at least on demand then I'm not going to bother with it.

I'd be a Dodgers man. I've been to see them play in their stadium too. But as I said, I don't follow them at all. I would also have a soft spot for the Cubs - in fact my school yearbook has my future ambition being a pitcher for them ....

[CFCNick]

Well what a damp squib the Marlins turned out to be. Beaten 4-1 and it was 3-0 after 2 innings. Now today the real action starts. The Red Sox game at Detroit is live on ESPN America from 6PM BST but I'll be more interested in how the Braves do against the Mets, should win.

I first became aware of what a cool sport baseball is about 20 years ago - around the same time as ice hockey. Both because of games on the Megadrive. However whereas in these internet days I can actively and easily follow hockey I don't see how people do the same with baseball from this side of the pond. The games last for ages and if I can't watch a sport live or at least on demand then I'm not going to bother with it.

I'd be a Dodgers man. I've been to see them play in their stadium too. But as I said, I don't follow them at all. I would also have a soft spot for the Cubs - in fact my school yearbook has my future ambition being a pitcher for them ....

ESPN and ESPN America show between 1-3, sometimes 4, games a day from today until the end of September plus they show Baseball Tonight at least twice a day. MLB.com has a gamecenter style service called MLB.tv where you can watch any game you want live or archived for £80 a season. MLB.com always has the MLB.tv Free Game of the Day too, today is the Blue Jays @ Indians.

Certainly easy enough to know what's going on.

[DRIZ]

I enjoy watching Baseball as it's a bit like cricket, you can dip in and out of game without feeling you've missed too much.

I wouldn't mind having bash either. I have the physic and I used to enjoy playing Softball at school, as a kid. My teacher used to be backstop(or whatever they call them) and when he realised I could catch, he made me his 1st base man. He would then proceed to bombard me with missiles as we ground out batter after batter.

He once declared in a games lesson ' Collinson, I apologise, you are not COMPLETELY fucking useless'

I have to admit, i've kept things St Louis and been following the Cards. I've even been thinking of renewing my ESPN!!!

[BuffonIdol]

A casual Jays fan (sticking with the Toronto theme) - I don’t follow intently but keep an eye out or the big stories of the season. We open tonight against Cleveland. A couple of things to note going into the season:

Some new jerseys and new logo ... they do look better but it is not something that ever really bothered me .

Jose Bautista stayed. That was huge for our batting. The field looks good with Adam Lind, Colby Rasmus, Kelly Johnson, Brett Lawrie and Arencibia behind the plate. However I am still pissed that we traded Vernon Wells and Aaron Hill last season.

John Farrell did OK in his first season but is yet to fill the enormous boots of Cito Gaston. I worry about the pen. Farrell has gone with inexperience and only needs Ricky Romero to go on a bad run and we could be in trouble. I am surprised therefore he has not included Brandon Morrow in his rotation. Last season we simply could not finish 3+ game series and I can’t see this set of pitchers being able to do it either.

[ronnie pander]

ESPN and ESPN America show between 1-3, sometimes 4, games a day from today until the end of September plus they show Baseball Tonight at least twice a day. MLB.com has a gamecenter style service called MLB.tv where you can watch any game you want live or archived for £80 a season. MLB.com always has the MLB.tv Free Game of the Day too, today is the Blue Jays @ Indians.

Certainly easy enough to know what's going on.

Yeah, I guess so. I must admit I remember the game I went to lasting for hours and hours (like cricket as Driz says) but a quick check on-line tells me the average game lasts a little under three hours. Still, that's too long for me. I can watch a Ducks game on-demand in 90 minutes. And to be fair I was always a really big cricket fan until I left England and now I barely follow the game.

If I lived in North America I'd be all over baseball in the summer.

[rocknrollnobody]

I played rounders in Scouts.

When in the USA last October, I was in St Louis for the Cardinals World Series victory. We watched the game in a bar called 'Over/Under' on Washington Ave. The game was crap, and even the other games in the series which some people had called 'classic', I still thought was crap. I just like the fact 'Over/Under' were giving a free portion of curly fries for every Cards home run, and that was pretty much my entire motivation for watching.

[Calamity Jane]

Yeah, I guess so. I must admit I remember the game I went to lasting for hours and hours (like cricket as Driz says) but a quick check on-line tells me the average game lasts a little under three hours. Still, that's too long for me. I can watch a Ducks game on-demand in 90 minutes. And to be fair I was always a really big cricket fan until I left England and now I barely follow the game.

If I lived in North America I'd be all over baseball in the summer.

For some reason the games between the Red Sox and Yankees usually last a lot longer than any other game. They frequently go on for over four hours

If I'm at a game, I prefer it to be a high scoring one with the ball being batted all over the park and plenty of home runs. But if I'm watching on TV then I love watching a good battle between the pitchers with the possibility of a no-hitter.

[Calamity Jane]

Buggah! (As we say in Boston.)

Early days. Got another 181 games to pull it back.

[Jonzee]

162 game season, CJ.

[Calamity Jane]

Stupid tiny keyboard on stupid iPhone

[BuffonIdol]

Well the pen certianly did its job last night! not sure how often they will be able to bail out Romero like that this season. and aren is turning out to be a great young star. Not only hitting the winning homer on the longest opening day game in history but his play behind the plate was unreal! Still, not expecting results like that every night.

[Calamity Jane]

Well the pen certianly did its job last night! not sure how often they will be able to bail out Romero like that this season. and aren is turning out to be a great young star. Not only hitting the winning homer on the longest opening day game in history but his play behind the plate was unreal! Still, not expecting results like that every night.

I couldn't believe the result of that game. I thought you were done for at 4-0. Great comeback.

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