5fouls Posted May 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 45 minutes ago, IUFLA said: What Cincinnati Reds pitcher did Willie Mays hit his last MLB home run off of? I'll go Jack Billingham or Pedro Borbon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 1 hour ago, 5fouls said: I'll go Jack Billingham or Pedro Borbon. No... Although Pedro once wore a Mets hat out of a brawl between the Mets and Reds in the 73 NLCS (Rose vs Bud Harrelson) The answer isn't an obscure pitcher though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlboiler23 Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 1 hour ago, 5fouls said: Albert Pujols just go released by Angels. Hope the Cardinals pick him up so he can retire the way he should. First ball unanimous HOF’er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATX_sig Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 (edited) 52 minutes ago, IUFLA said: No... Although Pedro once wore a Mets hat out of a brawl between the Mets and Reds in the 73 NLCS (Rose vs Bud Harrelson) The answer isn't an obscure pitcher though... Didn't Pedro chew the button off the top of that hat. Loved that guy during the Big Red Machine days. Don't know that answer but will go Gary nolan as a guess. I'll go look it up on google now Edited May 6, 2021 by ATX_sig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 4 minutes ago, ATX_sig said: Didn't Pedro chew the button off the top of that hat. Loved that guy during the Big Red Machine days. Don't know that answer but will go Gary nolan as a guess. I'll go look it up on google now Good guess, but no... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 1 hour ago, IUFLA said: Good guess, but no... Don Gullet? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 6, 2021 Report Share Posted May 6, 2021 Just now, rico said: Don Gullet? We have a winnah! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jv1972iu Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, rico said: Don Gullet? Excellent guess. Don was a favorite of The Hammer also. Aaron only faced Gullett twenty-six times, but batted .462 with seven homers off him. Henry LOVED his fastball. 😁 Edited May 7, 2021 by jv1972iu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 4/26/2021 at 4:10 PM, 5fouls said: Is it just me, or are there more players under the Mendoza line than there usually are at this point and time in the season? 28, in fact, with a qualifying number of plate appearances. https://www.mlb.com/stats/batting-average?sortState=asc The Mendoza Club is thinning out. Down to 18. Still too big of a number for such an exclusive club. https://www.mlb.com/stats/batting-average?sortState=asc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 (edited) The Reds have played in 29 games. Only one player has appeared in all 29........Joey Votto. That's a streak that will be broken (no pun intended) tomorrow. Remember when Pete Rose would play all 162? In fact, he twice played in 163. He played 160 or more 10 times in his career. He played 162 for the Phillies in 1982 at the age of 41. There are things about baseball that are better than they used to be. Player toughness is not one of them. Edited May 7, 2021 by 5fouls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 14 hours ago, Stlboiler23 said: Hope the Cardinals pick him up so he can retire the way he should. First ball unanimous HOF’er. Maybe Albert still wants to play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 15 hours ago, Stlboiler23 said: Hope the Cardinals pick him up so he can retire the way he should. First ball unanimous HOF’er. The Cards are trying to win the division. I could see them picking him up in September when rosters expand. But, I can't see them using a roster spot for him before then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 36 minutes ago, 5fouls said: The Cards are trying to win the division. I could see them picking him up in September when rosters expand. But, I can't see them using a roster spot for him before then. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/albert-pujols-landing-spots-retirement-is-likely-next-step-but-these-five-teams-could-take-chance-on-legend/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlboiler23 Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 2 hours ago, 5fouls said: The Cards are trying to win the division. I could see them picking him up in September when rosters expand. But, I can't see them using a roster spot for him before then. Our bench is so bad he’d probably still improve it lol. It’s either him or Carpenter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 18 minutes ago, Stlboiler23 said: Our bench is so bad he’d probably still improve it lol. It’s either him or Carpenter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 I was looking at some stats last night...here are NL batting stats from 2011...I sorted by team batting average...But also look at the total hits and the total strikeouts... Now, here are the 2021 stats... In 2021, more strikeouts than hits, and while a .247 team batting average is tops in 2021, it would have landed you 6th from the bottom in 2011. And in 2011, every team was above the 2021 NL aggregate batting average... I honestly believe 2 things...I watched @IU Scott's favorite movie for the first time yesterday ("Moneyball") and although Beane my have figured a way to help lower payroll teams win games, he ruined baseball in the process. Walks, strikeouts, home runs and OBP do not make for an exciting game... I also think the dimensions of the baseball diamond have been compromised by today's athlete. At the very least the pitcher's mound needs to be evaluated for height and distance from home plate...I said 5 feet back last year, nut I'd be interested in the experiment to push it back by a foot as the Atlantic League is set to do in the second half of their season... Our game needs help...And I'm not opposed to drastic changes to give it that help... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 3 hours ago, rico said: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/albert-pujols-landing-spots-retirement-is-likely-next-step-but-these-five-teams-could-take-chance-on-legend/ In reading that write-up, the Reds actually make the most sense of any of the teams mentioned. Can you imagine if that happened, and he somehow produced decent numbers and helped the Reds win the division over the Cards. St. Louis fans would spontaneously combust. Obviously, when Votto comes back he would be just a bench player with an occasional start against a lefty. Not saying I want it to happen, because I don't think he can produce any longer. Would be funny if it did happen though if it impacted the NL Central race. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 (edited) 37 minutes ago, IUFLA said: I was looking at some stats last night...here are NL batting stats from 2011...I sorted by team batting average...But also look at the total hits and the total strikeouts... Now, here are the 2021 stats... In 2021, more strikeouts than hits, and while a .247 team batting average is tops in 2021, it would have landed you 6th from the bottom in 2011. And in 2011, every team was above the 2021 NL aggregate batting average... I honestly believe 2 things...I watched @IU Scott's favorite movie for the first time yesterday ("Moneyball") and although Beane my have figured a way to help lower payroll teams win games, he ruined baseball in the process. Walks, strikeouts, home runs and OBP do not make for an exciting game... I also think the dimensions of the baseball diamond have been compromised by today's athlete. At the very least the pitcher's mound needs to be evaluated for height and distance from home plate...I said 5 feet back last year, nut I'd be interested in the experiment to push it back by a foot as the Atlantic League is set to do in the second half of their season... Our game needs help...And I'm not opposed to drastic changes to give it that help... I agree. I also think specialization (all this lefty on lefty crap) and the shift play a huge role as well. Things like switch-hitting don't seem to be as common any more either. The stolen base is all but dead. I've made a conscious effort to watch more baseball this year than I have in the last several. I do like the minimum 3 batter rule for relievers. And, the runner at 2nd to start extra innings is growing on me. But, until batters start putting the ball in play, the game is not going to be as enjoyable as it once was. Ultimately, something has to be done with the mound. The pitchers just throw too hard and have too much of an advantage. They made the change to lower the mound on '67 or '68 because the same thing was happening then. It's even worse now. The problem is that, while the best pitchers are too dominant, the worst pitchers would get absolutely torched if the mound was changed. All of this will never happen, but what needs to be done is: Ban the infield shift Do something with the mound to make pitches 'slower' Cap pitching staffs at 11. With the extra inning rule and 7 inning doubleheaders, there is no reason whatsoever a manager needs 13 pitchers at his disposal. It just provides them an opportunity to make excessive pitching changes and play more analytical matchups. Move back fences. Players won't try to hit the ball out of the park all the time if it requires 420 to get one out to dead center, or 390 to get one out in left or right center. The most exciting plays in baseball are NOT home runs. They are the balls in the gaps. Edited May 7, 2021 by 5fouls 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, 5fouls said: They made the change to lower the mound on '67 or '68 It was after the 68 season...Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA in 68 and that prompted the change... 7 minutes ago, 5fouls said: All of this will never happen, but what needs to be done is: Ban the infield shift Do something with the mound to make pitches 'slower' Cap pitching staffs at 11. With the extra inning rule and 7 inning doubleheaders, there is no reason whatsoever a manager needs 13 pitchers at his disposal. It just provides them an opportunity to make excessive pitching changes and play more analytical matchups. Move back fences. Players won't try to hit the ball out of the park all the time if it requires 420 to get one out to dead center, or 390 to get one out in left or right center. The most exciting plays in baseball are NOT home runs. They are the balls in the gaps. Agree with the first and second bullets... I'd get rid of the extra inning rule all together and the 7 inning double header rule as well...And the DH I'd actually expand rosters to let managers have more arms on their staffs. I always enjoyed the cat ond mouse strategy of lefty-lefty, righty-righty. Whitey Herzog, when he had Ken Dayley (lefty) and Todd Worrell (righty), would, if there was a juncture in the game that had lefty-righty-lefty would bring in Dayley, then pull the right fielder and put Dayley out there to let Worrell pitch to the right, and bring back Dayley for the 2nd lefty and put a reserve right fielder back out in the outfield...That was awesome... On the 4th bullet, I think there are other ways to limit home runs...I'd hate to alter the charm of a Fenway Park over it...Alter the ball or bat (I once saw an interview with a guy that was head of composite bats for Louisville Slugger, and he said they could hype them up or down depending on what a certain league wanted). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 5 minutes ago, IUFLA said: It was after the 68 season...Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA in 68 and that prompted the change... Agree with the first and second bullets... I'd get rid of the extra inning rule all together and the 7 inning double header rule as well...And the DH I'd actually expand rosters to let managers have more arms on their staffs. I always enjoyed the cat ond mouse strategy of lefty-lefty, righty-righty. Whitey Herzog, when he had Ken Dayley (lefty) and Todd Worrell (righty), would, if there was a juncture in the game that had lefty-righty-lefty would bring in Dayley, then pull the right fielder and put Dayley out there to let Worrell pitch to the right, and bring back Dayley for the 2nd lefty and put a reserve right fielder back out in the outfield...That was awesome... On the 4th bullet, I think there are other ways to limit home runs...I'd hate to alter the charm of a Fenway Park over it...Alter the ball or bat (I once saw an interview with a guy that was head of composite bats for Louisville Slugger, and he said they could hype them up or down depending on what a certain league wanted). On the subject of fences. The PGA had to adapt when the players started making golf courses obsolete with the distance players were driving the ball. They didn't fix he problem by making the balls plastic with club heads made out of wood. They did so by moving back the tees. Dead baseballs won't put the ball in the outfield gap. They will put the ball in the outfielder's glove. Today's hitters have outgrown the 330 down the line, 375 in the gap, 400 to dead center dimensions just like professional golfers outgrew some of the great old golf courses. MLB needs to do something to create more doubles and triples. There have been only 3 instances of a player hitting 20 or more triples since 1950: Willie Mays in 1957, Lance Johnson in 1996, and Jimmy Rollins in 2007. As far as the DH, it needs to go. Bunt attempts and double switches are two of the little nuances remaining that make the game interesting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 23 minutes ago, 5fouls said: On the subject of fences. The PGA had to adapt when the players started making golf courses obsolete with the distance players were driving the ball. They didn't fix he problem by making the balls plastic with club heads made out of wood. They did so by moving back the tees. But how would you alter a Fenway Park or a Wrigley Field? Move the plate back? You can only go back so far, and there's not a bunch of foul territory in either one the way it is... 25 minutes ago, 5fouls said: Dead baseballs won't put the ball in the outfield gap. They will put the ball in the outfielder's glove. Today's hitters have outgrown the 330 down the line, 375 in the gap, 400 to dead center dimensions just like professional golfers outgrew some of the great old golf courses. Or maybe it would encourage more contact and less swinging from the heels...Like you, I'm a big fan of extra base hits, stolen bases, bunting, and hit and run plays... 27 minutes ago, 5fouls said: MLB needs to do something to create more doubles and triples. There have been only 3 instances of a player hitting 20 or more triples since 1950: Willie Mays in 1957, Lance Johnson in 1996, and Jimmy Rollins in 2007. As far as the DH, it needs to go. Bunt attempts and double switches are two of the little nuances remaining that make the game interesting. Agree whole heartedly... And I always loved Hawk Harrelson's nickname for Lance Johnson..."One Dog." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 How about make a starting pitcher go 5 innings. If he doesn't go 5 then the guy that comes in for him has to go 3 himself. Lots of things can be changed limiting the number pitchers that see the mound in one game. @5foulsand @IUFLA Love your ideas/suggestions. I would also add that it should be no problem to move the plate back from the fences and even add foul territory. Seating behind the plate and down the lines will just have to dwindled down and seating added elsewhere if the team so desires. But this "homerun derby" with K's and BB's scattered in there has to go. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jv1972iu Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 On 5/6/2021 at 3:59 PM, IUFLA said: No... Although Pedro once wore a Mets hat out of a brawl between the Mets and Reds in the 73 NLCS (Rose vs Bud Harrelson) The answer isn't an obscure pitcher though... If I'm not mistaken, when a teammate pointed out to Pedro that he had a Mets hat on his head, Pedro was infuriated and proceeded to bite the hat, tearing out a piece of it with his teeth. LOL. 😂 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5fouls Posted May 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 Stupid random stat of the day. Games in relation to .500 by division AL East +11 AL Cent -13 (without Detroit it is +1) AL West +3 NL East -4 NL Cent +/- 0 NL West +3 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico Posted May 7, 2021 Report Share Posted May 7, 2021 4 minutes ago, 5fouls said: Stupid random stat of the day. Games in relation to .500 by division AL East +11 AL Cent -13 (without Detroit it is +1) AL West +3 NL East -4 NL Cent +/- 0 NL West +3 Well from those metrics it is clearly obvious that the NL Central is the best division in MLB. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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