2802 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

CBS Sports: The numbers that will tell the story of 2016: American League West
http://www.cbssports...can-league-west

[SportsGuy]

The Cubs are the overwhelming favorite to win the WS but should they be?

 

Offensively (and probably defensively), they are really good.

 

Arrieta should continue to dominate.  Lester is still really good obviously.

 

But is the rest of the pitching staff that good to make them the team everyone is picking? 

 

Lackey is an improvement over what they had last year but how good will he continue to be as he gets older?  Hammel can be good but he is erratic.  5th starter isn't great and they don't have much depth for the rotation itself.

 

On top of that, they have a solid pen but didn't do much to address it this offseason.  I feel they need one more really good arm out there.

 

I would favor them because they NL isn't that tough and while they have to deal with the Cards and Pirates, they also get 36 games vs Cinci and Milwaukee. 

 

I think I would feel much better about them if they had one more solid starter and another dominant BP arm.  They have Soler as a chip, so I imagine they will use him to get what they want. 

[BSLChrisStoner]

Can see the Cubs being the NL favorite... but there are 5 or so really good teams (and a bunch of garbage everywhere else in the league)...  I still like LA a lot.

[DJ MC]

Jon Morosi, Fox Sports:

 

Which locations make the most sense for MLB expansion?

 

He says Montreal (obviously), Austin and Vancouver are the best choices.

 

Going with the first two...

 

How would a 32-team plan look in Major League Baseball?

[DJ MC]

Posnanski: Moneyball--Dollar and cents continue to rule baseball and Ian Desmond is paying for it

[BSLChrisStoner]

Sports on Earth: MLB Preview: NL West
http://www.sportsone...s-giants-dbacks

[BSLChrisStoner]

CBS Sports: MLB Over/Unders: The Cubs with conviction in 2016
http://www.sportslin...rts_snyder_0303

[BSLChrisStoner]

Sports Illustrated: MLB Trade Value, Part 1: Ranking baseball's most valuable players
http://www.si.com/ml...rankings-part-1

 

Part 2
http://www.si.com/ml...rankings-part-2

[BSLChrisStoner]

Part 3: http://www.si.com/ml...rankings-part-3

[BSLChrisStoner]

Beyond the Boxscore: The new strike zone's (potential) effect on batters
http://www.beyondthe...fect-on-batters

[DJ MC]

HardballTalk: Club renewals of pre-arbitration players feel wrong. But what’s the alternative?

[BSLMikeLowe]

CBSSports: Marlins-Braves to play in first ever MLB game at Fort Bragg

[bnickle]

Weber, you see Utley wasnt suspended. Because the slide wasn't illegal.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Sports on Earth: MLB preview: American League Central

[mweb08]

It was a horseshit slide. Incredibly obviously so.

[bnickle]

It was a horseshit slide. Incredibly obviously so.

And legal

[RShack]

It was a horseshit slide. Incredibly obviously so.

 

And legal

 

You're both right...

[mweb08]

And legal

 

Well the use of and suggests you agree that it was a horseshit slide so that's all I really care about.

 

MLB's sliding rules were confusing before this and they have changed them this winter. Utley's slide would clearly not be legal this season.

[bnickle]

You argued it was a violation of the rules last year. It wasn't.  For some reason, I cant find our debate back then. I swear Stoner deletes some of my posts.   it was a legal slide at the time therefore, no, it wasn't "horseshit".  Utley's responsibility is to legally break up the DP attempt. He did that. 

[RShack]

You argued it was a violation of the rules last year. It wasn't.  For some reason, I cant find our debate back then. I swear Stoner deletes some of my posts.   it was a legal slide at the time therefore, no, it wasn't "horseshit".  Utley's responsibility is to legally break up the DP attempt. He did that. 

 

It was horseshit according to the new ethic that says nobody should get hurt.  

According to the old ethic of hard-nosed baseball, it was the right thing to do.  

 

As players get richer, the standards of protecting them get higher...