spring training

[hawks66]

I dont know how many baseball fans are around, but i figure nows as good a time as any to discuss America's national pastime.

Predictions anyone?

I predict that the Oakland Athletics are finally going to get past the first round of the playoffs this year and that every member of the big three will get 20 wins.

I do not think the twins will be able to win the AL central due to the loss of everyday eddie and the big hurt on the southside will lead the palehose to the AL central title.

I also hope that the BoSox can finally win the AL east because I hate the NY Yankees with a passion that is not of this earth.

In the NL i think everybody and their grandmother is choosing the Cubbies.

The braves will finally not win the NL east becuase the phillies will get it in gear.

But i think my sleeper hit of the year will be the SD padres. although they stunk it up last year, with i think the 2nd worst record in the NL last year, I they will actually be contenders this year. While the NL west title is very much up for grabs.

[Vaarok]

I live near Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. The yuppie influx each summer is yet another of my (though, stronger than most other) compelling arguments towards exercising my second amendment rights.

[Harmanoff]

I learned to like american football but baseball is so dull i doubt i'll ever come around. Really.. the moments when they hit the ball and when someone runs etc is fun.. but what about the remaining 90% of the time that is spent staring at people doing nothing?

[hawks66]

i met people over from britan and they got real into it.

you have to really be able to get into the dual between the pitcher and batter and about what kind of pitch is he going to throw next and if the runners are going to move and whatnot to be interested 100% of the time. otherwise, just watch it with some friends and you can just hang out and when a play happens.....cheer.

also dont forget those tense moments like when your team is down by one and there is a runner on 2nd with 1 out and your cleanup hitter is up to bat.. baseball is made for heroics.

[ionfish]

Nah, Harm's right. Baseball is dull.

[ilia1986]

In fact, Every sport other than Computer Games is dull (personal opinion)!

[hawks66]

i thought at least there would be some baseball fans wanting to discuss.... :(

[Vaarok]

Men in tight pants standing on a lawn, occasionally running in circles.

Among outdoor sports only golf rates lower in my view.

[ShivaArchon]

You people all suck, baseball rules if you actually get into it and learn the game. And golf isn't meant to be exciting, its relaxing and laid back.

After the cruel joke the Cubbies played on the entire city of Chicago last year, they have to win it all this time around. Our rotation is unstoppable now that the 5th man hole is gone, and the bullpen looks to be much more solid than past years especially if Borowski can maintain his success.

I don't follow the American League much, but I gotta say I fear the Yanks. I hate them so much, and it would be terrible to lose to them. I say good luck to the BoSox, but its gonna be tough.
As for the White Sox...ehh, they might have a shot just because their division is so weak, but they still don't have a whole lot of talent to work with.

[AceRimmer]

Bah, cricket aces baseball every time. Real skill is shown when some people can bowl 140+ kph (some 150+!) and boundaries hit 15 rows back. Much more exciting than a guy trying to hit a large ball with a metal pole. Also the catchers have mitts.

:werd:

WUSSES!!!!!!!!!;);)

[ShivaArchon]

Typical "bigger dick" response. :rolleyes:

I know nothing about cricket. But I will tell you that hitting a fist-sized ball travelling at 90 MPH and curving unpredictably with a wooden rod is tough. Really tough. It's even tougher to hit it just right to make the ball go into a defensive hole rather than into the opposing teams mitt.

[AceRimmer]

http://vt.essortment.com/cricketrule_redn.htm

[Illuminati_guy]

I dont care about Baseball because the same teams win over and over again ya maybe sometimes teams like the Marlins go all the way But I am a Orioles fan and what chances do you think they have when that the owner is trying to fight a expansion or move of another team to washington DC buy driving attendances down by losing

[Starfisher]

Woo baseball is boring. The pitcher is the only interesting position, and even that gets dull fast.. woo fastball. wooo slider. woo curve.

American football has everything baseball has (except the actual hitting of a small object, have fun with that) plus real physical contests of strength. Soccer/Non-American Football is much the same with more emphasis on endurance and having everyone think on their feet. Basketball is like soccer on a smaller field with slightly different rules and nine foot tall black guys. Let's see, what other big sports are there? Oh hockey, another one of those games with an emphasis on movement, strength and tactics. I think that covers the major American sports.

If watching the pitcher and the batter is your thing... well more power to you. But baseball is finally dieing and I for one won't miss it a bit.

[ceejayoz]

American football has everything baseball has (except the actual hitting of a small object, have fun with that) Well, they kinda hit their heads together... kinda counts. :p

Basketball is like soccer on a smaller field with slightly different rules and nine foot tall black guys Disagree... it seems that, more often than not, points are scored... so it becomes just going from one end of the court to the other, scoring a point or two each time. The only thing interesting are the artistic dunks and Dennis Rodman's antics.

Not like soccer / european football at all... in soccer, it's not at all unusual to have a game end 1-0. Far more exciting, IMO... the goals are far more precious.

Now, for the ultimate sport... Australian Rules football!

[Mac_Bug]

baseball sucks

[hawks66]

laid back is the key. baseball is not governed by a clock, and it requires a ton of skill and a mental side that no other sport can match

to take a round bat and a round ball and hit it square is the hardest thing to do in sport.

dont make me start to bash football becuase in an actual football game there is between 6-9 minutes of actual action. welcome to lameville

[Starfisher]

And in a baseball game there are 6-9 seconds of actual action. Har.

Skill? Christ don't give me that. You have PLAYED the game right? The only difficult thing to do is batting. Everyone else gets to sit around and plan out exactly what they are going to do in the five minutes between hits. There's no thinking on your feet because it's all slowed down. Almost like a turn based strategy game.

Mental side? ALL other sports require tactical thinking, and baseball differs only in that the players get to think without being physically stressed or pressed for time. In football the quarterback has to decide between three receivers in the five seconds he has before getting sacked. Soccer, hockey and basketball all have constantly shifting patterns of movement. In baseball everyone is in pretty much the same spot the whole game. Woozay.

[Freakshow]

Originally posted by pit97
Bah, cricket aces baseball every time. Real skill is shown when some people can bowl 140+ kph (some 150+!) and boundaries hit 15 rows back. Much more exciting than a guy trying to hit a large ball with a metal pole. Also the catchers have mitts.

:werd:

WUSSES!!!!!!!!!;);)

First off, cricket is so absurd that no one has a clue what is going on besides you.

Throwing a ball 104 MPH and making it curve at the same time ISNT HARD? Try it, id be shocked if you could make it curve at all or make the ball go even 50 MPH.

Then after youve tried that, try hitting the curving 104 MPH ball 400 feet.

Baseball isnt about constant action, its about anticipation and suspense. Watch the 1991 World Series game 7. Tied 0-0 until the 10th inning. its tense, no one knows whats going to happen because ANYTHING can happen. You could be down by 4 runs in the bottom of the ninth, but one swing of the bat could tie the game. Thats what baseball is about, its never over until the last man is out.

Originally posted by hawks66
I dont know how many baseball fans are around, but i figure nows as good a time as any to discuss America's national pastime.

Predictions anyone?

I predict that the Oakland Athletics are finally going to get past the first round of the playoffs this year and that every member of the big three will get 20 wins.

I do not think the twins will be able to win the AL central due to the loss of everyday eddie and the big hurt on the southside will lead the palehose to the AL central title.

I also hope that the BoSox can finally win the AL east because I hate the NY Yankees with a passion that is not of this earth.

In the NL i think everybody and their grandmother is choosing the Cubbies.

The braves will finally not win the NL east becuase the phillies will get it in gear.

But i think my sleeper hit of the year will be the SD padres. although they stunk it up last year, with i think the 2nd worst record in the NL last year, I they will actually be contenders this year. While the NL west title is very much up for grabs.

Gaah! the Twins will win. the ChiSox choke and Kansas is still too young. The Twins pitching hasn't changed too much, they have lost lots of people but gotten good people back too. Mauer will be one of the better catchers in the league, and the Soul Patrol is back! *Torii, Jacque and Stewart*

[hawks66]

i do admit that teh "soul patrol" which is a great name by the way will do quite well. as the addition of shannon stewart really made them fearsome. I dont know who the twins brought in as a closer but hopefully its somebody good because their pitching is suspect.

its too bad that everybody else's attention span is too low for baseball. oh well. their loss

[Vaarok]

Attention span, or we have better things to do.

I mean, if you lived where I do and had to deal with all the goddamn tourist yuppies who come upstate for the Hall of Fame thing...

The Mosin-Nagant comes next week... The Mosin-Nagant comes next week...

[Starfisher]

Now now. We don't want to be able to say in a year from now that we know the "Upstate New York sniper".

[Freakshow]

Originally posted by hawks66
i do admit that teh "soul patrol" which is a great name by the way will do quite well. as the addition of shannon stewart really made them fearsome. I dont know who the twins brought in as a closer but hopefully its somebody good because their pitching is suspect.

its too bad that everybody else's attention span is too low for baseball. oh well. their loss


more tickets for us

[Soulblighter]

i can not stand baseball, or any sport for that matter that delays a game based on weather. give me american football and soccer anyday of the week over baseball. as for indoor sports... hockey and basketball.

and of course one sport that i wish would be on american television more: lacrosse, played some high school and its damn fun.

[[DP]StewMitch]

Lacrosse and Hockey seems confined to the dairy belt in Minnesota and Wisconsin...


I don't watch pro baseball but I will watch our baseball games this spring since the only other sports are girl's soccer and golf -which I am playing in-. I do play football though, which is in my opinion, the best American sport (tieing with hockey for best overall). Baseball is the kind of sport everyone can play, from 5 year olds to 50 year olds.

[Illuminati_guy]

Let me point out that there is a difference between baseball on TV and baseball at the ballpark and if you think that baseball is boring go to a few minor league games they cost less and there are more mistakes that make the game more interesting and fun

[Zoe teh Runt]

Meh. I'm a girl so I can probably get away with saying this:

Real sports usually suck.

Hockey is good, and soccer/football as well. But for the most part, stick to computer games, I say. ;)

[hawks66]

odd that there are so many people prefer hockey to baseball. i have come across this in another forum as well. perhaps a new era of hockey actually getting decent attendance and TV ratings is at hand.

or this could be due to a large canadian contingant here.

or it wont matter at all when the NHL dissolves due to the CBA dissagreement.

[Vaarok]

1. You get to hit people.
2. More than two people are moving at a time.
3. You get to hit people.

[hawks66]

dont get me wrong. i love hockey i mean, my nickname is hawks66 becuase i love the chicago blackhawks and if you add up all the retired numbers of the chicago blackhawks

1 glenn hall
9 bobby hull
21 stan mikita
35 tony esposito
---
66

so there you have it, i love hockey, its a difficult call for me to say which sport i like better. perhaps a discussion of hockey playoffs will fare better. so ill start that up now.

[Zoe teh Runt]

<girl point of view>
Look at baseball players. Fruity dudes in tight white pants getting dirty and prancing around after a ball.

Look at hockey players. [:bag:] Big boys playing rough with big sticks, yet... ice skating.

Come on now. What would YOU pick?
</girl point of view>

I like hockey because, as my bro already mentioned, there's some action. And yes, you get to hit people. That's always a plus. ;)