MLB Discussion Thread

[Brent]

I usually don't feel old until the Giants broadcast brings up Shawon Dunston.

[dabears10]

Originally Posted by Brent

I usually don't feel old until the Giants broadcast brings up Shawon Dunston.

Was my favorite Cub back in the day. Created Gold Glover Mark Grace, or at least that is what Mark says.

[fenikz]

D'Backs moving Bauer up to AAA, not a big fan of the move don't know of many if any pitchers who are successful in the PCL

[Brodeur]

I hate this team. Also, Shelby Miller is in the PCL right now and he's a top ten prospect as well Fenikz.

[fenikz]

Well I hope Bauer puts up better numbers than he is

[ATLDirtyBirds]

Fear David Wright.

[Notredameleo]

Swept by the lowly Twins. Coolio. Fire everyone.

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by ATLDirtyBirds

Fear David Wright.

Just unworldly right now. .411/.513/.621 after today's game.

[holt_bruce81]

Allen Craig is such a monster.

.373, 5 hr, 19 rbi, .424 obp...13 games played.

Cardinals really need to find a way to get him in the lineup everyday. Put him at 2nd, pretty sure you can sacrifice some defense for that kind of bat.

[yo123]

lololol Tigers.

And I think Joe Mauer might officially suck now. :/

[prock]

Yeah Joe Mauer is making me sad. I don't get how a team with two former MVPs are sucking so bad.

[Giantsfan1080]

Trade Mauer for Danks!

[Hines]

Don't worry Tiger fans. You play the Pirates over the weekend. Verlander could throw 100 fastballs right down the middle and the Pirates still wouldn't hit it.

[yo123]

Originally Posted by Giantsfan1080

Trade Mauer for Danks!

Hahaha oh god I forgot about that....one of the more ridiculous arguments I've had on this site.

[bearsfan_51]

Selig has given the wink wink to the A's to move out of Oakland. I can understand why: the Giants won't share 3/4 of the Bay Area, their stadium is terrible for baseball, and Oakland has proven to not care about the A's even when they were winners.

The problem is that the options to move aren't great either. These are the only four I could think of that make any sense.

1) San Antonio

Pros:
-Large enough market. Could also draw some ancillary support from Austin.
-5 Fortune 500 companies in San Antonio
-Have been extremely successful with the Spurs

Negatives:
-Have little to no history of baseball in the city. Strong chance that people simply won't care.
-Baseball is a particularly "white" sport. Population growth in San Antonio is almost entirely hispanic.


2) Portland

Pros:
-Yuppie, liberal city, which has proven to be a strong market for baseball (and soccer and hockey)
-Sufficiently large market
-Has proven to support the Blazers

Cons:
-Oregon is home to only 2 Fortune 500 companies (although Nike helps)
-Limited statewide population outside of the city of Portland
-Might be tooo liberal. Probably not a ton of support for a publicly funded stadium.

3) Hampton Roads/Richmond

Pros:
-The largest metro area in the country without a pro franchise (not including Vegas, which is in shambles right now)
-Parts of Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach/Norfolk) are very affluent.

Cons:
-Relatively small population base.
-Many Virginians are more supportive of D.C. area teams, although this is more the case with the Redskins than in baseball or basketball.
-Richmond is too far from Hampton Roads for either to be a consistent supporter of the other.
-Large African-American population (see: minorities don't support baseball)

4) Charlotte

Pros:
-Large enough
-Affluent enough

Cons:
-The South typically doesn't support professional sports. Atlanta and Charlotte have both proven to be, at best, mediocre sports towns.
-Charlotte can't even support the Bobcats, and basketball is far more popular in North Carolina than baseball.

[Rob S]

I think Portland should have a baseball team. It's a fantastic fit imo. Plus, they would hopefully have tremendous beer on offer at the stadium.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by Rob S

I think Portland should have a baseball team. It's a fantastic fit imo. Plus, they would hopefully have tremendous beer on offer at the stadium.

Anchor Brewery opened a bar in the outfield at AT&T Park.

[Giantsfan1080]

Baseball is 30% hispanic and growing BF.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by Giantsfan1080

Baseball is 30% hispanic and growing BF.

Are you talking about the players, or the attending fanbase?

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

Are you talking about the players, or the attending fanbase?

The players.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by Giantsfan1080

The players.

That's almost entirely irrelevant. The NBA and NFL are composed primarily of African-American players, but its crowds are still overwhelmingly white.

[Giantsfan1080]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

That's almost entirely irrelevant. The NBA and NFL are composed primarily of African-American players, but its crowds are still overwhelmingly white.

Well it's cheaper to buy a baseball ticket compared to those sports.

[bearsfan_51]

Just...stop.

[Brodeur]

Hispanics DO like baseball, but more of the guys that live in Mexico than anything. I do think BF is right here, although Portland is probably the most conceivable. They did get a new stadium in DC not that long ago, and DC might bet he most liberal area in the world.

[Hines]

1) Cutch is really good at baseball. He's worth every penny of that new contract.

2) FINALLY J-Mac shows the raw, top of the rotation stuff he has had. He's been very good this season. The whole pitching staff has been very good outside of one poor start from AJ Burnett.