Crack of the Bat, Y'all: A Thread for Baseball

[Thermofusion]

A few months ago I almost bought a Homestead Grays baseball cap, which would have been the first baseball cap I've owned since I was probably ten.

I still might.

I endorse this idea.

[RavingLunatic]

Take a look at some of my favorites:

The others are fine, but I cannot approve of this.

[davy]

I AM WATCHING BASEBALL!

...and holy freaking awesomeness, Jason Heyward just hit a homerun on his first at-bat of the season FOR THE SECOND SEASON IN A ROW.

[Thermofusion]

Don't have much to add yet, as the Pirates and Orioles don't take the field til tomorrow. So excited about baseball, though.

Good luck to your Braves, as well, the NL East looks to be fun to watch this year. Well, Atlanta, Philly and Florida, anyway.

[YojimboMonkey]

Don't have much to add yet, as the Pirates and Orioles don't take the field til tomorrow.

Same with the Cubs & Sox, enjoy your opening day everybody else though!

[Thermofusion]

Pirates open tomorrow at Wrigley, actually. Cubs, prepare yourselves for the LIGHTNING ACE that is Kevin Correia

...

...

[Augo]

Sittin in a pub watchin the Braves game, drinking old style, eating popcorn and a hot dog.  Chatting with a handful of crazy retired baseball enthusiasts.  Fuck yes life is good.

[El_Josharino]

I shamelessly watched baseball at my desk at work all day today and didn't accomplish a goddamn thing. Hot damn, the Braves bullpen is aces. I also hadn't realize how solid a defender Alex Gonzalez actually is. He's made some real slick plays this spring and a couple today. Freeman was pickin' and diggin' at first, looking like the stud he's going to be. Oh man.

I also caught the end of the Brewers blowing it. Ryan Braun looks like someone mixed The Fonz and Brendan Fraser and added some ruggedness. For as good as the Brewers rotation and offense is going to be, their bullpen might be what gives the division to Cincy.

Gonna meet some dudes at the bar in a little bit and catch the Giants/Dodgers and drink beers and probably make up a whole bunch of trivia games/make a bunch of predictions/harangue each other over the merits of our respective teams. Should be sweet.

[El_Josharino]

Oh and how about Chipper? His knee is like new again. Dude is playing as though while they were in there fixing the knee, they found some sort of age clock and turned it back to 28 instead of 38.

[kadiekatRN]

I loves me some baseball. I am concerned, though, as I will be unable to pair my baseball viewing with an ice cold beer (or several) for the entirety of the regular season.  I guess I could imbibe a little during the post-season, but I'm uncertain that my beloved Brewers will make it there. Baseball just doesn't feel right without a little brewshanski.

[RavingLunatic]

Oh and how about Chipper? His knee is like new again. Dude is playing as though while they were in there fixing the knee, they found some sort of age clock and turned it back to 28 instead of 38.

Eh, wait until about July and then see how he's doing. I predict he'll play about 100 games.

The Braves are gonna be damn good though. With the Phillies injury problems, I think you have to favor the Braves to win the NL East. They lack a real #1 starter, but they're very strong one through five. That Brandon Beachy dude at #5 has Rookie of the Year potential.

Looking forward to my Red Sox taking care of the Rangers tomorrow in Texas.

[jebreject]

I loves me some baseball. I am concerned, though, as I will be unable to pair my baseball viewing with an ice cold beer (or several) for the entirety of the regular season.  I guess I could imbibe a little during the post-season, but I'm uncertain that my beloved Brewers will make it there. Baseball just doesn't feel right without a little brewshanski.

Don't worry, I promise to help drink your share along with my own.

(btw, we should make plans to go to a game sooner rather than later. I might be able to get a deal on tickets through work, too)

[El_Josharino]

Oh and how about Chipper? His knee is like new again. Dude is playing as though while they were in there fixing the knee, they found some sort of age clock and turned it back to 28 instead of 38.

Eh, wait until about July and then see how he's doing. I predict he'll play about 100 games.

The Braves are gonna be damn good though. With the Phillies injury problems, I think you have to favor the Braves to win the NL East. They lack a real #1 starter, but they're very strong one through five. That Brandon Beachy dude at #5 has Rookie of the Year potential.

Looking forward to my Red Sox taking care of the Rangers tomorrow in Texas.

Yeah, but even if Chipper goes down then we move Prado to 3rd base and grab a left fielder either via trade or from the farm and we're still set pretty solidly. Also, the rotation in Atlanta is probably the deepest in baseball. Like you said, there's no real #1 guy, but Lowe, Hanson, and Hudson are at least #2 guys on most clubs, Jurrjens is a solid #3 and Beachy is maybe the best #5 pitcher in the bigs. Beyond that we've got Mike Minor waiting in the wings, the innings-eating abilities of Rodrigo Lopez, Japanese all-star Kenshin Kawakami at #8, and when Kris Medlen comes back from Tommy John surgery in August, he's a solid #4-5 guy at least. Not to mention Julio Tehran, who will be a #1 starter by 2013 and could be called up at any time with little to no concern.

[El_Josharino]

I loves me some baseball. I am concerned, though, as I will be unable to pair my baseball viewing with an ice cold beer (or several) for the entirety of the regular season.  I guess I could imbibe a little during the post-season, but I'm uncertain that my beloved Brewers will make it there. Baseball just doesn't feel right without a little brewshanski.

If the Braves and Phils weren't both so solid, I'd say the Brew would be a shoe-in for at least the wild card. As it stands, they're probably going to have to win the Central, which is going to be one of the most exciting races this year.
Side note: Ryan Braun sure is handsome, eh?

[El_Josharino]

Okay baseball fans, poll questions of the night (as conceived by Luke and I after drinking a few pitchers of beer):
1. Most home runs by the right side of the infield (1b and 2b): Brewers or Phillies?
2. Will Don Mattingly be more famous for: A)Being a ballplayer, B)Being a manager, or C)Being the guy that wouldn't shave his sideburns for Mr. Burns
3. Would you rather lead the major leagues in holds (probably the least glorious statistic if not in baseball than in all of pro sports) or hit a single major league home run?
4. Would you rather own a Dodgers Beach Blanket or the remainder of Alfonso Soriano's contract?

[kadiekatRN]

I loves me some baseball. I am concerned, though, as I will be unable to pair my baseball viewing with an ice cold beer (or several) for the entirety of the regular season.  I guess I could imbibe a little during the post-season, but I'm uncertain that my beloved Brewers will make it there. Baseball just doesn't feel right without a little brewshanski.

If the Braves and Phils weren't both so solid, I'd say the Brew would be a shoe-in for at least the wild card. As it stands, they're probably going to have to win the Central, which is going to be one of the most exciting races this year.
Side note: Ryan Braun sure is handsome, eh?

True story, I got to meet Ryan Braun.  He came for a cancer patient that I was taking care of.  He's dreamy.

I also got to meet Prince Fielder as he was doing a visit to a bunch of patients at the hospital.  It was pretty awkward, but still pretty neat. 

This is definitely one of my better fringe benefits--getting to meet pro athletes and whatnot. Now, if only Aaron Rodgers would come visit us...

[Ignatius]

That's pretty cool! My mom was an RN who liked baseball players, but our part of the country is so densely populated that the hospital-to-athlete ratio renders any friendly visits from athletes unlikely.

edit: sorry - there was a bunch more stuff that still had nothing to do with baseball!

[Thermofusion]

Listening to the Pirates/Cubs, looks like once again Opening Day could be the emotional high point of the season. Also our defense sounds hideous.

Also, damn, uh, what's going on with that White Sox/Indians game?

[Thermofusion]

3. Would you rather lead the major leagues in holds (probably the least glorious statistic if not in baseball than in all of pro sports) or hit a single major league home run?

Option #3: or be named Mario Mendoza?

[davy]

Yeah, but even if Chipper goes down then we move Prado to 3rd base and grab a left fielder either via trade or from the farm and we're still set pretty solidly.

Hinske would do nicely in left. He'd be a better bet than any number of guys we stuck in the outfield last year.

Also, I've been starting the regular season on MLB 2K11, right, and of course I'm the Braves. I'm in the 5th game, I think, well into the series with the Brewers, and I'm undefeated but troubled by a single fact: Martin Prado has only one hit so far. He's batting like .048.

 

[RavingLunatic]

Also, damn, uh, what's going on with that White Sox/Indians game?

Yeah, I know. There must've been a gale wind blowing out or something. Or maybe this is THE YEAR OF THE BATTER.

[Thermofusion]

Maybe! There've been conspiracy theories about the league instructing umpires to shrink the strike zone after last year's unprecedented YEAR OF THE PITCHER. I hope not, cuz I find technical pitching more interesting than heavy bats and would totally welcome a new dead-ball era.

The best thing about that game was: when I first noticed the score, it was 14-0. When I looked a little later, it was 14-7, and I began wondering if the White Sox and Indians had discarded their bats in favor of playing football.

[El_Josharino]

3. Would you rather lead the major leagues in holds (probably the least glorious statistic if not in baseball than in all of pro sports) or hit a single major league home run?

Option #3: or be named Mario Mendoza?

Good suggestion, but how about a separate question: Would you rather be Mario Mendoza or Bill Buckner?

[El_Josharino]

Okay baseball fans, poll questions of the night (as conceived by Luke and I after drinking a few pitchers of beer):
1. Most home runs by the right side of the infield (1b and 2b): Brewers or Phillies?
2. Will Don Mattingly be more famous for: A)Being a ballplayer, B)Being a manager, or C)Being the guy that wouldn't shave his sideburns for Mr. Burns
3. Would you rather lead the major leagues in holds (probably the least glorious statistic if not in baseball than in all of pro sports) or hit a single major league home run?
4. Would you rather own a Dodgers Beach Blanket or the remainder of Alfonso Soriano's contract?

My answers for the record:
1. Brewers
2. Manager
3. one home run
4. Dodgers Beach Blanket, but just barely.
As for Buckner vs. Mendoza... I'm going to have to think about it...

[El_Josharino]

Also, I've been starting the regular season on MLB 2K11, right, and of course I'm the Braves. I'm in the 5th game, I think, well into the series with the Brewers, and I'm undefeated but troubled by a single fact: Martin Prado has only one hit so far. He's batting like .048.

 

It's still early, small sample size, etc. Probably just bad luck. What's his BABIP and Line Drive %?