2025 Major League Baseball Thread

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Darth Anakin

Wonder what everyone thinks of the league adding one more wild card spot to each conference.

It's retarded. I wish they'd revert back to 4 divisions with only the division winners making the LCS and do away with inter league play. The more the expand the playoffs the worse it gets.

[Batman1980]

Bye bye Jason Varitek.

[Hatter]

Manny is suspended for 50 games yet he's allowed to play in Spring Training games.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by Hatter

Manny is suspended for 50 games yet he's allowed to play in Spring Training games.

I thought that was normal. I'd rather see a juicer have to miss 50 regular season games than having pre-season games count towards a suspension. Plus you get docked your paycheck for regular season games and I don't think you do for pre-season.

[Hatter]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

I thought that was normal. I'd rather see a juicer have to miss 50 regular season games than having pre-season games count towards a suspension.

Nor do I. I just figure if you're going to suspend someone, don't let it be a half-baked suspension. Suspended should mean no game activity whatsoever with the team until 50 regular season games are played. This is just like when Manny was suspended in LA but was able to have conditioning games with the minor league club while suspended.

[supersix4]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

I'm all for the smaller market teams spending more money on players but does anyone really think Washington is spending wisely? They've thrown down $102 mill for Zimmerman and $126 mill for Werth. That's $228 mill on two decent, but not star players. Werth had a .232, 20 HR, 58 RBI 2011 season and Zimmerman went .289, 12 HR, 49 RBI in 101 games in 2011.

I think keeping Zimm was a good idea he's been here through all the bad, I'll never support the Werth deal, but that was the first time we got to see our owners spend real money proving they'll do it. They really could have improved the Werth deal had they brought him more help in the line-up (prince, exc.)

Again 3x as rich as the Steinbrenner's we'll be ok (if he keeps spending )

[Wingman1977]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

It's retarded. I wish they'd revert back to 4 divisions with only the division winners making the LCS and do away with inter league play. The more the expand the playoffs the worse it gets.

That would be the worse thing they can do and I beg to differ with your last comment because it's actually the total opposite (the postseason has been more exciting with the wild card).

[Wingman1977]

On the 1st pitch he sees in a 2012 game, A-Rod homers off Roy Halladay.
If he puts up 295-300BA/30-35HR/well over 100RBI, I'll be a happy camper.

[Moviefan1203]

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

On the 1st pitch he sees in a 2012 game, A-Rod homers off Roy Halladay.
If he puts up 295-300BA/30-35HR/well over 100RBI, I'll be a happy camper.

I'm really hoping in the next year or two Halladay and Lee start to slow down. It'll be interesting to see what the Phillies do with Hamels after this season. Their offense appears as if it won't be as strong as in years past, and their two stud pitchers aren't getting any younger. I don't know if they afford to let Hamels go to another team.

[Wingman1977]

Originally Posted by Moviefan1203

I'm really hoping in the next year or two Halladay and Lee start to slow down. It'll be interesting to see what the Phillies do with Hamels after this season. Their offense appears as if it won't be as strong as in years past, and their two stud pitchers aren't getting any younger. I don't know if they afford to let Hamels go to another team.

Not to mention that the NL east won't be the cake walk form them like it was last year. The Marlins and Nationals have improved. Not to mention that the Braves are a good team as well.

[TheForce8686]

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

That would be the worse thing they can do and I beg to differ with your last comment because it's actually the total opposite (the postseason has been more exciting with the wild card).

I love the added team this year. It makes winning the division so much more important.

[StereoMike]

Another one...

Lenny Dykstra sentenced to three years in prison

He had pleaded no contest to grand theft auto and filing a false financial statement in connection with a scheme to use somebody else's paperwork to steal or lease several new cars, according to court records.

[ChadFL]

Crazy stuff. The Wilpons apparently made a big profit off the Madoff scheme by withdrawing their money early. But looks like they'll have to forefit that money due to the profits having been phony.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/stor...al-decide-303m

Mets owners must pay, go to trial

The New York Mets are preparing for the baseball season, and the team's owners will have to prepare for trial.

U.S. District Court Judge Jed S. Rakoff ruled Monday that Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon, his family, businesses and charities must pay as much as $83.3 million to the trustee trying to recover funds to net losers in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. He also ruled that the sides will go to trial March 19 over an additional $303 million that trustee Irving Picard is seeking.

Of the approximately $83 million, only $1.7 million is associated with Mets accounts. The rest is other Wilpon businesses and charities.

The Wilpons' lawyers had filed a motion to have the case tossed entirely, but that was rebuffed by Rakoff in Monday's ruling.

"We are preparing for trial," Sterling Partners, one of Wilpon's holdings, said in a statement. "We look forward to demonstrating that we were not willfully blind to the Madoff fraud."

As a matter of law, Picard had contended, he was entitled to $83,309,162 in Ponzi scheme profit allegedly made by the Wilpons in the immediate two years before Madoff's arrest on Dec. 11, 2008.

The Wilpons had asserted that because they thought they had $500 million invested with Madoff at the time his scheme was discovered by authorities, they actually were losers -- despite withdrawing more money than they had deposited with Madoff.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

Crazy stuff. The Wilpons apparently made a big profit off the Madoff scheme by withdrawing their money early. But looks like they'll have to forefit that money due to the profits having been phony.

I read a fairly long story last year in Sports Illustrated about the Mets-Madoff connection and it's clear that the Wilpons either knew Madoff's profits were fictitious or should have known but looked the other way. They were way too close to Madoff to not know that something fuzzy was going on and that no investor can manage the constant 10-12% profits Madoff was delivering each year. The Mets situation is just as bad if not worse than what's going on with the Dodgers and Frank McCourt but Selig has chosen not to force the Wilpons to sell the team because they've been friends for a long time, but if the Wilpons lose this trial over their Madoff profits there's no way they'll be able to afford to keep the team.

[ChadFL]

Originally Posted by fatediesel

I read a fairly long story last year in Sports Illustrated about the Mets-Madoff connection and it's clear that the Wilpons either knew Madoff's profits were fictitious or should have known but looked the other way. They were way too close to Madoff to not know that something fuzzy was going on and that no investor can manage the constant 10-12% profits Madoff was delivering each year. The Mets situation is just as bad if not worse than what's going on with the Dodgers and Frank McCourt but Selig has chosen not to force the Wilpons to sell the team because they've been friends for a long time, but if the Wilpons lose this trial over their Madoff profits there's no way they'll be able to afford to keep the team.

I'd argue it's not even close. The Wilpons have actually done more to damage the Mets than the McCourts did to the Dodgers. At least the Dodgers remain competitive on the field. My co-worker who is a die hard Mets fan flat-out told me he'd rather have McCourt running the Mets than the Wilpons. Neither family has any business running a pro sports team. I really hope MLB and Selig are more careful with who they allow to buy teams in the future.

[Wingman1977]

I'm watching Johan Santana pitching against the Cardinals and he's topping at 88MPH right now (1st inn).

[supersix4]

Not shocking...

$3.3 billion. The real estate magnate got his first break in 1952 when his wife loaned him $300 to start Lerner Enterprises. Today, he is the largest landowner in the Washington D.C. area and owns a vast portfolio of high profile real estate including Chelsea Piers in New York City, the upscale shopping galleria Tysons II in suburban D.C. and thousands of apartments. With a net worth of $3.3 billion, he's the richest major league owner by a long shot. He purchased the Nationals in 2006 for $450 million, but current estimates say the value has dropped a little to $417 million. Still, it is safe to say that Lerner will remain financially sound.

GO NATS

[mrf]

Originally Posted by ChadFL

I really hope MLB and Selig are more careful with who they allow to buy teams in the future.

If they would let Cuban buy a team you know he would do it right. Look at what he has done with the Mavericks since he took over.

[TheForce8686]

Originally Posted by mrf

If they would let Cuban buy a team you know he would do it right. Look at what he has done with the Mavericks since he took over.

I agree. He is one of the best owners in sports.

[fatediesel]

Originally Posted by mrf

If they would let Cuban buy a team you know he would do it right. Look at what he has done with the Mavericks since he took over.

Cuban had the chance to buy the Rangers and Dodgers but dropped out both times once the bidding got too high.