Hoping for Yanks vs Dodgers World Series with Yanks coming out on the top..  

 
Last time they played was in 1981.. I was 6 months old.. LOL

 
Oh and Dusty Baker was on Dodgers team.  Good player, Great Manager, even a better human being.

But Yanks/Doyers would be great. So long as the Yanks win #28. So I can rub it in the nose of Red Sawks fans.
Next on my wish list is the Yanks signing Soto to a long-term deal and then signing Pete Alonso.

That sounds like a 9 yr old's birthday wish. LMAO.  Soto is going to want at least $500-550 MM for 12-13 yrs of contract. He already rejected a long term deal w/ Nationals for $450 MM... I am not saying Yankees can't get it done, but there are going to be lot of other teams in the mix.  

 
Pete Alonso is also going to be highly ranked FA.  At 30 yr old, he will most likely have to be content with 7-8 yr contract. Anything beyond that might lower his  average per year salary.  

 
The fun fact is both are clients of Scott Boras.  So both are likely to hit the open market at this time.  

 
We will see  how it pans out. Nationals won't be in the mix for sure. We are about 2 yrs or so away from starting to spend again, and we have lot of young talent coming up.

-- Modified on 10/20/2024 8:13:21 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Flood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_v._Kuhn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_agency_(Major_League_Baseball)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_clause

Just thought I'd post a little history for our junior colleagues. Curt Flood opened a crack in the reserve clause. It took several more years for free agency to become a reality. And now ...
.
http://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2024/04/03/mlb-team-payrolls-2024-highest-lowest-mets/73139425007/
MLB payrolls 2024: Full list of every baseball team from highest to lowest
A look at the 2024 team payrolls:
    Mets − $305,624,274  * (* = made the post-season playoffs)
    Yankees − $303,322,047 *
    Dodgers − $249,823,654 *  
    Phillies − $243,476,617 *  
    Astros − $236,524,482 *  
    Rangers − $223,355,753  
    Blue Jays − $221,862,600  
    Braves − $217,290,000 *
    Cubs − $213,020,500 *
    Giants − $211,044,828
    Cardinals − $179,553,567
    Red Sox − $176,458,748
    Angels − $172,993,096
    Padres − $161,937,554 *
    White Sox − $142,995,900  
    Rockies − $142,571,000
    Diamondbacks − $140,825,700
    Mariners − $135,738,647
    Nationals − $126,862,600
    Twins − $124,077,590
    Royals − $115,257,261 *
    Reds − $106,441,547
    Brewers − $105,833,094 *
    Tigers − $103,834,833 *
    Rays − $101,023,112
    Marlins − $97,227,400
    Orioles − $94,520,400 *
    Guardians − $93,333,629
    Pirates − $85,760,000
    Athletics − $60,503,298
.
http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/rankings/player/_/year/2024/sort/cap_base

Shohei Ohtani LAD, DH $70,000,000
Max Scherzer TEX, SP $43,333,334
Justin Verlander HOU, SP $43,333,333
Aaron Judge NYY, CF $40,000,000
Jacob deGrom TEX, SP $40,000,000
Anthony Rendon LAA, 3B $38,000,000
Gerrit Cole NYY, SP $36,000,000
Mike Trout LAA, CF $35,450,000
Nolan Arenado STL, 3B $35,000,000
Patrick Corbin WSH, SP $35,000,000
Stephen Strasburg WSH, SP $35,000,000
Corey Seager TEX, SS $34,500,000
Carlos Correa MIN, SS $32,000,000
Francisco Lindor NYM, SS $32,000,000
Giancarlo Stanton NYY, DH $32,000,000
Juan Soto NYY, RF $31,000,000
Alex Bregman HOU, 3B $28,500,000
Cody Bellinger CHC, RF/CF $27,500,000
Rafael Devers BOS, 3B $27,500,000
...
Growing up in NY, I was a Yankees fan. As kids, we could hop the subway to Yankee (or Shea) Stadium and get bleacher seats on our paper route money. Can kids still do that? Single game tickets start at $50+.  ... Paper routes don't exist any more, either.

Great information.. Most of it I knew in bits and pieces..

 
If you enjoy reading, and haven't read already, I would highly recommend Ball 4 by Jim Bouton.  A journal of day to day life  of relief knuckleballer who played one season w/Seattle Pilots, but also played with Braves, Astros, and Yankees. Actually won World Series with them.  He talks briefly about his struggles in getting a new contract from the team ownership. The book captures the era when things started changing a little bit finally players started getting some say.  

 
His another book, "I am glad you didn't take it personally" is part of my 2025 Reading list.  

 
I really enjoy reading more these days than watching TV or even fucking women.. LOL.

-- Modified on 10/20/2024 1:41:04 PM

This suggests Soto will get around $70 million a year. And if he gets a 10-year deal....do the math.

Hmm... No.. Othani is a pitcher too.. He just didn't pitching 2024 due to Tommy John's Surgery he had. But he will pitch next year. Soto won't get that kind of money as he is not a dual threat. He will get paid, but just not $700 MM.

Here's what The NY Times said today:
"Soto, who will turn 26 on Friday, was widely thought before the season to be seeking offers starting at around $500 million. Fresh off a regular season in which Soto posted an 8.1 WAR — trailing only Judge, Ohtani and Bobby Witt Jr. — it wouldn’t be a surprise if Soto’s youth and playoff performance push him closer to $600 million."
The big question is deferrals. Ohtani's contract has major deferrals that put its present cash value just under $50 million a year.

Grand slam wins game one .
I thought we were toast.  
It’s funny in that during the year, everyone try in LA motherfucks Roberts .., but now they’re saying he’s managing this team to a title  
I still don’t like the guy but.,🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️
Go Doyers  
RIP Fernando

I didn't watch the game live, but I saw some replays and have a serious baseball Q about this:
.
In the top of the 10th, it was tied 2-2, 1 out, Yanks on 1st and 3rd (or had the guy on third scored on the previous play?).  
.
There was a ground ball to short and the Dodger SS bobbled it. The baserunner from first stopped around 10 feet from second and was standing straight up!!  WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT? (I haven't been watching BB for many years.)
.
Usually, the runner slides into 2nd to try to break up the DP (double play). I don't know the stats on that (successful disruption vs DP completed anyway). Then I thought that maybe the runner was POSITIVE that he was going to be forced out at 2nd so by standing tall on the basepath you deny the 2Bman a clean line of sight and a clean throwing line to first.  The 2Bman has to take an extra step to throw around the runner and that gives the batter on the way to 1st extra time to beat the throw. Another possibility is that the runner saw the bobble and thought the SS might go for one out at 1st; then the baserunner can get to 2nd easily and there is no forced out.  
.
The camera view I watched didn't show if the baserunner was running with his head down, full throttle towards 2nd and DIDN'T SEE the bobble or not. But basically, ...
.
Why didn't the runner slide hard into 2nd? I think he might have beaten the bobble recovery and back handed toss to the 2Bman. Was that a baserunning mistake? To ME, it looked like a big mistake NOT to run it out hard and slide. I think he would have beaten the toss. Still one out, men on 1st and 2nd.  
.
Thanks for explaining.
.
(I do know that MLB changed the take-out slide rules MANY years ago to prevent or penalize runners who go way outside the running path to break up the DP with crazy slides far off the bag or cleats way up to get the 2Bman. What is it now? "Interference"? Runner automatically out at first?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQsjAbZDx-4
There was something in the air that night,
The stars were bright, Fernando.

EDIT: typos

-- Modified on 10/26/2024 8:01:10 AM

The infield was playing up to stop the runner from third scoring. The ball was hit hard and because the infield was up, a clean pickup would have made a double play, The runner didn't anticipate the SS bobbling the ball so he stayed in no mans land, plus because the ball was hit so hard, the runner couldn't make it to second to slide and break up the play. His only hope was to disrupt the throw from second to first.  
Remember the Reggie Jackson play in one world series where he let the ball hit on a double play? This was that guys only play from last night
My take

-- Modified on 10/26/2024 2:08:43 PM

Thanks ... so far.  
.
If the runner had been running hard all the way and slid in to 2nd, do you think he would have been safe after the bobble? Based on a couple of replays, I think "yes."  
.
**IF** the ball had NOT been bobbled and If the runner had been running hard all the way and did a take-out slide into 2nd, do you think it would have prevented a double play?  When I used to watch BB, I would estimate that most attempts to break up a DP were NOT successful, maybe less than 10%(?) of the time. I can sort of hear the announcers describing all the great plays to take the throw, jump in air and make the turn and throw to 1st to complete the DP.  ARE THERE ANY STATS (Sabremetrics?) on "percentage of DPs disrupted due to a great slide"?  
.
One other thing to note: I do remember the era of the Phantom Double Play or being "in the neighborhood" of the base w/o ever touching it. There were some real whoppers!! I think that MLB tightened the rules on that, too.  Do the umps no longer credit the phantom tag?  
.
Reggie Jackson; Dodgers - Yankees - WS Game 4 - 1978  
http://www.mlb.com/video/reggie-s-hip-deflects-throw-c28130223  
.
To recap 1978: The Yankees lost the first two games at LA and won the series 4-2.
1 October 10 New York Yankees – 5, *Los Angeles Dodgers – 11
2 October 11 New York Yankees – 3, *Los Angeles Dodgers – 4
3 October 13 Los Angeles Dodgers – 1, *New York Yankees – 5
4 October 14 Los Angeles Dodgers – 3, *New York Yankees – 4 (10)
5 October 15 Los Angeles Dodgers – 2, *New York Yankees – 12
6 October 17 *New York Yankees – 7, Los Angeles Dodgers – 2