Baseball

[GoCubsGo]

BTW, three Gold Gloves for the Cubs this year. Bright future.

[Vrede too]

BTW, three Gold Gloves for the Cubs this year. Bright future.

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1721336668777566454

Rangers also had 3 in the AL this year. Texans had 0.
Dbacks did have 2 in the NL.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Glove_Award#Winners

The most Gold Gloves ever won by one player is 18 by pitcher Greg Maddux. He won 13 consecutive awards from 1990 to 2002, all in the National League.

Oriole, AL:

Brooks Robinson has the most wins for a position player, with 16 Gold Gloves, all at third base, and is tied for the second-highest total overall with pitcher Jim Kaat; both players won their 16 awards consecutively....

Also, All-time Gold Glove Team for Third base (both leagues). No Orioles in 2023

... The 2021 St. Louis Cardinals hold the record for most Gold Gloves by a single team in a single season with five. They also won the team Gold Glove for the National League in the same year.

Fucking Cards.

Wiki says the 2023 Team Gold Glove winners are still "TBD". Cubs may have a shot for the NL prize. Good luck.

[Vrede too]

Well color me shocked. At the end of the season Rickett's gave a full endorsement of Ross.

That said, Ross is a nice guy but a mediocre manager.

Good hire, big upgrade.

The Hot Stove league is open.

https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1 ... 3853881775

"Hot Stove league"?
Edit: Never mind:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_stove_league

Page change, I didn't see that you had posted this until I searched "Ross".

Cubs fire David Ross, hire Craig Counsell as new manager

The Chicago Cubs fired manager David Ross on Monday and hired Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell as his successor.

Brewers? Heresy!

Counsell's contract is for five years and $40 million, the highest salary for any MLB manager ever, sources told ESPN, confirming a report by The Athletic.

Won the Division then got swept by AZ.

... In nine years with the Brewers, Counsell won three NL Central titles and managed Milwaukee to the postseason in five of the past six years, including a division-winning 92-70 mark in 2023. He was 707-625 overall with the Brewers during the regular season and 7-12 in the postseason. His 707 regular-season wins and 7 playoff victories are both franchise records....

Strong resume. Did he want to leave the Brewers or did the Cubs just win an obscene free agent bidding war?

[GoCubsGo]

Strong resume. Did he want to leave the Brewers or did the Cubs just win an obscene free agent bidding war?

Don't know, but probably a little bit of both and the desire to win.

The Cubs have a really good farm system atm and it looks like they're ready to open their purse again to make a serious run. The next five years are brighter for the Cubs than Brewers.

[GoCubsGo]

Strong resume. Did he want to leave the Brewers or did the Cubs just win an obscene free agent bidding war?

The headline is a little misleading....but...

Turns Out Craig Counsell Wanted to Come to the Chicago Cubs All Along

[GoCubsGo]

Whitefish Bay is a toney burb just north of Milwaukee.



Brewers Fans Are NOT Taking the Craig Counsell News Well

[Vrede too]

... The Cubs have a really good farm system atm and it looks like they're ready to open their purse again to make a serious run. The next five years are brighter for the Cubs than Brewers.

Maybe they were, but you just jinxed the Cubs for five years

Whitefish Bay is a toney burb just north of Milwaukee.

https://www.bleachernation.com/wp-conte ... s-Fans.jpg

Brewers Fans Are NOT Taking the Craig Counsell News Well

Maybe the "ASS" will move to your toney burb. Looks like MJ's former home is still for sale, a steal at $14,855,000:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2700 ... 2463_zpid/

[GoCubsGo]

Maybe the "ASS" will move to your toney burb.

Nah, we get retired types and an occasional Bear in the hood (thought they mostly are a little north). I ran into Bill Weddington at the hardware store last month.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Wennington

The Bulls moved their training facility downtown a few years ago so they've flown the coop and the Cubs don't want to fight traffic every day, most live downtown or in Wrigleyville.

[O Really]

Peter Seigler, owner of the Padres, died at age 63 from a third round of cancer. There was much sadness in the city, the stadium was opened for people to come pay their respects and much was said about what a fine person he was and how much he'd done for the city.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sp ... s-chairman

I'm thinking if it had been Stamos who died, the reaction would have been much different.

[GoCubsGo]

I'm thinking if it had been Stamos who died, the reaction would have been much different.

John Stamos?

[O Really]

I'm thinking if it had been Stamos who died, the reaction would have been much different.

John Stamos?

Opps
Spanos

[O Really]

A's are officially gone. Useless can now claim to have always been a Giants fan and quit defending the hapless bottom-dwelling A's.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/mlb-owners ... 33724.html

[Vrede too]

A's are officially gone. Useless can now claim to have always been a Giants fan and quit defending the hapless bottom-dwelling A's.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/mlb-owners ... 33724.html

MLB owners approve Athletics' planned move to Las Vegas, sources say

Major League Baseball owners voted Thursday to allow the Oakland Athletics to move to Las Vegas, paving the way for the second relocation of a baseball team in the past half-century, sources told ESPN....

Legal challenges from a teachers union in Nevada regarding the $380 million the state has committed to the construction of a $1.5 billion stadium on the Las Vegas Strip still could scuttle the move, but winning approval from owners marks a significant step toward Oakland losing its last major men's professional sports team.

GoTeachersGo

Prior to the Montreal Expos moving to Washington in 2005, the last MLB team to relocate was the Washington Senators, who became the Texas Rangers in 1972.

Traitors

The A's moved to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968 and have won four World Series in their 56 seasons in the city....

The backlash from A's fans was immediate and consistent. Chants of "sell the team" directed at owner John Fisher -- a Gap heir who bought the franchise in 2005 -- served as background noise at most home games for the A's, who went an MLB-worst 50-112 in 2023 and carried the league's lowest payroll. More than 27,000 fans showed up in June for a so-called "reverse boycott," during which they implored Fisher to sell. In a letter sent to half the MLB owners last week, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said the city had procured $928 million in funding for a stadium and surrounding development and wanted to keep the team.

The Athletics' lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, and the team has yet to solidify plans for where it will play before the Las Vegas stadium is ready in 2028.

Opps.

Thao released a statement expressing disappointment over Thursday's vote but adding that "we do not see this as the end of the road."

"We all there is a long way to go before shovels in the ground and that there are a number of unresolved issues surrounding this move," Thao said. "I have also made it clear to the Commissioner that the A's branding and name should stay in Oakland and we will continue to work to pursue expansion opportunities. Baseball has a home in Oakland even if the A's ownership relocates."

GoOaklandGo!

The lack of a home for three seasons is far from the only reservation about the Athletics' move. Not only would they be leaving for a smaller media market, but the team would also remain a revenue-sharing recipient, a point of contention in recent years. The new stadium, located at the site of the old Tropicana hotel, is slated to be built on a 9-acre parcel, which would be one of the smallest in MLB. While the A's released renderings of a Las Vegas stadium, they did not include a dome or retractable roof, which would be necessary to combat the city's summer heat. With Las Vegas long believed a candidate for MLB's inevitable expansion from 30 to 32 teams, leaving behind a market the size of Oakland's, one owner said this week, "doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

FailTraitorsFail

... Securing public funding wasn't easy. The A's initially sought $500 million in public money. On June 14, the Nevada Senate passed a $380 million bill after the A's agreed to allow for the use of a suite at the stadium for community groups, pledged an annual $1.5 million donation to the community and offered resources to help mitigate homelessness in Las Vegas. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed the bill into law two days later.

Takers

A political action committee, Schools Over Stadiums, is pursuing a referendum for the public to vote on the stadium funding in November 2024. A judge recently rejected the referendum, saying the language in the petition submitted by Schools Over Stadiums was "legally deficient." The PAC plans to appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, and if that effort fails, it could refile a petition. If successful, Schools Over Stadiums would need to collect 102,568 signatures -- 25,647 from each of Nevada's four congressional districts -- by July to ensure the referendum is on the ballot.

GoSchools Over StadiumsGo!

In the meantime, the A's still need to finalize plans on the construction of a 33,000-seat stadium in Las Vegas, which would be the smallest in MLB by nearly 2,000 seats and rely heavily on tourism to fill the ballpark. The lack of plans did not dissuade owners, nor did the objections of fan groups that lobbied them to reject the move.

I can think of several reasons to visit Vegas, watching baseball ain't one of them.

On Tuesday night, two days before the vote, three A's fans wearing T-shirts that read "SELL" sat near Fisher at the restaurant at the Live! By Loews hotel where the owners meetings were held. As Fisher stood up to leave a few minutes later, one fan said, loud enough for Fisher to hear: "Keep the A's in Oakland. Do the right thing."

Walking away, Fisher muttered under his breath: "I am doing the right thing."

[O Really]

I don't have a dog in this fight, never having been an A's fan nor ever even being in Oakland proper, but it does seem there's enough blame to go around for everyone, except perhaps the long-suffering fans. Las Vegas has created a novel approach to their sports in that they may not sell as many season tickets to local fans, but will keep the stands full with Vegas tourists just wanting to go to a pro game. And no doubt they're willing to spend big bucks to attract and keep the teams. And in return, they've got a Stanley Cup, Raiders are second in the West. Who knows, maybe with new location, players, and coaches the baseball team may be successful too, but since the owner stays the same i wouldn't bet on it.

[GoCubsGo]

I don't have a dog in this fight, never having been an A's fan nor ever even being in Oakland proper, but it does seem there's enough blame to go around for everyone, except perhaps the long-suffering fans. Las Vegas has created a novel approach to their sports in that they may not sell as many season tickets to local fans, but will keep the stands full with Vegas tourists just wanting to go to a pro game. And no doubt they're willing to spend big bucks to attract and keep the teams. And in return, they've got a Stanley Cup, Raiders are second in the West. Who knows, maybe with new location, players, and coaches the baseball team may be successful too, but since the owner stays the same i wouldn't bet on it.

And a Superbowl rotation.

[GoCubsGo]

Me either.

[Vrede too]

Me either.
https://twitter.com/obvious_shirts/stat ... 6780059705

https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/stat ... 1040308504

Elbow surgery in September. It's a helluva gamble for LAD.

[GoCubsGo]

Me either.
https://twitter.com/obvious_shirts/stat ... 6780059705

https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/stat ... 1040308504

Elbow surgery in September. It's a helluva gamble for LAD.

I think it was always going to be the Dodgers.

I guess terms have yet to be fully disclosed, but some of the 700 mil is deferred.

But still, that's a whole lotta $$ for a second pending elbow surgery.

[GoCubsGo]

Jesus, the effing Dodgers.

I'm gonna have to start hating them.

[Vrede too]

Jesus, the effing Dodgers.

I'm gonna have to start hating them.

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1 ... 3483931673

"largest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history ... 12 years, $375M."

Wait, Shohei Ohtani pitches (also DH) and his contract is potentially $700 million over 10-years. I think Jeff Passan needs to clarify his post.

EDIT: Here's a clarification:

... In the end, the Dodgers just made the biggest splurge a team has ever made on a pitcher (at least one who isn't also a 40-homer hitter, like Yamamoto's new teammate, Shohei Ohtani)....

(sorry, the rest is pretty quickly ESPN+ )

Does MLB need a salary cap and revenue sharing? YES!