Baseball Season 2011

[katmai]

This Dodgers business is sad... McCourt was clearly looking for a 'trophy' team when he was first casting about to spend his real estate money... it would be nice if people who genuinely liked a sport were to own the teams.

Now that's just fucking crazy talk Ank.

[Barrister]

This Dodgers business is sad... McCourt was clearly looking for a 'trophy' team when he was first casting about to spend his real estate money... it would be nice if people who genuinely liked a sport were to own the teams.

From what I've been reading its more sinister than that.  It wasn't a trophy for his money - he borrowed all the money to buy the team.  Then he systematically tried to extract as much money from the team (which he didn't pay for) as he could until he had leveraged every possible asset left within the Dodgers.

[alfred russel]

This Dodgers business is sad... McCourt was clearly looking for a 'trophy' team when he was first casting about to spend his real estate money... it would be nice if people who genuinely liked a sport were to own the teams.

From what I've been reading its more sinister than that.  It wasn't a trophy for his money - he borrowed all the money to buy the team.  Then he systematically tried to extract as much money from the team (which he didn't pay for) as he could until he had leveraged every possible asset left within the Dodgers.

God bless America?

[AnchorClanker]

This Dodgers business is sad... McCourt was clearly looking for a 'trophy' team when he was first casting about to spend his real estate money... it would be nice if people who genuinely liked a sport were to own the teams.

From what I've been reading its more sinister than that.  It wasn't a trophy for his money - he borrowed all the money to buy the team.  Then he systematically tried to extract as much money from the team (which he didn't pay for) as he could until he had leveraged every possible asset left within the Dodgers.

Yeah, that's all true.  He looksd at a few other teams before (and not all baseball teams) - he was a rich guy who wanted a team, and yes - he borrowed most of it and then proceeded to use the team as a personal piggy bank.  Awful stuff.

[dps]

This Dodgers business is sad... McCourt was clearly looking for a 'trophy' team when he was first casting about to spend his real estate money... it would be nice if people who genuinely liked a sport were to own the teams.

From what I've been reading its more sinister than that.  It wasn't a trophy for his money - he borrowed all the money to buy the team.  Then he systematically tried to extract as much money from the team (which he didn't pay for) as he could until he had leveraged every possible asset left within the Dodgers.

Yeah, that's all true.  He looksd at a few other teams before (and not all baseball teams) - he was a rich guy who wanted a team, and yes - he borrowed most of it and then proceeded to use the team as a personal piggy bank.  Awful stuff.

Yeah, the possiblility of things like that is supposed to be the reason that MLB has to approve the sale of any team, but they dropped the ball on this one.

[alfred russel]

Scratch one off the bucket list: got a foul ball at an MLB game tonight.

It wasn't exactly a hard line drive, but it was a hard hit ball that I tried to barehand and dropped it. I quickly did a survey to confirm no one going for the ball was 4 years old, and amazingly still had time to get the ball. I'd rather have caught the ball in the air, but at this point I probably won't get another chance at a ball so I'll have to take what I can get.

[jimmy olsen]

Awesome, who hit it?

[alfred russel]

Awesome, who hit it?

Chris Iannetta.

[jimmy olsen]

Fan dies after falling at a Rangers game.
The railing looks low, they should raise it a little.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=6747510

[Syt]

Fan dies after falling at a Rangers game.
The railing looks low, they should raise it a little.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=6747510

Yeah, read about it yesterday. Terrible thing; and I wouldn't want to be Josh Hamilton's right now.


In other news: one fan at Yankee Stadium probably has a new family heirloom courtesy of Derek Jeter.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Yeah, read about it yesterday. Terrible thing; and I wouldn't want to be Josh Hamilton's right now.

He hit a walk off HR today to beat the A's.  Yesterday though, a foul ball he hit blasted a fan in the head.  No shit.  Fortunately, that guy was okay.  Just needed stitches/staples and to learn to pay attention at the game.

[Ed Anger]

100 worst baseball players.

http://deadspin.com/5820716/the-100-worst-baseball-players-of-all-time-a-celebration-part-1

35. The Reverend Aloysius Stanislaus Travers, 1912 (Tigers)
In May of 1912, a man named Claude Lueker, who had no hands, heckled Ty Cobb by calling the Georgia Peach—himself a renowned bigot—"half a nigger." Cobb entered the stands and slugged Lueker repeatedly, ignoring the pleas of fans for him to stop beating up a man with no hands. When Cobb was suspended indefinitely for the assault, his Tigers teammates went on strike until Cobb was reinstated. To avoid paying hefty fines and forfeiting the next game, the Tigers had to find replacement players. Aloysius Travers was one of those replacements: a violist and college student, the not-yet priest was assistant manager of the St. Joseph's College baseball team. In his one major league appearance, Travers pitched a complete game, allowing 26 hits and 24 runs (only 14 earned).

[sbr]

   I knew Ty Cobb was a son-of-a-bitch* but beating up a guy with no hands, that is classic.

*No I didn't know him but I have heard from reliable sources.

[Ed Anger]

69. Kurt Bevacqua, 1971-1985 (Padres/Royals/Rangers/Brewers/Indians/Pirates)
Kurt Bevacqua once called Tommy Lasorda a "fat little Italian." And while his career .236 average speaks well to how bad of a player he was, Lasorda's response spoke better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzjWQF1oP2M (NSFW!)

[jimmy olsen]

That list is awesome MB! 

2. Bob Uecker, 1962-1967 (Braves/Phillies/Cardinals)
In a just world, the Mendoza Line would be the Bob Uecker Line, for the catcher who did manage a clean, round .200 career average, bouncing among four teams in his six seasons. It's surprising Uecker hasn't claimed it, given his skill at leveraging failure into fame—as the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, a Miller Lite pitchman, drunken announcer Harry Doyle in Major League, and the star of "Mr. Belvedere." He is the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball: "People don't know this but I helped the Cardinals win the pennant. I came down with hepatitis. The trainer injected me with it."