2012 MLB Season Discussion: Off-Season

Blind_Evil wrote:

I can't agree fully, you see it happen from time to time with other teams. The Rays come to mind, D-backs and Rockies in recent years. The White Sox won their Series back in '05 without many big free agent acquisitions. A big budget helps a lot, but it (or the lack of one) doesn't guarantee anything.

And a lot of the A's success was due to solid drafting, not bargain bin pickups. Moneyball painted them as scrappy underdogs but they developed a couple MVPs, at least one Cy Young, and many All-Stars without having to flex any financial muscle.

Part of the Moneyball gameplan was drafting more predictable college players. It was not hard for other teams to cash in.

And you still don't see small budget teams as consistent as the A's were in Beane's heyday. Smaller budget teams have to pick their spots.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I can't agree fully, you see it happen from time to time with other teams. The Rays come to mind, D-backs and Rockies in recent years. The White Sox won their Series back in '05 without many big free agent acquisitions. A big budget helps a lot, but it (or the lack of one) doesn't guarantee anything.

And a lot of the A's success was due to solid drafting, not bargain bin pickups. Moneyball painted them as scrappy underdogs but they developed a couple MVPs, at least one Cy Young, and many All-Stars without having to flex any financial muscle.

Chicago White Sox payroll in 2005: $75,178,000
Oakland Athletics payroll in 2005: $56,186,000

The A's have drafted well but that isn't what has really driven their talent. It's trading their stars and getting prospects that have done it. The problem with the Athletics is that they don't have the money to keep these stars once they have them. Moneyball doesn't pain them as scrappy underdogs (well it does, but that isn't the purpose) but the fallout of Billy Ball was that everyone has started to evaluate players the same way now. Beane has to make gambles now to try to break through. I truly believe that if Beane could get a $100m+ payroll that the A's would be contenders every year.

Almost any team with a payroll over 100m is going to be a contender, except the Cubs.

I'm also not sure that a bigger market and new stadium guarantees a higher payroll. The big spenders are often big spenders because they just have willing owners, and the A's ownership group is notoriously stingy.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Almost any team with a payroll over 100m is going to be a contender, except the Cubs.

I'm also not sure that a bigger market and new stadium guarantees a higher payroll. The big spenders are often big spenders because they just have willing owners, and the A's ownership group is notoriously stingy.

The A's in Oakland haven't drawn well even when they are winning. The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team. The Athletics is one of the great historic teams in baseball and it is sad seeing them ignored.

Bah. Stupid Twins.

Rays back to .500 already.

Blue Jays turned a triple lay last night - that was exciting!

Stele wrote:

Bah. Stupid Twins.

Rays back to .500 already. :(

The AL East teams have all started out extremely slowly. I expect Baltimore to melt down any day now, and I suspect that Boston can't maintain a sub-.500 record for much longer either.

I don't think anything matters in the AL East because the Rangers are going to destroy pretty much everybody.

Ulairi wrote:

I don't think anything matters in the AL East because the Rangers are going to destroy pretty much everybody.

Because 12 games is an excellent sample size. The Rangers haven't exactly played against awesome teams yet, and only one in the AL East (Boston). So far they've proven nothing.... they're going to be good for sure, but you're way ahead of yourself.

But ti wouldn't be sports talk if we didn't declare post-season results based on a game or 10 of the regular season (depending on the league). Jeez, don't you watch ESPN? That's how they do it. After the first weekend, when Boston and New York were 0-3, it was all doom and gloom, oh noes they might go 0-162 madness.

AndrewA wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I don't think anything matters in the AL East because the Rangers are going to destroy pretty much everybody.

Because 12 games is an excellent sample size. The Rangers haven't exactly played against awesome teams yet, and only one in the AL East (Boston). So far they've proven nothing.... they're going to be good for sure, but you're way ahead of yourself.

The Rangers are going to be the best team in the AL. I don't like them but they are pretty stacked.

That looked like a check swing to me.

garion333 wrote:

That looked like a check swing to me.

I still have goosebumps!

Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

So is Oakland. San Jose used to be apart of Oakland's territorial rights until Haas decided to help out the SF Giants by letting them have San Jose because at the time that is where the Giants wanted to move to. If you look at a Map, there is more than enough room for the bay area to support two teams and that San Jose isn't really Giants "territory". The A's are getting screwed by the Giants and the rights should have reverted back to the A's when the Giants started building their new stadium. San Jose is a big city and the area can support the A's. I'm so tired of MLB screwing them. The Peninsula/South Bay fan base is very valuable and I know that the Giants ownership doesn't want to lose that money but the commissioners office should do what is best for baseball and let the A's move there.

Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

So is Oakland.

I'm just sayin' I think a better bet would be to move somewhere entirely different. Like Charlotte!

ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

So is Oakland.

I'm just sayin' I think a better bet would be to move somewhere entirely different. Like Charlotte!

If they move to Charlotte, I will be following shortly. Could Charlotte support a MLB team?

Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

So is Oakland.

I'm just sayin' I think a better bet would be to move somewhere entirely different. Like Charlotte!

If they move to Charlotte, I will be following shortly. Could Charlotte support a MLB team?

It could (it's about the size of St. Louis, IIRC), but I doubt it would. Tarheels only care about college basketball and the NFL.

Blind_Evil wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:
ChrisLTD wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

The theory about the San Jose move is that all of the Silicon Valley money would really pump up the team.

I wonder if that would actually be true. It's still awfully close to San Francisco.

So is Oakland.

I'm just sayin' I think a better bet would be to move somewhere entirely different. Like Charlotte!

If they move to Charlotte, I will be following shortly. Could Charlotte support a MLB team?

It could (it's about the size of St. Louis, IIRC), but I doubt it would. Tarheels only care about college basketball and the NFL.

How is attendance for the Knights? Not that this would mean anything for an MLB team...I'm just curious

I couldn't say, I lived on the coast, not in Charlotte. I just know that World Series games routinely get second billing in sportsbars if the Panthers or Duke/UNC/Wake/NC State are playing.

Blind_Evil wrote:

I couldn't say, I lived on the coast, not in Charlotte. I just know that World Series games routinely get second billing in sportsbars if the Panthers or Duke/UNC/Wake/NC State are playing.

That's a chicken and egg sort of problem. You might get more baseball followers if we had a major league team. And at least as far as Charlotte is concerned, they aren't home to any of the well-known for sports universities.

You're right, but I still trust my gut on this one and think they'd go the way of the Hornets.

The only people really interested in baseball down there that I could drum up were relocated northerners. I think years of being ill-positioned Braves fans jaded the rest, being that they are one of the most boring successful teams in history.

Blind_Evil wrote:

You're right, but I still trust my gut on this one and think they'd go the way of the Hornets.

Yeah. It's no sure thing. I'd like to see someone try though. In any event, I'm happy going to Durham Bulls games. The tickets and craft brews are cheap!

Woo! 2-run HR to win it in the 9th for the Rays!

Solid 3-game sweep at home. Go Rays!

Stele wrote:

Woo! 2-run HR to win it in the 9th for the Rays!

Solid 3-game sweep at home. Go Rays!

I knew there was a reason I liked you!

Here is a picture of Luke Scott, a player on the Tampa Bay Rays.

IMAGE(http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/919/lukescottredsoxfans.jpg)

Here is a picture of Luke Scott they hung in the dugout from a young fan.

IMAGE(http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/8209/capture20120421183737.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/PY8Ox.jpg)

Wow. The Rays brought their offense to Texas tonight. 4 runs in the first and never looked back on the way to 8-4 win.

Stele wrote:

Wow. The Rays brought their offense to Texas tonight. 4 runs in the first and never looked back on the way to 8-4 win. :cool:

Here's hoping we can keep up the pressure!

Stele wrote:

Wow. The Rays brought their offense to Texas tonight. 4 runs in the first and never looked back on the way to 8-4 win. :cool:

But the AL East doesn't matter... Texas is going to win it all. Hadn't you heard?