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MLB 2017 Regular Season OT - 108 years in the making

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Z

zulux21

Member
I just noticed how goofy the AL central looks
Kqtxd32.png
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I don't think I recall seeing something like this any time in recent history lol.

usually at least one team has a hot streak to start with, or plays like crap to start with.

the last place team is 1 game out of first lol.
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
Vault Dweller 111 said:
Sale will end the season with a .8 ERA and a 2-5 W-L record.
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I'm not ready to make any crazy predictions like that.Two whole victories!?

I've just been shaking my head and laughing for the past few minutes. Makes zero sense when your starter is low on pitches and has an absolutely filthy strike-ball ratio.

Zero sense.
 
C

crpav

Member
White Sox fan wanting the best for Sale even though he is a Red Sox now and I see he gets the same outcome like he pitched with the White Sox. Amazing game yet no offense or blown by the bullpen to only get a loss or a no decision. I swear he will never be a 20 game winner because of it.
 
C

CygnusXS

will gain confidence one day
Carpe Libertatem said:
Luis Robert cleared to sign

Cardinals need to take advantage
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I'm a little bummed the Braves aren't in on him, but, in the abstract, I do believe in the even distribution of resources as a virtue so less enriched farm systems should have a shot at him. I kind of expect the Padres to grab him though.
 
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Carpe Libertatem

Member
CygnusXS said:
I'm a little bummed the Braves aren't in on him, but, in the abstract, I do believe in the even distribution of resources as a virtue so less enriched farm systems should have a shot at him. I kind of expect the Padres to grab him though.
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Cardinals might be more inclined to spend big because of the draft pick losses this year (&they signed Adolis Garcia, who Robert calls his "big brother/mentor" fwiw)

Dunno how much money Padres have left after all they spent, even if their MLB team costs nothing

I hear White Sox as a potential landing place too. Regardless, glad Robert will be able to cash in big before the CBA changes
 
B

Beckx

Member
David Todd with a good article on Marte, PEDs, and baseball:

http://banginonthebucs.blogspot.com/2017/04/with-little-opportunity-for-financial.html

Victor Conte, founder of the infamous Bay Area Labrotory Co-Operative (BALCO), in commenting on nandrolone, noted that it can stay in a person's system anywhere from six to eighteen month and can be detected at the parts-per-trillon levels. With today's more sophisticated testing methods that virtually guarantees a positive test. How could Marte possible be this negligent or just this plain dumb?

As Conte speculates it is very possible that Marte was using another banned drug, likely testosterone, that was manufactured in a lab that didn't have the necessary levels of quality control and in reusing equipment the newly-manufactured substance was tainted. With Marte in his native Dominican Republic in the offseason and the failed test having taken place upon his return to the US for spring training, that seems like a plausible scenario.
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I'm fascinated by the question of why sports fans generally look at PED use in baseball very differently than in other sports. PED suspensions handed down by the NFL are seemingly quickly forgotten while those handed down by MLB brand a player with a scarlet letter. And we rarely even see suspensions in the NBA, Joakim Noah the recent exception, or the NHL. And let's not be naive enough to believe that with just as much money and fame at stake, athletes in those sports have somehow subscribed to and accepted the idea of fair competition. Either they are smarter than their brethren or their leagues are less inclined to shine the white hot spotlight of negative publicity that comes with failed tests onto themselves.

The best answer I've heard as to why the societal perception of baseball players running afoul of the rules is different and the one that resonates is the argument about individual records and their significance in baseball versus football. Joe Sheehan, one of the game's best writers and a guest on my show every Tuesday, wrote about home runs and baseball's duplicitous history. The games stars were never were never more celebrated and the sport never more popular than at the height of the Steroid Era. But the game got burned by Congressional investigations and the Mitchell Report and now is determined to whitewash its image to appease all critics.
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And when trying to understand why Marte chose the path he did, it's that fear of failure that seems like the most plausible explanation.

This spring Starling Marte was going to represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic for the first time. In April he was going to take over for Andrew McCutchen in center field for the Pirates. His contract was escalating. He was on the cusp of superstardom. The pressure on Marte this offseason was probably different than anything he had known. I'm guessing in wanting to take that last step forward, to ensure he was up to the task, he turned to PEDs to make sure he didn't fail. We look at Starling Marte and see the gifts. We wonder why PEDs are necessary, particularly when tangible proof of the positive effects on baseball performance are limited at best. It's harder to see uncertainty or even imagine fear in one so talented. But I'm guessing that is what drove him.

That answer, and it's my speculation, nothing more, doesn't make what Marte did any less wrong. He ended hurting himself and his team far more than any PEDs likely would have helped. But, at least for me, it gives a plausible answer to the question.

I don't view Starling Marte as a bad person through all this. I can't get on that moral high ground. He made a mistake and he's getting punished. He's still a fantastic baseball player who is tremendously entertaining to watch. We'll have to wait awhile to see him again, but I'll root for him when he's back on the field in July.
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