zeeman
Well-known member
Thanks for the useless info ? what moves are you going to do for the Reds in the off season? Are you going to try to trade the two fat third basemen who cant hit themselves out of a wet paper bag?
MLB Playoffs
- Thread starter 14Red
- Start date
14Red
Well-known member
Jorge Solar with the Eric Davis shot in the first inning. We may look back and say that was the turning point. Astros could not get the big hit to put any real pressure on the Braves. Losing Morton for the series may be notable.
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
Hope Astros win and give Dusty Baker a WS managerial championship.
Thavoice
Well-known member
Didnt even tune in to see a score last night. Some good Law and Order episodes I hadnt seen yet.
That is how far the WS and MLB has fallen in my eyes. Between the length of games, and how many of them are played so differently than you play all season long, and the season in late Oct/early Nov.
Nah.
Thavoice
Well-known member
Maaaybe the reds shoulda kept him...
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
He was always blamed for the Reds not advancing past the 1st rd. of the playoffs, but at least the Reds made the playoffs 3 out of the 6 years he was manager. Since than they have made it once, last year in the Covid shortened season.
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
Agreed he seems like a good guy.
Fun fact for the day. Dusty and some little known Dodger teammate created the high-five in 1977 after a home run. Before that it was always hand-shakes. Magic Johnson tried to claim the high-five in 1979 at Mich State, but it was Dusty.
14Red
Well-known member
I'm not sure he wanted to stay. The Reds, after Dusty's last season was in in a clear rebuild and I don't think Dusty does rebuilds. And let's face it, the only reason Dusty landed in Houston is because of the scandal. His calm demeanor is a great deflection for his team and the franchise. I don't know that another person could have navigated this as well. When you can put in Bregman, Altuve, Correa, Gurrell and Tucker in the lineup daily, you're going to win games.
Thavoice
Well-known member
Not doubting it buuuut...how many clubs has he been in charge of and made the playoffs????????????
14Red
Well-known member
There are alot of managers who don't make the playoffs. I think Dusty has stood the test of time because he keeps an even keel, and has had a degree of success.
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
Yet you want David Bell to be more emotional, call out his players publicly, and give exciting press conferences. ?
14Red
Well-known member
I didn't say I always agreed with Dusty and his handling of the Reds. I like him more than David Bell.Yet you want David Bell to be more emotional, call out his players publicly, and give exciting press conferences. ?
As I recall one of my pet peeves with Dusty is he - like most managers today - is he would rarely stick with the hot hand. So for instance, using today's players, let's say Max Schrock was going to play right field and give Castellenos a day off. Schrock goes 3-4 with 2 homers and 5 RBI. And he'd then sit for 3 days. Not that you'd put him in Nick's spot, but there's always someplace else you can put a hot hitter.
I'd like David Bell to occasionally put some responsibility on the player. He NEVER calls a player out. And like it or not, he's in the entertainment business, so if he can't be a little more personable in the pressers, I'd find someone else to represent the club. Then again, I'm sure that's what Bell would want. One thing I appreciated with Dusty and Bryan Price is they answered questions, they were thoughtful and gave good answers. Bell just regurgitates the question or statement the interviewer asks. It's useless. NOW....IF the Reds won, I could care less what Bell says, but he's not.
14Red
Well-known member
The Astros say not so fast my friend. It's been a really interesting series to watch and very non-traditional baseball. Starting pitching does not dominate like before. You literally have manager piecing inning by inning a staff of 12-13 guys to survive 9 innings.
The Astros can hit their way to a title, I'm not sure the Braves can do that.
I just wonder if the Astros win, how this can be construed as cheating? Is there some kind of smoking gun out there that they are cheating? I mean when is this nonsense going to stop? The Astros are a really good baseball franchise.
The Astros can hit their way to a title, I'm not sure the Braves can do that.
I just wonder if the Astros win, how this can be construed as cheating? Is there some kind of smoking gun out there that they are cheating? I mean when is this nonsense going to stop? The Astros are a really good baseball franchise.
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
Game 2 had 10 pitchers, all the others had 11 or 12. 3 of the 5 games at or over 4 hours.
TV ratings are better than 2020 (probably because Atlanta and Houston have better fan bases than Tampa), but ratings are far below 2019. World Series ratings have been steadily declining the last 15 years, but for an exceptional year in 2016 (Cubs vs. Indians). They need to fix a couple key things or they risk irrelevancy on TV.
- start the games earlier so kids can watch
- enforce the pitch clock
- less time between half innings
TV ratings are better than 2020 (probably because Atlanta and Houston have better fan bases than Tampa), but ratings are far below 2019. World Series ratings have been steadily declining the last 15 years, but for an exceptional year in 2016 (Cubs vs. Indians). They need to fix a couple key things or they risk irrelevancy on TV.
- start the games earlier so kids can watch
- enforce the pitch clock
- less time between half innings
14Red
Well-known member
#1 and #2 are dooable. I don't see #3 happening. That's prime $$'s. Yes, I agree, I'd love to see a 90 second break between innings, but 3 minutes makes alot more money and the TV networks control things. As long as the ratings are decent, they are not going to change their formula. I"ve been on the road some evenings when playoff baseball was on and it's nearly impossible to find playoff baseball on the radio, probably because they can't sell the time.
Raymo
Well-known member
But remember what Mom and your Teacher would say, once a cheater:always a cheater...BAM!
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
The ratings aren't decent. Why do you think they are? World Series is barely beating shows like Shark Tank and The Voice.
1991: WS pulled 32-40 million viewers per game. Game 7 pulled in 50 million, a 32% share of the audience
2001: WS pulled 20-24 million viewers per game. Game 7 pulled in 39 million, 23.5% share
2011: WS pulled 15-20 million viewers per game. Game 7 pulled in 25 million, 14.7% share
2021: Thus far pulling in 9-12 million viewers per game.
Notice a trend? Pretty obvious. But 14Red thinks all is well. Manfred also thinks things are fine. The sport is dying a slow death.
14Red
Well-known member
What Mama doesn't know...
14Red
Well-known member
Honestly, I really don't judge my interest vs. shows like SharkTank and The Voice. I've never seen those shows and never will. Our viewing is so fragmented now that I"m not sure TV ratings are even a very true indicator of anything. The networks still pay millions for their rights and the there never seems to be a shortage of bids.
brianwr112
Well-known member
The last 29 World Series games have ended after 11pm. Two this series after midnight. I’m a pretty big baseball fan but makes it tough to watch when I have early mornings.
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
Jeez you are naive. This conversation has nothing to do with your personal interests. Commercials are paid for based on the ratings. Commercial prices per 30 second spot are higher for more highly rated shows. TV networks make less money when their shows ratings tank. Baseball is losing all their negotiating power when the World Series ratings go into the tank. Do you not understand this?
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
And it is impossible for kids to watch. There is no next generation of fans being formed. You can bet they are watching football on the weekend, and basketball games that air from 7-9pm.
14Red
Well-known member
Let's see what the negotiating numbers are when the next baseball TV deal comes up. I'll bet the deal's as big as ever. And actually, what negotiating power does baseball have? They need the TV money and there is no other way to put the games on TV, so what's the rub? The competition is between the networks.
wolves82
Highly Respected Expert
Which sport league do you think gets a better deal from the networks? One that pulls in 25% audience viewership for their games, or one that pulls in 10%? Why do I waste my time explaining? You only believe what you want.
ESPN's new 7-year deal with MLB kicks in in 2022. Not sure about the other networks. ESPN opted for fewer games and the package dropped from $700 million per year to $550 million. So congrats on being wrong again. https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/mlb-espn-tv-rights-2022-2028/