MLB 2022

Barry “my head grew 3 hat sizes” Bonds played for your team. I don’t wanna hear shit.
Oh, I’m absolutely willing to admit he used the shit out of some steroids. Hell, in Grad school my go to Halloween costume was my Bonds jersey with an asterisk below the 25 and syringes taped all over it.
 
The first few years I smartly used painters tape. The last year, the first year I started drinking, I “may” have been shit face when making my costume and used electrical tape. There is now a permanent asterisk on my jersey.
 
The first few years I smartly used painters tape. The last year, the first year I started drinking, I “may” have been shit face when making my costume and used electrical tape. There is now a permanent asterisk on my jersey.
Just like the one next to his home run number
 
kg or stones?

hehe
mph ya bastard, although I would have killed to have been 80 kg in high school. Didn’t discover lifting till later. Would love to know what I could have got my FB to if I had been lifting all 4 years.
 
Illegal! Too high! That's like the perfect slow pitch softball trajectory, without the side spin. That was awesome!
I am 90% sure it actually is legal as long as the pitchers motion is consistent with his/her normal motion.
 
I am 90% sure it actually is legal as long as the pitchers motion is consistent with his/her normal motion.

Haha, it's a legal pitch. The backend, downward plane of the pitch sliced perfectly down at the correct angle. As @calodo2003 said, the catcher's mitt didn't even move! Right when the player released the ball, you can see the catcher's glove move inches right to left in preparation to track the ball, but he recognized it was spot on and just received it. That's sexy baseball. Amazing release point, curvature, tilt into the zone, then the catch.
 
Wtf is up with former Red Sox outfielders going to the Yankees?

Also, why would you trade for a guy that can’t play in the country of a division opponent?
 
You're including his two-year sandwich stint in Toronto in this as well? It does stay within the division and sort of same geo.

You can, but I didn't really. But does prove the division and geo idea. He was insane in Toronto and news was that this is where it was rumored he started to dabble into PEDs.

Joc Pederson made his way back to the NL West now with SF and previously with LA.
 
You can, but I didn't really. But does prove the division and geo idea. He was insane in Toronto and news was that this is where it was rumored he started to dabble into PEDs.

Joc Pederson made his way back to the NL West now with SF and previously with LA.

Joc is a Bay Area native so it made sense for him to come back to SF.

The biggest names I can think of who played for both were:

1. Jeff Kent - Best seasons were in SF (hitting in front of steroid era bonds must have been the best thing ever) but was decent for the Dodgers.
2. Hershiser - Definitely in his decline years as a Giant
3. Brian Wilson - feck that guy, and his shoe polish beard.
4. Jason Schmidt - Great for Giants, dog shit for Dodgers. The perfect combo.

Marichal and Snider both played a year for the opposite teams, but I don't count those.
 
Joc is a Bay Area native so it made sense for him to come back to SF.

The biggest names I can think of who played for both were:

1. Jeff Kent - Best seasons were in SF (hitting in front of steroid era bonds must have been the best thing ever) but was decent for the Dodgers.
2. Hershiser - Definitely in his decline years as a Giant
3. Brian Wilson - feck that guy, and his shoe polish beard.
4. Jason Schmidt - Great for Giants, dog shit for Dodgers. The perfect combo.

Marichal and Snider both played a year for the opposite teams, but I don't count those.

I liked Schmidt when he was on the Giants, served my fantasy teams well.

A few players that come to mind for my Padres and Dodgers. Steve Garvey, Kevin Brown, Chris Gwynn, Adrian Gonzalez, and I'm sure I'm missing others. Had a look...Gary Sheffield, Matt Kemp, Fernando Venezuela, Mike Piazza, so quite a few! But the players i first mentioned were more iconic and prime than the later, which were more twilight backend career.

But for Padres and Giants...you got Bochy and Flannery! Such a wild thing to see those guys lead the Giants to multiple WS wins.
 
I liked Schmidt when he was on the Giants, served my fantasy teams well.

A few players that come to mind for my Padres and Dodgers. Steve Garvey, Kevin Brown, Chris Gwynn, Adrian Gonzalez, and I'm sure I'm missing others. Had a look...Gary Sheffield, Matt Kemp, Fernando Venezuela, Mike Piazza, so quite a few! But the players i first mentioned were more iconic and prime than the later, which were more twilight backend career.

But for Padres and Giants...you got Bochy and Flannery! Such a wild thing to see those guys lead the Giants to multiple WS wins.

Don’t forget Benito and Willie McCovey! I always thought McCovey was a lifelong Giant until I perused baseball reference a year back and saw he had a few years with the Padres in the middle of his career before coming back home.
 
Don’t forget Benito and Willie McCovey! I always thought McCovey was a lifelong Giant until I perused baseball reference a year back and saw he had a few years with the Padres in the middle of his career before coming back home.

Benito is a great shout! Saw some memorabilia of him the other day...rookie of the year w the Padres and such a fun player. And yep, Willie was there for a couple years, but never his best. How many years did he play with the Giants after his Padres stint?
 
Benito is a great shout! Saw some memorabilia of him the other day...rookie of the year w the Padres and such a fun player. And yep, Willie was at the end of his career. Like Joe Carter was a Padre at some point, ha!

And Gaylord Perry and Rod Beck ;)
 
As someone who is not averse to US sports inherently as shown by my love of the NFL, I just can’t figure out why baseball is interesting. If I wanted to try and get into it, what should I be doing?
 
As someone who is not averse to US sports inherently as shown by my love of the NFL, I just can’t figure out why baseball is interesting. If I wanted to try and get into it, what should I be doing?

For me the beauty of baseball is down to a few things:

1. 90% of the game is a 1 on 1 matchup, pitting 2 athletes at the top of their sport against each other.
a) Pay attention to the pitcher/catcher duo (called a battery) as they change locations/speeds/pitch types all in an effort to keep the batter off balance.
b) Pay attention to the batter. Is he being aggressive, is he sitting on a specific pitch/location, is he trying to put the ball in play to a specific part of the yard.

2. The sporadic moments of obscene athleticism. Check out defensive highlights, everything from obscene catches in the outfield to (my favorite) infield defense. Or just google Ozzie Smith.

3. The leisurely experience that is being there in person. I love baseball, but even I will admit that a televised game not involving my Giants can be a chore. But, if I am in person it doesn't matter if it an MLB game or a Rookie League game, I will be enthralled. I have been to NBA/NFL/MLS/NHL games and they are not close to baseball as an in person experience. It's the smells and the sounds, the plastic pints of cold beer and hotdogs, it's just different.

4. Radio. I know this sounds silly, but baseball is the perfect sport for radio. Once you learn the rules I highly recommend listening to the game (I would recommend the Giants crew as they are some of the best in the business, but I am biased) and let the announcers describe it to you. Vin Scully (the longtime Dodgers announcer) could paint a picture like a poet. Still remember dozens of childhood moments with Vin on the radio.

Basically, just have patience with the game. Nothing happens fast, but when it does it is fleeting and awesome.
 
As someone who is not averse to US sports inherently as shown by my love of the NFL, I just can’t figure out why baseball is interesting. If I wanted to try and get into it, what should I be doing?

Step 1 - Watch a Mets game
Step 2 - Realise you don't like the Mets
Step 3 - Say to yourself, 'feck the Mets'

But no really, baseball is a chill sport to have on in the background while you do other more interesting things. Most of it is inaction, followed by moments of intrigue, like home runs and fielding feck ups.

Watching highlights on MLB's YouTube channel and finding a team you like helps, as well as getting all nerdy about stats like Batting Average and OBPS (you don't actually have to do this).

At the end of the day you either like it or you don't. It's best I think to follow as an accompaniment to more exciting sports.

Ps feck the Mets