Baseball Talk 2015 (severance, clinic, warm)

[Blimp]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

I find it interesting how pretty much every fan base says the same thing about their ownership.

Definitely not every fan base.

Red Sox fans could not be happier with their owner over the past decade and change. Coming from the west coast, the Giants and Dodgers have great owners who do their very best to put a winning product on the field (alas, luck has favored the former and not the latter, but they have always been competitive).

The Athletics have the best management in baseball, in a smaller (for baseball fans) market than Baltimore. The O.Co stadium is a 3/10 whereas Camden Yards is obviously a 10/10. Yet they have fielded winning teams (not this year) much more often in this century.

With a Billy Beane in Baltimore, the O's would make the playoffs more often than not.

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by Blimp

the Giants and Dodgers have great owners who do their very best to put a winning product on the field

You know that the Dodgers recently had to be taken over by Major League Baseball because their owner was so terrible, right?

Sure, the current owner is fine, but it hasn't always been like that, even in the very recent past.

Many (I would argue most) fanbases go through periods where they are not happy with ownership.

In the case of the Mets, I think most people were generally indifferent with the Wilpons and then the Madoff scandal happened and then people hated them. Even now, despite the fact that they are winning, I think most fans would say they should sell the team.

Ownership is a very easy target for criticism and for fans to vent frustration, whether it's actually their fault or not that a team is not performing.

[westsideboy]

98 wins and over in a day. The teams with the best three records in baseball will fight among each other to be one of 4 left standing.

I would rather go back to just having the team with best record in the NL, play the team with the best record in the AL, and call it "The World Series."

I promised I wouldn't be bitter though, so good luck Cubs. After 100+ years, you are due for some

[Blimp]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

You know that the Dodgers recently had to be taken over by Major League Baseball because their owner was so terrible, right?

I'm glad you brought that up. Because you just inadvertently made my point better than I could. Let's examine that, shall we? Under that "terrible owner" who owned the Dodgers from 2004 to 2011, the team made the playoffs four times, and advanced to the NLCS twice.

During the same period, the O's under Peter Angelos had their 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th consecutive losing seasons. Forget the ALCS, the O's were never even within sniffing distance of any post-season play during that "terrible" Dodgers owner's reign. Angelos might be some kind of all-time record for owner ineptitude, but far worse seasons are somehow expected in Baltimore than in Los Angeles.

It wasn't always that way.

And the reason the league got involved in the Dodgers was the owner's divorce. They'll never get involved with the O's because they are one of the most profitable teams in baseball at the expense of winning. Maybe this is starting to change, but signing or not signing Chris Davis and some serious pitching in this off-season will be indicative.

[Blimp]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

98 wins and over in a day. The teams with the best three records in baseball will fight among each other to be one of 4 left standing.

I would rather go back to just having the team with best record in the NL, play the team with the best record in the AL, and call it "The World Series."

I promised I wouldn't be bitter though, so good luck Cubs. After 100+ years, you are due for some

I like the current playoff system better than the others they've had, but would replace the one-game Wild Card Playoff with a 3-game series. One game, all or nothing, seems far too drastic after a season like the Pirates'. It comes off as completely Made For Television in that this one game is so absolutely dire, and everyone wants to see the extreme high and extreme low of winning/losing the one game. It doesn't sufficiently reward a team for "making the playoffs" though. Cruel and unusual.

[Infinite_heights77]

I don't like peter angelos!!!

Originally Posted by blimp

they'll suck even more next year after failing to re-sign davis. An oriole has led the majors in hrs for three consecutive years, and next year neither of those leaders will be in an o's uniform. That's angelos ownership at work.

Can't wait for cheap-o peter angelos to sell or die. The o's are so profitable to him (bringing 22% of the nats as well) that he probably will have to die off before the o's are truly a winner again.

[Blimp]

[Infinite_heights77]

Ownership is a very easy target for criticism and for fans to vent frustration, whether it's actually their fault or not that a team is not performing.

I disagree! Owners make themselves easy targets for frustration, and rightfully so at times, for their bad business and management practices.

Originally Posted by designer_genes

You know that the Dodgers recently had to be taken over by Major League Baseball because their owner was so terrible, right?

Sure, the current owner is fine, but it hasn't always been like that, even in the very recent past.

Many (I would argue most) fanbases go through periods where they are not happy with ownership.

In the case of the Mets, I think most people were generally indifferent with the Wilpons and then the Madoff scandal happened and then people hated them. Even now, despite the fact that they are winning, I think most fans would say they should sell the team.

Ownership is a very easy target for criticism and for fans to vent frustration, whether it's actually their fault or not that a team is not performing.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by Blimp

I like the current playoff system better than the others they've had, but would replace the one-game Wild Card Playoff with a 3-game series. One game, all or nothing, seems far too drastic after a season like the Pirates'. It comes off as completely Made For Television in that this one game is so absolutely dire, and everyone wants to see the extreme high and extreme low of winning/losing the one game. It doesn't sufficiently reward a team for "making the playoffs" though. Cruel and unusual.

Made for TV is right. As mentioned, I am really disappointed, but I can't be too upset. If you don't win your division, you are lucky to get a 2nd chance at all.

I just wish it was one way or the other; go back to making the 165 game season mean something by having it determine who plays in the World Series, or set up your playoff system so an entire season's worth of work isn't undone in 3 hours.

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by Blimp

I'm glad you brought that up. Because you just inadvertently made my point better than I could. Let's examine that, shall we? Under that "terrible owner" who owned the Dodgers from 2004 to 2011, the team made the playoffs four times, and advanced to the NLCS twice.

During the same period, the O's under Peter Angelos had their 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th consecutive losing seasons. Forget the ALCS, the O's were never even within sniffing distance of any post-season play during that "terrible" Dodgers owner's reign. Angelos might be some kind of all-time record for owner ineptitude, but far worse seasons are somehow expected in Baltimore than in Los Angeles.

It wasn't always that way.

And the reason the league got involved in the Dodgers was the owner's divorce. They'll never get involved with the O's because they are one of the most profitable teams in baseball at the expense of winning. Maybe this is starting to change, but signing or not signing Chris Davis and some serious pitching in this off-season will be indicative.

You're neglecting the fact that Baltimore and LA are vastly different markets. Unfortunately, fans are ignorant. And even if the owner is relatively successful at getting their team to the playoffs, fans will still perceive them negatively if they don't "open their wallet" when the fans think they should.