We have a thread specific to MLB and the 2022 season, but this will be a catch-all thread for all Baseball, the pros, the minors, little league, etc - and all seasons, past and present.
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So, I thought Iād watch a game to see how much its changed, but nothing was on free TV (not even the local Mariners), so I watched the Mets highlights insteadā¦ but it just looked like regular old baseball that way, lol.
Havenāt kept up with the Mets in any real detail, and I have no idea who these players are or if they are any good, but I really liked this left fielder, Mark Canha - heās my new favorite Met (at least for the day). He went 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run, a walk, two RBIs and three runs scored on the afternoon, as the Mets beat the Marlins 6-2.
This piece talked about his value as a playerā¦
https://sports.yahoo.com/mark-canha-stealing-home-no-013934145.html?src=rss
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So yeah, the Mets were my team, loved the miracle team that won the World Series, and Tom Seaver my favorite player as a kid
Later, it was Daryl Strawberry - loved that group who won the series, Hernandez, Goodin, Carter, etc
and of course, The Ms, I remember this, āMy oh myā
This doc on the history of the Mariners is amazing, and brought back so many memories.
The History of the Seattle Mariners | Dorktown - YouTube
So thatās enough from me, I yield the floor. So, share, what do you think of these new rules? Whoās your favorite team, players? What memories do you have?
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My two cents, the new rules are a problem.
Iāll give the bigger bases a pass for the moment as it will take a season to see if they really do reduce injuries which was the excuse used to make them larger.
The infield is no longer allowed to adjust to a batter. Shortstop and Second baseman must be positioned on either side of second base and cannot move until the pitch is in motion. A blatant attempt to reduce the effectiveness of the infield and create more āhitsā.
The pitch clock, however, is the biggest joke. The only reason it exists is to speed up games. The so-called ābaulksā that get called now are nuts. The Rockies had a pitcher called for two of these during our opening game. Luckily neither came back to bite us, but itās only a matter of time.
They are also testing āroboā umps in the minor leagues again this season. Basically, a system where a computer calls balls and strikes. Supposedly for āmore accuracyā. No, it just removes more of the human factor from the game.
Just as with football, there is an attempt to remove more and more of the defensive side of the game because the suits think people only want to see home runs and high scores.
Can you tell Iām not a fan of these new rules? 
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I have to say Iām all for this, remove or minimize human error from the refs and umps and whatnot, in any gameā¦ absolutely. I hate when officials decide a game on iffy or bad calls. Human error on a player, fine, but the other, nope.
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Yay! Another season of Salt Lake Bees featuring Trout and Ohtani because the owner is a lying cheapskate who wonāt sell! If only Rendon could hit as well as he plays āF around and find outā with deranged internet tough guy fans.
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I definitely liked the rule changes during spring training. Nice, short games. Iām assuming there will be some games where a pitch-timer balk will make a controversial game-changing run. But something had to be done. 4 hour games were becoming a regular thing ā Iām sure the beer sales people loved it but ugggg. Thatās too long.
I grew up in Texas with the Rangers who sucked and played in basically a triple-A ball park. Then moved to Chicago and got to go to old Comisky Park and Wrigley Field as often as we wanted because both teams were terrible, cheap tickets, fun crowds and had great food! I got spoiled in Atlanta where we didnāt win it all very often but we were always in the running
Favorite players are: Maddox, Glavine & Smoltz
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I will say, that if their intention was to bring back folks who stopped watching, it worked for me. Iām curious, and shortening the game, right on. But I understand fans who stuck around, who liked it as is.
Now, how long Iāll stay curious, weāll see. I wonder if TV ratings and game day attendance will grow in any significant way, and if it does get an early boost, will it sustain that through the season?
BTW - Mariners are down 2 - 0 in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs. 
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Colorado Rockies are at the top of their division!!!
Thatās right. Weāre in first place. Whoo Hoo!!!
hey, give me the moment, okay? in a week we will be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
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And thatās it, no rally for the Mās. Not a lot of hits, Seattle only had 3. 2 Cleveland homers did them in. 2-0 - so, yeah, Mariners are definitely not at the top of their division with a 1 and 2 record.
Game only lasted about 2 hours and 10.
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Nice to get revenge on Oaktown after that Rendon incident. 13-1!
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Congrats! I took a look, and wow, 11 runs in the third.
Anyhoo - I was trying to find video of when Daryl Strawberry put a homer into the top hat where the home run apple sits. But couldnāt - however I did find this fun article.
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I am a Cardinals fan through and through, but it seems like ownership doesnāt want to spend money on an ace, so we have, at best, a bunch of number threes. OTOH, Iām really excited about Jordan Walker and his potential. Heās already had hits in consecutive games!
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I follow the Mets - Seaver was my childhood hero, too - but I also follow the Aās since Iām on the West Coast now, and Iāve been watching Canha for years now. Heās a gamer and heās highly underrated, especially by Mets fans online who keep calling for some big-name player to replace him when his production is well above average.
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A good day for Joey Gallo so far, a double and two straight HRs including a 3-run blast to extend the Twinsā lead to 6-1.
Iām not a fan of the Twins bringing in the batter with the worst strikeout rate in MLB history. But when he makes contact itās hard contact. The Twins are reaping the benefits today.
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1985 - My dad is watching the College World Series on ESPN. Mississippi St. features a 1B with a swing I immediately tried to emulate in my young game: Will Clark. When the Giants drafted him, they became my favorite team despite living in Dodger territory (yes I was once young and dumb enough to go to Dodger Stadium in full Giants gear). And although Will Clark is long retired and Iāve lived all over the country, the Giants are still my #1 team. Iām a fan of the game in general. Itās the only sport I follow closely. I played for years, then moved on to softball, and play fantasy too. I have a few other teams I follow too.
And last year, Will Clark got his number 22 retired by the Giants.
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The only rule change Iām in favor of is the pitch clock, games were getting way too long with batters stepping out after every pitch and pitchers taking way too long.
But the other rule changes are just stupid, especially the limit on throws to first base, that is just basically saying they want more runners on second so we will make it way easier to steal.
The ban on the shifts is basically saying, well, hitters are too stupid to learn how to hit the ball through massive holes so we will help them out.
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I think some of the problems theyāre trying to solve go hand-in-hand. Iāve been told the reason players donāt hit the other way anymore is because pitchers are throwing too hard.
One reason they can throw so hard is the amount of time they take between pitches.
The pitch clock could very well lead to decreases in velocity and more contact hitting, which would be welcome, at which point the ban on extreme shifts could become moot.
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The thing thatāll make being a Mets fan more difficult this year is that they obtained pitcher Brooks Raley, who revealed himself to be a person of very low character when he was with the Rays. Itāll be quite difficult to root for him.
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