Baseball playoffs

[am1]

MLB wants to add two more teams. Most likely Nashville and Salt Lake. Vancouver is not on the list.

And....Go Dodgers!

Add in Portland (not sure why), Charlotte and possibly even Montreal before Vancouver. But MLB needs to get their worst teams better or moved before adding more.

I am almost thinking salary minimum is needed.

As to the other poster thinking about moving to Ontario. Best of luck.

 

[LannyPC]

Add...Montreal before Vancouver.

Montreal had the Expos but then the franchise moved to DC. I'm not saying Montreal can't or couldn't support a team. Many fans of the Expos felt that the franchise had many things working against it.

One tragedy was the 1994 players' strike which wiped out the season three quarters the way in. Fans in Montreal and of the Expos celebrated "the best team in baseball" because at the time the season was ended, they had the best record in MLB.

 

[LannyPC]

And isn't it high time Vancouver gets a team? I'd cheerfully winter in Vancouver.

That was bantered about some 35-40 years ago.

I think something that would work against this idea is what happened with the NBA Grizzlies. They only lasted in Vancouver six seasons until they moved to Memphis.

One big challenge that a team in Vancouver would have would be the currency differential.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Oh for sure. I believe the Jays offered Ohtani at least as much money as the Dodgers and probably more, and he still chose to stay in SoCal for a bunch of lifestyle reasons (and likely felt he had a better chance to win). And while Toronto is only 15% farther from Tokyo than Los Angeles, closer than most MLB cities and has multiple non-stops to Japan, I primarily meant US born players.

If you're from so cal, Florida, or the southern USA then Toronto is a foreign country and you might prefer to stay in the USA. They've had better success recently with foreign free agents (eg Santander is Venezuelan, Ryu from Korea, etc).

My sense is that with Ohtani, money isn't the prime concern. He is more interested in winning and being a trailblazer.

If money were his primary motivation, he wouldn't have left Japan when he did. He could have waited a couple of years, and then come to the US as an unrestricted free agent.

But he didn't. He came to the US when he still would be categorized with draftees and would be subject to the collective bargaining agreements for draftee. Which tethered him to the Angels for six years, with a couple of years playing at MLB minimum salary, followed by several years of arbitration before reaching free agency.

From a purely economic standpoint, it was totally stupid for him to leave Japan when he did. But he left because he felt he was ready to expand, and he didn't want to wait.

The attraction for him t sign with the Angels was because he would be the first major Japanese player for them. The Mariners made an equal offer, but if he signed with the Mariners he would have been dealing with legacy of Ichiro. But going to the Angels allowed him to create his own legacy.

When his time with the Angels was over, signing with the Dodgers was pretty easy. Not only closer to Japan, but LA is a top organization to showcase his talents - and to leverage relations and opportunities with Japanese in both southern California and Japan.

 

[pedro47]

If they were smart they'd add Tokyo and Santo Domingo.

I feel the main issues would be the travel cost flying round-trip and the hotel accommodations costs to these two cities from the United States.

 

[am1]

Montreal had the Expos but then the franchise moved to DC. I'm not saying Montreal can't or couldn't support a team. Many fans of the Expos felt that the franchise had many things working against it.

One tragedy was the 1994 players' strike which wiped out the season three quarters the way in. Fans in Montreal and of the Expos celebrated "the best team in baseball" because at the time the season was ended, they had the best record in MLB.

Yes they got a raw deal but suffered from playing in Olympic Stadium. The Labatt downtown stadium never got off the ground, worst player destination in the league, broadcast issues having to do it in french and english before there were docena of sports channels. Even the nordiques left a few years prior. Talk of the Nhl going to Atlanta for a 3rd time means anything is possible.

 

[dioxide45]

Okay. This is strange. I just did a search. I was trying to search for 2015 but accidentally typed 2025. "Who won the 2025 ALCS". Here is what Google's AI spit out. Is baseball predetermined like wrestling now?
View attachment 116852

It looks like AI had it right even before the ALCS started.

 

[Brett]

https://www.wsj.com/sports/baseball...d-series-ohtani-8838db2d?mod=sports_lead_pos2

The Dodgers are well aware of what everyone thinks about them. Minutes after the Dodgers clinched their fifth National League pennant in the past nine seasons, Roberts articulated what everyone was already thinking.
“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” he said. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.

 

[pedro47]

To my Canadian baseball fans, what will be the temperatures in the Blue Jays stadium and the playing conditions on the field in the stadium ?

Those two (2) factors will play a major factor in this year World Series. IMHO.

 

[pedro47]

View attachment 117423
https://www.wsj.com/sports/baseball...d-series-ohtani-8838db2d?mod=sports_lead_pos2

The Dodgers are well aware of what everyone thinks about them. Minutes after the Dodgers clinched their fifth National League pennant in the past nine seasons, Roberts articulated what everyone was already thinking.
“Before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,” he said. “Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball.

Those comments above were the similar comments make about the New York Yankees in the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Guess what the Yankees did not ruined major league base. IMHO.

 

[dioxide45]

To my Canadian baseball fans, what will be the temperatures in the Blue Jays stadium and the playing conditions on the field in the stadium ?

Those two (2) factors will play a major factor in this year World Series. IMHO.

Rogers Center has a retractible roof. Playing conditions won't be impacted by weather.

 

[bizaro86]

To my Canadian baseball fans, what will be the temperatures in the Blue Jays stadium and the playing conditions on the field in the stadium ?

Those two (2) factors will play a major factor in this year World Series. IMHO.

It's in the low twenties (celcius!). It's indoors and climate controlled. If there was 2 feet of lake-effect snow outside the weather wouldn't affect the game.

 

[bizaro86]

I suspect taxes may be another issue. Toronto also has the issue of having to pay players in US dollars when earning much of their revenue in Canadian.

The Jays have been a high bidder for free agents for quite a few years now, but are having a hard time getting players to take their deals.

Santander's deal has significant deferred money, which he will earn later (when he can move outside Canada and not be subject to the CRA).

 

[am1]

Those comments above were the similar comments make about the New York Yankees in the 1950’s and the 1960’s. Guess what the Yankees did not ruined major league base. IMHO.

Maybe not then but the 2000 Yankees sure did. Still the most hated MLB team and maybe of all sports teams.

 

[gln60]

Maybe not then but the 2000 Yankees sure did. Still the most hated MLB team and maybe of all sports teams.

Do you think that the Yankees 27 World Series Championships..which is far ahead of every other MLB team…has anything to do with being most hated??…The Yankees have also won 4 World Series in a row…twice..and 5 in a row once…records that will never ever be broken.

 

[emeryjre]

One game done
Good Job Jays

 

[pedro47]

I feel this is going to an excellent World Series.

 

[youppi]

Some people on the net said it's a World Series between Canada and USA but to me is just between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers.
To be Canada vs USA, it must be between Canadians and Americans players but the Toronto Blue Jays has only 1 Canadians (Vladimir Guerrero Jr is born in Montreal when his father played for the Montreal Expos).
The LA Dodgers has also 1 Canadians (Freedie Freeman has double citizenship because his parent were Canadians).
The best LA Dodgers player is a Japanese (Shohei Ohtani).
Both teams have many Americans and players from other countries.

I hope Toronto will win but not because the team is in Canada but because I don't like the Dodgers.
The Dodgers like the NY Yankees have an unlimited budget and I don't like that.
I don't like that Toronto spent so much money too.
This is why I wanted the Seattle Mariners to be champion.

I also don't like the Dodgers for these 2 reasons:

• The Dodgers eliminates the Expos in 1981 with the home run of Rick Monday against Steve Rodgers in the 9th inning of the deciding (5th) games of the NLCS (was a best of 5 series).
• The Montreal Expos mascot, Youppi was ejected from a game in 1989 against the LA Dodgers (the manager Tommy Lasorda complained to the umpire that Youppi was making to much noise on their dugout
  ). A video about this story: https://www.mlb.com/news/mascot-gets-ejected-from-game or https://www.mlb.com/video/youppi

 

[pedro47]

Some people on the net said it's a World Series between Canada and USA but to me is just between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers.
To be Canada vs USA, it must be between Canadians and Americans players but the Toronto Blue Jays has only 1 Canadians (Vladimir Guerrero Jr is born in Montreal when his father played for the Montreal Expos).
The LA Dodgers has also 1 Canadians (Freedie Freeman has double citizenship because his parent were Canadians).
The best LA Dodgers player is a Japanese (Shohei Ohtani).
Both teams have many Americans and players from other countries.

I hope Toronto will win but not because the team is in Canada but because I don't like the Dodgers.
The Dodgers like the NY Yankees have an unlimited budget and I don't like that.
I don't like that Toronto spent so much money too.
This is why I wanted the Seattle Mariners to be champion.

I also don't like the Dodgers for these 2 reasons:

• The Dodgers eliminates the Expos in 1981 with the home run of Rick Monday against Steve Rodgers in the 9th inning of the deciding (5th) games of the NLCS (was a best of 5 series).
• The Montreal Expos mascot, Youppi was ejected from a game in 1989 against the LA Dodgers (the manager Tommy Lasorda complained to the umpire that Youppi was making to much noise on their dugout
  ). A video about this story: https://www.mlb.com/news/mascot-gets-ejected-from-game or https://www.mlb.com/video/youppi

Please do not turned into a political thread USA vs Canada. This is just MLB World Series. The two (2) best teams from the American and National League.

 

[am1]

Some people on the net said it's a World Series between Canada and USA but to me is just between the Toronto Blue Jays and the LA Dodgers.
To be Canada vs USA, it must be between Canadians and Americans players but the Toronto Blue Jays has only 1 Canadians (Vladimir Guerrero Jr is born in Montreal when his father played for the Montreal Expos).
The LA Dodgers has also 1 Canadians (Freedie Freeman has double citizenship because his parent were Canadians).
The best LA Dodgers player is a Japanese (Shohei Ohtani).
Both teams have many Americans and players from other countries.

Some might say it's the world against USA and Japan.

I just want my team to win.

 

[ScoopKona]

Please do not turned into a political thread USA vs Canada. This is just MLB World Series. The two (2) best teams from the American and National League.

This simply cannot be political because the Blue Jays are in the American League, not the National League. So no nationalism going on at all. Nope.

Still wouldn't bet on this. I wouldn't bet on it if Toronto jumped to a 3-0 lead. (And I hope they do.) Hell, I wouldn't bet on this if Toronto was nursing a one-run lead in the bottom of the 9th of game four. The only "political" thing I'm upset about is that Geddy Lee isn't scheduled to sing O' Canada. What a missed opportunity. He's pretty-much the biggest baseball nerd on the planet.

 

[TUGBrian]

anyone who went to tonights game got their moneys worth!

starting the 18th inning now!

 

[Shiba]

I'm still watching! Everyone else in my household went to sleep.

 

[TUGBrian]

what a clutch pitch!!!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

a classic game in a whole string of classic playoff series.