2010 MLB Season Discussion

[Pringles]

ITT Rays fans that haven't noticed how the Orioles have been playing the last month. The Orioles have been pretty legit and have been actually playing decent ball, they're no where near looking like the team they were at the start of the season. Sure they're a well below .500 team but they're playing for their pride now and to play spoiler as best as they can. Don't see why Rays are so worried, they're probably going to win the division the way the Yankees have been playing the last two weeks. Showalter is a good manager and this division next year is going to be a hell of a division to compete in, even moreso than it was this year.

[Viq]

So true. Orioles will have Showalter running the show from the start next year. Sox hopefully won't have half an all-star team on their DL. Yankees and Rays are the Yankees and Rays. People sleep on Toronto, but in any other division their offense would be carrying them towards a division race. AL East is looking like it will be no joke next year.

[Aksannyi]

I realize that, but the Rays are very scary sometimes with their inconsistency, for such a (generally) good team, they sure do know how to suck at regular intervals.

[Conrad]

phillies goin to the super bowl

[Melena]

I'm really terrified about the rays next year. The owner has gone as far as saying barring him or the manager winning the lottery and donating the winnings to the team, they will be a $50 mil payroll team next year. With a healthy redsox team, the yankees being the yankee's and toronto continuing to improve, I can see the ray's dropping to 4th in that division next year.

[*Shinzon*]

The rays are never going to be successful with any real consistency after this FA season because they just don't get the attendance to produce sales. They obviously have a quality organization but unless they move they can only do but so much.

[Akiyama]

Don't be scared of the Rays. Even if they had home field advantage, the other team's fans would outnumber theirs.

[Ensam]

I'm really terrified about the rays next year. The owner has gone as far as saying barring him or the manager winning the lottery and donating the winnings to the team, they will be a $50 mil payroll team next year. With a healthy redsox team, the yankees being the yankee's and toronto continuing to improve, I can see the ray's dropping to 4th in that division next year.

The only player of substance that they're losing is Crawford, and he's being replaced by a top prospect in Jennings. They have well over 40 mil coming off the books, and they're looking at about ~20 mil in contract/arbitration raises. Replacing the likes of Carlos Pena and his .734 OPS at first base...hell, more likely than not they'll be upgrading by dumping players like him. They could actually be a better team next year because the other areas outside of LF they are losing production in, they could easily improve production at while dropping price (That depends a lot on Jennings not bombing though)

[Cephius]

Catching up...

ITT Rays fans that haven't noticed how the Orioles have been playing the last month. The Orioles have been pretty legit and have been actually playing decent ball, they're no where near looking like the team they were at the start of the season. Sure they're a well below .500 team but they're playing for their pride now and to play spoiler as best as they can. Don't see why Rays are so worried, they're probably going to win the division the way the Yankees have been playing the last two weeks. Showalter is a good manager and this division next year is going to be a hell of a division to compete in, even moreso than it was this year.

The Rays have actually been just as bad as the Yankees. They have no excuse, being the much, much younger team. Shields, Garza and Niemann have been train wrecks recently. For all the talk about the Yankee rotation having problems the Rays haven't been much better.

People sleep on Toronto, but in any other division their offense would be carrying them towards a division race.

Lead the league in homers, 16th in runs scored. Don't undervalue getting on base. They're not that good. Pitching will carry them more than anything else. Romero is a stud.

I realize that, but the Rays are very scary sometimes with their inconsistency, for such a (generally) good team, they sure do know how to suck at regular intervals.

True of any good team ever with the possible exception of the 1998 Yankees (who were pretty bad in September actually)

I'm really terrified about the rays next year. The owner has gone as far as saying barring him or the manager winning the lottery and donating the winnings to the team, they will be a $50 mil payroll team next year. With a healthy redsox team, the yankees being the yankee's and toronto continuing to improve, I can see the ray's dropping to 4th in that division next year.

4th? No way. They have pitching out the ass. Their AAA affiliate finished 1st in the international league in ERA and 3rd in strikeouts. Jake McGee, Alex Cobb, Jeremy Hellickson, Aneury Rodriguez.... they are fucking loaded with high-level pitching talent.

Don't be scared of the Rays. Even if they had home field advantage, the other team's fans would outnumber theirs.

Price and Longo were so wrong for ripping Rays fans. Their TV ratings are up 173%. The trop is in a god-awful location and access to the stadium from mass transit is basically non-existent. Also:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/phot...CBfWiIDSA8c%3D

[Aksannyi]

The rays are never going to be successful with any real consistency after this FA season because they just don't get the attendance to produce sales. They obviously have a quality organization but unless they move they can only do but so much.

I don't think the team needs to move out of Tampa Bay, it just needs to move out of downtown St. Pete. That stadium is so fucking far away from pretty much everything. Almost everyone I talk to at work says they would go to more games if it weren't so damn far. Also, the economy in Tampa is one of the shittiest in the country. The Bucs aren't selling tickets, either. Nobody around here seems to have any money. If we can pull ourselves out of this economic slump and if the Rays can find a better place to play their games (meaning location, obviously no other big baseball stadiums exist), they'd be much better off.

I'm not saying the games should be ten seconds from my apartment, but having to drive for nearly an hour - and that's in little/no traffic, for a 7PM game you're battling 5-6 o'clock traffic and it takes quite a bit longer - makes it really hard to go more than a couple times a year for pretty much anyone living on this side of the Bay.

People love to talk about our low attendance, which is sad for such a good team, but there are a lot of factors involved. It's not that people don't care, our TV ratings show that we definitely do, it's just that people can't afford tickets, parking, and that long ass drive (also gas money, lol).

[Trichocyst]

There may have been more Phillies fans who traveled to DC to see them clinch than fans at Tropicana last night. I also have to say, when I got back into baseball in college it was always great to watch the Phillies just because I loved baseball. I'd never imagine I'd get so lucky to see a team like this have a run like this. The attitude of the team and the reception of the team in the city has completely flipped.

[Conrad]

I don't think the team needs to move out of Tampa Bay, it just needs to move out of downtown St. Pete. That stadium is so fucking far away from pretty much everything. Almost everyone I talk to at work says they would go to more games if it weren't so damn far. Also, the economy in Tampa is one of the shittiest in the country. The Bucs aren't selling tickets, either. Nobody around here seems to have any money. If we can pull ourselves out of this economic slump and if the Rays can find a better place to play their games (meaning location, obviously no other big baseball stadiums exist), they'd be much better off.

I'm not saying the games should be ten seconds from my apartment, but having to drive for nearly an hour - and that's in little/no traffic, for a 7PM game you're battling 5-6 o'clock traffic and it takes quite a bit longer - makes it really hard to go more than a couple times a year for pretty much anyone living on this side of the Bay.

People love to talk about our low attendance, which is sad for such a good team, but there are a lot of factors involved. It's not that people don't care, our TV ratings show that we definitely do, it's just that people can't afford tickets, parking, and that long ass drive (also gas money, lol).

Well, you're in luck then:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big...urn=mlb-273118

[Melena]

Triple A pitching stats don't mean much in the scheme of things. Hell Coco Crisp who spent way too long in AAA on multiple rehab stints batted over 600 there then didn't hit for shit the majority of the time he was on the A's roster and playing.

[Ensam]

CoCo Crisp had 6 games in AAA.....

And a 112 OPS+ this year for the A's, so he's been an above average hitter.

[Alderaan]

Prado out 2 months with a torn oblique muscle -_-

Jurrjens might be out the rest of the year also.

[Aksannyi]

Well, you're in luck then:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big...urn=mlb-273118

Lol yeah it figures I already had plans for tomorrow night or I'd so get in on that.

[Headspace]

Prado out 2 months with a torn oblique muscle -_-

Jurrjens might be out the rest of the year also.

So like six games?

[Boyiee]

Price and Longo were so wrong for ripping Rays fans. Their TV ratings are up 173%. The trop is in a god-awful location and access to the stadium from mass transit is basically non-existent. Also:

I am so fucking sick of hearing the rays cry about their fans not showing up. NO ONE IS HERE TO WATCH US CLINCH WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH well no fucking duh. We've known this for years. The stadium is in such an aweful location as ceph said, not to mention, it's in the fucking tampa bay area... There are so many trailer parks around tampa its sickening. The fan's can't afford to come see you play... I think tonight they were giving out a ton of free or cheap tickets, there, you'll get some attention now. With tv technology nowadays, it's almost always better to watch games on tv, not to mention, it doesn't cost 100+ a person. It's been known for a long time that you need to get them out of that area, maybe even that state altogether. I hear property in new orleans is pretty cheap. Tampa area sucks, go somewhere with less white trash, charge less for tickets, stop yelling at the fans that probably don't make 8.50/hr, stop paying crawford and pena 10mil a year while your aces sit at 2mil.

Ceph I'm gonna come sit in the bleachers with you, I used to use my brothers box behind yankees on deck circle but haven't since the new stadium.

[Alderaan]

So like six games?

Playoff baby. One can hope.

[Headspace]

So like 9 games?