MLB 2018: let the games begin!

[ghost of miles]

Watching the first inning of Tigers-Yankees spring training game right now... so good to have baseball back!

Edited March 28, 2018 by ghost of miles

[Soulstation1]

Tribe lost to Reds Yesterday 

[Dan Gould]

I had no idea the season starts Thursday (for the Sox at least) and furthermore, with a first four series that goes like this:

Rays

Marlins

Rays (Boston)

Yankees (Boston)

I'm situated to see the first 12 games of the season on Sunshine, ESPN or MLB Network.  Never had that happen but I guess it gives me more time to decide on whether I invest in the Extra Innings package for the first time or not.  I assume the cost is still around $160 for the year.  And now I realize that since I'm once again hard-wired into the internet with no data caps (Go to hell, Exede!)  and the quickest speeds I've ever enjoyed, I guess MLB.TV is another option too.

[Brad]

Season also starts on Thursday for Mets.  They had a horrible spring but the pitching looked good so I guess we’ll see. 

[ghost of miles]

I know it's spring for the Yankees when Greg Bird is scratched from the lineup due to issues with his foot.  (As somebody commented on a Yankee forum this weekend, "Bird's turning into Nick Johnson 2.0.")

If any MLB fans here are T-Mobile customers, be sure to take advantage of the offer they're putting up tomorrow (as they did last year around this time)--free MLB.TV for the year if you download their T-Mobile Tuesdays app:

T-Mobile offering free year of MLB.TV

I had switched over to T-Mobile in February of last year for completely unrelated reasons, so this was a very welcome surprise at the beginning of the 2017 season.  Happy that they're doing it again this year (probably because they have a commercial relationship with MLB).  

[jazztrain]

Bird is having surgery tomorrow.  Expected to miss 6 to 8 weeks.

[JSngry]

So Bird lives after all, right?

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, but not doing so good on the health front, obviously. 

So perhaps you’re only half right. 

[JSngry]

Just don't let him anywhere near a TV when the Dorsey show is on, ok?

[ghost of miles]

I hear Art Blakey stomped on his foot.

[paul secor]

They should move Sanchez to first base - a least part time. He couldn't be any worse defensively there than he is behind the plate. Plus Romine would give them better catching, both defensively and handling pitchers.

[Soulstation1]

I might purchase the $90 Indians season

 package on Mlbtv Network or start listening on

WTAM 1100

🤔

[Scott Dolan]

You don't live in Cleveland? 

[Soulstation1]

Born in Ashtabula Ohio

Live in Tucson Arizona 

[ghost of miles]

Looks as if the Angels' Shohei Ohtani is going to be very much a work in progress.

[Brad]

He probably should be sent down but they might not be able to do that until he struggles when it counts. 

[Soulstation1]

RIP Rusty Staub At 73YO

[Brad]

He was a great ambassador to the sport and a great player for the teams he played on. RIP. 

[Dan Gould]

Six All Star selections ain't bad, that's for sure.  If Tony Perez labored with last-place teams and Staub played for the Big Red Machine, I think he makes it to the Hall just as Perez did.

[Brad]

[ghost of miles]

First pitch of the 2018 MLB season!

[ghost of miles]

Great Opening Day for Giancarlo Stanton and the Yankees! 

[Scott Dolan]

Royals looked about as good as I was expecting.

Gonna be a looooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnng season...

[ghost of miles]

Then there was this:

Astros deploy four-man outfield against the Rangers’ Joey Gallo

[Brad]

Nonsense like this and the extreme shifts we see routinely has to stop.