MLB 2018: let the games begin!

[Brad]

7 hours ago, Dave Garrett said:

As luck would have it, I ran across a related anecdote over the weekend. Any doubts I may have previously harbored regarding how seriously these things were regarded in New York back in the day have been laid to rest. 

No doubt about it. O’Malley was seriously hated for years, probably until his son sold the team. However, Ebbets Field was falling apart.  He had to do something. In addition, the demographics of Brooklyn were changing and the crowds weren’t what whey they used to be. The halcyon days were over. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

56 minutes ago, Brad said:

No doubt about it. O’Malley was seriously hated for years, probably until his son sold the team. However, Ebbets Field was falling apart.  He had to do something. In addition, the demographics of Brooklyn were changing and the crowds weren’t what whey they used to be. The halcyon days were over. 

Why was Ebbets Field falling apart? It's the same age as Fenway Park. Was it shoddily built?

[sonnymax]

"... the Dodgers faced a rocky future. They may have been fielding one of the best teams in baseball, but it was an aging team. And their stadium, Ebbets Field, was falling apart. Built in 1912 before the age of mass spectator sports, the facilities were poor and only certain sections had decent views of the field. Profits were dwindling, and fans were not turning out for games. Poor parking, poor facilities, and the stadium’s location in a minority neighborhood during a time of racial prejudice kept people away. Fewer ticket sales meant less cash for new players and stadium improvements."

Who's Really to Blame for Dodgers Leaving Brooklyn?

[Dan Gould]

I don't get "cash for new players". There was no free agency.  Teams improved thru trades (and aging players aren't that attractive) or player development, which didn't take that much money, I don't think.  If you had a break out star they were yours to keep and pay what you wanted thru the Reserve Clause.

They certainly could have used cash to improve the park but I am not sure how much that would have helped since the columns that obstructed views were load-bearing, right? I mean, tremendous things have been done with Fenway but you can still get a ticket that says "OBS VIEW".

[Brad]

Excellent article that hits it in a nutshell.  As Robert Caro pointed out in his great book, Moses did more to negatively impact NY than any other person of the last 100 years. However, Brooklyn was changing as a lot of people were leaving for the suburbs and the borough just couldn’t sustain the team anymore. 

[JSngry]

What players from the last Red Sox-Dodgers World Series have to say about the 2018 matchup

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/10/22/18008918/mlb-world-series-red-sox-dodgers

[Dan Gould]

24 minutes ago, JSngry said:

What players from the last Red Sox-Dodgers World Series have to say about the 2018 matchup

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/10/22/18008918/mlb-world-series-red-sox-dodgers

Clickbait (the site, not Jim posting it) and I am the only one who thinks it in poor taste?

[JSngry]

SBNation is a known quantity, not sure if I'd consider it "clickbait" in the generally accepted sense. Hell, if you read Grant Brigsbee or any number of sport-team fansites,, you read him/them through SBNation.

Taste? That's subjective, to be sure, and any offense caused is regrettable. But if you even once laughed at the whole Generalissimo Francisco Franco is STILL dead thing on SNL back in the day (and I did, regularly, especially via Garret Morris' "news for the hearing impaired" bit), then this would be an variant of that, same tools, different car.

I mean, if you can't laugh at death, what can you laugh at? It's the great equalizer!

[Brad]

4 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Why was Ebbets Field falling apart? It's the same age as Fenway Park. Was it shoddily built?

I believe it was poorly maintained but that's just a guess.  I wonder how much money owners invested in maintenance and upkeep in those days. 

[JSngry]

I remember reading about Baker Bowl in Philly, where both the Phillies played. Supposedly it got so bad that fouls landing on the shading (awning? not roof?) would cause debris to fall into the seats below.

[Dan Gould]

Back to the Series. No Stephen Wright. And Pomeranz instead of Workman.

First time in a while I have to question Cora's choices.  If Wright is not able due to his knee, fine - but Pomeranz has been awful the entire season.  Workman pitched quite well for most of the year, not well most recently. I wouldn't trust him for anything high lev.

But if Pomeranz comes into a game, I guaran-damn-tee I am going to bed instead of watching the carnage.

Edited October 23, 2018 by Dan Gould

[jlhoots]

Wake me when we get to game 6.

[Brad]

4 hours ago, JSngry said:

I remember reading about Baker Bowl in Philly, where both the Phillies played. Supposedly it got so bad that fouls landing on the shading (awning? not roof?) would cause debris to fall into the seats below.

Baker Bowl was a bit before my time but I went to Shibe Park a few times; my cousin is a Philly fan.  My first baseball game and first Mets game was at the Polo Grounds. It was huge!

[JSngry]

Shibe Park seems to have been built to last for a while. otoh, Baker Bowl lasted 50+ years, it was just built so damn early.

Seemed to have a drainage problem, though!

 

I got lucky and found the Gene Mack book at a flea market for spare change. Anybody who digs old stadiums and hasn't seen it, here's a link. It is indeed a treat.

https://behindthebag.net/2017/09/02/sketches-of-major-league-parks-by-gene-mack-from-the-1946-1947-sporting-news/

Did you say Polo Grounds?

[paul secor]

Obviously drawn before 1954. Otherwise, we'd see where Willie made "The Catch".

[Brad]

Those drawings are very cool.  A lot of history packed into each drawing. 

[GA Russell]

The 34-Ton Bat discusses the 1957 state of Ebbetts Field.  I recommend that book!

https://www.amazon.com/34-Ton-Bat-Bobbleheads-Jockstraps-Unforgettable/dp/031620093X/

[ghost of miles]

14 hours ago, JSngry said:

Shibe Park seems to have been built to last for a while. otoh, Baker Bowl lasted 50+ years, it was just built so damn early.

Seemed to have a drainage problem, though!

 

I got lucky and found the Gene Mack book at a flea market for spare change. Anybody who digs old stadiums and hasn't seen it, here's a link. It is indeed a treat.

https://behindthebag.net/2017/09/02/sketches-of-major-league-parks-by-gene-mack-from-the-1946-1947-sporting-news/

Did you say Polo Grounds?

279 feet down the leftfield line—am I reading that right? And I know it was a hell of a long way to centerfield. 

Last night’s WS battle-of-aces was a bit of a bust, with Sale and Kershaw both being lifted after 4.0 innings, but Boston still found a way to win, as they nearly always seem to do. Once again their much-maligned bullpen did a better job than that of their opponent’s, though I was surprised to see Eovaldi being used as an 8th-inning bridge with a four-run lead. Is he slated to start game 3 or game 4? One inning probably doesn’t matter. Here’s another query: if Boston were to win the series without losing a game at L.A., would they become the first team in post-1994 playoff history to win it all without once losing on the road? (Even the 1998 Yankees, who went 11-2 in the postseason, lost one game on the road—game 3 of the 1998 ALCS in Cleveland. Boston so far is 5-0 on the road, now 3-2 at home.)

Edited October 24, 2018 by ghost of miles

[Dan Gould]

I think they'd be hard-pressed to sweep in LA.  Most pleasing about last night was the way the offense kept coming at them, and the way Kimbrel handled the final inning.  As for Eovaldi Cora has said nothing will be decided about games 3 and 4 until after Game 2 is in the books.  I wonder though if the plan is for Eovaldi to go Game 3 and for Porcello to go in Game 4, and be available for an inning tonight.  I like the idea of Eovaldi lined up for Game 7 if it went that far.  

Now let's see if Price really figured something out and will continue to pitch well in October.  A two game lead would be sweet. The Dodger starter had a great ERA in the regular season but not sure if he's so dominating as to shut us down (and he stunk on ice vs Milwaukee in his last start).  I am sure we'll make him work. 

[Dan Gould]

I meant to mention also how the commentary that the Dodgers were awful with men on base against the Brewers, and how they strikeout a ton and hit a lot of homers.  Instantly thought about the similarity to the Yankees. And the contrast in how the Sox go about their offensive bid-ness.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

279 feet down the leftfield line—am I reading that right? And I know it was a hell of a long way to centerfield. 

It was worse down rightfield, 257 feet.  

[paul secor]

43 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

I meant to mention also how the commentary that the Dodgers were awful with men on base against the Brewers, and how they strikeout a ton and hit a lot of homers.  Instantly thought about the similarity to the Yankees. And the contrast in how the Sox go about their offensive bid-ness.

That's the Yankees - exactly. Sad to say.

[Brad]

In 1916 the Superbas lost to the Red Sox, 4 games to 1

In the first game, the Times opened its story as follows:

“The withered stalk of the baseball season burst with a crash into radiant bloom at Braves Field today. The Superbas, pride of Brooklyn and of the National League, and the carmine-hosed Boston warriors scrambled for the petals of the first blossom.”

How Brooklyn became known as the Superbas, Birth of the Superbas

Edited October 24, 2018 by Brad

[Brad]

The likelihood of this series returning to Fenway doesn't seem very high. 

[MartyJazz]

If Dave Roberts brings Ryan Madsen in again with runners in scoring position, he deserves to get wiped out by the Sox.  Asked to bail out Kershaw in Game 1, Madsen failed and again tonight he failed to save Riu who left with the bases loaded, two outs and a one run lead.  So Madsen allows 5 Boston runners to score yet has a World Series ERA of 0.00 having stunk up the joint twice.