MLB 2024 Season

kkfan91

kkfan91

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Well let's start with what may be the final year of the Oakland A's

www.espn.com

Owners greenlight Athletics' move to Las Vegas

MLB owners have voted to allow the Athletics to move to Las Vegas, a significant step toward Oakland losing its last major men's professional sports team.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
kkfan91 said:
Well let's start with what may be the final year of the Oakland A's

www.espn.com

Owners greenlight Athletics' move to Las Vegas

MLB owners have voted to allow the Athletics to move to Las Vegas, a significant step toward Oakland losing its last major men's professional sports team.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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I want to sympathize with A's fans but their online fans are the most obnoxious people on the planet. I've seen calls to keep the A's name and history in Oakland (Philly and KC would disagree) AND people acting like they're losing baseball forever (despite there being a team 10 miles away). When I was a kid we had to drive 2 hours to go to Fenway and people in more rural areas face even longer drives.

Honestly I can't feel sorry for them any more.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I've seen calls to keep the A's name and history in Oakland (Philly and KC would disagree)
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What do they want a war with the people who run the Facebook page I'm on "Bring Back the A's" which is only slightly satire. They still have more World Championships in Philly than the Phillies do and they left generations ago
 
kkfan91 said:
What do they want a war with the people who run the Facebook page I'm on "Bring Back the A's" which is only slightly satire. They still have more World Championships in Philly than the Phillies do and they left generations ago
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There are some seriously unhinged Oakland fans on Reddit and Twitter who are compared this to the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn.
 
The Nature Boy said:
There are some seriously unhinged Oakland fans on Reddit and Twitter who are compared this to the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn.
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That's a stretch...I mean they were in their 2nd city when the Dodgers moved and this will be their second move since the Dodgers moved.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I want to sympathize with A's fans but their online fans are the most obnoxious people on the planet. I've seen calls to keep the A's name and history in Oakland (Philly and KC would disagree) AND people acting like they're losing baseball forever (despite there being a team 10 miles away). When I was a kid we had to drive 2 hours to go to Fenway and people in more rural areas face even longer drives.

Honestly I can't feel sorry for them any more.
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With some rare exceptions, I think teams should rebrand when they relocate anyways. Having lost potentially all three pro franchises in the span of mere years, I get why they’d be territorial over protecting the name and history of the last one (and I definitely do not expect them to suddenly root for their cross-Bay rivals now). But in some cases - mostly baseball, since it’s been around forever - these franchises have already been through three different cities with the same name, so it’s whatever at this point. The A’s have been in Oakland about as long as the Braves in Atlanta, and it’s the same case with that franchise.

As for the relocation, this plan has bust written all over it. If I were a Vegas local I’d rather hold out for an expansion franchise than this once-proud franchise, sunk by a nepo baby, coming in with a half-baked plan. The reporting prior to the vote taking place even stated that those briefed on the relocation report thought the potential for the A’s succeed in LV is “iffy” but that there are no discernible better alternatives at the moment - how inspiring.
 
FLRacingFan said:
With some rare exceptions, I think teams should rebrand when they relocate anyways. Having lost potentially all three pro franchises in the span of mere years, I get why they’d be territorial over protecting the name and history of the last one (and I definitely do not expect them to suddenly root for their cross-Bay rivals now). But in some cases - mostly baseball, since it’s been around forever - these franchises have already been through three different cities with the same name, so it’s whatever at this point. The A’s have been in Oakland about as long as the Braves in Atlanta, and it’s the same case with that franchise.
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I agree with you in general and the Braves are a good example of why. As a Boston baseball fan I find it weird that the franchise in Atlanta technically owns ~80 years of Boston baseball history. In fact, the only Boston Braves World Series win happened at Fenway Park. But the Braves are practically forgotten in Boston sports lore. That history went to Milwaukee and Atlanta.

And while the banner for 1914 flies in Atlanta, the city has no cultural memory of it. To a Braves fan, it just represents something they did "back when they were in Boston." Just as Oakland has no cultural memory of Connie Mack. Meanwhile the Red Sox's exploits from around the same time are part of the ethos of the franchise, Dropkick Murphy's even made a song about the early 1900s Red Sox. The Miracle Braves of 1914 live nowhere. It's technically Braves history so the Red Sox aren't flying that flag. Their World Series win happened in Fenway Park but yet the park itself retains no memories of it. If the Braves had rebranded in 1953, the Sox might actually feel it's appropriate to celebrate their history.

The Braves date back to 1871 so 80 years of Boston baseball history is held in name only by a franchise down in Atlanta. Boston being the first (and longest) home of the longest continuously operating franchise in American sports is barely a footnote in regional history now.

Meanwhile in DC - the original and expansion Senators rebranded to the Twins and Rangers respectively so the Nationals fly the flag for the Senators' win in the 1920s and have statutes for Senators greats. While the Twins and Rangers claim the history of their respective Senators franchise, the Nats actually get to celebrate it at their ballpark. I just wish the Twins and Rangers had left the Senators history in DC so the Nats could actually claim to be a continuation of the two Senators franchises (and in turn leave the Expos history in Montreal).

And perhaps it's appropriate that the 1914 Philadelphia A's lost to the Boston Braves...

I can sympathize with Oakland's plight to a degree but Oakland fanbase is the last one who can pull the "we should keep the history" line. If the Braves ever left Atlanta and their fans pulled that ****, I would drive down to Atlanta myself and protest it. The fans in Oakland don't get to own Connie Mack, they don't get to own the most successful baseball team in Philadelphia's history, they don't get to own Chuck Finley's antics in Kansas City (as shameful as they were). The A's won 5 rings in Philly, the Oakland fanbase doesn't get to bitch their way into keeping that under and key.

I hate Yankees fans, but Oakland's fans are quickly becoming a close second. You don't get to not support your team and then cry like bitches when the owner decides to go elsewhere. Look at this: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/attend.shtml. That team had abysmal attendance before John Fisher bought the team. They don't get to scapegoat John Fisher and pretend he's the reason you can't be bothered to support your team.

The Vegas experiment will almost certainly be a bust but at least the team will be away from a bunch of entitled bitches who couldn't be bothered to support the team and think they're entitled to a chunk of baseball history of two other cities.
 
The Nature Boy said:
I agree with you in general and the Braves are a good example of why. As a Boston baseball fan I find it weird that the franchise in Atlanta technically owns ~80 years of Boston baseball history. In fact, the only Boston Braves World Series win happened at Fenway Park. But the Braves are practically forgotten in Boston sports lore. That history went to Milwaukee and Atlanta.

And while the banner for 1914 flies in Atlanta, the city has no cultural memory of it. To a Braves fan, it just represents something they did "back when they were in Boston." Just as Oakland has no cultural memory of Connie Mack. Meanwhile the Red Sox's exploits from around the same time are part of the ethos of the franchise, Dropkick Murphy's even made a song about the early 1900s Red Sox. The Miracle Braves of 1914 live nowhere. It's technically Braves history so the Red Sox aren't flying that flag. Their World Series win happened in Fenway Park but yet the park itself retains no memories of it. If the Braves had rebranded in 1953, the Sox might actually feel it's appropriate to celebrate their history.

The Braves date back to 1871 so 80 years of Boston baseball history is held in name only by a franchise down in Atlanta. Boston being the first (and longest) home of the longest continuously operating franchise in American sports is barely a footnote in regional history now.

Meanwhile in DC - the original and expansion Senators rebranded to the Twins and Rangers respectively so the Nationals fly the flag for the Senators' win in the 1920s and have statutes for Senators greats. While the Twins and Rangers claim the history of their respective Senators franchise, the Nats actually get to celebrate it at their ballpark. I just wish the Twins and Rangers had left the Senators history in DC so the Nats could actually claim to be a continuation of the two Senators franchises (and in turn leave the Expos history in Montreal).

And perhaps it's appropriate that the 1914 Philadelphia A's lost to the Boston Braves...

I can sympathize with Oakland's plight to a degree but Oakland fanbase is the last one who can pull the "we should keep the history" line. If the Braves ever left Atlanta and their fans pulled that ****, I would drive down to Atlanta myself and protest it. The fans in Oakland don't get to own Connie Mack, they don't get to own the most successful baseball team in Philadelphia's history, they don't get to own Chuck Finley's antics in Kansas City (as shameful as they were). The A's won 5 rings in Philly, the Oakland fanbase doesn't get to bitch their way into keeping that under and key.

I hate Yankees fans, but Oakland's fans are quickly becoming a close second. You don't get to not support your team and then cry like bitches when the owner decides to go elsewhere. Look at this: https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/OAK/attend.shtml. That team had abysmal attendance before John Fisher bought the team. They don't get to scapegoat John Fisher and pretend he's the reason you can't be bothered to support your team.

The Vegas experiment will almost certainly be a bust but at least the team will be away from a bunch of entitled bitches who couldn't be bothered to support the team and think they're entitled to a chunk of baseball history of two other cities.
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I broadly agree with your argument about maintaining the history. I’d prefer these things to play out like when Baltimore totally rebranded and started a new record book after Modell moved the Browns, then Cleveland maintained the Browns IP and history for when they were awarded a franchise again a couple years later. But like I said, I do see where their angst is coming from.

The A’s still hold the MLB Wild Card attendance record from the 2019 game against the Rays, and a decade ago had 48k+ thrice during their most recent ALDS on home soil. The fans have shown they’ll still show up when it matters most if the team is good. And that is with a dilapidated stadium that’s at least twenty years outdated at this point (the franchise definitely needs a fresh stadium no matter where, and has for years).

Fisher has certainly tanked the franchise the past couple of years to get the ball across the goal line with the relocation. I mean, their payroll is worst by far, not even three-fourths of the next-worst club. And they’re the only team spending less than in 2005. You pretty much have to go out of your way to field as bad a team as they have last year and especially this year. It’s actually a great individual argument for a salary floor.
 
FLRacingFan said:
The fans have shown they’ll still show up when it matters most if the team is good. And that is with a dilapidated stadium that’s at least twenty years outdated at this point (the franchise definitely needs a fresh stadium no matter where, and has for years).
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But they haven't. They show up for the postseason but that just shows a bandwagon fanbase, which isn't sustainable. Even when they're good, they're in the lower half of the league in attendance. When it actually matters is during the season when you're trying to make it to the postseason.

Look, I think Fisher is an idiot and the second coming of Jeffrey Loria. Loria killed baseball in Montreal and the fans there didn't have the option of driving 10 miles to another MLB ballpark. Would a new stadium had helped Oakland? I don't know. The Rays are making the bet that a new stadium can boost lackluster attendance so we'll see how it goes. Fisher being an idiot though is obscuring the conversation around whether or not leaving Oakland is the right move. A quick look at the data even before he sabotaged the team shows that it's not exactly the wrong decision.

Going to Vegas IS the wrong move. Baseball is a sport that relies on the community having a connection to the team, that's not going to happen in transient tourist town.
 
:XXROFL:
FB_IMG_1700620213109.jpg
 
The Nature Boy said:
But they haven't. They show up for the postseason but that just shows a bandwagon fanbase, which isn't sustainable. Even when they're good, they're in the lower half of the league in attendance. When it actually matters is during the season when you're trying to make it to the postseason.

Look, I think Fisher is an idiot and the second coming of Jeffrey Loria. Loria killed baseball in Montreal and the fans there didn't have the option of driving 10 miles to another MLB ballpark. Would a new stadium had helped Oakland? I don't know. The Rays are making the bet that a new stadium can boost lackluster attendance so we'll see how it goes. Fisher being an idiot though is obscuring the conversation around whether or not leaving Oakland is the right move. A quick look at the data even before he sabotaged the team shows that it's not exactly the wrong decision.

Going to Vegas IS the wrong move. Baseball is a sport that relies on the community having a connection to the team, that's not going to happen in transient tourist town.
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20k on average for the regular season is perfectly fine and more than sustainable for an MLB franchise, or a lot more teams would be at risk of losing their team. Attendance is not really concerning until you start to hit 15k or so regularly (where the Rays usually hover around) and then once the bottom falls out around 10k things are dire (which is where the Expos were for several years before losing the team to Washington). A number of those regular season averages in Oakland were not even the worst we’ve seen in the last decade-plus for eventual playoff teams. In this case Fisher has sunk the franchise so that attendance has finally hit rock bottom and can get the owners to vote in his favor, even if the relocation plan has very few details.
 
The Nature Boy said:
But they haven't. They show up for the postseason but that just shows a bandwagon fanbase, which isn't sustainable. Even when they're good, they're in the lower half of the league in attendance. When it actually matters is during the season when you're trying to make it to the postseason.

Look, I think Fisher is an idiot and the second coming of Jeffrey Loria. Loria killed baseball in Montreal and the fans there didn't have the option of driving 10 miles to another MLB ballpark. Would a new stadium had helped Oakland? I don't know. The Rays are making the bet that a new stadium can boost lackluster attendance so we'll see how it goes. Fisher being an idiot though is obscuring the conversation around whether or not leaving Oakland is the right move. A quick look at the data even before he sabotaged the team shows that it's not exactly the wrong decision.

Going to Vegas IS the wrong move. Baseball is a sport that relies on the community having a connection to the team, that's not going to happen in transient tourist town.
Click to expand...

Nah i can’t agree here. The Golden Knights have arguably the most loyal following in the United States for NHL teams. It’s a big city with a lot of locals who have little to actually root for
 
Mispeedway15 said:
Nah i can’t agree here. The Golden Knights have arguably the most loyal following in the United States for NHL teams. It’s a big city with a lot of locals who have little to actually root for
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Isn't Vegas' NHL team a regular championship contender?

It certainly helps that the franchise has been incredibly successful in its infancy. What happens after a few bad seasons though?

The Carolina Panthers are a good case study. They went to a Super Bowl within 10 years of their foundation, remained competitive more times than not, picked up a dynamic quarterback, went back to a Super Bowl, and were routinely among the top-fanbases. And now look at their games and their following.
 
Huge pickup for the Yankees. Got one season to talk him into an extension. Would be great if they signed Yamamoto now.

 
Welp. That one good season was fun.

Now baseball returns to the **** state of the Yankees and Dodgers spending hundreds of millions to buy first place.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Now baseball returns to the **** state of the Yankees and Dodgers spending hundreds of millions to buy first place.
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The Padres and Mets tried that last year and both flopped hard. The Dodgers have been trying for a decade now and all they have is a World Series in a shortened year.

I'm not convinced that high payrolls buy what they used to.
 
The Nature Boy said:
The Padres and Mets tried that last year and both flopped hard. The Dodgers have been trying for a decade now and all they have is a World Series in a shortened year.

I'm not convinced that high payrolls buy what they used to.
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Also based off what I heard on the radio today Soto is a club house cancer. Apparently Padres coaches said off the record they would quit if he came back there.
 
The Nature Boy said:
The Padres and Mets tried that last year and both flopped hard. The Dodgers have been trying for a decade now and all they have is a World Series in a shortened year.

I'm not convinced that high payrolls buy what they used to.
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And baseball by nature has a much greater degree of parity or randomness to it.

The payroll gap is also nowhere near what it used to be. Sure, 20 years ago there were a few years where the only teams who could spend even half of what the Yankees were spending were Boston and the Mets. Now the Mets have the most absurd payroll ever and half the league still comfortably spends at least half of that.
 
kkfan91 said:
Also based off what I heard on the radio today Soto is a club house cancer. Apparently Padres coaches said off the record they would quit if he came back there.
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I could be wrong but I thought I read that was actually Machado.
 
FLRacingFan said:
I could be wrong but I thought I read that was actually Machado.
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Idk I heard it on sports talk from an insider who heard it from people he knew familiar with San Diego probably all a game of telephone
 
kkfan91 said:
Idk I heard it on sports talk from an insider who heard it from people he knew familiar with San Diego probably all a game of telephone
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I never heard anything of that nature about Soto during his time with the Nationals. The guy was still out there putting in max effort on a team that was destined to lose 90 games.
 
Here's to hoping the Angelos family finally ***** off. 🖕

www.baltimorebaseball.com

Report: Carlyle Group's Rubenstein pursuing Orioles - BaltimoreBaseball.com

The Carlyle Group’s co-founder, David Rubenstein, is in talks to acquire the Orioles, according to a report by Bloomberg. The report said that Rubenstein, 74, a Baltimore native who attended Baltimore City College, is one of those who is interested in buying the team. His net worth is 3.6...
www.baltimorebaseball.com www.baltimorebaseball.com
 
Lots of rumors building towards Ohtani winding up with Toronto, and it could be imminent. AL East would be insane.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Lots of rumors building towards Ohtani winding up with Toronto, and it could be imminent. AL East would be insane.
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If Ohtani is going to Toronto, he's going to be a national hero in Canada. Hopefully this gets the Red Sox ownership to wake up and make some big news. The Yankees adding Soto and the Jays adding Ohtani are both huge.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
Here's to hoping the Angelos family finally ***** off. 🖕

www.baltimorebaseball.com

Report: Carlyle Group's Rubenstein pursuing Orioles - BaltimoreBaseball.com

The Carlyle Group’s co-founder, David Rubenstein, is in talks to acquire the Orioles, according to a report by Bloomberg. The report said that Rubenstein, 74, a Baltimore native who attended Baltimore City College, is one of those who is interested in buying the team. His net worth is 3.6...
www.baltimorebaseball.com www.baltimorebaseball.com
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www.businessinsider.com

Why Taylor Swift is bringing private equity firm The Carlyle Group into her war against Scooter Braun and her old record label

Private equity firm The Carlyle Group helped music mogul Scooter Braun's $300 million deal to buy Big Machine Records, and ownership of Swift's music.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com

  • The Carlyle Group supported a deal that saw music producer Scooter Braun buy Big Machine Records, the label Swift used to record her first six studio albums, and consequently take ownership of the rights to those six albums.
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The Baltimore Orioles are about to be the least favorite team of Taylor Swift fans.
 
Meanwhile Red Sox Reddit is in meltdown mode, attacking our "cheap" owners.

Bunch of spoiled babies. We have more rings in the 21st century than any other team. Boston sports fans are some of the most entitled bitches on Earth.
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
He’ll end up in New York.
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lol not happening. At least, not the Yankees. They’ve never even been in the conversation. Haven’t heard much on the Mets either. Seems like it’s Toronto or the Dodgers.

As far as I can tell the Mets and Yanks are both focused on Yamamoto right now.
 
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