The other sports thread

[TrueBlueGED]

Lamonte Bearden, UB's leading scorer, transferring out. Sadness.

[inkman]

Eric Berry with a solid speech following his Comeback Player of the year award. Chalk me up for having one of the Jimmy V qualifications for having a good day.

[WildCard]

 

Harbaugh music video

Edited July 22, 2016 by WildCard

[Winston]

Lamonte Bearden, UB's leading scorer, transferring out. Sadness.

 

Yeah, this news sucks. He was fun to watch these past two years, especially seeing him come into his own and fill the void after the Shannon Evans drama. To make matters worse, the top school he's reportedly considering is Michigan. I just graduated from UB and moved to Columbus so my fiancee can start school at OSU. Leaving UB for my new enemy, no bueno. 

[Doohicksie]

The Texas Rangers are locked and loaded for a deep post-season run.  After being surprise winners of the AL West last season, they've looked unstoppable at times this year, although that was tempered by a mid-season swoon around the All-Star break.  They're pulling out of it though, having just swept the World Series Champion Royals and pulling back to a 6 game lead in the division over the Astros.
 
The trade deadline was today and they definitely improved their lot, perhaps more than any other team.  They replaced DH Prince Fielder (who's on the DL for the rest of the year after neck surgery.... again) with Carlos Beltran of the Yankees, who's still a capable outfielder.  And they picked up the best catcher available, Jonathan Lucroy along with reliever Jeremy Jeffress, from the Brewers.  The Rangers have had a patchwork catching situation all year with their #1 guy, Robinson Chirinos, on and off the DL, and backup Bobby Wilson performing a bit over his head as a backup.  To get to the next level, they needed to improve behind the plate.  They did this by trading prospects that aren't quite ready for the bigs yet, mostly pitchers.  They managed to hang onto budding star Jurickson Profar and top prospect Joey Gallo.  Another starting pitcher would have been nice, but apparently they couldn't work out a deal for Chris Sale, so they did the next best things.

 

Looking forward to a strong playoff run from these boys, and maybe a first World Series Championship for the team that plays right here in Tarrant County.  Go Rangers!

[ubkev]

Sad day for me. I love Carlos Beltran. One of the greatest outfielders of my lifetime and one of the greatest switch hitters of all time. I get that the Yankees blow. There's no way around that. They had to trade off anything of value and get back something. Still doesn't mean I'm not upset that Carlos Beltran and Andrew Miller are no longer in pinstripes.

 

To Mr. Egg,

The Rangers are definitely in better shape today than they were yesterday and they are a pretty darn good team. But don't fool yourself into thinking that Beltran is still a capable outfielder. He's not. He has no range anymore. He was always was replaced defensively late in games. But his bat is still top notch.

 

I think the Indians are coming out of the AL, though. Good luck to your boys.

[LastPommerFan]

[ubkev]

Yeah....he can go shove that bat right up his ###!

[Doohicksie]

Sad day for me. I love Carlos Beltran. One of the greatest outfielders of my lifetime and one of the greatest switch hitters of all time. I get that the Yankees blow. There's no way around that. They had to trade off anything of value and get back something. Still doesn't mean I'm not upset that Carlos Beltran and Andrew Miller are no longer in pinstripes.

 

To Mr. Egg,

The Rangers are definitely in better shape today than they were yesterday and they are a pretty darn good team. But don't fool yourself into thinking that Beltran is still a capable outfielder. He's not. He has no range anymore. He was always was replaced defensively late in games. But his bat is still top notch.

 

I think the Indians are coming out of the AL, though. Good luck to your boys.

 

Okay, maybe "capable" was too strong of a word, but the Rangers are okay in the outfield with Desmond, Choo, Mazara, Profar, Rua, etc.  I was thrilled with the trade because Beltran was one of those guys who always smoked the Rangers with his bat.  I'm glad he's on our side now.  And the Yankees likely "won" this trade, but only time will tell (the only way the Rangers can be said to have won the trade would be with a World Series win... they traded the future for the present, but this is a good year for the Rangers to do it).

 

As for the Indians- they are indeed scary, but the Rangers are 2-1 against them so far this season, with 4 more games later this month.  Should get a good read then.  And besides, Lucroy turned down the Indians to come to the Rangers, so we got that goin' for us. 

 

Which is nice.

[Doohicksie]

image.jpeg

 

We'll see tonight, won't we?  ;)

[LastPommerFan]

We'll see tonight, won't we? ;)

A battle of #1s!

 

I'm stoked for the Rangers, would love to see a Rangers-O's ALCS. One of my roommates from college was from Cedar Hill, I hated him for the Cowboys and Stars, so I encouraged more Mavs and Rangers decor.

 

Claw and Antlers.

Yeah....he can go shove that bat right up his ###!

[inkman]

Sad day for me. I love Carlos Beltran. One of the greatest outfielders of my lifetime and one of the greatest switch hitters of all time. I get that the Yankees blow. There's no way around that. They had to trade off anything of value and get back something. Still doesn't mean I'm not upset that Carlos Beltran and Andrew Miller are no longer in pinstripes.

 

To Mr. Egg,

The Rangers are definitely in better shape today than they were yesterday and they are a pretty darn good team. But don't fool yourself into thinking that Beltran is still a capable outfielder. He's not. He has no range anymore. He was always was replaced defensively late in games. But his bat is still top notch.

 

I think the Indians are coming out of the AL, though. Good luck to your boys.

I don't know how to respond to this other than he's not yours to miss. He is a Royal or a Met but he sure as heck ain't a Yankee.

[ubkev]

I don't know how to respond to this other than he's not yours to miss. He is a Royal or a Met but he sure as heck ain't a Yankee.

He sure as was for the last 2 and a half years.

[Samson's Flow]

A battle of #1s!

 

I'm stoked for the Rangers, would love to see a Rangers-O's ALCS. One of my roommates from college was from Cedar Hill, I hated him for the Cowboys and Stars, so I encouraged more Mavs and Rangers decor.

 

Claw and Antlers.

 

image.jpeg

I don't know if you noticed but the Jays are hot on the Orioles heels to first in the AL East. I wouldn't be so confident in your place in the playoffs - you have to win the tightly contested AL East first.

[Hoss]

Lucroy did not turn down the Indians to go to the Rangers, to be clear. He turned down the Indians because they told him he'd be a backup in 2017. He had no choice but to go to Texas as they were not on his no-trade list.

I'm sure this situation is still preferred, though. Closer to family and still a top team in the AL.

 

The Nationals are still a terrible trade deadline team always afraid to make the big move. If they would've landed Chapman or Miller they'd be right there with Chicago in the NL but now they're questionable as Melancon doesn't have the power to hold up in a long postseason.

 

My top five contenders right now:

1. Chicago Cubs

2. Cleveland Indiana

3. San Fran

4. Washington

5. Texas

 

The Blue Jays landing Francisco Liriano is interesting. He's got the stuff to return to form of the last few years in Pittsburgh but is off this year. They just don't have the pitching to win in the current postseason climate, I think.

[WildCard]

The Indians did not tell him he'd be a backup. They told him he's not guaranteed to start

[ubkev]

Didn't Lucroy have a team option for next year for like 4.5 million that he wanted Cleveland to tear up and they wouldn't. I thought I heard something like that.

[Hoss]

The Indians did not tell him he'd be a backup. They told him he's not guaranteed to start

They told him he'd be backup at catcher, DH and first base. They told him that Yan Gomes is their starting catcher in 2017.

 

https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/759793199116328961

Didn't Lucroy have a team option for next year for like 4.5 million that he wanted Cleveland to tear up and they wouldn't. I thought I heard something like that.

The indication was that they wouldn't tear it up because he'd be a backup. I don't know why they thought he'd accept either stipulation in the first place.

The Brewers also should've gotten ahead of that, too.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Hoss

[WildCard]

Damn you Hoss! My mistake

[Samson's Flow]

Lucroy did not turn down the Indians to go to the Rangers, to be clear. He turned down the Indians because they told him he'd be a backup in 2017. He had no choice but to go to Texas as they were not on his no-trade list.

I'm sure this situation is still preferred, though. Closer to family and still a top team in the AL.

 

The Nationals are still a terrible trade deadline team always afraid to make the big move. If they would've landed Chapman or Miller they'd be right there with Chicago in the NL but now they're questionable as Melancon doesn't have the power to hold up in a long postseason.

 

My top five contenders right now:

1. Chicago Cubs

2. Cleveland Indiana

3. San Fran

4. Washington

5. Texas

 

The Blue Jays landing Francisco Liriano is interesting. He's got the stuff to return to form of the last few years in Pittsburgh but is off this year. They just don't have the pitching to win in the current postseason climate, I think.

Remember that the last time Liriano was good was when he had Russell Martin catching him in Pittsburgh. The Blue Jays catcher is... Russell Martin.

 

That and the Pirates gave the Jays two prospects in addition means that they were more giving Liriano and his $12MM salary than anything else. From my perspective it is a purely upside move that allows the Jays to move Sanchez to the bullpen like they want. (which might hurt us more than anything else - he's been great this year)

[Hoss]

Great point on Russell Martin (even if Liriano had a very good year last year including a career high in strikeouts).

 

And that trade really was odd. Hutchison was once a top prospect for Toronto but failed. If anybody will turn him into a top pitcher because there isn't a team better at project pitchers in the league. Hence the acquisition of Hutchison and Ivan Nova at the deadline.

[LastPommerFan]

We'll see tonight, won't we? ;)

7 innings 1 hit 1 bb 0 ER 7 k

 

From our tommy johns rookie.

 

Fear the bird.

[JujuFish]

Indians-Cubs would be a fantastic WS.  The two longest active championship droughts in the majors going head-to-head for it all.

 

Go Tribe.

[Hoss]

100% the Yankees. The team I grew up as a fan of (my brothers were Yankees fans and baseball was my first love). I always rooted for the Expos (now Nationals) and Yankees.

I gave up the empire years ago because it just wasn't "fun" to be a fan of them.

 

What they are doing to A-Rod is messed up. He's four home runs short of 700 and they're forcing him into retirement with this weak "social advisor" setup. Watching how emotional he was and the way he's answering questions make it clear he didn't want this but the Yankees forced him into it. In a lost season they're pushing an all-time great (regardless of what you think of him he is indeed that) out the door because the empire is tired of him being a headline.

 

the Yankees AND MLB for doing A-Rod the way they have. He was used as a punching bag in the fraudulent and makeshift war against PEDs. He is no worse than hundreds of other players but was made to be the devil. Horseshit. A great player and a better person than he gets credit for.

 

He mentioned he might consider playing for another team. I hope, before he becomes an advisor, the Red Sox come in and offer him a deal for the rest of the season. the Red Sox, too.

[Eleven]

100% ###### the Yankees. The team I grew up as a fan of (my brothers were Yankees fans and baseball was my first love). I always rooted for the Expos (now Nationals) and Yankees.

I gave up the empire years ago because it just wasn't "fun" to be a fan of them.

 

What they are doing to A-Rod is messed up. He's four home runs short of 700 and they're forcing him into retirement with this weak "social advisor" setup. Watching how emotional he was and the way he's answering questions make it clear he didn't want this but the Yankees forced him into it. In a lost season they're pushing an all-time great (regardless of what you think of him he is indeed that) out the door because the empire is tired of him being a headline.

 

###### the Yankees AND MLB for doing A-Rod the way they have. He was used as a punching bag in the fraudulent and makeshift war against PEDs. He is no worse than hundreds of other players but was made to be the devil. Horseshit. A great player and a better person than he gets credit for.

 

He mentioned he might consider playing for another team. I hope, before he becomes an advisor, the Red Sox come in and offer him a deal for the rest of the season. ###### the Red Sox, too.

 

Same.  I'm starting to get into the Blue Jays a little more now, though.