Sabrespacer Baseball Teams

[JoeSchmoe]

Just wondering who the #1 baseball team is amongst the Sabrespace crew. I tried to put in the more obvious choices and left an "other" option for a write in candidate. If there's enough write in's I'll add it.

[Sabel79]

I love the Mets, because I hate myself.  Obviously.  

[mjd1001]

I grew up with the Yankees and Blue Jays, Yankeest first that that has kinda swapped.

Most things about the Yankees I shouldn't like now, but because I always liked them growing up, I still follow them more than I used to.

Boston is a tough one for me. I hated them growing up. But I went to a few games when I lived there, I think Fenway is really fun and just had some good times going to their games.

But when it comes down to it, I guess I have to say the Blue Jays.  It would be a lot stronger with them if, for the past 20 years or so living in WNY we could have seen their games on TV. We are up in Niagara county, when I drive down the hill from Niagara University to Lewiston you can see the stadium across the lake on a clear day, Buffalo has been their farm club for a while....Yet local cable tv over the year has shown the Yankees, Mets, Braves....but no Blue Jays.

[Weave]

Been a Dodgers fan since my teens.

Not sure what sent me in that direction. 
 

Overall, I am a casual fan.  It’s hard to really get committed when 2/3 of their games are past my bedtime lol

[Stoner]

7 hours ago, Sabel79 said:

I love the Mets, because I hate myself.  Obviously.  

I fell in love with baseball in the mid 70s and loved the Mets when they were pretty terrible.

Then I fell out of love with baseball and the Mets as hockey and football took hold and of course the Mets won the World Series.

[Wyldnwoody44]

I was a Braves fan back in my youth. Chipper Jones, Maddox, Smoltz, Milwood, etc etc. Mostly because they were on TBS.

 

Now I find baseball very boring, not as bad as watching golf, but pretty close. 

[French Collection]

The Expos were all we had in Canada when I was a kid.

When they left I kind of followed the Jays, just casually.

[GASabresIUFAN]

9 hours ago, Sabel79 said:

I love the Mets, because I hate myself.  Obviously.  

Obviously.  Go Braves!

Became a Braves fan during Hank’s drive for 715 and then used to go Braves Spring training games with my grandfather.  

Now that I’ve lived here for 30+ years being a Braves fan is as natural as being a Sabres fan.  
 

Edited May 17, 2023 by GASabresIUFAN

[Eleven]

Washington but the last straw for me was when they got rid of the shift.  I haven't watched a baseball game this year and probably won't.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

Washington but the last straw for me was when they got rid of the shift.  I haven't watched a baseball game this year and probably won't.

You are missing out.  The games are faster despite a jump in offense.  The new rules brought speed back into the game and that has added more excitement.  

These changes are doing for baseball what the post lockout rule changes have done for hockey.  

[Doohicksie]

I grew up in Buffalo without a favorite baseball team.  I don't understand why people who've lived their whole lives in Buffalo and hate NYC in general (and in other leagues) would gravitate toward the Yankees but either the Yankees or more recently the Jays (due to the Bisons being their AAA team) seem to be the default in Buffalo.

Anyway, I never really was a baseball fan until we moved to Los Angeles and Vin Scully pulled me in.  I liked the 1980s Dodgers and got into the NL West rivalries but when we moved to Texas that faded.

The Texas Rangers are my team now.  I'm a hot and cold fan though- I follow them when they're doing well but the last several seasons they just haven't been good.  With a big turn over recently they seem to be much better, much more interesting.  Having Buffalo's Jonah Heim catching for the Rangers is a nice plus.  They have a bunch of established vets and some younger guys and overall this edition is growing on me.  They've got a 3 game lead on Houston for the division lead and have already won a series in Houston this season.  Their offense is top rate most nights (more 10+ run games than anyone else in baseball).  Their starting rotation is very good too, even with Jake deGrom injured (long reliever Dane Dunning has been outstanding in the rotation in deGrom's place with the Rangers winning all 3 of his starts).  Their Achilles heel right now is the bullpen; they've lost too many leads in the late innings.  If not for that they could be at the top of the AL.

 

[Pimlach]

Grew up a Yankees fan.  My Dad and many Uncles were all die hard Yankee fans.  Then I added a NL team in the early 70’s, the Pittsburgh Pirates, because of the Robert Clemente & Willie Stargell era.  

[GASabresIUFAN]

FYI: Jonah Heim, the Catcher for Texas, is a Buffalo native.  Played high school ball at Kemore East and Amherst.  

[Doohicksie]

9 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

FYI: Jonah Heim, the Catcher for Texas, is a Buffalo native.  Played high school ball at Kemore East and Amherst.  

Yeah, that's been covered.

12 hours ago, Doohickie said:

Having Buffalo's Jonah Heim catching for the Rangers

 

[thewookie1]

SF Giants since I was born practically 

My Papa was from NJ and was a big NY Giants fan back then and when they moved to California his fandom followed. (He moved to Buffalo in his 20's)

My Dad as such is a huge Giants fan.

I therefore follow them in loving the Giants.

[Broken Ankles]

Yankees.  My fathers player was Mantle.  My first recollection of the World Series was the ‘77 Yankees and Reggie.  WPIX in NY was added to local cable in Buffalo in early 80s so we watch Winfield and Donny Baseball.  After 25 years on the west coast I can say the Angels are a distant second.  My boy loves Trout.  Ohtani is God here.  The locals will be devastated when he leaves in free agency.  Anaheim is a nice place to watch a game.  So much more pleasant than LA (sorry Weave). 

[ubkev]

Yankees.

My dad and I watched around 145 games per year together from about 1992 until I moved out in 2003. Even then, I'd still call him whenever anything cool happened in a game. It didn't even have to be a big game, could have been a cool sliding catch in June. 

Paul O'Neill is my only favorite player in any sport. The distain he had for his own failure is probably my favorite quality in an athlete. 

1996 World Series is my favorite sports memory. After that it's the 03 NCAA Basketball Championship.

The Baseball Hall of Fame is the greatest museum on planet Earth. I can easily spend 5 hours inside and not get sick of looking at the awesomeness in there. 

[North Buffalo]

Mets, Grandmother was a huge fans and as a kid when id go visit in southern CT she'd take me to games... Saw Sever pitch... 

Dad was a Brooklyn Dodger fan... grandfather and NY State Supreme Court Judge was friends with Branch Ricky... as a kid was sit in his box seats... when Dodgers moved he lost his love... so baseball never really been that big... more hockey and football.

[JoeSchmoe]

I'm surprised the Pirates or Guardians don't have any Buffalo fans, despite the affiliation history with the Bisons, and the relative close proximity.

I'm also surprised to see the Mets beating the Yankees.

On 5/17/2023 at 6:23 AM, mjd1001 said:

We are up in Niagara county, when I drive down the hill from Niagara University to Lewiston you can see the stadium across the lake on a clear day, Buffalo has been their farm club for a while....Yet local cable tv over the year has shown the Yankees, Mets, Braves....but no Blue Jays.

It is really too bad Buffalo can't get the Jays games on TV. That said, if you scour the internet for TV ratings you'll see the Jays actually have double the viewers of the Yankees. They're the biggest market in all of baseball, but won't spend like they are. Because of this, I actually tried switching allegiance to the Tigers maybe 10 years ago, but without the hometown TV deal, I couldn't get the emotional connection.

[irregularly irregular]

Rockies, painful as that may be. 

[matter2003]

None...baseball is a dying sport

[JoeSchmoe]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:03 PM, matter2003 said:

None...baseball is a dying sport

I think this year's rule changes are going to help a lot with that.

Also, I see some steps in the right direction as far as marketing the stars of the league. Still a long way to go, but this year's record audience for the Baseball Classic tells me there's hope... Even though it sounds like it'll never be your thing.

[JohninMinn.]

Twins for obvious reasons. They always have a small market attitude.

[GASabresIUFAN]

On 5/18/2023 at 9:03 PM, matter2003 said:

None...baseball is a dying sport

Incorrect.  Atlanta has sold out nearly every game this season.  The rules changes have been mostly great and attendance and ratings are up across the leagues.  

 

[matter2003]

12 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Incorrect.  Atlanta has sold out nearly every game this season.  The rules changes have been mostly great and attendance and ratings are up across the leagues.  

 

It's novel right now...let's see what happens over the next 10 years.  The average fan age is still mid 60s, and that is a major problem.