Why is baseball the best sport on the planet? Discuss. (6 Viewers)

[Dodger]

Especially with Seattle emptying the clip with their pitching staff one day before the ALCS

No point in saving arms if there’s no next game. Win first then figure it out.

Baseball is the hold em of sports.

Makes it nice to be a Dodger fan. The season doesn’t really start until division or league championship, so you only have to watch a couple games.

You’ve missed a fun season. But welcome back! Let’s go back-to-back! ¡Vamos los doyers!

 

[Vinman]

One reason I like baseball is that it's the sport where the officials can exert the least influence.

The current NFL is a joke due to rampant abuse by referees (either due to gambling influence or league interference to manufacture close games) and during the playoffs, I can literally predict when a key penalty is going to be called. There are billions and billions of dollars to be made and to think none of the officials are 'in on the scam" is incredibly naive. A lot of NFL fans are starting to come around to this idea, as Mahomes and KC Chiefs continually get key calls at the end of close games.

I was watching the end of an NFL playoff game, where an 'unfavored team' was marching towards a game-winning FG, and I told some friends that these guys need to go into victory formation to safely drain the clock, then kick the FG or the refs are going to start calling fake penalties. Sure enough there was a False Start call and then two Offensive Holding penalties (holding literally happens every single play and the refs just need to pick when to call it) that put them out of FG range, and in the next series, the 'favored team" won it. This isn't coincidence, as it happens virtually every close game at a key point.

The NBA might be even worse, and with refs that were caught cheating, they all said how incredibly easy it was to massage the game using fouls and slow-down techniques. Even announcers and press are calling them out for blatant game fixing, with some pretty huge foul ratios taking place in last year's playoffs. The NHL is not far back and it's amusing how often the games fall into the house's betting odds - I've often told Toronto Maple Leaf fans if they want to win a Stanley Cup, pour all the massive TO betting money on the opponent (it's win-win). But they never do and the team always seem to lose after being up 3-0 or 3-1. Amazing.

In baseball, most of the key action is easily viewable to those watching in the park and at home on TV and there is no wiggle room, and no ticky-tack fouls or judgement penalties that an official can use to directly influence the game. The strike/ball counts can be manipulated to some extent, but no one can magically reverse a clear game-winning HR or force the teams to replay a base hit or miracle catch because of often-spurious calls like "Illegal Formation", "False Start" or "Offensive Holding" as they constantly do in the NFL during very key moments of close games. Or "Offsides" in the NHL, which is another common game-changer the refs keep in their pocket.

99.9% of what happens on the baseball field is what shows up on the box score, and often it's 100% in many games. No other team sport can lay that claim, as the officials in American Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, etc are given a LOT more leeway to directly influence the game's outcome.

It feels really nice to watch a professional sport where the players are the ones most directly involved in winning or losing the game.

 

[BarrieJ3]

You’ve missed a fun season. But welcome back! Let’s go back-to-back! ¡Vamos los doyers!

I follow throughout the season reading, lol I just ain’t trying to find 3 hours of free time to catch a reg season game.

Don’t see a ton of fun storylines outside of LA this year. Matchup with Phillies seemed like the only powerhouse matchup in wildcard or division series.

I find Cubs fans/following abrasive and annoying, as folks prob feel about dodgers, Yankees, etc.
Milwaukee is fine, but just kinda boring. Don’t see the star crossed story lines.

Mariners and Bluejays I can get behind, and I think both would be fun WS matchup with LA.

Complete guess by a noob, but I’d imagine MLB will take ANYTHING other than the Brewers in the WS. Gotta figure there’s a huge difference in marketability and eyes watching them vs LA.

Itfdb!!!!!!!!

 

[BarrieJ3]

One reason I like baseball is that it is the sport where the officials can exert the least influence.

The current NFL is a joke due to rampant abuse by referees (either due to gambling influence or league interference to manufacture close games) and during the playoffs, I literally predict when a key penalty is going to be called. Either way, there are billions to be made and to think none of the officials are 'in on the scam" is incredibly naive.

I was watching a game last year where an 'unfavored team' was marching towards a game-winning FG, and I told some friends that these guys need to go into victory formation to drain the clock, then kick the FG or the refs are going to call a fake penalty. Sure enough there was a False Start and then two Offensive Holding penalties (Holding literally happens every single play and the refs just need to pick when to call it) that put them out of FG range, and the next series, the 'favored team" won it. This isn't coincidence, as it happens nearly every game.

The NBA might be even worse, and in refs that were caught cheating, they all said how incredibly easy it was to massage the game using fouls and slow-down techniques. Even announcers and press are calling them out for blatant game fixing, with some pretty huge foul ratios taking place in last year's playoffs. The NHL is not far back and it's amusing how often the games fall into the house's betting odds - I've often told Toronto Maple Leaf fans if they want to win a Stanley Cup, pour all the massive TO betting money on the opponent (it's win-win). But they never do and the team always seem to lose after being up 3-0 or 3-1. Amazing.

In baseball, most of the key action is easily viewable to those watching in the park and at home on TV, and there are no ticky-tack fouls or penalties that an official can use to directly influence the game. The strike/ball counts can be manipulated to some extent, but no one can magically reverse a game-winning HR or force the teams to replay a base hit or miracle catch because of often-spurious calls like "Illegal Formation", "False Start" or "Offensive Holding" as they constantly do in the NFL during very key moments of close games.

99.9% of what happens on the baseball field is what shows up on the box score, and often it's 100% in many games. No other team sport can lay that claim, as the officials in American Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, etc are given a LOT more leeway to directly influence the game's outcome.

You’re right. It would suck for any sport to have an unfair landscape as it pertains to the teams and product on the field.

That’s why all the big US leagues have a cap system in place! Oh wait.

(And yes my team highly unfairly benefits from it. Dodgers have minimum 90 wins every year since 2013, and have at least 80 wins every single year but 1 since 2000.)

Not sure baseball is the sport to take the lead on “parity and fairness”, but I absolutely agree that baseball provides the least amount of ambiguity concerning in game action, calls, and refereeing/umpiring.

 

[Vinman]

Not sure baseball is the sport to take the lead on “parity and fairness”)

It's not about parity and fairness, it's about the players on the field determining the outcome of the game.

And the salary cap in the NFL and NBA is a joke, as proven by the recent scandal with the Clippers paying Kawhi Leonard $28 million a year under the table in order to get him under contract. This happens all the time and the top players in "cap leagues" like the NBA or NFL have their salaries fraudulently inflated by billionaire owners, in order to get these star players to sign.

Every major league is inherently unfair, but at least with the MLB, I'm watching the players perform and win or lose games, not waiting for the officials to throw flags and blow whistles to determine who wins or loses, and to keep the majority of the games close to enhance advertising rates.

And I like the NFL game more, but under Goodell, the league is starting to resemble the WWE, with predetermined winners for "entertainment value only".

 

[BarrieJ3]

It's not about parity and fairness, it's about the players on the field determining the outcome of the game.

And the salary cap in the NFL and NBA is a joke, as the recent scandal with the Clippers paying Kawhi Leonard $28 million a year under the table in order to get him under contract. This happens all the time and the top players in "cap leagues" like the NBA or NFL have their salaries fraudulently inflated in order to get players to sign.

Every major league is inherently unfair, but at least with the MLB, I'm watching the players perform and win or lose games, not waiting for the officials to throw flags and blow whistles to determine who wins or loses.

And like the NFL game more, but under Goodell, the league is starting to resemble the WWE, with predetermined winners for "entertainment value only".

I do not disagree, the clippers are my team
Definitely gonna give the cubs a run for their money regarding “curses”.

What a shit show. And I loved ballmer (as an owner only). At the end of the day, the powers that be will always choose $ over all.

It's not about parity and fairness, it's about the players on the field determining the outcome of the game.

But cmon. I’ll give you out of the big 4+ MLB has the most obvious/easiest job umping/refereeing.

They also caught players, in playoffs, cheating on the field. Oh I’m sorry, players do that every single game, I’ll be more specific.

The trashbangers from Houston, caught, in playoffs, verified, and got a flick on the wrist punishment. I mean even today the leagues own players don’t trust the league provided balls.

I’m not arguing with you, I 100% agree with you. It is kinda fun to look at all the nonsense between all leagues though (I don’t know or understand hockey enough to know their situation/reffing/etc).

I don’t know if there’s any one commissioner I like, but I think they have ALL performed extremely poorly on the topic of “cheating”.

 

[BarrieJ3]

@Vinman from up north, fair to assume Jays fan?

 

[bergs]

Holy crap, what a long game. Both teams were ass. Outside of 2 players, both their lineups had 0-5 and 0-6 batters. Sorry, Mariners fans, but this is going to be the easiest path for the Blue Jays to the World Series.

You’re crazy. There was fantastic pitching throughout the entire game. But if you want my $20 against your $30 that the Mariners win the ALCS, I’m game.

 

[bergs]

Especially with Seattle emptying the clip with their pitching staff one day before the ALCS

Not much choice when you play 15 innings and it’s win or golf season.

 

[Vinman]

@Vinman from up north, fair to assume Jays fan?

Used to be back in the early days, up to the Carter/Alomar/Molitor/Olerud era (now that was a team) and before. But once the Jays won those two World Series, which were a long time coming, it was like a dam burst and I kinda let them go.

Carter's series winning 3-run home run is still extremely underappreciated by baseball fans at large, as it was the only walk-off, series winning HR that came with their team behind in the score in the bottom of the 9th inning. Now that's pressure compared to being at bat in the bottom of the 9th with the score tied, and your worst case scenario being extra innings.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

I stand corrected. Mariners actually scoring in droves for once.

 

[Saoliver]

I stand corrected. Mariners actually scoring in droves for once.

 

[Hot Nuts]

Maybe the strangest double play in baseball history.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1977903873193902242

 

[chippitydoodah]

The home plate umpire (6'3") is making every Brewer batter look like Altuve

 

[RocAFella1]

Maybe the strangest double play in baseball history.

Groundout

 

[Hot Nuts]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1370007275134931&set=a.597343679067965

 

[chippitydoodah]

Blake Snell is tossing a gem. Hes been there before but didnt have the confidence of his manager. Maybe if Kevin Cash didn’t pull Snell in the 6th inning of Game 6 vs the Dodgers in the 2020 World Series, Tampa might have gone on to win that game and maybe game 7. Instead, reliever Anderson gave up a double to Betts and the Dodgers went up 2-1 and would win the decisive game 3-1.