MLB Thread 2015

johnnydawg68 · November 2, 2015

ilikecheese said:
@johnnydawg68 congrats mate.

Hopefully this refills your joy tank.

Made up for KC...would be like Everton winning the title (in terms of money).

Garrick said:
@johnnydawg68 BREATHE

Had difficulty breathing at times last night to be honest. It does feel like Everton winning the title.

Is it unmanly to admit I cried a bit last night? It's been such a tough year personally. Of all the teams I've every rooted for, this year's Royals are my favorite. Not just because they are my team and we won, but they are so damned likable. They play the game right. With passion, joy, and abandon.

johnnydawg68 · November 2, 2015

This is a re-post of something I wrote last night on Facebook.

Went to my first Royals game at the age of 5. 1974. 1976 I watched Chris Chambliss hit a walk off home run to beat the Royals in game 5 of the ALCS. I bawled my eyes out. That was the first time I realized life wasn't fair. The next year the Royals blew a lead in the 9th in game 5 again...again the the Yankees...the next year they lost in the Playoffs again to the Yankees. Two years later we finally beat the Yankees..only to lose to the Phillies in the World Series. In 1985 we finally won...improbably. Little did I know that was the beginning of the end of the great Royals teams. I've endured 30 years of mostly losing baseball since then...some of it ridiculously bad. Last year felt like a gift but to come so close and not know if I'd ever experience it again. To get back...again...and win...coming back so many times...this is why you care. This is it. This is why we do it.

johnnydawg68 · November 2, 2015

johnnydawg68 said:
This is a re-post of something I wrote last night on Facebook.

Went to my first Royals game at the age of 5. 1974. 1976 I watched Chris Chambliss hit a walk off home run to beat the Royals in game 5 of the ALCS. I bawled my eyes out. That was the first time I realized life wasn't fair. The next year the Royals blew a lead in the 9th in game 5 again...again the the Yankees...the next year they lost in the Playoffs again to the Yankees. Two years later we finally beat the Yankees..only to lose to the Phillies in the World Series. In 1985 we finally won...improbably. Little did I know that was the beginning of the end of the great Royals teams. I've endured 30 years of mostly losing baseball since then...some of it ridiculously bad. Last year felt like a gift but to come so close and not know if I'd ever experience it again. To get back...again...and win...coming back so many times...this is why you care. This is it. This is why we do it.

Sounds like Everton doesn't it?

johnnydawg68 · November 2, 2015

As some or most of you may know, my old man passed away this past March. I thought a lot about him last night. He didn't care about baseball, and he didn't care about KC sports (he was a football fan raised in Florida). But he took his sports obsessed 5 year old son to football and baseball games because he knew that's what Fathers do. He was with me for that first game in 1974, and he was with me last night, I know it.

BigDunc'sFod · November 2, 2015

I love Harvey but he put his ego over the needs of the team last night. He let the "this could be my last pitches in a world series" get to him and stayed in too long.

Familia, definitely not a "clutch" player as Americans would say. Need to be able to dig deep and show your quality when it matters, even after a mishap of your own doing. Essential in a closer.

Well done KC.

ilikecheese · November 2, 2015

johnnydawg68 said:
As some or most of you may know, my old man passed away this past March. I thought a lot about him last night. He didn't care about baseball, and he didn't care about KC sports (he was a football fan raised in Florida). But he took his sports obsessed 5 year old son to football and baseball games because he knew that's what Fathers do. He was with me for that first game in 1974, and he was with me last night, I know it.

I know it's been a tough year for you mate. That's what I meant about refilling your joy tank...at least a little.

Congrats again!

wm02 · November 2, 2015

Congratulations JD and all the Royals fans on here. You all were definitely the class of the baseball world this year and the WS win was well-deserved. I like watching the Royals play- there's something familiar there and I'm reminded more of the way baseball was played in my childhood.
As for my Mets, what a freaking year! This has been probably the most exciting, unexpected season since '86. In some ways, I'm reminded of going to see Doc Gooden at Shea in '85 with these young, electric arms. In the end, the Royals lineup and bullpen were just too strong but so many great memories along the way. The Murphy Home Runs, Cespedes moon shot, d'Arnaud hitting the Apple, the young pitching studs, and Familia coming on for the six-out save against the Dodgers. As it is the case for baseball, hope springs eternal in the human breast and who knows perhaps next year the Mets will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their last title just like the Royals did last night.

johnnydawg68 · November 2, 2015

wm02 said:
Congratulations JD and all the Royals fans on here. You all were definitely the class of the baseball world this year and the WS win was well-deserved. I like watching the Royals play- there's something familiar there and I'm reminded more of the way baseball was played in my childhood.
As for my Mets, what a freaking year! This has been probably the most exciting, unexpected season since '86. In some ways, I'm reminded of going to see Doc Gooden at Shea in '85 with these young, electric arms. In the end, the Royals lineup and bullpen were just too strong but so many great memories along the way. The Murphy Home Runs, Cespedes moon shot, d'Arnaud hitting the Apple, the young pitching studs, and Familia coming on for the six-out save against the Dodgers. As it is the case for baseball, hope springs eternal in the human breast and who knows perhaps next year the Mets will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their last title just like the Royals did last night.

A buddy of mine who is a Mets fan messaged me last night after the game and said congrats and since we were in the same situation asked me how long it's going to hurt. I had to break it to him that it will always hurt...until you win. But be proud. Great team, great season.

wm02 · November 2, 2015

johnnydawg68 said:
A buddy of mine who is a Mets fan messaged me last night after the game and said congrats and since we were in the same situation asked me how long it's going to hurt. I had to break it to him that it will always hurt...until you win. But be proud. Great team, great season.

To be honest, compared to the way we lost the World Series last time around this one doesn't hurt nearly as bad. Happy it's the Royals that won it. Didn't help that at the time I was dating a Yankees fan. She was fine about it but the needling I took from her parents and friends was outrageous.

wm02 · November 2, 2015

barneygumble said:
Reflecting on it, it's very difficult to take, ultimately, KCs bullpen dominated the game and sadly you knew on the two occasions it headed into extras, it was just a case of "when" and not "if". However the crushing thing to take is, without doubt the fact we led in every game, with games one and five almost mirroring each other in the fact that we couldn't close out the final 3 outs, which is just so upsetting.
I will definitely not take anything away from the Mets, I backed us at the start of the season to win it, I was laughed at, the pundits never gave us a chance, the Nats were "too good" apparently, we showed them all wrong, and I can't be prouder.
It's nice that Murphy and Colon got their citi farewell, because realistically, after the MurphMania euphoria of October, the fickleness of Mets fans should be overlooked and spend the money on retaining Cespedes.
Kansas however were worthy winners, their total baseball approach is not easy on the eye, but let's stop, congratulate them and the worthy winners won.

Here's to the 2015 New York Mets, National League champions, see you in April, now go find me a gun, I only have to watch the Jets for another 8 weeks lol

Aye. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Cespedes. I can make arguments either way just a little nervous about the amount he would require and the fact that he's played for so many teams in a short period of time. Jets, Mets and Everton...now that's not for the faint of heart!

Welton Toffee · November 2, 2015

Well done KC, deserved winners!

Enjoy keeping the trophy warm for the Jays next year...

wm02 · November 2, 2015

Welton Toffee said:
Well done KC, deserved winners!

Enjoy keeping the trophy warm for the Jays next year...

Will be interesting to see if they re-sign Price...if not, perhaps go for J. Zimmermann?

barneygumble · November 2, 2015

wm02 said:
Aye. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Cespedes. I can make arguments either way just a little nervous about the amount he would require and the fact that he's played for so many teams in a short period of time. Jets, Mets and Everton...now that's not for the faint of heart!

Throw in the Islanders (Score fan), and I guess you could call me the anti-glory hunter.

As for Cespedes, I still think he belongs to DH-hood. If we don't resign him, who do we keep sign? I will go in to the offseason in a pessemistic fashion, and dust off my passport next september for the meetings between Twins and Braves.... when we'll be pushing for 100 losses :lol:

wm02 · November 2, 2015

barneygumble said:
Throw in the Islanders (Score fan), and I guess you could call me the anti-glory hunter.

As for Cespedes, I still think he belongs to DH-hood. If we don't resign him, who do we keep sign? I will go in to the offseason in a pessemistic fashion, and dust off my passport next september for the meetings between Twins and Braves.... when we'll be pushing for 100 losses lol

The Mets, Jets, Isles combo was pretty much the standard where I grew up though there was some more crossover when it came to football. The Jets used to have their training camp at Hofstra on the Island which helped to boost the LI fanbase. I never really took to football so I didn't have to decide Jets or Giants. And now I live near DC so I claim no allegiance and can laugh at the Redskins.
The free agent class is really pitching-heavy so I'm not sure who's out there. If Cespedes isn't signed, it would probably take a trade (rather than an FA signing) to get a big bat in.

barneygumble · November 2, 2015

wm02 said:
The Mets, Jets, Isles combo was pretty much the standard where I grew up though there was some more crossover when it came to football. The Jets used to have their training camp at Hofstra on the Island which helped to boost the LI fanbase. I never really took to football so I didn't have to decide Jets or Giants. And now I live near DC so I claim no allegiance and can laugh at the Redskins.
The free agent class is really pitching-heavy so I'm not sure who's out there. If Cespedes isn't signed, it would probably take a trade (rather than an FA signing) to get a big bat in.

As a Yank, you clearly get far more coverage than we do over here, I reckon he could dip into the trade market, but which Pitchers go? You'd surely imagine that Harvey, deGrom and Syndergaard are safe, but are Matz and Wheeler? That's my main concern, that and get a diamond which doesn't do stupid things!

As for the Jets, I have a huge pennant in our house of the Inaugural game played by the Jets at Shea. It'd be rude to not support the Jets, however, you can definitely laugh at the Skins when we managed to beat them so easily :lol: