It's New! It's Improved! It's the Official Annual Off-Topic Baseball Thread!!

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

MLB said it will be the earliest start for a regularly scheduled Monday-to-Friday Series game since Game 5 between Baltimore and Pittsburgh in 1971, which was a day game.

I remember back in my youth (read, the good old days) listening to playoff games in elementary school by sneaking my transistor radio into class, hiding it in my desk, and using an ear piece to listen to the games!

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

More of pro sports catering to the bigger population on the East coast. They don't really care that most people out West aren't even off work by the scheduled first pitch, let alone have time to travel home.

I hope that two teams from the West end up in the WS.

Cry me a river, westie.

I suppose your solution would be to do what China does, and put the entire country on one time zone (Beijing time). The sun rises in Xinjiang province at 2:00 am.

Or maybe you'd say that on TV it's like that now.

[Adam]

Or they could cater their schedule to which teams are in, knowing the regions involved will drive their ratings.

[JugglingReferee]

Church misses 3rd.

Morning Juice: Impossible to spell 'Mets' without the 'e' - Big League Stew... - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | NYM@LAD: Dodgers' appeal bears fruit, keeps it tied - Video | mets.com: Multimedia

[JugglingReferee]

http://econtent.typepad.com/.a/6a00d...1234970c-450wi

[Welpe]

Well despite the fact the Giants are 9 games back behind the Dodgers (ugh), there is a bright spot in today's game. Tim Lincecum threw another gem, going 8 innings, striking out 8 batters and giving up no runs. He's 4-1 now, and I expect he will be nudging close to 20 wins this season.

This is assuming that Brian Wilson quits blowing save opportunities!

[JugglingReferee]

Just saw on SC that Zambrano tossed the PU.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Just saw on SC that Zambrano tossed the PU.

Great, does that mean I'm going to receive a few Ts this year from players?

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Great, does that mean I'm going to receive a few Ts this year from players?

Only if you stink the joint up.

[Nevadaref]

By T.J. Quinn
ESPN.com

A Lakeland, Fla., steroid bust brought national interest Wednesday as federal law enforcement officials and Major League Baseball investigators turned their attention to the case.

Richard Thomas of Lakeland, arrested Tuesday with his wife Sandra on 21 state charges of importing and possessing steroids and other controlled drugs, told police that he had provided drugs to numerous professional athletes, although he hasn't named them, Polk Co. Sheriff Grady Judd said.

"We asked him if he'd sold to major professional athletes, and his quote was, 'You name the sport, we've sold to them,'" Grady said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "He didn't name specifics, but he said he had dealt with [players for] the Washington Nationals and the Capitals."

However, two sources indicated that the steroids seized at the Thomas house aren't the variety typically used by athletes who are subject to regular drug testing. The steroids itemized in the arrest affidavits generally stay in the system for a relatively long period of time.

The raid was a joint effort between the Polk County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, after ICE officials in Philadelphia told Judd's department that a steroid shipment was expected at the Thomas' home.

Judd said MLB officials called his office Wednesday morning and offered their cooperation, but his office said they had not heard from the NHL or other leagues.

Judd said a cooperative Thomas proudly admitted that he was "the biggest steroid dealer in central Florida," and had received steroids from all over the world.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Tampa said no federal charges have been filed, but a law enforcement source said either that office or the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia is expected take over the investigation.

Sandra Thomas was released on $215,000 bond on Wednesday afternoon, while Richard Thomas remained in jail. An employee at Rico Bail Bonds in Lakeland said that Sandra Thomas quickly left the county jail after being released to avoid a crush of reporters and had not yet been to their office to fill out her required paperwork. Messages left at the Thomas' home had not been returned as of Wednesday evening.

A spokeswoman for Judd's office said ICE and sheriff's office detectives were combing through the Thomas' records and were compiling information that could include the names of any athletes to whom they might have provided steroids.

"The Washington Capitals have no knowledge of any aspect of this allegation," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. "Capitals players were subjected to no-notice testing three times in each of the past two seasons pursuant to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and there was no indication of any improper conduct or wrongdoing. Even though there are no specifics provided in the story and we have no reason, at this point, to believe the allegations are true, the National Hockey League takes all matters of this nature very seriously and will conduct a prompt investigation."

Judd said that investigators were expecting to find a small shipment when they raided the Thomas' home, but that detectives called him Tuesday night to say this was no ordinary bust.

"They said you need to come down here tonight," Grady said. "I went down there and there was every kind of steroid you could imagine."

Judd said he was stopped by a fellow member of the Rotary Club during lunch Wednesday, who told him that he had purchased steroids from Thomas 10 years earlier while in high school.

T. J. Quinn is an investigative reporter for ESPN. He can be reached at tjquinn31@yahoo.com. Mike Fish, an investigative reporter for ESPN.com, and Pierre LeBrun, who covers hockey for ESPN.com, also contributed to this report.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Only if you stink the joint up.

Well that part's a given....

[grunewar]

From the USATODAY:

Although the new Yankee Stadium has the identical dimensions as its predecessor, it has yielded 87 home runs, the most ever in a ballpark's first 23 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. There were 46 home runs hit through the same number of games last year at the old Yankee Stadium located across the street.

There have been nine games in which at least five home runs were hit. In three other games, teams have combined to hit seven or more. All told, the new stadium is on pace for 306 home runs, which would surpass the record 303 hit in 1999 at Coors Field in Denver. Last year, 160 home runs were hit at the old stadium.

Home run inflation at new Yankee Stadium pumps debate - USATODAY.com

[Adam]

Curious why that is with the homeruns at Yankee Stadium.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Curious why that is with the homeruns at Yankee Stadium.

1. Worse pitching

2. Despite what the experts claim and what is posted on the outfield wall, the players continue to state that the dimensions aren't the same. Right field in particular is said to be about eight or nine feet closer.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

1. Worse pitching

2. Despite what the experts claim and what is posted on the outfield wall, the players continue to state that the dimensions aren't the same. Right field in particular is said to be about eight or nine feet closer.

1 might explain an increase, but not to Coors Field proportions.
2 is likely the issue. I guess we'll need an independent surveryor to go in and determine it for sure, but hasn't the old stadium been torn down? Or we could just realize it doesn't really matter.