Pitchers And Catchers Report

[WillPower]

Those magic words signaling the end of another snowy winter, warm the hearts of MLB fans once again. The beginning of Spring Training is upon us, pitchers playing soft-toss, position players stretching their legs and arms, coaches scurrying around telling the kids to take it easy and veterans...well, you can't tell them anything.....they've learned that they know what works for them and with guaranteed contracts they can tell a coach to keep walkin. Catcher's mitts popping, the batting cages rolled into position, ash bats hitting cowhide covered baseballs, juiced like a golf ball because the fans like the BIG FLIES, It all starts today with position players filtering in before Monday's deadline for them. And then there's the fans who make it all possible following a game they played as kids, wondering how some of the men playing a kid's game can make so much money at it. Hanging on the fences, getting autographs, happily star-struck seeing the guys they cheer for and boo up close and relaxed in the Florida sunshine. The game is a metaphor of life, close calls, bad calls, shoulda, woulda, coulda...the walkoff, the game-ending called-STEEEERIKE THREE!....Every team has a chance to win it all this time of year before reality sets in with the June Swoon. The Boys of Summer are back.

 

[WillPower]

So with the first cuts made, the Verlander trade of two years ago still stinks to high heaven. The "prospects" we got in return from Houston, Franklin Perez (mysterious arm pain DL for two years), Daz Cameron (bombed at AAA, sent down again) and catcher Jake Rogers (a brief and disastrous stint with the Tigers last year) also sent packing to Toledo. All three are still in their early twenties and may just need to percolate a little longer to find a path to the Show. Rogers is thought to be an excellent defensive catcher who needed to lose his leg kick to smooth out his swing-path to the ball. Cameron has excellent speed and athleticism and may be a late-bloomer like his daddy was. Perez showed the brass the reason why they wanted him by throwing hard so far this Spring. He will be kept in Florida A-ball until the weather warms up and hopefully he can be sent to AA Erie and later to Toledo when the other young guns are called up to see who's who for next year and beyond. The Toledo starting staff will feature Mize, Manning, Skubal, and Faedo, all four probably better than the slugs the Tigers will open the season with. BTW, Verlander just went on the DL with the same kind of lat strain that sidelined him in the 2015 season.

 

[22lcidw]

If stadiums are affected by the virus, our politicians need to change the cable TV industry rules to offer the customers choices on basic cable. Let people who watch sports, pay for it.

 

[WillPower]

If stadiums are affected by the virus, our politicians need to change the cable TV industry rules to offer the customers choices on basic cable. Let people who watch sports, pay for it.

I watch the "single team" package on MLB.com...the Tigers of course...all 162 games for around $90...can't beat that!

 

[Unkotare]

Those magic words signaling the end of another snowy winter, warm the hearts of MLB fans once again. The beginning of Spring Training is upon us, pitchers playing soft-toss, position players stretching their legs and arms, coaches scurrying around telling the kids to take it easy and veterans...well, you can't tell them anything.....they've learned that they know what works for them and with guaranteed contracts they can tell a coach to keep walkin. Catcher's mitts popping, the batting cages rolled into position, ash bats hitting cowhide covered baseballs, juiced like a golf ball because the fans like the BIG FLIES, It all starts today with position players filtering in before Monday's deadline for them. And then there's the fans who make it all possible following a game they played as kids, wondering how some of the men playing a kid's game can make so much money at it. Hanging on the fences, getting autographs, happily star-struck seeing the guys they cheer for and boo up close and relaxed in the Florida sunshine. The game is a metaphor of life, close calls, bad calls, shoulda, woulda, coulda...the walkoff, the game-ending called-STEEEERIKE THREE!....Every team has a chance to win it all this time of year before reality sets in with the June Swoon. The Boys of Summer are back.

Yeah, maybe not.

 

[WillPower]

Yeah, maybe not.

Scat, creep.

 

[Unkotare]

Yeah, maybe not.

Scat, creep.

Are they playing or not?