All Rise! The Honorable Aaron Judge presiding.
#62 and into the record books.
Wow!
Hoping he snags the Triple Crown.
4 Likes
Judge becomes King
1 Like
Wesneskiās first start was no fluke and the cubs have won 11 of their last 13!
Setting up false hope for next yearā¦?
1 Like
Donāt think the Cubs are suddenly going to become contenders next year. But they are going to be substantially better. Iām encouraged by the young arms the Cubs have been evaluating. At least three legitimate starters, and Wesneski is one. What really has me excited is the prospect, after years of impatient waiting, that Iāll finally become a season ticket holder. Partnering with another fan for a great box seat in the 100s section. Not some nosebleed upper deck seat. Watching this new core grow up next year as a season ticket holder ā¦ life is sweet.
3 Likes
Right with ya brother !!
1 Like
Iām a NL and Giants fan but am good ignoring the jacked up Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa triplets and calling Mr Judge the single season record owner. Hank Aaron is still the home run king in my record book.
2 Likes
Iām with you on this
You are ABSOLUTELY correct !!
The jacked up trio CHEATEDā¦
With all the different baseball eras - I think each is unique. Impressive to me is Judge having 60 by game 154. To me though - Ruth will always be the king. The reason is simple. Look at the era. When you have a guy hitting more home runs than any other team in baseball - that is just remarkable. Did any player ever do that ?
1 Like
All fair points. Each era has its giants, some whoās accomplishments transcend eras. Thereās an era Iāll choose to ignore.
Some food for thought - not meant to be too controversial:
I am more disturbed by the recent bent to try and āimproveā the game. The meddling to try and get more fans or appeal to a younger crowd (or whatever), takes more away from the essence of baseball than the PED days, IMO.
I am in no way condoning straight up cheating. However, at least the summer of Sosa and McGwire did not involve a bunch of walk off two-run dingers in extra innings, courtesy of starting with a man on second.
Given the value of the ball clubs and the market-bearing salaries of the players, the game seems healthy enough to me. 
(And donāt get me started talking about adding the DH to the NLā¦ 
)
PS
If you donāt like the shift, start bunting in the opposite direction and learn to shoot the ball to center and āoppoā. The statistical advantages will start to wane and the game will āfixā itself. My $0.10 (accounting for about 8% inflation)ā¦
1 Like
I am super annoyed with some of the rule changes for 2023. Want to take a dive into the absurd, here is the new pitcher timer rule:
- The pitcher must begin his motion to deliver the pitch before the expiration of the pitch timer.
- Pitchers who violate the timer are charged with an automatic ball. Batters who violate the timer are charged with an automatic strike.
- Batters must be in the box and alert to the pitcher by the 8-second mark or else be charged with an automatic strike.
- With runners on base, the timer resets if the pitcher attempts a pickoff or steps off the rubber.
- Pitchers are limited to two disengagements (pickoff attempts or step-offs) per plate appearance. However, this limit is reset if a runner or runners advance during the plate appearance.
- If a third pickoff attempt is made, the runner automatically advances one base if the pickoff attempt is not successful.
- Mound visits, injury timeouts and offensive team timeouts do not count as a disengagement.
- If a team has used up all five of its allotted mound visits prior to the ninth inning, that team will receive an additional mound visit in the ninth inning. This effectively serves as an additional disengagement.
- Umpires may provide extra time if warranted by special circumstances. (So if, as an example, a catcher were to be thrown out on the bases to end the previous half-inning and needed additional time to put on his catching gear, the umpire could allow it.)
Got all that, baseball fans? 2023 is going to be spent arguing over whether it was 8 versus 8.5 seconds, balls and strikes are going to be ācalledā without a pitch being thrown, blah, blah, blah. All this to shave maybe 5 or 10 minutes off overall game time to placate 5 minute attention span āfansā. Who canāt find an occasional few hours in their schedules to not obsess about the daily pressures they complain they need a break from. Seriously?
2 Likes
Absolutely, terrible ideaā¦more than annoyingā¦
2 Likes
Sorry guys, I support almost all the changes. Pitch clock might just save baseball. Games need to last no more the 2 1/2 hours on average. Critical to the health of the game. 3 hour plus games are ridiculous. I want to go to a weekday game and have a reasonable chance to be in bed by 11:00 (I live 30 minutes from White Sox Park door-to-door). The pitch clock worked in the minors. Keep in mind, hockey went through major changes eliminating many offside rules. The game is faster and better for it.
Well, not surprisingly, I respectfully disagree.
What part of baseball must be saved? I get the complaints about the game being too long but has attendance and box office suffered due to longer games?
And, how much longer, exactly are games as compared to the āgood old daysā? (And, when were the good old days, exactly/how long should a game be, ideally?). I am not sure meeting your preferred bedtime should be the reason for making such changes. (No hostility here - just joshing you.)
All that said, I am a bit of a pragmatist (if not arguably hypocritical) ā because I support minimizing the number of mound visits and pitching changes in an inning. All this minutia-like micro-managing with timers and complicated schemes is what will ākillā baseball, in my mind.
If you want to watch and attend a sporting match that starts and ends on a schedule (TV timeouts aside), there are plenty of professional sports that run with a game clock. Baseball need not be one of 'em.
Finally, Baseball is not comparable to Hockey or Basketball and does not need to played at pace to be enjoyable. I would argue that all of the inactivity is what makes baseball, baseball (or at least makes it unique).
Screed over.
A coupe of quotes aligning with my sentiment:
āFor all its gentility, its almost leisurely pace, baseball is violence under wraps.ā
ā Willie Mays.
āSince baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young.ā
ā Roger Angell
Appreciate you @amsco15 - even though you are a āSouth Siderā. 
2 Likes
Hey, @amsco15. I just thought of something we probably certainly agree on.
Letās start these stinking ānight gamesā games earlier so we can have our cake and (sleep too)ā¦
Cheers.
Mark Buehrle games will always be my standard for a well paced baseball game.
3 Likes
I am a fan of any pitcher that has great command of the strike zone and does not let his fielders get off of their toes.
2 Likes
Love it. The ultimate pace of game strategy.
Now if my Cubbies can just develop a starting rotation of all aces ā¦ 
This time wasting nonsense by hitters and pitchers for the sake of the TV cameras should have been stopped as far back as Garciapara with his glove routine. Speed the game up to the pace of Buehrle and Greg Maddox and more people will watch.