Who’s your 2018 back-up team?

[TommyPickles]

Braves.

[O's84]

Definitely the Braves, the Markakis connection.

[OFFNY]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

 

With the O’s hopelessly out of it, do you have a back-up team to root for the rest of the way? Not necessarily a team you’re passionate about, but just a “best of the rest” team?

For me, it’s undoubtedly Nick Markakis’ Atlanta Braves. I’d love to see Nick back in the postseason and would be thrilled to see him get a WS ring. And the rest of that team is fun to watch.  

 

o

 

The White Sox.

 

o

[OFFNY]

15 hours ago, Frobby said:

 

With the O’s hopelessly out of it, do you have a back-up team to root for the rest of the way? Not necessarily a team you’re passionate about, but just a “best of the rest” team?

For me, it’s undoubtedly Nick Markakis’ Atlanta Braves. I’d love to see Nick back in the postseason and would be thrilled to see him get a WS ring. And the rest of that team is fun to watch.  

 

 

 

16 minutes ago, OFFNY said:

o

 

The White Sox.

 

o

o

Patrick:   Your passports to a one-of-a-kind live experience are shipping shortly by US Mail.   GRANDSTAND )) (Section 406) Row ))ll)) 1 Seat )))) 17     New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox   Monday, August 27, 2018   Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY   o

[InsideCoroner]

I try to follow other clubs, but it’s not easy. Ever come out of a disastrous relationship, and you can’t stand the thought of being with anyone else for a while, to the point where even seeing other happy couples is just a painful reminder of what you can’t have? That’s me and other 2018 teams in a nutshell. 

Maybe the best way around that is to just throw myself headlong into following the Royals the rest of the year for some cathartic schadenfreude.

[foxfield]

13 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Yes, I was in medical school in Richmond when the AAA Braves had Bob Horner and Dale Murphy coming through...and living in swVA, the Turner TBS genius of an idea created an entire generation of Braves fans here in the Appalachian parts of VA, TN, NC, as well as SC and GA, obviously...some are Reds fans but way more are Braves fans.  

Interesting note....about Bob Horner.  He never played in Richmond. He was the number one draft pick in 1978 and went directly from college to the Braves.  New owner Ted Turner, had the number one overall pick nearly taken away because he had tampered with another teams player, but he agreed to a suspension instead and the Braves kept the pick.  

Anyway, Horner was the 1978 NL Rookie of the year and only played in 89 games.  Of course he led all NL 3B in HR's with 23.  In 1980, after getting off to a horrendous start...Ted Turner and Bobby tried to send him to the Braves AAA affiliate in Richmond.  Well, Horner refused and the standoff lasted 10 days with Horner on a paid vacation.  This was pretty big news in the day, and it was huge news at home in Richmond.  But Horner not only refused to be demoted to Richmond in 1980...but he never played a single day in the minors at all for his entire career.

During this time my Uncle was one of the local sportscasters so I was always afforded some pretty neat access during those times.  I got to meet Dusty Baker who spent some time in '69 and '70.  I had his autograph and one of his MLB bats with his name on it.  Of course being an 8 yr old kid, I hit the ball into the side of the house and used the bat to hit rocks up the driveway.  Oh, well.  Who cares about retail value.  I thought it was one of the coolest things ever.

[tntoriole]

6 minutes ago, foxfield said:

Interesting note....about Bob Horner.  He never played in Richmond. He was the number one draft pick in 1978 and went directly from college to the Braves.  New owner Ted Turner, had the number one overall pick nearly taken away because he had tampered with another teams player, but he agreed to a suspension instead and the Braves kept the pick.  

Anyway, Horner was the 1978 NL Rookie of the year and only played in 89 games.  Of course he led all NL 3B in HR's with 23.  In 1980, after getting off to a horrendous start...Ted Turner and Bobby tried to send him to the Braves AAA affiliate in Richmond.  Well, Horner refused and the standoff lasted 10 days with Horner on a paid vacation.  This was pretty big news in the day, and it was huge news at home in Richmond.  But Horner not only refused to be demoted to Richmond in 1980...but he never played a single day in the minors at all for his entire career.

During this time my Uncle was one of the local sportscasters so I was always afforded some pretty neat access during those times.  I got to meet Dusty Baker who spent some time in '69 and '70.  I had his autograph and one of his MLB bats with his name on it.  Of course being an 8 yr old kid, I hit the ball into the side of the house and used the bat to hit rocks up the driveway.  Oh, well.  Who cares about retail value.  I thought it was one of the coolest things ever.

You are absolutely right...it must have been the hullaballoo about Horner  i  recalled.  That is what happens when you get old...lol.  

[foxfield]

Murphy definitely passed through and there were some pretty good AAA teams in the day.  And of course it would have been  real close to you if you were at MCV.

[ScGO's]

On 7/6/2018 at 3:37 PM, Can_of_corn said:

Well gosh, I don't know how a professional ballplayer in a playoff game can be expected to hit without their teammates cheering them on.

I played ball till college.  I've seen clubhouses poisoned real quick when the going got tough and weak-minded players start point fingers and putting others down.

[ScGO's]

and they might be professional, but they're human

[Can_of_corn]

21 minutes ago, ScGO's said:

I played ball till college.  I've seen clubhouses poisoned real quick when the going got tough and weak-minded players start point fingers and putting others down.

Oh no, someone played the I played in college card!

Woe is me.

You sure made a huge jump from not cheering on teammates to pointing fingers and putting others down.

These guys are professionals who made it through the grind that is the minors.  I don't think there are an abundance of weak-minded guys that make it that far.

[ScGO's]

4 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Oh no, someone played the I played in college card!

Woe is me.

You sure made a huge jump from not cheering on teammates to pointing fingers and putting others down.

These guys are professionals who made it through the grind that is the minors.  I don't think there are an abundance of weak-minded guys that make it that far.

You know what.  Read this.  http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/060504

Then try to put yourself in the perspective of a major league dugout trying to deal with that during the most important game in the world.  Arizona State did not win the College World Series during the Barry Bonds  years because of Barry Bonds even when he set a CWS record for getting a hit in 7 consecutive at bats (again something he probably reminded everyone in the dugout about.  I worked with Romy Cucjen who is mentioned in the article (he runs a company called FungoMan that used to work with a showcase company I worked for) and I heard it from his mouth too.

These players don't play in a vacuum.  Their attitudes can get in the way of theirs and others performances.  For example.  In Game 6 of the Bonds WS, he blew a play in the 8th inning that ended up costing them the game.  Imagine dealing with Bonds for the rest of that game and game 7.

And some advice, be careful when you open your mouth when you are walking on unfamiliar turf.  

[ScGO's]

14 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Oh no, someone played the I played in college card!

And this.  Its mentioned to only bring attention the fact that I played in the archetype longer than most.  Definitely different talent levels, but the capacity for human fallibility, especially emotionally and mentally, is there.  These men are not divine.  They can get in the way of the performance of themselves and others. 

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, ScGO's said:

And this.  Its mentioned to only bring attention the fact that I played in the archetype longer than most.  Definitely different talent levels, but the capacity for human fallibility, especially emotionally and mentally, is there.  These men are not divine.  They can get in the way of the performance of themselves and others. 

And we don't see that in literally every other field of endeavor.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

Whoever plays the Yankees and Red Sox in the playoffs.