OT - Ohtani's 50/50

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by Xrslug

Another moment from the record-breaking Ohtani game that I thought was great and so old school baseball — when SO was up to bat with runners on second and third, when he was still at 49 homers, there was some question as to whether the Marlins would walk him: "F--- that," a television camera showed Marlins manager Skip Schumaker saying in his dugout. "I've got too much respect for this guy for that s--- to happen."

Love it!!!

[kiwisimon]

like any sport it's interesting but futile to compare eras as to who is the GOAT.

the game is not the same as it was 5 years ago let alone a hundred.

meanwhile in Japan less and less people are playing baseball.
trend is adults over 20 who have played baseball more than once a year (% of population)
blue (M) and red (F) are gender and yellow is total

maybe SO will spark interest but unlikely. Young people have more choice and soccer is still king among team sports.

[XXtwindad]

Part of the huge problem with baseball is that it bores many people. It’s the “Grand Old Pastime,” but it gets trounced by basketball and football ratings.

Part of that is the structure of the game. It is (was) way too long. To their credit, baseball execs made some great changes by introducing more athleticism. The other part of the problem might be more intractable. The stars today are boring in comparison to the stars of yesteryear. Where are the Rickeys, the Reggies, or the Roses? Love em or hate em, they had personality.

The Angels had two of the greatest players in history in Trout and Ohtani. And unequivocally, two of the most boring.

[trener1]

Agreed that Trout and Ohtani are super boring, but in general with Social media and cameras everywhere players in general have to be way more careful then they did even just 15 years ago let alone 50 years ago.

[benb]

Baseball has foundational issues way below the level of what is entertaining on TV. To a certain extent people aren't watching it cause their community/culture is less represented in it. Or they grew up playing soccer & basketball & football, so that's what they watch, and that's what they put their kids in, so that's what their kids want to watch.

It's become productized the same way as every other sport, it's become more expensive/elite and less people play it from childhood up in the US across a wide range of backgrounds.

- Equipment costs up right from the bottom
- Decimation of funding for public fields/programs
- Suburban player flight into expensive ($$$$) private club programs
- Less kids from diverse backgrounds play today, and it's been that way for a couple generations to the the point it's changed the pro game already.

MLB has had this push for a long time now to bring in players from outside the US partly because African American players disappeared and left a vacuum... MLB is now trying to help prop programs back up so they return.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Originally Posted by Xrslug

Another moment from the record-breaking Ohtani game that I thought was great and so old school baseball — when SO was up to bat with runners on second and third, when he was still at 49 homers, there was some question as to whether the Marlins would walk him: "F--- that," a television camera showed Marlins manager Skip Schumaker saying in his dugout. "I've got too much respect for this guy for that s--- to happen."

OK, after feeling a little old reading about some of the baseball greats, now I really feel old with the manager Skip Schumaker talk. I watched him play AAA with the Memphis Redbirds!

[Mike V]

Sorry I can’t get over the betting on games and then letting his interpreter take the fall.

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by Xrslug

One of his teammates wondered if that game in particular was the best offensive baseball performance ever, and said he had never seen anything like it going back to his time in Little League, let alone as a pro.

It was diminished slightly by the fact that he hit #51 against a position player (note again the class of Schumacher not letting that happen for #50, which would have put a taint on it). However, he still fell short of the MLB record for total bases, which is 19 (set by Shawn Green of the Dodgers in a 4 homer game; that's only bases from batting, SB don't count).

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

It will be interesting to see if the Dodgers continue to utilize him as a two-way player.

There's no question. They paid him because of his ability to do both and there's a decent probability he'll be able to pitch in the playoffs, which opens up interesting questions on how best to do so. He'll be in the starting rotation next year.

Originally Posted by Mike V

Sorry I can’t get over the betting on games and then letting his interpreter take the fall.

I don't think you read the whole story.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Mike V

Sorry I can’t get over the betting on games and then letting his interpreter take the fall.

You and most sponsors and potential sponsors. My guess is he's really hurting, financially, considering what he's lost in that gambling thing, and what he's accomplished and will soon. It's like A rod getting that Yankees contract, the Steinbrenners thinking they were investing in the guy who would beat Bonds, and then he flopped belly up in the water as another roid user.

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

My guess is he's really hurting, financially, considering what he's lost in that gambling thing, and what he's accomplished and will soon.

So glad I wasn't drinking when I read this, would have been the mother of all spit-takes. Yeah, $700M contract, he's really hurting.
Edit: you're right, a painful $100M annually.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

So glad I wasn't drinking when I read this, would have been the mother of all spit-takes. Yeah, $700M contract, he's really hurting.
Edit: you're right, a painful $100M annually.

Well, he was dumb and naive enough to allow a really big chunk of that to be gambled into a bonfire by his interpreter. They say. Wink wink. Athletes are known to take those contracts and just do really stupid stuff with those sums and turn up bankrupt five to ten years after the glory days end, and, trust me, they will end for him sooner than he thinks. (I'm keeping an eye on that Miami running back they dragged out of his MacClaren a week ago. Smart investment, that car, and stupid attitude) Hopefully he has income prospects in Japan, because he can't even speak English. Speaking of Arod, he's kinda dumb, but, he figured out how to stretch Yankee money to his end days, and somehow he got a broadcasting gig. The latter ain't happening for this guy.

[trener1]

Ughh he signed a $700 million contract, I'm not sure he needs any income opportunities in Japan.
A-Rod seems to be doing just fine as well, As is "that running back" that happens to have a name and isn't even a running back.

[Xrslug]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

[…] Hopefully he has income prospects in Japan, because he can't even speak English. […].

Ohtani can speak English.

[Mr. Pink]

So, why the interpreter?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

Well, he was dumb and naive enough to allow a really big chunk of that to be gambled into a bonfire by his interpreter. They say. Wink wink. Athletes are known to take those contracts and just do really stupid stuff with those sums and turn up bankrupt five to ten years after the glory days end, and, trust me, they will end for him sooner than he thinks. (I'm keeping an eye on that Miami running back they dragged out of his MacClaren a week ago. Smart investment, that car, and stupid attitude) Hopefully he has income prospects in Japan, because he can't even speak English. Speaking of Arod, he's kinda dumb, but, he figured out how to stretch Yankee money to his end days, and somehow he got a broadcasting gig. The latter ain't happening for this guy.

Way to ruin a thread.