MLB 2025 SPRING TRAINING

[BobbyWhioux]

3 hours ago, RIPPA said:

First reported by the Athletic and since added to by other reports (including local Tampa ones) - Rob Manfred and some other owners are starting to pressure Rays owner Stu Sternberg to sell the team

MLB really really really really wants to keep the team in Florida but as recent events have shown, Sternberg is clearly looking to not make that happen

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/rays-owner-stu-sternberg-facing-pressure-to-sell-from-fellow-owners-commissioners-office.html

but not pressuring Fuck John Fisher at any point in the last 10 years of his intentional mismanagement.

I Hate These People.

Will hate them slightly less if this somehow (i.e. Joe Lacob) leads to The Oakland Rays (the late great Ray Fosse's silhouette can be the new logo) but they're still all hateworthy pieces of shit.

[RIPPA]

Art Schallock passed away last week at the age of 100

He was at the time of his passing the oldest living former MLB player

One of the things Schallock is most know for it - when traded from the Dodgers to the Yankees in the middle of the 1951 season, the Yanks sent Mickey Mantle down to the minors to make room for Schallock (Mantle was back up in less than a month later).

Schallock was also one of the last living MLB players to see combat in WWII (Not that there are many WWII vets alive period)

Per MLB - the title of oldest living former player now belongs to "Bill Greason, 100 (born Sept. 3, 1924), a former Negro Leagues pitcher who appeared in three games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954."

[RIPPA]

Bobby Witt Jr was hit by a pitch in today’s ST game 

He suffered a left forearm contusion but didn’t break his hand

No word on how much time he will miss (if any)

[RIPPA]

On 3/10/2025 at 3:04 PM, RIPPA said:

First reported by the Athletic and since added to by other reports (including local Tampa ones) - Rob Manfred and some other owners are starting to pressure Rays owner Stu Sternberg to sell the team

MLB really really really really wants to keep the team in Florida but as recent events have shown, Sternberg is clearly looking to not make that happen

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/rays-owner-stu-sternberg-facing-pressure-to-sell-from-fellow-owners-commissioners-office.html

Follow up - Sternberg announced today that the Rays are not moving forward with the new stadium

So either he decided to call MLB's bluff or he will be selling

[RIPPA]

Related to all that Rays stuff

Nashville has announced that if they get an expansion team - it will be known as the Nashville Stars

Complete with them partnering with New Era to have hats you can buy with their logo

Teaming up with MLB's ex-uniform company and already selling merch while trying to get MLB approval is a bold strategy

[BobbyWhioux]

a great grift to run if you already have inside knowledge you aren't getting a team.

[Travis Sheldon]

They forgot to mention that I will be the manager of the team.

Have not done any research about the group behind the push for Nashville's baseball team, but I'm wondering if original owner of the Nashville Sounds MiLB team, Larry Schmittou, is involved.

The Nashville South Stars were a minor league hockey team in Nashville in the early 80s and was founded by Schmittou. 

 

Edited March 13, 2025 by Travis Sheldon

[RIPPA]

He is not affiliated with this new push (outside of maybe spiritually)

I mean he is 85

[Hamhock]

5 hours ago, RIPPA said:

MLB's ex-uniform company

? New Era is still MLB’s cap maker…

[RIPPA]

The story I got it from miswrote it then

[RIPPA]

And yeah - we have reached the MLB vs Rays portion of this story

After the statement - Rob Manfred put out a statement that was basically "We are stubborn and there will be a team in Tampa"

To which Rays current ownership replied "We are not selling"

Meanwhile - Tampa's mayor said that the city will no longer work with the current ownership group

So all the dreams people have had about MLB expanded this century are probably dead

[RIPPA]

The White Sox released Joey Gallo

Gallo then claimed on Twitter that he is converting to pitcher 

No idea if he is being serious

[Tabe]

8 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

The White Sox released Joey Gallo

Gallo then claimed on Twitter that he is converting to pitcher 

No idea if he is being serious

Never forget - Joey got to 100 career homers before 100 career singles. 

[RIPPA]

For the record - Gallo is serious about converting

The White Sox confirmed that was part of the reason he asked for his release 

[RIPPA]

I am not gonna start the season thread yet just because there are two games ridiculously early

So with that said - Mookie Betts will miss both games of Tokyo Series due to illness

Nothing like having "flu like symptoms" prior to leaving for Japan, flying all the way over there and still not being able to play

From the hindsight is 20/20 department - Dave Roberts admitted that if they knew it would take Betts this long to recover, they wouldn't have had him make the trip

[Travis Sheldon]

3 hours ago, RIPPA said:

I am not gonna start the season thread yet just because there are two games ridiculously early

So with that said - Mookie Betts will miss both games of Tokyo Series due to illness

Nothing like having "flu like symptoms" prior to leaving for Japan, flying all the way over there and still not being able to play

From the hindsight is 20/20 department - Dave Roberts admitted that if they knew it would take Betts this long to recover, they wouldn't have had him make the trip

He needs to STFU, down a couple bottles of saki, eat some steak at Ribera, down some street sushi, get a massage, and play like a MAN.

[odessasteps]

Will Dave be giving the Japan Series games 6 stars because they are in the Tokyo Dome? 

[Travis Sheldon]

3 hours ago, odessasteps said:

Will Dave be giving the Japan Series games 6 stars because they are in the Tokyo Dome? 

Only if Sadaharu Oh reaches over the rail an puts Ohtani in the Katahajime for a submission.

[lostinube]

Multiple Pikachus on the field while the Tokyo Dome is blasting Kashmir in the background.

Players got introduced by walking between these video cubes that had their names and smoke.

Now Yoshiki of the band X Japan is playing the US National Anthem (no one is booing because Donald hasn't threatened to annex the islands yet).

I probably won't watch another baseball game until the postseason.

 

[RIPPA]

 

[Raziel]

On 3/17/2025 at 8:04 AM, RIPPA said:

For the record - Gallo is serious about converting

The White Sox confirmed that was part of the reason he asked for his release 

Well I guess when you can't hit, convert to a position where only one person on the planet can hit.

[Dolfan in NYC]

You know, when it's mid-August, and I've just been sitting in the sun for 2 hours, what better way to watch Aaron Judge strike out for the 3rd time that day with runners in scoring position than...

(I pity the cleaning crew that's going to have to get baked in marscapone cream off the chairs at the stadium.)

[Hamhock]

12 minutes ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

(I pity the cleaning crew that's going to have to get baked in marscapone cream off the chairs at the stadium.)

One breeze, and that cocoa powder is going to make the fans in home jerseys look like they've sharted themselves.

[Cobra Commander]

huge news for the local ant population

[Nice Guy Eddie]

3 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

You know, when it's mid-August, and I've just been sitting in the sun for 2 hours, what better way to watch Aaron Judge strike out for the 3rd time that day with runners in scoring position than...

(I pity the cleaning crew that's going to have to get baked in marscapone cream off the chairs at the stadium.)

You're mistaking regular season Aaron Judge for post-season Aaron Judge.