The Crack of the Bat; The Opening of the Wallets: BASEBALL 2013!!!

WOW!  The Angels spring for $125,000,000.00 for 32 year-old Josh Hamilton only a year after signing the aging Pujols through his age 42 season (+ another $10 MM/year through age 52)!
 
Unlike St. Louis shedding tears over seeing their future Cardinal Hall-of-Famer fly away, the folks here in the Metroplex are, if anything, kind of relieved to see Josh go.  Yet, we pray for him and wish him nothing but the best.  This feature from the local paper kind of sums it up for us Ranger fans:  http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-rangers/headlines/20121130-10-reasons-why-rangers-should-be-glad-josh-hamilton-left.ece .

Opening of the wallet is right.  Yesterday I shelled out for a 10-game package of 2 tickets to Miller Park and while it's one of the more affordable MLB venues it still wasn't cheap, so hopefully the Brewers put a contender on the field next year.

I have a prediction for the coming baseball season:
 
THE CUBS LOSE IT ALL AGAIN!!!!
 
I have heard of a fire sale but come on, a 36 yo korean with 2 tommy john surgerys, and some of the other "Good Deals" they have gotten.
 
Old Harry is chugging a budweiser and rolling over in his grave

CajunKing


I have a prediction for the coming baseball season:

THE CUBS LOSE IT ALL AGAIN!!!!

I have heard of a fire sale but come on, a 36 yo korean with 2 tommy john surgerys, and some of the other "Good Deals" they have gotten.

Old Harry is chugging a budweiser and rolling over in his grave

Yeah, but you Northsiders have all those great restaurants.
 
Seriously though, what is your (former) "boy genius" of a GM thinking?  There might be something to that "goat curse".

About 70 days +/- until Spring Training.

I am looking forward to going to PNC park again this year.  Not because I'm a Pirates fan but because the stadium and view are so beautiful.  Hopefully it won't be as hot as the Pirates/Giants game we saw this year.  Temp was around 100.

Some of us still have teams vying for the NFL Championship.
 
See you back here after SB XLVII.

The Family and I hated to see Josh go but glad Nolan and Jon D didnt spend that much money on him. I hope some of our great minors work out because it seems we missed almost all the good free agents. I can focus on bball now that my sons football team lost in the quarter finals to go to state, but they were still one of the best 8 teams in the state of Texas and I'm proud of them. I will go watch our neighbor teams Daingerfield and Gilmer in Cowboy Stadium Friday as they play for a state championship. Hope to eat somewhere good that evening also. 

lleechef


I am looking forward to going to PNC park again this year.  Not because I'm a Pirates fan but because the stadium and view are so beautiful.  Hopefully it won't be as hot as the Pirates/Giants game we saw this year.  Temp was around 100.

Next time you are at PNC Park, as a favor to a fellow Titan and a scientific experiment, try a slice (or manage a bite) of this:  http://www.augustinespizza.com/ .  Tell me if it is as bad as I remember from my high school cafeteria.  Did you ever sample this New Castle "treat" in your college days?  Please don't hate me; it's all for science.

Texascajun


The Family and I hated to see Josh go but glad Nolan and Jon D didnt spend that much money on him. I hope some of our great minors work out because it seems we missed almost all the good free agents. I can focus on bball now that my sons football team lost in the quarter finals to go to state, but they were still one of the best 8 teams in the state of Texas and I'm proud of them. I will go watch our neighbor teams Daingerfield and Gilmer in Cowboy Stadium Friday as they play for a state championship. Hope to eat somewhere good that evening also. 

Try Babe's Chicken Dinner House in Arlington.  You can't go wrong there!  www.babeschicken.com
 

We will give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation, definately somewhere the kids will eat and enjoy also. thanks again.

Texascajun


We will give it a try. Thanks for the recommendation, definately somewhere the kids will eat and enjoy also. thanks again.

No problem. 
 
Southern Living named "Babe's" as having the best fried chicken in the South.  And Babe's has been all over the foodie shows on cable, including "The Best Thing I Ever Ate".  And, it has a great family atmosphere and reasonable prices. 
 
Enjoy!

JRPfeff


Some of us still have teams vying for the NFL Championship.

See you back here after SB XLVII.

 
You rooting for the Cardinals like me???

MetroplexJim

lleechef


I am looking forward to going to PNC park again this year.  Not because I'm a Pirates fan but because the stadium and view are so beautiful.  Hopefully it won't be as hot as the Pirates/Giants game we saw this year.  Temp was around 100.

Next time you are at PNC Park, as a favor to a fellow Titan and a scientific experiment, try a slice (or manage a bite) of this:  http://www.augustinespizza.com/ .  Tell me if it is as bad as I remember from my high school cafeteria.  Did you ever sample this New Castle "treat" in your college days?  Please don't hate me; it's all for science.

As I have never had Augustine's pizza I will surely engage in this scientific experiment next visit to PNC Park.

I'm pumped to see the Rangers this season.  Jon Daniels & Nolan Ryan did a great job of making room for Olt, Profar, and Martin by shedding Young, Napoli, & Hamilton - nearly $50MM in payroll had their aging bones been retained. 
 
After a great career, Young's offensive production hit the age wall; 67 RBI from a middle-of-the-order slot just doesn't get it.  Having Young, a wonderful "clubhouse influence" at DH, 3rd. or 1st. - all power positions - put the Rangers at an offensive disadvantage all year, especially after May when his production dropped off the cliff. 
 
Another "great guy", Napoli, was a 2011 flash-in-the-pan who resumed his mediocre career path in 2012. 
 
And I'm glad it's not the Rangers that will be paying $32 MM/year in 2016 and 2017 for a 36 year old Hamilton.  And starting now the Rangers will be able to celebrate with champagne, not ginger ale.  God Bless Josh, but his "fragility" had the whole organization constantly "walking on eggs". 
 
Olt will be an immediate improvement over Young and the ball flies off Leonys Martin's bat in a manner that reminds me of Junior or the young Willie Stargell when he first came up as a skinny kid.  The #1 prospect in MLB, Jurickson Profar, needs at least 2/3 of a season in AAA if for no other reason than the "loaded" Rangers really have no place for him.  And the bargain of the year could be Lance Berkman as DH.
 
Can't wait for the LA (Los Aging) plutocrats Angels on Opening Day!
 
Rangers and Nats in the 2013 WS.  You heard it here first!

Nats really deserved it last year.  I'm a Giants fan, although the Nats are my back-up team, since I'm a DC native.  But the Giants never dominated all season--they scraped by and strung together enough wins to keep playing.  It was a crazy year with a lot of torture.

have high hope for my Royals this year.

kennyb


have high hope for my Royals this year.

Their "young studs" underperformed last year; they will be much better this year.

love2bake


Nats really deserved it last year.  I'm a Giants fan, although the Nats are my back-up team, since I'm a DC native.  But the Giants never dominated all season--they scraped by and strung together enough wins to keep playing.  It was a crazy year with a lot of torture.

I'm not a DC native, but I did live (until 2005) in Arlington & McLean for 27 years and still keep a place there; so, the Nats are my NL team.
 
I knew Bryce Harper had the best talent package since Junior, but didn't know that he was so hyper-aggressive.  Wow!  I hope he keeps his bones intact.  Should he, I put the over/under on HR this season at 33.
 

Here's a hard question:
 
Harper or Trout.
 
You can only have one.
 
Which?
 
And, why?

MetroplexJim


I'm not a DC native, but I did live (until 2005) in Arlington & McLean for 27 years and still keep a place there; so, the Nats are my NL team.

I knew Bryce Harper had the best talent package since Junior, but didn't know that he was so hyper-aggressive.  Wow!  I hope he keeps his bones intact.  Should he, I put the over/under on HR this season at 33.

A full season (and post-) out of Strasburg would be great, too.

MetroplexJim


Here's a hard question:

Harper or Trout.

You can only have one.

Which?

And, why?

Based on last season I'll take Trout for his additional 50 BA points and 30 SBs (not to mention an absolutely sick 49/5 SB/CS ratio), and he also has slightly better defensive stats.
 
I don't recall reading or hearing anything about Trout having maturity issues, either.

At the beginning of this season Harper is starting to blossom into the dominant player he was projected to be with the rockets he hits with that short stroke now reaching the seats to all fields.  My only concern about him at this point is that he may play the game a little "too hard" and injure himself.  And, his maturity and attitude "issues" seem to have improved. 
 
Trout v. Harper is still a hard call; both the Nats and the Angels had better start greasing up their wallets!

And how about the start Chris Davis is off to with the Orioles?  This time last year I said to "watch" him hit 30 HR if he got substantial playing time; he hit 33.  This year I'm sure he will hit the warehouse with at least one of his 40+.  Nice pick-up, O's front office & scouting!
 
It made me sick that the Rangers gave him (and Tommy Hunter) away at the end of the 2011 season for that middle-aged, over- the-hill Japapese middle reliever, now long gone after being far less than even barely effective.