Red Sox/MLB 2023 Regular Season- IX: Former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield and his wife are both battling cancer

[EvilDead]

There's many things that could be said with regards to the Schilling angle of the leaking of Tim Wakefield's cancer diagnosis. I will only say two.

1. I wish nothing but the best for Tim Wakefield and his wife and hope they both survive fighting cancer together.

2. The fact that the press, outside of a select few, is more hyper focused about Schilling leaking it tells me all I need to know with regards to that aspect of it and where their priorities lie when it comes to reporting on this news.

That out of the way, I hope that Tim Wakefield can beat cancer once again.

Good article on ESPN today recapping the rule changes and how its affected the game. Personally, I think MLB nailed it with the rule changes.

Game time is down! Stolen bases are up! What we learned from Year 1 of MLB's rule changes

What we've heard from players about how much the new rules will impact the MLB playoffs.

www.espn.com

"Game time is down 24 minutes, while all the things that make baseball fun are up. With 97% of the season completed, batting average is up six points (.249) from 2022, batting average on balls in play is up seven points (.297) and on-base percentage is up eight points (.320). We also saw an increase in runs per game (from 8.6 last season to 9.3 in 2023) and stolen base attempts (1.4 to 1.8). On top of that, average attendance is up 9.15%, the biggest one-year increase across the league in 30 years, according to MLB."

The only thing that needs to go away is the ridiculous runner on second past the 9th inning.

 

[Johnnyduke]

The only thing that needs to go away is the ridiculous runner on second past the 9th inning.

I will never understand why this is deemed ridiculous. At least for regular season games. It's the same for every team. It's still baseball. It could even introduce a little more strategy on whether to try and play for that one run or look for a bigger inning. It's not the awful NHL shootout.

 

[McGarnagle]

I don't love the extra inning runner, feels cheap, but I get the purpose of it. Technically it does give everyone the same opportunity with a slight advantage to the home team. And it prevents those soul crushing and pitching staff-decimating 19 inning games a couple times a year. In the end it's not something I would've instituted but I'm also not going to bother complaining about its existence and call for its removal. You can just say if you don't like the extra inning rule, get the job done in 9 innings.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

I don't love the extra inning runner, feels cheap, but I get the purpose of it. Technically it does give everyone the same opportunity with a slight advantage to the home team. And it prevents those soul crushing and pitching staff-decimating 19 inning games a couple times a year. In the end it's not something I would've instituted but I'm also not going to bother complaining about its existence and call for its removal. You can just say if you don't like the extra inning rule, get the job done in 9 innings.

Modify it? Like hockey with 3v3 and then shootout.

1-12 innings - normal rules apply
13+ innings — man on 2nd
15+ innings — man on 3rd

 

[KrejciMVP]

Jays choking again

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Modify it? Like hockey with 3v3 and then shootout.

1-12 innings - normal rules apply
13+ innings — man on 2nd
15+ innings — man on 3rd

Yeah. Let’s take a simple rule of runner on second and make it more gimmicky

 

[McGarnagle]

Jays choking again

Unfortunately with the new playoff system there are no more tiebreaker games and they just go off of other tiebreaker measures like common record, etc., as it's incredibly likely we have a logjam in the AL wildcard and AL West. If everyone ends up tied, looks like the Jays are getting bounced. I just want Seattle to sweep Texas to make it.

 

[McGarnagle]

Mariners are out, Jays are in

 

[Johnnyduke]

Progress

 

[quietbruinfan]

Bloom made a terrible mess, and it is going to take two years to fix it at minimum. Even if they spend, this team needs help in all areas.

 

[EvilDead]

I don't love the extra inning runner, feels cheap, but I get the purpose of it. Technically it does give everyone the same opportunity with a slight advantage to the home team. And it prevents those soul crushing and pitching staff-decimating 19 inning games a couple times a year. In the end it's not something I would've instituted but I'm also not going to bother complaining about its existence and call for its removal. You can just say if you don't like the extra inning rule, get the job done in 9 innings.

Personally, I think MLB should adopt a 9 or 12 inning tie rule like in every other professional baseball league around the world. It works. It's not gimmicky. It keeps games short. It gives an air of legitimacy back to the results of the game. I want it.

Enough of the gimmicky nonsense from people who care not for the time honored traditions of the sport. If people want to watch something with gimmicks, go watch some mindless television like The Voice or The Masked Singer. I want to watch sports. I want a legitimate athletic competition between two teams. Not some goofy ass Takeshi's Castle looking crap in the middle of my sports.

 

[DKH]

Modify it? Like hockey with 3v3 and then shootout.

1-12 innings - normal rules apply
13+ innings — man on 2nd
15+ innings — man on 3rd

People stick around now with runner

 

[DKH]

Starting pitching as of now

Pivetta
Bello
Crawford
Houck
Sale

They need 2 guys

Bello looked flat last month
Sale is Sale
Houck I’d rather see 2 inning twice a week reliever guy instead of 4.1 every 5 or 6 days

Pivetta been very good - you want him 3-5

Crawford - give him 5 spot

I would build a 6-9 bullpen top notch and all my starters expect 5 and gravy after

 

[Johnnyduke]

Good luck telling American sports fans that instead of the ghost runner we're just gonna call it a tie. Just because other baseball leagues do it doesn't make it less gimmicky than a ghost runner. A gimmick would be having a home run derby to end the game.

The ghost runner is the equivalent to 3 on 3 NHL OT. Maybe it favors certain teams maybe it doesn't. For a 162 game season it's really nothing to get worked up about. Even a pitch clock is more gimmicky than the ghost runner. Maybe we can add a column to the standings for Extra Inning Losses and convert to a points system. 3 points for a 9 inning win. There's your incentive!

 

[RoccoF14]

I don't love the extra inning runner, feels cheap, but I get the purpose of it. Technically it does give everyone the same opportunity with a slight advantage to the home team. And it prevents those soul crushing and pitching staff-decimating 19 inning games a couple times a year. In the end it's not something I would've instituted but I'm also not going to bother complaining about its existence and call for its removal. You can just say if you don't like the extra inning rule, get the job done in 9 innings.

Agreed. Its better than bullpen crushing 14 inning games that nobody sticks around to watch in August, anyway.

I get the gimmicky part of it. But I can't find a better solution, so I'm good with it.

As for a points system allowing for ties......Worst idea ever.

 

[Chevalier du Clavier]

Alex Cora won’t be next Red Sox GM; ‘I’m not ready,’ he told ownership

Alex Cora has taken his name out of consideration to become the next GM of the Boston Red Sox. He will be part of the hiring process.

www.masslive.com

 

[Chevalier du Clavier]

Showalter won’t return to the Mets.

https://x.com/AnthonyDiComo/status/1708541431277596680?s=20

 

[Therick67]

I just read Tim Wakefield passed. RIP Tim and thank you.

 

[Alicat]

My heart is absolutely shattered right now

 

[BMC]

Tune into NESN right now folks.

Tim Wakefield has passed on. May he rest in peace.

This hurts. It hurts a lot.

 

[CDJ]

heartbreaking

RIP Wake

 

[jgatie]

 

[GahdenRinkRat]

Tune into NESN right now folks.

Tim Wakefield has passed on. May he rest in peace.

This hurts. It hurts a lot.

Heartbreaking, he did so much work in the community here and in Florida I’ll always remember him thinking he would get booed at Fenway after the loss to the Yankees in 2003, only to have glorious redemption in 2004. Godspeed to a good man

 

[Mione134]

Wtf. Not Wake!

Ugh. f*** f*** f***.

Absolutely heartbreaking.

Rest in Peace, Wake. We love you!

Prayers to his children and his wife. May she win her battle

 

[Walkenthewalk]

Come on, far too f***ing soon.