Jeff Agrest wrote today the Cubs are launching direct-to-consumer Marquee after the all-star break. Crane Kenney wouldn't talk price but at the end of the article.

The Red Sox’ service costs $29.99 per month and $329.99 per year. The Yankees’ costs $24.99 per month and $239.99 annually. MLB’s service for the Padres costs $19.99 per month.

Or, vpn the T-Mobile free MLB app sounds better.

Biggest issue is when they do not call out guys for piss poor at bats or half ass effort defensively.

Anyone that played little league back in the day would hear your coach tell to shorten up and make contact with a guy on third and less than two outs, a strike out was an abject failure that let the team down, but you regularly see even the middle infielders swinging for the fence and striking out and leaving a guy on third.

The other one that kills me is when guys like Sosa would miss the cut off guy trying to throw guys out at the plate when he had no chance which allowed the runner on second or third to take an easy base as the ball sailed over the cut off guys head and the catcher would have to wait for the ball.

Pitching is also maddening, the crow on and on about velocity and spin rates as you watch a guy miss his spots over and over which should be an indicator to the hitter to as my little league coach would say, "make him throw a strike", but then you have the hitters waiving and missing at eye high fastballs.

All of this insults the baseball sensibilities of anyone that grew up playing baseball with his buddies of even playing catch with his brothers or sisters in the backyard.

The only person I really enjoy watching games with is my baby brother who pitched in high school, we drive our wives crazy because we are yakking away about pitch selection and game strategy throughout the game.

You might've put a bullet in your TV if you watched the Red Sox 9th last night.

Baseball may have actually devolved as many of the advances in..."nutrition" or "training", have created a world where everyone feels they can chemically alter themselves into a 30 homerun a year guy or a power pitcher.

The thing that used to be interesting about baseball was that was size proof, and it all came down to having the god given ability to put a round bat on a round ball, guys that had the ability to hit or were blessed with the genetic ability to throw the ball harder than everyone else could succeed in baseball.

It was of course a game within a game, pitcher trying to outsmart the hitter, managers trying to outmaneuver the other guy by moving runners, using guys that could put the ball in play, all that went away and the game has devolved into home run or strikeout which creates a ton of down time as guys waive and miss at high cheese and slowly trod back toward the dugout.

Can you still fine guys for being stupid like back in the day? Today, Robert stood at home plate and watched a HR that hit the top of the wall and bounced into the stands. Two inches away from a single.

Boston's first baseman cut off a ball to home and had Benintendi caught between 2nd and 3rd. Instead of doing what is supposed to be taught in little league, he shit the bed and threw it to 2nd and allowed the runner to get to 3rd easily.

Burger made a nice stop on a ball down the line and instead of just eating it and and being happy saving a double, he threw a rainbow over to 1st that had 0.00% of getting the runner, thus allowing the runner from first to get to 3rd. He looked like a guy extremely proud of himself. I'd bet a thousand dollars he had no idea he made a mistake.

This stuff happens every game. Not just the White Sox, the Red Sox proved this series why they are not contenders either. They are also a bunch of boneheads. The walk off sat night was unearned. A booted ball, a stolen base, and a walk, all after after two outs.

I'm tired of bad baseball, bad managing, entitled players who don't hustle and don't know shit about the game. And yes, I'm tired of announcers not calling the abortion that is in front of them.

I told somebody today this is the worst team I've ever seen. They're the worst because they shouldn't be anywhere near how bad they are. You can actually feel the dumb coming off of them and they have no awareness about it.

Was talking to a guy this weekend about baseball and the fact that the game is in decline and that teams like the 80's Cardinals that relied on speed and put pressure on the defense would have a field day today because you rarely see teams play that style of team baseball where you are constantly forcing the other team to make plays by putting the ball in play and stealing bases.

Guys like Vince Coleman would be unstoppable, can you imagine the piss poor catchers and corner infielders trying to stop that type of running game? The Sox play incredibly infield defense, especially with Anderson at short, it would be like the playoff games against the Astros where they just get embarrassed by a team playing basic team baseball while the bat flippers waive and miss at decent pitching.

Really can only stand to watch and inning or two of baseball and have gone from being a die hard Cubs fan to not paying attention..

I suspect- and maybe Dennis can weigh in here- that there is just an extreme focus on hitting in Little League and particularly in elite travel ball.

And, at least in the U.S., kids simply don't play games on their own. Everything is managed and controlled by adults. Nobody is in the park playing 500 or Running Bases.

I was never a good ballplayer and never played beyond about 13 years of age, but I'm guessing I caught more flyballs in my life than quite a few big league outfielders of today.

Finally, I can't really remember a player improving defensively or fundamentally at the Major League level. I'm sure a few guys have, but it's obviously rare. Once a guy is in the big leagues, he's pretty much a finished product in those areas.

How do you even tell some cocky young motherfucker who is making $5 million a year to get out of the box and run? And if you do, some asshole like dan bernstein will call you an Old White Man™ and accuse you of stealing the joy from a Person of Color.

_________________
His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

Remember kangaroo court? Used to be called out by your peers for being a bonehead.

I find it ironic one of the few guys on the White Sox who gets it, is the #1 guy on the trading block. I understand you don't build around guys like Giolito, but goddam, guys like that, that care, that think, that look for an edge, it hurts me and embarrasses me to know no one appreciates it.

I think the inventor of kangaroo court was an old white man Tony LaRussa. Nowadays he would but bitched at about taking money a player sends back home. Or to buy another necklace.

_________________

Critical Race Theory started as a legal concept

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'm imagining a large game of 500 for all board members...it would start out all well and good, the devolve into madness...and running bases (which, some weirdo's called Pickle")?...good Lord, a bunch of older men running back and forth in a straight line...it would look like Gettysburg by the end

It would be a fun day at the park...we could ride our bikes...but I have to go home when the street lights start coming on, which is stupid because I'm a grown man

I think that Elvis is one of those guys who gets it. But you are correct about there being many less guys now than ever I think it is the huge guaranteed contracts which is doing it. I look at Moncada especially that got the huge money and pretty much has said fuck it as far as wanting to work to get in shape and in getting better.

_________________
An Ode to the Texas man who shot an Antifa terrorist:

Oh, he might have went on livin'
But he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the Ranger
With the big iron on his hip

Giolito is a head case and seems to wilt when a borderline strike call doesn't go his way, or there is an error/misplay behind him. Given the Sox defense, the latter happens often.

Agree that he is a redass and definitely cares and wants to win, but you can't give a guy like Giolito $25mil a year.

_________________

I said you don't build around a #3 starter. Yeah, he's had a couple flaws, mostly the finger pointing, and not to make excuses as I'm about to make one, it's a pitcher's mentality(hello, Max Scherzer), much like wide receivers in football. And I haven't seen any of what you refer to this year. Fuck the success he's had this year, he seems pretty locked in mentally. But you know, he should be. He's 28 with 1000 innings under his belt. Maybe saying he's unappreciated is too strong since guys like him should be the rule and not the exception. The rule is 27 yr old Kopech with 300 innings and still being babied like he's fucking 22.

Have you been watching the College World Series? The stud pitchers are going eight innings and throwing 120 pitches. They'll get drafted and next year they suddenly won't be able to go more than 5 innings or 100 pitches.

I get that the MLB season is long and teams want to protect their expensive investments, but in most cases it doesn't seem to be leading to success. You have starting pitchers looking at the dugout when they hit 100 pitches. "Take me out, Coach." Then it's reliever roulette for 3-4 innings.

_________________
His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

You mean that sweatshop back behind the outfield fence?

Here are Gio's MLB rankings

Wins; 43rd
ERA ; 26th
Innings; 22nd
WHIP; 34th
Opponents avg; 35th
Strikeouts; 23rd (he only has 5 more K's than Kopech)

29 walks which isn't too bad. In terms of BB allowed, that top 1/3 in the AL

These are pretty pedestrian numbers when compared to other starting pitchers in the league.

Giolito is 58-52 in his career with a 4.24 ERA. I don't think he's underappreciated. Those aren't bad numbers, but they aren't overwhelming either. Lucas has 157 starts for the White Sox. Freddy Garcia had 119 starts for the Sox, with a 4.33 ERA. He was 55-31 as a Sox starter. There is your true mentally tough guy. Get Freddy lathered up and watch him drip sweat and post quality start after quality start. Lucas isn't that guy.

Lucas Giolito is Gavin Floyd with facial hair. You see the stuff and great starts every so often and think, "This guy is gonna be an ace." Then he takes the bump 5 days later you and realize he is never going to be a legit #2, let alone a #1 or a true ace.

And I've said before that Giolito has been my favorite pitcher on the Sox pretty much since they acquired him.

_________________

Frank Robinson is why we need CRT taught in schools.

_________________
Nas: Blago, who has single handedly destroyed CFMB?

Blago: https://youtube.com/shorts/Lftdxd-YXt8?feature=share

"You can’t love your country only when you win." -President Biden

https://youtu.be/R6e4ruziZBI?si=1G4W1vbh0eGQuHfU

22nd in innings is very successful. 13th in ERA for qualified starters according to fangraphs. Successful. Comparing Giolito with pitchers 20 years ago is kinda making my point for me. My point is there's a dearth of throwers compared to pitchers these days. I don't know where you see all this "stuff" from Giolito. He has #3 stuff, at best.
https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx? ... &sort=17,a

Amongst starting pitchers who could be available over the next 30 days, how does he rank and what is the likely return for him if he maintains his current numbers?

They’re probably going to wave goodbye to him at the deadline or in free agency, but as soon as they do, they're going to be looking for someone exactly like him. However, rather than just signing him, they're going to sign the next Matt Latos, Johnny Cueto, or Mike Clevinger and hope he works out.

Yep, they will need to probably find 2 starters that are similar to Giolito. I don't see Giolito resigning without testing free agency and we know the White Sox are not likely to be the highest bidder so it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he'll be gone after the season and the Sox will sign bottom of the rotation types who they think have upside.

Suns offering fans free television antennas for local viewing

Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
Sep 14, 2023, 08:18 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns are giving fans free television antennas to help them watch the team's games, which largely will be shown locally on over-the-air stations starting this season.

Last spring, new team owner Mat Ishbia decided to walk away from talks to extend the team's TV rights deal with Bally Sports and make the games available on local broadcast stations across Arizona owned by Gray Television. The team also is partnering with Kiswe to offer a streaming option for games.