Why I don't watch baseball any more

[TheLegend]

I love baseball, don't get me wrong, anyone who is out there every week can see that. I have a fire for competition and baseball was my first love, I'll never stop playing. But major league baseball has gotten boring, real boring... really really boring.

Managers have gotten scared, and it's true of all sports that scared coaches make boring decisions. These days, and it hurts me to say it, baseball is the worst of the bunch.

Can someone please tell me what the hell happened to stealing bases? Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman and hell, even gimpy ass Jose Canseco made every pitch exciting, but do we see players like this today? No. Why? Because managers are scared. They don't want to lose a baserunner, they don't want to be blamed for a loss, and when you play conservatively and lose, it's a lot harder for the media to point fingers. Well fuck that, I'll point a finger... you guys are making the game suck!!!!! In the 10 seasons between 1980 and 1989 there were 20 players with 75 or more stolen bases. You wanna guess how many there have been in the 15 seasons since then? 3. 3! 3!!!!! And this is the era of the offensive catcher, which means that if anything, there should be more stolen bases than ever... but nooooooooo... arg!

OK... maybe it's just me, but the lead-off IBB IS NOT A STRATEGY!!!! That is the lamest, most boring practice in all of sports!!! Last year Barry Bonds had 15 more hits than IBB. 15.... Are you kidding me???? Barry Bonds recieve half as many IBBs last year as HANK ARRON (maybe you've heard of him, he's the All-time HR record holder) had in his entire 22 year career. He had 100 more walks than hits... 100... Quit being bitches!!!! Throw the man a pitch!!! Barry had twice as many IBBs last season as anyone else in history, and three times as many as anyone not named Barry Bonds!!! We want to see Barry Bonds hit the ball, we don't want to see him walk to first base...

ARG!

[retep]

I totaly agrre, and it reminds me of a sad call by the Dodgers:

I foget when (maybe May of last year) there was a great showdown between Barry Bonds and Eric Gange. The Giants were down by two or three runs in the bottom, of the ninth when Barry came to bat at Willie Mays Park (yes, I call it Willie Mays Park).

What a moment! The crowd was into it! after a ball, Gange threw Bonds a 101 MPH fastball--way faster than he normaly thouws it-- which Bonds PULLED foul into the bay! On the next pitch, Gange was even more pumped up, and threw a 102 MPH fastball this one, Bonds crushed into the water. What a show down. Even Tracy, the Dodgers manager, says that it was one of the most exciting moments that he'd ever experianced in baseball.

Down the strech, in September, a similar situation came up, but this time, Bonds had a chance to win the game, as there was a runner on first. Everyone was ready for a re-macth. Everyone, except Tracy. He gave Bonds the four-finger salute (it was quickly folowed by 40,000 Giants fans giving Tracy a one, slecet finger salute of their own. After the walk, our beloved Mike Krukow started yelling "Who's your MVP? Who's your MVP?" (aimed at claims that Beltre was a better MVP canidate than Bonds.

However, Football is far worse in my mind. They wanna act like it's the toughest sport around. Try rugby, bitches! No pads, and nearly no stopping. Durring a football gamel, I once saw an group of ads, followed by a kickoff, followed by more ads, then back at the game, a timeout was called, and they went to more ads. DAMN IT! Plus, all those penalties: sad. Plus that whole kneeling thing at the end of the game. They aught to ban that!

I'm done.

[TheLegend]

You're not really suggesting that baseball is more exciting (to watch) than football are you? That's insanity man!

[retep]

Yes, that is what I am saying!

[Baseball=Life]

I've had this debate ad nauseam on the internet before, but here's my 2 cents.

Baseball is way more exciting to me to watch than football.

I could explain why, but it's my subjective opinion, and your subjective opinion is just as valid as mine.

[Cuong]

Man I rather have a baseball game this week...I not even into the SuperBowl, because it's not my team, Raiders..To me I like watching basketball, it's a up and down game...

[Tayster]

Actually I think hockey was the most exciting sport to watch. It had continual coverage, since sometimes play doesn't stop for a while, and people getting smacked into boards

Only problem is it was hard to see where the puck was sometimes. Oh well. Either way hockey is dead for this year

[AntMoOAK]

C'mon ya'll... what can beat female tennis with all of the fast paced action and grunting... "UhynnnHH

[Southpaw Slim]

C'mon ya'll... what can beat female tennis with all of the fast paced action and grunting... "UhynnnHH

And Maria Sharapova, no less.

[Southpaw Slim]

However, Football is far worse in my mind. They wanna act like it's the toughest sport around. Try rugby, bitches! No pads, and nearly no stopping.

I agree. Any sport where you have to tape your ears down to keep them from getting ripped off of your head is pretty damned hardcore.

[retep]

thanks for the support! Yeah, i was in Korea when they had the world cup there, and man, i became such a huge soccer fan! Great sport!

[Southpaw Slim]

Yeah, i was in Korea when they had the world cup there, and man, i became such a huge soccer fan! Great sport!

Oh, man. I envy you so much right now. I stayed up until 5am many nights to watch the WHOLE THING! (Prelims, too!) It helped that I worked afternoons/evenings though. Damn Brazil. Ronaldinho is the most offensively ugly person in the entire world. And I had to watch his miracle kick against my team (England) surrounded by fucking Brazil fans at The Chieftain, no less! Good times.

[retep]

yeah, it was fun. No one in Korea understood soccer, but they didn't care!

[Southpaw Slim]

I mean look at that guy! That's a face not even a mother could love. And trust me, it's a flattering photo.

[gohlkus]

I agree, the biggest problems in MLB are the plodding offensive strategies (i.e. no risks taken whatsoever on the basepaths) and Barry Bonds.

Wait, did I say Barry Bonds? Yes, yes, I did. I wish people would pitch to him. I remember hearing that statistically it actually was more advantageous to do so. Also, there is very little in baseball that is more annoying than watching and listening to how Giants fans respond to things that happen on the field -- especially when Bonds gets walked intentionally. It is a gift -- smugly accept it. Don't fucking boo, idiots -- it's more likely if they pitch to him that he'll fly out to right than hit a homer. Get me to the fucking Coliseum, where any baseball-related conversation you overhear (and there are many) is refreshingly well-informed.

But I digress. I am not a fan of Barry Bonds because he's a roided-up disingenous jerk who is going to get in the record books dishonestly. By the time his career is over, he will have had an effect on the game approximated only by Pete Rose and, before him, the Black Sox of 1919.

This is becoming a rant, but if Selig reinstates Rose, I will have a bonfire with all of my MLB-licensed apparel.