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The Minor League Sports Bullshit and Miscellania thread

King Kamala

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The Portland Sea Dogs are off to a scintillating 3-8 start but there is good news in the pipeline! A band made up entirely of the rejected mascots from the "Fans pick the team name" contest way back in '93 is performing in front of the stadium before every Saturday home game.
PEgIPkgb.jpg

This is supposed to appeal to who? Banana Splits fans? Certainly not kids! This is terrifying!

Meanwhile, the NBA Developmental League playoffs are under way and airing live (on tape delay) on NBATV! Will it be The Erie Bayhawks taking home the NBA Development Championship? Or will it be the Bakersfield Jam take home the chip to the delight of everybody in their 400 seat arena? Will a Los Angeles D-Fenders home playoff game get postponed because the Lakers need to use their court for practice? Tune in and find out! Or not!
 

MFer

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I'm gonna have to check out a Syracuse Chiefs game or two to see Bryce Harper.

As far as the D-league is concerned, the impression I get is that it does a shitty job of developing talent compared to baseball or hockey. Players put up Oscar Robertson numbers there yet can't stick in the NBA as a 12th man.
 

King Kamala

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It's gotten better in the past few years as the NBA has poured more money into it but it's still not where it needs to be.


Honestly, I don't know if minor league basketball holds the appeal that hockey and baseball. Unless they can figure out a way to pay the second tier players comparable salaries to what they get in Europe and Asia, I don't see the D League becoming hugely popular.
 

2GOLD

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Got Dylan Bundy's autograph last night and he was pretty cool about it. The Delmarva Shorebirds have a tall lanky motherfucker on the team who I am not sure who he is. He didn't sign and he was wearing his jacket the entire game. I thought it was Kevin Landry but he is listed as 6'7, same height as coach Minor and this fucker was towering over everyone.

Shorebirds got a lot of prospects and I'll be heading out Tuesday to watch Bundy work his 3 innings. They are seriously going slow with him, he is barely doing anything. I didn't see him do stretches or warm-ups, just walked out, signed autographs and went to the bench. I expect his arm to explode by AA.

Also one of the ladies handing out launch a balls (stupid promotion where you throw numbered balls onto the field and try to get them to land in hulu hoops for prizes) had a great ass but attempts by both the lady and I to get a picture where failures. Great ass though, distracted from the constant bullshit between innings. This shows you how terrible the between innings shit is when the main target of conversation was her ass. Seriously, chanting OUT BACK for a homerun so everyone gets 5 dollars off at Outback was almost as bad as every bottom of the ninth, instead of cheering the team to win, they wanted use to cheer for runs so everyone would get a free Thickburger coupon.

In player news:
Mychal Givens still is struggling to hit, not good. Glynn Davis can hit, Wynston Sawyer has a great eye (worked 3 walks), and some good hitting out of Esposito and Delmonico. I was wondering what they would do about the 3B logjam, Delmonico is getting work down at 1st base and he did a good job.
 

bps21

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The Rocherster Amerks AHL team, whose fans I despise more than most, whined, cried and bitched all year as "their" players had to be called up to Buffalo when Sabre after Sabre went down to injury. Their boards were full of people rooting for the Sabres to get eliminated from the playoff hunt earlier so they could get "their" players back.

Well...they got them back last week and after all that fucking bitching about how important they perceive themselves to be...they made the playoffs today.

I hope they get fucking swept.
 

2GOLD

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Dylan Bundy (#1 Orioles prospect) vs Alex Meyers (#4 Nationals prospect, top pitching prospect at a towering 6'9)
Yeah, this should be a damn good game.
Well, good 4 innings.
 

alkeiper

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The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are on the road this year. The stadium is up for renovation. A process which has yet to begin, pending the eventual sale of the team from the county to a private entity. Given our spate of nice weather renovations could've started months ago. Given what I've seen out of this place in the past, I would not be surprised at all if the stadium is not ready by Opening Day 2013.
 

Gert

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Didn't you say they were playing in six different "home" stadiums this year?

My wife and I have our first Dragons (Reds) game Thursday night against Quad City (Cards). Tyrell Jenkins pitches tonight, so I'm bummed I won't get to see him. We have games in July against the DBacks and Royals affliates so I'm hoping to see Archie Bradley and Bubba Starling this year.
 

2GOLD

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Dylan Bundy has a solid 98 mph fastball, a great 88 mph change up that leaves guys unbalanced and he seriously needs to work on his control. A lot of 3-2 counts including his first walk of the year. Worked three then it looked like finished up in a stimulated game in the bullpen or mechanics work. Either way, he has a live arm and if he can get his command and a third pitch (he may have one already, unknown) then he could easily become a strong #1 for the Orioles. Needs work but I like him a fuck lot more than I liked Brandon Erbe. At one point the gun clocked him at 102, but that had to be a glitch, there is no way he found another 4 mphs on his fastball out of nowhere. I'd say, live fastball with good movement, great change-up and knows when to throw his junk and when not too. Tries to get too many hitters out with the high heater though, will get him killed in the higher divisions. Young but GOBS of talent. Needs to work on his command though or he is going to bust.

Alex Meyers is the same situation. Fastball at about 97-93 range, outstanding breaking pitch that looked a lot like a slurve, change up was just as wicked as Bundy's but control is a concern. Struck two batters, got himself in trouble a few times and got hit for 3 runs. Worked 5 innings but I am not sure what to say about whether or not he is a starter. His control was solid for the first 3 innings and then faded. Also, lets the umpire not calling his pitches strikes get way too much into his head. Very visible reactions to not getting the call and he'd follow it up with two pitches well out of the zone while he tried to clear the frustration. He's young so the control flare ups and that can be worked on. He didn't seem tired, just seemed to lose his cool and control went with it. Does not respond well to hitter crowding the inside since his pitches will hit them. Too early to say what he'll become but I see a lot of potential in him but I can see a lot of possible crash and burn in him. His size is an plus but he isn't Randy Johnson intimidating. He's just tall and lanky so he's not going to scare anyone with his height.

Goodwin, the center field prospect for the Nats was a DNP. Still out with an injury so no go on seeing what he has. Really am liking Glynn Davis for the Birds, great contact hitter and good speed.
 

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The Edmonton Oil Kings have won 19 in a row including an 8-0 record in the WHL playoffs right now.
 

Red Baron

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Pysyk is a stud, though I hate the fact that he's a Buffalo prospect. He should be able to pressure a spot on the Sabres squad next year.
 

bps21

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That's good to hear. I think they were targeting Tinordi in that draft and Montreal jumped ahead of them.
 

King Kamala

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Jose Canseco signs with Worcester Tornadoes.


Now this is a huge deal to me because I've got a friend who lives in Worcester who goes to these games a lot and I'm weirdly obsessed with Jose's post MLB career/Twitter account. Yesterday, he kept claiming that he was Kenny Powers (as if it's a good trait) and that he had to restrain himself from confronting A-Rod on the field at Fenway. He also implied that he's pummel Bud Selig if he was still mad at him, which he is so totally not! So great. Anyway.

The Can-Am League isn't even particularly good by independent league baseball standards. I mean, I'm guess it's maybe at the level of High Single A and at the games I went to with my friend maybe 10% of the crowd was into the game and the rest was there to enjoy the nice weather and buy $1 hot dogs. And it fits only about 3,000. So with any luck, he'll barge into the stands to beat me up after I heckle him.
 

King Kamala

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I really hope he insists on the team signing his twin brother Ozzie too, which Jose has done with several of the other independent league team he's played for.
 

alkeiper

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King Kamala said:
Jose Canseco signs with Worcester Tornadoes.


Now this is a huge deal to me because I've got a friend who lives in Worcester who goes to these games a lot and I'm weirdly obsessed with Jose's post MLB career/Twitter account. Yesterday, he kept claiming that he was Kenny Powers (as if it's a good trait) and that he had to restrain himself from confronting A-Rod on the field at Fenway. He also implied that he's pummel Bud Selig if he was still mad at him, which he is so totally not! So great. Anyway.

The Can-Am League isn't even particularly good by independent league baseball standards. I mean, I'm guess it's maybe at the level of High Single A and at the games I went to with my friend maybe 10% of the crowd was into the game and the rest was there to enjoy the nice weather and buy $1 hot dogs. And it fits only about 3,000. So with any luck, he'll barge into the stands to beat me up after I heckle him.
Quality of play is slightly better than Class A. No real prospects, but the veterans are better players than the filler on the Class A rosters.
 

King Kamala

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The quality of the game I went to was certainly a lot lower than the Double A minor league baseball I'm used to seeing. But I guess maybe there's a great disparity in quality between Single A and Double A than there is between Double and Triple A. This just all based on uneducated observations watching minor league baseball.
 

alkeiper

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There is. Double A you get veterans, guys who have been in the minors a while. They have no future, but they are better players now than the prospects.
 

King Kamala

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The headline for the story in my local paper about yesterday's Portland Sea Dogs game is hilarious. "Sea Dogs Play---Yada, Yada---4-14". When a minor league team is as consistently shitty as the Sea Dogs have been for the past two seasons, there's no reason for the poor beat writer that writes about them to come up with an actual headline.
 

alkeiper

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Going to my first Lehigh Valley Ironpigs game of the season tomorrow. Friend of mine has me working the strikeout board.

Edit: I'll have a chance to see Matt Harvey starting for the Buffalo Bisons there as well.
 

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Dylan Bundy vs Matt Barnes of the RED SOX NATION ended up being a good four inning affair.

Now I never had a problem with Bundy working innings before, I mean he's 19 and they want to be cautious. I get it. At least I did until tonight. He worked four REALLY quick innings. His control looked a lot better and a few of the Drive hitters got wood on the ball but no hits. Didn't walk anyone and he got 6 K's. So he looked a lot better but with the so few pitches he threw, they should have sent him out for the fifth. Oh well, they are sticking to the plan which with this organization, I do like.

Matt Barnes is fucking talented. Worked five innings, allowed two hits, struck out 9, walked 2 and his stuff looked really good. Great control, great fastball, mixed his pitches really well. Red Sox have a solid pitcher with him if he stays on this track, was REALLY impressed by him. C Blake Swihart looked good, got really good wood on the ball on Bundy's pitches but went 1-for-4 in the game as everything was right at defenders. Still, there was solid pop in every swing so it'll come around. Saw Henry Owens (got his and Swihart autos, Barnes wasn't signing because he was starting) and Henry Ramos has a CANNON in right field. Drove in one of the Drive's only 2 runs of the game.

I liked Bundy a lot more in this game. A lot more. More control, mixed his pitches better, let his defense do some of the work and still showed promise. But between Barnes and Bundy? Way more impressed with Barnes right now. It's early between the two but damn, Barnes just so much more polished right now.
 

Smartly Pretty

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alkeiper said:
Going to my first Lehigh Valley Ironpigs game of the season tomorrow. Friend of mine has me working the strikeout board.

Edit: I'll have a chance to see Matt Harvey starting for the Buffalo Bisons there as well.

It's Harvey's turn in the rotation, so I'd think you would. If Brad Holt pitches, do you think you could maybe give us a little update on that guy? His minor league career fascinates me for some reason. Dude wrecks shit in Brooklyn in his first year of professional ball (nearly a 3 to 1 K:BB, sub-2 ERA, and 11 k's per nine), then the next year he makes nine starts in High A, and he actually does better, with a 4 to 1 K:BB, gets promoted to AA, and then just hits a fucking wall. I understand A ball to AA ball is a tough transition, but god damn. His ERA in AA in 2009 was above 6. In 2010, his BB/9 in Binghamton was 7.5! His year in Binghamton last year (his third year at AA) was getting pretty rough so they moved him to the pen. Now this year, based on some injuries and shit, he's accidentally found himself at AAA...and he's getting guys out, somehow. He's held batters scoreless in his last three appearances, and even earned a save. I do not understand Brad Holt...but I sure as shit find him fascinating.
 

alkeiper

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IIRC, I saw Holt get demolished in Binghamton in 2010. I don't remember much about him though. I didn't think to get radar readings today, but Harvey put up a great line. Seven scoreless innings, five strikeouts, no walks, and hit a home run! Josh Edgin threw 95 mph out of the bullpen, you'll see him on the big club by the end of the year.
 

alkeiper

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Billy Hamilton in the Reds' system has 29 stolen bases in just 24 games. He's probably not the best prospect in the minors, but he may be the most interesting.
 

Smartly Pretty

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Especially when you consider he's almost the exact same player as the Billy Hamilton from 100 years ago (at different positions, though).
 

jimmy no nose

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I'll be in Akron for work early next week and the Aeros are taking on the Erie Seawolves those days. Indians and Tigers AA teams. After looking over the rosters I've determined that this is about the worst possible matchup for prospect hunting.
 

alkeiper

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jimmy no nose said:
I'll be in Akron for work early next week and the Aeros are taking on the Erie Seawolves those days. Indians and Tigers AA teams. After looking over the rosters I've determined that this is about the worst possible matchup for prospect hunting.
I got to watch the Charlotte Knights today. The #19, #29 and #30 prospects from the worst minor league org in baseball. The Ironpigs threw their #5 prospect until he walked the bases loaded, and Domonic Brown left the game early. And it rained.
 
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