[robgski]

I am enjoying the 2021 season so far, Go Red Sox!

[ChrisPlatt]

Me too. The Mets are in first place in NL East, but it's a tough division.
As a lifelong Mets fan I'm ready for the almost inevitable letdown.

For my birthday in April my daughter bought us tickets to see Brooklyn Cyclones vs
Hudson Valley Renegades next Sunday at the gorgeous ballpark at Coney Island.

With the recent MLB minor league realignment Brooklyn became the high-A
affiliate of the NY Mets; Hudson Valley became the Yankees high-A affiliate.
Prior to last season both teams played in the now defunct NY-Penn League.

Chris

[gatorguy]

I am enjoying the 2021 season so far, Go Red Sox!

I used to go to a couple games in Fenway every year back when I lived in Maine. Never would have thought that this old Red Sox fan who also went to dozens of spring training games and hung out with Jim Rice and Wade Boggs one spring in my transplanted Florida home city would flip to being a hardcore Rays fan.

Hope to take in a homestand next month, July 30th and 31st. Guess who they're playing?

[robgski]

July 30th and 31st. Guess who they're playing?

Nice, that should be a great match up if both teams keep playing as well as that do right now. I am hoping the get to Fenway before the end of the season to take in a game or two.

[aslyfox]

my wife has decided we should go to Phoenix and watch the Cubs play in three games

and while there head up to the Grand Canyon via the rail road tour at Williams Arizona

I guess I will agree with her

[robgski]

I hope to take in a few games during my road trip from Virginia across to Colorado and back in August.
Tentatively, I will pass through Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, and St Louis.

Do to habit and schedule, I mostly listen to the games on radio, or via streaming Internet, and will catch the video highlights sometime later. This season has offered a great mix of pitching duels, home runs, and lots of infield action, really a lot of the things that make the game so great.
I enjoy it, but I'm considering buying the MLB.TV package for the rest of the season.

[K(s)evin]

How about the Stanley Cup playoffs??����

[robgski]

How about the Stanley Cup playoffs??����

Get your own thread, we are discussing a warm weather outdoor sport😉

Seriously, though my teams are out of the running, it has been a hard fought playoff series.

[aslyfox]

How about the Stanley Cup playoffs??����

Get your own thread, we are discussing a warm weather outdoor sport😉

Seriously, though my teams are out of the running, it has been a hard fought playoff series.

It does sound like a slippery topic

[robgski]

Gah! I missed a chance for a pun. I should have written “‘this is not a thread for discussion of winter sports, ‘“ he said icily”

[aslyfox]

Get your own thread, we are discussing a warm weather outdoor sport😉 . . ..

a warm weather outdoor sport

The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

was not said by either Samuel Clemmons nor Mark Twain

[robgski]

Not long until the All Star break

[aslyfox]

Not long until the All Star break

and that brings up an interesting question although Kris Bryant of the Cubs is listed as a third baseman

he has played that position 20 times, while playing all 3 outfield positions, Center 11 times, Left 20 times, Right 19 times as well as first base 10 times in other games

Kris Bryant Stats | Baseball-Reference.com

where should he be considered as an " All Star "

who should he be compared to ??

[robgski]

where should he be considered as an " All Star "

I haven't looked at the options for him specifically. That is the downside of being a utility player, the likelihood of not being recognized as a standout against position players who specialize.

Brock Holt is one of my favorites, willing and able to play almost any position well. He has never played as a catcher, and his pitching is not very hot, but everywhere else, including at bat and in the clubhouse, he is a guy that makes his team better. Still as a utility player, he was not able to command the type of attention and salary as a free agent which many of his peers were able to gain. I hope his time with the Rangers will give him a chance to shine again.

[aslyfox]

I haven't looked at the options for him specifically. That is the downside of being a utility player, the likelihood of not being recognized as a standout against position players who specialize.. . .

I would not consider Bryant a " utility player "

which I define as a player who is not good enough to have a regular starting position:

In baseball, a utility player is a player who typically does not have the offensive abilities to justify a regular starting role on the team but is capable of playing more than one defensive position. These players are able to give the various starters a rest, or replace a starter due to injury, or play late in a game to provide improved defense when their team is winning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_player_(baseball)

rather he is a very versatile starting player good enough to play multiple positions with very good offensive abilities

which has to increase his value to teams

[ remember that he along with Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo are in their last year of their contracts and will become free agents at the end of the season ]