pebadger

Yep, most CF don't get close to that ball. On top of screwing your own player out of a hit.

The biggest problem with a salary cap in MLB is not the cap so much as it is the revenue end of things. That will ultimately be the biggest challenge to the cap system in the NFL, too. It works so long as revenues from top to bottom of the league are within some defined band. The NFL's financial structure with respect to TV revenue when teh cap was first implemented had a pretty good revenue distribution. Teams are finding a way, as they always do under any system, to exploit more revenue streams to either enhance their competitiveness or to line the owner's pockets. The NLF is also 'blessed', in a sense, by the very insular nature of the sport: it's basically only played here, and the only 'apprenticeship' you can serve is as part of the US college system. Any sport that is truly international in nature presents a whole bunch of different problems in terms of bringing in talent. The US leagues (MLB and NBA) like to think of themselves as the only 'true' destination for athletes who play these games, and while this is certainly more true for MLB than the NBA, that may change as the games grow in popularity (though much more quickly for hoops than baseball) and the sport becomes more international. Basketball has a bigger challenge as there are more potential lucrative leagues out there given the popularity of the sport in Europe, combined with the phenomenon of an overabundance of talent for comparatively small rosters. Other than Japan, there is no potential for any other competitive league in any viable market any time soon. Other than Japan, the game is really only widely popular in Latin America, and the ability to maintain an economically competitive league there is non-existent at present. Combine that with the fact that rosters are comparatively large for baseball, and that talent (especially in pitchiing) is scarce A cap only works with solid revenue equalisation (or at least mitigation of big revenue variances within the league) in addition to a tightening of the developmental and entry systems. But I think with respect to simply worrying about international players, a cap of some kind could be useful. Maybe even just a secondary cap on spending on transfer fees to non-MLB clubs/non-MLB free agents would help, combined with a rule that states that no foreign player can be signed by an MLB club as a free agent unless that player has built up 'service time' in an approved foreign league, or is signed straight from amateur status.

OK, today's rules: Off the plate = strike (at least for Cubs) If ball beats runner, runner out. No tag needed. let's see if these hold up.

If ' a level playing field' is the goal, I wouldn't even worry about tinkering with the draft and such. Just implement a salary cap and be done with it. Or, accept the fact that 'big teams' will always have an advantage, accept it, and then try to beat them anyway by ding things the best you can. Many of these 'international' problems that seem to so vex American sports fans have been dealt with by big-time European soccer clubs for years and years. US fans and club management could learn a lot by expanding their base of knowledge beyond just the way things are done here.

It's not only that he looks lost, it's his nonchalance in doing so that makes it truly entertaining.

Nice dig, Prince. That play saves at least two runs.

Don't give 'em anything, Loop.

If Harden gets that Hardy out pitch called as a strike all day, it will be tough for the Crew.

The lesson here is that people in authority can be arbitrary and/or wrong and unless you have a concrete way of dealing with them (like voting them out or taking them to court), there isn't a whole lot you can do about it without risking their ire, which is ultimately counter-productive.

Worse call: this one, or the "fair" ball down the LF line earlier this year?

They weren't good enough to win the game. Period. The were given a whole bunch of extra outs to work with and did nothing. You can't expect to win games scoring 1 run. Horrible call. Didn't get teh call because the batter didn't swing. But he team failed today in too many situations that could have won them the game.

THe walk to Soto was IBB only for ball four. That was the batter that lost the game.

This team is simply not good enough.

My enjoyment of this weekend rides entirely on this batter.

I smell a cheapie coming here somehow. I've been wrong all day, so I'm hoping to stay on a roll.

Because Suppan was coming back out to pitch.

Ball1 ?

I don't know if the Brewers deserve to win this, but they sure as heck don't deserve to lose it like the Cubs do.

YES!

Steal/WP, then Hill with the winner

11 LOB

Time for CC to redeem teh bunt attempt.

Nice. But we're still looking at Hardy, Gerut, Kendall.

I don't think the Cubs will wait for the 9th.

Sure it has something to do with how the texting technology works.