Herzlich Willkommen » Where one thought leads to another."

The TopicalSo we sit here in February and the two top free agents haven’t yet signed. This usually wouldn’t concern me that much http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , but every time I open any application that allows me to browse baseball news, I get hit with the “Why Hasn’t Bryce Harper Signed Yet?” or “Are the Owners Colluding Against Manny Machado?” or even the lesser ones like “Does the Reliever Revolution Screw Dallas Keuchel?” and undoubtedly some snarky comment about Craig Kimbrel. The point everyone tries to make is that they are good players, just expecting contracts over what they’re worth. So what?The TangentialMaybe teams got smarter? Is that the answer? Harper probably isn’t worth $350 million, but the problem is that the market has dictated that he should get that much. He’s young, reasonably good, and should be a fine mid-level star on a championship-caliber team for at least the next 5-7 years. Heck, even the Marlins offered a 31-year-old Albert Pujols $250 million back in 2011. Then maybe the problem is that teams don’t want to pay these players anymore. Which is just as well, if they were spending their money on smart things. But they’re not, and multiple teams have cited “cutting payroll”, which I guess is a worthwhile goal. But it’s February! Why are you going into the season with the goal of “cutting payroll”? Cut payroll in the middle of the season Robin Yount Jersey , but not before it even starts! Is this even fair to fans?A StretchMaybe as teams have gotten smarter, they realize that the playoffs are truly a crapshoot. Currently, 10 of the 30 teams make it, but 4 of them have the potential to be one-and-done. The Wild Card game is cool, but it throws a wrench into everything. Multiple times have I heard a variation of the statement, “sure, we can limp into the playoffs, but why would we trade valuable assets for the opportunity to play one playoff game?” The problem with teams becoming smarter is that they can look at the numbers and realize when they really don’t have a chance. Whereas a rebuilding team might’ve signed a veteran to mentor a team and hope that they could sneak into the playoffs, now teams can analyze teams as a whole and realize that one free agent probably doesn’t move the needle that much. Even if some team were to make the playoffs, if they get bounced in the first round http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , it’s not really worth it. So is analytics contributing to parity?The WildDo we fix it? Do we want to fix it? Is baseball lost? We can expand the playoffs to include more teams (the NBA and the NHL already allow more than 50% of the league into the postseason), but would that really encourage teams to buy free agents? The salary floor? Good luck getting that passed. I think the real problem is that baseball is that because of analytics, baseball is becoming less luck-based and more skill-based. Since 2014, when the San Francisco Giants won, the winner of the World Series has either been seeded #1 or #2 in their league. Fewer and fewer Wild Card teams are finding success. The outcomes are becoming more and more predictable. Home runs and strikeouts are sure things. Fewer and fewer bloop hits, grounders that make it through the infield (because of the shift), mean that luck matters even less. A GM once said “Velocity is the greatest predictor of success,” and that is part of the truth. Pitching to contact doesn’t work like it used to, simply because anyone would rather have a freaking strikeout.Outer SpaceYes, it is frustrating when the better team loses http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , especially if it’s your team, but I think that luck is a very important aspect of sports. In basketball, the better team wins at an extremely high rate, and that ends up being very boring. In hockey, each team has close to a 50% chance of winning each game because of the random bounces that go, and that is more fun.The ultimate goal is to reduce strikeouts and reduce home runs. Maybe the real issues stem from here. I don’t know how to do that without making too drastic a change to the game, but there are good ideas floating around there. Proposing rule changes is a good thing. Just make sure it’s the right ones. Bring the luck back. TORONTO (AP) — Troy Tulowitzki insists he wants to regain his job as everyday shortstop for the Toronto Blue Jays next season, even though the five-time All-Star has not played in more than a year.Tulowitzki, who had surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels in early April, was ruled out for the season Saturday. He expects to be healthy in time for spring training.“It’s been a tough year to say the least Christian Yelich Jersey ,” Tulowitzki said. “I went out to Florida, was out there on those back fields almost every day trying to go and it just didn’t respond the way I needed to come back and play every day.”The Blue Jays have used eight players at shortstop in Tulowitzki’s absence, with Aledmys Diaz getting the bulk of the playing time. A defiant Tulowitzki, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, said he has no interest in shifting positions when he returns and is happy to compete for his job.“I welcome anything,” Tulowitzki said. “If someone’s better than me, I’ll pack my bags and go home.”Tulowitzki is owed $20 million next season and $14 million in 2020. He has a $15 million club option for 2021 with a $4 million buyout.The bone spurs bothered Tulowitzki during his offseason recovery from surgery to repair the ligament damage and fracture suffered when he stepped on C.J. Cron’s foot while trying to beat out an infield hit in a July 2017 game against the Los Angeles Angels. Tulowitzki has not played since.The oft-injured Tulo has missed at least 30 games in seven straight seasons and eight of the past nine.