So, of course, I turn on the Phillies game last night before going to sleep. It's bottom of the 9th, trailing 1-0. Phils with no baserunners since the 4th (so glad I missed all that...). Cowboy Joe West punches out Hoskins looking... on a pitch that was at least 3" inside. Sigh. McCutcheon draws a walk (a baserunner!). Miller pinch hits (a lefty bat, vs Smith a lefty closer... because Phillies)... he flies out weakly on the first pitch. Sigh. Now a rookie making his very first start (Williams) steps in. Great. So, of course, he hits a walk off HR! Wow. Baseball eh? Then... Today... Phillies try to give away another game. Down 3-2 in the 10th in a game they should have won already... and they get walk off 2run single from Segura. So, yeah. I'm officially just a grumpy old guy shaking my fist at the clouds. Lol.

agreed. I still love all the things about the game. I just can't stand to actually watch the game (usually).

I think if I was a Padres fan, I'd be stoked about MLB this year. In the NL west, SF SD and LAD are all "interesting". NL central, a little less interesting... MIL, CHC, STL. None a "great" team. NL east is just a wasteland of bad baseball. AL west:A's and Astros doing their thing, but not looking awesome. AL central: CHW injuries and somewhat below expectations, and CLE hanging around for no reason, and KC being better but still just average. MIN injured and way below expectations. DET continuing the suck. AL east: TBR exploiting MLB, BOS overachieving, TOR and NYY being less than expected. Orioles...?

@Casper I feel like this speaks volumes. No one is attending games in Philly either.

I feel like an old guy, shaking my fist at the clouds.... but MLB games are near unwatchable at this point. They take forever. All strikeouts, walks, and homers. On those exceedingly rare occasions when a ball is actually put into play, the defence is often atrocious. I thought it was just the Phillies that played that way, and that was skewing my opinion of the game in general. I got MLB TV for free from T-Mobile this year and thought, great... I can watch some GOOD baseball this year! Saddened to find that pretty much the entire league plays that way now.

So, as always, I have too much to say. (go figure?) Here's a pic: So, the unusual (and, I think, really cool) Phillies cap is not mine. I bought it for my daughter, and she got it autographed at Greg Luzinski's "Bull's BBQ" spot at the ballpark. I loved Bull (Luzinski) in the 70's... playing at the old Vet. I kinda love that mesh style Phillies cap, and the colors work for me too. My goal was to get my daughter to love baseball the way I loved it... and that didn't happen. This cap remains kinda cool. But it's stored in my garage, and no one (but me) cares about it. The ball... thats from the Vet. Thats just mine. I was a (partial) season ticket holder then. I'd show up early, to watch batting practice. Always show up early for the big time BP sluggers. That ball was smoked by Mike Piazza. And I mean SMOKED. It hit a metal guard rail (which is where the blaqck marks show up)... jumped up... and rattled around the seats. I saw it settle near me... I kinda hip checked a kid, and I'm a little ashamed to admit that. But I did what I needed to do to claim that ball.!!!!

Short answer: yes.

Very disappointed in the Astros behaviour. Yeah, win... and absolutely bend the rules within reason... but outrighting cheating is just cheating. No excuse for that. And the punishment should have been harsher somehow. Glad the Rays beat them. I like how the Rays find all these odd talents and blend them. Plucky underdogs are always fun to cheer for. I'm not a Dodgers fan (ok, I kinda hate them...), but they've been so good, for so long now. I do admit that it feels like they just deserve it at this point.