I know none of you care but ........ (the Baseball thread)

[UK Redsox]

Current list of players opting out of 2020 season

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29386803/mlb-players-opting-2020-season

[UK Redsox]

Twenty year ago today, I set off on a little trip..........


Day 1      Fri 14th Jul      Lydney > Birmingham > Chicago > Denver
                        [Flights 1 & 2]


Day 2      Sat 15th Jul      Denver

Game   1   Cincinnati Reds @ Colorado Rockies      13:05

Denver > Phoenix [Flight 3]


Day 3      Sun 16th Jul      Phoenix

Game   2   Seattle Mariners @ Arizona Diamondbacks   13:35


Day 4      Mon 17th Jul      Phoenix > San Diego [Flight 4]

Game   3   Anaheim Angels @ San Diego Padres      19:05


Day 5      Tue 18th Jul      San Diego > Los Angeles [Coach]

Game   4   Pittsburgh Pirates @ Los Angeles Dodgers   13:10


Day 6      Wed 19th Jul      Los Angeles

Game   5   Texas Rangers @ Anaheim Angels      19:05


Day 7      Thu 20th Jul      Los Angeles > Bay Area [Flight 5]

Game   6   San Diego Padres @ San Francisco Giants   16:05


Day 8      Fri 21st Jul      Bay Area

Game   7   Anaheim Angels @ Oakland Athletics      19:05


Day 9      Sat 22nd Jul      Bay Area > Seattle [Flight 6]

Game   8   Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners      18:05

Seattle > Houston [Flight 7]

Day 10   Sun 23rd Jul      Houston

Game   9   St Louis Cardinals @ Houston Astros      14:05


Day 11   Mon 24th Jul      Houston > Dallas [Flight 8]

Game   10   Anaheim Angels @ Texas Rangers      19:35


Day 12   Tue 25th Jul      Dallas > Chicago [Flight 9]

Game   11   Kansas City Royals @ Chicago White Sox   19:05


Day 13   Wed 26th Jul      Chicago > St Louis [Rail]

Game   12   Arizona Diamondbacks @ St Louis Cardinals   19:10


Day 14   Thu 27th Jul      St Louis > Kansas City [Rail]

Game   13   Tampa Bay Devil Rays @ Kansas City Royals   19:05


Day 15   Fri 28th Jul      Kansas City > Minneapolis [Flight 10]

Game   14   New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins      19:05


Day 16   Sat 29th Jul      Minneapolis > Chicago [Flight 11]

Game   15   San Francisco Giants  @ Chicago Cubs      15:05


Day 17   Sun 30th Jul      Chicago > Milwaukee > Chicago

Game   16   Colorado Rockies @ Milwaukee Brewers   13:05


Day 18   Mon 31st Jul      Chicago > Pittsburgh [Rail]

Game   17   Los Angeles Dodgers @ Pittsburgh Pirates   19:05




Day 19   Tue 1st Aug      Pittsburgh > Baltimore [Coach]

Game   18   Minnesota Twins @ Baltimore Orioles      19:35

               Baltimore > Newark DE [Coach]


Day 20   Wed 2nd Aug      Newark > New York [Coach]

Game   19   Cincinnati Reds @ New York Mets      12:10


Day 21   Thu 3rd Aug      New York

Game   20   Kansas City Royals @ New York Yankees   19:05


Day 22   Fri 4th Aug      New York > Rochester [Coach]

Game      None                     


Day 23   Sat 5th Aug      Rochester> Niagara Falls >Toronto [Coach]
               
Game   21   Texas Rangers @ Toronto Blue Jays      16:05

               Toronto > Kitchener ON [Coach]


Day 24   Sun 6th Aug      Kitchener > Detroit [Coach]

Game   22   Minnesota Twins @ Detroit Tigers      13:05

               Detroit > Monroe MI [Coach]


Day 25   Mon 7th Aug      Monroe MI > Cleveland [Coach]

Game   23   Texas Rangers @ Cleveland Indians      19:05


Day 26   Tue 8th Aug      Cleveland > Cincinnati [Coach]

Game   24   Atlanta Braves @ Cincinnati Reds      19:35



Day 27   Wed 9th Aug      Cincinnati > Columbus [Coach]
Columbus > Tampa [Flight 12]

Game      None      


Day 28   Thu 10th Aug      Tampa

Game   25   Minnesota Twins @ Tampa Bay Devil Rays   12:15


Day 29   Fri 11th Aug      Tampa > Miami / Ft Lauderdale  [Flight 13]

Game   26   San Diego Padres @ Florida Marlins      19:05



Day 30   Sat 12th Aug      Miami / Fort Lauderdale > Atlanta [Flight 14]

Game   27   Los Angeles Dodgers @ Atlanta Braves      16:05


Day 31   Sun 13th Aug   Atlanta > Philadelphia [Flight 15]

Game   28   Houston Astros @ Philadelphia Phillies      13:35

               Philadelphia > Milford CT [Coach]


Day 32   Mon 14th Aug      Milford CT > Boston [Coach]

Game   29   Tampa Bay Devil Rays @ Boston Red Sox   19:05

               Boston > Nashua NH [Coach]


Day 33   Tue 15th Aug      Nashua  > Montreal QC, Canada [Coach]

Game   30   San Francisco Giants @ Montreal Expos   19:05


Day 34   Wed 16th Aug   Montreal > Albany [Coach]

Game      None



Day 35   Thu 17th Aug      Albany > Cooperstown > Albany [Coach]

   All day at the “Baseball Hall of Fame”


Day 36   Fri 18th Aug      Albany > Boston > London > Lydney
               [Flights 16 & 17]

[Meanwood Villa]

Must have taken a hell of a lot of planning, did you do it all yourself? And when are you doing it again?!

[UK Redsox]

Must have taken a hell of a lot of planning, did you do it all yourself? And when are you doing it again?!

Luckily, I only had to get myself to/from the USA. The trip planning was done by my mate Jay who runs a sports travel business.

Nine set out, but only six of us completed the trip

Doing the same thing and having to deal with post-9/11 security changes would be very difficult for a group.

At the time, we believe that 32 days set the record. I've heard that it's now down to 26 days (thanks to day/night games in Chicago, NYC and Baltimore/DC). However, I don't know if that person was there for every pitch of every game like we were.

[Meanwood Villa]

What an experience. I was thinking DC instead of Montreal must make things easier to tick them all off for people doing it now.

Which were the best/worst ballparks?

Lot of changes since then, I'm guessing a fair few have been torn down or rebuilt?

[UK Redsox]

What an experience. I was thinking DC instead of Montreal must make things easier to tick them all off for people doing it now.

Which were the best/worst ballparks?

Lot of changes since then, I'm guessing a fair few have been torn down or rebuilt?

Along the way, we devised a scoring system for the ballparks; eg ease of access, seating, food, scoreboard display and many more categories.

At the time I thought that the worst ballparks were Wrigley Field in Chicago and the new (then only a few months old) ballpark in Detroit. Since then the Cubs have done a lot of work to make the most of the historic ballpark but back then it was very neglected. As for the new Detroit ballpark , it already had crumbling concrete and was badly designed (eg obstructed views due to thick opaque plexi-glass barriers with thick supporting tubes at the end of aisles). I've been back to Detroit a couple of times since and they've definitely improved things.

My favourite old ballpark is unsurprisingly Fenway Park. Unlike Wrigley Field, by 2000 they were already starting a major ballpark improvement scheme. Of the newer ballparks my favourites were San Francisco and Houston. However, both have now been surpassed by the new Pittsburgh ballpark that opened in 2001.

[Risso]

The Red Sox World Series victory victory parade a couple of years was absolutely brilliant.  About 100 amphibious vehicles driving from Fenway through the middle of Boston with ticker tape explosions everywhere.  I've never seen anything like it, nor indeed, smelt quite as much weed in a city centre.

[UK Redsox]

Blue Jays can’t play 2020 season in Toronto

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29488579/blue-jays-not-allowed-play-games-canada

[UK Redsox]

Pittsburgh and Baltimore emerge as options for Blue Jays home games

https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/pittsburgh-baltimore-come-focus-vagabond-blue-jays-leave-toronto/

[UK Redsox]

Looks like the Blue Jays are going to have to play their home games at their AAA Minor League affiliate in Buffalo

They couldn't get State approval to play in Pittsburgh. Not sure what went wrong with the Balmer option.

Meanwhile, games have actually started.

Atlanta lost both their main catchers to Covid-like symptoms, so had to activate a reserve before their first game.



Red Sox certain to go 60-0

[UK Redsox]

Coronavirus outbreak at the Marlins

A couple of games postponed already

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29547022/what-marlins-coronavirus-outbreak-means-mlb

[UK Redsox]

Games continue to be postponed. Today St Louis @ Milwaukee was called off.

The plan is slowly falling apart

[Jon Crofts]

The Red Sox World Series victory victory parade a couple of years was absolutely brilliant.  About 100 amphibious vehicles driving from Fenway through the middle of Boston with ticker tape explosions everywhere.  I've never seen anything like it, nor indeed, smelt quite as much weed in a city centre.

Go to Vegas, you’ll get absolutely wasted just popping to CVS.

[UK Redsox]

20 years ago yesterday. A very tired and bedraggled looking me, doing a TV interview during a rain delay in Pittsburgh.

[UK Redsox]

The Marlins are unbeaten since they were allowed to resume playing. Incredible, considering the patched together squad due to positive tests