Sports: Football, Baseball, Bball, Hockey, Etc. Vol. II

[fritzkep]

Geaux Irish!

https://www.outsports.com/2025/4/1/24109775/yared-nuguse-olympics-gay-boyfriend-runner-usa/

[Jeff Wrangler]

Henry II would like a word with you....

I've been expecting to hear from him. ...

[Lyle (Mooska)]

LoL! 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

 The PP game yesterday (Pesky Padres) was over before the Dodgers game started and they'd won again! 7 in a row. What's going on down there in San Diego?

The Dodgers got off to a horrible start with two throwing errors to first base by Max Muncy, Andy Pages missing a catch in the outfield and caught off base and out at third, a sub-par pitching performance by Blake Snell, who might have just been distracted by all that as well as the umpires questionable strike zone. Or ball zone. The Dodgers were playing...badly.

The score was 0 - 5 in the second inning! After winning 7 games in a row the Dodgers could lose, and after this historic start to the season, losing meant waking up today in second place to those pesky Padres in San Diego!!!  Crazy. (And why is no one talking about them!) The Dodgers had three egregious errors--the worst kind of errors, in this game.

But if you saw Game 5 of the WS last year you might just think the possibility was there that the Dodgers could still win and you'd be right; the Dodgers won 6-5. Max Muncy redeemed himself after ballplayer, I mean BALLPLAYER, Tommy Edman advanced runners to second and third and then Muncy hit a double to tie the game in the 8th inning. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, the script then called for Ohtani, on his bobblehead night, to come up to bat and, on the first pitch, hit a walk off home run to win the game. The unbelievable has turned to possible.

What's going on with the National League West as a whole? As of today, the Win-Loss record for each division.

AL East: 17-13
AL Central: 10-20 (All 5 teams in the AL Central are 2-4.)
AL West: 16-17

NL East: 12-19
NL Central: 15-19
NL West: 25-7

[Jeff Wrangler]

One advantage of being retired is that you can watch afternoon ball games. 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

The Dodgers are in your neck of the woods today, Jeff. What time is the game?  I ask because three different sources here list three different times:  3pm - 3:30pm and 3:45pm, which, of course, translates to 6pm - 6:30pm and 6:45pm your time. 

[fritzkep]

On Sunday I'm heading down to New Orleans for a memorial mass for my sister, to celebrate with family and friends. Not even a minor league team there any more.

[Jeff Wrangler]

The Dodgers are in your neck of the woods today, Jeff. What time is the game?  I ask because three different sources here list three different times:  3pm - 3:30pm and 3:45pm, which, of course, translates to 6pm - 6:30pm and 6:45pm your time. 

The team schedule I have shows 6:45 p.m.

It also shows it being broadcast on Apple TV+, which means I don't have access to it. 

[fritzkep]

I would have liked to watch the Caps-Blackhawks game, but it's on a subscription only service.

Ovechkin tied the record that Wayne Gretzky set, so he may pull off a new record on Sunday at the Islanders game, in NY, unfortunately. It would have been great for him to set the record here in DC.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Yes, there's lots of frustration with sports fans trying to watch things now:


The rise of exclusive streaming rights and multiple subscriptions for sports viewing has led to concerns about increasing costs and a more complicated fan experience, potentially "ruining" the traditional way many watch sports.

Increased Costs:
Sports leagues are increasingly selling exclusive streaming rights to various platforms, meaning fans may need multiple subscriptions to catch all the games they want to watch.

Cumbersome Viewing Experience:
The need to navigate multiple apps and services, along with potential issues like buffering or lag, can detract from the overall viewing experience.

Loss of Shared Experience:
The shift to streaming can impact the communal experience of watching sports with friends and family, as it's often a more individual activity.

Potential for Cord-Cutting:
The high cost of streaming sports, combined with the convenience of cutting the cord, may lead some fans to abandon traditional cable subscriptions altogether.

Impact on Regional Sports Networks:
The rise of streaming is negatively impacting regional sports networks, which rely on cable subscriptions for revenue.

Fan Engagement:
While streaming offers new ways for athletes to engage with fans the shift to streaming could also lead to a decline in overall viewership, as fans find the experience less appealing.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Interestingly, a quick scan of the Phillies schedule dated March 24 shows only one other game scheduled for broadcast on Apple TV+, a home game against the Mets on Friday, June 20.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Jeff, Apple+ only has MLB games on Fridays. They schedule two games each Friday. One is geared more toward the East Coast and one the West Coast, because of time differences. They overlap, but streaming can do that. Streaming also means that if, say, you got home at 6:30, but the game started at 6:00, you could elect to start it at the beginning. So each MLB team is represented but not many games during the season. But Apple's contract with MLB means one's regular broadcaster doesn't get air that game.

MLB does this thinking it helps grow audiences for baseball. It also infuriates fans a lot. All sports do this in one way or another.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

I read the other day that the mean (average) salary now for MLB ballplayers has gone over five million dollars.

In 2025, the average Major League Baseball (MLB) salary has surpassed $5 million for the first time, reaching $5,160,245, a 3.6% increase from the previous year.

Record High: The average MLB salary has broken the $5 million mark for the first time in league history.
Increase: The average salary rose 3.6% from the previous year, reaching $5,160,245.

Minimum Salary: A total of 35 players made the $760,000 minimum salary.

Payroll: The average total team payroll across MLB so far in 2025 is $158,540,564.

Top Payroll: The New York Mets have the highest payroll in MLB at $323,099,999.
Los Angeles Dodgers, $322,569,444.
New York Yankees, $293,488,972.
Philadelphia Phillies, $284,210,820.
Toronto Blue Jays, $239,642,532.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Well, I missed Nick Castellanos' grand slam this afternoon. 

Not because I wasn't paying attention. I was out for Sunday dinner and didn't get home in time.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

I'm sure you would've enjoyed a lot more than I did.