I love Baseball, but here are things I hate about baseball

[drunkmonkey]

You're acting like a walk is a loss and in most cases significantly different from a hit.

In most cases where the IBB is used, it is significantly different than a hit. Late in the game, close score, with a runner on second.or third.

[drunkmonkey]

I was going to say something along these lines. I like the idea that you can intentionally walk someone, because its part of what makes baseball the ultimate team sport. In baseball, more than any other sport, does the entire team need to be good. Even if you have the best player in the league, you can't by like the Cavs are in basketball where you are good purely because of one guy. I like that it takes a full team to be a good team.

Yes, but in baseball, unlike any other sport, your star player already only gets a chance 1 every 9 times. It's impossible to rely on one player anyway. I hate that when that turn comes up, the pitcher can say, "You're better than me, so I'm going to skip you." Now, if he wants to throw outside pitches, that's one thing; but having the catcher stand a few yards away and play catch for 4 pitches is just a ridiculous spectacle. Yes, I realize Cabrera got a hit once this way, but it was only due to the complete ineptitude of the pitcher.

Gotta love when an anomaly happens due to complete ineptitude of a pitcher and it's by a pitcher on your favorite team...

That said, what's the difference if a pitcher just pitches way outside or if they do an intentional walk? It still has the same effect. Either way, it's strategy IMO, and that player still is helping his team by being intentionally walked. By being that good, he is forcing the other team to give him a base for free. It's not like they are skipping him with no consequences whatsoever.

When you pitch outside, you're relying on your own skill to put it out of the batter's reach without throwing it away. If there wasn't some level of risk there, they wouldn't bother standing a few feet away to do it.

I think everyone's already made their decision here. I hate it, but some people appreciate it as a strategy. I don't want to keep repeating the same points, so we may just have to accept that we disagree.

[jsphlly]

What I hate is sometimes I check a thread that started off pretty interesting but its just turned into an e-peen pissing contest.

[kaiser]

Funny thing is, I really intended this thread to be about things "off of the field," like tacky advertising ruining ball parks. I just wasn't clear enough on that, obviously.

92 replies later, and it is something else entirely. I didn't mean for it to be such a "downer" of a thread!

[drunkmonkey]

Yeah, IBB got off topic, but I didn't realize it was a "downer" or an "e-peen pissing contest". I thought it was just a discussion that arose. Sorry to offend you ladies.

[kaiser]

What a nice replay! Thanks, Drunk Monkey!