2019 Rolling "Hey Chatter Chatter" chatterthread

wut

BREAKING: The Tampa Bay Rays have received MLB's permission to explore becoming two-city team: the Tampa Bay area and Montreal, sources tell ESPN. The plan: Play early-season home games in the Tampa Bay area and finish the season in Montreal. News at ESPN: https://t.co/X6uSt4KLfC

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 20, 2019

what the hell

just move em, dummies.

Change the name to the Snowbirds.

the Rois

What a dumb idea

i don't think it will ever happen, but if it did, the players association would be rightfully pissed off

Splitting time between the 2 cities would be an absolute nightmare as a player… Potentially moving your family/pets back-and-forth, finding pediatricians, doctors, vets, paying rent on multiple houses, even when you’re not there. No thanks.

https://t.co/pmfX5Mxuw0

— Brad Ziegler (@BradZiegler) June 20, 2019

yeah good luck signing free agents with that setup

The Rays, struggling to find fans even as they challenge for the division lead with an exciting young team, will motivate their fanbase by playing games in a different country during the part of the season leading up to the playoffs

as someone who very much would love to see baseball back in Montreal – i'm pretty excited for this news. not as good as a team moving there full time, but I will take it.

There are so many things wrong with that.

wanting baseball back in Montreal?

J3ff Pa55an's tweet

Great move by mlb to pressure Tampa into making a new ballpark and have another bargaining chip with the mlbpa. None of it seems to be about Montreal.

If they win the World Series do they have to play themselves in a 7-game series?

seems a stupid half-measure

Manfred is a disgrace. He's the opposite of Selig, who loves baseball so much he acted like an ass. Manfred doesn't seem to like it at all.

— Richard M. Nixon (@dick_nixon) June 20, 2019

so many people treating the tampa bay/montreal story as something that could feasibly happen instead of a blatant negotiating tactic for a new stadium in tampa

yea that is just never ever ever going to be a thing

they should go big and go for a different city to host them for each month of the season

or maybe even the ultimate act of boldness - the permanent Away Schedule

Can it even work from a legal point of view? All this staff + the players have contracts that implicitly exclude this kind of stuff I suppose.

there were Negro League teams of no fixed abode... the Homestead Grays, for awhile

Not exactly the kind of comparison mlb will want to invite I’m certain.

the tampa bay barnstormers

They could be a big draw as an all-road team in a sort of Washington Generals role...they could have a whole roster at league minimum and split the gate with the home teams who get to hot-dog/humiliate them

Would O's fans turn out for a *guaranteed* win?

the tampa bay goof troop, 2020: the team that attempts the hidden ball trick every single game!!

exactly yes

tonight's starting pitcher the goof: Eddieeeeeeeee Eeeeeeeephus!

*slide whistle noise*

keuchel to start for the barves tonight

What happened after pic.twitter.com/0QGiGqT4ZO

— Gordo💫 (@MyATLiens) June 21, 2019

excellent video of jack flaherty after getting picked off at 2nd to end the game last night

a lonely guy just thinking baout things

albert pujols' return to STL tonight will be pretty special, i think

but by the time that the sunday evening game is on, all the standing ovations are going to be pretty cringey. the david freese ovation situation has gotten out of control over the years

it's cool -- some fanbases would still be booing him for leaving (maybe not with all the charity work he still does there tho)

STL fans should give a 10 minute ovation to the Cards management for letting him go.

(Pujols)

I just learned last night that the pujols/angels contract includes stuff that basically binds him to the angels for another decade after he retires - PR appearances, licensing stuff, etc. it’s a bummer because I’m sure St. Louis would love him to have him back as a de facto cardinal after his career is over

going to release some Angels imprinted toys for kids, like the remote control plane named after his Angels career OPS - The Pujols 767...er, 747....wait, 727....

Every team except SF and Miami are within 3.5 of second NL wild card.

god there are so many bad teams

the Pujols-as-Angels-ambassador is gonna be weird...like Paul McCartney getting inducted into the R&R HOF for his work with Wings

i mean i *knew* he had a ton of HRs but it's still a little jarring to look up his BR page and see that Edwin Encarnacion has hit 404 during his career.

maniel dengden

he's got a handlebar for days

if he were good i feel like he’d be a phenomenon

was rollie fingers ever a phenomenon? obviously very good and obviously a handlebar for days, but seems like that might have been less notable then

he was certainly celebrated and got a lotta magazine covers

but mostly after the World Series heroics w/ Oakland

https://deadspin.com/what-a-foul-ball-can-do-1835706809

Stanton's out through July, sheesh