Author Topic: Today's Game - 2021  (Read 43678 times)

davep

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15849
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2021, 06:31:34 pm »
About 20 years ago, the Cubs had a minor league center fielder named Vee Hightower.  He was the best defensive center fielder I have ever seen in the minors.  Very tall and lanky, and could run like a deer.  He was a switch hitter that looked amazing in batting practice, but never made it consistently in games.  He had one very good year at the plate at Daytona, but that was it.  A chronic shoulder injury ended his career the next season.

He came to mind because Brennan Davis has a batting stance that was identical to Hightower.  He just looks like a hitter.  I really didn't get to see him much in the field.  Any scouting reports on his defense.  I have heard that they expect him to end up in RF, but have not heard why.

dallen7908

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 687
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2021, 07:22:52 pm »
Congratulations to Tommy Nance who made his first appearance in a ML spring training game today a few weeks short of his 30th birthday.

RHRP Tommy Nance  6'6" 235 Lbs. (199103) [Santa Clara] Spent 2010-2014 playing college baseball. Then, after an injury-shortened 2014, he made his professional debut with the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League in 2015 where he struggled early but posted a 3.47 ERA and 1.16 WHIP after the Frontier League All Star game.  In 2016 he posted a 36/15 K/W in 38 IP of which 27 were in CAR; 0.243 BAA.  Spent 2017 on DL.  Opened 2018 in AA where he pitched pretty well before going on DL in mid-June; 20/11 K/W in 20.2 SL IP with 0.187 BAA.  Opened 2019 in AA where he pitched the most innings of his minor league career posting a solid 56/18 K/W in 48.2 IP with 0.240 BAA while holding lefties to a 0.184 BAA.  Invited to ML spring training in 2021. Blew save in his first but hopefully not last outing.

Dave23

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12692
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2021, 09:19:18 pm »
If every game from now on was announced like that one, with interviews every half inning and no PBP hardly at all, I’d never watch another game.

That was torture.
Agree Agree x 2 Winner Winner x 1 View List

mO

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2569
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2021, 09:51:07 pm »
ESPN is the worst
Agree Agree x 1 View List

craig

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13097
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2021, 10:34:07 pm »
If every game from now on was announced like that one, with interviews every half inning and no PBP hardly at all, I’d never watch another game.

That was torture.

Yes. 

I had it on for a little bit, and they were talking to Joc Peterson.  Brennan Davis got drilled, at first I thought it had maybe hit him in the head.  I'm worried, is he OK, did it hit him in the head or where, where's the replay?  Peterson was watching and saw it too, and was obviously wondering if Davis was OK.  But the announcers didn't even notice, or show a replay or anything either, or address whether Davis was OK, or anything.  They had no interest or awareness. 
Agree Agree x 2 View List

Reb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5086
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #20 on: March 03, 2021, 11:11:07 pm »
ESPN should at least put up a graphic identifying who’s hitting, for each batter.  These announcers are insufferable, so better to watch with sound muted.

Watched Sciambi and JD Tuesday and they had good chemistry for their first game together. Will miss Kasper but these guys will be fun.
Agree Agree x 1 View List

CurtOne

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 27243
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #21 on: March 03, 2021, 11:27:53 pm »
ESPN+ is also trying to compete with the Athletic, but doesn't measure up.

Dave23

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12692
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #22 on: March 04, 2021, 08:10:58 am »
Not knowing who was hitting was ridiculous.

I watched Strumpf’s first AB thinking he was (at first) Kohl Stewart getting an AB for whatever reason, and then some other minor leaguer named Stewart (is Ian back?), because I couldn’t see the last name clearly, and the announcers were oblivious to the fact that there was a game going on...
Agree Agree x 1 View List

davep

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 15849
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #23 on: March 04, 2021, 11:56:14 am »
It is made worse by the fact that in the later innings, they stopped play by play almost altogether.  And that is usually the innings that the players and prospects I want to see are put into the game.  Like Craig, I think that a hitter getting hit in the head by a pitch is more important to inform us about than the question of who gets to be on Rizzo's boat.  And like Dave, I didn't know Strumpf was in the game until he was done batting.

ESPN was just as bad last year, and when Sciambi was given the Cubs job, I was concerned that he would bring a lot of that crap with him.  He didn't, at least in the first game.
Agree Agree x 2 View List

Reb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5086
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #24 on: March 04, 2021, 12:09:22 pm »
The ESPN announcers were not at the ballpark, so hard to tell if they could even identify—from the feed they saw—who were the minor leaguers in the game. The production team should be doing that with graphics.

Other than that,I don’t care if they want to deviate from calling the game, up to a point. Went overboard this game.

Bennett

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7414
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #25 on: March 04, 2021, 12:29:28 pm »
Thursday, March 4     8:00 PM EST     Chicago Cubs @ Los Angeles Dodgers

The game is on the MLB Network.    No word on who the announcers will be.

Reb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5086
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #26 on: March 04, 2021, 02:38:52 pm »
Bastian:

Penciled in to pitch behind Trevor Williams in tonight's game at Dodgers: Abbott, Biagini, Brothers, Megill, Rucker, Vasto.

Reb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5086
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #27 on: March 04, 2021, 02:40:01 pm »
Tonight’s Cubs 9...

Happ CF
Hoerner 2B
Vargas SS
Bote 3B
Romine C
Ortega RF
Wisdom DH
Rivas 1B
Hermosillo LF

JeffH

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6154
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #28 on: March 04, 2021, 07:04:06 pm »
Bastian:

Penciled in to pitch behind Trevor Williams in tonight's game at Dodgers: Abbott, Biagini, Brothers, Megill, Rucker, Vasto.

Interesting that Biagini, Brothers, and Megill are all going again before some other arms have pitched once.  I wonder if any of the others have injury or illness issues.

Dave23

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 12692
Re: Today's Game - 2021
« Reply #29 on: March 04, 2021, 08:19:56 pm »
Well, looks like Iowa might be solid...