2019-2020 MLB Non-Phillies News/Notes Discussion

[julio]

The Cleveland Baseball Team will be getting a new name after 105 years.

Cleveland’s Baseball Team Will Drop Its Indians Team Name

I would lobby for "Cleveland Spiders."

[zambonir]

It seems to be what everyone wants, which probably means that won't be it.

[julio]

Well, they could go with the "Cuyahogas," and have a flaming river as a logo?

[andyb]

Spiders is a good name. Lots of logo potential (web gems!). Just need to get beyond the legacy of that 1899 season.

[zambonir]

Cleveland Rocks is the really cheesy joke/suggestion.

I've also seen The Cleveland Baseball Club suggested as an old-school (almost soccer-like) approach, rather than a temporary thing.

Another way to go would be to figure out something that actually honors Native American history in the region, though said history is mostly dishonorable. Even "Cuyahoga" is thought to be a bastardized word from no actual nearby culture.

The way things work these days it will probably involve a branding agency and a (non-binding) fan poll.

[xogfog]

As long as it's not the Cleveland Steamers

[Philsmania]

I've also seen The Cleveland Baseball Club suggested as an old-school (almost soccer-like) approach, rather than a temporary thing.

That was a thing in the 1800s. The defunct team the Phillies replaced in the National League was the Worcester Worcesters. The Phillies originally were the Philadelphia Quakers but after a couple of years, management wanted them to be known as the Philadelphia Club or Philadelphias which was a typefull for the press so the press shortened it to Phillies and it stuck so well the club officially adopted it as the team name in 1890.

[zambonir]

In an interview their owner also said they are keeping the name for 2021, and the new name won't have any Native American connotation (a lot of fans had been suggesting Tribe, which really wasn't any better).

[LoneStarPhan]

I certainly cannot speak for Native Americans as to how names such as "Indians" and "Braves" are viewed by them, but I can say that such names have only inspired good feelings and respect for Native Americans on my part. To a great part, such names have really lost any true connection to Native Americans and when I hear Indians or Braves, I think of the baseball team, just as I do when hearing names such as Orioles, Phillies, Rangers, or Yankees. However, I do not have any problem with any team making a change in their identifying name. It is clearly up to them, as it should be.

[Philsmania]

Will the Texas Rangers be next? The Dallas/Ft. Worth Steers?

Calls emerge for "Texas Rangers" name to be removed from law enforcement agency...

[zambonir]

I brought this up in the thread on this topic over the summer. Gonna be a tougher sell in Texas obviously. I doubt Cleveland's move creates any more momentum than Washington's did (the story you posted is from August).

[zambonir]

Major League Baseball, union at odds on whether start of 2021 season should be...

Owners want May

“I don’t see any way spring training starts in February,” an American League owner said. “Zero chance of that. I don’t care if we play 140 games, 120 games or 80 games, we have to make sure everyone is safe to do this right.”

Kind of a vicious circle for the union, refusing to take a deal also lets the owners run out the clock.

[mdougherty12]

ESPN likely to get the broadcast rights to the extra round of playoffs that the owners want:

ESPN landing MLB rights to playoff round that doesn’t yet exist

[zambonir]

That's funny. But I really don't blame the union for wanting as many games or as much pay in the regular season as possible. The extra playoffs are free money for the owners.

[andyb]

Here is the Athletic on the negotiations:

Players' union answers MLB's inquiry about shortened 2021 season with swift 'no'

• Players want 162
• There is argument about whether the players should wait till the vaccine, but I see that as more important for the fans. The players are young and healthy generally and by March it will be safer than it was last year. There just may not be enough vaccine out there for fans to come back, or to come back at more than 25% capacity.
• Owners have no power to really unilaterally impose less than 162 as the emergency language is pretty weak (and why couldn't they just impose that last year without the players
• Expanded playoffs for the DH is really a solution that favors the owners (DH is largely cash neutral, playoff money is a bonus mainly to owners). Assume this is a deal that can be cut if 162 games are maintained. Why would the players do this for less than 162 though? The DH is really not that important to them.

[zambonir]

Yeah the vaccine thing seems like a red herring. Big-time. The owners have had no serious concern for player safety over playing games up until now.

They just know the first half of the season is gonna be another money-loser for them (at least, from their POV). Even if some markets could open at 100% capacity I doubt they'd draw more than 25-50% anyway for the first 2-3 months. And others will still be limited by either choice or law.

[Philsmania]

MLB is now deeming the Negro Leagues as having had Major League status.

MLB adds Negro Leagues to official records

[philsphan67]

Next CBA is going to bring a lot of change and I don't think we see baseball until the summer of 2022 (at the earliest). I'd like to see and hear the players accept and help grow the game. I get and agree with many of their complaints - there should be a min. salary floor for these teams is an easy place to start with. I now hate the off-season and the players bemoaning the lack of $$ spent, find a way to get FA's signed early.

But I am really excited to see less of the three total outcomes of baseball and play-off games that avg 3:40 minutes can't happen to grow the game (IMO).

Big Mattingly day - I saw him on High Heat and this was on espn....to me a pitch clock solves a number of problems and has been very successful in the minors.

Mattingly bemoans lack of action, wants changes

[andyb]

This suggestion from Fangraphs really makes sense to me in terms of making the product on the field better:

Two Easy Ways To Make Baseball a Better Game

The 2 things are to make the strike zone bigger and to deaden the ball. The zone has shrunk a bit over the years and walks have not increased. Add in the prevalence of home runs from the new baseballs and the incentives for players to have a power-only approach are too great. These changes would make the player that strikes out less and uses the whole field more valuable - and thus make the product on the field better.

[Patchmk88]

Still think rules reducing shifts could possibly make the game better too.