WicketMaiden

Nice tune playing in the background. E.L.O., 'Mr Blue Sky'. Electric Light Orchestra were/are a very under-rated band.

So, a lights out strike-out machine for four innings and then a homer laden blow-up in the 5th, 6th or 7th? Sure, I'll take that.

Something to consider for those in favour of trading Ohtani: the prospects who came back would be under enormous additional pressure to succeed because they were the return for the biggest thing in baseball. Can you imagine the additional pressure and ridiculous levels of over-expectation those kids will be developing under? Can you imagine the additional scrutiny? The media hype and then the savaging when they have their ups and downs? No prospects are a sure thing, but the Ohtani-return prospects will be less of a sure thing than most.

Title: *beyond 2023?

Inspired by Jeff's Ohtani thread. Where are you on this, today? Thanks.

Trading Ohtani whilst in a winning position is the notion of a fool.

Agree with Fletcher, and maaaaaybe Cron, but Calhoun's first 20 odd games were a woeful cup of coffee; O'Hoppe has barely played 20 games but yes he did look a natural too, (it seems so long ago and was such a brief affair); Ohtani was a pro for many years prior, as was Shoemaker, so I'm not sure they compare; but wow, I'd forgotten how good Barria's breakout year was until I looked it up. A 126 era+ is a performance level we'd all be happy with from him year in year out. I still get the sense there is something extra about Neto, though, that he stands apart from those excellent rookies noted above (aside from Ohtani). I find it difficult to pinpoint, but the mix of his skills, physical growth to come, balance, eye for the ball, and reading of the game, the way he carries himself on and off the field, the way he executes plays, all adds up to a guy with a great future and I really enjoy watching him play. Here's drinking to a long Angels career for Neto.

I really like this kid, Neto. I don't think we've had another rookie come up and look this natural since Trout. I'm not saying he'll be that good, but he sure looks like he belongs.

Ouch.

Father Ted

Bell *Little known fact: Big Ben is the name of the bell inside the clock, not the clock.

"In't it?" would be said up north, in places like Yorkshire. "Innit?" would be the London and South East equivalent. Both are contractions of 'isn't it?' So either one works. And you can use fuckwittery in question form or as a statement, it's a versatile insult.

Complete fuckwittery. Stop it.

Nothing to do with socialism, look two ranks above you at your workplace and I'm pretty sure you'll find some numpties up there, too.

Apocalypse

Gambling

I hope they don't trade Ohtani, just because it will annoy you.

Sorry, I forgot to say: Welcome to the board @rbis, it's good to see a newbie starting a thread.

Horse Racing

What makes you say that? Over the last 4 years (including the minors) he as a stat line of .198 / .247 / .371. Over the last two years for the Angels he has hit .257 / .277 / .577 at MLB level with an inflated and unsustainable .429 BABIP this year (which is 137 points above league average). I want the guy to do well, but I don't see anything much more than an average MLB outfielder here. And he has a lot to prove before we can say even that.

Cortege

Well you will be pleased to hear, @Chuckster70, cricket is played all over the world, so there is usually something going on somewhere in the world, all year round. Details on how to watch here: https://crickist.com/how-to-watch-vitality-t20-blast-in-the-usa/ This month the big things in cricket are: The T20 Blast, England, throughout June (one or two games every day/night) quickfire cricket and the games last about 3 to 4 hours in total. It isn't the very best T20 competition in the world as all the very best players are about to play Test cricket, but it's a decent place to begin with to gain a grasp of the game before the really fun stuff begins. Details on how to watch here: https://crickist.com/how-to-watch-vitality-t20-blast-in-the-usa/ World Test Championship Final: London, 7th - 11th June. This is a five day Test between India and Australia to decide who is the Champion Test side in world cricket. This is the absolute pinnacle of the sport. Australia have the best bowling attack, India have the better batting line-up, but, their players may be rusty and there is a risk that they're not ready for this match. If India's batsmen are on form I think they'll win on the 5th day, if they are as rusty as I suspect, Australia could wrap it up early on day 4, maybe sooner. This is on from 11am to 6-30pm UK time. THE ASHES! June 16th to July 31st Australia visit England in the oldest Test competition in world cricket. This has been fiercely contested for 130 years and makes national headlines in both countries, sometimes front page news, and over a billion people will tune in worldwide. Australia may be coming of a win in the World Test Championship Final and are current Ashes holders; England are coming off an incredible 13 and 1 record under their new captain and coach and have been rewriting how Test cricket should be played. They haven't just been beating teams, they have been dismantling them with bat and ball by playing in a relentlessly aggressive style throughout the match and setting new Test records along the way. Only India vs Pakistan comes close to this rivalry in cricket. Packed grounds will be watching 5 of the top 10 Batsmen in the world, 4 of the top ten Bowlers in the world, and 4 of the top ten All-rounders in the world (two-way players). I can't wait! Major League Cricket, Texas, July This looks really promising. A T20 league with IPL backing and some top international players already signed up to play.

It really does. Cricket at its best is as fun to watch as any other top sporting event and matches up well for skill, drama, entertainment, spectacle, and the execution of elite sporting athleticism, hand-eye co-ordination, and mental acuity under pressure that time and again just make you go, 'Wow! Did you see that?". If you get baseball, you'll get cricket pretty quickly and enjoy the same sorts of highs.

Thanks, mate. I've enjoyed the opportunity to share them. I laughed at those comments, mostly because your understanding of cricket is pretty solid these days and you've got really good instincts for the game. You picked GT for this year's IPL final, for example. Nice call. I think a knowledge of baseball offers some solid points of reference to help understand cricket.

The guy with the tiger tattoo that looks like it was drawn by a pre-schooler. If that was happening to you, why would you let such an awful tattoo get past the first foot or toe? Why wouldn't you bail and find someone that actually has talent.