3GamesToLove

Amazing. No words. Nothing in sports gets me as nervous/anxious as a Djokovic-Nadal match at a major. Anti-climactic that it was only straight sets and he still has two matches to win before he really gets the Holy Grail. Ajde.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jun 1, 2015 -> 06:24 PM) I want Fulmer vs Jay in game 1 of the Super Regional so bad, but we all know it will be Duchene. What a treat that game would be. Just bought my ticket to Game One Saturday. If somehow Fulmer goes Sunday instead I'll be pissed.

Tyler Jay just came into the regional title game in the 6th. His brim is pretty flat. Someone else can have him.

Walker Buehler is starting for Vanderbilt at 3pm (Central); SEC Network.

So...if Illinois and Vanderbilt each win their regionals, then Champaign hosts the super-regional next weekend? Meaning, Fulmer would be starting at U of I Friday? Tempting to make the drive down there...

Well, you can watch basically all of these guys this weekend, and specifically tonight. Have to think U of I will use Jay. Fulmer, Tate both starting. Good SBN write-up below. http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2015/5/27/8670...9345.1432934291 All of the games are on ESPN3, plus ESPNU has "Bases Loaded" whiparound coverage all day and weekend.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 29, 2015 -> 02:35 PM) My wife wants to go to Aussie open but it always looks miserable to me. I feel like I'd die of heat stroke. Yeah, it sounds amazing and apparently is incredibly well-run...but the heat is pretty intimidating. On a more immediate note: hell of an order of play for tomorrow. Glad I'll be home to watch it.

I am jealous, though, Mags. In 2013 I did three days/nights at Cincinnati, and that was amazing. I basically saw just about every player I wanted to see, incredibly close up. Got a few autographs, etc. (also did a day at the Challenger in Winnetka) Then last year was the big one. Saved for a year to do almost two weeks in London, built around the first four days of Wimbledon. In the week before I also did a day at Wimbledon qualifying as well as quarterfinals at Eastbourne. Then last September I went to all three days of Davis Cup at the Sears Centre. This year I am basically staying home. Doing two days at Winnetka but that's it. Hoping to get to Canada, USO, or DC sometime in the next few years. Indian Wells would be amazing but it doesn't fit into my schedule as a teacher. Miami sometimes does; that's an option. Problem is flying and then getting there is supposed to be a pain, and the tournament organization and facilities are supposed to be on the decline.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 29, 2015 -> 02:25 PM) We got tickets for the friday before labor day. Grounds passes were = to arthur ashe tickets (which are effectively grounds passes). We looked on the saturday and tickets were $311, $200 more than Friday. And I'm talking like 2nd row from top in arthur ashe. Madness. When I go I don't know if I'll spend any time on Ashe. Seriously man, Cincy is the way to go. Intimate, but all of the top players. Access to practices is amazing.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 29, 2015 -> 02:14 PM) I'm always surprised by how much Venus keeps playing. I'm sure she has all the money and accolades she needs, she doesn't win tourneys anymore, why not just hang em up? I'd imagine she just likes playing tennis. Same reason guys like Hewitt have hung around for so long.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 29, 2015 -> 02:09 PM) bought tickets to us open again. Still amazed at prices. I did Wimbledon last year for the first four days--the great thing about that is the grounds passes are only £20 (though I think they're £25 starting this year)? I didn't get any grounds passes...I got Centre Court on the first day, then Court Two for the Tuesday-Thursday. I think I wound up paying around £180 altogether...that's about $275 in the current exchange rate but was probably closer to $300 last June. Of course, I also had to queue from like 4-5am on those last three days...I got lucky with the Centre Court by using the Ticketmaster "day-before" limited seats in the upper level. I haven't done the USO yet, but I did Cincy in 2013. Tickets are relatively reasonable (especially compared to the USO) and a lot of people have said it's just a better experience overall.

Sale's gonna set the franchise strikeout mark, isn't he?

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ May 28, 2015 -> 02:23 PM) Gordon should play third, Bonifacio second and LaRoche first. Alexi is the epitome of what has gone wrong with this team since his arrival. Flairs of greatness but more showings of stupidity. Sad that Robertson is not available. Alexei Ramirez has been one of the best shortstops in baseball since his acquisition.

QUOTE (Brian @ May 28, 2015 -> 06:44 AM) Wozniacki gone in 2nd round after Venus "upset" by Sloan Stephens in round 1. Bouchard and Halep (probably most importantly for this tournament) are both out, too.

QUOTE (LDF @ May 26, 2015 -> 08:41 AM) a change in the routine for the hitters is needed. this left right advance metric is not working. beside Jose A, no one as any decent avg. need to go back to old time school. use players that are somewhat hitting, load up the top of the order with those hitter, and lets them get some runners on base. fvvck the adv metric kind o hitting. move down those players who are not performing, until they start to perform. bottom line be a little more creative in the lineup and and batting order. What you are talking about is not "the advance metric kind of hitting."

Is this actually statistically relevant data, though? So they're bad in the first inning. Does that tell us anything about the team or what they can do better?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ May 22, 2015 -> 01:58 PM) It's very intriguing, especially the inferiority complex. My favorite is the "Cubs fans only care about the beer, Sox fans care about the baseball". If anyone has been to both stadiums in recent years, I would say the opposite is more likely to be true. The indifference fans had at games during the 2012 pennant race was really eye opening. Right. It's like people think the Cell is full of diehard seamheads who hang on each and every pitch. I'd venture to say at every ballpark in the country, casual fans there for the "experience" outnumber "real" baseball fans at least five to one.

It's pretty rare for a baseball team to make the postseason three or four years in a row.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 21, 2015 -> 10:56 AM) Whatever happened to getaway day games? I have a rare Thursday afternoon with no meetings scheduled and I could have been filling the time with baseball instead of actual work. You still could be doing that; there are six day games today.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ May 21, 2015 -> 09:10 AM) I went to Sale bobblehead day vs the Yankees last year, and if it wasn't a sellout, it was awfully close. Looks like over 33k. THe next day was a Family Sunday and Jeter's last game in Chicago...that was over 39k. So I stand corrected; that was a sellout for all intents and purposes.

This'll be my first time at a sellout in years, since I usually can't make it to Opening Day (and didn't make it to last year's PK night) and even those Red Sox and Yankees series haven't been sellouts the last couple of years. I was at the last game of the year last season. That was close, but not quite sellout. Looking forward to the atmosphere, especially with Sale on the mound, but I'll make sure I hit all of the concessions early.

People actually enjoy the Gold Cup?

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 15, 2015 -> 02:34 PM) It's like $10 to get that channel on U-Verse. Maybe it'll be worth it. There's also this streaming service (legal) that's only $7 a month and gets you all beIN and GolTV programming. http://static.fubo.tv/lp/v2/getpro.html?mbsy=bfzvz

QUOTE (chw42 @ May 15, 2015 -> 01:47 PM) Damn, Copa America is only on beIN? Maybe I can just watch it on Telemundo or something. Nope, beIN has both English and Spanish rights.

Anyone else looking forward to the Copa America next month? I've been into the sport for a while now (WC '06 piqued my interest, but it was Euro '08 that really dragged me in) but haven't ever actually watched this tournament. For whatever reason I didn't watch in 2011 (I was getting into tennis hardcore that summer, so that may have distracted me...and it looks like it wasn't even on US TV in English anyway). I think I'm going to get beIN just for the month for this, though. On a related note, looks like Fox is going to get the rights to the 2016 event in the US...venues to be announced sometime this month. Midwest cities being considered include Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.