There's nothing to report lockout wise. The MLBPA came back with an offer a tiny bit closer to the MLB one to which the MLB said "YOU ARE GOING BACKWARDS!!!" which tells you the state of things.
Alternate baseball
There is baseball right now! In America! College baseball.
I'm assuming most of you live in the NoVA, DelMarVa, whatever dumb acronym that doesn't really capture the area that you like. If so Maryland Baseball is pretty good - last ranked 21st in the country but losers of 2 of 3 in a little showcase to end last week which will probably drop them out of the rankings, but still pretty good. They have a home and home against VCU this week and a couple games against Georgetown after that. I don't know DII or DIII schools off the top of my head but I see Johns Hopkins and Lynchburg and Washington & Jefferson and you can view the pre-season polls here : http://baseballnews.com/
In a few weeks, there will definitely not be major league baseball but their will be minor league baseball. The Nats farm system, if you don't know it, is :
Fredericksburg Nationals (Low-A) : the Fred Nats who AREN'T EVEN LISTED AS AN AFFILIATE Man, what a second rate org the Nats became after winning the title. In theory the drive is an hour or so and Brady House should be here at least to start.
Wilmington Blue Rocks (High-A) : before you head to the beach that's Delaware, not NC. 2 hour drive
Harrisburg Senators (AA) : The little city with nothing in the middle of everything usually has the best prospects though the Nats system is slim and the best guys will be in AAA and Low-A to start the year. Hmm not selling it. It is only a 2 hour drive!
Rochester Red Wings (AAA) : You want to see Cavalli? Get a hotel in NY's "Oh yeah I guess Kodak built something here a long time ago. Wait, it's not on the lake outside of a technicality?" city, Rochester! 6 and a half hours away.
If you don't have to see Nats players there are even more choices
Aberdeen Ironbirds (High A - Orioles)
Reading Fightin Phils (AA - Phillies)
Delmarva Shorebirds (Low A - Orioles)
Bowie Baysox (AA - Orioles)
Richmond Flying Squirrles (AA - Giants)
and that's just the closest
PA has Altoona, Allentown, and Scranton / Wilkes-Barre, NJ has Somerset and Lakewood (Jersey Shore) VA has Norfolk, Lynchburg and Salem. A bit of a drive south and NC has the most of any state with 10. And this is just the affiliated teams. You gotta have family somewhere!
Put any recommendations you have in the comments. I can answer any NC Qs you might have.
4 comments:
I'm in Houston and the Astros AAA affiliate is conveniently located in Sugar Land in the southwest Houston 'burbs and games start April 5th- yay!
The most important thing is to find which local MiLB team has the best promotions and the most bark in the park events. I really liked going to Durham Bulls games, but now that I'm in DC, it looks like the Bowie Baysox offer the most, with every Wednesday being Woof Wednesday.
UVA is off to a hot start (against weak teams), and natioanlly ranked. Charlottesville is a pleasant 2 hour drive.
I'm a wahoo, so stating my bias up front. But I want to endorse Mainelaker's suggestion to go take a look at UVA.
So far, admittedly against a pretty soft schedule (but that includes 3 game series' against Penn State and Cornell), UVA is 11-0 and as a team is hitting .344 with 19 HR, 122 RBI, 24-26 in SB, 1.040 OPS. Opponents are hitting .181 with 1 HR, 18 RBI, 2-3 in SB, 0.491 OPS.
On the bump, the team has a 1.55 ERA. Only 2 pitchers have an ERA over 2.25. 144/31 K/BB ratio in 99 innings. (13k/9 inn.) Opponents' ERA: 11.30. 74/73 K/BB ratio.
.989 team FPCT, vs. 957 for opponents. (4 E in 11 games, vs. 17 for opponents.)
This is a team that made the College World Series in Omaha last year so while there are a lot of new faces this doesn't feel like a SSS fluke. Fun team to watch and if you don't want to make the drive every game is either on TV or streamed.
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