[New (Old) Game!] Around the Arena - New Game signups under way!

Yes it is, they can do everything they can to make it look like a Blue Jays home game, they can wear their home uniforms, bat in the bottom half of the inning, dress in the home locker room, and sit in the home dugout, but none of that changes the fact that the 35,000 people in the stands are cheering for the Phillies. That's what gives a team the true home field advantage, the fans. And the Blue Jays are playing these games in front of Phillie fans. There;s no way they can feel like this is a home game.

First off, I don't think the G20 summit just popped up unannounced, so there was no reason for MLB to even schedule this series in Toronto when making up the schedule, it should have been scheduled around from the start. That said, there at least 15 MLB stadiums not being used this weekend. If there are no other suitable stadiums in Canada, there are three stadiums in the Midwest (Wrigley, StL, and Minn.) not being used, and none of which would be too for to travel, and would be true neutral fields to play this game on. Or maybe in Washington, the stadium of a division rival, where you might at least get some fans cheering against the Phillies.

 

Thanks, DDK You're up, Marcus.

 

Well, I have to say I wish there was a topic with a bit more space for debate, because whos's going to disagree that this is ridiculous? Playing a home game at your opponent's stadium? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Though sadly it's not the first time I've encountered this - in the AFL, the largest ground (the MCG) used to have a contract requiring finals to be played there- this resulted in a Brisbane Lions home playoff game being played at the home ground of their opposition. I didn't think another sports code could be as stupid. Sadly I was wrong.

Anyways, the Blue Jays average a tad over 23,000 a game attendance. So I think the game should have been moved to Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo (18,000 attendance.) The already existing Buffalo/Toronto sports link could have been used as justification, and I think the Buffalo community would've come out (they support the Bisons OK even when they suck, so they'd probably like a MLB team visit.) And at least some Toronto fans would've been able to come, since it's only a couple of hours away.

 

Interesting stuff...this is obviously a mistake by somebody in MLB. I like the suggestions for other stadiums, especially the Buffalo/Toronto idea. Thanks for the connection to the AFL...that is another crazy situation.

In the end, I gotta go with DDK, but there are plenty of other points to be earned in The Showdown.

Next topic will be posted shortly.

 

We're staying with baseball again. This time up? None other than Stephen Strasburg.

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There's been talk of the rookie phenom being named to the MLB All Star game. Should Strasburg be named to said game? Marcus, you're up first.

 

OMG WTF baseball go away.

Anyway, Strasburg's stats this year (that's right, I love stats.) Oh wait, Strasburg doesn't actually qualify for MLB stats because he hasn't pitched enough Though his 2.27 ERA is very good and would be top 5, he's only pitched in 5 games for a 2-2. Yes, he's been getting a lot (and I do mean a lot) of strikeouts. He looks great. But it's far too early to be naming him an All Star. The other pitchers in contention have somewhere around 100 innings pitched, and he's on 30. I'm sorry but 30 great innings don't make an All Star. Yet. I'd be willing to bet he can lock a place up for a few years. But to take away bonuses etc from guys that have been pitching consistently well for the entire year? No thanks, Steve, see you next year. Hell, even the Nationals don't have him up in their All Star Campaign banner at the website.

Of course if the NL was serious about winning home field advantage maybe they should campaign to have him in there. Another reason to hate the World Series home field rule.

 

Hey, baseball is the main American sport going right now. Don't worry, though. This is our last baseball topic.

Darth Dark Helmet, you're up next.

 

Ahh, something we can disagree on.

Well, I do agree on one thing, the idea of the All-Star game determining World Series Home field advantage is ridiculous.

On to Strasburg. He should be in the All Star Game, and he has a couple things working in his favor. Ridiculous ideas aside, The All-Star is game is first and foremost an exhibition game for the fans, a chance to see some of their favorite players play with and against each other. And as sell outs for every start he's made show, the fans want to see Starsburg pitch. Second, MLB has this rule (which is also kind of lame, bu that's another debate) where every team must have one representative on the All Star Team, no matter how bad the team. And looking at the Nationals roster, there's no one else who stands out as an "All Star". Adam Dunn has 17 HRs, and Zimmerman is having a good year, and any other year would be the one sent, simply by being the best on a bad team, but he's really not having an All Star year. So Strasburg is the best, and probably the most deserving player on the team.

Finally, I like the idea of rewarding this kid. He's been pitching under enormous pressure. He'd been labeled the savior of the franchise before ever throwing a big league pitch, and was hyped beyond belief. And all he's done since arriving from the minors is live up the hype and excel under that pressure.

 

I'll admit to not knowing that every team has to have a representative. In that case, yeah he should go, because he's easily the most deserving player on the Nationals, but that's just as stupid as the home field rule. Who the hell do you send from the Pirates or the Orioles? If they're not one of the top players in the league, then they shouldn't be anywhere near the All Star game.

 

Andrew McCutchen is definitely a legit candidate to be in the All Star game for the Pirates. I'll award a point and post the next topic after lunch.

 

I usually don't hesitate to make fun of the Pirates, but McClain is right about McCutchen He's an excellent player.

 

While I don't know if Strasburg's innings are enough to make it to the All Star game on merit alone, the fans do want to see him there. The Midsummer Classic is about the fans, so point goes to DDK.

Next topic up very quickly.

 

[image=http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2010/0630/nba_g_lebron_wade_576.jpg]

NBA Free agency starts at midnight tonight. The biggest of the big name free agents, of course, is LeBron James. Do you think the King goes to the Bulls, Cavs, or elsewhere? Let's hear your predictions, starting with Marcus.

 

Basketball is barely any better. And, it seems I hate offseason stories.

Anyways....this is a total crapshoot. But I think he goes to Chicago, for several reasons.

1) He is adored in Cleveland. His national profile is huge. He won't go anywhere for marketing reasons. The only reason he will leave is to win a title, and avoid the 'best player to never win a title' tag.
2) Leaving to win a title won't completely destroy his image like being a mercenary and going to a rubbish team like NYC for big dollars would. Heck, anecdotal evidence from Clevelanders indicates they might eventually forgive him for it.
3) He's give the Cavs 5 years to do it. Now, at times he's looked disinterested, but the Cavs have been unable to lure another big name to him (no, washed up Shaq doesn't count.) However, the Bulls have the cachet and the money to throw around, with rumours already circulating around Bosh etc.
4) Chicago is a big basketball town, with a proud history. Of winning (unlike the Cavs).

So I think he'll go.

That said, I won't be in the least surprised if he didn't. Because while Chicago is the logical destination, he'll always be 2nd fiddle to Jordan there, and he might not want that.

 

But it still is better.

I don't care if it's a crap shoot, as long as it's a convincing one.

Darth Dark Helmet, you're up.

 

Well, first off, I think we can rule out Miami as a destination. The only way he goes to Miami, is if Dwayne Wade goes somewhere else, and since it sounds like Wade is staying put, LeBron won't be in Miami He's going to go someplace where is the man, the #1 star in town. In Miami, he'll be sharing the spotlight, and that's not going to happen.

So, it Chicago or Cleveland. And news today that the Cavs have hired Byron Scott as their new coach might be enough, combined with the fact that they can give him more money then the Bulls, to bring him back. Scott is a short term coach, he's not one you rebuild around. We saw that during his time with the Hornets. He had a few very good years, before his coaching style finally wore down the team and they tuned him out. But until that happened, he always got the most of the team and they were always competitive in the playoffs. So this hire tells LeBron that the team is going for it now. They're going to bring him back and then try and build for the future. They're expecting, that if he comes back, they'll be playing in the next three or four Conference Finals, if not NBA finals.

Byron Scott is a head coach that played in the NBA and has head coaching experience, two things LeBron said he was looking for in a coach, and two things the Bulls' recently hired coach can't claim. It may only be a three year deal, but I think he ends up back with the Cavs.

 

Very good arguments from both Marcus and Darth Dark Helmet.

Marcus, I think you nailed the problem with Chicago on the head; second fiddle to MJ. You've got to stick with your position, though. At least in the same post. Marcus


Darth Dark Helmet, I agree, Byron Scott might be enough to keep LeBron in Cleveland. If Cleveland doesn't deliver (and it's not LeBron's fault) I don't think that the city would blame him for leaving.

Both of you did a great job throughout the game, and this championship showdown, but Darth Dark Helmet had a little bit more. Marcus, you did a great job with North American sports. Feel free to join us when we re-start Around the Arena.

Darth Dark Helmet, I believe, you have some Facetime coming up, in addition to colors. Let's see what you've got.

 

Oh yeah, I get to speak now. well, I'm going to consistent, last time I talked about the Bucks and their playoff push, this time, I'm talking about the off season. In all the free agency hype surrounding the NBA and the Bulls, Cavs, Heat, Knicks and so on, the Bucks have kind of flown under the radar. But so far, they have made some great moves and set themselves up nicely to be able to compete next season. First off, the Corey Maggette trade, they got a proven offensive player and in return got a huge, awful contract off their books in Dan Gadzuriec, and and sent away a potential problem in Charlie Bell, a decent player who never wanted to play in Milwaukee, and was even de-activated in favor of an injured Amdrew Bogut during the playoffs. Then, they added a nice bench player in Chris Douglas-Roberts. At the time, some insurance in case Salmons didn't re-sign, and if he did, it gave them a player that could come off the bench and spell Salmons, keeping him fresher for the playoffs.
Then came free agency, and first they signed Drew Gooden, giving them a strong presence under the basket to help out Bogut, and then the major deal, they re-signed John Salmons. Now, I will admit that 5 years and 39 million is overpaying a bit for a 31 year old player who basically had one spectacular half a season, but its good to have him back. The Bucks have assembled a good team, one that I think could be better then the team they had last year. They're bigger now, and deeper, and if Corey Maggette can buy into the Skiles' system and work with Jennings they should be much more consistent on offense. Setting themselves up to make a deeper playoff run this year and show the league that they're an exciting team and next year when Redd's contract comes off the books, they might be able to lure in a high profile free agent to make a championship run.

And none of that even mentions the draft, which wasn't flashy, but gave them a couple players who should be ready in a two years to contribute as starters. But most important off all, it finally seems like the Bucks have a plan, they're making moves with the goal of winning a championship, not just trying to be .500, or make the 8th seed in the playoffs.

 

After a summer hiatus, Around the Arena is open for business once again.

This time, things will be a little different, though. The winner of each round will get colors/VIP-ship for 72 hours, and there will not be a Championship Edition.

Alright, let's start those signups!

1.
2.
3.
4.

 

Any takers? I'm willing to wait until we have the NFL and college football in full swing before we get started.

 

anyone want to do a round?

 

If there's takers, it'd be great. Rogue...Jedi and I are also working on another game that could be ready to go fairly soon. That could easily wait if people want to play ATA.