Spring training = over 200 games played by Major League teams for nothing but practice and bragging rights. Many arguments can be had for the importance of spring training, but I'm in the camp that believes it is too long. I read an article which supports my opinion. I found it to be well thought out, and presents a point many of us do not seem to think about regularly - who does it really benefit?

A relief pitcher reference in the article told another:

"The best way to get through spring training is not to work out at all in the offseason," Zimmerman recalled. "Put your cleats on and stand in your driveway and drink a six-pack of beer."

Ball players come back in tip top shape, only to be standing around waiting their turn at batting practice. Position players really don't need most of spring training to prepare for the regular season, but pitchers and starters do.

"For players, it brings tedium and the realization that they are about to waste a remarkable amount of time on drills that are mindless and games that are meaningless. Spring training is an anachronism requiring hundreds of personnel members per team to pull off almost entirely for the benefit of around 12 people. "

Think about it, teams will spend 2 months in a warm location, so the pitchers can gradually build stamina and strength without injury. So basically it's all about letting arms slowly warm up, but if you take away spring training, you get rid of the decades-old way pitchers have been warming up for the regular season.

Here's a breakdown of what their preseason is like:

"In the 10 days before games begin, pitchers throw three heavily monitored bullpen sessions. In their first live action, they throw around 25 pitches over an inning or two. Their next start will last about 40 pitches over three innings. The ramping-up continues until they have made four or five starts, meaning that teams must play 30 or so games to accommodate their schedules."

In my opinion, for everyone else aside from starters and pitchers, spring training could be unnecessary, at least the length of it anyway. Given the length of a regular season, do we need so many preseason games? Should teams continue this pace?

It has begun, and we have many many many games to come. It's baseball, and it's college baseball. You're really doing it wrong if you can't find a college baseball game to watch. With the opening of a new sporting season we get picks, predictions and hopes for the underdogs. This post is no different. I think I found an article that will get us started. Without further ado, here are what they call "bold" predictions for the 2019 college baseball season.

7. UCLA Finishes Fourth In the Pac-12

6. Georgia Tech Finishes as the Highest Ranked Team in Georgia

5. UC Irvine Makes NCAA Tournament Super Regionals

4. North Carolina Makes it to the College World Series Final

3. Arkansas Finishes Sixth In the SEC

2. East Carolina Goes to Omaha

and...

1. LSU Runs SEC Gauntlet, and Wins College World Series.

I can get behind number 1. I don't know about you. The conference itself is going to be what they say a "beast" of a conference this year. LSU is a favorite, and for good reason. They have many freshmen on the team this year, so they'll just get better with the coming seasons. Do you agree, or is the article and I off our rockers? What should be number 8, 9, and 10?

SFriedman Wrote:

As for my least favorite.. it's this one just because it kinda makes me want to throw up. Odd choice to associate your brand with something I think everyone universally thinks is disgusting/revolting:

Mint Mobile - Chunky Style Milk

In the words of the youngest daughter from Mrs. Doubtfire, "That is the most revolting thing I've ever seen." That being said, I too find it curious that a company would haphazardly associate their brand with something so gross.

These are my Two favs so far:

Mercedes-Benz - Say the Word

Amazon - Not Everything Makes the Cut

AND my least favorite so far:

Pepsi - More Than OK

PowerPlay Wrote: It definitely makes it more fun to know stuff like this in different sports. I'm a huge Chicago Blackhawk fan now, but it wasn't until I moved to Chicago years ago and learned all about their history and whatnot that I became a fan. It also absolutely helped they they won the Stanley Cup that year, same as you and the Cubs experience.

Being a history buff, and trivia nerd, I really love it when I come across an article which combines both. When it comes to sports, I find the origins of a sport or an event very fascinating. Facts like the term Derby for horse racing derives from a contest founded by the Earl of Derby in the late 1700's, which stuck with the sport ever since. You know, stuff like that.

While searching through google about the Australian Open, I found an article that contained some fun facts about the tournament. The tournament has been around for 113 years, which is pretty impressive for a sports tournament. Back then, it was called the Australasian Tennis Championships, which is a mouthful, to say the least. In 1924, it received its billing as a major tournament. Here are some other fun facts about the Australian Open.

1. First Australian Open was actually played on a cricket field

In 1905, the Australian Open, then referred to as the Australasian Tennis Championships was conducted for the first time under the aegis of the Lawn tennis Association of Australia (presently called Tennis Australia) at the Warehouseman’s Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The place is now called the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.

2. First Grand Slam to have a retractable roofing system

The fact that temperatures frequently rise over 40 degree Celsius necessitated Tennis Australia to take a call to install retractable roofing systems. The Rod Laver Arena was one of the first sporting arenas in the world to get a retractable roofing system way back in 1987.

3. Australia's scorching summer heat

The biggest hurdle for players competing in the Australian Open is the scorching Australian summer. The tournament is played in January when summer is at its peak in the Southern Hemisphere. Temperatures soaring above 40-degrees Celsius are quite common.

4. Unique instances which took place in 1977 and 1986

The Australian Open was conducted in January from inception in 1905 till 1919. It was moved to March in 1920. Between 1923 to 1976, it was played in August.

What is truly interesting is that due to scheduling issues coupled with climate vagaries, the Australian Open had to be played twice in 1977. It was played first from 3rd January to 9th January. then later that year, the tournament was again held from 19th December to 31st December.

The tournament was scheduled during mid-December until 1985. The authorities again decided to schedule the tournament in mid-January. This meant the tournament couldn't be held at all in the year 1986. From 1987 onward, the dates have been relatively the same with the tournament starting in the 2nd week of January every year.

5. Only Grand Slam to have been played in 2 countries

The Australian Open is not just the only Grand Slam to have been held twice in the same year (1977), it also holds the unique record of having been held at the most locations - 7 different cities including two different countries (Australia and New Zealand).

Sydney has played host on 14 occasions, Adelaide on 17 occasions, Brisbane in 7 different years, and Perth on 3 occasions. Christchurch and Hastings, both in New Zealand, were the hosts in 1906 and 1912 respectively.

Since 1972, the venue has been Melbourne. From 1972 to 1987, the tournament was played at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. In 1988, the tournament moved to Melbourne Park and along with that, a change of surface from grass to hard courts were also effected. With extensive renovation activities being carried out by the Government of Victoria, it looks unlikely that the Australian Open will be moved again any time in the near future.

I don't know about you, but I find little fun facts like these interesting. I think it makes me pay more attention and appreciate a sport or an event more. Shoot, it wasn't until I read up on the history of the Chicago Cubs that I became a fan, and found myself rooting for them as they broke their curse at the World Series. Which made that World Series the most special I have ever seen. What do you think? Do fun little facts like these bring more meaning to watching an event such as the Australian open? Is there a sport or an event you began watching after learning more about it?

I was doing a crossword puzzle today, and I had an 8 letter word with the clue "A stick and ball game being reintroduced to the 2020 Olympics." At first I thought it was cricket, but then that was a 7 letter word, and then I plugged in baseball, and I was not only surprised that it was correct, but I was surprised they they're bringing it back to the Olympics. So I looked it up and found an article that confirms it.

The title of this thread should have been, "A Real World Series, At Last," but I didn't want to confuse anyone. But it's true. In my opinion we haven't been able to see a real baseball championship between different countries(not counting the Little League World Series) since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where the USA won 3 gold, and 1 silver. Baseball wasn't included in the London or Rio Olympics, but it's back, at least for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I think I'll be watching the Summer Olympics more closely next year, to say the least.

In the national spectrum of baseball, the founding country of the sport, USA, will have stiff competition. For one, baseball is Japan's most-loved national sport, not to mention, Cuba. I'm interested to see how our baseball champs will stack up to that of those two countries at least. If you think about it, we heavily recruit from both countries. Just because they didn't originate the sport that is called "Americas Favorite Pastime," both Cuba and Japan are legit contenders. I'm confident that it won't be a mop up like in basketball during the 1992 Summer Olympics, #Dreamteam. ;)

So am I off my rocker? Will a baseball shootout between countries be as exciting as I think it will be? Are there other countries that Team USA should watch out for?

Yeah, you read that right. Cornhole, the favorite tailgating game, where people throw bean bags at wooden-holed platforms for points, has made it to ESPN as a legit sport. A Forbes article that I came across, says it all. It really isn't that shocking when you think about it. Look at all the other games that they have made into broadcasted sports:

1. Ultimate Frisbee

2. Dodgeball

3. Trampolining

4. Curling

5. Badminton

These are just some examples that are questionable when considering if they are really "sports" or not. I guess if the networks can make a buck off something, they will. A quote from the Forbes article seems to answer just that:

The man behind the business of cornhole is ACL CEO Stacey Moore, who honed his cornhole game at North Carolina State football tailgates. “I saw tailgating as one of the largest informal industries out there and figured there was a way to capture and profit from that,” says the serial entrepreneur Moore. “I created different types of brands to try and figure out how to capitalize on the tailgating lifestyle.”

Has it gone too far? What sports should not be considered a "sport" in your opinion? Also, what should be considered a sport, but hasn't yet? Quidditch anyone?

Despite the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick's demonstrations during the national anthem back in 2016, Nike has made him the face of their 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign. I find it hard to believe that they planned to air it right before the Thursday Night Football Opener. I figured there would be some strings being pulled or something. Like the CNN article says.

"It's an awkward juxtaposition for the league. The NFL is still grappling with the firestorm that Kaepernick started two years ago when he sat and later knelt during the National Anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice."

Thoughts anyone? Should the ad air? I hear tell that Nike is still in contract with the NFL to supply the jerseys. I wonder how this commercial falls into the mix.