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MLB 2015 Regular Season |OT2| NES Baseball, Best Baseball

thefro

Member
Cubs have only had batting practice 3 times this month, 0 at Wrigley

In an effort to preserve players’ energy for games, Maddon has all but eliminated batting practice, a tradition that is nearly as old as the sport itself. Though he has long considered the routine to be archaic, this season represents Maddon’s greatest challenge yet to the popular notion that more practice leads to better performance.

The Cubs recently went more than a month without taking batting practice at Wrigley Field and have done so before only three games overall since Aug. 29. Even when Maddon allows such practices, players are often free to skip them.

Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez, who worked alongside Maddon with the Tampa Bay Rays, said the manager has never reduced his team’s practice time on the field to this extent. A few Cubs veterans said they have never seen anything like it.

“Hitting on the field has really no specific purpose at this time of year other than fans watching it,” Maddon said. “It’s the most overrated thing we do on a daily basis.”

In another season, such a departure from baseball’s conventional wisdom might cause some angst among long-suffering Cubs fans. But Maddon’s emphasis on recovery over repetition has coincided with the team’s first winning season since 2009.

Since the start of August, the Cubs have won more games than any other team in the majors. They have scored more runs per game during that span than every other National League team except the New York Mets. They appear bound for a wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, whom they will host in a three-game series beginning Friday.

“The first time you don’t take batting practice for a week, you worry about, am I going to be ready for the game?” outfielder Chris Denorfia said. “But it’s just not the case. You sort of get over that addiction.”

The results are clear: The Cubs have dominated the time of year when players tend to wear down. “A lot of us have never felt this fresh in September,” Denorfia said.
 
Hey MetsGAF, weird question. Remember those neon murals on the outside of Shea Stadium? How many were there? 6 or 7? Reports conflict online and with my memory.

I remember 6:

Catcher
Pitcher
Runner
Batter pre-swing
Batter swinging
Fielder

as does most of the internet:

http://www.yazcountry.com/rob/sports/sheaneon-1.html
http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/Shea_Outside.html

The designer, however, says there were 7:
http://www.poulinmorris.com/projects/environmental/Shea_Stadium.html
Poulin + Morris created a series of graphic icons for 7 windscreen murals...

http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/en...vance/asc/0/7/7934/shea-stadium-neon-murals/1
Seven simple profiles...

https://books.google.com/books?id=0...#v=onepage&q=shea stadium neon murals&f=false
The seven simplified profiles...

I've been emailing back-and-forth with The 7 Line on this since they're doing a series of hats (which are awesome by the way, just got the 4th in the line -- The Runner -- today) and I figured they'd have some reference material but they have been cagey. Even went so far as to email Richard Poulin but he didn't respond. Probably because I'm crazy. So what say you?
 

Loco4Coco

Member
Hey MetsGAF, weird question. Remember those neon murals on the outside of Shea Stadium? How many were there? 6 or 7? Reports conflict online and with my memory.

I remember 6:

Catcher
Pitcher
Runner
Batter pre-swing
Batter swinging
Fielder

There was only 6, unless the creator made 7 and only 6 was used.
 

Beckx

Member
Bucs selling cheap seats for the St Louis homestand, I wish I could break away and drive up there. But not with school back in session.
 

BFIB

Member
Bucs selling cheap seats for the St Louis homestand, I wish I could break away and drive up there. But not with school back in session.

Gonna be an awesome series.

Both teams are red hot, Cards offense finally coming into form.
 
H
I've been emailing back-and-forth with The 7 Line on this since they're doing a series of hats (which are awesome by the way, just got the 4th in the line -- The Runner -- today) and I figured they'd have some reference material but they have been cagey. Even went so far as to email Richard Poulin but he didn't respond. Probably because I'm crazy. So what say you?

Those caps are sick. I'm gonna get at least two.
 
Those caps are sick. I'm gonna get at least two.
I love them, have all 4 so far. Wearing the pitcher as I type this and just got the runner! A part of me was hoping there were 7 murals as it would be fun to rotate every day of the week! They're especially cool because they're Mets hats but only a hardcore fan would realize that. I've met many members of the 7 Line Army as a result just walking around in NYC!
 

zroid

Banned
I just realized that Russell Martin had been a backup catcher for the Dodgers when Dioner Navarro was their starter. That's pretty funny. I'm surprised that fact hasn't been referenced more often in Toronto.

also in both cases Navarro's starting job was displaced by Martin :lol. Poor guy.
 

harSon

Banned
Gonna be an awesome series.

Both teams are red hot, Cards offense finally coming into form.

We face them with the bottom of our rotation though :(

I don't see us winning the division at this point, but I suppose the Cards could always get their Mets on.

I think the Pirates are going to come out fired up considering the Cubs just rekt Kang's knee last week
 
I love them, have all 4 so far. Wearing the pitcher as I type this and just got the runner! A part of me was hoping there were 7 murals as it would be fun to rotate every day of the week! They're especially cool because they're Mets hats but only a hardcore fan would realize that. I've met many members of the 7 Line Army as a result just walking around in NYC!
I realize that the designers opted for the original colour scheme, but i wish they were all orange and blue.
 
Cole v Lester, let's go!
89c.gif
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Can't hate on the Cards. They've been smashing on us since 85.
F U Jack Clark. J/k

At least SF has managed to get revenge against STL from the 80s playoffs.

On a different note, disgusting:

d4c7g3B.gif


So many other better options could've been in that ketchup side of the packet.
 

eyeless

Member
jays wit the whole league rustled

we got red sox fans outchea cheering for the yankees

a's/yotes fans w/ a history of weird hostility towards canadians stay mad queso i see you
7Wjlcmb.png
 

jello44

Chie is the worst waifu
At least SF has managed to get revenge against STL from the 80s playoffs.

On a different note, disgusting:

d4c7g3B.gif


So many other better options could've been in that ketchup side of the packet.

This is a crime against humanity and all that is decent.

Ketchup on a hotdog... when will people learn?
 

Beckx

Member
This is a crime against humanity and all that is decent.

Ketchup on a hotdog... when will people learn?

Ya'll gotta get over the fear of being immature. Ketchup mustard and dogs go together like...three other things that go really well together i dunno.
 
Blue Jays adopted Canadian national treasure Drake's classic "We Started from the Bottom now we Here" as the official theme of their playoff run yet?
 
As long as the Giants aren't in it, i'm good with that. Can't hate on the Cards. They've been smashing on us since 85.
F U Jack Clark. J/k
Guess which team was the last non-Giants, non-Red Sox team to beat the Cards in a postseason series?

I'm still peeved that we lost in such a fashion in the only season we had both a healthy Carpenter and a healthy Wainwright at the height of their powers.
 
I'll catch flack for this but I think Cole's fastball is his most improved pitch since emergence in the Big Leagues. It just has so much more late movement than it used to.
 
Guess which team was the last non-Giants, non-Red Sox team to beat the Cards in a postseason series?

I'm still peeved that we lost in such a fashion in the only season we had both a healthy Carpenter and a healthy Wainwright at the height of their powers.
Stros?

I need to see video of Kersh and Donny go at it in the dugout. Kersh gives no darn about innings reach
 
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