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2022 through 2065 MLB Seasons


5fouls

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Taking back Bally Sports’ local TV rights to teams’ games is one of the options being explored by Major League Baseball, according to a published report.

Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair Broadcast Group division that runs the Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks, is considering filing for bankruptcy as a payment on its debt approaches.

Sinclair took on about $9 billion in debt when it bought the 19 Fox regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. in 2019. Since then, cord cutting has eroded the RSNs subscriber base and rights costs have risen, putting the RSNs in a bind.

In a bankruptcy, Diamond might be able to try to relieve itself of some payments and renegotiate contracts. All of which has Major League Baseball looking at contingency plans, according to Front Office Sports.

“Our strong preference would be for the RSNs to be able to fulfill the agreements they signed with the clubs. However, we need to be prepared if the RSNs are unable to do so,” Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer, said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “This is a situation we have been monitoring for a long time. We have been contingency planning to ensure that no matter what happens with the RSNs, fans will be able to continue watching their favorite teams in their local market.”

During its third-quarter earnings report in November, Sinclair said that it hired advisers LionTree and Moelis & Co. to “talk to parties about deleveraging, strategic partnerships and things of that nature.”

According to a report from Bloomberg, under a restructuring plan described by unnamed inside sources, debt would be turned into equity, and Diamond's largest creditors — Prudential Financial, Fidelity, Hein Park Capital Management and Mudrick Capital Management — would become owners of the Bally Sports RSNs.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/major-league-baseball-reportedly-mulls-taking-back-bally-sports-tv-rights/ar-AA17b1L6

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8 minutes ago, rico said:

F@%K ESPN

Meh...Easy place to go for info, accuracy be damned.  Seriously, it's just a fun exercise that is actually helping me not to take a big old bite of that 'False Hope' cookie that I seem to do every Spring.  It's quite obvious the Reds lineup is really, really bad, and unless they get totally unexpected production from 3-4 spots, it's going to be a long year, regardless of how the young pitching performs. 

As far as the Reds lineup, is concerned, I'll disagree with ESPN in a couple of places.  I think Newmann starts at SS.  And, I don't think Solak is a regular.  DH is going to be a revolving door based on platoons and 'resting' guys like Stephenson and Votto. 

Also, there is talk that one, or neither of Votto or Senzel will be ready to start the season.    

Edited by 5fouls
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OPS+ Comparison - Reds / Padres

Been putting this one off because I expected it to be ugly, and it was. 

Reds drop it 1-8 (thank God for Tyler Stephenson)

Of note is that Tatis's number is a career figure, since he did not play in 2022.  

And, I can't let this one go without a Matt Carpenter Porn Stache image.

Photo of Matt Carpenter

 

image.png.f67bff1f25bb4ba5f7512ff123aad278.png

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18 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

OPS+ Comparison - Reds / Padres

Been putting this one off because I expected it to be ugly, and it was. 

Reds drop it 1-8 (thank God for Tyler Stephenson)

Of note is that Tatis's number is a career figure, since he did not play in 2022.  

And, I can't let this one go without a Matt Carpenter Porn Stache image.

Photo of Matt Carpenter

 

image.png.f67bff1f25bb4ba5f7512ff123aad278.png

Isn't Tatis suspended for the first half of the year

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2 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

Isn't Tatis suspended for the first half of the year

ESPN+ has him listed at the top of the LF depth chart, so he gets used in my comparison.  Reality is that the pre-Spring Training depth chart for every team will change by opening day.  Doesn't change the basic fact that the Padres have a good lineup and the Reds' lineup sucks.    

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20 hours ago, 5fouls said:

ESPN+ has him listed at the top of the LF depth chart, so he gets used in my comparison.  Reality is that the pre-Spring Training depth chart for every team will change by opening day.  Doesn't change the basic fact that the Padres have a good lineup and the Reds' lineup sucks.    

But, but, but we got Benson.  Expecting big things from him.

Benson (TV Series 1979–1986) - Photo Gallery - IMDb

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20 hours ago, 5fouls said:

ESPN+ has him listed at the top of the LF depth chart, so he gets used in my comparison.  Reality is that the pre-Spring Training depth chart for every team will change by opening day.  Doesn't change the basic fact that the Padres have a good lineup and the Reds' lineup sucks.    

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/cincinnati-reds-2023-projected-starting-lineup-pitching-rotation-bullpen

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5 minutes ago, 5fouls said:

India in the outfield?  Have never seen that suggested before.

I have.  To a degree it makes sense considering the middle infield depth they have in the minors.  But the majority of Reds fans I see seem to think India would be better at 3rd.

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Major League Baseball’s century-old antitrust exemption has faced plenty of challenges over the years, but lately it seems like the game’s longstanding legal gift is under unprecedented scrutiny.

In recent years members of both parties have threatened to file legislation revoking the exemption, which allows baseball to function as a legal monopoly.

Last summer the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee requested information about its impact on the sport from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, a step that often precedes a formal hearing, and last week the Justice Department urged a federal appeals court not to extend the exemption’s protections in a dispute over minor league club affiliations.

Do these moves suggest the exemption’s repeal is imminent? Probably not, but it’s worth considering the possible impact its fall may or may not have.

MLB’s antitrust exemption stems from a 1922 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ruled Major League Baseball did not constitute “interstate commerce” and was exempt from the Sherman Act, which prevents businesses from engaging in anti-competitive practices. In effect, the court determined that baseball was “just a game” and not an economic powerhouse that would eventually grow into a multi-billion dollar nationwide enterprise.

Questionable as that may have been, the decision gave the league unprecedented power when it came to shaping the structure and development of the sport while making it virtually impossible for a competing league to emerge.

Still, its impact has narrowed in scope over the years.

The rise of the MLB Players Association in the 1960s and the passage of the 1998 Curt Flood Act has largely carved big league players out of the exemption’s purvey. If the MLBPA ever voted to temporarily disband during a future work stoppage, the players would have the right to take legal action on antitrust grounds in a similar manner as the NFL’s players during their 2011 labor dispute.

 

https://www.eagletribune.com/sports/mlbs-antitrust-exemption-is-under-siege-but-how-much-would-change-if-it-fell/article_42e254ca-a7d4-11ed-a624-07c68e95def3.html

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OPS+ Comparison - Reds vs. Bosox

On the surface, the Reds have one of their better matchups we've seen so far with a 3-6 record.  However, the LF 'win' for the Reds is highly debatable, as the '0' scored by Masataka Yoshida is only because he has not played in the Majors in the U.S.  His stats in Japan would indicate he has a very good chance to outperform Fraley of the Reds, but for the purposes of this exercise, LF falls on the Reds side of the ledger.

image.png.6bd2278de74d423e2dd49f764015909e.png

Edited by 5fouls
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