Need some baseball advice (kinda OT)
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I assume they are in or near Amarillo, Texas. Since his father is probably old I am guessing they wake up early and go to sleep early. I would suggest picking a team in Korea since they are fourteen hours ahead. So when they get up at 5:30 CST games will be starting. The LG Twins seem to be the cream of the crop in that league and one of their best players is Austin Dean who is from Spring, Texas.
Since they are going to be cheering the Korean Twins I would probably tell them that there is a team in the American League with the same mascot and team colors. They play in Minnesota, and other than a dirty rotten cheater at SS, their team is quite fun to watch. They are in the same time zone so your friend and his dad should be able to enjoy the majority of their games when they aren't on the west coast.
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I'm an Expos fan, grew up an hour outside of Montréal.
When the team left, I had to find another rooting interest. Blue Jays were off-limits for many reasons, because f*** Ted Rogers and didn't like the DH. The Sox had just beaten the curse, so what was the point. So, I started to look for the Expos heir apparent:
- Small market;
- Young, exciting players in the system (Weekes, Hardy, Fielder);
- Quirky players (Corey Hart, 6'10'', canadian name)
- Great/cool logo (although the ball in glove wasn't back yet); always liked the Crew logo in my Panini baseball stickers albums;
Plus, they had a brand new, cool stadium, and the last 2-3 years when they would face the Expos, Geoff Jenkins would absolutely destroy them and I liked his style and swing in MVP baseball.
BUT, the passion isn't the same. It's not like I can just jump in my car and go see a game when I feel like it anymore.
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I’m in Eastern Canada and all my favourite teams were from the first teams I watched on TV. I’m nowhere near any sport city hubs so it was whatever played on my local TV stations
MLB: Jays
NHL: Habs
NFL: Bills (they have made me lose faith in humanity so many times lol)
NBA: Bulls
Soccer: Ajax -
As an Oakland A's fan I'm going through a journey towards a team as well. I refuse to root for the team that abandons the bay area. IF they leave I will be on a hunt and I've run through a similar list of "how/why" questions.
I don't have any to add that others haven't suggested but just agree that finding a favorite player(s) can make it much simpler.Alas, I fear I will wander teamless the rest of my days. After a lifetime of passion for one team, how do you flip it to someone else and have it feel real?
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@Finn_Scotus_MLBTS said in Need some baseball advice (kinda OT):
As an Oakland A's fan I'm going through a journey towards a team as well. I refuse to root for the team that abandons the bay area. IF they leave I will be on a hunt and I've run through a similar list of "how/why" questions.
I don't have any to add that others haven't suggested but just agree that finding a favorite player(s) can make it much simpler.Alas, I fear I will wander teamless the rest of my days. After a lifetime of passion for one team, how do you flip it to someone else and have it feel real?
Maybe the only way is if you were to move to a new area and follow the local team. Otherwise, I think one just will have that dead feeling inside going forward.
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@Finn_Scotus_MLBTS said in Need some baseball advice (kinda OT):
As an Oakland A's fan I'm going through a journey towards a team as well. I refuse to root for the team that abandons the bay area. IF they leave I will be on a hunt and I've run through a similar list of "how/why" questions.
I don't have any to add that others haven't suggested but just agree that finding a favorite player(s) can make it much simpler.Alas, I fear I will wander teamless the rest of my days. After a lifetime of passion for one team, how do you flip it to someone else and have it feel real?
That was my probably my dad when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. He didn’t follow anyone until the Mets in the mid 80s but he did spend most his Air Force career in Europe far away from baseball. It’ll be much harder for you.
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@Finn_Scotus_MLBTS said in [Need some baseball advice (kinda OT)](/post/603564
Alas, I fear I will wander teamless the rest of my days. After a lifetime of passion for one team, how do you flip it to someone else and have it feel real?
Hey man, I’ve been an A’s fan since I was six; I’ll be 50 before this year is done, so they’ve been a part of my life for a long time, now, and I can’t imagine why anyone would throw that kind of connection away.
Owners are ephemeral. The Athletics are bigger than John Fisher, and though it tugs at the heart a little bit, they’re bigger than Oakland, too. May not be to many anymore, but I’m sure some think they’ll always be a little bit Philadelphia (hell, maybe even Kansas City)… now they’ll be a little bit Oakland somewhere else. You don’t have to leave them.
I’ve always been an Athletics fan and I’ll cheer them on in Vegas and wherever they end up after that, if I’m still alive.
You can blame whomever you’d like, but they’ve been looking for a new home for about thirty years, now. I’m happy they’re finally getting a new start.
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@SchnauzerFace_MLBTS said in Need some baseball advice (kinda OT):
Baseball!
What’s up, baseball dudes? I have a semi-off-topic question, but it’s about baseball and this is my go-to community for baseball dudes. So hopefully you can help.
I just got an email from a former co-worker, and he asked a very interesting question I never considered: how do you pick a favorite team?
Background: my buddy has never followed baseball. He lives in the middle of nowhere (somewhat equidistant-ish betwixt the Rangers, Royals, and Rockies), so he doesn’t have a “home” team. He is caring for his elderly father who also has never followed baseball, but they are bonding over watching games at home (it’s never too late for baseball to bring fathers and sons together, right?). I think he has the MLB package so he can get any game, but they want to pick a favorite team they can root for together.
I imagine the majority of us are either fans of the local team, or the team our dads raised us to love. But if you don’t have either of those things to guide you, where do you start?
I started writing an email and i came up with a few suggestions. I was hoping you guys could add some other ideas before I hit “sendarooni.”
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Pick a team from a city that you really like to visit, that holds some special significance, where you went to college, etc. This seems like the most obvious idea.
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Narrow it down just to teams in your time zone so it’s easier to watch their home games.
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Pick a team with a mascot you like or a color palette you like. If you’re going to wear team merch, you might as well like what you’re wearing.
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Since stats and tools don’t mean anything to him as a baseball newbie, I suggested he research the top players and find someone you like on a personal level and then get behind their team. (Ex: My dad is actually fighting non-Hodgkins lymphoma for the second time right now. If we weren’t already Sox people, i would be a Sox and Liam Hendriks fan for life after watching his journey)
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Watch a few games and figure out what excites you most and pick a team that does that well. For example, if you’re most excited about great pitching or great defense or big home run sluggers, pick a team that does that well.
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Just pick the Yankees because everyone else does eventually.
He’s nowhere near MLB teams so I was going to suggest he try to find out if there's a minor league team nearby. But it doesn’t sound like his father’s health will allow him to travel for games.
Anyway… any other suggestions? At first it seemed like an odd question, but I guess I just never considered how someone might chose a favorite team. Anyone else picked their own favorite team, and what led you to them?
I hate to encourage any fans for the Dodgers, but it sounds like the Oklahoma/Amarillo area. Even though they might not be up for a game, it may be possible to catch certain MiLB teams on TV in those areas. Oklahoma has the Tulsa drillers and OKC Dodgers. Both are Dodgers affiliates. Amarillo has the Sod Poodles, which are the D-backs. Then there are a ton of single A teams around. If they have the opportunity, a close game could be possible and it gives them a starting point.
As an Angels fan living near Tacoma, I wait to see the SLC Bees take on the Tacoma Raniers whenever I can. I hate Downtown Seattle and avoid it with a passion
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@Finn_Scotus_MLBTS said in Need some baseball advice (kinda OT):
As an Oakland A's fan I'm going through a journey towards a team as well. I refuse to root for the team that abandons the bay area. IF they leave I will be on a hunt and I've run through a similar list of "how/why" questions.
I don't have any to add that others haven't suggested but just agree that finding a favorite player(s) can make it much simpler.Alas, I fear I will wander teamless the rest of my days. After a lifetime of passion for one team, how do you flip it to someone else and have it feel real?
This; it's easier to root for a new team when they have exciting players and/or competitive teams; a lot tougher when they hover around average, or just a bit above, with no stars.
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Bubble gum machine picked my football team . I put a quarter in one of those machines that you turn the knob and it drops a gum ball , but this one had football helmets , I got the chargers , been a fan ever since.
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