@jz2016cubs said in BREAKING NEWS:

The MLB has informed NL teams to not expect to play with a DH. This means that there will most likely be no universal DH, so no DH in DD.

First ive heard of this but I hope its true! Not a fan if the DH here. Strategy is one thing that makes baseball the great game it is, having the pitcher have to hit just adds to it in my opinion.

The Zebra has spoken....it shall be done.

Love this post! I'm with the rest of you, 43 year old Dad of 2 here. Been playing baseball games since I was very young on the old Intellivision which I believe rivaled Atari at the time. From there graduating to Nintendo and so and and so on. Like some others have mentioned I loved the old game Baseball Stars. Fake teams and fake players but the ability to play a season and track stats and all that was awesome. I did the same as someone else said too, playing RBI baseball and tracking my own stats. My friends and I used to play seasons and track are stats and all that kind of stuff. At one point we even made up a D and D (Dungeons and Dragons) type dice based baseball game. We would have drafts and form teams with baseball cards and had several different types of dice and roll for hits and all that. It was so long ago I can't even remember all the details but we had it down pretty good. We would roll a hundred sided dice and use a players batting average on the back of their card to determine whether they got a hit or not. Like if a guy had a .340 average you would have to roll under 34 on the dice to get a hit. We then had a system similar to that to determine what type of hit it was. Good times!

I get made fun of too by my wife and kids for playing this game and getting as into it as much as I do. I usually play later at night to have more peace and quiet since this game requires so much concentration. I play a lot more now than I used to with more time at home due to the pandemic and all that. I think it would be an awesome idea for a league made of with some of us older guys and I'd definitely be down for that!

I'm a little scared to chime in here since everyone who has has been attacked....haha....but here I go. I think a case can be made for something being wrong with sinkers and what not, but like others have mentioned on here if you can't hit a particular pitch your opponent would be silly to lay off throwing that pitch. You are correct, you don't see MLB pitchers throw the sinker or any other pitch over and over and over again. The reason for that though is, MLB hitters would eventually tee off on that pitch. Even the worst hitter in baseball is still a good hitter and if they saw the same pitch repeatedly they would time it up and start hitting it. I never throw one pitch 100% off the time but I absolutely will throw a LOT of any given pitch if over the course of the game I realize my opponent struggles with it. That's baseball, and that's competition. Attacking your opponents weakness. Sinkers can be a pain in the rear to hit but I've played plenty of games where my opponent destroys them and I have to figure out other ways to go about trying to beat them. I've also played plenty of games where I know my opponent can't hit a fastball, sinker, slider, whatever the case may be, and absolutely I give them a steady dose of what they appear to struggle with.

And thanks to you my good man for being the OP and starting the "Dads playing the show" post a while back. A few of us from that post got a nice little league going out of that and it's been a ton of fun being part of it. Good people playing some good games!

I agree with you, this forum has helped me a ton over the past few years learn the ins and outs of this game. Definitely a good place to come and most people on here are good people and willing to help.

@TheGoaler said in What is the best Kontrol Freek to use? Ever made a homemade one? LMK please!:

Home made?
You're talented. I wouldn't even know what materials to use.

I'd have to agree, that is pretty impressive. Dudes like MacGyver.....see how many get that reference.

@scottswann said in What do you all do for work in the real world:

I drink beer, and I know things.

My good man, is your company hiring?

@writetoshawn said in Opponent Team Names:

@jz2016cubs said in Opponent Team Names:

@lazy_toast said in Opponent Team Names:

y wasn’t even in his lineup nor did he ever bring him in. Wake up bro lol

Confession:
I once had a "HR with (someone, can't remember who) and I quit" GASP
I know, sad.
After I played that game, I forgot to change the name, so I used that name the next game. LOL

Not sad bro. They set this prestige thing up that way. If you ask me, it’s a flawed system in a major way.

Agreed!

I played a RS game last night and his team name was....easy win for you. It may have been, easy win 4 u or something like that but the still. The person requested a friendly quit before the first pitch and I accepted. People with names like that often times don't offer the best game experience so I went ahead and just accepted.

I have Sale and love pitching with him. He's gotten rocked a few times for me but has been extremely effective way more than the times he's been hit. I think Sale is the type of card that once you get a feel for him and learn how to use his pitch mix he can be nasty. I know a lot of people don't like to throw the changeup but I use it a lot when pitching with Sale. When I do throw it though, i almost always throw it down in the zone. Either a borderline strike at the bottom of the zone or down and out of the zone. If you can throw his fastball in that same range it can be touch to pick up on what it is, fastball or changeup. Mix in the slider on top of it and he's tough. I try and mix up the fastball, changeup, and slider down in the zone and moving it east and west on the corners. Occasionally coming up and in with the fastball as well. If you can tunnel em well, the fastball, changeup, and slider can all look like the same pitch out of the hand.

100% agree. So much so that I dont even play madden or 2k anymore. Havent played madden in probably 4 years and this is the first year I didn't buy 2k.

@texas10pt_psn said in Finest Trea Turner:

So you need 50 wins? I'm better at RS than Events....guess I can see how much he will cost.

Wow, this card must REALLY be good if you're willing to go after a Dodger! Ha.

@ericulous1_psn said in Which stadiums would you like added?:

@deadphish1976 said in Which stadiums would you like added?:

The Murph!

Oh yeah. Not Qualcomm. The Murph!!!!

Most definitely! I would love to see The Murph in this game. Not sure it'll ever happened as Jack Murphy stadium is not well known or one of those stadiums with tons of history that was around for 100 years. As a lifelong Padre fan though I have tons of great memories as a kid going to the Murph and would love to see it in the game.

The Murph!

@icebergslim7669 said in Who Else Thinks The Lockout Is Going To Affect The Show '22?:

@jeezy-e_psn said in Who Else Thinks The Lockout Is Going To Affect The Show '22?:

@ladyswampfox_xbl said in Who Else Thinks The Lockout Is Going To Affect The Show '22?:

I’m worried. The last lockout was before my lifetime (feeling old yet?). What does this mean?? I want to watch my Tigers play in 2022.

The lockout in the words of Manfred “is to prevent what happened with the strike in ‘94, we owe the fans better than that”

Especially to those of us who were Expos fans, that strike was devastating.

Expos did get robbed that year, they had a great team. Also on the getting robbed list that year was Padre fans. Tony had a legitimate shot at .400 that year. Was hitting .394 at the time the season unfortunately ended, and he was on fire. He even said himself that he would've hit .400 and he was never one to say things like that. He was always the type that would go 3 for 4 in a game and say that he stunk afterwards when talking about it.

@ericulous1_psn said in Do you play the game with the sound on?:

@deadphish1976 said in Do you play the game with the sound on?:

@theclap_psn said in Do you play the game with the sound on?:

I personally mute it and listen to my records or listen to Grateful Dead and Phish shows while playing. I know sometimes you miss cues for defensive misplays and things of that nature, but the in-game sound effects and music just get so repetitive after awhile that I like to listen to my own stuff while I play.

Excellent choice of music to listen to while playing this game. I do the same. The only thing I miss with the sound down is the heads up when a runner is stealing against me. Other than that, I'll trade the repetitive music and commentary for some Dead and Phish anyday.

Sean....is that you? Just kidding, but I actually just did the same thing. My friend (Sean) took me to see Dead and Co. For the first time (his 30th or something crazy) in October and I was blown away. So I went and bought some old records: American Beauty, Shakedown Street, workingman's dead etc. And it is a great backdrop when playing the game. Though I will never grow tired of Matty V and DeRosa clowning on my swing when I'm off.

Rock n Roll and Baseball. The greatest duo since ketchup and mustard.

Haha....nope, not Sean, sorry. That's awesome though that you decided to go with your buddy to the Dead and Co. show! Even more awesome that it was your first time and you enjoyed yourself. We always have room for one more on the bus so welcome aboard! The Dead's studio albums are great listens, especially if you want to get familiar with some of their songs. That being said live Dead is where it's at. The studio albums don't do The Grateful Dead justice when it comes to the experience. If you have a chance to pick up some Dead shows that's the way to do it. I've got hundreds and hundreds myself and am always excited to give a new one a listen when I come across one.

@theclap_psn said in Do you play the game with the sound on?:

I personally mute it and listen to my records or listen to Grateful Dead and Phish shows while playing. I know sometimes you miss cues for defensive misplays and things of that nature, but the in-game sound effects and music just get so repetitive after awhile that I like to listen to my own stuff while I play.

Excellent choice of music to listen to while playing this game. I do the same. The only thing I miss with the sound down is the heads up when a runner is stealing against me. Other than that, I'll trade the repetitive music and commentary for some Dead and Phish anyday.

@hikes83_psn said in The Shift?:

I don’t blame the defense. They’re playing the percentages. I blame the one dimensional hitters we have in the game now. It’s pull or bust.

Teams could never shift a guy like Tony Gwynn or Jeter type hitters that could hit the ball anywhere in the field.

It’s kind of pathetic seeing big leaguers’ knees buckle when they see a shift on knowing they’re beaten even before they swing the bat

Couldn't have said it any better myself. Agree 100%.

Seem to be back up and working now.

@raylewissb47_psn said in You Guys are Beasts:

@quinnymcquinn said in You Guys are Beasts:

@opus18642_xbl said in You Guys are Beasts:

I found it helpful to just quit my job, get a divorce and just play 15 hours a day. I got rid of all of my friends and just stopped paying bills, I only spend money on alcohol and cigarettes now. Within about 7 weeks I went from a 300 rating to a 325 rating, I'm expecting to be at 350 by the end of the month. So I agree, if you keep playing you will definitely get better, just look at me.

Oh, and the max amount of XP daily really through a wrench in my plan.......................

See you need a few things to fully excel. Get you up to the 400’s.

I find that you also need a mini fridge/ freezer, a toaster oven or microwave and a pee bottle right next to your game set up. Might even consider having a 5 gallon bucket near by for those other bathroom needs. Make sure you’re fully stocked on energy drinks and hot pockets. I’d recommend switching from cigarettes to chewing tobacco (don’t need to hold chewing tobacco in your hand). Also instead of beer get a large box of wine. The box of wine just saves space.

And don’t forget to use a long swirly straw for a fun hands free drinking experience.

The beer can helmet also provides for a great hands free drinking experience.

I am probably biased being a Padre fan but I always love using Tony in this game. I dont have his card yet this year but I will soon. Im about 30k XP away from getting the pack and no doubt who I am taking. His sig series card from 19 was one of my favorite cards in the game, an absolute base hit machine. Last years card was good too and Im looking forward to putting his new card into my lineup. He wont give you a ton of power, although I have heard people comment that he has sneaky pop this year, but he will give you a ton of hits. He also has one of the sweetest swings in the game in my opinion with good speed and defense.