Pick me a team

My advice would be to not decide yet, but do take on board what other posters have to say and watch a couple of games (you could decide before this season starts by watching some spring training! ) - on ESPN America on Monday they are showing the Red Sox v the Marlins, at half 5 I think.

Also have a look around the MLB section of ESPN or Sports Illustrated website (previews of the season etc.) and maybe a team will catch your eye there! Good luck

mikemac1 wrote: »

I have an interest but there's a lot to learn and I want to take it further and get into it

Is that the Baltimore Orioles?

Welcome to the baseball forum Mike!
To answer your initial question; NO! It is not the Baltimore Orioles. They have a terrible owner, awful luck with top prospects lately (especially pitchers), and are stuck in a division with 3 of the top 6 six teams in the AL, and the up-and-coming Blue Jays.

I would second the other guys, don't jump on a team straight off without watching them a bit first, and East Coast definitely helps (I can attest to this as a Red Sox fan, followed them since I spent a summer in Boston in '03).

A great way to get more into the game is fantasy baseball, you will find yourself following it way more, drop me a PM if you're interested, can continue the Bengals/Ravens rivalry across sports!

Failing all that, the teams that might fit your underdog/tortured/history profile would be:
Chicago Cubs (should be optimistic with Epstein in charge)
LA Dodgers (new owner could spur some optimism and have 2 of the best players in baseball)
Mets (no hope for the future though)
Blue Jays as mentioned above
Rays also perennial underdogs competing with Yankees & Sox
Maybe even the Washington Nationals, great young talent, should be fun for next few years

jack presley wrote: »

That's a great shout Rob. The Nationals are going to be contending, if not this year, then definitely next year. Although they're in the NL East with my Mets and I shouldn't want them to do well, you can't not be impressed with Strasburg when he pitches and I can't wait to watch Bryce Harper when he gets called up. They are going to be good for years to come.

I think they will contend this year and sneak a wild card as I think the NL race is wide open this season. Gio Gonzalez was a great pickup, Jordan Zimmerman will be better and Edwin Jackson will eat innings. If Ryan Zimmerman stays off the DL, Werth lives up to his contract and of course Harper hits when he is called up then its possible...

Another underdog team has got to be the Royals. They were a powerhouse through the late 70s/early 80s. These days they have a ton a talent and could contend in a year or two although Detroit are going to be hard to dislodge from the top of the AL Central...

BigBadRob83 wrote: »

I'll second that, catching a game in the States is awesome, have been to Fenway several times and loved it. From what I've heard from friends in Chicago, Wrigley is the same.

Don't know exactly which documentary Mike is referring to, but there was a good one recently from ESPN, called 'Catching Hell'. More about the Bartman thing, and scapegoats in general but very good.

I saw 'Catching Hell' and found it very interesting! I was living in Chicago when the whole thing occurred watching it on TV. I could not believe my eyes at the time - but more telling than how Bartman innocently interfered in the catching of the foul ball was how EASILY the Cubs folded once that happened. At the end of the day it was a foul ball and caused no runs to be scored, but somehow the Cubs could not hold it together after that.

G

Only one team in Chi-Town, THE Sox!

are you starting to regret your Cubs choice yet??
You can still change your team before the season ends.
Its like a warranty period.

Should've picked the Orioles mike, where's your Baltimore loyalty? I went to an Orioles game and it was awesome, especially compared to a yankees game I was at.

mikemac1 wrote: »

Reading forums a lot of Ravens fans hate the Orioles
Well no, actually that's not correct

They hate the owner and refuse to support the team until the owner is gone

Sounds messy

I wouldn't blame them! When Peter Angelos bought the Orioles back in the early 90s they were perennial playoff contenders. Unfortunately it wasn't long before his meddling ways cast the team into mediocrity where they have remained until now. I'd like to see the Orioles do well this year for the fans who still support the team and not the owner...

The Orioles actually drafted Cal Ripken Jrs son today in one of the later rounds of the draft so the Ripken association with the Orioles continues...

Red Sox.

Best and most historic ballpark in MLB, a history of both over-the-top inspiring wins (2004, 1975's Game 6) and crushing defeats (1986, 2003). They are part of the best rivalry in US sports (Yanks-Sox), and are in MLB's toughest divison (the AL East). They're in Boston, which loves anything and everything Irish, so you'd immediately be accepted, and while they're a bunch of overpaid whiners now, they have a young core which will tear through the league in the next few years.

Plus, you won't believe how satisfying it is to chant "Yankees Suck" with 37,000 of your closest friends.



However, if you want to go off the beaten path and make your friends question your mental health, only to look back ten years from now and realize you're actually a genius, go with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are awful right now. Think about how bad a team could possibly get, think of the lowest depths of suckdom your mind can fathom, and then think a few steps lower, and you will get to how bad they have been for the past 2 decades. They have not had a winning season since 1992, Barry Bonds' last year as a Pirate. I went to college in Pittsburgh, and I watched them lose in every way imaginable. Plus, they have a tendency to ship out any and all players with even a modicum of talent, keeping the roster filled with rejects, has-beens, and never-will-be's.

But they've started to turn a corner, and have some great young talent. They're definitely a sleeper this year, and I bet they'll even get above .500 either this season or next. Think about how cool it would be to say you were a fan back in the day when everyone else is just getting on the bandwagon. Of course, they could ship out all their good players and suck for another 20 years, leaving you with tearing your hair out wondering why you would ever give your heart to this team. But that's the deal you strike when you become a fan of any team.

-Tyler

Certainly the Cubs are a lot of fans 2nd favourite team. As a Canuck, I adopted the late, lamented Montreal Expos back in 1969. I've slowly become a Blue Jays fan over the past couple of decades and am very pleased at the off-season acquisitions they've made this year.

But if you don't have a home team - the Cubs are lovable losers and all ball fans will be happy when they finally win it all.

mikemac1 wrote: »

2013 will be the Cubs year!!

It's well seen you can smile about it...:D

Keep dreaming! :P