S2P02 - Baseball

These are selected notes from the Baseball segment of the S4E01 Two Old Guys Drinking Beer podcast. As we approach the 2020 season there is a lot to look forward to. Here in Texas Rangers land, that is especially so. There have been significant roster changes. We have a brand new ballpark, Globe Life Field. A ballpark with a retractable roof. That will allow the roof to be closed and the air conditioning turned on, especially during the often oppressive heat of July and August in Texas. We will now be able to have daytime games after May. Sunday day games will be bearable. We can have day or early evening start times for games on getaway travel days.

Rangers

• 2020 Rangers Projected roster.
• 12/05 - Rangers unveil new 2020 uniforms. Powder blue for Sunday home games.

• Globe Life Field
• The retractable roof is 5.5 acres.
• The pitching mound will be retractable
• Artificial turf
• 2020 home game times
• Weekday games @ 7:05
• Saturday games @ 6:05
• Sunday games @ 1:35
• Day getaway games
• Spring training
• Pitchers and catchers report 02/11
• Full squad reports 02/16
• First spring training game 02/21
• Rangers 2020 schedule
• Opening game 03/26 @ Seattle
• Home opener 03/31 @ 3:05 vs Angels - First official game at Globe Life Field
• All-Star game 07/14 @ Dodger Stadium
• Last regular-season game 09/27 vs Seattle
• The Rangers will play the NL East teams in interleague play

Other MLB

• 01/13 - Houston punishments for sign stealing in 2018. Hinch and Luhnow fired. Both suspended from baseball for one year. The club loses the top two draft picks in 2020 and 2021. Fined $5 million. The fine seems light since $5 million is about a utility player these days. 2019 average MLB salary was $4.36 million.
• 01/14 - Red Sox fire Alex Cora over Astros sign-stealing scandal. Cora was the Astros bench coach in 2018.
• 01/16 - Carlos Beltran out as new Mets manager. Beltran was an active player on the 2018 Astros roster.
• No currently active players were disciplined. More precisely, no currently active members of the Major League Players Association (MLPA union) were disciplined. MLB folded on confronting the union since surely players were active participants in the sign-stealing scheme.
• 01/16 - Alyssa Nakken named assistant coach by SF Giants. The first full-time female coach in MLB.
• 01/21 - Derek Jeter (1 vote short of unanimous) and Larry Walker (final year 76.6% of ballots) voted into HOF. Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller voted in by Modern Baseball Era Committee.

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