u/DonT012

I mean there are all kinds of co-ed softball everywhere. Hell even some men's baseball teams let girls play if they wish to take on the challenge.

Yet with basketball in pickup, it's often a difficult task to either have women accept to join a team, even if she's more skilled than half of the guys on the court.

So much so that it becomes less common to see a girl at the pickup courts. Like there was even a post on this. So why is gender such a problem in basketball but not softball?

TWO not THREE true outcomes. By 2 True Outcomes, I mean someone who literally only walks or strikes out. Kind of like your typical little league game where a player can't hit but hopes the pitcher can't lay one in the zone.

What are some of the MLB examples of this? A player that can't hit home runs but often either walks or strikes out.

Doc Rivers is an NBA head coach. He was labeled one of the 15 Greatest Coaches because of his 1 World Series title he won back in 2008. On top of that, he also happens to be almost always coaching elite teams so he has a winning record. However, his playoff resume is poor outside of 2008. His teams would constantly choke in the playoffs despite being superior to their opponent.

What are some MLB examples of Doc Rivers? What is one MLB manager that looks great on paper but is horrible come playoff time?

I see a lot of baseball and softball players wear sunglasses all the time when they play outdoors, especially in the bright golden sun. What about with pickup basketball? Nobody does that. But should I wear it when playing pickup basketball outdoors in the sun? I do it when I'm playing daytime rec softball games.

By disappointing, I don't mean like a heartbreaker such as 2025 Dodgers vs Blue Jays. I mean something like an NBA example: 2022 Mavs @ Suns in Semi-Finals (see CP3's huge 3). Or just recently, the Pistons vs Cavs where they were getting destroyed.

What are some MLB examples of this?

Making it to the Basketball Hall of Fame isn't just about NBA-related accomplishments. There are other things to take into account for such as how well you dominated international leagues (to a lesser extent) with the most notable example being Oscar Schmidt or Arvy Sabonis. Then you have Gold Medals at international competitions such as Olympics, FIBA cups, etc, usually for non-US players such as Ginobli. You also have college careers, which may be used for short peak careers like Derrick Rose.

Should the Baseball Hall of Fame take non-MLB accomplishments into account, as long as it's related to professional baseball? Do you think players like Ohtani should legally be allowed on the Hall of Fame ballot, even if he retired today, despite not playing 10 years in the MLB, because of what he accomplished in Japan? I mean he's already done a crap ton in Japan and won a WBC title, even if you remove his MLB experience. I mean it's called Baseball Hall of Fame, not Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

What do these superstars have in common?

• Both were drafted by their own franchise and are still with their team for a decade+.
• Both have had a history of a ton of injuries.
• Both are in their 30s now.
• Both have not made it to their respective sports' conference finals.
• Both have had multiple superstars come and go to play with.
• Both have had subpar coaches on their team.

So which player had their talent wasted more? Embiid or Trout?

In the NBA, winning Finals MVP is an extremely prestigious award, like it's regular season MVP but much better. Many fans talk about how Steph Curry's legacy was somewhat in jeopardy because all 3 of his rings he did not get Finals MVP. That was until 2022 happened where he finally got it and many fans gave a giant exhale.

What about in the MLB? Should winning World Series MVP boost a player's legacy as a whole? Like 2x Corey Seager MVP for example. Not to mention it's for TWO different teams. Should he be a near Hall of Fame level player because he's also great in the regular season, despite only having 44 WAR in total?

Or Freddie Freeman among best first basemen in the last 25+ years.

We've seen these no-look passes with infielders trying to turn double plays. What about outfielders? Let's say he was looking to at home and lined up to throw at home. But for some reason, he threw to 3rd on the windup instead and actually caught the runner off guard.

Has a no-look outfield assist happened in MLB before?

Now that the Leafs got the first pick again. I mean we all know how good was Matthews because he's still in his prime.

But what about the other first overall pick many years ago?

He's always had the reputation for being an elite defender. But he still remains at least noticeably above average despite all the injuries he's faced in the last 3 years. It sapped his athleticism/quickness and even arm strength. You'd think a 5'8 needs all that speed in the world to get to fly balls right?

This year, he's below average in speed and especially slow for a CF. Yet he's still above average at defense. I know it's a small sample size but even last year, he started to lose a step. It feels like he's hobbling at times yet makes every play look so easy.

What makes Varsho still great on defense despite the loss in physical tools? It's not like he's 6'2 where he can make long strides to cover the loss of speed. Mind you he's only 5'8. How is that possible?

If there's something I'm really surprised baseball stats have not invented, it's Playoff WAR. Now you might be screaming at me "but it's a small sample size". And yeah it is.

But so are the NBA playoffs. I mean they have playoff win shares. For a sport that doesn't really care much about advanced analytics, I'm surprised they implemented this.

If both NBA and MLB playoffs are a small sample size, how come one sport that doesn't overemphasize on WAR (win shares) uses this in the playoffs while another doesn't?

I keep hearing lots of stories of NBA players tearing their ACL or achellies tendon or meniscus or muscles like that. I don't really know muscle groups very well. Either way. This would cause players to be out for like almost a year and basically not walk?

Is this common of an injury in recreational basketball? I've been afraid to play lots of basketball but I started to slowly pick up on my reps. There's a reason I've played a lot of baseball/softball throughout the last few years because I've feared this injury. I know that sport also injures shoulders/elbows but at the very least I can walk without crutches if I injure it.

How preventable are ACL-based injuries? I know one of my friends is at the basketball gym playing like almost every day or in the summer's he'd be at the park frequently. So I guess this injury isn't very common at the recreational level?

I noticed that if you pronounce both these names as quickly as possible, it would sound like they rhyme or something.

How cool is that?

In light of what happened in the NBA between the Nuggets (3rd) vs Wolves (6th), I thought I'd ask the MLB equivalent.

While the 6th seed has only been out for 4 years, this has happened multiple times so far:

• 2022: Phillies over Cardinals
• 2023: Dbacks over Brewers
• 2024: Tigers over Astros, Mets over Brewers
• 2025: Tigers over Guardians

Which upset was the biggest in your opinion out of this list so far?

In the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki was for many years known to be a playoff underperformer. Then 15 years ago happened. In 2011, he carried his underdog team to the World Series to embarrass Lebron. Many other active NBA players would benefit from a single ring like Embiid, Harden, Doncic, Butler, etc.

What are some MLB examples of this? What's one MLB player (active) that would benefit from winning just 1 World Series? By benefit I mean improve their legacy tenfold.