MLB Not Feeling Tremendous Economic Burden

As many people have said, baseball is recession proof. "Baseball has made it through depressions, wars, and scandals." This quote came from an MLB agent.

Many teams were thinking that the economic downfall would also hit the numbers that teams are drawing to the games. After the first month of the season, there were exactly 287 less tickets sold than last April, and that is with one less weekend of games this year than last. People come out to support their teams, almost no matter what. Baseball is the national past time. Smaller market teams like the Marlins, Reds, and Rays have seen significant increases in ticket sales compared to last April. I find that very uplifting. Home team fans are coming out to support their teams even when the economy is struggling.

However, this isn't to say that no team's are struggling. The Yankees and Mets are struggling to fill their new, giant-sized stadiums, mostly because of extremely high ticket prices. These teams have big enough fan bases to fix that problem though.

The Tigers, who reside in Detroit, may be the heaviest hit team. With all the car manufacturing problems, state unemployment in Michigan is over 12%. The Tigers are battling this by offering previous season ticket holders the chance to buy smaller season ticket packages.

The bottom line is, people will continue to fill the seats, regardless of how the economy is doing, because you can always go to the ballpark to forget about the world for a little.

Vick the Quick Back on the Streets

Michael Vick is scheduled to be released from prison on May 20th. He still has home confinement and probation for a duration of time. So, everyone is asking, when will we see Vick in an NFL uniform again? My answer is a resounding, NEVER!

The guy committed a crime. It's not like he was on a shortage for cash. He didn't need to be running a dog fighting ring to make ends. He made his choice of what he wanted to do. I'm not singling Vick out. The same thing goes for Plaxico Burress. You want to go out to the wrong places and shoot yourself in the leg? Go ahead, but don't expect to get to come back and be a professional athlete. That is a privilege.

The problem is, there is a fine line about what is too much. If a guy goes out and gets a few speeding tickets, let him play. We all make mistakes. It's the big mistakes, the ones you plan out, and then carry out, that are the ones you should have to pay for. Maybe Vick will be made an example out of, maybe not. I don't personally care if he comes back. I was never a fan of him anyway. I just know that if I was Roger Goodell, I would think long and hard before letting him back in the game.

Swine Flu Hits the Sporting World

So, here we have it. An outbreak of swine flu has caused major problems for multiple sports at all levels.

In Texas, high schools have not only cancelled classes, but have been forced to postpone athletic events for a few weeks. Every level of soccer in Mexico, covering 176 matches, will be played without fans this weekend. That's got to cause quite a financial burden for some teams. The Nationwide Tour postponed the Mexico Open. It is planned to be rescheduled for later in the year. The NBA and MLB are also sending out information to all teams on things to look for and preventative measures.

It definately is a problem. That's the bottom line. From my point of view, it's better safe than sorry. All leagues, no matter how big or small, need to be looking out for their members and fans, taking whatever precautions they can until this thing calms down.

Things I Miss and Things I Don't

So, it's obvious that all sports have changed over time. I compiled a little list of my favorite things that have changed in sports, and things I wish wouldn't have.

Worst Changes:
1. What ever happened to stolen bases in baseball. The Fowler kid from the Rockies stole 5 bags tonight, and Ellsbury swiped home. Speed is exciting. What happened to the guys who could steal 80 in a season without blinking an eye? I like guys who hit 40 HR's, but a guy who can steal 40 and hit 40 is even better.

2. The BCS in college football. What a joke that is. Just go to the playoff system already. Every fan wants it.

3. Designated hitter. What is the purpose of this exactly? Why does the AL have it and the NL doesn't? It's comical to me. I'm sure the pitcher want to hit, why not let them.

4. Corporate owned teams. This is bad thing in my mind, because you don't always have the interest of the team in mind. When money starts coming before putting a successful team on the field, your in trouble. Go out and do it like the Green Bay Packers and fans will fill the seats.

Best Changes:
1. Spread offenses and passing. As far as football goes, I'm not much for watching a team run the ball 40 times and grind it out in a 7-3 scorefest. I like watching guys air it out, and then in turn, open up the run game.

2. Rule changes in the NFL to protect players. A lot of people are against this, and I want the guys to play, to an extent. But we're talking about these guys lives here. They play to put food on the table for their families, so a little extra protection never hurts.

3. Instant replay. It's starting to become a part of all sports. All I want to see is the right call made. I don't mind the game stopping for a few minutes.

4. Media coverage. Yes, I said it. I know I talk about how there is too much coverage sometimes, but as a fan, I love feeling like I am a part of what is going on. ESPN gets us all so close to our favorite teams, and it gives us all something to talk about with our friends. What a great world we live in.

Draft Recap

Ok, so like I said, I followed the draft pretty closely this weekend after all the bashing I did on it. I guess I just dislike the countdown to the draft more than the actually draft. The thing I like is that the experts are still wrong the majority of the time. Teams trade picks, the Raiders always surprise everyone, and I still get excited about who the Bengals will take. On that topic, how good was the Bengals draft? From a fan's perspective, I thought they did great. They addressed about every position they have a hole in. Smith is a monster on the o-line, Maualuga is a mean inside linebacker, and Johnson, the DE from Georgia Tech could see a lot of time.

On the downside, I don't know if I can handle how much time there is between picks. The draft is a full two day process. I guess I can complain, but really it's necessary for the NFL to have that much time between picks. How else are teams going to contact each other to negotiate trades. It adds some drama, but also a lot of empty time while you wait for your team to pick. Mobile phone updates are a must if you really want to know what's going on without sitting in front of the TV all day.

In with the New, Out with the Old

Since I have been ranting about how much I already dislike New Yankee Stadium, partly because of who plays there, and partly because of the gigantic cost to build it, I decided to look into the cons and pros of new versus old stadiums.

I have been to a handful of newer stadiums, Great American Ballpark, Comerica Field, and Turner Stadium. They're good as far as amenities, but where is the atmosphere of tradition? I was reading an article in Sports Illustrated where they ranked the 30 MLB stadiums. The top was filled with the newer ones, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Milwaukee. The rankings however were based one things like ticket prices, concessions, amenities, and accessibility.

I am going to Fenway this summer to see the Sox play the hated Yankees. I also want to go see a game at Wrigley soon. I think true fans are less concerned with concession stands and accessibility than they are with where they actually are. Being in Fenway Park, watching years of history, now that's baseball.

Of course, until I have been to some of the old traditional parks, maybe I shouldn't be putting in my opinion, but there has to be a reason why they are still standing. I plan on finding out.

Best Pitcher in the MLB

Check out my podcast about the guy I would send out there to pitch game 7 of the World Series.

New Yankee Stadium A Launching Pad

Whatever happened to the good old days when the pitchers actually had some advantages? As the decades have passed, the mound has been lowered, fences have become shorter, and ERA's have hit the roof. New Yankee Stadium is no exception. In the first series at the stadium between the Yanks and Indians, a total of 20 HR's left the park in a 4 game span. Players are saying that balls get in the jetstream and just fly out. Balls that would be outs at any other ballpark are flying into the bleachers there.

Now, I'm not one to complain about too many homers being hit. I figure both teams are hitting in the same stadium under the same conditions, so you can't have too much of a beef right? But what about the skyrocketing ERA's? I feel for all the Yankee arms that are going to see their numbers inflate because of the way the ball flies out of that stadium. I enjoy seeing a pitcher dominate a game probably more than seeing 5 balls leave the park. There is just a different feeling you get when you see a guy go out there and dominate the other team on the mound, especially in this age, where pitchers usually go 6 innings before they hit the showers.

Sheffield Hits 500

Gary Sheffield hit his 500th yahtzee ball this past weekend, and you know what, I'm actually happy for him.

Lately, I have been giving the cold shoulder to guys reaching home run milestones, minus Griffey hitting 600. I think it's because the guys seem like they don't even care. I mean, I'm sure they do, but if they do, then show it!! You know what Sheffield did when he hit 500? He threw his arms up in the air like a little kid, rounded the bases, calmed down a little bit and pointed to the sky to thank God. Now that's what I'm talking about!! Don't act like you've been there before, because you only hit 500 once. Show a little emotion. If 500 is a big deal, which it is, tell the fans that you are pumped because we want to see it.

I know Sheffield was in the Mitchell Report, but until something else happens, he is currently the man. He has been doing it since the late 80's, when I was just a wee lad. That's longevity and consistency, and seeing him still want to succeed is good. He came to the Mets to win, he got his homerun, and I am giving him a high five, wherever he is.

NBA Playoffs Not Needed

Ok, so if you watched the NBA Playoffs last year, you were probably a little disappointed. Why? Because you probably already knew the result. Every single higher seed advanced to the second round. Every single 1,2,3, and 4 advanced in the east and the west brackets. The next round was the only upset of the whole playoffs. The Spurs knocked off the Hornets, if you can call that an upset. There is just such a large amount of competitive difference between the top level teams and the next level of teams. I feel like that by watching the NBA Playoffs this year, I would be wasting my time, because the Lakers and Cavaliers are going to play in the championship. It might as well be written in stone. I've never been the biggest NBA fan since Jordan retired anyway, but it's seriously getting worse. I think there either needs to be more parody in the league to make the playoff series a little more entertaining, or there needs to be another Jordan figure in the game. LeBron is great, but Jordan did things for the game on and off the court that will never be done again. I could actually turn on the TV and want to watch him play because he was that clutch. Please return Michael Jordan.

NFL Draft Countdown

The draft is next weekend. I'm sure anyone who has flipped through ESPN or turned on sports talk radio knows this. There is a ridiculous amount of media coverage on the NFL draft. We've got Mel Kiper here, who lays out his big board, predicting who will go where. It's nice to imagine what college player your local NFL team will be getting, but I am literally sick of all the coverage. It's like the draft has already happened with all the predictions that are out there. There are so many mock drafts that it seems like the real draft may never come, not soon enough anyway. And when it does come, what a tedious process. I sit there for hours just waiting for the Bengals to pick. I watch them pick some guy who will probably be a bust, then wait another few hours for their next pick. The whole thing is so upsetting to me. If Matt Stafford goes first, who is going to be surprised. The whole thing is so planned out, it's not even funny. The teams talk to the guys in advance, trying to work out contracts before the draft even happens. A lot of this is because of hold outs and agents running up huge contract demands. Things need to change. A rookie max needs to be put in, so teams can draft a guy without worrying about a hold out. These guys from college need to stop being so greedy too, like Eli Manning, who a few years back refused to play with the Chargers before they ever drafted him. It's just a long, ugly process, which I will no doubt watch.

WBC Wraps it Up

The World Baseball Classic finished up with another victory for the Japanese team. A good sign of the success of the WBC is shown in the attendance figures. The semifinals between the US and Japan drew over 43,000 fans. The final between Japan and Korea drew over 54,000 fans. Unfortunately, attendance has dropped historically between the first and second rounds of the tournament.

I think that the venues for the tournament need to be dramatically reconsidered for future games. If you look at the US pool for the first round, the games were held in Canada. While the US v. Canada game drew around 42,000, the other games were drawing between 10-12,000.

Considerations need to be made to play games in places like Seoul, the Dominican, Cuba, and Venezuela. Some progress was made as opening round games were played in Mexico City, San Juan, and Tokyo. The realization needs to be made that, if a team is playing in its home country, fans are going to pack the stadiums. The WBC has become a huge deal in a short amount of time. TV rating showed that the US v. Japan game was the most highly-viewed sports event that week.

For future reference, more planning needs to go into where these games are being held and when, if we can get past some of the political obstacles

Bracket Madness Leaves Questions

As many of us are doing this time of year, I think about filling out a bracket for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. However, as an NCAA student-athlete, I'm actually not allowed to bet a single cent on anything even closely related to a sport. The rule basically encompasses anything that the NCAA has a championship in.

So, why in the world can't I bet a few bucks with my buddies on some college basketball games that I have absolutely no influence on? I guess there are the obvious reasons. You let kids start betting on games, they then start to bet more, more people get involved, and soon enough people could be throwing games. I think that the line between what is legitimate to bet on is still blurred though. I would love to be able to put $10 on a bracket. I would never even consider betting on a game I was playing in. There aren't exceptions for the majority though, and that's the problem. Most of us college athletes would never do anything that would affect our school or our sport in any way.

While I still don't like the rules in place, speaking strictly on a personal level, I do understand why they are in place. So, while everyone else fills out their brackets and has their fun, I'll wait another two years. When those two years roll by, I am going to bet the crap out of that bracket.

World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic is one of those things that could potentially be great, on the same lines as the FIFA World Cup, on a global scale. Unfortunately, there are a few setbacks in the games. First of all, for many of the teams, some players on the rosters come from MLB teams and farm teams. This presents a problem for the MLB clubs because they don't want some of these guys to go because of injury risks. This is totally understandable from my point of view. The Reds have Votto, Volquez, Hairston, Cueto, Hernandez, and some minor leaguers leaving spring training to go play. What happens if they get hurt?
I think that what needs to be done here is to look at the big picture. Guys like Albert Pujols and Johan Santana aren't playing this year. How is that good? For the sport of baseball, the Classic could be the best thing possible. You get more worldwide recognition for the game first of all, and also, you get to see who's out there. I'm not talking about just talent and players. You find markets growing as baseball growns in other parts of the world. You introduce people to the game. Many of the players want to play because of loyalty and love of their country. The Classic, in theory, could be incredibly helpful to the game. I think that the GM's and guys running the teams are just going to have to swallow their worries and let the guys play.

Economy Hits All Sports

Click the link above to check out my continuing conversation on economics and sports.

Phelps Doesn't Receive Fair Treatment

Here's what is getting at me today. We have, Michael Phelps, the most celebrated Olympic athlete of our time. He's smokes some marijuana out of a bong at a party. What happens? He has to apologize to the entire nation and most of the world for his actions. He's 23 years old. He's won 14 gold medals. Let him do what he wants. If myself or someone like me, a regular college kid, got caught smoking at a party, what happens? We get a slap on the wrist or whatever, little in the way of being reprimanded. I think it's unfair that he has to go so far out of his way to apologize to people who don't even really care because he is seen as a "role model". Let him live his life. Is he not allowed to go out with his friends and have a couple of drinks now? I realize that big time athletes lose some of their freedoms when they are in the limelight. Why do we have to scrutinize every move they make? Some of the guys are carrying guns around and doing things that we should be concerned about, but Phelps going out and having a little fun? Why should he be sorry for anything? I am personally apologizing to him for all of the pain we put him through in this whole ordeal.

All-Star Game Call Out

The NBA all-star game was Sunday, and although it was better than some the of the games I've seen in the past, I'm still burning on something. At halftime, the USA Olympic team members who represented us in Beijing were honored with rings for their accomplishments. I'm okay with that. Prior to this however, they recognized the other all-stars from other countries like Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki. They pretty much said, congratulations for what you do, now get out of the way while we give rings to the American guys.
I didn't like it because it wasn't necessary to point out that the U.S won again. The NBA is building greatly with foreign influence. The all-star game is a celebration of the best players in the NBA. I don't think it was an appropriate time to salute America's gold medal again. It's just kind of a slap in the face to the foreign players, as well as the other American all-stars who weren't on the Olympic team.

Free Agents

So spring training is literally right around the corner. Pitchers and catchers report in just over a week. Why is it that there are over 70 free agents still remaining unsigned?
Let's be honest. The economy isn't in the best shape, and it affects baseball too. Some of these free agents, who are big name players like Ramirez, Dunn, and Sheets, want the money they are accusomed too, and it's just not out there. It's unfortunate in some circumstances. These guys have earned the right to get paid, but what are teams supposed to do? They can't spend money they don't have. There were 171 free agents coming into the off season. Having so many free agents on the market this close to spring training is unheard of.
The majority of them will be signed throughout the spring, due to injuries and teams still trying to fill needs. Many of them may have to settle for substantial paycuts though.
This offseason has been unlike any other in recent history, simply because of the economy. The guys who signed early are the ones who turned out to benefit. Middle relievers signed early and got around $4 mil a year, which is good for relief pitching. The Yankees of course dropped their bomb contracts, which I'm not even going to start on. The rest of the middle market teams are just trying to scrap together some veterans for minimal costs.
In another sense, I like that not every player is signing. The cheapest players are the ones that are coming out of the minors, and I love seeing young guys get a chance to play

Pro Bowl

You know what the NFL Pro Bowl is? It's pro bull. The player's don't go all out. There are no stakes for the game. There needs to be something implemented like in the MLB All-Star game, for like homefield advantage or something along those line. I hate watching the game. They can only blitz so many guys. They can only run certain defenses. It's pretty much like a game of touch football.

I heard they are moving the game out of Hawaii, which I think will help. No one can go to Hawaii to watch a football game, and the game starts at weird times because of the time zone differences. The whole thing is just a mess. I would rather them have a rookie challenge game as opposed to the Pro Bowl. The big names don't even want to play in fear that they will get injured.

National Signing Day

National Signing Day.. another somewhat lame excuse for the media to exploit high school athletes. I wouldn't say that the actually day is bad. The kids probably like the attention of the media as they sign their letters of intent. Leading up to that though, the highly ranked recruits are overly criticized and judged on their athletic talent. ESPN and others, ranking these high school kids, grading them on their physical attributes and abilities. It's like we're going to be able to know exactly how good they will be at the next level before they even get there. Sad sad story.

Coaches Never Stay

I was recently reading about Alabama head basketball coach, Mark Gottfried, resigning from his position. No one sticks around anymore. Gottfried isn't a great example because he resigned, but most coaches don't get a chance to prove themselves these days. The NBA has already fired a handful of coaches before midseason. The longest tenured NFL coach is currently Jeff Fischer of the Titans, holding down the reigns for 13 years.
What ever happened to the Joe Paterno's? Coaches are in, and before they can get a chance to get their system in place, and get a few players to fit that system, they're canned. Teams hire these coaches to turn things around. If you aren't going to give them a chance, then what's the point? Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz is one of the few men of his position to be treated fairly. When the Jazz have a down season, which they rarely do, they don't show Sloan the door. They know he can turn it around.
I believe you really have to hire a coach that shares the philosophy you want to build on. When it doesn't work in the first season, let him work out the kinks. There's just too much in and out. Kids coming into college rarely know who their coach will be coming into school. It's likely that by the time they get there, he'll be gone.

High School Media

Here's whats really putting me at my boiling point today. The amount of high school recruiting and media coverage that goes on now its absurd. If going to college is really about education first and athletics somewhere after that, what chance do these kids have? They're going to college why? Because most of them have to for a year or two before they can go pro. Recruiting is an absolute joke these days. There are All-American games for about every sport. It's not about prestige like it used to be either. Multiple site rank high school players. They are ranking kids in middle school now. What in the world is going on? These kids are being told in the 8th grade that they are going to be professional athletes. How are they supposed to keep their heads on straight? The rankings are a joke anyway. The majority of the kids you seen on the lists don't make it anyway. I wonder why that is. I mean, that's not exactly a lot of pressure on a high school kid is it?

Mo media mo problems

You know what really eats away at me? I'm watching ESPN, and on every show, they are talking about the altercation between Anquan Boldin and Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley. I absolutely hate this. The media blows something like this way out of proportion.
When you get players and coaches on the same team that have a desire to win, you are going to have run-ins. That's part of the game. If these guys didn't care, it would have never happened. The guys and coaches get into all the time in the dugout on my team. It's not because we hate each other, it's because we're not seeing eye to eye at that moment and we are expressing ourselves.
I just don't understand why the media has to focus on the Boldin incident so much. Bolding actually had to do an interview to protect himself. It's so weak that a squabble like this took away from a great game. Let's not forget that the Cardinals are actually in the Super Bowl. Is ESPN talking about that? Some... but that is all they should be talking about. And I know it's not even put on there by guys who don't know sports and think it's a huge deal. The Bolding altercation is shown over and over so the commentators have something to talk about, and ESPN can create a soap opera that doesn't even exist.

Economics and Baseball

The world of baseball is not fair. The Yankees, who as I mention I highly dislike, will go into '09 with a payroll well over $200 million. What did the formerly lowly Rays pay? Only $43 million in base salaries to earn their way into the World Series. What the Rays did is not so highly uncommon. The Marlins do it quite frequently. You build young, selling off your veterans for good minor league prospects, and then reap the rewards. The downside is that once these prospects prove themselves, small market teams can hardly afford to resign them, losing them to the large market teams (Yanks, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Angels). Do any of those teams sound familiar? That's because their in the playoffs about every year. Teams like the Rays and Marlins can't realistically build "dynasties" because they have to sell off their current talent for younger talent.
I am a Reds fan. We're middle market. In a year like this where the market is fairly slow, we still can't add enough players to be a legitimate contender. While other teams struggle to sign relievers and role players, the Yankees drop near a billion on contracts for Sabathia, Burnett, and Texiera. Where is the justice? The economy has gone down. This affects everyone, including the MLB, so it should come as no surprise that teams aren't throwing out as much money this offseason. Some teams still are. Will there ever be a level playing field?

Reds Still Out For a Power Hitter

The Reds are still on the market for a power hitter. They could have had Jermaine Dye by dealing away Homer Bailey. What they wouldn't do is pick up Dye's $12 mil contract. This really pushes my buttons because a mid market team like the Reds can't pick up one solid veteran bat, while the Yanks, Cubs, and Red Sox spend literally over $1 billion on new contracts this offseason. Shouldn't the Yankees luxury tax alone be enough to let the Reds sign Dye? Come on.