"I made my arguments and went down in flames. History will prove me right." -- Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush after voting against realignment and a new wild-card system during a Major League Baseball owners meeting in September 1993. Bush was the lone dissenter in a 27-1 vote.
I feel like I'll probably be rooting for San Diego (which is German for...) but I think Colorado will ride their late season surge and home field setting to move on.
We'll see...
(Hey, I did correctly predict Philly would win their division).
Note: These predictions are provided solely for my entertainment. If you use them for anything else, you're crazy.
Baseball fans now have an opportunity to make up (a little bit) for Joe Crede's slight in the Gold Glove balloting by casting their vote for the third baseman in the This Year in Baseball Awards "defense" category. Not on the defensive ballot? Eric Chavez and Kenny "Dirty Hand" Rogers.
Interestingly the This Year in Baseball Awards "postseason moment of the year" category does not include the Detroit Tigers' five pitching errors. Clearly these awards are far from perfect too.
Apparently a "dirty" hand doesn't help you in the infield...
The Chicago Tribune:
For what it's worth, during the regular season Detroit was an average fielding team, allowing the seventh-fewest unearned runs in the American League. The pitching staff combined to commit 15 errors during the season, only 10 more than they did during the World Series. Oddly, Kenny Rogers, who on Thursday was awarded his fifth Gold Glove, had five errors during the regular season, tied with Florida's Dontrelle Willis and Cleveland's Paul Byrd for the most among big-league pitchers.Huh? How on Earth did this guy get a Gold Glove? What does Kenny Rogers have on Major League Baseball that he can rank at the top in terms of number of errors committed and still get a Gold Glove, and when he has "dirty" hands, he simply gets asked to wash up?
The Gold Glove awards for the American League came out today.
The Detroit Tigers' Kenny Rogers won a Gold Glove. Pretty sure he also won the Brown Thumb award too.
By the way, Joe Crede should file a police complaint because he got robbed -- Eric Chavez?!? C'mon! Crede deserved the Gold Glove in 2005 and he should have gotten it this year too.
No guy that has been in a tree since the Cubs were eliminated from the postseason is this fat.
Sometimes you just need Tommy Lasorda to jolt you out of your my-team-didn't-make-the-postseason depression. Thankfully he's up to the task.
Tommy's right -- now is the time to root against the teams that prevented you from getting to the post season. Ah, America's game. Isn't it great?
SI.com has issued their Fan Value Index 2006 -- an analysis of what ballparks provide fans with the best overall experience for their dollar, as judged by the fans themselves.
The survey looked at:
The top five team/ballpark experiences as ranked by the fans are:
- Average ticket price
- Average cost of concessions/souvenirs
- Accessibility
- Amenities
- Atmosphere
- Neighborhood
- Team
1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (Angel Stadium)The five worst team/ballpark experiences are:
2) Colorado Rockies (Coors Field)
3) Pittsburgh Pirates (PNC Park)
4) Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park)
5) Texas Rangers (Ameriquest Field)
26) Los Angeles Dodgers (Dodger Stadium)And, for those who can only recognize baseball team names if they are deified by ESPN, other notables include:
27) Florida Marlins (Dolphin Stadium)
28) Boston Red Sox (Fenway Park)
29) New York Mets (Shea Stadium)
30) Washington Nationals (RFK Stadium)
19) New York Yankees (Yankee Stadium)What is most interesting about this list is when you look at it on a division-by-division basis you find that the best fan value can be found in the best division in baseball, the American League Central.
24) Chicago Cubs (Wrigley Field)
No, I'm not talking about the AL East. I'm talking about the Yankees' status as one of baseballs elite teams, anchored by their legendary ballpark. A legendary ballpark that will soon be losing its "living legend" status.
The New York Yankees today officially broke ground on the new Yankee Stadium -- the house that George built.
Via Yankees.com:
The new Yankee Stadium will open in 2009, replacing the third-oldest stadium in the Major Leagues. Yankee Stadium has held up for 84 years, surpassed only by Fenway Park and Wrigley Field.The plan appears grand, and if they can recapture the look and feel of Yankee stadium in the days of Ruth while adding in high def video boards and expanded concourses, it could very well be a tremendous success. But...there is always the chance that it won't be.
"This new stadium will present new comforts, new features and be state-of-the-art in every way," Yankees president Randy Levine said. "It will be the most spectacular fan-friendly stadium ever built."
A large artist's rendering behind the speakers showcased the $800 million stadium's majesty. Detailed pictures showed how modern the ballpark will be.
...The new Yankee Stadium will seat fewer than the current stadium, but it will have 60 luxury suites, including three outdoor suites and eight party suites. It will have many restaurants, larger concourses and entertainment areas.
But the Yankees will also carry over some of the time-honored traditions of their current stadium. The field dimensions will be the same, and Monument Park will be transferred to the new park.
The design will even go further back to recreate some of the original park's features. It will have the tall cathedral windows, auxiliary outfield scoreboards, a right-field Yankees bullpen and a frieze on the roof, which is commonly known as the façade and was a feature of the original stadium.
...Along with the $800 million the Yankees have fronted, the city and state are pitching in more than $200 million to build recreational parks along the waterfront and other facilities around the ballpark.
A hotel, convention center and $45 million Yankee Stadium Metro-North Station are also in the plans. Four new parking garages will be built, creating approximately 10,000 vehicle spaces.
[Mayor] Bloomberg said that the stadium's construction will create 6,500 jobs during the next four years and up to 1,000 permanent jobs. The city will spend $1 million in training Bronx residents for the construction.
Major League Baseball has a wonderful, incredible product that you can subscribe to called MLB.TV. For about $80 a season you can watch live, streaming video of almost every baseball game every day/night. It is awesome -- the ultimate service for out-of-market fans who cannot see their team on their local cable/satellite provider.
So what is the problem? MLB's blackout rules.
Despite the fact that you've paid MLB $80 to get into their little club, they still get to control what games you see -- in other words there are blackout rules that apply.
Those rules are:
MLB.TV LIVE BLACKOUT RESTRICTIONSThese rules don't seem too restrictive -- basically, you can't watch the team in your local area -- until you realize that they also apply every time there is a game airing nationally.
Local Live Blackout: ALL LIVE MLB.TV games will be blacked out in both teams' home telecast markets and in Japan.
National Live Blackout: Live games marked with grey icon will be blacked out in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, postseason live games will be blacked out in Canada.
The result? (Pictured above) No White Sox vs. Orioles game for me this Saturday because FOX and MLB (despite my PAYING THEM $80) decided the only game I could watch was the St. Louis Cardinals vs. the Chicago Cubs.Blackouts, the thinking goes, are in place to guard teams from tickets going unsold because fans choose to watch the game at home. Is it truly necessary, then, to extend territories for hundreds of miles? If Horacio Muñoz, an El Paso, Texas, native who canceled his MLB.TV subscription this year, got off work at 5 p.m. and immediately started driving toward Ameriquest Field for a Texas Rangers game, he would arrive at 2 a.m. A trip to Minute Maid Park would land him in Houston around 4 a.m.
"How ridiculous are they in thinking I would drive in for a game?" Muñoz wrote. "Love baseball, but (this is) just another reason for me to go outside and enjoy the evenings."
On the other hand, blackouts apply when teams travel. So, for example, if a New York Mets fan lives in Orlando, and his cable or satellite provider does not offer the network that carries the Florida Marlins, he cannot watch the nine games each season the Mets host the Marlins at Shea Stadium.
That makes about as much sense as live games being entirely blacked out in Japan (to the chagrin of Kevin Allgood, a Georgia native in Kyoto) and half of Nevada – including Las Vegas, possible home to a major-league team in the future – having its own six-pack of blacked-out teams (the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks).
Mentioning that more than a million people in Washington, D.C., can't see their home team, the Nationals, on cable because MLB's sweet deal gave Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos his rival's broadcasting rights, or alluding to MLB selling its soul … er, TV rights to Fox and, because of that, blacking out every game on Saturday afternoons – well, that would be piling on.
At this juncture, it's too easy to point out the problems because there are so many. It's incumbent upon baseball to think of resolutions rather than sit on its hindquarters while dissatisfaction mounts.
As almost anyone who has watched a baseball game in the past decade knows, the vast majority of Major League Baseball's teams have a third, or alternate jersey option. Purists hate them, average fans seem to like them. Marketing departments -- judging by the fact that some teams have several alternate options -- seem to like them too.
This list ranks teams' alternate jerseys (typically the solid colored top) as well as any alternate road uniforms above and beyond the solid top option. Look for a separate ranking of alternate home jerseys in a future posting.
So, without anymore introduction -- the rankings!
THE BEST
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox pretty much started the alternate jersey revolution so it is only fair that the classic "Good Guys Wear Black" jersey takes top honors. No alternate jersey does as good a job of being both classic and hip at the same time, and the secondary logo on the sleeve seals the deal. The Sox's black top doesn't feel forced because white and black are the team's primary colors. Silver accents around the piping, logo and numbers show that this is a well thought out jersey. Classy enough that it will be stylish for as long as the alternate jersey trend lasts.
Seattle Mariners
A fairly simple jersey, the Seattle Mariners take second place in the jersey rankings because their color scheme works so well for a solid top. The navy base with silver text is crisp and teal accents are very pleasing. Nice use of the secondary logo on the sleeve. Not as loud as the teal tops from Ken Griffey Jr.'s days with the team.
Milwaukee Brewers
A lot of Brewer fans love the glove and ball logo from the 1980s but the current Brewer uniforms have a lot to like. The navy and gold is an excellent evolution from the royal blue and yellow of the Robin Yount glory days. The gold accents around the numbers and "Brewers" script are especially well done.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox uniforms are a classic and their third jersey option does a good job of not trying to do too much. Identical to the home uniform in design, the bright red top is a bit shocking at first, but seems to fit the current characters on the team and the needs of the marketing department.
Florida Marlins
Many would argue that this jersey does not belong in the "best" portion of the list, but I feel that the black top with silver "Marlins" is a good look. This jersey rises in the rankings because it gained a little bit of an icon status (as far as the Marlins go) in the 2003 post season. Teal, black and silver outlines around the logo and numbers add a nice bit of pizazz. Sleeve patch is a nice touch.
THE AVERAGE
Houston Astros
The gold "Houston" across the front in script is a good, classic baseball type of look. Texas-shaped sleeve patch fulfills the statutorily required need to honor the lone star state. Good looking jersey -- the Astros might have ranked higher if they didn't have eight million jersey options.
Oakland Athletics
Basic but good looking. The A's jersey doesn't try to do too much. Elephant sleeve patch is much appreciated.
Colorado Rockies
Colorado gets points for putting purple front and center to give this alternate jersey a unique look. Black lettering and numbers are a bit tough to read -- would be interesting to see if they would appear better or simply be ugly if they used silver instead.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh probably didn't work to hard to design this jersey, but it works well. The red accents around "Pirates" and the numbers keeps this jersey from being too boring. And a pirate on the sleeve...nice!
Texas Rangers
A little more interesting than some of the other tops in the middling classification, the Rangers spruce their jersey up with some white piping around the sleeve. The "TEXAS" across the front is spiffy because it uses silver as an accent color. Team uses the Texas flag to fulfill their state deitification.
Chicago Cubs
There is nothing special nor anything especially bad about this jersey. It is a little softballish because the logo is big and the jersey is plain. Interesting use of the National League emblem on the sleeve -- I believe the Cubs are the only team to do such a thing. Of course one could question why (though the American League thanks the Cubs for making it very clear to all that they do not play where the best teams do).
Put a Wrigley Field logo on the sleeve, wear them on select home games throughout the year, and watch the yuppie money roll in...
Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore's jersey is too plain. Could be greatly improved by using white accents around the name and numbers. The Oriole -- be it cartoon or lifelike -- needs to be brought front and center on the sleeve.
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland's alternate option follows the basic pattern of their home and road jerseys in design. This is a fine look, though I'm not totally sold on the white piping and how it interacts with the "Indians" on the front. Red numbers with white outline looks good.
Minnesota Twins
If Minnesota's jersey looks familiar it should. This is basically the Cleveland jersey with red piping instead of white.
Cincinnati Reds
The third jersey option could be a really good look for the Reds, but I just cannot get into the black accents they are pushing.
San Diego Padres
The Padres jersey is not bad, but like all of the Padres current uniforms they don't have a classic feel. Maybe that is part of the easy come, easy go California attitude, but you can't help but think they won't be wearing these in 2010. Not big on the gold semi-collar thingie that also doesn't work well for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or San Francisco Giants. Best part of this jersey? The padre on the sleeve -- why is he not used more prominently throughout the team's image?
THE WORST
Washington Nationals
This jersey on its own is not bad -- although I don't like the white logo, dark numbers look. No, the reason this makes the list is really the fault of the Nationals' whole infatuation with block lettering which really does not go with the classic "W" on their caps. Ditch the block lettering, write Washington across the front in script matching the cap and you'd have a heck of a jersey.
Toronto Blue Jays
Hey Toronto, thanks for jumping on the black bandwagon...about a decade late. This jersey ranks among the worst because it is a part of the whole new-look Blue Jays thing, which seems to be a push toward being the black jays. Toronto's new colors and logo stink, thus this jersey must be ranked among the worst.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Dark logo + white numbers + white piping = not a good look. The "TB" logo is not especially good, looking like something you might have shipped in from a AAA team if your real jerseys didn't make the flight from your last road trip. The team does get points for using green instead of black as the base color.
New York Mets
My mom always told me that blue and black do not go together. Clearly my mom did not raise the New York Mets (or the Dallas Cowboys for that matter).
The Mets took a big, big step backward when they added black into all of their uniforms a few years ago, as did the Knicks. (Some consulting firm made a lot of money convincing those NY teams to ruin their iconic uniforms).
Ditch the black -- make this a blue top and we'll talk. (Oh, and Mets, if you're thinking of making it an orange top, please don't).
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona's jersey probably doesn't deserve to be ranked this low, but I have a hard time OK'ing the early 1990s purple-teal-gold southwestern look. Purple text on a black jersey is hard to read.
Kansas City Royals
After that consultant got done with the Knicks and Mets, he clearly hopped a Southwest flight to Kansas City. Their incorporation of black is astonishingly bad and should be stopped immediately. I'm sure some marketing genius calculated that black jerseys would increase sales. He must have forgotten about the product on the field.
Boston Red Sox
Wait a second, wasn't this jersey listed among the best?!? Yes. Yes, it was. I can't help but hate this jersey because it just doesn't go with the classic feel the Red Sox sport so well. It feels forced -- did they need a third jersey?
It makes the best list for being a good natural extension of their current home/road jerseys. It makes the worst list because it is a modernization of their classic jerseys.
Colorado Rockies
One look and you know it. This thing is ugly. I don't care what color sleeves they put with this vest, Colorado needs to bury this thing in an old mine shaft never to be seen again. Well, that or donate the jerseys to a women's softball team.
Atlanta Braves
Pass the Tylenol! I've never seen a major league jersey so horrific that it makes my head hurt, but this is it. Ugly, ugly, ugly! You know it gets hot in Atlanta because you'd have to be fighting heat stroke to think this thing was a good idea. The red with navy "Braves" logo is painful and the white accents only help to add to the nausea. The Commissioner's office needs to take action now to ensure that our youth are not exposed anymore to this monstrosity. Hide TBS from your children until this situation is cleaned up.
If you want to buy any/all of these jerseys visit http://shop.mlb.com.
The Tampa Bay Devils Rays are bringing some excitement to their sterile ballpark. Excitement in the form of real, live rays!
From the USA Today's On Deadline blog:
"The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are putting real rays in a 10,000-gallon tank beyond the right-center field fence..."The St. Petersburg Times fleshes this out:
"The five cownose rays joined two others brought over earlier as the first of 30 inhabitants of the Devil Rays new touch tank at the Trop, where fans will be able to pet the animals like they do at a similar tank at the aquarium in Tampa.And since this is a ballpark each squid will cost $7.50.
"The 35-foot, irregularly shaped tank is being installed as part of the team's $10-million makeover of Tropicana Field. It is believed to be the only attraction of its kind inside a professional sports arena nationwide.
"Fans will be able to pet and feed the rays inside the three-foot-deep tank for the first time at the 7:15 p.m. July 21 game against the Baltimore Orioles.
"About 50 fans at a time will be allowed to enter the tank area for free, for about 10 minutes. They can purchase food -- squid most likely -- to give the rays."
"The tank will also be a fundraiser; for every ball hit into the tank during a game, the Rays will donate $2,500 to the Florida Aquarium and $2,500 to a charity of that player's choice."So all of this got me thinking, what other zoological and team-related attractions could other teams install in their ballparks and stadiums?
The American League (in what is becoming oh-so predictable) has defeated the National League 3-2 to win this year's All-Star Game. See The Little League for full coverage of the NL's difficulty playing against baseball's elites.
2 out rally in the 9th! AL takes the lead 3-2, after Paul Konerko starts the rally with a single and Texas' Michael Young slugs a 2 RBI triple to right-center.
Cue Mariano.
I don't care what the final score of this year's Major League Baseball All-Star Game ends up at (and it is 2-1 NL in the 8th as I write this), the National League is far, far inferior to the American League. Need proof? How about this from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"...over the past nine seasons, the AL has gone 8-0-1 [in the All-Star game]. As it turned out, the highlight for the NL was the 7-7 tie in 2002 in Milwaukee, the game that prompted the format change with the World Series tie-in.154-98! That's a .611 winning percentage. And yes, the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are included in that total.
"Beyond that dominance, the AL has swept the past two World Series and ran through the NL in interleague play like General Sherman through the South, going 154-98. "
