What Bothers You In Sports? Here Are A Few Things That Bother Me!
As you know, I love sports. When I was younger I went to a sports camp, lived at Fenway Park and loved playing catch with my dad. In addition, after school I would always be outside playing baseball, football, or hockey. It never mattered as long as we were laughing and playing a sport.
I am very lucky and have the opportunity to attend lots of sporting events. I still love going, but certain things really bother me about sports:
- Ticket prices are ridiculous. The average fan can’t go to more than a handful of games a year. I realize that teams need to make a profit but there have to be other ways than continuing to raise ticket prices and forcing the average fan to stay at home and watch the game on TV.
- The World Series needs to start earlier. Yes, I hope the Red Sox are playing in late October…but not at 8:30 EST. That’s too late. Start the games earlier so the next generation of fans can watch and love the game as much as I do. Since it is the World Series, you can still charge premium dollars for commercials.
- Get rid of the violence of hockey. Yes I am old school and will admit I like a fight. But not a cheap shot! Not a stick to the head or a hit to the back near the boards. Cheap shots should be evaluated very closely and dealt with very strictly. ALL SECOND TIME OFFENDERS ARE BANNED FROM THE SPORT! No exceptions.
- Have a salary cap in baseball–ok I said it. Yes it pains me since it would hurt my Red Sox but let’s even the playing field a little bit. The NFL, NBA and NHL all have something that makes sense and appears to work. Let’s do the same thing in baseball. Let’s allow the smaller market teams a chance to win.
- Stop the rising salaries in sports…now! The economy isn’t great and these athletes are paid a ridiculous amount of money. I don’t have as much issue with the superstars getting paid but I do have an issue with mediocre players getting a ton of money. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Those are a few things that bother me.
- Do you agree/disagree of the things that bother me?
- What’s on your list?
I look forward to reading your comments.
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:51 am
Nice topic Merrill! I agree with you on a couple of issues. Growing up I always enjoyed listening to the baseball playoffs and world series on my transistor radio (snuck it to school), but how can young kids follow them when they are played so late?
It is my opinion that our value system is Way out of wack, as we pay entertainers (athletes) much much more than the people that are educating the future generation (teachers).
One thing that really bothers me is when an athlete singles himself out (showboats). All the sports you mentioned are team sports and it takes five, nine, or eleven players to accomplish their goal (no pun intended). When someone says, “hey, look at me!” That really disgusts me, but kudos to players like Barry Sanders that when the scored just gave the ball to the ref and went on.
Just my humble opinion…
Rick
April 23rd, 2008 at 7:56 am
Unruly fans! There is nothing worse than sitting in the bleachers next to an obnoxious fan who is screaming at the players, cussing, and causing a scene. Everyone needs to keep in mind IT’S A GAME, it’s not life or death. Be courteous to those around you. Remember, sports are a family event, cussing and screaming and taunting of players and fans, should never be allowed. Also, if you are a fan of the visiting team, be respectful. you can cheer for your team, just don’t be obnoxious. what are you proving anyway?
That’s why i like going to golf tournaments; 99% of the people in attendance respect the game and the players and only a few are dumb enough to scream “get in the hole” after a tee shot…
Put down the Budweiser, think before you speak, and just have fun at the game (at no one else’s expense).
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 am
I have always had a hard time understanding how sports players make more money then educators, police and fire departments. It boggles the mind that some of these ball players make as much money as some small third world country.
Because of their salaries, The team needs to raise ticket prices, the networks need to show the game at the optimal time to get the most impact for their commercials…..because of all this, I know longer can afford to take my boys to a game. Find it difficult to stay up let with my kids to watch some major sporting event and have to sit through an abundance of stupid commercials
The games are no longer played for the amusement of the fan…IT IS BIG BUSINESS.
We have recently purchased season tickets to the minor league team the Trenton Thunder (YES THIS IS A YANKEE AFFILIATE). The games are fun, affordable and the players are hungry. It’s great entertainment
Pro sports is not what it used to be?
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
Rick,
very good point about Barry Sanders who by the way walked away from the game on his terms and didn’t care about the money. Sanders always reminded me about my favorite football player of all time Walter Payton - very classy guy who handled himself the right way ALL THE TIME!
thanks for your comments.
Merrill
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
Stephenie,
Great point - some fans get really out of control and take away from the game. If it gets too out of control I will ask the usher to help me out - no need to get into an ugly argument or worse a fight at a game.
I will be nice and NOT describe the fan experience at Yankee Stadium routing for the Red Sox.
Merrill
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:37 am
Merrill, you mention a number of great topics, but the issue of the World Series is my number one complaint. Playing games late at night (so called prime time) is ridiculous. Forget about the weather in Boston (heaven forbid NY) in late October or early November - but the next generation of fans simply cannot stay up that late to watch the games. At 56, I have a hard time staying up. As a kid I rushed home from school to catch the last few innings of the games with my dad. For a Game 7, I simply missed school, citing baseball fever as the reason. We could still go out in the back yard after the game and replay the game with the kids in the neighborhood. Why is baseball so afraid of the NFL and College Football? The only event they can’t compete with is high school football.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 am
Hello Merrill,
As you know, I too am an avid sports fan. And like you, there are a number of issues that drive me nuts.
A) ATHLETES SETTING BAD EXAMPLES: Warn, then fine and then suspend professional baseball players who throw their equipment after making an out. You know I hate the Red Sox, but last week, on successive nights, I witnessed Pedroia, Ellsbury and Lugo throw their bats and helmets after making outs. Obviously this extends beyond the Red Sox - but you get the point. Kids learn from this and it sets a bad example.
B) TEACH GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP: All players should shake hands after every game - - like they do in college basketball and hockey. How much effort does it take? And it teaches kids about good sportsmanship.
C) TICKET PRICES: I couldn’t agree more with your point about ticket prices. I would also add that the concession and parking prices are downright criminal. The average guy who brings his family to a ball game probably drops less money on his mortgage payment. $25 to park, $5.00 for a hot dog - $8.50 for a beer - I could go on forever.
D) BAN ALL NE Sports Franchises: The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins are all bad for professional sports. Each league should be required to phase these teams out by 2010 - starting with the Red Sox NOW!
Adam
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Adam,
Thanks for your comments. even though you picked on a number of Red Sox there is NO place in sports for tossing your helmet, headband, bat or anything else. I was watching game 7 of an NHL playoff series and was amazed that they pound each other for two weeks and shake hands at the end of the 7th game. I like it - I wish other sports especially baseball had that tradition especially for the World Series.
I enjoy all your points except for D - if all the Boston sports teams were gone who would people make fun of? Who would people complain about? And frankly most of the best sports rivalries include one of the Boston teams so the games clearly wouldn’t be as fun!
Thanks again for your comments.
Merrill
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I agree on ticket prices, but I also lament ticket availability. It used to be that you could walk up to the ticket window of any baseball stadium on game day and purchase a ticket. Now it seems that trips to the ballpark have to be planned in advance. You can’t just say “I think I’ll catch a game tonight.”
I agree with others who complain about the playing time of the World Series. For me baseball is first and foremost a day game and a great way to pass an afternoon. I have many fond memories of WS games that were played in daytime and sadly, I don’t think we’ll ever see the Fall Classic played during the daytime again.
US TV coverage of soccer games. If you’ve ever seen a soccer game broadcast from Europe, you know it’s drastically different from watching a soccer game in the states. The US broadcasters try to treat it like football with wide shots of the field. European broadcasts show the nuances, how the dribbler escaped the trap, what the sneaky foul was, etc. With all of the kids playing soccer in the US, you’d think we could get more sophisticated about the way we cover it in the states.
Lack of farm teams in professional football and basketball and the reliance on the NCAA. School is school and work is work and if you don’t appreciate getting a paid education for 4 years, you should have an option for following your dream of playing professionally through another channel.
Lack of loyalty. UMASS coach Travi$ Ford told the fans, the press and his team that he was staying at UMASS and was “100% committed” to UMASS and the team and was staying. Three days later he got a call, an offer and left for OSU. If you want to look, fine, but if you say you are committed, you don’t pick up a phone 3 days later. (Silver lining is that UMASS Alum Derek Kellogg is taking over the job.) Travis, I hope you don’t tell your wife and kids you are 100% committed to them. The sad thing is that Ford’s behavior is not unusual.
I hate the proliferation of advertising signs all over the playing field.
Finally, the success of sports broadcasting has created a phenomenon that has spilled over into regular news. Now every news story has to have a winner and a loser. Instead of covering the issues, newscasters now treat Clinton vs. Obama as if it were the Red Sox vs. the Yankees. Except this isn’t a game,it’s the future of the country and the world and deserves a more level-headed and objective approach.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Since there are no other sport for me besides baseball, here’s what bothers me:
Manny’s Hair
The price of beer
The lack of day games
The hard seats
The men’s room trough at Yankee Stadium
Shea Stadium
No one stealing home
Getting out of the parking lots after a game
Rain
The National League
People who leave in the 7th inning
People who don’t know the lyrics to the National Anthem (or Take Me Out to The Ballgame)
Did I mention Manny’s hair?
How about the price of beer?
All righte-y then - if that’s all that bothers me then it’s easy to see why baseball (and The Yankees) rule!
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Yes ticket prices are in the stratosphere. But so are tickets for every other form of popular entertainment. Choice seats at any MLB park are on par with the opera, any Broadway play, a Cirque de Soleil show in Vegas or a Rolling Stones concert. It is called “Supply and Demand”. Merrill, I bet if you turned in the M/A/R/C box seats for the Rangers, Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars, they would be picked up by another company or individual, at a higher price, faster than you can say Carl Yastrzemski. The trick for baseball, is to go on a weeknight and look for bargains on eBay and Stubhub.
Too much $$ tied up in the World Series to push the first pitch back an hour or so. The way the ratings are going, do not be surprised if some, if not all, of the World Series games move to cable TV. I miss the days when guys with the surnames of Murphy, Gonzalez and Wong would claim some sort of Jewish heritage in order to stay home on the High Holidays to watch the World Series in living color on NBC.
If you took the violence out of hockey, man, it would probably cost the NHL a national TV contract and force the league to televise all its games on some rinky-dink cable channel that half the country does not get and the other half never heard of.
Sorry Merrill, capping salaries violates every rule of capitalism. The failed experiment known as socialism ended in 1989. Everyone loves to complain about athletes being overpaid. Well, so are local TV anchormen, Pauley Shore, lawyers, Paula Abdul, color commentators and the guy who fixes my air conditioning. If you can negotiate with your employer to pay you 325% more than you are really worth, more power to you. If you are a fan and do not like what the athletes are getting paid, fine, stop going to the stadium, stay home and read a book.
And enough with this small market baloney. Your favorite club is either run by a competent management team that can properly judge, assess and manage talent or it it isn’t. You live in a city that is a baseball town like St. Louis, a football town like Pittsburgh or basketball town like Los Angeles, where that sport is the #1 sport. Sorry Kansas City, Tampa, Oakland and Miami are not and may never be baseball cities.
Other things that bother me in sports:
Teams are rewarded for a losing season with the top draft pick. I prefer the European system of promotion/demotion. Winning should be the name of the game. If your club is mis-managed or lacks the proper fan base, maybe a season or two in AAA will sober up the ownership and get the city a little more involved.
The mere thought of having the DH in the National League.
Most play-by-play announcers especially all the ones on Fox and WTBS.
Side line reporters and when there are more than two commentators in the booth.
Too many graphics and statistics. Especially the ones that fly in with sound effects.
The “major league baseball” stadiums in Florida.
Celebrities plugging their network TV show during the game, especially when the game is in progress.
Advertisements for prescription drugs at stadiums and arenas.
Commissioner Bud Selig.
The very first game of the season (any sport) being played in a non-league country.
Advertisements for casinos at MLB parks. How hypocritical!
The clowns who somehow scored front row seats behind home plate and spend the entire game yakking on their cell phone and waving to their friends watching on TV.
No double headers between cross town rivals during inter-league play. How cool would be to have a regular double header when the Angels/Dodgers, A’s/Giants, Mets/Yankees, Nationals/Orioles and White Sox/Cubs play. Play a 11 AM game at one team’s stadium and then follow it with a 7 :30 PM across town at the other team’s park.
And course my favorite that still exists - the horrendous way the NFL takes care of their retired players.
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 pm
While I agree that ticket prices are astronomical, I am NOT in favor of salary caps. Call it my devotion to free market capitalism if you must, but as long as consumers keep buying, the clubs will continue to charge higher prices and paying players top dollar. Artificial controls such as salary caps serve no other purpose than to dilute the talent levels of all teams into something called ‘parity’, ruining the game for everyone involved. If the Red Sox or Yankees or whoever else has the fan base to support them, then let the players make what the market will bear - however absurd the amount!
April 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I suppose I am in the minority on this one. Merrill, as you know, I take more of a ‘Phantom Of the Opera’ approach to sports. I have no problem sitting in the nosebleed section so I can enjoy privacy on nights a no name team is playing…or if the Rangers have a home game
Being single with no kids, I learned a long time ago that when a game is a sellout, single seats can always be had.
I also learned many moons ago that if you are a full season ticket holder for any given sport, the perks and advantages far outweigh the once in a while attending.
Yes, baseball is the most affordable buy for a family of four. I have also been told by many that in Texas, affordability is more of a reality than say, New York, Boston, Chicago, or Los Angeles. I currently enjoy full season tickets with the Rangers and Stars. Affordable. And solo…
With camera in hand I usually am roaming the park/arena for a photo op, that is what cranks my dial. Again, That is not the norm.
That which bothers me? Commercial timeouts that run longer than two minutes when back to back plays have yet to be run, Usually in football. I also despise how the final minute of a basketball game takes 20 minutes to appease the TV networks.
I AM SO SICK OF THE WAVE!!! A Seattle born idea, the fans of the 1984 Tigers made it chic. For 25 years it still is around. Why does the one drunk fan choose to start it while the opposing team is at the plate? And why does it always seem to happen when I have food in my hand? Very annoying…
If Major League baseball wants to speed up the game, when you intentionally walk someone, just send him to first! Even better? How about three balls for a walk and two strikes for a whiff? You’d’ have two hour games just like in the Roaring 20’s!
I am also against the salary cap because it is a given that some owners simply cannot control themselves when spending for talent. I believe the term is ‘what the market will bear’.
Rally monkeys or any other rally animal on the planet are a waste of time and energy! (I hope that doesn’t offend the PETA crowd.)Ditto those darned thunderstix! They obstruct someones view of the game at hand.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
I got four more things that irk me about today’s sports scene.
Can we please have the only best teams qualify for the post-season playoffs. Why are the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the post season after losing more games than they won, while the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trailblazers, who had better records, get to stay at home and watch on TV? In 2006 the St. Louis Cardinals were the 13th best team in MLB, but went on to win the World Series. All the professional leagues need to get rid of these automatic qualifiers and just seed the best teams regardless of division or conference. Losing teams should never be in the post-season.
Make it mandatory that all major league baseball players wear either high sockings or stirrups. Stirrups were classy and I miss them. The high sockings are okay, but the painter pants below the ankle have to go.
I hate when sports pundits and fans, after a college championship game, speculate that the college champ is a better team than the worst team in the NFL or NBA. This is utter nonsense. College athletic teams are made up of boys. Professional teams are made up of grown men. Men will beat boys everyday of the week.
Can we kick Joe Morgan off the Baseball Veterans Committee? There is a huge backlog of deserving players (Gil Hodges, Ken Boyer, Tony Oliva, Maury Wills, Roger Maris, Ron Santo, and Dave Concepcion to name just a few) waiting to get in the Hall of Fame. But Mr. Morgan and his committee have selected zero inductees over a six year period.. This is only going to get worse in the next 17 years, as there are 21 active players and 6 recently retired players who have shoo-in Hall of Fame credentials. For some reason, Mr. Morgan has this odd notion that the qualifications for the Hall of Fame via the Veterans Committee should be more rigorous than the initial balloting by the sportswriters. On 2-27-2007 on MLB.com he said “ I take offense to anyone saying the players aren’t qualified to vote. I don’t think the writers over the years made mistake after mistake, but a lot of the players on this list went through 15 years of writers’ voting without getting elected, so why get on the Hall of Famers for not electing someone?”. Excuse me Joe, but the sole purpose of the Veterans Committee is to right the wrongs of the initial writer’s voting. It is time for MLB to kick Mr. Morgan and his self-centered, arrogant behind off the Veterans Committee and relegate him to ESPN telecasts.
April 25th, 2008 at 5:26 am
Merrill,
Here are some of my thoughts:
1. What happened to the days of the average person being able to going to a game without emptying his wallet?
2. What happened to the days pre-free agency when nobody knew how much anybody made?
3. People at games on their cell phones when they know the camera is on them.
4. All of the empty little league baseball fields.
5. Hockey players having to wear helmets.
6. Games being a social gathering.
7. When kids go into a candy store and put down $5.00 for a pack of baseball cards—and leave with no change.
8. Sports being a business.
9. The dwindling of the sports segment during local television news. (Although you have to love all sports radio and television.)
10. The good old days of sports (1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s) have disappeared.
11. Nobody playing street hockey.
12. Today’s announcers and officials try to be the game.
I am sure there are more, but here it is for now.
Scoop
April 25th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Jeffrey,
I must admit reading your list made me chuckle! How can you not like Manny’s hair! Oh yeah you are a Yankee fan and dislike everything connected to the Red Sox.
Great seeing you Wednesday night even though your team (Yankees) won it was a fun time.
Merrill
April 25th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Ed,
I love most of your points and frankly you came up with a few like the one about Joe Morgan on the veterans committee that I hadn’t give any thought to - for that I thank you.
I must say I do think the salary cap works in the NBA and especially the NFL so why can’t it work in Major League Baseball. Others like Bill Dunn agree with you no salary cap - so maybe I am in the minority but I do think it would do much more good than harm to I sport I love as much as I do. even with a salary cap it comes down to decisions by managers and general managers to win games, divisions and ultimately the World Series. The Yankees always have the highest payroll and have won nothing in the past 6 years.
Keep the comments coming - readers have great points of view.
Merrill
April 25th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Willie,
That is so funny that you mentioned the wave - last night I spoke to my college roommate who said one thing he left off of his list was he is anti-wave! Hates the wave - boycotts the wave.
It doesn’t really bother me - for me it just gets people a little more into the game and the cheering a little louder.
Merrill
April 25th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Merrill,
By saying that the Yankee$ have the highest payroll and have won nothing in 6 years, you are making a cogent argument FOR not having a salary cap. Let them spend themselves into oblivion! Go Sox!
April 25th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Bob,
Part of that is true - BUT if there was a salary cap the Yankees couldn’t make any mistakes and WHEN they did they would end up in LAST place.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Merrill–
HOCKEY Since the Nashville Predators arrived here, I have tried valiantly to understand the various rules and particularly the infractions in the game of hockey. My beef is that the live announcers in the arena do NOT announce the infraction soon enough after it occurs. There is often a delay, what for I don’t know. This is especially true when players get sent to the penalty box.
I’m conditioned by watching major league sports on TV to expect instant answers and info, and for that matter, instant replay, as well!!! So I often am frustrated and confused at the live hockey game!!
Maybe they should do an instant replay on the jumbo tron and announce the infranction so us novices can gradually learn the differences between high sticking and cross checking!!! What do you think??
April 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am
A fantastic organization called”enjoy the Game” should be hired by all professional teams. I have been involved with them and there plan is fabulous, easy to administer and could actually change sports. Check them out.
Enjoy the Game, Inc. (ETG) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to changing the culture and environment of amateur sports in America. ETG strives to educate all those involved- coaches, players, parents, officials and administrators - on:
The need for respectful relationships and for being accountable for one’s actions
The significance of teamwork, self-control, tolerance, dedication, integrity and other positive character traits
The true value of participation in sports and related activities
April 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Merrill — I disagree with you on the hockey. While some fans get a charge from seeing a fight, I think most like how hockey is relatively lax on penalty calls compared to other sports — keeps the game moving. The occasional cheap shots just come with the territory. Besides, I’ve seen research ranking basketball, football, and soccer with higher percentages of injury than ice hockey.
I agree with Adam about good sportsmanship. Why wouldn’t these players shake hands afterward? They’re certainly paid enough to do so. I believe NHL teams do this following a game but don’t know what other leagues do this.
I would complain about ticket prices, but I still buy the ticket. I also pay a ridiculous amount for concert and movie tickets, too. Bottom line: athletes are celebrities, too.
April 28th, 2008 at 11:58 am
*Sports being treated as a business.
*Basketball’s TV time-out or Being at a NHL hockey game and waiting for the red light to go off to know network coverage is back so they can drop the puck. (World Cup soccer is painful to watch but the game never stops).
*Compromising the significance of a retired number. Hard to believe I am saying this being a Yankees fan as they have a bunch (all worthy of course) but not as bad as the Celtics or the Devil Rays retiring Wade Boggs #12 after playing two seasons.
*Corporate Luxury Boxes - why go to the game if you watch it on a TV?
*TV blackouts - The Buffalo Bills with one of the largest stadiums with the smallest fan bases effects me on this one.
*Performance enhancing drugs.
*Stadium security - understand it and respect it, but don’t like it.
*Hockey in June and Football in February.
*The BCS - a month and half of bowl games but no playoff format?
*Pitch counts interrupting a complete game.
*Professional athletes in Olympic team sporting events.
*Paying for an autograph
I could go on but those are few that irk me.
April 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Merrill-
If I were baseball commissioner for a day, here is what I would do:
1 - Level the playing field level in major league baseball to give the small market teams a chance. Put in a salary cap, share TV revenue, do whatever it takes to make all teams- small market or big market- have the same chance to compete for players. (My Milwaukee/small market roots are showing here)
2 - Speed up the games. There is no reason for the games to take as long as they do. Shorten the time between innings. Make rules to stop pitchers and hitters from repeatedly slowing down the game.
3 - Start World Series games much earlier so kids can stay up and watch the whole game. Where are the fans of tomorrow going to come from if kids can’t watch the championship?
4 - As part of the salary cap, reduce the average salary by 10-20%. Then reduce tickets and parking by the same amount.
5 - Require that a certain number of tickets be put aside at a discounted rate for kids and families. Require the players to visit these sections and sign autographs before the game.
6- Require all teams to actively support little league baseball in their community and sponsor little league championships in the major league stadiums.
7- Enact tough testing and penalties for performance enhancing drugs.
8- Reduce the price of beer at the ballpark - Hey, when you’re the commish you gotta do what you gotta do!
After accomplishing all of that in the morning, I would then take the afternoon off and go to a game…….
April 28th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Dan,
That is a good question - I have noticed the same thing about a goal and assists. I just assume they want to review the play a few times before they make the call. With the penalty I would have thought it would be alot quicker.
Good point.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Jim,
That sounds like a great idea - I will check out the website.
http://www.enjoythegame.com/
Thanks for sharing.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Todd,
I appreciate MOST of your comments. Not sure I understand the one about the Celtics and Tampa Bay Rays retiring guys after only two seasons. Yes the Rays did it for a bunch of reasons (which i don’t agree with) who did the Celtics do it with?
Maybe I am missing someone but I can’t recall someone only playing two years and having their number retired.
Let me know.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Boggs was the extreme considering is careers in NY and with the Red Sox. The Celtics are pretty credible with their retired #’s considering just about everyone is a HOF’er. A touchy one would be the late Reggie Lewis’ #35, but I respect it. However, Dennis Johnson’s #3 happened back in the 90’s but do his 7 seasons even compare to the other Celtic greats? Do you retire Kevin Garnett now if they win a title this year? I’ll say the same for Reggie Jackson’s #44 playing only 5 seasons in NY so now I’ll wonder if #13 will be made into a banner (a WS ring and you would almost have too). That would take away from Jeter and Mariano - career Yankees - who will most certainly have this honor bestowed upon them. Tough with today’s changing rosters in a free agent driven market but certainly some of the significance here has been taken away.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Bob,
Nice points. I agree with number 1 (although we appear to be in the minority) 2 and number 3. Number 4 would be interesting, although the union would never go for it it would be great. A number of teams including the Dallas mavericks do exactly what you are stated they have $10 seats up top - they might be called family tickets.
I agree with number 6,7 and 8. Save me a seat next to you - I would love to go to a game with the new Commissioner!
Thanks.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Merrill, WOW!!!!. What a wonderful response to a subject near and dear to my heart. While I agree with most of the comments I want to address the comment that suggests that sports are no longer entertainment for the fan given the high ticket prices and unavailability of tickets. Well it is still entertaiment, but more expensive. Why is it ok to pay an actor or actress $20 million for a movie, or why is it ok to charge $150 for a Broadway show ? It’s free enterprise. And since when did Free Enterprise worry about the Mom and Pop store ?
We don’t have a salary cap in our business. Why shouldn’t athletes be able to make as much money as possible. The owners are making a ton. I know , we are the victims, but unless we boycott the product, it’s not going to change.
This whole topic is great subject matter for a roundtable discussion among sports enthusiasts at one of our late night sessions at an industry conference. A drink, a cigar and a bunch of crazies debating this topic
Joe
April 28th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Todd,
You do bring up a really good question. what is the criteria to retire a number. Easily could be another blog topic and probably should. For me you need to look at the number of years the player played for the team and the contribution. Thanks Merrill that was obvious…. Ok let me expand. A person Like Reggie Jackson who was a great Yankee, was on the center stage in a number of playoff series to me would get his number retired even though he only played 5 years. the same is true for a Kevin Garnett - who could play for the Celtics for 5 years and win a few championships - could get his number retired. DJ was a great player and frankly was the best player Larry Bird ever played with.
I think the problem really lies within the criteria with the teams. Tampa bay has no players to retire their numbers because they haven’t been around that long so they probably felt they would make a splash and try and sell some thickets when they retired Boggs number. To me that is the WRONG reason to do it.
Thanks again.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Joe,
I just read your posting and agree this would be a fantastic discussion with a beer and cigar. A quick question for you - I understand your point about free enterprise but don’t you believe a salary cap has helped the NBA and NFL? And if it has why wouldn’t it help MLB and really level the playing field for all the teams.
Again - is this would happen it would hurt the redsox and yankees but frankly since I truly believe it is the right thing to do I don’t care.
Let me know your thoughts.
Merrill
April 28th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Yeah, good question. We could go on forever so I’ll just send you an email. Personally, I think the organization should play the biggest significance in when determining a retired number in combination with their stats for the team the number is being retired. Don’t get me wrong about Reggie he is the reason why I love the Yanks but take a look at the guys that had numbers retired before him. Almost everyone was career Yankees other than Maris but he hit 61 dingers in a season!
Reggie won 2 WS but so what when the team won 21 before him. That is my point with DJ. You look at players from the same era with retired #’s - Bird, McHale and the Chief and I am no Celtics history buff but I believe they all played a dozen + years and their entire careers for Boston and are in the HOF. Blah, blah, blah…. Good topic for discussion this one alone.
April 29th, 2008 at 5:57 am
Good morning.
After going to the maverick/Hornets playoff game on Sunday it reminded me (can’t believe I left it off my original list) how much I dislike the arguing and complaining in sports from the players. Every play there was a player (didn’t matter which team) who was complaining about a bad call… a missed call…. Give me a break…… The refs aren’t always right but they aren’t wrong 95% like the players think.
What happened to all the players who played the game and never complained!
I for one miss them!
Merrill
April 29th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Merrill, the salary cap does not impact getting franchise players who make a difference. The great players in the NBA and NFL are being paid the big bucks and bench players ,especially in the NBA are still overpaid but are not really impact players. L
Let’s say that MLB capped salaries at $100 million. Do we really believe that the large marklet teams that can afford that would be negatively impacted? The Kansas City and Tampa Bay teams of this world would still not spend that much. The only way those teams win is to draft and develop great talent and keep them until Free Agency. I think expanding the term to be a Free Agent could have an impact on regulating rich teams from stockpiling players.
Let’s organize a roundtable at the next CASRO meeting. It would really be lively.
Joe
May 8th, 2008 at 6:56 am
I can’t believe they raised the prices for the All-Star game again - I hope this stops very very soon.
Fans will pay starry prices for this year’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.
Tickets will be priced at $150-$725 for the July 15 game, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.
That’s up from $75-$285 for last year’s game at San Francisco and $10-15 for box and reserved seats the last time the All-Stars were at Yankee Stadium, in 1977.
May 17th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I just thought of anything that really bothers me in sports. People who are with an organization and the second they leave they slam them. Recently Avery Johnson comes to mind for his comments after he got fired. Gary Sheffield goes after the Yankees and Joe Torre (can’t believe I am defending them). Here is a thought don’t say anything -yes you are pretty upset but I don’t think it is really hard not to say anything. Besides you never know if you could be part of that organization or play for that manager again.
Just my thought for the day!
Merrill