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2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove - Page 14

post #391 of 415
3/19/08 at 3:45pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Thanks, Robert. I stand corrected.

As I said earlier, whether the precedent was set by Brooks or Crystal...it's a bad idea.
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post #392 of 415
3/19/08 at 3:46pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
Thanks, Robert. I stand corrected.

As I said earlier, whether the precedent was set by Brooks or Crystal...it's a bad idea.
I disagree, but what else is new between the two of us.
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post #393 of 415
3/19/08 at 3:48pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
I disagree, but what else is new between the two of us.

Aww. I don't think things are all that bad.

Why do you think Billy Crystal taking an at-bat is a good idea?
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post #394 of 415
3/19/08 at 5:11pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

It's not necessarily a good idea, but neither is it a bad one. It's inexpensive publicity, probably isn't hurting anybody's development (he took one DH at-bat from Johnny Damon), and it keeps the people it offends from spending more time complaining about, say, the Yankees employing a thug like Shelly Duncan.
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post #395 of 415
3/19/08 at 8:23pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Seaver
...and it keeps the people it offends from spending more time complaining about, say, the Yankees employing a thug like Shelly Duncan.

There goes my defense against off-handed remarks by Red Sox fans!
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post #396 of 415
3/20/08 at 7:25am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Just trying to give an example of what a little stunt like Billy Crystal might have been a welcome distraction from. If it was Garth Brooks with the Padres, it would have been a Padres-related comment.
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post #397 of 415
3/20/08 at 8:20am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

The latest from Buster Olney about the Red Sox short work stoppage.

The sentiment behind what was essentially a three-hour boycott was admirable, but the players handled the situation very clumsily; it was their union that negotiated the stipends for the players and did not support the coaches, just as it has for years, and if the players weren't aware of that, that's their fault. But it was the fans who bought tickets to the game in Ft. Myers on Thursday who ultimately suffered, and were forced to sit around without information, while waiting to see if a resolution could be reached.

Given that it was the responsibility of the Red Sox players to understand the situation before it became a crisis, a more magnanimous gesture would have been for some of the Boston players to offer up their stipends to the coaches, given that some of them are paid somewhere between $60,000 and $100,000 a day, rather than victimizing the fans. Or the Red Sox players could've quietly informed the Players Association and Major League Baseball that once in Japan, they intended to insist that the coaches' situation be addressed. The nuclear option of sitting out games only needed to be implied, because there was zero chance that the Red Sox would've forfeited these games; there was zero chance that Major League Baseball would've let that happen.

Instead, the Red Sox walked out on a crowd that had paid in good faith to see a baseball game. "At the end of the day, it is the fans that took the hit," said a major league executive with another team, in disgust.

To repeat: The sentiment behind the gesture is admirable. The relationship between the Red Sox players and their coaching staff is as close as any player-staff relationship in the sport. It was a money matter that had nothing to do with greed on the part of the players. But their action was rash and not particularly thought out or executed well.


ESPN.com - Blogs - Buster Olney Blog
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post #398 of 415
3/20/08 at 8:45am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
The latest from Buster Olney about the Red Sox short work stoppage.


ESPN.com - Blogs - Buster Olney Blog

Quote:
Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. He began covering baseball in 1989, as the Nashville Banner's beat reporter assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Later, he covered the San Diego Padres (1993-94), the Baltimore Orioles ('95-'96), the New York Mets ('97) and the Yankees ('98-2001). Olney joined ESPN The Magazine in 2003, after six years at The New York Times, and he's the author of the Times' bestseller The Last Night Of the Yankee Dynasty, a book about the Paul O'Neill-Tino Martinez Yankees' dynasty of 1996-'01.

Thanks, Buster. Gee, I wonder who that "major league executive with another team" was.

Quote:
He grew up in central Vermont collecting baseball cards and listening to Red Sox, Expos, Phillies and Pirates radio broadcasts, and was a rabid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And a former Sox fan to boot.

Seriously folks, I've not seen or heard one complaint from the fans who attended the game, which was delayed approximately 1 hour. Matter of fact, I've only heard positives from fans. Maybe Buster should do a little investigation before assuming to speak for them.
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post #399 of 415
3/20/08 at 9:09am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Jeff,
You do realize that many Yankee fans think Buster Olney hates the Yankees and is no better than Peter Gammons in his bias towards the Red Sox. They view him as an extention of NESN 2 (ESPN).
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post #400 of 415
3/20/08 at 9:31am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
Jeff,
You do realize that many Yankee fans think Buster Olney hates the Yankees and is no better than Peter Gammons in his bias towards the Red Sox. They view him as an extention of NESN 2 (ESPN).

No, I wasn't aware. So I'll retract my bias assumption and stick to my last comments. The game was delayed an hour and no fans I heard interviewed displayed even an inkling of negative comments to the players actions. Nothing but positives all around. So Buster Olney may not be biased, but he's a piss poor commentator/reporter to assume he speaks for Sox fans before actually hearing what the fans think.

Besides, any person who claims to have seen Jeter actually use a boat instead of walking over the water is considered by Yankee fans to be in the tank for the Red Sox (just kidding).
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post #401 of 415
3/20/08 at 9:43am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
No, I wasn't aware. So I'll retract my bias assumption and stick to my last comments. The game was delayed an hour and no fans I heard interviewed displayed even an inkling of negative comments to the players actions. Nothing but positives all around. So Buster Olney may not be biased, but he's a piss poor commentator/reporter to assume he speaks for Sox fans before actually hearing what the fans think.

Besides, any person who claims to have seen Jeter actually use a boat instead of walking over the water is considered by Yankee fans to be in the tank for the Red Sox (just kidding).
He might not speak for the Red Sox fans, but his assertion that it wasn't just MLB at fault here might be correct and that plenty of blame should go around before annoiting sainthood to the Red Sox players.
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post #402 of 415
3/20/08 at 10:01am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

I saw part of the ESPN broadcast of the Sox/Jays game and during an in-dugout interview with the Jay's manager, he said he and his team fully supported the Sox move. Amazingly (to me) he went so far as to say "that's why the Sox are such a great team. They stick together as a tight unit and are always ready to take care of each other." I may not have that wording exactly right...but it's pretty close and that was the intent.

I'm still unclear about the resolution of the whole thing. Where exactly is the money coming from for the Sox' coaches?
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post #403 of 415
3/20/08 at 10:05am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
He might not speak for the Red Sox fans, but his assertion that it wasn't just MLB at fault here might be correct and that plenty of blame should go around before annoiting sainthood to the Red Sox players.

Whatever. I'll file this blog in the same place as the one's about Sox player's being deleted at last minute from the Mitchell Report and the red dye on Schilling's sock.
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post #404 of 415
3/20/08 at 10:05am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
I saw part of the ESPN broadcast of the Sox/Jays game and during an in-dugout interview with the Jay's manager, he said he and his team fully supported the Sox move. Amazingly (to me) he went so far as to say "that's why the Sox are such a great team. They stick together as a tight unit and are always ready to take care of each other." I may not have that wording exactly right...but it's pretty close and that was the intent.
What a great bunch of guys.
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post #405 of 415
3/20/08 at 10:06am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
Whatever. I'll file this blog in the same place as the one's about Sox player's being deleted at last minute from the Mitchell Report and the red dye on Schilling's sock.
Whatever is right.
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post #406 of 415
3/20/08 at 10:07am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
I saw part of the ESPN broadcast of the Sox/Jays game and during an in-dugout interview with the Jay's manager, he said he and his team fully supported the Sox move. Amazingly (to me) he went so far as to say "that's why the Sox are such a great team. They stick together as a tight unit and are always ready to take care of each other." I may not have that wording exactly right...but it's pretty close and that was the intent.

I'm still unclear about the resolution of the whole thing. Where exactly is the money coming from for the Sox' coaches?

Each member of the coaching and off-field staff is getting $20,000 from MLB and $20,000 from the club.
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post #407 of 415
3/20/08 at 11:28am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

The situation has been confusing from the beginning. Why would it have ever been assumed that the coaches & on-field staff were even due $40k? Where did that figure come from if there wasn't some sort of misunderstanding?

And even if the Sox players aren't "saints" in the effort to get the coaches more money, is there some reason to think they committed some kind of wrong here?

As is often the case, the level of my confusion is enhanced because of the sarcasm that's being thrown around in this discussion.

Jeff: Thanks for that clarification.
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post #408 of 415
3/21/08 at 6:24am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

To anyone out there who is looking forward to the opening of the new Yankee Stadium you might want to check this out:
The Official Site of The New York Yankees: Ballpark: Yankees Premium - Home

Filling up your motor home with premium gas will cost less than this.
Guess they figure that a lot of these seats go to corporations that write off the cost, but still ...
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post #409 of 415
3/21/08 at 7:34am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by LewB
To anyone out there who is looking forward to the opening of the new Yankee Stadium you might want to check this out:
The Official Site of The New York Yankees: Ballpark: Yankees Premium - Home

Filling up your motor home with premium gas will cost less than this.
Guess they figure that a lot of these seats go to corporations that write off the cost, but still ...
They figured correctly until the newness of the stadium wears off and/or the Yankees start sucking again. They have the hammer and they know it.
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post #410 of 415
3/21/08 at 11:12am

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

The thing that really strikes me as odd about the new Yankee Stadium is that is a couple thousand seats smaller.

When you are selling out nearly every home game at 55,000+, why shrink the new stadium to 53,000?
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post #411 of 415
3/21/08 at 12:18pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
The thing that really strikes me as odd about the new Yankee Stadium is that is a couple thousand seats smaller.

When you are selling out nearly every home game at 55,000+, why shrink the new stadium to 53,000?
Smaller means 100% sellouts for all 81 games?
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post #412 of 415
3/21/08 at 1:21pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

I don't think the Yankees are selling out nearly every home game; it just seems that way to us Red Sox fans who only see the stadium on TV when they're playing the Sox. Anyway, I'm guessing that the new park will have some areas where five $20 seats have been effectively replaced by one $200 seat (or however luxury boxes translate).
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post #413 of 415
3/21/08 at 7:47pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

I listen to John Sterling tell me each Yankee home game is a sell-out. And since he's one of the biggest sell-outs there is, he should know. And that is a cheap joke. I didn't mean it. I repent.

But, seriously. Average attendance at the Stadium last year was 52,739. They totaled nearly 4.3-million people through the turnstiles. While I know they will greatly increase ticket revenues with those premium seats and corporate suites and all, it seems as if they could have added some more seats to try and increase the number of fans they can fit in on any given day.

One of the other reasons I was surprised at the reduction in the number of seats is because they say they won't have that black section out past centerfield anymore. You'd think the number of seats would grow.

At the home opener in 1923, the Yanks drew 74,000+ fans and turned many away. That figure always amazes me. There is a terrific Fred Lieb article about that opening day if you can find it anywhere to read. Lieb was the sportswriter who dubbed the current stadium "The House that Ruth Built."

On Lou Gehrig day, July 4, 1939, there were 65,000 in Yankee Stadium. Staggering.
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post #414 of 415
3/21/08 at 8:32pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Frezon
I listen to John Sterling tell me each Yankee home game is a sell-out. And since he's one of the biggest sell-outs there is, he should know. And that is a cheap joke. I didn't mean it. I repent.

But, seriously. Average attendance at the Stadium last year was 52,739. They totaled nearly 4.3-million people through the turnstiles. While I know they will greatly increase ticket revenues with those premium seats and corporate suites and all, it seems as if they could have added some more seats to try and increase the number of fans they can fit in on any given day.

One of the other reasons I was surprised at the reduction in the number of seats is because they say they won't have that black section out past centerfield anymore. You'd think the number of seats would grow.

At the home opener in 1923, the Yanks drew 74,000+ fans and turned many away. That figure always amazes me. There is a terrific Fred Lieb article about that opening day if you can find it anywhere to read. Lieb was the sportswriter who dubbed the current stadium "The House that Ruth Built."

On Lou Gehrig day, July 4, 1939, there were 65,000 in Yankee Stadium. Staggering.
They want 100% capacity and one way to do that is to reduce sitting which induces further demand for less seats. Just about every new stadium opened up lately for baseball has been smaller than the previous stadium due to this tactic. Furthermore, this tactic is being used in new restaurants and movie theaters because they feel excess capacity not sold is a waste of money. Now, football stadiums on the other hand are still large because its easier to sell out 8 games versus 81 games and they have the waiting lists to back that up.

Also, the old Yankee Stadium before the renovation had more seats available including the ones in the black which allow them to draw those big crowds. However, attendance figures in those days for the entire season never came close to approaching the figures they've experienced over the last several years which without a doubt will continue in the new park despite the higher prices.
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post #415 of 415
3/22/08 at 2:59pm

Re: 2007-2008 MLB Hot Stove

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
They figured correctly until the newness of the stadium wears off and/or the Yankees start sucking again.

(oh, this is too easy..)

When did the Yankees stop sucking? In order to start again they would have to have stopped...

Go BoSox!
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