Is baseball dead? Has America's pastime past its time? As I surf the channels I see teams still in the playoff races with tons of empty seats. While last night the Chicago Blackhawks sold out The United Center for a scrimmage game with their own players!
You have heard the whining that baseball is dead in the inner city. It seems its dead all over not just the inner city. The question is why? I see a whole lot of answers to that question. Here are a few:
1. Not any players who you really want to turn on the TV to watch. No more Ernie Banks,Bob Gibsons,or Barry Bonds' any more.
2. Compared to other sports it is very boaring. A kid can stand in right field all day and never get the ball hit to him.
3. The era of the one sport twelve month a year athlete.
4. Too many fathers that think they are Tony Larussa and push the kids at a young age and they learn to hate rather than love it because its more like work than a fun thing to do.
5. To much emphasis on the home run. It is the only sport with only one competition at their all star game. Hit home runs or you can't compete for anything else cuz it ain't there. Fastest base runner? Most accurate throw? Best fastball? Best outfield arm? Nothing.
As for MLB once again its been proven there is NO such thing as a small market. Like the Brewers before them the Pirates are now filling a park that was empty for decades. Why? The city and market haven't grown they finally put a frickin product worth paying to see on the field. Yes this sport is dead,especially in Chicago. The Ricketts hired a bunch of clueless wiz kids with daddys millions and the Sox are totally lost and caught up in whining about being second fiddle in Chicago. Hopefully the Cubs attendance will be what Pittsburghs was for years and the fans wakeup that Wrigley be it historic is a run down piss smelling dump.
Finally, kickoffs and faceoffs! Its now worth turning the TV on again. Unless you can't sleep and you turn on a baseball game! As for more proof that its dead this is the first baseball post all season on this forum. Case closed!
It would be interesting to see ratings for Premier League soccer on NBC vs. baseball's game of the week on Fox. I can guess the direction of the trend lines.
Quote from: dukesdad on September 17, 2013, 02:39:48 PM
It would be interesting to see ratings for Premier League soccer on NBC vs. baseball's game of the week on Fox. I can guess the direction of the trend lines.
Wow, never even thought of that, that would be interesting. That would really tell the story. Great call!
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
Is baseball dead? Has America's pastime past its time? As I surf the channels I see teams still in the playoff races with tons of empty seats. While last night the Chicago Blackhawks sold out The United Center for a scrimmage game with their own players!
You have heard the whining that baseball is dead in the inner city. It seems its dead all over not just the inner city.
Nonsense:
http://beyondthescorecard.blogspot.com/2013/04/major-league-baseball-attendance-trends.html (http://beyondthescorecard.blogspot.com/2013/04/major-league-baseball-attendance-trends.html)
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
1. Not any players who you really want to turn on the TV to watch. No more Ernie Banks,Bob Gibsons,or Barry Bonds' any more.
Bryce Harper. Mike Trout. Craig Kimbrel. Bryce Harper. Albert Pujols. Andrew McCutcheon. Bryce Harper. Justin Verlander. Josh Hamilton. Bryce Harper. Clayton Kershaw. Joey Votto. If you think there's nobody in the game now worth watching, you're not watching. Perhaps you're just an unfortunate victim of watching baseball in Chicago?
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
2. Compared to other sports it is very boaring. A kid can stand in right field all day and never get the ball hit to him.
I understand this argument, but I'm coming around to the idea that football is increasingly the dullest sport in creation. Time out! Incomplete! Rush for two yards! TV time out! Flag on the play! Time to punt! As George Will once memorably put it, football combines the two worst aspects of American life: violence and committee meetings. Thirty seconds of highlights will capture the main action in a football game, while baseball has built-in tension the sport will never have. Baseball is a game of strategy and athleticism; every other sport, as somebody once rightly put it, is basically dogs chasing after a rag.
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
5. To much emphasis on the home run. It is the only sport with only one competition at their all star game. Hit home runs or you can't compete for anything else cuz it ain't there. Fastest base runner? Most accurate throw? Best fastball? Best outfield arm? Nothing.
Want to see fast baserunning? Accurate throws? 100 mph-plus fastballs? Don't wait for the All-Star Game; any game will give you that.
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
As for MLB once again its been proven there is NO such thing as a small market. Like the Brewers before them the Pirates are now filling a park that was empty for decades. Why? The city and market haven't grown they finally put a frickin product worth paying to see on the field. Yes this sport is dead,especially in Chicago. The Ricketts hired a bunch of clueless wiz kids with daddys millions and the Sox are totally lost and caught up in whining about being second fiddle in Chicago. Hopefully the Cubs attendance will be what Pittsburghs was for years and the fans wakeup that Wrigley be it historic is a run down piss smelling dump.
This is all OK by me. The "die-hard Cubs fan" is the biggest legal scam ever perpetrated on an American city. it's stabilized attendance while excusing mediocrity. For anybody who cares about the Cubs---that is, cares about the Cubs as a team that has a legitimate chance at making a playoff run---the only sensible thing to do is tear down Wrigley Field and move the team to Schaumburg.
Quote from: markberwyn on September 17, 2013, 06:37:49 PM
Perhaps you're just an unfortunate victim of watching baseball in Chicago?
Agreed.
Quote from: markberwyn on September 17, 2013, 06:37:49 PM
For anybody who cares about the Cubs---that is, cares about the Cubs as a team that has a legitimate chance at making a playoff run---the only sensible thing to do is tear down Wrigley Field and move the team to Schaumburg.
Disagree.
Sorry Mark but Pujols is done. You even forgot the guy who might be the only one to watch,Cabrerra in Detroit. Not into Joey Votto,Harper, and as for Trout he's good but doesn't make me want to turn on the TV.
The game is deluted probably worse than any other sport. I remember when if a pitcher had and era over 3 he was sent down. Now if its 4 your worth millions.
My point about not having a skills competition other than home runs to me tells kids you have to hit the long ball in this sport or forget it. Its about the lack of influence the sport now has on kids. Especially these days when there is much more for kids to do with their spare time.
I agree about tearing down Wrigley. You can build a brick wall with vines anywhere. Thats why I wanted Mark Cuban to buy the Cubs. Instead of fighting with the city he said he'd move to the suburbs and leave Wrigley for the high school kids to play in. Plus if the Cubs continue to really suck with the rebuilding excuse they could make more by holding more concerts there than baseball! Plus I would love to see the residents get it stuck in their ass. They whine about everything about the ballpark yet if it wasn't for the park their property wouldn't be worth shit.
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 02:05:14 PM
2. Compared to other sports it is very boaring. A kid can stand in right field all day and never get the ball hit to him.
Vehemently disagree! I think the pitcher/batter duel is one of the most intriguing in all of sports.
Sure someone in the outfield may not move an entire inning, yet they'd better be ready, since the actions on the field are like that of the inner workings of a clock. Runners move in one direction, and plays are made in a predictable fashion every single time. Most every action in the field plays like a flow chat, but the excitement comes with the execution of those plays. Does the outfielder have a great arm, or is he (or should he be) hitting the cutoff man? Throw to the plate, or get a runner on base to stop the bleeding? All spur of the moment decisions that bring you from your seat.
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 09:40:19 PM
Sorry Mark but Pujols is done. You even forgot the guy who might be the only one to watch,Cabrerra in Detroit. Not into Joey Votto,Harper, and as for Trout he's good but doesn't make me want to turn on the TV.
The game is deluted probably worse than any other sport. I remember when if a pitcher had and era over 3 he was sent down. Now if its 4 your worth millions.
My point about not having a skills competition other than home runs to me tells kids you have to hit the long ball in this sport or forget it. Its about the lack of influence the sport now has on kids. Especially these days when there is much more for kids to do with their spare time.
Cabrerra rules, but... diluted my ass. Think about the golden age(s) of baseball. In Babe Ruth's era you had factory workers filling in around a few great players. And prior to Curt Flood & free agency great players were stuck on shitty teams their entire career.
Baseball still offers the most big paychecks of any sport. At most, the big paychecks and egos have deluded (some of the) the mindsets from this pool of greater talent than ever seen before.
Quote from: mustang54 on September 17, 2013, 09:40:19 PM
I agree about tearing down Wrigley. You can build a brick wall with vines anywhere. Thats why I wanted Mark Cuban to buy the Cubs. Instead of fighting with the city he said he'd move to the suburbs and leave Wrigley for the high school kids to play in. Plus if the Cubs continue to really suck with the rebuilding excuse they could make more by holding more concerts there than baseball! Plus I would love to see the residents get it stuck in their ass. They whine about everything about the ballpark yet if it wasn't for the park their property wouldn't be worth shit.
LOL. True about the residents. 40 nights per year out of 365... deal.
Wrigley Field has nothing to do with winning a World Series, particularly with present ownership. It's all about the product they've put on the field for the last 105 years. Maybe, just maybe with previous ownership they were simply a money-making machine, yet over the last decade they've loosened those purse strings and it's been largely related to decision-making (some posit the ridiculous contracts were to boost the value for sale).
Can/should they upgrade the players facilities? Absolutely. Too many markets and varied stadiums have been host to World Series champions to blame the field or location for this drought, though.
The sky is not falling. Baseball will survive. The Ricketts family is not interested in anything but $$$$$$$. Screw them !
Bonster I agree the ballpark has nothing to do with the performance of the team on the field. Its all been about bad choices by gm's. If people think Theo is the savior they are in for a rude awakening. As for the comment by Buzz about the Ricketts I agree 100% they are all about the money. Heck with the TV revenue most teams don't have to sell a ticket to turn a profit.
If the Cubs spent the money on players rather than buying The Mickey D's property across the street they could have started something and at least be respectable. This rebuilding the system thing is a farce like others have used to not spend and turn bigger profits. 105 years of rebuilding and retooling is enough.
Quote from: B o n s t e r on September 18, 2013, 09:08:19 AM
Can/should they upgrade the players facilities? Absolutely. Too many markets and varied stadiums have been host to World Series champions to blame the field or location for this drought, though.
It's not about Wrigley per se; there's nothing about the layout of the field or the clubhouse that's making the Cubs the terrible team that they are. It's that the park is an integral part of a failure-encouraging and close to immoral culture that the Cubs have actively encouraged. The "lovable losers" concept is now so deeply embedded in the Cubs organization that there's little motivation to field a team that can compete---as ever, it nabs one or two high-payroll names to get butts in seats, but will still rack up huge attendance and TV-viewership numbers no matter how badly the team performs. A new park will go a long way toward emphasizing performance, stripping off this ridiculous "history" that its lunkheaded fans keep mooing about, and remove that day-game-heavy schedule that puts the Cubs' schedule out of whack with its competitors.
Don't take my word for it. Ask Kerry Wood and Dusty Baker: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1214445-kerry-wood-says-wrigley-field-day-games-are-the-reason-chicago-cubs-never-win (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1214445-kerry-wood-says-wrigley-field-day-games-are-the-reason-chicago-cubs-never-win)
If you want to support an organization that has all the ethics of a Nigerian email spammer, that's your business. But the Cubs adherence to their park ensures that they are doomed to mediocrity for decades to come. Your "tradition" is demonstrably stupid.
Mark I think a whole lot of long time Cub fans (like me) have had enough. And the "ethics of a Nigerian email spammer" was priceless! LMAO!! They can spend all the money they want on that dump and they still have the same amount of space to work with. You can't polish a turd, you must flush it.
This season has been a real bummer. The last two months watching the Sox have been painful. It didn't seem that bad in 1970. Maybe because I was younger back then, but the Big White Machine was a lot of fun, even though they were losing.
Alive and well.
Wasn't much interested in the playoffs this year considering what we had to deal with in Chicago this year. The Tigers-Red Sox game was an instant classic tonight. Rest of the ALDS should be great.
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game? That is ridiculous. How did Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson do it in under two hours?
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game?
Simple:
The pitcher-batter chess game.
Quote from: scottymac on October 14, 2013, 12:04:35 AM
Alive and well.
Wasn't much interested in the playoffs this year considering what we had to deal with in Chicago this year. The Tigers-Red Sox game was an instant classic tonight. Rest of the ALDS should be great.
YES. Yes it was!
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game? That is ridiculous. How did Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson do it in under two hours?
You appear to be paying close attention to a sport that you're hastening to declare dead. Did you not enjoy watching "Cabrerra" [sic] for the past week or so? Or did he not make you want to turn on the TV?
Quote from: markberwyn on October 14, 2013, 11:15:47 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game? That is ridiculous. How did Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson do it in under two hours?
You appear to be paying close attention to a sport that you're hastening to declare dead. Did you not enjoy watching "Cabrerra" [sic] for the past week or so? Or did he not make you want to turn on the TV?
Didn't watch an inning someone told me about the 4 hour game. When there is football and hockey on t v baseball to me doesn't exist. So to me yes the sport is still dead mark.
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 12:00:38 PM
Quote from: markberwyn on October 14, 2013, 11:15:47 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game? That is ridiculous. How did Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson do it in under two hours?
You appear to be paying close attention to a sport that you're hastening to declare dead. Did you not enjoy watching "Cabrerra" [sic] for the past week or so? Or did he not make you want to turn on the TV?
Didn't watch an inning someone told me about the 4 hour game. When there is football and hockey on t v baseball to me doesn't exist. So to me yes the sport is still dead mark.
OK. The 4.5 million or so people who *are* watching will have to muddle along without you somehow. Enjoy watching hockey on television!
Quote from: B o n s t e r on October 14, 2013, 08:27:32 AM
Quote from: mustang54 on October 14, 2013, 08:21:14 AM
How can you watch a sport that takes four hours for a one to nothing game?
Simple:
The pitcher-batter chess game.
JV and Mad Max are fun to watch when they are ON. Verlander smirks when he makes someone look foolish, and if the batter takes offense to it, JV will stare right back at him, and more than likely, try to make him look even worse on the next ab.
And Kershaw is just SICK. Everybody knows that swoopball is coming, doesn't matter. He is twenty freakin FIVE!
Also fun to watch St Louis' bunch of no name, kid sp's throw like they've been pitching in the bigs for 10 years. They just plug a new guy in after one gets hurt, and keep rolling.
I have never seen a World Series that generated less fan interest, except maybe in Boston and St Louis.
Quote from: dukesdad on October 31, 2013, 10:09:25 AM
I have never seen a World Series that generated less fan interest, except maybe in Boston and St Louis.
Twenty million viewers for Game 6. Those are 80s/early 90s numbers. Almost triple the putrid numbers for last years Giants/Tigers misery.
Two throwing errors by the Red Sox won games 2 & 3 for the Cards, so technically, Boston won all 6 games.
The puke factor rose slightly by the droning on and on about this being the first championship won AT Fenway since 1918. IMO, that was completely unnecessary to the narrative.
(http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/6/25/4535551/190314-0-600.jpg)
Quote from: watcher on October 31, 2013, 03:27:29 PM
The puke factor rose slightly by the droning on and on about this being the first championship won AT Fenway since 1918. IMO, that was completely unnecessary to the narrative.
I couldn't agree more!
Quote from: watcher on October 31, 2013, 03:27:29 PM
Quote from: dukesdad on October 31, 2013, 10:09:25 AM
I have never seen a World Series that generated less fan interest, except maybe in Boston and St Louis.
Twenty million viewers for Game 6. Those are 80s/early 90s numbers. Almost triple the putrid numbers for last years Giants/Tigers misery.
Yep.
Traditionally, StL owns the Midwest market and Boston, the New England market.
Maybe it was just me.
Wrong color Sox!