RIP Gary Carter.

Well, We knew it was going to happen. I just hoped it wouldn't happen until at least he had a day for him at New Shea in 2012. Gary Carter died today of brain cancer at the age of 57. As a Mets fan, It's tremendously sad news. Mets fans aren't used to having things go our way when it comes to our favorite team. Especially when compared to the crosstown team with much more success. But back in the mid to late 1980s it was good to be a Mets fan. And Gary Carter was the piece that finished the puzzle.

I became a hardcore Mets fan in 1976 when Gary Carter was on the Montreal Expos. He was a up and comer at the time with a cool baseball card to boot.




The Mets would go through some really tough years in the late 70s and early 80s while Gary Carter rose to become the best catcher in the game after Johnny Bench hung up his mask. And man did he annoy me. He was so good in a Derek Jeter sort of way but in Montreal, He wasn't able to bask in World Series glory like Jeter did. Montreal made only one playoff appearance (their only one to this day) in the strike shortened 1981 season. If he wanted to win it all he needed to be traded. Fortunately there was a team that needed one more player to win it all and Gary Carter was that player and the New York Mets were that team.



Starting in 1980, The Mets new ownership were making serious strides into being a competitive team. They had built up a good farm system that took advantage of their losing records to get high draft picks. they made some trades, good and bad. The best was getting Keith Hernandez for Neal Allen and Rick Ownby. the Mets started winning in 1984 with 19 year old rookie Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry's first full season. They rose up to challenge the Chicago Cubs (Another hard luck team) for the Eastern Division. The Cubs would win out in a tight race lead by MVP Ryne Sandberg and Cy Young Award winning Rick Sutcliffe. The Mets were for real and knew they were just one piece away from winning it all.

Gary Carter became available for a trade and the Mets traded fan favorite Hubie Brooks and non hitting rookie catcher Mike Fitzgerald and others for Gary Carter. He paid dividends on the very first game he played for the Mets (A game I'm watching as I write this, on SNY.) by hitting a home run to win the game. The Mets in 1985 would do even better than 1984 but would lose out to the St. Louis Cardinals on the last weekend of the season and in the pre-wild card era of baseball, It wasn't enough. Gary Carter had a great season leading the Mets in home runs and RBIs, a feat he did for much of his time on the Mets.

Of course 1986 was another great year for the Mets, the best in fact and Gary Carter was a key component especially handling the great pitching they had that year. Calling games for Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Bobby Ojeda, Sid Fernandez and the great relief corps of the Mets. They would win 108 games but would have some adversity in the playoffs. The firs round of the playoffs was facing the Houston Astros and the mighty former Met Mike Scott. Gary Carter struggled at the bat, hitting less than .100 in the series but came up big in game 5 by driving in the winning run in the 12th inning. In game 6, He was behind the plate catching nothing but screwballs from Jesse Orosco in the 16th inning when they finally beat the Astros to get into the World Series to face the Boston Red Sox.

The Mets started off badly, Losing the first two games at home. They bounced back to win the next two with game 4 being won on the strength of Gary Carter's two home runs. However, they lost game 5 and face elimination when they headed back to Shea to play game 6. they fell behind early 3-0 and tied it up only to give Boston the lead courtesy of a Ray Knight error. Gary Carter tied it up with sac fly in the 8th and the score remained that way until the 10th.

We all know the story. The Red Sox took the lead in the 10th and were up by two when the Mets came up to bat. The Mets made two quick outs and were down to their last out when Gary Carter came to the plate. On a 1-1 count he got a single to keep the game alive. According to Mets folklore when Gary Carter reached first base he told first base coach "There’s no way I’m making the last fuckin' out." Remarkable in that Gary Carter was a noted "goody two shoes" who was a good Christian who according to Ron Darling never swore. The moment was that intense. He would score ahead of the two runs that tied and win the game for the Mets when the ball went through Bill Buckner's legs. They would win game 7. And Gary Carter would have his one and only ring.

After a good 1987 season, Gary Carter struggled in 1988 when the Mets would win 100 games and would lose to the team of destiny of 1988, The Kirk Gibson led Dodgers. He would play his last year on the Mets in 1989 and would play for the Dodgers, Giants and returned to the Expos to finish his career.

A hall of fame career. It took awhile, In the years he was eligible for the Hall of Fame, Baseball had changed to being a very offensive oriented game and Carter was overlooked in the steroid era. Finally he was inducted, well deserved in that he was the BEST catcher in the game in the early to mid 1980s bar none.

His retirement was relatively quiet. He wanted to go into the HOF as a Met, But in reality his best years were with the Montreal Expos and the HOF felt SOMEONE needs to represent the defunct Montreal Expos. He was worthy and the Expos retire his number 8. The Mets haven't done that yet. They're stingy with retiring numbers. They're not the Yankees for God's sake. Hopefully they might change their mind. The Mets need something to look forward while they slowly try to get back to respectability.

He got brain cancer last year that was deemed inoperable. Like another beloved Met, Tug McGraw he would lose the battle and I'm sad. He gave us Mets fans great memories and true respect.

Rest In Peace.

My picks from the heart not from the smart.

Okay, It's that time of year where I root for baseball teams that aren't the New York Mets or the Seattle Mariners to win it all in the order in which I like them.

...and why.



1. Detroit Tigers- It wasn't too long ago (2003) that the Tigers set the American League record for most losses. Three years later they were in the World Series and right now have a more than decent chance to do it again. They've got a strong team offensively and the best pitcher in the American League along with this year's most successful closer. The city of Detroit is starting to recover from the depths of their economic crisis slowly and I like the idea that their sports teams are doing well so I'm rooting for them over the other 7 teams. Especially in the first round.


2. Milwaukee Brewers- Has been in one World Series back when they were in the American League. They have a chance for a re-match but not in the World Series but in the NLCS if they face the Cardinals. I like them enough despite the fact they were born from the ashes of the Seattle Pilots of 1969. Interesting trivia- The Milwaukee Brewers WITHOUT ever moving form their city has played in four different divisions, the American League West (1970-1971), the American League East (1972-1993), The American League Central (1994-1997), and currently the National League Central (1998-present) Any team with that kind of history is easy to root for.


3. Tampa Bay Rays- A hard luck team for most of its existence but almost a perennial playoff team now. Funny how getting rid of the "devil" part of the name has worked out for them. Still it took the classless Yankees to lay down for them to get in the playoffs. If both teams make the ALCS, I hope it bites the Yankees in the ass.

4. Texas Rangers-A team that has never won the World Series. I root for underdogs like that. I like Nolan Ryan and what he has done to the team but the Bush stank on its history still smolders, so it's hard to root for the Texas Rangers too much.



5. Philadelphia Phillies- Like the Red Sox and their recent success I still haven't learn to hate the Phillies and theirs. A hard luck franchise for most of their existence. But they have rubbed it in the Mets face with their success but with the Mets playing bad baseball the last few years, It can't truly be considered a rivalry.


6. Arizona Diamondbacks- An expansion team who I'm not anxious to match the Mets in World Series titles in a mere 14 years of existence.






7. St. Louis Cardinals- Still haven't gotten over 2006, Only reason to root for them is so they too will have 2 World Series championships in this century and 11 in their history. Enough to possible go on a three or four decade run to surpass the Yankees in championships.




8. New York Yankees- Like rooting for a billionaire to get a tax payer bailout.

Collapses

Epic collapses in MLB recent history..






2011 Braves September










2011 Red Sox September








Compare it to the 2007 New York Mets





Both the Red Sox and the Braves would have killed to have the .500 record the Mets had in their epic collapse.

I guess I can feel a little bit better, However a perennial playoff team for the Mets future would soothe the pain better.

Now It's Only Oakland In a Football/Baseball Stadium

So the Florida Marlins play their last game in the only place they have called home since their beginning in 1993. They have the longest tenure of any MLB team in their original home ballpark until they finish today. They have the third longest tenure (believe it or not) of any National league ball team in the same park after the Cubs and the Dodgers. The Marlins moving will also eliminate the second to last venue that has both the NFL and MLB which was common place as recently as 15 years ago. Oakland is the only one left.

The funny thing is although they've only played in one stadium. The ballpark has featured more names than a whole league of ball parks.


In order of the names since the Marlins moved in 1993.

Joe Robbie Stadium
Pro Player Park
Pro Player Stadium
Dolphins Stadium
Dolphin Stadium
Land Shark Stadium

and finally

Sun Life Stadium.

Which goes to show how stupid the trend of naming stadiums after corporate entities that don't own the team.

They're moving to Miami and calling themselves the Miami Marlins. I wonder if they can attract more than 10,000 fans in the new ballpark?

OVERachieving? more like UNDERachieving.

So, Another baseball season, Another year in which the Mets won't make the playoffs. Well, It was expected by many experts that the Mets are in rebuilding mode and was expected to tank while getting rid of half their team along the way.

So, The season has gone along as expected record wise (about .500) but despite that they've been interesting to watch. A lot of people however are saying that the Mets are overachieving with a bunch of minor leaguers and castoffs when several of their top players went down with injury. Still, I think even with that though they are underachieving in my opinion.

How can I have this opinion? Let me take it bit by bit. Jose Reyes is overachieving, There's no doubt about it. Finally gets back from nagging injuries and has his best year by far, or is it? Yeah, His batting average is way up there compared to his collective average. His power is a little down and he isn't stealing as many bases. I can't deny he's over achieving.

Carlos Beltran on the other hand I can say is not over achieving. Is he underachieving? Well, no. He's definitely playing to what he normally plays. It's great he's healthy, Which you couldn't say that he was the last few years. But overachieving? nah.

Francisco Rodriguez, before he got traded was doing well. Overachieving? Hell, no! Though he had a better year than last year, It's still below his average. His save total was at his usual pace but his ERA is a little higher.

The starting pitching on the Mets are in my opinion underachieving. Particularly the top two starters for the beginning of the year. Mike Pelfrey is definitely underachieving. He is young, Had a heck of a first half last year and was put in the spot to be the number 1 starter. He was called on to take the next step to become a solid starter. 5-9 with a 4.73 ERA can be only described as underachieving. R.A. Dickey came out of nowhere last year with a newly developed knuckleball. A feel good story for a journey man and he got rewarded with a two year contract. It was expected he would have more or less the same kind of season. His record is 4-8 and his ERA isn't too bad at 3.81 but a little disappointing and definitely not overachieving.


Jon Niese is developing quite well. He's having a good year but is not overachieving. He is going the way he should and actually should be doing better. Capuano was a scrap heap pick up pitching .500 baseball. Average. Not overachieving.

Dillon Gee on the other hand came out of nowhere when another off season pickup Chris Young went down to injury. A great surprise. Overachieving? Yeah. From nothing. He's slowing down a little, But hopefully his future is bright.

Now, Let's look at the rest of the players who were part of the team last year that didn't get injured. Angel Pagan had a breakout year last year when Carlos Beltran went down to injury. This year, his production has gone down a lot. He's batting about 50 points less than usual and has shown much power. Underachieving, no doubt.


But no Met has underachieved like Jason Bay. He signed last year for the Mets to fill a gap the Mets had for several years in left field. Bay had some good power years with the Pirates and especially with the Red Sox. I wasn't looking fopr him to do the same but I thought the worst we would get would be a George Foster drop off. Even if he did that, the Mets would be much better. Instead he has Doug Flynn like production numbers, Which would be fine if you're Doug Flynn. But his lack of contributions is horrifying. yeah, he was injured last year but c'mon.

Now, the players who have filled in the gaps with the injuries to David Wright and Ike Davis. Daniel Murphy in particular has done well at the bat but still hasn't improved much at defense. It's not overachieving as much as it's showing what he can do with the bat when he gets a chance to play everyday. Justin Turner came through with clutch hits when David Wright went down. However, Even though he was expected to be in the minors, His batting average and power is not what I would call overachieving.

The catcher situation isn't good as far as achievement. Both the batting and fielding have been less than spectacular. Underachievement.

Pretty much, In my opinion. The Mets should be about 8 games over .500 and improving if they were collectively overachieving. Oh, well.

Reyes gone?

Yeah, The Mets baseball season is not quite going the way I hoped. It's not as bad as I feared but it's still quite disappointing. But the thing that galls me is that the Mets are expected to become "sellers" when the trade deadline comes. Now sometimes being a seller is a good thing when you get rid of an overpaid underachiever. But the Mets are probably going to get rid of some of their best players because they are "broke".

Being a seller gives you the opportunity to trade a high priced player near the end of his contract that is having a good year but not good enough to get your team in the playoffs. So you get this opportunity to get some added prospects when you can trade a high priced player to a team that can use them. Carlos Beltran fits this mode. He signed a huge contract with the Mets 6 years ago and is playing the last year of his contract. He's been a bit of a disappointment in his Mets run. He spent much of his time on the disabled list and is in his mid thirties. The Mets won't re-sign him and he's having a good year. He would be a good addition to a team who needs a solid player to help theior run.

The Mets need to get something for him in return because they get nothing if they don't trade him. Even if they make a strong run in the summer, They have enough talent in the outfield to cover for his absence. Besides last year the Mets were doing alright until he came back from his injury. Good riddance, Despite the fact he had a MONSTER season the last time the Mets were in the playoffs in 2006, I can never shake the image of Beltran leaving his bat on his shoulder when he left strike three go by to allow the Cardinals get in the World Series.

Now Jose Reyes is a different story. He, like Beltran has been injured much of the last three years. But he's only 28 years old. And he's having a monstrous season. He's a home grown Met, And to me he's the most exciting player in baseball when he's healthy. Trading him can get us some good players but if he plays out his contract, We can probably sign him with a slight hometown discount and if we don't we get some compensation.

Look, As a Mets fan, I've had to endure a lot. When the Mets were good, It was because of the pitching. The Mets best home grown players in their history have been pitchers. No offensive player in Mets history comes close. Mike Piazza was great but much of his greatness was achieved as a Dodger. In the last half dozen years Mets fans have been treated to two home grown players that have shown flashes of greatness. David Wright and Jose Reyes.

What's cool about them is that they more or less came up at the same time. They play the same side of the infield, Have been almost perennial All-Stars and have generated multi-ethnic fan bases from throughout the region. I was looking forward to seeing them man that side of the field in 2015 and beyond with hopefully a few championships under their belts.

So what happened? Well, 2006 was a great season for the Mets. It was the first time since the Braves moved to the eastern division in 1993 that another team won that division and it was my Mets. And they won by a huge margin over the soon to be hated rivals, The Phillies. But there were problems, The Mets became short handed in the pitching department. Pedro Martinez got injured as did Orlando Hernandez. They got good pitching by Oliver Perez of all people and John Maine of all people. They breezed by the Dodgers and advanced the same day the New York Yankees were eliminated. That was a great day, Little did I know it would be the last great day for a while. The bullpen blew a few games in their playoff series with the Cardinals. It got to game 7 and Perez hung in there well with help from backup outfielder's most incredible post season catch of all time to keep the game tied. The Mets couldn't capitalize on it one bit. they gave the ball to surly pitcher Aaron Heillman and he gave up a home run to a light hitting catcher (natch). Then Beltran's bat got too heavy to move and the 2006 World Series was won by the 83 win Cardinals.

2007 started right where the 2006 ended with the Mets way out ahead of the Phillies which was satisfying after the Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins mouthed off about how arrogant the Mets were and announced the Phillies were the team to beat. Ohhhh, he was eating his words words for most of the summer, Though the Phillies themselves beats the Mets up good. But then the Mets choked real hard. The Phillies didn't play that great against the other teams but played well enough to the Mets to gain ground until the big choke finally took hold on the last day of the season. Thanks, Tom Glavine.

Anyway, 2008 went a similar path and when it was time in 2009 for the Mets and Yankees to move in their new ballparks, It was the team that built their park on a pilfered children's playground while destroying an iconic building that won the World Series. Meanwhile the team that replaced a run downed dump with a beautiful park in their own parking lot that gets an embarrassing losing season. How is that karma?

Meanwhile the Mets get into financial problems relating to Bernie Madoff and find themselves having become a perennial sub .500 team. Now in the past, The Mets have had a bad run of years. They were hostile in the early days of free agency and passed up signing great players when they had the opportunity. But more often they would over pay for someone in free agency and bad trades and would suck as a result. They have let some good players go before they became stars, But they hadn't yet established themselves when they were traded.

However, For the first time in their history, The Mets are looking to become like a small market team and allow their star players to leave when free agency looms. The worst part of it. Many Mets fans are saying that they should do this. They gave up on their stars. Well, They gave up on David Wright, Who still has some time left on his contract. This bugs me because David Wright is on his way to shattering most of the Mets offensive records in the upcoming years and I still think he has many great years left in him. He's only 28 years old. But everyone is either saying trade them both or at least Reyes. Last year when Wright had a good season and Reyes was on the DL, It was trade Reyes and keep Wright. Fickleness, Thy name is Mets fan. I say keep them both, despite their financial situation, They can afford them, especially with so much wasted money coming off that payroll next year.

Still, I hear people say "Get what you can for them when their trade value is peaking!"

Okay, I hear that.

So..... what could we get for Reyes? A prospect? Do you think we could get the reigning Rookie of the Year? How about a prospect GUARANTEED to come in second in next year's Rookie of the Year vote? You think we can get a gold gloved infielder?

Heck while we're dreaming, should we get greedy and ask for all four of these players? Impossible? Well, that's exactly what the Mets got the last time they traded a player in his prime because they felt he was too expensive to keep. That man was Tom Seaver and the Mets would have 7 consecutive losing seasons much of it in the cellar.

World Series.

I'm looking forward to watching this years World Series. It features the type of teams I like to see in there besides my favorite teams.

That is, Teams that have had a bit of hard luck in their history both who haven't won any championships in their respective cities.

The Texas Rangers are the decendants of the expansion version of the Washington Senators. As the Senators, They started in 1961 and could not establish a fan base strong enough to prevent a move to the Dallas and become the Texas Rangers in 1972. they struggled for many years and did not make the post season once until 1996. No team since 1960 took longer to get there. Each time they got to the post season, they lost in the first round each time, Always to the Yankees. Always quickly, Until this year that is.

The San Francisco Giants have been around since 1883 when they were in New York. They were an early powerhouse team in major league baseball history. They have won 5 World Series titles, All of it in New York. They moved to San Francisco in 1957 to join the Los Angeles Dodgers as MLBs first west coast teams. Since then, The Giants have appeared in three World Series not including the current one. Each one of the World Series were memorable. The first ended in the seventh game with a great defensive play, The second one had an earthquake, And the third one had the Giants up 3 games to 2 with a five run lead in game 6 with only 8 outs to go when they blew it in the last two innings. So they've had their history of hard luck


So now with the Rangers in the World Series, That leaves only the Mariners and the Nationals as MLB teams that have never made an appearance in a World Series. The Giants are only behind the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians in longest period of time since winning a World Series title. So who's gonna win? Well, The last time the Giants played in a World Series they faced another team (The Angels)who was an expansion team that started in 1961, They also play in the same division as the Rangers. So that bodes well for the Rangers.

Buuuuttttttt, I'm rooting hard for the Giants. Why? Well, It's because of a mixture of politics and geography. On my list of favorite teams, the Giants are No. 5 and the Rangers are No. 26.

The reason? San Francisco is pretty much my favorite city. It pretty much has everything I love about a city. Great weather, Beautiful scenery, Lefty politics, and a counter culture quality that keeps me interested. The Giants also used to play in New York and had the hat logo that my favorite team the Mets use on their cap.

Texas is only a state I know from TV, politics and a an airport visit. Needless to say, It pretty much makes me not to ever live there. The opposite of San Francisco. Hot and Humid, Arrogant, and very Republican.

Texas is Bush country, San Fransisco is Pelosi country so a boogie man there for each side of the political aisle. But there's a bit of irony in how their respective ballparks got built.

When George W. Bush was an owner of the Rangers, They built a new ballpark using lots of tax payers money, Much of it not approved by the voters. Also, Eminent Domain was used to grab land to build it. Hardly the conservative principles I always hear about on right wing TV.

The Giants on the other hand built their new ballpark using only private funds because the citizens of the city voted against using tax funds to build it. Not exactly what one would expect for a "Tax and Spend" liberal city like San Fransisco. Or is it? After all, Liberals aren't exactly fond of subsidizing millionaires and billionaires with tax dollars.

But if you were to take the teams at face value, It's hard to root for one team over another. Neither was expected to make it to the World Series. Actually it was likely that neither team would make the playoffs. No real superstars on either teams. The Giants have great pitching and average hitting and somewhat suspect defensive skills. The Rangers have some great hitting stars and play fundamentally solid baseball that is fun to watch, Especially when they beat the mighty Yankees. Still, The Giants tenacity in beating a very powerful Phillies team makes it hard to figure out who has the advantage in the series.


Oh, well. Go GIANTS.

More Steinbrenner

Even before George Steinbrenner died I was interested in reading his biography "The Last Lion of Baseball" by sportswriter Bill Madden. Steinbrenner was a fascinating individual and the book was an excellent read. It goes into detail about the early years of his Yankee ownership thanks to detailed notes and recordings by early general manager Gabe Paul. The anecdotes about Steinbrenner are priceless. You see how he treats those who worked for and even to the people who liked him, It's humorously appalling.


I would have loved it more if I had not spotted some factual errors throughout the book. The first one I spotted was when Madden mentioned that Rich "Goose" Gossage signed a contract worth 25 million dollars over 5 years with the San Diego Padres in 1984. I thought that that money was way too high for a post peak closer signing for a medium market baseball team back then. 5 million a year would be more than double the highest paid player of the era. So I checked and sure enough, It turns out he signed a 5 million dollar contract over five years.

The second mistake I spotted is my nitpicking on history. Madden writes that The Yankees had beaten out the California Angels by one game for the Al wild card in 1995. In actual fact it was a one game playoff between the Mariners and the California Angels that knocked the Angels out of the running. Nitpicking to be sure, But I like the idea of giving the Mariners their due.

A third mistake was more problematic. Madden points out that the 2000 New York Mets had "...crept into the postseason as a wild card, had beaten both the NL West champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the Division Series and the NL East champion Atlanta Braves in the NLCS to advantage as the Yankees' opponent in World Series."

Okay, a few things were wrong with that. First of all the Mets played the Diamondbacks and the Braves in the playoffs in 1999, And second of all the Mets LOST to the Braves that year in the playoffs. The teams the Mets beat in the playoffs in 2000 were the Giants and the Cardinals.

The fourth mistake was a typo maybe but I think Madden just had the year wrong. He mentions the gathering of the Yankee executives in what to do with Joe Torre after his last season managing the Yankees. Madden says the contentious meeting which would lead to Joe Torre rejecting the Yankees contract offer as happening on October 17, 2008. That was a year off, At that point both Joe Giaradi and Joe Torre had finished managing their first seasons of the Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively.


There may have been other mistakes I missed and I look forward to the book being published in paperback to see if the mistakes were corrected and a chapter dealing with Steinbrenner's passing.

I recommend this book for both Yankee fans and Yankee haters. It's also a fascinating biography of a volatile but savvy businessmen.

King George...

I hate the Yankees. I make no bones about it. They were too corporate, Too buttoned down, Too patriarchal. I rooted for two teams growing up, The New York Mets and whoever played the Yankees. Most of what I hate about the Yankees is because of one man. That man was George Steinbrenner.

Why? Because he did whatever he could to make sure that hated Yankees team won. As a Mets fan that was hard to deal with when I was in grammar school and for most of my adult years except for a brief period of time in the late 80s.

I became a Mets fan sometime in 1973 when I was 6 years old. That was the year the Mets were in their second World Series in less than 5 years. They were setting records with baseball attendance in NYC. They were in a modern stadium near the Flushing waterfront. They had a great pitching core that looked like it would be intact for years to come.

Meanwhile in the Bronx, a mismanaged Yankees team was sold to a shipping heir from Cleveland named George Steinbrenner. In 1973, the Yankees were definitely second rate. Their stadium was old, Located in a borough of a city going through very tough times. They were going through their longest post season drought since they changed their name from the Highlanders. A mere 8.8 million dollars was needed to purchase the team from the CBS Media group. Think that might have been a good investment?

Anyway, One of the first priorities Steinbrenner put on the table was to renovate the aging Yankee Stadium to 70's state of the art standards. Second of all, He wanted to build a winning team by any means possible. During the early 70s the most notable trade involving the Yankees was the families of pitcher Fritz Peterson switching places with fellow pitcher Mike Kekich. George made some good trades but a new opportunity came along in 1975 which made building a winning team easier if you were willing to pay for it.

Free Agency reared its head in 1974. Baseball players challenged the idea of being property of a team as long as the team deemed fit. If you don't like it, tough. Players can be great have a terrific season like Ralph Kiner and get a pay cut because their team could lose 113 games without him. Free Agency allowed for players to sign with another team usually the highest bidder. Steinbrenner was one of the few owners who embraced this opportunity. Most owners including the Mets owners resented players who became free agents or looked to get long term contracts over threats of being a free agent.


Not George. He signed players like Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and others to generous, expensive,(at the time) contracts that gave the Yankees two World Series titles, four AL pennants and 5 National League East titles in 6 years. He also made offers for players on teams they payed in post season. Players like Don Gullet, Tommy John, and Steve Sax.

Success came at a price. The Yankees of the late 70s and early 80s were a volatile bunch of personalities in which Steinbrenner was right in the middle of. Strong personalities like Thurman Munson, Graig Nettles, Reggie Jackson, and most of all Billy Martin the Yankees manager. The dark side of George Steinbrenner came out. He was a meddler, A "hands on" owner who fired and hired managers left and right. From 1973 until 1991 he:


Hired/Fired Bill Virdon

Hired/Fired Billy Martin

Hired/Fired Bob Lemon

Hired/Fired Billy Martin (again)

Hired/Fired Dick Howser

Hired/Fired Gene Michael

Hired/Fired Bob Lemon (again)

Hired/Fired Gene Michael (again)

Hired/Fired Clyde King

Hired/Fired Billy Martin (Third time)

Hired/Fired Yogi Berra

Hired/Fired Billy Martin (Fourth Time)

Hired/Fired Lou Pinella

Hired/Fired Billy Martin (Fifth Time!)

Hired/Fired Lou Pinella (again)

Hired/Fired Dallas Green

Hired/Fired Bucky Dent

Hired/Fired Stump Merrill


Steinbrenner wanted to win at any costs but obviously was impatient. The Yankees brought whatever players they felt they needed to win in the 1980s. In fact the Yankees had the best total winning record in the 80s. Still, They had no World Series titles to show for it. Meanwhile in Queens New Yorkers were embracing the Mets in record numbers. The Mets were building a solid team of home grown players mixed in with a few veterans. Meanwhile the Yankees traded away great prospects like Doug Drabek, Jay Buhner, and Jose Rijo. the 80s ultimately were the decade of the Mets.

Then the 90s came and the fortunes of both teams reversed and for the Yankees it came because of controversy courtesy of King George. Steinbrenner was upset at losing the 1981 World Series to the Dodgers and he blamed it on his highly paid outfielder Dave Winfield. Winfield signed a ten year contract that Steinbrenner was trying to figure out how to get rid of, He was looking for dirt on Winfield and had paid gambler Howard Spira to blackmail Dave Winfield. This led to Steinbrenner being banned from baseball operations of the Yankees.


The lack of meddling led to a stable management of the team. Buck Sholwalter became the first Yankee manager to manage more than three years in a row under Steinbrenner. Their farm system was replenished with future superstars like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettite, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada. By the time George Steinbrenner came back after some very lean years, The Yankees had a solid core of home grown players.

In 1995, after not appearing in the playoffs for 14 years, The Yankees got a wild card spot by the fluke of having the same record as the Seattle Mariners and the California Angels. The Mariners played the Angels in the a one off playoff game and whoever won, Won the American league west and who lost went home. And for some reason the Mariners played the Yankees in the American League Wild Card playoff in a best of 5 series. The Yankees came out strong, winning the first two games at Yankee Stadium only to lose the next three games to the Mariners in Seattle in dramatic fashion.

Ken Griffey Jr. scoring on Edgar Marinez's double remains 15 years later the greatest moment in Mariners history. Let me tell you as a Yankee hater living in Seattle, I got such smug satisfaction seeing George Steinbreners face in the limo leaving the Kingdome.

That smugness was short lived. King George got his revenge. He made a steal of a trade with the Mariners for Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson for two stiffs and the new dynasty was on its way. FOUR World Series in 5 years including the 2000 team who had only the ninth best record in baseball. They beat my Mets of course.

The Yankees looked unbeatable into the 2000s. They beat a 116 game winning Mariners team in 2001 but throughout the decade until 2009, The Yankees had great records but no WS titles. George Steinbrenner was slowly backing out of daily responsibilities and was ailing. A new stadium was built next to the old one and saw yet another World Series thanks to the massive spending the Yankees were able to pay for a mere three missing piece players.

Both long time public address announcer Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner die having their favorite team being defending World Champions. Good karma that's for sure.

George Steinbrenner was a rich businessman who ran his operation with an iron fist. However, He paid his workers well, He wasn't cheap, He helped those under his employ when they were in need and gave his customers the best product he can possibly give them. A paradox perhaps but with the exception of a few personality flaws he left MLB a bigger success than it ever was.

Steinbrenner courted the media well, Was able to laugh at himself in commercials and TV Shows, Hosted SNL and was the inspiration for "George Steinbrenner" on Seinfeld.


RIP George. I still hate the Yankees and hope for a period they have a downturn like they had before you owned the team but let me tell ya, You were never dull.

The Only Way To Travel!

Hey Mets and Yankees fans!

You're going to the game but you don't want to drive and the weather is too nice to take the subway? There's another option Take the Water Taxi. It's a FREE option for going to the baseball game courtesy of Delta Airlines. There is only one trip per game, an hour and half before game time launching from Pier 11 in Manhattan.

I went on it last night before the Mets win. It was great. The evening was beautiful and the views of Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens from a different angle is enlightening. One of the best views is the massive traffic backups that inspires empathy.

It sails under all the main bridges on the East River, the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, 59th, and Triborough. It sails by Roosevelt, Rikers, and Randalls Island on its way to Flushing Bay for Mets games.

Beer is available on board along with snacks and a gaggle of Mets fans made the trip fun. Even the what I felt were too many Phillies fans couldn't spoil the trip.


The tickets are free unless you get it online. Get it early near Pier 11 because they fill up fast. I got lucky, I didn't get a ticket but I was early on standby and was able to get on.

The one drawback?

There's no free return trip. Oh well, That's what the 7 line is for.

Baltimore Bound!

I am a baseball fan. I like going to the games but I'm not really close enough to Major League parks to make more than three trips a year. It's expensive and takes a lot of time out of my day to visit them.

However, I still like to visit them, Particularly ballparks that I haven't been to yet. Since I've been back to Jersey. I've been to Shea, Its replacement New Shea, New Yankee, and the new Phillies ballpark.

I went to several ballparks on my driving trip across the USA including the beautiful Pirates ballpark, Kaufman Field, and Jacobs Field.

When I lived on the west coast I've been to both Mariner ballparks, two of the SF Giants ballparks and whatever they called the Angels stadium back in 1995.

So, I've making a point to visit as much of the northern east coasts ballparks on the east coast before my eventual move back to the west coast. Fenway is out of the question because the tickets are too hard to get. However if someone else can get tickets or if the Re4d Sox continue their downward slide....

Since I'm a Mets fan, Any of the parks I go to needs to be when the Mets are in town. The opportunity to see the Mets in an American league venue is slim because they don't play there every year except at the Yankees ballpark (And That's an impossible ticket) So since I followed the Mariners when I lived in Seattle I opt to see them when they're in town. It's an easy ticket to get because they're not high profile around here.

I've been wanting to go to Oriole Park at Camden Yard since the day they opened it up back in 1992. It's a historic park in that it started the new wave of "retro" ballparks that arose around MLB the last twenty years. When it first opened, I lived in Seattle and anytime I visited my folks any trip out there was out of the question mainly because it was a difficult ticket back then. Since I've been back ,the Orioles have been bad for so long the novelty of the park has fallen by the wayside and it's an easy ticket, especially with every other team in baseball except the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cubs and Royals either in a new ballpark or on their way to building a new one.

So, I was looking for an excuse to head to Baltimore to see them. I took a week off from work and since I had no real plans, it was a good opportunity to go down there and see the Orioles play the Mariners.





I thought about taking a train down but I waited too long to grab good (cheap) tickets down there so I opted to drive down there knowing that parking wasn't gonna be too expensive. It wasn't, but more than it needed to be. No the biggest expense in going to Baltimore involves toll roads and believe it or not the cheapest part of it is the New Jersey Turnpike. From exit 11 to exit 1 costs $4.75 which seemed like a lot of money but it is a decent distance at a cost of little more than 2 cents a mile. The Delaware Memorial bridge costs 3 dollars to cross and covers both directions so that was reasonable. But then you enter Delaware and 1-95. It costs $4.00 for a mere 11 miles. The most expensive toll road in the country. 39 cents a mile! What a scam! No wonder their state taxes are low!

But no one really wants to STAY in Delaware so it's on to Maryland and Baltimore. No toll on the way to Baltimore until you reach the Ft. McHenry Tunnel. $2.00 each way is reasonable for the well maintained tunnel.

So now I'm out $13.75 merely on tolls before I parked my car real close to the ballpark. I bought the cheapest ballpark ticket and entered the ballpark. It was an hour before the game so I wandered around taking in the vibe of the ballpark. It has aged well in its 18 years. I was surprised that the ballpark doesn't have a concourse with a full view of the field. I guess it was built before that became a regular feature in new ballparks.

I spotted former Oriole great Boog Powell at his namesake bar-b-cue stand. What a kick that was, Boog (what a great name) was a heavyset player with a powerful swing who was on the Orioles during their great years of the late 60's and early 70's. I bought one of his pork sandwiches for 9 bucks. For the second game in a row I got some food poisoning. Milder than the one I got at Citi-Field earlier this year but it put a damper on my movements. Booooog!











I finally sat in my assigned seat knowing I wasn't gonna be there too long. Not a bad view but looking down at all the empty seats available I felt the urge to sit down in the first section, Probably could have easily done it because the ballpark is very people friendly. Anyway Camden Yard is a good place to catch home runs. They have a short right field porch which can be caught by anyone who bought a ticket to the park. Three went in that direction the day I went. Too bad I'm not young enough to be more aggressive to dive after it. It including one from my favorite player in all of baseball, Ichiro Suzuki.




Besides Ichiro I'm not too familiar with most of the rest of the Mariners since I left Seattle. I noticed that about half their starting players are batting under 200. No wonder they are doing crappy. Their top pitcher Felix Hernandez was pitching okay and had a 5-1 lead until the Mariners brought in a new pitcher in the eighth, who promptly gave up a home run, a strikeout that allowed the batter to advance, a walk, a single and with one out a grand slam.

Bummer.

I left the game at that point and tried to make the most of tourism by walking around the Inner Harbor which is nice but very familiar in its attractions. though I loved the Barnes and Noble set up they have.




Time to head home. Once again I pay the toll masters. This time the amount was $15.35 for a grand total of $29.10 for tolls on the day. Holy Moley. There's got to be a way to avoid this. I stopped at a Roy Rogers (Didn't know they were still around) and over all had a good day but to pay nearly $30 for some of the least scenic roads in the country....

Yikes!




Over all a good day, But as far as Camden I dodn't expect to go back. Been there, Done that, Don't need to do it again.

Next ballpark, The one the Nationals play in Washington DC. I think I'll take a train or bus this time.

The Hard Sell

Before I get to the meat of the post I want to make things perfectly clear:

I Hate The New York Yankees!!

I hate them to the point of irrationality. Everything about them. The conservative attitudes regarding how they're allowed to present themselves to the public. No beards, No personal forms of expression, Heck they don't have their names on the back of their uniforms. And the fact they have retired almost every good number, It's hard to tell players apart.

I hate the way the Yankees have been able to hold the city of NYC hostage for tax payer's money to build them an unnecessary new stadium that would replace an icon of baseball history. They got a city owned ball field given to them at no expense. This left one of the poorest neighborhood in the country without a play field for the kids to use. More important was millionaire players to have a nicer clubhouse and the rich fans have waiter service, I guess.

This should have been a curse in the making. After all, a guy who wasn't allowed to bring a goat into Wrigley Field has doomed the Cubs from even being in the World Series since WWII. A bad trade kept the Red Sox from winning the World Series for 86 years.

Instead it did nothing of the sort. Everything went right with their signings. C.C.'s fatness wasn't a factor, Often injured Burnett went the whole season uninjured, and Texiera who is on his fourth team in less than three years, somehow was able to achieve harmony on his new team. I guess he needed the big money to be a good teammate.

Yippee.

Anyway, This year I wanted to see both of the new ballparks that opened in New York city. I went to "New Shea", The Mets new ballpark (Built with far less tax dollars in the Mets own parking lot) twice before the Mets collapsed in June. What gods were offended by this practice?

Anyway, I wanted to go to the new Yankee Stadium but only if they were playing the Mariners. The Mariners are my second favorite team, I had got to know when I lived in Seattle. Ken Griffey was back on the team and Ichiro is still, in my opinion the most exciting player in baseball. That was why I went to Yankee Stadium. To see the Mariners.

I made the mistake of ordering my tickets online, for both teams. In Seattle when I frequently went to the Mariners ballpark, I'd just got to the ballpark and the many Mariners stores that were opened in the area.

I don't have the easy access to the Mets and Yankees ballparks to do this and as far as I know neither team has stores that allow for direct purchases in New Jersey. So, I got my tickets online, paid the "whatever" fees, and attended the games.

This meant that I would get e-mail messages from both teams promoting some cheesy products over the course of the season. I don't buy much baseball products, I left that behind when I grew up. So in June when the Mets were on their tailspin, It was pathetic to be asked to buy some products that basically was contradicted by the Mets performance.

Later the Yankees kept e-mailing me to buy Yankee products that showed my loyalty to a team I can't stand. Spam is annoying enough but to be bombarded with reminders on how the Yankees were succeeding in buying yet another championship was too much. I passionately rooted for teams like the Angels, Twins and the Phillies. These are teams I would never root for otherwise.

Anyway, When it became clear the Yankees would win the whole thing, the e-mails became more frequent. I deleted it (unread of course) in trying to ignore the travesty of the Yankees winning another championship and listening to the fans who think the Yankees are the second coming, or in some cases the first coming of the messiah.

Anyway, Today, I, Stephen T. Scanlon, got a phone call. "Unavailable" was on my screen. I don't answer "Unavailable" calls. I let it go. Sure, enough a message was left. Oh, my! Who or what could the message be from?

A friend who doesn't like to reveal his number?

Somebody looking for money on an unpaid bill?

My workplace asking for me to work on my day off?

My auto dealership looking for me to spend more money?

I dread what would be in the message but saw no reason to delay the inevitable. So, who was it that called me? Why, Elliot from the New York Yankees! He addressed me by name and asked me to call back. What would they want with me?

Am I to believe that the Yankees are that hard up for money to call me on my own phone to sell me products? Shit, All the people who've been wearing 26 championship clothes, flying 26 championship flags and riding cars with 26 championship bumper stickers for the last 9 years will have to buy new products. That should be able to fund new nations alone.

So, why am I getting a phone call from the Yankees? I bought one ticket, ONE!, the cheapest one at that! It was when the Mariners were in town. I'm a fan of the M's and guess what? They don't play the Mets on an annual basis. I had to go to Yankee Stadium to see the M's in New York.

I WAS curious about the new Yankees ballpark and came out very unimpressed with it. It looks the same on the field but the rest of it is bland and already looking worn. Two championship signs were taken, and all the "Yankee Tradition" splayed all around was obnoxious so I don't plan on going back. It's the least appealing of the new ballparks built in the last 15 years.

Is it possible I'm a Seattle transplant that wanted to see his Mariners in NYC? Does that not enter the head of Yankee management that people sometimes go to other people's park to root root root for the AWAY team. It's not only the Yankees that have this phenomenon.

Needless to say I'm not calling back.

New Yankee Stadium...

The year was 1992, The Baltimore Orioles opened up a new ballpark in Camden Yards. It set a trend in baseball park building that combined modern amenities with classic architecture style. It was such a hit that almost every baseball team followed suit. Texas, Cleveland, Colorado, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, San Fransisco, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Washington, Milwaukee, San Diego, and Houston to name most of them have built new ballparks prior to 2009.


Would New York get a new stadium? Certainly the Mets needed one. The New York Mets have been talking about a new stadium for a long time, as far back as the mid 90's when this trend started. Shea Stadium was aging, charmless and a dump. The Mets were trying to work out public financing for years and then 9-11 happened. Priorities in the city would not include stadium financing. So, the Mets put their plans on hold and waited out any opportunity to bring it up again.


The Mets opportunity came when the New York Yankees were crying out to replace Yankee Stadium "The House Ruth Built"with a new one. The Yankees had the advantage of having "America's Mayor" Rudy Giuliani on board to sell the plan. In a typical Republican move, he used the bully pulpit to wrangle sweetheart deals involving tax payers money, the destruction of Macombs Dam Park, cheap electricity and tax breaks one can only dream of. All to please the most profit making team in all of sports. This made it easy for the Mets to demand half as much money and construction permits to build on their own property in Flushing.


But this entry is about Yankee Stadium. In New York it's about the Yankees. They are the icons. And apparently they are iconoclasts. "The House That Ruth Built" was no good anymore, not even a massive renovation would be acceptable. They could have played at Shea Stadium for a few years, set attendance records in the Mets own ballpark while waiting for the real Yankee Stadium to be finished. But no, it had to be a new ballpark, built to the same dimensions of the old one across the street. All for 1.5 billion dollars.

Last night was my first chance to see the new ballpark. The Mariners were in town, they're the only team I'm willing to go to Yankee Satadium to see. I took the bus to the Port Authority, and grabbed the D train up to 161st to the poorest district in the state of New York. My first impression was not good. The neighborhood hasn't improved much since I was last there 20 years ago. It didn't rise up in glory like New Shea. The gray exterior didn't wow me at all. I've been to 7 of the new ballparks and New Yankee gave me the worst first impression.

It reminded me of a dying neighborhood putting in a new supermarket and going half-ass building it. I looked around to take pictures of the old stadium. Unlike Shea, The Yankees are taking their time taking down the old place. It still looked good enough not to be replaced. It fits the neighborhood better. The Red Sox can live with Fenway and the Cubs can live with Wrigley. The Yankees easily could put up with the house that Ruth built.






















Anyway, I went inside and got a better impression. First thing was getting a free "Inaugural Season" T-Shirt. One thing that is essential in building a new stadium for the Yankees is it has to be grand and majestic. Although it comes across like a McMansion, Yankee fans will appreciate the Great Hall with pictures of Yankee greats from the past. The black and white banners were pre-60's and the color ones were of the 70's-80's era, the "cool" era. It's here that you'll find Steiner collectibles selling the remnants of the old stadium.


I turned a corner to walk the main concourse. This is the best feature of all the new ballparks out there. The Yankees have two concourses on two levels. ALL the fans have the opportunity to see the action up close while walking around the perimeter. It's much less the dungeon the old stadium was. Another good feature is the wideness of the concourse that came in handy when the clouds erupted with rain. Heavy rain. The rain in Yankee Stadium went on for two hours, delaying the game for an hour.





































Meanwhile, I took in as much of the place that wasn't reserved for the "elite" fans. Did you know that the Yankees won 26 World Series? Well, you get reminded of that at every turn. 26 titles. Yankee fans have been reminding us that for almost ten years now. I'm sure they'll mention the 26 number for the next 50 years.



We can hope.























Also, the Yankees are quite generous in retiring numbers, retiring 15 numbers for 16 players. In the near future Mariano Rivera, Joe Torre and Derek Jeter will have their numbers retired, With Jeter and Torre, there will be no opportunity to wear a single digit number as a member of the Yankees in the future. Except the number "0". No Yankee will be allowed to wear that number, even if Al Oliver comes out of retirement.


Anyway, the rain let up, and the game between the Seattle Mariners and Yankees would resume. I was impressed that there were cheers for Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro when they walked on the field. It then dawned on me. In the 14 years I was in Seattle and with all the games I saw in the Kingdome and Safeco, I witnessed at least 4 future hall of famers play for the Mariners and three of them were on the field last night. A-Rod will go in the Hall Of Fame as a Yankee unless somehow the Yankees are able to move him. this is the second time I've seen these two teams meet live and not once was it in Seattle. I hate to say it, the Yankees are a much bigger draw in Seattle than the Mariners are in New York.

I bought the cheapest tickets available and went to my seat to take in the view. I was in the very last row, sheltered from the trickling rain behind the celebrated frieze. Guess what? The view was quite good. I saw all the field. It was far away but it didn't seem bad at all. It wasn't obstructed like the last row at new Shea. So I recommend getting these seats. As far as I'm concerned it beats the 2000 dollar seats. You get a great view of the whole stadium and of the neighborhood around the park. There is still boarded up structures across the street. I highly doubt that the neighborhood will benefit by the presense of the new building.



















I never got a chance to see Monument Park because the rain made the line too long, that it shut down before I got in. The museum on the other hand was okay. It was cool to see Thurman Munson's locker and yes the World Series trophies from the six times they had received it since it was created in 1967.























The game? Well, the hometown fans got what they wanted. As a Mariners fan, I did not, of cours. Still it's cool to see Ichiro and Junior in a different setting. I left before the game was over, buying only ice cream for the souveneir helmet from every ballpark I've been to recently.


So, my ranking of this park to the other 6 new ballparks I've been to? (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle, Mets, Baltimore) I rate these based on several criteria.


Was it necessary to build?

Is it an improvement over the old park?

Does it improve the surrounding areas?

Is it more fan friendly?

Is it more comfortable?



It's the worst. It's the most expensive of all of them and doesn't look like it from the fan's point of view. I heard the players have it great, but I'm not a player so that means nothing to me.

It's way too gray. All the other parks I've been to have some splash of color. The gate signs outside the stadium looks cheap. The cracks on the floor is aleady out of hand and already the garbage is piling up.

It doesn't improve the surrounding area. They tore down a park and haven't brought in new businesses. It seems it was built for people who will never set foot outside in the neighborhood. There were several bars and restaurants I wasn't able to enjoy because I didn't have the right ticket. They have these places right out there to remind the average fan how they don't matter.

They spend 1.5 BILLION dollars for a new ballpark and they don't change the layout one bit? The concourses are an improvement but the merchandise stands are generic, looking more so because the Yankees are one of the most generic team out there. A black and white color scheme limits the look.


The beer selection was poor and expensive to boot. Maybe there was a good selection in the clubs I wasn't allowed to go into.




There were some good parts...






























Yankee fans will like this place. A lot of space is dedicated to Yankee history. The Mets struck out in this department. The World Series highlights and a scene dedicated to Yankee MVPs is terrific.

The food is good, if you have money to burn. A carving station is something unique and fit for Yankee fans.

It is majestic. The frieze is back and looks great from the farthest seats in the house. The stadium is well lit and there is a good spot to watch the action from right field but that pales compared to the Pepsi Porch at New Shea and the other ballparks I've been to.

The Mets play in a ballpark named after a corporation that got government handout. The Yankees on the other hand named it after themselves...

Wait a minute, the Yankees ARE a major corporation that gets government handouts.




In short, New Yankee stadium was unneeded. The new one doesn't break ground and doesn't improve the neighborhood, all at a cost of 1.5 billion dollars.


Thanks, Rudy.

An Updated Longwinded Baseball Blog

I am one of those guys who wants to see a baseball game in every baseball park during one season. I have been in several and plan on going to a few more this summer. So, when I look at the list of stadium names I come across names of stadiums I'm not familiar with. This is due to the decade long trend of naming ballparks after corporate sponsors. I'm going to rant about the names of all the ballparks and how it much it reflects the team, the owners and the look of the ballpark.

I first noticed corporate naming of parks was when I saw a "Game of The Week" with San Francisco Giants playing in a place called 3com park. Now, these were the days many teams were getting new ballparks but I had not heard of the Giants getting a ballpark at that time. I noticed that it was Candlestick Park but with a name change a corporate name change. Now, ballparks had name changes in the past but usually it was in tribute to a late owner like Kaufmann Field in Kansas City or a beloved sportswriter like Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. This was different, the name change was purchased in a naming rights scheme that had limited use beforehand in new venues but was now coming to established structures whose previous name was ingrained in the minds of fans for decades. The new trend was disturbing by how awful the names were. 3com? Qualcomm? Network Associates Stadium? Ugh!

Here are the names of all the baseball parks in various categories to get an idea of where the name comes from.

THE WHO PLAYS HERE BALLPARKS

Dodger Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Nationals Ballpark, and Angels Stadium.

Do you need to figure out how what team plays here? I always figured if I was a rebellious sportscaster I would refer to every park's name that's named for a corporation that doesn't own the team by its team name. We're here at Mariners Field in Seattle. The roof is closed on blistering hot day at Diamondbacks Stadium etc, etc.

Angels Stadium doesn't really count, it's been around since 1966 and has been called Angels Stadium for only a few years. Before that they were called Edison Field ( A Public Utility company) when it was owned by Disney curiously enough. Before that it was called Anaheim Stadium and when they played in Dodger Stadium, they referred to THAT as Chavez Ravine. Of course the team can't figure out what city they want to belong to, they've been the Los Angeles Angels, the California Angels, the Anaheim Angels and The Los Angeles Angels OF Anaheim. Hoo boy.

I know Nationals Ballpark is temporary, like Seahawks Stadium. They couldn't get a sponsor for the new ballpark in DC. Still, when they change it, the fans will continue to call it the old name.

THE WHO ELSE PLAYS THERE.

Dolphin Stadium-Florida Marlins

Only one team fits this category. The Florida Marlins play in Dolphin Stadium named for the football team who's played there since the late 80's when it was known as Joe Robbie Stadium named for the owner of the Dolphins. It was named Pro Player when that company bought the naming rights, at least the name is sports related.

CORPORATE NAMES THAT MAKE SENSE

Wrigley Field-Chicago Cubs, Busch Stadium-St. Louis Cardinals, Coors Field-Colorado Rockies, Miller Park- Milwaukee Brewers.

I guess because all these parks are named after companies named after real people, I kinda like these names. Also, I find that since beer is a big part of sports, naming it after a beer company that's big in the region is fine. Besides, the Wrigley and Busch families owned their teams and I think an owner can name his stadium whatever he wants. I just hope there are different beers available at these places. I wonder how much gum is sold at Wrigley during a game?

GOOD NAMES/BAD BALLPARKS

Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome-Minnesota Twins

I like ballparks that are named after people, especially ones that you have to research to figure out who it's named after. Minnesota had an odd way of paying tribute to its favorite son Senator Hubert Humphrey by naming its awful dome with the hefty bag outfield fence after him.

GOOD NAMES/GREAT BALLPARKS

Camden Yards-Baltimore Orioles, Jacobs Field- Cleveland Indians, Kauffman Stadium-Kansas City Royals.

These ballparks are shining examples of how good a ballpark for baseball should be, Kauffman Stadium was built only for baseball in the 70's in the era of multi-purpose stadiums. It has a beautiful fountain in the bleacher area of the outfield and great sightlines. It was known as Royals Stadium until their owner Earl Kauffman died, then they renamed it in his honor while removing the only blight on the ballpark, the astroturf.

Jacobs Field and Camden Yards are the jewels that started the trend of retro look ballparks that continue to this day. Jacobs Field was named for a former owner of the Cleveland Indians, Richard Jacobs. It's a huge honor considering how beautiful Jacobs Field is compared to Cleveland Stadium a.k.a. The Mistake By The Lake. It also brought a winning tradition to the lowly Indians.

(2009 update- Jacobs Field is now know as Progressive Field)

Camden Yards is actually called Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was a compromise name between the governor of Maryland and the owner of the Orioles. Camden Yards name stuck though. It sounds cool.

I OWN THE TEAM DAMMIT!

Turner Field-Atlanta Braves, Rogers Centre-Toronto(Canada) Blue Jays

There are only two ballparks named after current team owners and both would qualify as corporate naming. Turner Field was named for Ted Turner, owner of the Atlanta Braves. It was built for the 1996 Olympics and converted to a baseball stadium after the Olympics ended. Rogers Centre in Canada was renamed from Skydome when Rogers Communications CEO, The late Ted Rogers bought the Blue Jays of Canada. Skydome was the last of the forward looking stadiums built for baseball use, every park built for baseball since then was built retro style.

USED TO HAVE A MEMORABLE NAME

Ameriquest Field-Texas Rangers , U.S. Cellular-Chicago White Sox.

These two parks were built in the early 90's to replace two inadequate ballparks. One was too small and the other too old. Ameriquest Field was named the Ballpark at Arlington when it was built in 1994, a dull name to be sure. It was one of the new ballparks that basically used a land grab, a tax hike and lawsuits to get the stadium built, of course what do you expect with a team owned by George W. Bush? The naming rights went to Ameriquest, a mortgage company. Yawn.

Greetings from Rangers Park!

U.S. Cellular is a curious renaming of New Comiskey Park. Comiskey Park was an aging park that needed to be replaced in 1990. Instead of renaming it after someone or something that wasn't a scumbag, they kept the name of cheapskate Comiskey on the new venue, which may be appropriate because with the cost-cutting involved in the building of New Comiskey it looked cheap compared to any ballpark built since then. U.S. Cellular company bought the naming rights in 2003 at around the time major renovations were being done to the park.


CORPORATE NAMES FROM DAY ONE OR BAD NAMES/GREAT PARKS

PNC Park- Pittsburgh Pirates, Safeco Field-Seattle Mariners, Citizen Bank Park-Philadelphia Phillies, Petco Park-San Diego Padres, Comerica Park- Detroit Tigers CitiField- New York Mets.


All these parks are beautiful ballparks that have been built in the last 15 years. All get their names from corporate sponsorships. All have names that really don't reflect the personality of the team. My problem with many of the corporate names is that they are sponsored by dull financial institutions that obtain their wealth through the exploitation of their customers. How good does it feel to have your insurance company spend millions on a ballpark while cutting your benefits and raising your rates?

PNC and Comerica are financial services companies, Safeco is an insurance company, and Citizen Bank is a, well, bank company. Petco Park is a minor improvement name wise from the Padres previous home, Qualcomm Park. Still, it is a name that inspires chuckles, makes the team seem silly, however the cross promotion involving bringing dogs to the park is appealing.

PNC can stand for Pirates New C.........I dunno. Safeco is nicknamed the Safe as in safe at home, Citizen Bank features a liberty bell as its logo that rings when the Phillies hit a home run. Comerica has tigers but the name....sounds like America if the commies were in control. CitiField opened in 2009 and may be the most egregious corporate name since Enron Field in Houston. Citi-Group is a failing corporation getting tons of tax dollars and yet gets to keep their name on the new ballpark. It won't last. Trust me.

YEP, IT'S CORPORATE

Great American Park-Cincinnati Reds, Tropicana Field-Tampa Bay Devil Rays

These two ballparks are as different from each other as night and day. One is brand new and beautiful the other is dull, gray and a relic of the 80's. Tropicana Field is not a field, it's a domed stadium built for a non existent team in the late 80's. Tampa Bay tried to woo the White Sox, the Giants, and the Mariners to the area with a new stadium that was superior to the ones the teams had back then. However in the years since, they settled for an expansion team in 1998. The stadium was already a eyesore compared to all the parks that had been built in that time period. It got it's name from Tropicana Orange Juice and it's a good fit in that the stadium looks like and orange squeezer. The sponsor's orange lighting on the roof of the dome looks almost attractive.

The Great American Ballpark is a good name because most people would not associate it with the insurance division of the American Financial Group, Inc. They would think patriotic thoughts about the oldest team in professional baseball. It's much better than Cinergy Field which was the renamed Riverfront Stadium, one of the cookie cutters from the 70's.

WHAT THE HELL IS THE NAME OF THIS PARK ANYWAY?

Chase Field-Arizona Diamondbacks, McAfee Associates Coliseum-Oakland A's , Minute Maid Field-Houston Astros, Angels Stadium-Los Angeles Angels of Aneheim, AT&T Park-San Francisco Giants.

These are ballparks that have changed their name several times in recent years. All are corporate named and none have names that inspire awe. Chase Field was once known as Bank One Ballpark, nicknamed the BOB. Not only the name changed but the type of venue changed from ballpark to field. The name changed due to a merger of Bank One with Chase, which is why I hate corporate names. Minute Maid Field was originally called Enron Field. Due to the scandal involving Enron the name was short-lived. It was called Astros Field until Minute Maid took over the naming rights. I'm sorry but Minute Maid Field is the wimpiest name for any sports venue not involving tennis. Enron was bad enough even before the scandal, what the hell is an Enron? But Minute Maid? I'm sorry, but that's the name for a All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ballpark.

And what's the deal with the bay area teams? Both the Giants and the A's have changed their venue names at least twice in the last 10 years. The Giants played at Candlestick Park until it got re-named to the loathsome 3com. When they built their new beautiful new ballpark, the fact that it would have a corporate name was forgivable, especially since no taxpayer's money was being used to build it. It was named for a local phone company Pacific Bell Park or PacBell, which is less obnoxious than 3com. The name only lasted for four seasons when SBC communications PacBell's parent company wanted to take over the name of the park. That only lasted for two years when SBC merged with AT&T much like Exxon merging with Mobil. AT&T renamed the venue AT&T Park. this is like when you keep the same bank account, when your banks keep changing names. How obnoxious! The unfortunate thing is that without a non corporate name in its past what would you call the place that would be immune to the name changes.

The A's on the other hand don't get any respect. They have been as good of any team in the majors since they moved to Oakland in 1968. Only the Yankees have won more championships since then. They have played in McCafee Coliseum since it was known as Oakland-Alamdea County Coliseum (yikes!) . They have had to share the stadium with the Oakland Raiders every year the Raiders were in Oakland. It was fine for baseball the first era with the Raiders with large foul areas for the pitchers to take advantage of, after the Raiders moved to Los Angeles, the A's had themselves a decent ballpark to themselves with teams that reached the World Series three times in the late 80's. The Raiders moved back to Oakland and ruined the look of the field by blocking the view of the surrounding hills that made for pleasant baseball viewing. This made attendances to A's games so spartan that the A's cover up half the seats with a tarp. Soon after the Raiders moved back, the name changed to Network Associates Coliseum after the computer security company bought out the naming rights and when Network Associates changed their own name to McAffe the neme of the stadium changed with it.


Okay, I believe that takes care of all the ballpark names in major league baseball. Like I said, I love it when they name it after people like Jack Murphy or William Shea. Corporate names are fine if it will last a long time, like Busch Stadium through three different venues no less. I think that the broadcasters from visiting teams should refer the ballpark to the teams name so there's less confusion. Sorry to waste your time but I wanted to write about this.