I really had no idea what to expect after returning from a three-week blackout of sports news. ESPN may dominate the US sports media scene; but in China, you don’t find it on most hotel TV systems. I wondered what all could have happened during that hiatus; and in situations like that, my mind often conjures up some weird fantasy scenarios. However, none of my fantasies could ever have matched the fact that Pacman Jones is now with the Cowboys and his new teammate, Terrell Owens, is saying that Pacman needs to develop amnesia so he can forget about strip clubs and stay out of trouble. Terrell Owens is serving as a mentor for a troubled young player on a team. I wouldn’t dare fantasize about something that bizarre.
When I left, the Stanley Cup playoffs were in process and now they are concluded. However, the NBA Playoffs march on. If the league finds a way to add just a little more time to the commercial breaks in the games, they might be able to stretch the playoffs out until the MLB All-Star Game.
I read a story that the NBA is going to fine players next year for “flopping”. David Stern thinks that it detracts from the game and has made that proclamation. I do not understand what that is all about because “flopping” is a violation specified in the rules of basketball, which can be effectively enforced by the officials on the spot. I am not sure why or how “flopping” needs to be elevated to some kind of “super-violation” deserving of a fine. All they need to do is to have the referees enforce the rules against “flopping” the same way the referees enforce the rules against traveling … oh, now I see why fining the players is the preferred option.
In the world of baseball, I read in the NY Daily News that the Yankees are cashing in on their final season in this incarnation of Yankee Stadium. Please recall that this is not “The House That Ruth Built”; that stadium has already been renovated and modernized once before. Nonetheless, in this final year in this stadium, the Yankees have increased ticket prices presumably for two reasons:
1. To cash in on the nostalgia factor
2. To soften the blow on the prices they will charge in their new playpen next year.
Last year, a seat behind the dugout in Yankee Stadium cost $150 a game. This year, that same seat costs $250 a game. Next year, a seat behind the dugout in Yankee Stadium 3.0 will cost $850 a game. Do some math here. If you wanted a single season ticket for a seat behind the dugout for the Yankees next year, the cost would be $68,850. According to the US Census Bureau, the 2006 median income for families in the state of New York was $62,138. Therefore, the cost of this seat at 81 home Yankees’ games exceeds the total annual income of more than half the families living in the state of New York. Wow!
I realize that it is only June and the baseball season is only about 1/3 finished, but there exists a moment of quiet pleasure for fans of small market baseball teams at the moment. In New York, the two teams there have a combined payroll that is comfortably north of $300M. The combined record of the Mets and the Yankees at this time is 62-63. I surely would not wager on the possibility that these teams will combine for a sub-.500 record for the year, but that is where they stand as we head to Father’s Day next weekend. Meanwhile the two Florida teams have a combined payroll of about $70M and those two squads have a combined record of 71-54. So, are the Rays and Marlins overachieving or are the Yankees/Mets underachieving or both?
During my China visit, I heard nothing from or about “Yammering Hank” Steinbrenner. I cannot say that made me unhappy in any way…
There are other early season surprises – at least to me – in MLB such as:
I thought the Orioles would stink in spades this year and that they would be at least 10 games under .500 by now. They are not; they are at .500.
I thought the Tigers and Indians would be at the top of the AL Central. The only reason they are not at the bottom of that division is that KC is in that division.
I thought the Mariners had a real shot to win the AL West this year. Instead they have the worst record in MLB at this point and are on pace to lose 105 games for the season.
I did not expect the Cardinals or the Marlins to be over .500 at this point in the season.
I did not expect the Pirates to be this close to .500 at this point in the season.
Thankfully, there is one thing happening in baseball that is going exactly the way I thought it would. The Washington Nationals are just plain awful and the crowds attending Washington Nationals games have dwindled to next-to-nothing. The team continues to report attendance as tickets sold/distributed; but if you look in the stands during some of the telecasts, you have to wonder what those attendance figures actually represent. Maybe they are counting the number of teeth in the fans on that particular day?
Sammy Sosa said he will retire from baseball if no one offers him a contract in the near future. Honestly, I thought he retired already. Does anyone actually miss him?
The Texas Rangers released pitcher Sidney Ponson. It’s not that Sir Sidney hasn’t been given his walking papers in the past, but this one is more unusual than the others. Ponson was actually having an effective year for the Rangers; he had a 4-1 record and an ERA of 3.88. That’s not Hall of Fame material; but on the pitching-starved Rangers, that’s acceptable. However, Ponson was released after remarks that he made to players and staff on the team. Rangers’ GM, Jon Daniels said that Ponson violated no team rules but that Ponson’s remarks made it clear that Ponson did not want to be a part of the team they were trying to build in Texas. And so, he is gone.
Finally, Greg Cote had this business analysis in a recent column in the Miami Herald:
The Marlins supposedly spend $10 million a year on advertising and marketing, the most in the majors. My question: Couldn’t they spend a fraction of that and still be last in attendance?
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports…