IDT: New Format, Same Bushleague broadcast

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Good gravy, Grimm. That's not a tendency; that's Fandom pathology.

[Edgy MD]

Cool-assed Brandon Crawford fact: In 1992 (aka the last time Ben Grimm cared about the All-Star Game), the Giants were looking for new digs and threatening to abandon San Francisco in order to find them. This, naturally, did not sit well with the the five-year-old, baseball-and-Transformers-and-juiceboxes set, and The San Francisco Chronicle published a compelling photo featuring this adorable, heartbroken little moppet.



Staying in town has paid off, as that moppet is now the World Champion Giants' All-Star starting shortstop, Brandon Crawford.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

I attended the Home Run Derby in Cleveland in 1997. My buddy and I were attending the FanFest and walked around the stadium just to see what was going on. We were approached by a guy selling tickets, and I think he wanted $5 more than the $20 list price.

The Home Run Derby was mixed in with the celebrity softball game and was in the late afternoon. It was fun, and I'm sure the tickets go for waaay more today.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Guest

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

[Ceetar]

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: I attended the Home Run Derby in Cleveland in 1997. My buddy and I were attending the FanFest and walked around the stadium just to see what was going on. We were approached by a guy selling tickets, and I think he wanted $5 more than the $20 list price. The Hoem Run Deby was mixed in with the celebrity softball game and was in the late afternoon. It was fun, and I'm sure the tickets go for waaay more today.

you don't even want to know.

[Benjamin Grimm]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Good gravy, Grimm. That's not a tendency; that's Fandom pathology.

What can I say? My interest in baseball has become very narrow. I used to be a rabid fan. I followed every team around the league. I knew who all of the starting players were. Who was hot and who was cold. Had informed opinions regarding who should win the post-season awards. Tried to watch every pitch of every post-season game. But that's all gone now.

I never would have imagined that I could become as disaffected as I've become, but I have. And if it could happen to me, it could happen to you! BEWARE!

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I know who Madison Bumgarner is, and Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer, but if you showed me three mugshots, with them not wearing their caps, I wouldn't be able to tell you which one was which.

[fimg=500]https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/c06-v3-scherzer-16-1024x657.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1[/fimg]

The eyes would give Scherzer away.

[Edgy MD]

I withdrew in 1987. I had my championship. It was satisfying. Why invest so much time?

And then I realized it was really fun. And gave me a wonderful prism through which to see the world. Why would anybody want to withdraw from Mookie Wilson and his Jim Morrison shades? The Mets were hope and sex and justice and comedy and rock 'n' roll and redemption and fire and ice and all the forces moving through the world. All of our avocations are. Theater, knitting, chess... . We just all have different disciplines through which we frame the madness of the universe and try and get at it. Mine was pretty awesome and I wasn't going to let it go.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I quit smoking baseball completely between 1994 and 1997 but started up again. Damn Kirk Niuecotien.

[Zvon]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Good gravy, Grimm. That's not a tendency; that's Fandom pathology. What can I say? My interest in baseball has become very narrow. I used to be a rabid fan. I followed every team around the league. I knew who all of the starting players were. Who was hot and who was cold. Had informed opinions regarding who should win the post-season awards. Tried to watch every pitch of every post-season game. But that's all gone now. I never would have imagined that I could become as disaffected as I've become, but I have. And if it could happen to me, it could happen to you! BEWARE!

How much did the '94 strike have to do with that?

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I know who Madison Bumgarner is, and Clayton Kershaw, and Max Scherzer, but if you showed me three mugshots, with them not wearing their caps, I wouldn't be able to tell you which one was which. [fimg=500]https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/c06-v3-scherzer-16-1024x657.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1[/fimg] The eyes would give Scherzer away.

Joe Shlabotniks custom Scherzer tattoo. How kool is that?

[HahnSolo]

Edgy is on fire in this thread.

First I love the week off idea; They already take four days. My only concern there is extending the season, but they could figure out something.

Second the Brandon Crawford story is outstanding. I showed the pic and gave the background to Little Solo and he actually figured it out.

[Frayed Knot]

The week-off idea has been mentioned several times in discussions surrounding the ASG this week. Can't remember if it was Smoltz or Tony Clark (maybe both!) who was adamant that it's something the players would approve in a heartbeat (NBA players fought for and received a full week starting this past year). The biggest snag, as mentioned, would be the time it would add to the season. Manfred has claimed he's open to anything including scaling back to 154 which would allow that to happen but of course that brings in a whole 'nother set o' problems (not the least of which will be 5% revenue AND pay cuts). My worry is that any shaving of the reg season would result in trying to fill the vacuum (and rediscover lost $$$) with expanded post-season stuff and I think they're already at a saturation point with that now.

The CBA is, I believe, up after 2016 so trial balloons like these will pick up in frequency over the next year and a half.

I'll either get hired or killed.

Either one would bring a change of pace to an otherwise routine week.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Zvon wrote: How much did the '94 strike have to do with that?

I'd say the strike is about 80 per cent responsible. Another 10 per cent for fatherhood and another 10 per cent for general aging and changing of perspective.

[Zvon]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Zvon wrote: How much did the '94 strike have to do with that? I'd say the strike is about 80 per cent responsible. Another 10 per cent for fatherhood and another 10 per cent for general aging and changing of perspective.

The strike effected my love for baseball big time. Well, not my love of the game, my love of big league ball. It took many years to get back to where I am now, and I'm still not 50% the fan I used to be. Always 100% a baseball fan (went to a lot of minor league A.C. SURF games) but being a fan of major league baseball took a big hit. If I didn't feel so strongly about the Mets I don't think I'd have ever found my way back.

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: The biggest snag, as mentioned, would be the time it would add to the season.

Three days. Either players, giddy from the prospect of all or a big chunk of a week off mid-season, happily approve adding two days to the start of the season and one to the end, or they add three double-headers. If the gobs of revenue I anticipate coming from a week-long showcase comes to pass, then it'll more than make up for three single-admission double-headers.

And the good will that those three glorious Sundays will garner from the fans? All I can say is $$.