MFS62

From another (private) baseball site. I don't know where they got it. ]Earlier this week, a federal judge in St. Louis ruled that fantasy baseball leagues can use player names and statistics without a license from Major League Baseball. This decision, assuming it is upheld in higher courts if appealed, will have far-reaching consequences for everyone who plays fantasy sports. Here is a little background on yesterday's decision. In 2005, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) bought the exclusive rights to own the statistics from the MLB Players' Association for $50 million. MLBAM decided only to award seven licenses for the 2006 season, all to the "big boys", ESPN, CBS Sportsline, Yahoo, etc. The reported cost of this license was $2 million per season. One of the companies that were shut out of this license, CBC Distributing and Marketing (CDM) decided to sue. CDM claimed that the players' names and statistics are readily available in newspapers throughout the country and, as such, are public information, and a license is not necessary. Major League Baseball claimed that intellectual property laws and so-called "right of publicity" make it illegal for fantasy leagues to make money off the identities and stats of professional players. This was a very interesting take on these laws since, in 1996, MLB won a case in which it claimed that the use of video of a player without that player's permission was permitted, based on the freedom of press principles. It's amazing how $50 million can turn one's opinion 180 degrees. The greediness of Major League Baseball is truly astounding and has, for once, been stopped. Yesterday, Judge Medler wrote that the First Amendment takes precedent because CDM is disseminating the same statistical information that is found in newspapers every day. "The names and playing records of major league baseball players as used in CBC's fantasy games are not copyrightable," Medler wrote. "Therefore, federal copyright law does not pre-empt the players' claimed right of publicity." In an e-mail, Dan Okrent, a co-founder of the original Rotisserie League Baseball, described the ruling as "wonderful.. The only thing that saddens me about it is that there won't be a public trial, during which MLB's incredible greed would have been on public display." It should be noted that while this ruling was specific to fantasy baseball, there's no reason to think that the ruling would be any different for fantasy football, fantasy hockey, fantasy basketball, fantasy NASCAR or fantasy tidily-winks. Today, it costs about $5,000 to obtain a daily feed of statistics from any of the major sports. If you want live scoring, it's more than double. The majority of this ridiculously high cost comes from professional sports leagues charging exorbitant licensing fees for the rights to use the players' names and statistics. Thanks to this ruling, fantasy sports participants should now expect to see those fees drop considerably There are literally hundreds of companies, mostly Web based, that would like to use these statistics but due to the prohibitive costs of licensing, have either used the statistics without a license, or have been forced out of business. CBS Sportsline, ESPN and Yahoo figure to be hurt by increased competition from these companies. They will be forced to lower their prices to compete with many small businesses that are sure to appear once the cost of data feeds gets down to a reasonable level. There are two winners today. One is the fantasy baseball player, who will see many more less expensive options when running their fantasy leagues. The other is the small business owner, who now can compete on a more level playing field with the "big boys" in the industry. This extra competition can only spawn further innovation and different types of fantasy games, making them available to even more people than the estimated 15 million players today. All in all, August 8, 2006 was a landmark day in the world of fantasy sports and, for once, the little guy came out on top. According to ESPN radio, one game provided Barry Bonds' (and other players') statistics, but attributed them to made up name(s) because they didn't have specific permission to use his(their) name(s). I believe more than a few of you play strat or roto baseball. Will this impact your leagues in any way? Later

Reyes drove in two with a three bagger. Chavez scored him with a sac fly. Yahoo sports gives you a pretty good pbp. Later

cooby wrote: The Spring Training issue was sacred. Mole and I have discussed BD before. We remembered when they used to print rookie reports for each organization. They would include the player's ancesrty (e.g.- English-Irish). The earliest rookie reports I remember seemed to have been written by scouts or impartial observers. The were sometimes brutally honest. One funny one (to me) I remember was when they said "Bud Harrelson has good power for a shortstop". OK, so they lost a little credibility there. Later, it seemed that the "reports" were written by the teams. They were all sweetness and light, with some select stats to support them. Finally, they deteriorated into a compilation of stats wil little or no observations. I still miss those early ones. Later

]Dwight Gooden can't go because he's in a Florida jail serving a one year and one day sentence That year-and-a-day sentence means he will lose his right to vote. Later

He looks like he shops at Syms - in the extra portly section. Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: My wife, who knows enough Spanish to know pronounciation, always bristles when she hears BEL-tran, especially when the second syllable rhymes with "man". She says it should be bel-TRAN, with the "TRAN" rhyming with "Ron". Yes, the "a" in Spanish is pronounced "ah". I should have remembered that too. Kudos to wifey. Later

Then I guess Jon Miller is correct. Scarry thought. Later

That's the way Jon Miller pronounced it the other night. Mets announcers have been pronouncing it BEL-tran. Spanish grammar says you accent the second syllable from the end of a word, unless there is an accent written over the vowel in the last syllable. This week, the New York Times printed Beltran's name (in a headline) with the written accent. That would make Miller's pronunciation correct. First time I'd seen that. Now I'm not sure about how his name should be pronounced. The Times pays its editors a lot of money to be right on things like this. Has anyone lese seen it written with the accent? Later

Edgy, that gave me a Victor Zambrano flashback. But after hearing that he was suffering sore arm prior to the deal, Mets fans were more vocal (publically, at least) than the Mets front office. Later

She has quite a resume: High School cutie Hooters waitress Featured on the Hooters calendar Playboy pinup (do they still use that term?) - twice Role in soft porn movie Wife of millionaire To use the wording seen on resumes, she has held positions of "increasing importance". Later

Yes, Sierra. Later

I'll see it, but I won't knock down anyone in a rush to the ticket line. Later

According to today's Daily News, that apparent roster spot will be filled by Ruben Rivera if he is able to play. He is currently caring for a seriously ill mother, and it is not certain if/when he can return to baseball. Later

Good job. Giles, like his brother, has been a long time Met-tormentor. Later

Game 1 of DH: 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HBP Game 2 of DH: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 3B, 1 HR Through his first 5 games w/ St Lucie, 20 AB, he's hitting .350/.381/.850 Pretty decent... Later

ScarletKnight41 wrote: I'll be checking out the kids when they're in Trenton on Thursday night. Do they still have that big sign I used to see when coming into Trenton via train? It said "Trenton makes. The world takes". Later

Centerfield wrote: I'm thinking this needs its own thread. I can't believe Michael Kay still has a job. He has to be the dumbest person on TV/Radio. And that is saying something. We have a "So you think you're a sportswriter" thread. And I think we used to have one about sports broadcasters, but I couldn't find it. So I threw the comment about Kay here. Later

Steve, I interpret those comments to mean that he doesn't think Mike's numbers stack up to HOF credentials, especially if he played another position. Later

From Bob Raissman's column in today's Daily News. quote] Meltdown just plain Kay-razy Thinking before one speaks has never been a prerequisite for gaining employment as a sports radio talkie. In fact, some mouths are encouraged - in the name of ratings or buzz - to flap their yaps with no regard for truth, accuracy, or rationale. And yet, there are times when a talkie totally loses it. There is never shtick involved when a guy has purchased a one-way ticket to Insaneville. That's the city ESPN-1050's Michael Kay, who also is the TV voice of the Yankees on the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, visited Friday. Kay's meltdown (that's being kind) was triggered by the contention that baseball voices can jinx teams they work for. During the discussion, Kay was accused of putting the whammy on Chien-Ming Wang because he once informed viewers Wang was pitching a perfect game. The notion any announcer could put the kibosh on a no-hitter or perfect game, by alerting viewers to the fact one is in progress, is absurd. Still, it is one of those age-old superstitions some fans still believe in. Kay was right in taking issue with it. Unfortunately, he went about it the wrong way. And wrong is not nearly a strong enough word to describe the way he went about it. In essence, a caller - Jimmy - pushed the right button to set Kay off. He sent Kay to Wig City by simply saying it is against "baseball etiquette" for an announcer or analyst to even mention that a pitcher is working on a no-hitter or perfect game. Kay became extremely defensive and defiant. He flipped, going into a full scream/rant mode. Kay: "... Why shouldn't I say it (that a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter or perfect game)? Tell me Jimmy. Why?" Jimmy: "Because it's not baseball etiquette." Kay: "... Don't tell me it's baseball etiquette. It used to be etiquette to have black people as slaves. ..." You could hear Jimmy groan and the air going out of other listeners, too. Kay's inappropriate comparison was over-the-top. A few seconds later, he topped it. Kay: "Jimmy. Tell me why? Tell me why I can't say it." As if he was waving a red cape in a bull's face, Jimmy, again, parroted his "baseball etiquette" line. Kay: "That's a stupid, stupid thing to say. ... Baseball etiquette? There's a lot of rules that don't make sense. That's why there was Nazi Germany. Why did they march people into ovens? Well, that's what they told them to do ..." Even I'm not presumptuous enough to try explaining how Kay's mind (moving from no-hitters to "baseball etiquette" to slavery to Nazi Germany) was functioning on this occasion. Unless, of course, it was not functioning. So, never say "baseball etiquette" around Kay. Especially if his mouth starts to move. Or he's holding a bat. Or some other blunt object. See ya.

Edgy DC wrote: I don't know what "Putlney Swope" is. An off-beat review/ story summary: Putney Swope If Putney Swope (superbly played by Arnold Johnson) had a hand in writing the Black Panther Ten Point Plan, it would include demands for equal opportunity television airtime, majority black employment on every rung of the corporate ladder, and termination of the marketing of destructive products to minority communities. Robert Downy Sr.'s 1969 fuck the system film, Putney Swope, opens like any other big city flick with a helicopter aerial shot. But this set-up is merely a cleverly disguised invitation to draw viewers into his manic version of corporate dystopia. As soon as the chopper lands atop a piece of the Manhattan skyline and its middle-aged punk-rock passenger hops out with "MENSA" stenciled to the back of his DIY sleeveless denim jacket with spray paint, you know that this film will deliver anything but what is expected. The protagonist, "Swope" as he is called throughout the film, is introduced as the disgruntled black music director of a major advertising agency. He is sitting at a conference table encircled by white execs. The Madison Avenue Agency is going through rough times, and there is a heated debate as to what changes need to be made. Swope tries to interject with words of righteousness and sincerity, but is combated with cynicism and deject. In a strange turn of events, the president of the agency shows up, dies of a heart attack, and is replaced by Swope who wins the Chairman?s seat through default vote. That is when a big load of blackie shit hits the proverbial fan. Swope fires the entire board, save for one "sick bastard", hires a motley crew of militant afro-centrist politicos, and bans cigarette, alcohol and violent toy manufacturers from the company?s roster of clients. The airing of the company's first ad under Swope's new direction lets the viewer in on Downy Sr.'s creative genius. Outside the television within the television, all the scenes are shot in stark black and white. But once the full-screen versions of ads Swope?s agency creates grace the screen, they surprisingly appear in soft-focused Technicolor. The ads are the tongue-in-cheek driving force of the film. Offensive yet humorous, they are smart enough to make any Adbuster magazine administrator come close to an anti-creativity climax. Ethereal Cereal, the first in a slew of funny five-minute spots, features a monotoned narrator informing a gentleman seated at a breakfast table of the benefits of this brand of cereal. As he eats, the camera closes in for a close-up. Then on hearing the summation of the off-screen accolades, the black gap-toothed breakfast eater exclaims, "No sheet!" The other commercials run the gamut, from Mr. Sony's Get-Out-Of Here mousetrap, to an interracial couple singing a soft duet for Face Off Pimple Cream, and match Ethereal Cereal in wit and political incorrectness. The agency is a hit. Clients that were removed from the roster beg to be replaced. The corrupt midget Head of State (played by famous small person Pepi Hermine) gets involved. And, in a scheme reminiscent of Robin Hood, Swope orders that in order to keep working with the agency, each account has to pay one million dollars in cash upfront, all the while secretly thinking of disseminating the funds to the rest of his cronies at a later date. Somewhere amidst the staccato scenes and profane deliveries, there is a message the director is cleverly conveying. It's hidden below the surface, and behind the "blackface". The hyper-exaggerated characters are making a mockery of every level of establishment. From religion?a nun tries to con Swope into adopting a yuck-mouthed youngster?to corporations?it goes without saying that corporate America and its mindless consumers are Downey Sr.s main target to minority Parties: behind closed doors the film's most vocal black militant turns out to be a ****-licking lowlife. With the pint-sized Prez leaning hard on Swope, he knows his agency is in its last throws of life. In a scene composed to resemble Fidel Castro's address to a newly liberated Cuba, Putney Swope orders his ad agents (everyone employed at Madison Avenue Agency, including janitors and bodyguards) to come up with the most outlandish ads they can think of and air them carte blanche. He then later sabotages the video shoot for the Nazi car company the President is pushing, making a host of high-powered enemies and hammering the last nail in the agency's coffin. In his final act of defiance, Swope holds a board meeting that mirrors the opening scene. To his Negro band of disciples, Putney is a Jesus figure, but on hearing his plan to diverge from militancy and cow-tow to The Man, they decide it would be better to send him to the cross. They do not want to give up the right fight, even though it means risking the loss of all the clients and the loads of money the clients are willing to spend. The meeting, of course, was a test, and Swope is pleased with the results... at least initially. He goes to the vault, grabs a few bags of money, and then orders that the rest be shared evenly. As he readies for an escape, Putney Swope is confronted by members of the board. Hotfooting over the prior topic they disappoint by showering him and his sellout ideas with praise. Speechless, Swope shakes his head and pushes his way through the thick crowd, assisted by his bodyguard. And as the money-hungry mob squabbles over the loot, it is set ablaze by a rogue kamikaze sending the film to its fiery finale. Written and directed by Robert Downy Sr., with production credits going to Herald Productions Inc., the film is a farcical exploration in big budget cinema. Yet it is revolutionary in its daring because of the time during which it was made, and the quasi pro-militant message it carries. I am certain Putney Swope would have agreed to summing up the film in his signature gravely voice like this: "If you can't join the system, then fuck the system." For a while, it was a big cult film. Later

Edgy wrote: thanks his sponosors by name, and expresses particular thanks for the family's access to KFC and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut --- the Kentucky Taco Hut Pepsico triumverate --- and finishes up by jumping his wife's bones at the dinner table (yes, I was watching with kids, thank you very much). I can't believe Pepsico OK'd it. I guess any exposure is good exposure, but it made me sad. I want a movie that really subverts these American trash culture monoliths, and leads them to sue the film, not pay them for the privilege. Haven't seen the movie yet. Was it a sendup of tv ads, like in "Putney Swope"? Later

This just in. Mr. Matthews' next article will be about why it was a good idea for the US not to invade mainland Japan in 1945. Later

JD, I just checked. For what you just did to us, what we now what to do to you is considered justifiable homicide in Connecticut. Later

Zvon wrote: Gosh--Joe Morgan sure can fill a half an inning with mindless drivel. I got home late and tuned in the game. I saw the score (8-1 at the time) but knew no details. When Lastings came to bat, Morgan was off in never- never land talking about something not pertinent to the game. Viewers got no information about what Milledge had done so far in the game, either from the announcers (I use that term loosely) or from a graphic. The whole ESPN crew was asleep - even the folks in the "truck". Later

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Maybe we should change the title of this thread to "Who's no longer eating Paul?" That was crass. Funny, but crass. It earned 3.5 wipes (out of five) on my monitor screen. (My new rating system for funny posts) Later