MLB: Overpricing and Charity

Editor’s Note: I originally wrote the following post for my friend Andrew Vazzano for his Mets blog.)

No, this is not another blog post about the overpricing of tickets or the lack of perfect attendance at early Yankee and Mets games this season. This post is about ideas.

NBC Nightly News has been doing a segment for about a month and a half now called “Making a Difference” – how average Americans are helping their neighbors in tough times. It’s by far the most popular segment Nightly News has run in a long time.

So let’s have these teams make a difference.

There are hundreds of charities out there which would love to go to a baseball game. Give the tickets to them.

Now I understand that yes, this comes with a financial loss. But you know what – hopefully they’ll pay it forward, and eventually, it’ll all come full circle. No one wants to see empty seats in a ballpark, no one. So why don’t we fill it up with worthy people – baseball’s next generation.

Does this next generation care about tax-exempt bonds, personal seat licenses or obstructed seats? I bet you not. Most just want a day out in the sun and fun, seeing America’s pastime, and a time away from all their troubles.

Change was the keyword for a good 5 or 6 months in this country in late 2008. So why don’t we CHANGE the lives of Americans by giving them prime seats, the expensive seats that no one wants, to worthy charities and letting deserving people see a baseball game.

That is the American way of doing things.

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YANKEES: What is Happening? Part 1

I wanted to write a Yankees post today….then they lost 22-4. Then I decided not to write a Yankees post.

It’s embarrassing, ridiculous, and inconceivable. Go read Fletcher‘s blog. He covers this stuff a lot more extensively than I do. I’ll get a Yankees post up. Soon.

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Bernie, Bruce, Patti, and “Glory Days”

Per Fletcher, you can listen to Bruce, Patti, and Bernie Williams (who has a new album coming out April 14…a fantastic guitarist) play Glory Days from the 2007 Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation Dinner.

Here‘s the link. Enjoy!

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YANKEES: A-Rod

I’m short on time, and short on patience, so I’ll make this real quick:

A-Rod is a traveling road show that has to end really, really soon. Press conferences like these with continued lies doesn’t do him or the Yankees any good…not sure what will end this, but today didn’t do anything to help.

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YANKEES: The Circus Resumes Tuesday

On Tuesday, flanked by Yankees Manager Joe Girardi and others, Alex Rodriguez will have his press conference in front of Yankees beat reporters, local media, and national journalists as well. He will have an opportunity to not only give his apology that he made to ESPN a week ago once again, but also an opportunity to apologize for any lies he conveyed in that interview (oh, and there were a couple), or, and more importantly, mess up again.

Under the bright lights of television cameras and microphones and under the Tampa sun, A-Rod may lie again, mess up again, and truly cause himself more problems. That is what I am most anxious to see. He clearly did not take the Andy Pettite view in his first post-admission interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, instead choosing to tell a half-truth, hope the headline of him using performance-enhancing drugs would set him free, and then lie again. However, journalists in the 21st century are smarter than that, have the luxury of knowing a lot more information than he thinks they know, and are able to replay his lies over and over and over again, brainwashing the American public.

If A-Rod does not realize this fact, and continues to lie over and over and over again tomorrow, he could be in for a very long rest of his career, hearing the boos and chants of fans who are no longer on his side.

When I get more information as to when exactly his press conference is tomorrow, I’ll pass it on.

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A-Rod

While I’m thankful A-Rod at least admitted to doing performance-enhancing drugs, I am still upset that he lied, and said he had no knowledge of what drugs he did. This is a truly calculated, planned, scripted interview on his part — probably extremely rehearsed before hand with agent Scott Boras.

Here’s the ESPN interview for everyone to judge for themselves.

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YANKEES: A-Roid

Well, I think a lot of us had a hunch, and today we got the confirmation. According to Sportsillustrated.com, “In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.”

To me it’s not that surprising — it’s clear through the Mitchell Report and other books/publications/stories that it was rampant in baseball in the late 90s and early 2000s — that A-Rod would have taken steroids, but his response this week when caught up with at a Miami gym for a response is disturbing.

“When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. “You’ll have to talk to the union,” said Rodriguez, the Yankees’ third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, “I’m not saying anything.”"

Now I know that A-Rod probably wants to make sure he doesn’t violate any rules or anything like that by saying something that could hurt him later but common; if you really didn’t do steroids, JUST DENY IT.

So here we are again, another Yankees spring training where the initial focus will be not about baseball, but about steroids. Sad, very sad.

UPDATE: Here’s Fletcher (who for some reason won’t give me props for admitting that I alerted him to the breaking news this morning)’s take on it.

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MLB: The New York Yankees

(Editor’s Note: This article can currently be read on Scott Proctor’s Arm.)

The New York Yankees got more money from the City of New York today for the new Yankee Stadium. Yes, the richest team in baseball that just spent half a BILLION dollars on THREE PLAYERS in the offseason is needing more public financing.

80,000 jobs have been lost so far in the United States in 2009. Fronting today (Friday, January 16th)’s dismal report was the announcement of the liquidation of Circuit City. American families are hurting big time — some living paycheck to paycheck. And like that isn’t worse enough, some are having to choose between vital medicine and food!

Yet the Yankees are begging for more of OUR money. That’s right: OUR money. And at the same time they’re raising ticket prices in the new stadium. And at the same time their spending OUR money eliciting the help of some fancy real estate company to help sell the remaining high-priced seats. I frankly hope they don’t sell.

I’m a Yankee fan…just like many who will read this post. And I hope this team plays well this year. But the way the Yankee hierarchy has spent both their money and OUR money is unfair, unjust, and plain old painful in these economic times.

I’m not sure what would make the Yankees change their ways, but I sure know that giving them more $$ isn’t going to be the solution.

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The Yankees

I’ve wanted to write about them, and then decided not to. It’s painful. It really is. The Painful 2008 New York Yankees.

A payroll of over $200 million that falters. Pitching that collapses so much because of injuries that Sidney Ponson and Carl Pavano are in the rotation. Guys like A-Rod who, while not the only ones to blame, well, haven’t really come through greatly. Derek Jeter started to hit, but started too late.

Hughes, Kennedy, Wang — all starters — all great expectations — all on the DL. The Yankees will probably miss the playoffs, a fact I have already come to accept deep down. Let the Mets enjoy their run. (Remember, I don’t mind the Mets…just strongly dislike the Red Sox.)

Brian Cashman, Hank (can you please be quiet!), Joe Girardi and everyone else will have to regroup. And hopefully in 2009, in a new stadium, we can return to glory, and win the World Series.

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Yanks Sign Sexon

The Yankees made a strong strategic signing yesterday when they signed former Mariner Richie Sexon. While Sexon was in the midst of his worst season ever, he is hitting .344 versus left-handed pitching, one of the Yankees woeful flaws.

So now we’ve watched an awesome pregame show to the All-Star Game, an awesome, but wayyyy too long All-Star Game, and now we get back to live, solid baseball.

The Yankees need to do 2 main things. Have strong starting pitching and HIT. The pitching is the biggest question mark. Mike Mussina needs to continue to pitch strongly night in and night out and keep the Yankees in games. If he has the stamina, the Yanks will be in good shape. Darrell Rasner hopefully used this break to rest up and fix a flaw or two because he is big in that role. Another starter via trade would be helpful.

Hediki Matsui possibly being lost for the year is going to be costly for the Yanks offense. Brian Cashman, the Yanks GM, needs to make one or two more moves to solidify an offense that has struggled. Derek Jeter seemed to have been hitting his stride towards the last couple games before the All-Star break but it is the rest of the offense, especially the lefties that needs to stay hot.

The bullpen is OK for now, with MO pitching lights out. But it’s the starting offense and pitching that will dictate if this Yankees team makes the playoffs or not.

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