Still a Classic

I'm advocating truth in sportswriting. Less opinion. That's why I started a blog. To impart less opinion. Okay. Maybe not. But with all this data out there - and yes, there are different ways to interpret the same data - it bugs me when the facts aren't presented fairly.

No, the MLB All-Star game isn't quite what it was in 1958 when it was one of the few televised sporting events. When there weren't 200 games available on television or the internet every week. But this is the most relevant "exhibition" game this country still knows. I don't even have a problem with the winner hosting the World Series. Yeah, it's a little arbitrary. But alternating years isn't? Just about everybody would agree that the American League has been the stronger league the last few years, and they've also had the honor of hosting the Series. I'm not Selig's biggest fan, but his response to the "tie game" was an appropriate one. This game does and should mean something.

The ratings aren't the same as they were 40 years ago. Or 20 years ago. But as anybody in television will tell you - ratings are fractured. Network executives are clamoring for programming that can hold an audience. And while the price of televising big league baseball is through the roof, the All-Star game is still the summer's best bet.

Truth, served.

A Work in Progress....

I've never had a blog before. I didn't think I would, and I'm not sure where I'm going with this. I'm not even sure I like the format. But my hope is that after spending about eight years writing on baseball for a relatively small audience, that maybe I could relate some useful things to a larger audience (fingers crossed).

I love baseball. I have been in the business - the big leagues, the minors, and the indy leagues. And I've been in the stands, a lot. I think it's over 700 games now.

I still love the game. But I don't love the League right now. And while I've pretty much kept my interest at my usual, absurdly high level, I'm having second thoughts. Is it worth it? So maybe this is will be kind of a therapeutic experience. I want better things for the sport at its highest level, and I'm sure a lot of fans do as well. So I guess I'm going to give it a shot.

Bud Selig's direction has been a joke. I'm embarrassed for the lack of critical analysis in the media, and public opinion, of numerous failures in leadership - not to mention the number of challenges still left to face. This isn't going to be a daily barrage. I'm just not going to ignore the obvious. So when it's relevant, I'm going to discuss it. Attendance records are broken nearly every year, television ratings are healthy, especially at the local levels, the national tv contracts have continued to grow at exponential rates, and BAM is one of the biggest dot.com success stories in the country. But it's not all working.

I'm hoping this space can be a place to talk about the good and the bad of the game. I've got more of a skeptic's perspective, always have, but there's still a lot to discuss. I'm hoping I can get to some of the good stuff.