2011 MLB Season Thread

[Sylvanfan]

Tampa in the race draws 18000 fans on a Friday night, and this team won their division last last year. That market is garbage, like it's as bad or worse than Montreal was. I don't know where else there is for MLB markets, but they have to get out of Tampa.

[NoCupsIn40Years]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yanke...pNi3chGX94ZGaM

But the sides do appear in unanimity on how to expand the playoffs. Management has been interested in going from eight to 10 playoff teams to create more contenders in September and to add inventory to sell to a TV network.

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by NoCupsIn40Years

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yanke...pNi3chGX94ZGaM

But the sides do appear in unanimity on how to expand the playoffs. Management has been interested in going from eight to 10 playoff teams to create more contenders in September and to add inventory to sell to a TV network.

Compare to other major sports, baseball is a sport that has not changed much at all over many decades. The purists of the game would like to maintain the status quo in every traditional sense.

If I were Commish for a day, here are my two scenarios for change:
In the above article, include the 2nd wildcard team and play only one game to advance. However, the next round like all the future rounds should be best of 7 games. No byes or best of 5 games. Reduce the regular season games by 3 to make up for the extra playoff games.

or

Have the baseball playoffs like the NHL playoff format-8 teams from each league vying for a spot. All rounds are best of 7 games. Reduced the number of regular season games by same number of additional playoff games. From 162 games to 152 games or so. The more teams from diff cities involved the higher the tv revenues and gate receipts. More excitement and participation from everywhere.

Must have a hard cap like the NFL and NHL. None of this luxury tax where its only existence is to mainly pad the coffers of the league and not really punishing any teams going over the quasi-cap. It is nice to see the BoSox and Yankees each playoff year but is it fair to other teams that do not have the bucks but still fighting hard to compete with a lower budget.

[Flickered Flame]

Huge games today for Boston and Tampa. The Red Sox have a double header vs the Yanks, game 1 they send Tim Wakefield to the hill and in the 2nd game they are sending Lackey to the hill. Its amazing to see how the Sox have collapsed the past month or so.

The Rays send Wade Davis to the hill against the Jays. I would love to see the Yanks sweep the double header and the Rays beat the Jays.

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by Flickered Flame

Huge games today for Boston and Tampa. The Red Sox have a double header vs the Yanks, game 1 they send Tim Wakefield to the hill and in the 2nd game they are sending Lackey to the hill. Its amazing to see how the Sox have collapsed the past month or so.

The Rays send Wade Davis to the hill against the Jays. I would love to see the Yanks sweep the double header and the Rays beat the Jays.

You received 2/3 of your wish coming true. It is down to the wire. If BoSox lose the 2nd game of the db vs Yankees, the Rays and and Sox will tie. It is going to be close...exciting times.

[metallicat]

Ok Boston fans, if you haven't started to panic yet, you can do so now.

[CofR]

I've been in full panic mode for about a month now

[VERVE]

Originally Posted by CofR

I've been in full panic mode for about a month now

Boston is fighting hard to not have a tie with Tampa. In the top of the 13th inning, 4 all. I would like to see a tie and would make the next three games for the Rays and BoSox very, very exciting. The BoSox have just as tough an opponent in the O's as Tampa do with the Yankees. The O's have been playing lights-out in September.

Uh oh, the BoSox just got a break. Pedroia got lucky but he was clearly out on 1st sliding head-first.

[CofR]

Sox win 7-4 in t0he 14th! Huge win!

[dustyanddaflames]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Tampa in the race draws 18000 fans on a Friday night, and this team won their division last last year. That market is garbage, like it's as bad or worse than Montreal was. I don't know where else there is for MLB markets, but they have to get out of Tampa.

It will be interesting to see how the "Miami" Marlins do in their new ballpark next year - I for one, have never bought into the "stadiums play a huge role" in attendance bullspit. I know that in some of the more southern parts of America, that there are more things to do outside than watch a baseball game - but the fact that your team is in a playoff push AGAIN, and you can't support it - really baffles me.

I remember last year, Longoria coming out and calling out the fans in Tampa Bay for not supporting the team in the final week of the season - and as you said - clinched the AL East. Just blows my mind how any city can't get behind a winning franchise. I speak solely based on the franchise and it's state, and know nothing about the location of Tropicana or its details. I know it is a terrible place to watch a baseball game, and having an outdoor park would help - but to the extent of how many more people it would pull in, I really wonder.

[dustyanddaflames]

St. Louis is only one game back of Atlanta, as the Cards open up against the Astros while the Braves begin taking on the Phillies. Momentum would say the Cardinals have the inside track on running down the Braves. Neither of which I don't think will do any damage once in the playoffs.

[GirlySports]

Except that the Phillies don't really care and are resting. They've lost 7 in a row or 7 of 8? I think they won yesterday.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

It will be interesting to see how the "Miami" Marlins do in their new ballpark next year - I for one, have never bought into the "stadiums play a huge role" in attendance bullspit. I know that in some of the more southern parts of America, that there are more things to do outside than watch a baseball game - but the fact that your team is in a playoff push AGAIN, and you can't support it - really baffles me.

I think stadium definitely plays a key role (not the only role mind you). If the location has easy access then more people will go. I do think the sport has a lot to do with it. Football for example has what, 8 home games? You'll make the trek out for that. However hockey, basketball with 41 if the location is poor your attendance will drop, now with baseball are you really going to drive an hour or so out of your way for a three hour $12 ball game? If the atmosphere sucks and you can go whenever you feel like it, where's the incentive?

Look at how the Alouettes attendance skyrocketed when they moved from Olympic Stadium to McGill. The city of Montreal, love, love, loved the Expos, yet who wanted to go an hour by summer subway to an ugly, huge, lifeless stadium?

Generally the teams that are the cornerstone of a league play downtown (MSG, TD Gardens, Bell Centre, ACC, Fenway Park, are all in or on the edge of downtown).

There's a reason people don't want their stadiums built in suburbs or outside the city. Because there's an attendance drop. If you have a bad stadium outside the city, it's an uphill battle to get attendance.

A good friend of mine lives in Atlanta and he says the way the city is designed, combined with their odd transit system makes professional sports a difficult sell in the city. Here you have one of the largest markets in the United States, and their sports teams struggle. NHL has failed twice, NBA putters by, the only real thing that kept the Braves going through the 90's was Ted Turner throwing money at them. He said if you work downtown it's an hour commute home, then pick up the kids, hour commute back and you're struggling to get to the stadium by game time. And that's if everything goes smoothly. So why bother? He says it's why Atlanta doesn't have much support for professional sports, yet does really well with events. People make exceptions and work around events, but not habitual stuff.

Imagine if Atlanta had an easy to navigate road structure, and a smooth, efficient transportation system, they'd be up with Boston, New York and LA as pinnacle sports cities.

I'm not saying that if the Rays get a new ballpark in the heart of Tampa that it'd turn things around 180 (I'm not familiar with Tampa, but I think The Trop is in a good location isn't it?) but stadiums do play a factor.

Albeit I'd argue location over form as a key component. An old stadium that's poorly built in a great location has character; an old stadium that's poorly built in a poor location is an eyesore.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

It will be interesting to see how the "Miami" Marlins do in their new ballpark next year - I for one, have never bought into the "stadiums play a huge role" in attendance bullspit. I know that in some of the more southern parts of America, that there are more things to do outside than watch a baseball game - but the fact that your team is in a playoff push AGAIN, and you can't support it - really baffles me.

I remember last year, Longoria coming out and calling out the fans in Tampa Bay for not supporting the team in the final week of the season - and as you said - clinched the AL East. Just blows my mind how any city can't get behind a winning franchise. I speak solely based on the franchise and it's state, and know nothing about the location of Tropicana or its details. I know it is a terrible place to watch a baseball game, and having an outdoor park would help - but to the extent of how many more people it would pull in, I really wonder.

Florida is a strange place for pro baseball. Many Floridians are transplants from northern climes, and fans of other teams. Hard-core fans come to Florida for Spring Training, but go back North when the season starts.

[dustyanddaflames]

I can understand not heading out to a ballpark in mid-July to watch Ray/Orioles, but I guess I just can't grasp why in late September, your team is one game back of the AL Wild Card, and you find better things to do still. I guess I am just jealous that I am not in one of these cities with an MLB franchise.

[CofR]

Like others have mentioned, Tampa is strange as a sports market. Its not like the Lightning are truly a struggling franchise in terms of the on-ice product, and there attendance always seems below what it should be for a team of decent quality... I know that hockey in Florida is probably a terrible example, but it isn't like the Bucs aren't worth watching, and there's plenty of empty seats at Raymond James, which by no means is a bad stadium IMO. The Bucs won 10 games last year, as the youngest team, and are off to a good start this season as the youngest team again... And look how many empty seats there were yesterday... For a divisional game against their most hated rival

If I had to guess, I bet the USF football has the best attendance of all their major sports teams.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by dustyanddaflames

I can understand not heading out to a ballpark in mid-July to watch Ray/Orioles, but I guess I just can't grasp why in late September, your team is one game back of the AL Wild Card, and you find better things to do still. I guess I am just jealous that I am not in one of these cities with an MLB franchise.

Thats what I have a tough time getting too. The Expos for the most part were like todays version of the Blue Jays, usually a decent team, but not one that ever won anything. They had two good years in 93 and 94, and in September 93 they'd draw weekend crowds of 40,000. Even in 94 as the team was kicking the crap out of everyone, people were getting excited only to see the strike totally quash it.

Whereas in Tampa...they've had a good team for 4 seasons now, won the Division 2 of the past 3 years, and are making a run now...and it still doesn't get any interest. Granted the economy in a lot of Florida is a disaster, but still Baseball isn't expensive and there should be enough people around with a dollar in their pocket. This final series against the Yanks will be interesting to see the attendance figures.

[fundmark19]

Stadium is a real pain to get to in rush hour traffic from Tampa since it is in St Pete. Most people who live in the surrounding communities work downtown Tampa. So if you get off work at 5 and spend 1 hour in traffic at least to get home (which would be a decent day on the freeway) to get to your suburb only to then leave and try to make a 7 pm start while fighting even more traffic just isn't worth doing. This is why weekend attendance is significantly better.

30 min drive no traffic from downtown Tampa to the Trop. Add in rush hour traffic and you are going to be there for a while

[socalwingfan]

Watching the Rays/Yankees game now, tons of empty seats at the Trop - the Rays are 1 GAME OUT. There is no way that baseball can survive there

[PIMking]

I just got a headline on my phone saying Ozzie guiellen was traded to the marlins for two minor league pitchers. This was from ESPN too