In two weeks baseball will fittingly open on Good Friday, April 5th. It's the one day out of the year a Orioles fan can expect to find a sold out crowd that isn't over compensated with Yankees and Red Sox fans. This year the Orioles do have something to celebrate. This season will mark the 20th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Camden Yards opened up the doors to the past and became the gold standard for new ballparks. George Will proclaimed the opening of the ballpark as one of the top 3 most important events in baseball history. As teams moved from multipurpose, tributes to concrete and plastic grass, they shared with the local NFL team, ballparks began to incorporate the old style with the modern luxuries. Anybody that goes to a new stadium built within the last 20 years can thank the Orioles for building a baseball fans dream.
Too bad the front office doesn't see it that way.
The Orioles are holding opening day tickets hostage from the general public. I understand in the past that they have done this and it is not uncommon. However, this season has taken a new twist. They are only allowing season ticket holders the chance to buy opening day tickets. This is the first time in my life I have the money to make an attempt to be some sort of a MLB season ticket holder. Recently I phoned the Orioles ticket office to inquire about buying the six pack of Orioles legends game tickets. The package costs roughly $420.00 for two tickets, which is more than a regular 13 game package. Each Saturday game the Orioles will honor Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Earl Weaver and of course Cal Ripken, Jr. with a statue unveiling. When I asked the ticket office if I would have the option of buying opening day seats as well the answer was no.
I was told only the fans who have been loyal to the team over the last 16 years will have access to opening day. How does the front office define loyalty? Guaranteed trails of money in the form of past and current season ticket holders.
Obviously money equals loyalty. What was I thinking to even question that? You can only be a loyal fan if you give the Orioles money up front. I recently purchased an overpriced, $40 New Era hat from the overpriced, and poorly stocked team shop. I was wearing that hat along with my $65 authentic sweatshirt with a $25 Adam Jones t-shirt underneath. Is that loyal enough? Maybe I should go back and buy one of the $20 Vladimir Guerrero or Derek Lee t-shirts they are still selling. Yeah, that would make me loyal. I'm helping them get rid of the overstock of a player that was traded midway through their first season and another that is still running off the field from his last at bat.
Maybe that won't be enough. I know what I'll do, I'll buy tickets day of the game so I can pay that $2 surcharge the O's charge for doing that. Because hey, sometimes you gotta find that empty row for yourself on a Wednesday night against the A's. While I'm at it I'll drop $30 on a sandwich and a few beers after I have paid for a marked up ticket to a Red Sox or Yankees game in September as their fans invade to watch their team clinch a playoff spot.
The answer to my ticket inquiry is not what made me raging mad. It was the reasoning behind the answer that lowered me closer to your average lifelong, disgruntled Orioles fan. Sure I could have said sign me up for a 13 game plan. It's cheaper and I have the money. But no, the principle of the matter outweighs that decision. The front office defines loyalty in the form of guaranteed money. I know they will eventually open up the tickets to the common folk and I will pounce then. However, the Orioles have lost something much more important. They have turned a delusional fan into an angry fan.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A New Downtown Arena for Baltimore?
As I pulled up the Baltimore Sun online to get my instant analysis of the O's victory over Kansas City I saw a peculiar article dominating the front page: "Proposed downtown arena gets private financing commitment."
There are a few things that stick out on this project. First, the hotel/arena/convention center expansion will cost $900 million. Next, it won't cost taxpayers a dime. Finally, did I mention a 92 year old man is coming forward with the financial backing?
This is great news for a city that was recently ranked 8th on the FBI lists of most dangerous cities.
The complex looks amazing and it should for $900 million. It has an underground parking garage, 25 story hotel, convention center wings and even has grass on the roof to give it that feel good, eco-friendly feel. It will lure events to Baltimore that might not ordinarily come. So far the current convention center seems to only attract weekend dance and cheer competitions. Did I mention the arena is only going to seat 18,500? New Yankee Stadium and Cowboy Stadium are $1 billion stadiums. This arena might be on pace to becoming the most expensive indoor complex that doesn't seat 100,000 plus.
I'm already beginning to see the signs of a poor decision. The citizens have hopes of an NHL or NBA team relocating to the city. You need to bump that seating up to at least 20,000 to make that possibility. You would think $900 million could get you 20,000 seats in the arena. The two poorly attended sports leagues want to announce sellout crowds in the 20s of thousands and nothing less.
A financing plan spearheaded by a 92 year old has to be considered shaky at best. Take a look at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, aka FedEx Field, in Landover, MD. That thing is an architectural disaster that was hastily thrown together towards the end of the Redskins owners life. It is the worst venue ever to watch anything in. Obstructive view seating is only acceptable at Wrigley Field and Fenwary Park. Not a mid 90's football stadium that was built to house the once proud Washington Redskins franchise.
How many tax breaks is this project getting? Probably a lot. Does this mean the Baltimore Grand Prix is here to stay? Probably, the elected officials love gullible events. How much will my taxes go up to prevent the proliferation of potholes...errr...should I say keep the lights on a sparsely used convention center and arena. What does this mean for the State Center and Lexington Market renovation projects? Or are those safe because the state and city are eating the cost on those? In this financial climate who has the $100's of millions of dollars to invest in a downtown Baltimore arena? These are all fascinating questions that will not get asked over the coming months and years of planning.
Baltimore is a great city. It'll be interesting to see where a $900 million complex will rank them amongst the rest.
There are a few things that stick out on this project. First, the hotel/arena/convention center expansion will cost $900 million. Next, it won't cost taxpayers a dime. Finally, did I mention a 92 year old man is coming forward with the financial backing?
This is great news for a city that was recently ranked 8th on the FBI lists of most dangerous cities.
The complex looks amazing and it should for $900 million. It has an underground parking garage, 25 story hotel, convention center wings and even has grass on the roof to give it that feel good, eco-friendly feel. It will lure events to Baltimore that might not ordinarily come. So far the current convention center seems to only attract weekend dance and cheer competitions. Did I mention the arena is only going to seat 18,500? New Yankee Stadium and Cowboy Stadium are $1 billion stadiums. This arena might be on pace to becoming the most expensive indoor complex that doesn't seat 100,000 plus.
I'm already beginning to see the signs of a poor decision. The citizens have hopes of an NHL or NBA team relocating to the city. You need to bump that seating up to at least 20,000 to make that possibility. You would think $900 million could get you 20,000 seats in the arena. The two poorly attended sports leagues want to announce sellout crowds in the 20s of thousands and nothing less.
A financing plan spearheaded by a 92 year old has to be considered shaky at best. Take a look at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, aka FedEx Field, in Landover, MD. That thing is an architectural disaster that was hastily thrown together towards the end of the Redskins owners life. It is the worst venue ever to watch anything in. Obstructive view seating is only acceptable at Wrigley Field and Fenwary Park. Not a mid 90's football stadium that was built to house the once proud Washington Redskins franchise.
How many tax breaks is this project getting? Probably a lot. Does this mean the Baltimore Grand Prix is here to stay? Probably, the elected officials love gullible events. How much will my taxes go up to prevent the proliferation of potholes...errr...should I say keep the lights on a sparsely used convention center and arena. What does this mean for the State Center and Lexington Market renovation projects? Or are those safe because the state and city are eating the cost on those? In this financial climate who has the $100's of millions of dollars to invest in a downtown Baltimore arena? These are all fascinating questions that will not get asked over the coming months and years of planning.
Baltimore is a great city. It'll be interesting to see where a $900 million complex will rank them amongst the rest.
Alex Rodriguez: What Happened?
Earlier this season the Orioles entertained the New York Yankees for a three game series. Like every other time when the Yankees come to town the bandwagon rolls through depositing brand new Yankees hats and shirts, still with the stickers on them, at Camden Yards and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The Inner Harbor is the tourist magnet of the city. You have to have an away teams jersey and or fanny pack to gain admission to the comfort restaurants of home (Chipotle, Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, Hard Rock, etc.). The Yankees complained that it feels like they're in a fish bowl while in Baltimore. They just can't go out and have a quiet evening without being harassed by the throngs of annoying fans that have worshiped them since like 2007, yo. It must be difficult for players like Derek Jeter go out and run into a 100 guys that all claim that he's their "boy." Then you find out the $252 million man went to the Inner Harbor for some fine dining.
Apparently the Inner Harbor is also a stop for P.F. Chang connoisseurs like Alex Rodriguez and girlfriend Cameron Diaz. According to ESPN New York Rodriguez said Baltimore's P.F. Chang's was the worst one he's visited and he loves P.F. Chang's. I guess the upscale, overpriced, mediocre Chinese food just wasn't up to par late at night after the restaurant was under siege with tourists all day. Something that wasn't news became news and it made my newly adopted hometown look like an uncultured hick town.
After reading that it all came coming back to me as to why I cannot stand Alex Rodriguez. A player that started out with so much promise has turned into a pretentious snot that has soured numerous baseball fans, like myself, on his talents. I want nothing more for Rodriguez to fail. His passive aggressive antics, and total lack of respect for the game, has made him one of the most unlikable players in Major League Baseball today.
Between 1996 and 2000 he could do no wrong.
Alex Rodriguez, along with Ken Griffey Jr. and the Seattle Mariners, played a big part in post-strike baseball. The mid 90's Mariners teams made Seattle a relative baseball market for Major League Baseball. Playing in the God forsaken King Dome the team entertained the masses and fans across the U.S. happily purchased Mariners hats, jerseys and various other Nike products. The fan base rivaled the bandwagon fan bases of Boston and New York today. However, the Mariners were a small market you could root for that had two players you wanted to be like. Rodriguez and Griffey were going to break all the MLB hitting records. Then things happened.
In 2000, Griffey was traded to Cincinnati where he went on to have nine injury plagued seasons. He did manage to hit 630 home runs but never made a serious challenge for Hank Aaron's home run record.
In 2001, Alex Rodriguez departed for the Texas Rangers and a $252 million contract. By going to the last place Rangers it seemed like Rodriguez wanted to avoid the ring factories and make a name for himself in Texas. In 2001 and 2002 Rodriguez had the best two seasons of his year. He even paid tribute to Cal Ripken Jr. in the 2001 all-star game by stepping aside and letting Ripken play shortstop. In 2003 he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player even though he played for a last place team. Then the bottom fell out.
In 2004, Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in a much publicized move during game 4 of the World Series. Year after year he would have outstanding regular seasons, but would fail to produce in the post season. He was the source of much angst and grief for Yankees "fans" all across the U.S. It would take the Yankees five, long, expensive seasons to finally win another World Series.
But there's one hing that trumps everything he's accomplished and that thing is steroids. In 2009, it was leaked that Rodriguez used anabolic steroids during his 2003 MVP season. Rodriguez admitted to using steroids because he wanted to get over injury and well you know, help his team. It's as if the "get over injury" and "help the team" became the golden reasoning to make it okay that he was shooting up with two different kinds of anabolic steroids. Andy Pettitte liked it so much that he decided to use it as well. Pettitte also wanted to get over injury and "help" his team a whole lot. Hey, at least Pettitte pulled Roger Clemens down with him.
I'm sorry but that reasoning is flawed. Of all people Rodriguez should be aware of the two people who had every reason to use steroids but didn't: Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr.
Now I admit Mantle is a bit far fetched. But I'm sure wandering through the halls of Yankee Stadium Rodriguez had to of picked up on a few things about the Mick's life. Most notably chronic pain that plagued him his entire career. The Mick promptly blew out his knee during his rookie season and continue to play through pain and injuries for 17 seasons.
For 8 seasons Reds fans watched Griffey limp around Cincinnati during the prime of his career. Injury after injury cost him chance after chance to break the home run records. Instead the records went to one dimensional, chemically enhanced, sluggers that robbed baseball fans of true celebrations.
One could argue that not cheating cost Griffey some of the most hallowed records in all of Major League Baseball. How big are those records? Four of the top 10 home run hitters and 6 of the top fifteen all time home run leaders have been accused of steroid use. If you remove Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rodriguez from the list the top 5 consists of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Griffey Jr., and Jim Thome. The only thing you can find in each of those 5 players are natural ability and strong work ethics. No enhancements needed.
Apparently the Inner Harbor is also a stop for P.F. Chang connoisseurs like Alex Rodriguez and girlfriend Cameron Diaz. According to ESPN New York Rodriguez said Baltimore's P.F. Chang's was the worst one he's visited and he loves P.F. Chang's. I guess the upscale, overpriced, mediocre Chinese food just wasn't up to par late at night after the restaurant was under siege with tourists all day. Something that wasn't news became news and it made my newly adopted hometown look like an uncultured hick town.
After reading that it all came coming back to me as to why I cannot stand Alex Rodriguez. A player that started out with so much promise has turned into a pretentious snot that has soured numerous baseball fans, like myself, on his talents. I want nothing more for Rodriguez to fail. His passive aggressive antics, and total lack of respect for the game, has made him one of the most unlikable players in Major League Baseball today.
Between 1996 and 2000 he could do no wrong.
Alex Rodriguez, along with Ken Griffey Jr. and the Seattle Mariners, played a big part in post-strike baseball. The mid 90's Mariners teams made Seattle a relative baseball market for Major League Baseball. Playing in the God forsaken King Dome the team entertained the masses and fans across the U.S. happily purchased Mariners hats, jerseys and various other Nike products. The fan base rivaled the bandwagon fan bases of Boston and New York today. However, the Mariners were a small market you could root for that had two players you wanted to be like. Rodriguez and Griffey were going to break all the MLB hitting records. Then things happened.
In 2000, Griffey was traded to Cincinnati where he went on to have nine injury plagued seasons. He did manage to hit 630 home runs but never made a serious challenge for Hank Aaron's home run record.
In 2001, Alex Rodriguez departed for the Texas Rangers and a $252 million contract. By going to the last place Rangers it seemed like Rodriguez wanted to avoid the ring factories and make a name for himself in Texas. In 2001 and 2002 Rodriguez had the best two seasons of his year. He even paid tribute to Cal Ripken Jr. in the 2001 all-star game by stepping aside and letting Ripken play shortstop. In 2003 he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player even though he played for a last place team. Then the bottom fell out.
In 2004, Rodriguez was traded to the Yankees in a much publicized move during game 4 of the World Series. Year after year he would have outstanding regular seasons, but would fail to produce in the post season. He was the source of much angst and grief for Yankees "fans" all across the U.S. It would take the Yankees five, long, expensive seasons to finally win another World Series.
But there's one hing that trumps everything he's accomplished and that thing is steroids. In 2009, it was leaked that Rodriguez used anabolic steroids during his 2003 MVP season. Rodriguez admitted to using steroids because he wanted to get over injury and well you know, help his team. It's as if the "get over injury" and "help the team" became the golden reasoning to make it okay that he was shooting up with two different kinds of anabolic steroids. Andy Pettitte liked it so much that he decided to use it as well. Pettitte also wanted to get over injury and "help" his team a whole lot. Hey, at least Pettitte pulled Roger Clemens down with him.
I'm sorry but that reasoning is flawed. Of all people Rodriguez should be aware of the two people who had every reason to use steroids but didn't: Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr.
Now I admit Mantle is a bit far fetched. But I'm sure wandering through the halls of Yankee Stadium Rodriguez had to of picked up on a few things about the Mick's life. Most notably chronic pain that plagued him his entire career. The Mick promptly blew out his knee during his rookie season and continue to play through pain and injuries for 17 seasons.
For 8 seasons Reds fans watched Griffey limp around Cincinnati during the prime of his career. Injury after injury cost him chance after chance to break the home run records. Instead the records went to one dimensional, chemically enhanced, sluggers that robbed baseball fans of true celebrations.
One could argue that not cheating cost Griffey some of the most hallowed records in all of Major League Baseball. How big are those records? Four of the top 10 home run hitters and 6 of the top fifteen all time home run leaders have been accused of steroid use. If you remove Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rodriguez from the list the top 5 consists of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Griffey Jr., and Jim Thome. The only thing you can find in each of those 5 players are natural ability and strong work ethics. No enhancements needed.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The First Inning: Introduction
For the last couple of years I have threatened to start a blog on the current state of Major League Baseball and sports in general. I'm doing this in hopes of getting noticed and showing up on Pardon The Interruption for a "Good Five Minutes."
Now that I live in a baseball town, that is fortunate enough to be an AL East bottom feeder, I have decided to unleash my biased views on cyberspace. I apologize in advance for the majority of my early posts focusing on Alex Rodriguez. However, after carefully following the game inside and out I have come to this conclusion: Alex Rodriguez is what's wrong with MLB. In order for the game to be fixed the owners, executives, and players of MLB must look at Alex Rodriguez and promise to never create that again.
Most of you reading this blog probably know me and have been on the receiving end of a few of my rants. I hope you enjoy the posts and feel free to comment at will.
Now that I live in a baseball town, that is fortunate enough to be an AL East bottom feeder, I have decided to unleash my biased views on cyberspace. I apologize in advance for the majority of my early posts focusing on Alex Rodriguez. However, after carefully following the game inside and out I have come to this conclusion: Alex Rodriguez is what's wrong with MLB. In order for the game to be fixed the owners, executives, and players of MLB must look at Alex Rodriguez and promise to never create that again.
Most of you reading this blog probably know me and have been on the receiving end of a few of my rants. I hope you enjoy the posts and feel free to comment at will.
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