Love My Team


	New IRS Regulations put Stadium Construction in the Cross Hairs by Peter J. Honig More >>


	Hunter Manchak Reviews Dan Migala's Dugout Wisdom? Read his review!

J. Wagner interviewed for the latest podcast at cubscast.com

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Johanna Wagner, a lifelong baseball fan, is the only woman to go to all 30 MLB stadiums in one season, alone, for her book The View from the Stands.

Currently, Ms. Wagner is finishing her Master's in Sports Business at New York University and working on another book on baseball, called Insider's Game.

Happy 4th!
July 4, 2008, 8:30am Just a quick link to Ken Davidoff's blog because he is so right about the Mets. They are just 3.5 games out, and there is still half a season to play. Remember 1981? That first strike year, where MLB decided to put the winner of the first half and the winner of the second half in the playoffs and for the NL neither had a better season long record than the Expos? Well that shows that teams can have very different fortunes in one half or the other. The Mets could go away for the All-Star break and come back clicking on all cylinders. Remember the Rockies? I know, I forget too, thats why its great for me to get out and watch other teams play. It's like looking around baseball from time to time and figuring out who is better than--- name the pitcher in a specific role. That sometimes helps me remember that Billy Wagner is one of the best closers in baseball, despite the fact he is the second best one in New York. Same with Aaron Heilman. So enough about the Mets already. Just enjoy the fourth and remember there is still a lot of baseball left to play.

Today's trivia question: So I got a ton of responses to yesterday's questions, but everyone guessed on of the two Cardinals that have had outstanding seasons so we are going to change this up and give it one more day for you to guess the single-season stolen bases leader, with a clue: He was never a Cardinal! Lou Brock and Vince Coleman are excellent answers though. And the prize can be either two tickets to the All-Star game fan-fest or the Dan Migala book, winner's choice. And don't forget to include your email address with your response! Good Luck and enjoy the day!

Buyers and Sellers and Parity in baseball
July 3, 2008, 7:50am So, Susan Slusser writes about the A's "rebuidling" and the decision that is coming pretty soon as to whether they will be buyers or sellers. The players are hoping buyers, the reality is it could be a bit of both. But because of an interesting discussion about paying for draft picks on the message board, and with the trade season really heating up I thought it might be a good time to talk about parity in baseball. I have to say it has come a long way. So many different teams have gotten into the mix, and though a few, like the Rays and the Twins have done it through scouting as opposed to paying, there still is a long way to go. Sure, market size has a lot to do with it. The Yankees and the Mets can sell out a few times over in the New York market, and if all things were even, according to Andrew Zimbalist, Economics Professor at Smith College and leading writer on these topics, there would be two more teams in New York City before there was one put in Milwaukee, just because of the population. But people in the seats has become an even smaller issue for most teams. It's the other revenue streams that are key. Television deals of course matter. Each team has its own deal, and then the National deals with FOX and ESPN money goes into a pot shared equally by each team. MLB.com distributed $30 million per team last season. In some cases though the team owns the local broadcast station. Think Peter Angelos and MASN or the Yankees and YES. They may not own them completely, but they own enough that the two have a symbiotic relationship. YES, for example, doesn't have to pay as much to the Yankees to broadcast the game as another station would, yet still reaps the money from high priced advertising. The Yankees can then claim they made less money since the rights fees is lower, but the owners are still making the money under the guise of YES rather than under the guise of the Yankees. The other aspect still creating imbalance is the stadium deals. What's the rush to build all these new stadiums? Why do teams want new ones, when they have perfectly good ones? Its revenues. The A's don't own Networks Associates Colliseum, they rent it. Concessions and parking are revenue that goes to the owner of the facility not to the team. Price of tickets are split between the team and the facility owners. A new stadium and new stadium deal would change that. Also, why build a stadium with a ton of suites? Because the suites aren't just rented per game, they are rented for season and for years at a time. That' s money that is guaranteed, and its big money. The more suites, the more real estate to sell, and the more that a team can know how much money it will have to spend 3 to 5 to 10 years down the line. St. Louis is an example of a team that sold out its fans for the suites, because never has a stadium been built where the prime real estate all went towards the suites, but watch as the Cardinals no longer have to worry at the trade deadline that they won't be able to get that last piece. The Twins world should change in a few years too, as their stadium is set to open next year, I believe. That's why the A's and Marlins, and to some extent the Rays all need new stadiums. Sure, we here all the time about how the Marlins payroll is comparable to ARod's, but once that has a lot to do with how little revenue the team generates at home. Signing Hanley Ramirez after they got a stadium deal in place tells you exactly how important both are. Ramirez couldn't have gotten that deal without the team knowing that at some point, even with only 12,000 fans in attendance their revenue will go up because the team will get all the profits from the fans. And of course, their attendance will go up with a new stadium as well. The haves and the have nots have come a lot closer together in baseball, but until the A's and the Marlins get their new homes we still get to talk about the teams that can make a lot out of a little.

Today's trivia question: Felix from Houston got yesterday's question correct, he knew the Phillies were the first team in franchise history to lose 10,000 games. Today's question for a two tickets to the 2008 All-Star game Fan Fest: Who holds the record for most steals in a single season? Remember to include your email address with your answer, because without it you can't win! Good Luck

Is it over in Cleveland?
July 2, 2008, 10:00am Well the Indians are 10.5 games out, but in that crazy Central division, there is no telling if thats enough to consider yourself done. Well, Paul Hoynes says that Eric Wedge isn't ready to call it quits, which is the right thing to say, but if your front office is fielding offers publicly for your best pitcher, well, isn't that a signal to the world, and to the guys in the clubhouse, that those guys don't care if you come back? In some recent research I have done in relation to my Master's, most GM's will tell you that the long-term in more important than the short-term, and yet Willie gets fired in NY because the team isn't set up to win after this year. The Indians, however, are actually looking at the long-term... the question is, is that really the best thing for the team, the fans, the city? Maybe the Indians can come back and beat the White Sox. Maybe they don't even need CC Sabathia to do it. But if giving him up sends the same signal to the fans that Bartolo Colon's trade did 6 years ago, as all the pundits are suggesting, then don't the Indians have to be concerned? There is some good spinning going on in Cleveland, about how the long term future is still bright. And I am not arguing with that, because I do think the Indians are strong enough to be in the mix for years to come, but I worry that when there is so much talk about one important player being shipped out that sends a message to those guys in the clubhouse as well as to the fans. Think about the Twins last year. When Luis Castillo was traded the players in Minnesota came out and said they didn't think the front office was concerned with winning. Then of course the fans begin to think that. Lo and Behold, the Twins are competing this year, very unexpectedly. I say the Indians should trade Sabathia, but they should get on with it or not talk about it anymore. Things like this suck the life out of the club in the locker room and in the stands. And once its done, look for the club to go on a tear.

All-Star game
July 2, 2008, 9:25am Today is the last day to cast your vote for All-Star game. I suggest you do vote if you watch it, but thats because I think you are smart enough to vote for players that actually will play, and deserve to play. David Ortiz and Chase Utley have not had All-Star first halves, and Ortiz has been injured so probably won't be playing anyway. Chipper Jones deserves to be there, but probably won't play either since he has been battling injuries and his team is in the race still. OK, Utley could be argued should still be there because of last season, and as is also the case with Ortiz, there isn't really a great second choice. Might as well take the merits of last year. And I will admit that I voted for Griffey. Not because of this season but because of his career and because he hit 600 home runs this season. There aren't too many more All-Star games left for him-- though he is one of those guys that never shows up. Anyway, thats my thoughts on the ballot.

The answer to yesterday's trivia question is Chipper Jones. I did get a couple of correct responses, but unfortunately no included their email address with their response, so I couldn't contact them. So its the same prize today: Dan Migala's book, Dugout Wisdom! Today's questions is: What franchise was the first to lose 10,000 games over the course of its history? Remember to include your email address with your answer in the text box below. Good Luck!

Correction
July 1, 2008, 3:30pm Today's trivia question should read--- which current major league player named his child after Shea stadium? Perhaps that will help someone answer correctly!

Getting ready for the All-Star game
July 1, 2008, 10:10am The All-star game is fast approaching, and since it is a celebration of all teams and of the fans, we thought we would make July contest/give a way month. Each day of July we will post a new trivia question, and the first person to email me with the correct answer will win something. Today's prize will be Dan Migala's new book reviewed by Hunter Manchak. The book supports the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation which provides support to professional baseball scouts who have fallen on hard times due to job loss, illness, retirement or other financial setbacks. To be eligible to win Dugout Wisdom tell me what Major League player that has never played for the Mets named his daughter Shea, because of the success he had at the stadium? You must include your email address in the the box below so that I can contact you. Just a warning, there will be no repeat winners!

July 2nd and other Prospects
July 1, 2008, 8:00am So tomorrow marks the second phase of amateur scouting. With the most teams having locked up the players that they drafted in the MLB amateur draft, tomorrow is the day where they can go after all the international talent, well all that has reached the age of 16. Kiley McDaniel gives a great overview of how this has grown in just the last year, and with the A's about break all records for signing an international guy by giving Michel Inoa $4.2 million dollars, I'm betting it won't be long before international is not the way to find all the cheap labor available. Anyway, we rarely hear about the July 2nd prospects, so thought a little light was in order.

As for other routes to the big leagues, well there are many, almost as many as there are batting stances. John Shea writes about Justin Christian, the recently called up Yankee who took the most difficult path possible but is now playing in the cathedral in the Bronx. Its a great story, and hopefully, like Aaron Small a few years ago, he gets to stay for a bit, and have his moment in the sun.

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