CHICAGO MAKES THE FINAL FOUR FOR 2016 OLYMPICS

Congratulations to Chicago for making the final cut along with Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro. Now the real heavy lifting of winning an Olympic bid begins.

Maybe it's the cynic in me, but why when I read an article with the title "IOC official says 'sign of goodwill' could help Chicago's Olympic bid" do I think that the term 'sign of goodwill' is a euphemism for "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!"

I guess you have to read the entire article, but I'll highlight the excerpts (confirmation bias??) that lead me in that direction.

It is funny how the International grand-poo bahs appear to awarding of the Games as a thinly-veiled negotiating tool in order to extort more money from the USOC.

This is also IMO at the heart of the matter as to why baseball and softball are being bounced from the Games. If you can't send your professional athletes, which will bring your corporate sponsors and their mega-bucks to the coffers, than don't bother showing up.

To say that the real reason those sports are being bounced has to do with PED testing is absurd. How many women's softball players tested positive at any of the previous Games? How many sports with a much longer and richer history of higher levels of PED use in the Games (like track and field and weightlifting) continue to be Olympic sports. The answer is because if you shut down those sports, you shut down the Olympics in total. And then where will these money-grubbing whores look for work?

It's all about money and control. And who has it, and who wants it.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-us-olympic-revenue-share-jun05,0,1006451.story?page=1&track=rss

IOC official says 'sign of goodwill' could help Chicago's Olympic bid
By Philip Hersh | Tribune staff reporter
2:29 AM CDT, June 4, 2008
ATHENS

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said Wednesday a ``sign of goodwill'' from the U.S. Olympic Committee in an ongoing revenue dispute can help Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games.

``A clear indication the USOC is willing to find a solution and not refusing a solution could be very good for Chicago,'' Rogge told the Tribune. ``It would not have a negative impact [if there were no such sign], but this sign could have a positive impact.''

The dispute likely will have little effect on Chicago's expected selection as a finalist. The impact would be when the 110 IOC members vote Oct. 2, 2009, to choose the 2016 host.

Speaking after a Wednesday morning meeting between the IOC executive board and international Summer Olympic sports federation leaders who roundly criticized the USOC Tuesday, Rogge said the USOC has made a written proposal that could constitute that goodwill ``but it must be refined.''

Dividing the issue into three parts – a ``games cost'' contribution, a short-term solution, and a long-term solution – Rogge made unconditional the need for the USOC to begin paying its share of games cost, which covers things like doping control and expenses for judges and officials. Under terms of a longstanding contract with the IOC, the USOC is the only national Olympic committee (NOC) exempt from that payment.

``It is not morally acceptable the USOC does not take part in games costs like the other NOCs,'' Rogge added in the interview with the Tribune.

Rogge said the short-term solution would involve a contribution to the NOCs and the international sports federations. IOC member Denis Oswald, president of the Association of Summer Olympic Sports Federations (ASOIF), said Wednesday the USOC proposal on that matter is ``totally unacceptable'' because it leaves the USOC to decide how the funds would be allocated.

IOC member Hein Verbruggen of the Netherlands, ASOIF vice-president, had heated up the war of words over the United States' portion of Olympic revenues Tuesday, and the escalation of rhetoric could burn Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games.

Verbruggen called the USOC's share an ``immoral amount of money compared to what other people get.''

Verbruggen denied that recent attempts by him and Oswald to push for renegotiating the long-standing deal were related to the Chicago bid.

Verbruggen blamed Ueberroth for having linked the financial issue to Chicago's Olympic bid and lambasted Ueberroth for threatening to take the matter to the IOC ethics committee.

``Who do they think they are?'' Verbruggen said, referring to the USOC.

It seems apparent, however, that Oswald and Verbruggen are using the Chicago bid as leverage to pressure for USOC concessions. After raising the issue at an April IOC meeting in Beijing, they took it to the IOC executive board Wednesday.

``The timing of the public statements is peculiar, in that it seems to be prior to every bid-related decision,'' Ctvrtlik said.

``It is reflecting very badly on the USOC,'' said ASOIF director Andrew Ryan. ``It would be depressing if Chicago turns out to be the best bid to see it damaged by this ongoing discussion.''

In an open-ended contract begun 20 years ago and renegotiated in 1996, the USOC receives 12.75 percent of U.S. broadcast rights and 20 percent of the IOC's global sponsorship revenues. In the current Olympic cycle (2005 through 2008), that amounts to about $300 million, or 50 percent of the operating budget for the USOC, which gets no government financing, unlike nearly all the world's other national Olympic committees.

When those terms were agreed upon, nearly all the IOC's revenue came from U.S. sources. Those U.S. sources still provide about 62 percent of the revenues, according to people familiar with the accounting.

``When almost two-thirds of the revenue comes from one territory, it would seem counterproductive to do anything that would jeopardize those revenues,'' Ctvrtlik said.

The USOC winds up with more money from TV and sponsorship revenue than the IOC allocation to the other 204 national Olympic committees combined.

``I don't understand how you can justify that the rest of the world has to pay for the training of American athletes, and the richest country in the world pays nothing,'' Verbruggen said. ``Are we out of our minds?''

``No one wants to take all the money from the Americans tomorrow,'' Verbruggen said. ``They need to find new sources of revenue.''
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Below is an interesting link called GamesBids.com that handicaps the odds of each potential sites eventually winning the coveted Olympic bid.

Very interesting. Currently, Chicago has a slight lead over Tokyo and Rio.

I have to say in all the analysis Chicago almost has to prevail for two reasons:

1) Madrid is hurt by London having the 2012 Games as Tokyo is by Beijing having the 2008 Games in the rotation argument. Rio carries the burden of being the first South American site that would host. They may be hurt by security and/or facilities issues.

2) If ever there were two organizations that were made for each other as far as history and tradition of corruption, sleazy politics, graft and back-room deal making it would seem to be the IOC and Chicago politicians.

GO CHICAGO!!!!

http://www.gamesbids.com/english/content/bidx2016.shtml

BidIndex SUMMER 2016
CITY INDEX
Chicago CHI 05/29 60.73
Madrid MAD 05/29 59.50
Rio de Janeiro RIO 05/29 59.90
Tokyo TKY 05/29 60.66

What is BidIndex?
BidIndex is a mathematical model developed by GamesBids.com that when applied to an Olympic Bid, produces a number that can be used to rate a bid relative to past successful bids - and possibly gauge its potential success. The model was developed by observing historical trends and results of previous bids. BidIndex numbers can be theoretically used to compare competing bids and the relative strength of bids held in different years (e.g. to compare Paris 2008 with Paris 2012). A higher BidIndex indicates a greater chance of being elected.

BidIndex was reviewed in the March 2004 edition of Significance Magazine, a publication by the Royal Statistical Society.

Why BidIndex?
It has been observed in the past the IOC members do not vote based on the quality of the bid alone and often results are unpredictable. GamesBids.com wanted to find a way to compare Olympic Bids and normalize the results. BidIndex takes bid quality into account, but also evaluates other important factors such as Geopolitics, IOC politics, public support and other things considered to have an effect on the IOC voters. These results will help our readers gain an understanding into the relative strengths of the bids.

Does BidIndex work?
While no one can guarantee the results of an election, BidIndex will tell you which bids have more of the qualities of successful bids from the past. A high BidIndex number does not necessarily indicate a high quality bid, but a bid similar to other successful bids. When the model is applied to the 2008 bid, these results were obtained based on information a day before the vote:

BONDS TO THE SAWKS??

FROM THE SPORTS LAW BLOG:
http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2008/06/will-red-sox-sign-barry-bonds.html

Will the Red Sox Sign Barry Bonds?

With David Ortiz out at least a month with a wrist injury, there is speculation that the defending World Series Champions Boston Red Sox might consider signing the still-unsigned Barry Bonds to be the team's designated hitter.

If the move happens, it would almost certainly signal that the Bonds collusion conspiracy--that MLB teams tacitly agreed to not sign Bonds this season--was untrue.
----------------------------------------------------
“If the move happens, it would almost certainly signal that the Bonds collusion conspiracy--that MLB teams tacitly agreed to not sign Bonds this season--was untrue.”

Even better, take the counter argument. If the move does NOT happen, does that then not provide at the minimum, prima facie evidence that the collusion conspiracy theory WAS true? Can’t have it both ways my friends.

The Yankees need LH power hitting help badly and sign Ben Broussard??? Are you kidding me?

The Tigers and Mariners would rather see their pre-season playoff hopes go down the drain then sign B-POPE??

The Rays and the A's would rather see their surprising chances to make the playoffs this year melt in the summer heat than pad their roster?

Not sure who the front-runner is anymore but this leaves the following teams with both the baseball need and the tactical reason to sign Bonds:

Red Sox
Yankees
Rays
A’s
Tigers
Mariners

And nobody has signed him yet? When has that ever happened in baseball history, when a proven player is available and multiple teams with a reason to sign the guy and yet he still went unsigned?

If the Sawks are in such a dire position that they would consider THE MOVE, then doesn't that at least require that the Yankees go into their "I'll take Charlie Weaver to block mode"?

Further, you could almost make the same argument about the Angels if the A's were a serious suitor. And if the Cardinals stay within shouting distance of the Cubs or within serious range of a wild-card spot, why wouldn't Tony LaRussa go back to Cardinals management with a personnel requisition form with BLB's name on it?

YOU MAKE THE CALL - WAS THIS UMP SET UP??

The way I see it, you see the catcher initially put his glove up towards the path the ball took, i.e. he recognizes it as a fastball. Then you see an exaggerated dive down and away, as if to block a phantom curve ball. This supposedly provides the cover for the explanation, "I got crossed up". A pretty bad job of acting by the catcher. And given the details of the game leading up to that point, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that pitcher and catcher pulled the old "fiver" on the home plate umpire.

If the Georgia High School Association doesn't take some sort of action against the kids or the school, they are as gutless as the players. Although, if the two kids are seniors and theoretically this would be their last game played for the school, you wonder what they could do, other than sanction the coach and/or the school.

That's baseball.
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FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION:

http://www.ajc.com/highschool/content/sports/highschool/stories/2008/06/02/wildpitch_0602.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

Georgia High School Baseball
Pitch that struck ump prompts apology, probe
Stephens Co. coach says bizarre incident in AAA final was not intentional

By TODD HOLCOMB
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/02/08

Stephens County principal David Friend apologized Monday to the Georgia High School Association for an incident in the Class AAA baseball championship series Saturday in which Stephens County catcher Matt Hill ducked and allowed a pitch from Cody Martin to strike an umpire in the face mask.

"[The tape] looks bad, and most people who look at it come away with that conclusion," Friend said. "But there have been whacky things that have happened in baseball and high schools, and all I'm going to conclude is that it does need to be investigated. If we're found to be at fault, we'll effectively deal with the situation."

Friend said he interviewed his baseball coaches Monday and concluded they were not to blame. Friend said he had not finished talking with players.

But Stephens County coach Mark Gosnell said it was a mixup between his catcher and pitcher.

"Matt said he had a curveball, and Cody said it was a fastball," Gosnell said. "[Hill and Martin] have been as honest as anyone since I've known them."

The incident occurred in the bottom of the fourth inning with Cartersville leading 9-1 in a game it won 13-1. It was the third and deciding game of the three-game series.

Stephens County shortstop Ethan Martin, the brother of the pitcher and projected as a possible first-round pick in the major league draft Thursday, was called out on strikes for the final out of the previous inning. He was the ninth consecutive Stephens County batter to strike out, and he argued with the home-plate umpire afterward, throwing his batting helmet.

In the bottom of the inning, Cartersville's second batter, Taylor Hightower, was facing an 0-1 count when Hill, the catcher, ducked and dropped to his knees as Cody Martin's pitch approached.

The ball bounced off the face mask of the umpire, Jeff Scott, who was not injured, and rolled toward third base.

A video of the pitch was posted on AJC.com Sunday on Kurt Aschermann's "Hardball" high school baseball blog.

Scott Singer, hired by Cartersville to tape and do play-by-play of the game, was behind home plate during the pitch. He said the Martin brothers had complained of calls before the pitch hit the umpire.

"Those two, the pitcher and his brother, the entire game had been riding the umpire about balls and strikes, and [Ethan Martin] got rung up in the top of the fourth, so [perhaps] that was payback in the bottom of the fourth," Singer said. "I don't know what was going through their heads, but when you see a catcher go to his right, it's like 'Good God!'"

Terry Martin, the father of Ethan and Cody Martin, a junior, said he was advised not to allow his sons talk to the Journal-Constitution. He would not elaborate. Hill, a senior who has signed to play at Gordon College in Barnesville, could not be reached.

GHSA executive director Ralph Swearngin acknowledged Friend's apology Monday and said the association will act when Stephens County's investigation is complete. Swearngin said the GHSA associate director Dennis Payne attended the game and would have initiated a probe if Stephens County had not called first.

"My main concern is that we had a great season, and it's unfortunate that one pitch has become the focal point, instead of what the team accomplished," Friend said. "It doesn't look good from what I've seen, but at the same time, sometimes you have lapses in judgment, and a community and a high school and a baseball program should not be judged by one pitch."

MORE POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE FOR THE NEWLY MINTED GRADS

WRITER AND COLUMNIST - P.J. O'ROURKE

Commencement Speech - Webster College - 2007



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L.A. TIMES ARTICLE ON THE SPEECH:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-orourke4-2008may04,0,3597821,full.story

Fairness, idealism and other atrocities
Commencement advice you're unlikely to hear elsewhere.
By P.J. O'Rourke
May 4, 2008
Well, here you are at your college graduation. And I know what you're thinking: "Gimme the sheepskin and get me outta here!" But not so fast. First you have to listen to a commencement speech.

Don't moan. I'm not going to "pass the wisdom of one generation down to the next." I'm a member of the 1960s generation. We didn't have any wisdom.

We were the moron generation. We were the generation that believed we could stop the Vietnam War by growing our hair long and dressing like circus clowns. We believed drugs would change everything -- which they did, for John Belushi. We believed in free love. Yes, the love was free, but we paid a high price for the sex.

My generation spoiled everything for you. It has always been the special prerogative of young people to look and act weird and shock grown-ups. But my generation exhausted the Earth's resources of the weird. Weird clothes -- we wore them. Weird beards -- we grew them. Weird words and phrases -- we said them. So, when it came your turn to be original and look and act weird, all you had left was to tattoo your faces and pierce your tongues. Ouch. That must have hurt. I apologize.

So now, it's my job to give you advice. But I'm thinking: You're finishing 16 years of education, and you've heard all the conventional good advice you can stand. So, let me offer some relief:

1. Go out and make a bunch of money!

Here we are living in the world's most prosperous country, surrounded by all the comforts, conveniences and security that money can provide. Yet no American political, intellectual or cultural leader ever says to young people, "Go out and make a bunch of money." Instead, they tell you that money can't buy happiness. Maybe, but money can rent it.

There's nothing the matter with honest moneymaking. Wealth is not a pizza, where if I have too many slices you have to eat the Domino's box. In a free society, with the rule of law and property rights, no one loses when someone else gets rich.

2. Don't be an idealist!

Don't chain yourself to a redwood tree. Instead, be a corporate lawyer and make $500,000 a year. No matter how much you cheat the IRS, you'll still end up paying $100,000 in property, sales and excise taxes. That's $100,000 to schools, sewers, roads, firefighters and police. You'll be doing good for society. Does chaining yourself to a redwood tree do society $100,000 worth of good?

Idealists are also bullies. The idealist says, "I care more about the redwood trees than you do. I care so much I can't eat. I can't sleep. It broke up my marriage. And because I care more than you do, I'm a better person. And because I'm the better person, I have the right to boss you around."

Get a pair of bolt cutters and liberate that tree.

Who does more for the redwoods and society anyway -- the guy chained to a tree or the guy who founds the "Green Travel Redwood Tree-Hug Tour Company" and makes a million by turning redwoods into a tourist destination, a valuable resource that people will pay just to go look at?

So make your contribution by getting rich. Don't be an idealist.

3. Get politically uninvolved!

All politics stink. Even democracy stinks. Imagine if our clothes were selected by the majority of shoppers, which would be teenage girls. I'd be standing here with my bellybutton exposed. Imagine deciding the dinner menu by family secret ballot. I've got three kids and three dogs in my family. We'd be eating Froot Loops and rotten meat.

But let me make a distinction between politics and politicians. Some people are under the misapprehension that all politicians stink. Impeach George W. Bush, and everything will be fine. Nab Ted Kennedy on a DUI, and the nation's problems will be solved.

But the problem isn't politicians -- it's politics. Politics won't allow for the truth. And we can't blame the politicians for that. Imagine what even a little truth would sound like on today's campaign trail:

"No, I can't fix public education. The problem isn't the teachers unions or a lack of funding for salaries, vouchers or more computer equipment The problem is your kids!"

4. Forget about fairness!

We all get confused about the contradictory messages that life and politics send.

Life sends the message, "I'd better not be poor. I'd better get rich. I'd better make more money than other people." Meanwhile, politics sends us the message, "Some people make more money than others. Some are rich while others are poor. We'd better close that 'income disparity gap.' It's not fair!"

Well, I am here to advocate for unfairness. I've got a 10-year-old at home. She's always saying, "That's not fair." When she says this, I say, "Honey, you're cute. That's not fair. Your family is pretty well off. That's not fair. You were born in America. That's not fair. Darling, you had better pray to God that things don't start getting fair for you." What we need is more income, even if it means a bigger income disparity gap.

5. Be a religious extremist!

So, avoid politics if you can. But if you absolutely cannot resist, read the Bible for political advice -- even if you're a Buddhist, atheist or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people who believes that God is involved in politics. On the contrary. Observe politics in this country. Observe politics around the world. Observe politics through history. Does it look like God's involved?

The Bible is very clear about one thing: Using politics to create fairness is a sin. Observe the Tenth Commandment. The first nine commandments concern theological principles and social law: Thou shalt not make graven images, steal, kill, et cetera. Fair enough. But then there's the tenth: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's."

Here are God's basic rules about how we should live, a brief list of sacred obligations and solemn moral precepts. And, right at the end of it we read, "Don't envy your buddy because he has an ox or a donkey." Why did that make the top 10? Why would God, with just 10 things to tell Moses, include jealousy about livestock?

Well, think about how important this commandment is to a community, to a nation, to a democracy. If you want a mule, if you want a pot roast, if you want a cleaning lady, don't whine about what the people across the street have. Get rich and get your own.

Now, one last thing:

6. Don't listen to your elders!

After all, if the old person standing up here actually knew anything worth telling, he'd be charging you for it.

P.J. O'Rourke, a correspondent for the Weekly Standard and the Atlantic, is the author, most recently, of "On The Wealth of Nations." A longer version of this article appears in Change magazine, which reports on trends and issues in higher education.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.....BUT WHEN???

I'm reminded of the following philosophical question lately whenever I see the Tampa Bay Rays win another ball game and continue their stay at the top of the Eastern Division of the American League.

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a philosophical riddle that raises questions regarding observation and knowledge of reality. Can something exist without being perceived? - e.g."Sound is only sound if a person hears it"

The Rays may be for real, but the larger question for Rays fans is going to be "Is the Tampa Bay baseball market for real?"

It seems as if the team, under new management, has made all the right moves to provide a winning product at an affordable price for the fans in the area. And yet the recent attendance figures have been nothing short of abysmal. New ownership has put up their own money for stadium renovations to spruce up a ballpark that already looks antiquated when compared to the many new baseball palaces that have come on-line recently.


O.K., LET'S PUT SOME LIPSTICK ON THIS PIG!!!

FROM ST. PETE TIMES:
And despite a 31-20 record, and the historical novelty that goes with it of being the first team in modern history (since 1900) to have the best record in the majors through Memorial Day after having the worst record the year before, they say they can play even better overall.

Monday was another example of everyone doing their part — well, except the community, as there was a crowd of only 12,174, fifth smallest at the Trop this season and smallest by far in the majors Monday.


RAYS FEVER? CATCH IT? SOMEBODY....ANYBODY????

It's going to be very embarrassing for the community and demoralizing to this team if in a possible stretch run and playoff appearances this place isn't filled near to capacity with a preponderance of Rays fans. Not Yankees fans or Sawks fans or Orioles fans, Rays fans, if indeed there are any.

It is rapidly approaching put up or shut up time for the Rays faithful.

The team and the city have plans on the board and in front of the community for a new downtown, waterfront, open air stadium to replace the Trop. It remains to be seen whether the good will the team has worked for over the last couple of years is overcome by the negative sentiment lingering over the secretive, behind closed doors vote that brought the dome to St. Petersburg in the first place.

The city built the facility over MLB's objections/suggestions that it would not help the city secure a team. The community was rightfully upset and splintered by the behind-the-back nature in which that city council voted, without community input, to build the stadium. That vote was a catalyst for the "Sunshine Law" which mandates that all business matters decided on by a local government, that effects a community materially, be conducted openly and publicly. So there is still some bad blood on both sides that has to be excised before the team/city is able to succeed in their quest for a new stadium.


PROPOSED NEW RAYS STADIUM

Another area of concern: the feeling amongst some in MLB's higher offices, that aside from pushing to the front of the line for a new team by building a new stadium--which backfired when expansion teams were awarded to Colorado and Miami--the St. Petersburg expansion proponents touted to major league baseball that the area had a large and rabid fan base just waiting to bust through the turnstiles.

They bragged mightily about a 30,000 fan season ticket waiting list,leaving owners to salivate over 2.5-3.0 million attendance for the newly-minted franchise. They consistently pointed to the fact that the area had provided loyal and consistent support to baseball in the exhibition season for many, many years and posited that they could and would easily support an 81-game per season major league regular season financially. They chastised baseball at every turn for not rewarding them for their loyal support.

Unfortunately, as history has borne out, that season ticket fan base melted like a Popsicle in the summer sun once the franchise was awarded. Folks that were on the list, which only took a $50 commitment as I recall (I was on it), quickly partnered up with friends and bought 1/2 and 1/4 shares in season-tickets once the sticker shock of season ticket prices became apparent. The 30,000 base dwindled to around 15,000 actual season-tickets and shares of same for the initial season.


Figures from Baseball_Reference.com

RAYS HISTORICAL ATTENDANCE 1998-2008:
Year Average Total League Average Total
1998 30,942 2,506,023 2,298,169
1999 21,601 1,562,827 2,286,874
2000 18,008 1,479,781 2,262,557
2001 16,026 1,298,075 2,346,071
2002 13.158 1,065,762 2,207,891
2003 13,070 1,058,695 2,191,745
2004 16,139 1,275 011 2,340,422
2005 14,052 1,124,189 2,360,452
2006 16,901 1,369,031 2,458,741
2007 17,148 1,389,031 2,527,968

DIAMONDBACKS HISTORICAL ATTENDANCE 1998-2008:
Year Average Total League Average Total
1998 44,571 3,600,412 2,401,674
1999 37,234 3,019,654 2,380,436
2000 36,324 2,819,539 2,480,194
2001 33,766 2,735,821 2,481,346
2002 39,515 3,200,725 2,309,294
2003 34,636 2,805,542 2,273,813
2004 31,105 2,519,560 2,512,690
2005 25,423 2,059,331 2,583,685
2006 25,821 2,091,505 2,598,741
2007 28,598 2,316,507 2,756,384

I used these two teams for comparison because they entered baseball at the same time. Granted they are in different leagues, but it's plain to see that the D-Backs have surpassed their league average attendance virtually every year of existence. Other than the initial year, the D-Rays/Rays have failed to poke their heads above the league average every year.

Both had great initial years D-Backs averaging 44,571 D-Rays averaging 30,942.

After the honeymoon however, the D-Rays attendance fell by approx. 30% the second year, by 40% the third year, 47% the fourth year and 54% by the fifth year as compared to the initial years attendance. Attendance fell for FIVE straight years after the inaugural season.

By comparison the D-Backs attendance fell 16% the second year, 18% the third year, 25% the fourth year, and then boomeranged back the fifth year to a -12% comparable number.

It seems like after the novelty of having a team wears off and the core level of fan support is determined, the Phoenix area trounced the Tampa Bay area in most measures.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the two markets are comparable is size with both weighing in around the 1.6 million household number. Both had similar histories as a site for spring training and minor league baseball support, so it seemed like the level of success would be about the same, but apparently not.

True, the Diamondbacks did come into the league with a better ownership group than the Rays did. No argument there. But the mistakes of the past are used as convenient excuses in the St. Pete area for the continued lack of support. New ownership it seems has erased as many of the prior sins as they could by providing free parking to economy-minded fans and allowing fans to bring of small coolers with refreshments for those concerned with the astronomical price of concessions. So what gives, T-Bay?


HEY, WE GAVE YOU BASTARDS FREE PARKING!!! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???


I just have to believe that in the upper echelons of baseball's management structure they must feel hoodwinked and defrauded for awarding a franchise to the area given the putrid performance at the gate.

The new ownership group has proven themselves, the team has proven themselves, now the only thing left is for the market to step up and prove itself ready for "The Show".

I've heard some fans from St. Pete say, "Well, they've been lousy for ten years, one season of success is not enough to win us over. Let them continue to win for about ten years or so and maybe we'll mosey on down to the park and catch a game."

I have news for those kind of knuckle-heads....When you go looking for your team
in ten years, you best pack a lunch...because they won't be there when you return. They will be somewhere else.

And don't count on that term "iron-clad" lease that I hear bandied about to bail you out. That's a contradiction in terms. Ask one of your lawyer friends about iron-clad leases and when he gets done laughing, listen up. Then get on your bike, or hop on the bus, or hitch hike to the ballpark and support your team. Or roll up your sleeves and prepare to help them pack. It's your choice.

Of course, it's entirely possible that the original decision to put the stadium in the location it's currently in was the original mistake. One that will be very difficult to recover from. The fallacy of putting the team's house in a spot where if you drew a 50-mile radius circle you would hit water 50% of the time is hard to argue against. Apparently, fish and plankton do not buy tickets to baseball games. Go figure.

Maybe adding an additional 10-15% of households to your team's marketing reach makes a material difference in attendance and maybe it doesn't. I'm just not sure the market will get a second chance to find out.

The City of St. Petersburg jumped the gun to put themselves strategically ahead of other expansion suitors nationally, but by not waiting until the area was awarded a franchise before building a stadium, they also nudged local jurisdictions whose locations would have been better suited to the long-term success of the franchise.

And the team is paying for the legacy of both of these tactical errors today. The only one who wins apparently is the City of St. Petersburg. I don't think it's any coincidence that none of MLB's corporate partners seem to reference St. Petersburg by name, in fact most distinctly reference Tampa--not Tampa Bay--Tampa, when mentioning the team. You think there experience with the NFL's Buccaneers doesn't give them a bit of a local feel for the geography down there.

If you believe that, I've got some swampland in Florida I'd like to interest you in buying. HAHAHAHA.


IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!!
---------------------------
UPDATE:

The case for the new St. Petersburg Downtown Stadium
http://www.majorleaguedowntown.com/

The case against the new St. Petersburg Downtown Stadium
http://www.stpetepoww.com/

BAD YEAR FOR UMPS

Another bad day for the brethren. This is one reason I like to wear the goalie style mask that has made it's way into the major league ranks slowly. The lower level games that I do, you're probably more at risk of events like this or the bat flingers crashing one into your skull.

Amazingly, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) does not endorse either style but at our annual umpires clinic/rules meeting the head of the state association answered a direct question regarding the goalie mask by saying in effect "you can wear them if you chose, but don't expect to advance or do the higher level regional or state games, if you do wear them."

Let me get this straight. We're not opposed to having pitchers and infielders wear masks that make them look like Hannibal Lechter, but put the umpires at risk of concussion or worse and we're somehow opposed to it for cosmetic reasons? Are you serious?

What's the big deal if guys feel more properly protected using one style or the other? Apparently, the major league umpires don't seem to mind if their ranks use a mix of both styles. Why would this be good enough for MLB umpires but not a state high school association? Likely because the (lone) administrator in charge of such a decision has never actually been on a field or behind a plate.

Give me an F-ing break. Almost anything in the name of safety, but not a choice of masks to protect the umpires. Sorry guys, I actually use my brain and don't mind taking reasonable measures to protect it. Too bad the IHSA administration doesn't use or value their brains.

Unfortunately, I'll have to root on a lawsuit. Of course, they'll cower behind the "we have no official position" on this and "we don't hold this against qualified umpires", blah, blah, blah, blah blah.

Personally, I currently have no desire to do those games, so it's not sour grapes involved. I just don't see the logic employed by the IHSA here and hopefully it doesn't take more umpires taking shots like this unnecessarily before there is a change at our level.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

ODDS OF WINNING - SO FAR

According to the standings below, only 10 AL teams and 8 NL teams have a realistic shot (> 10:1 odds) of making the playoffs. Almost half of the teams are effectively eliminated and we're only at about the 1/3 mark of the season. That doesn't sound like competitive balance to me.

In the AL:
OAK 70.4%
CHIW 67.5%
BOS 66.0%
TB 53.0%
LAA 42.5%
CLE 29.1%
MIN 16.9%
TOR 16.3%
TEX 14.9%
NYY 10.6%

In the NL:
ARIZ 86.8%
CHIC 81.8%
ATL 57.4%
STL 35.6%
LAD 35.4%
PHI 32.7%
HOU 27.0%
NYM 13.1%

Pre-season playoff hopefuls Detroit (2.8%) Seattle (0.2%) would seem to prefer not making the playoffs then to sign THE B-POPE. Milwaukee at (2.5%) also needs to kick it into gear and soon or their hopes are dashed. Way to go Bud.

The Gigantes come in at (0.2%) chance of making the playoffs - a 500 to 1 shot. Happy Fiftieth Birthday indeed. Way to thank the fans for their years of unrewarded support. Start taking a page from the Cubs marketing handbook.

FROM WEBSITE coolbaseballstandings.com
http://www.coolstandings.com/baseball_standings.asp?i=1

We've been hearing a lot about how the latest iteration of baseball's drug testing has changed the game from more of a power to speed game or maybe more of a veterans game to a young man's game and this has given teams like the Rays a chance to compete against the more financially gifted Yankees and Sox.

I think the jury is still out on that one, but it is a bit amazing how the tone of the message has changed, a virtual 180 degree shift, from "well testing will never stay ahead of the cheaters" to "wow, it looks like the shame game is more effective than onerous testing".



WHERE HAVE ALL THE HR'S GONE AND WHY. SOMETIMES THE MOST OBVIOUS ANSWER ISN'T THE CORRECT ONE (from SportsEconomist.com)

The commentators are giddy that the number of HR's are down in the early part of the season, even though it seems as if the abnormally cold, early season weather could be more of a factor than the disappearance of some of the big homer BALCO guys (Bonds, Sheffield, etc.)



BALL-BAT COLLISION ILLUSTRATED


A factor that I believe has gone under reported has been the loss of velocity of pitchers. Not just the most notable examples of Barry Zito or Mike Mussina, but across the board. The White Sox commentators are "searching" for an answer to Bobby Jenks loss of velocity from 97-99MPH top speed to 92-93MPH. We're talking about guys in their prime years, without any reported injuries and yet the velocity dropped precipitously. WTF, right? The missing factor in the discussion is the disappearing velocity of the pitchers.

It's interesting to note that you don't see the radar gun readings for pitchers displayed on the screen on any baseball telecasts anymore. Wonder why that is?

As the illustration above shows, in the all important ball-bat collision, a loss of velocity from EITHER bat speed or ball speed, will result in a loss of exit speed of the ball and therefore a loss of distance the ball travels. But pitchers using never really fit the MSM agenda until Roger Clemens entered the fray.

I sense such a seismic shift in the tone and tenor of the debate from the WWLIS that I can only speculate that an ESPN/MLB deal of epic proportions is in the works and that the "you don't shit where you eat" theory is currently in effect.

ZITO WINS!!!!! ZITO WINS!!!!

ZITO AND GIANT PITCHING COACH DAVE RIGHETTI, GIDDY AFTER ZITO'S FIRST WIN, DECIDE TO SEARCH FOR GOLD OR OIL ON THE BULLPEN PITCHING MOUND.

Barry Zito broke his season-long schneid yesterday versus the Florida Marlins by actually winning a baseball game for the Giants. Zito improves his record to 1-8 and ends season long speculation that he would finish the campaign win less.

A Marlin player who did not want to be identified said, "Yeah he had his stuff, if you could call it 'stuff', working today. He had us off balance all night. I mean we were expecting big-league stuff and we get American Legion pus. WTF, you know what I mean? We just couldn't make the adjustment in time."

The feisty Marlin continued, "I mean, you try and adjust from your big-league swing back to your high school or little league swing in nine innings. It's hard to do. Luckily, there's only one Zito, so it's really not worth messing with your mechanics for just one game, you know what I mean? Like a knuckle-baller."

So the train wreck continues, albeit with an occasional speed bump called victory thrown in just to tease the masses.

Your San Francisco Giants, celebrating 50 years of futility the only way they know how, by piling on more futility as far as the future of this franchise can see.

WANNA GET AWAY???.......

A real life version of those Southwest Airlines commercials from todays Daily Herald:

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http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=196544

Cops: Niles man backs over squad after getting ticketed
By Nadia Malik | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 5/23/2008 1:15 PM | Updated: 5/23/2008 1:21 PM

A man who had just been pulled over by police ran backward over a Buffalo Grove squad car Friday morning, apparently in haste to drive off.

Henry Raskin, 70, of Niles, had been pulled over by a Buffalo Grove officer on the 400 block of Dundee Road around 11:30 a.m. Friday for speeding. He had been driving 58 mph in a 35 mph zone, said Sgt. Scott Kristiansen.

"He was not happy about receiving a ticket. (He) apparently was going to pull away at a high rate of speed, but the only problem was that he was in reverse," Kristiansen said.
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So add this to the list of things not to do or say when the cops pull you over for speeding.

1) Don't ask them if they perhaps shouldn't be out there finding real criminals instead of hassling you.

2) Don't remind them that you're a taxpayer and you pay their salaries.

3) Don't mention anything about donuts or donut shops.

4) Don't smash into their car after they've issued the ticket.