The McGwire Debate


Alas, I am posting tonight because I wanted to get the issue of McGwire off my chest.


As we all know, Cal and Tony Gwynn are virtual locks to Cooperstown in 2007.


However, the Bunyan-like figure, McGwire is another case together.


Let's hark back to 1998. In the dust of the strike that drove away fans from the game, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa brought fans back to the baseball because of the chase to Maris's record. We all know McGwire broke the record that year and made baseball into a bigger part of the lexicon of America that summer.


However, it seems that many writers are torn whether or not to let him in the Hall, whether it be on the first ballot, if ever.


I find it hypocritical that many of the same writers that glorified McGwire in '98 are now the same ones who won't care to ever vote him in nine years later. Are the press the moral police now even though many knew or were suspicious of him during that period?


Ok, the use and distribution of performance enchancing drugs is against the law and is actually a felony, but with the suspicion going around baseball at the time, did the powers that be even care to follow US law in light of their pocketbooks being lined with green?


No. Simply, chicks big the longball and power sells.


In that time since the homerun chase to this day, Canseco came out with his bomb of a book, baseball has instituted a drug policy, and the Mitchell report, the answer lies should McGwire ge into the Hall of Fame?

As much I as want to say yes, he should - he needs to first talk about the "past" and openly admit he did indeed take performance enchancing drugs. America is a very forgiving society, and there should be some latitude towards players who are eligible for the Hall of Fame during the so-called steroid era, McGwire needs to face the music first.


Not that I have the privledge to vote someone into the Hall of Fame, but McGwire really needs to explain himself before he's ever granted entry - by anyone.

Yet Another Stop Gap Option...

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have offered Luis Gonzales a one-year contract.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-osnotes1202,0,2380072.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines

Is he good for us? Maybe. I'd prefer someone younger who'd give us a few years and has youth on their side, rather than playing someone who's on the tail end of their career.

Nice guy though.

An Old Ex-Friend of Ours...

ESPN's Outside the Lines will be airing an interview with ex-Oriole Sammy Sosa on Sunday on morning at 9:30am EST and on SportsCenter throughout the Sunday episodes.

As any O's fan knows all too well, Sammy was a complete bust and brought here via a trade from Chicago Cubs. I assumed he would certainly have a fall-off from his 2004 season, but never would I think he'd forget how to hit in 2005.

He was a problem in Chicago as we found out, and he was nothing short of terminal cancer in Baltimore. Between his poor numbers, the testimony on Capitol Hill where he forget how to speak English (in spite of he playing ball professonally for 15 plus years in the US) his so-called injuries and problems with players on the O's, he was sent on his way out the door in the second half of 2005 never to be seen again.

Long story short, he talks about McGwire, his Capitol Hill debacle and his eagerness to get back into the game.

Will I watch? Maybe. I'll be at church, but I'll see it later thanks the power of Tivo...

Here's an article about the hoopla on ESPN.com - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2683234

There's also a short clip of the interview as well on the webpage.

Yankee Ticket Prices - Good Lord...

Being a huge baseball fan, I often take out the opportunity to scour other ballparks in the nation. As well, because of my occupation, I sometimes get to see other parks on my company's tab (ok, I pay for the tickets, but not much else).

Today, I'm going to write about the Yankees. Love them, or hate them, they are the embodiment of the capitalism system that exists today in the United States. I'm not going to go into "why the Yankees have ruined baseball" argument today, but I'm opine in a succinct manner on their ticket prices.

Yankee 2007 Ticket Prices:

FULL-SEASON PARTIAL ADVANCE GAME DAY
BOX SEATS
Field Championship
Box 1-68 (Rows A-D) $150.00 $160.00 $300.00 $400.00
Box 1-68 (Rows E-G) $135.00 $145.00 $280.00 $380.00
Box 1-68 (Rows H-K) $125.00 $135.00 $260.00 $360.00
Box 69-80 (Rows A-D) $135.00 $145.00 $280.00 $380.00
Box 69-80 (Rows E-G) $125.00 $135.00 $260.00 $360.00
Box 69-80 (Rows H-K) $115.00 $125.00 $240.00 $340.00

Main Championship $85.00 $95.00 $180.00 $280.00
Loge Championship $120.00 $130.00 $250.00 $350.00
Field Box $63.00 $68.00 $73.00 $78.00
Main Box MVP $73.00 $78.00 $83.00 $88.00
Loge Box MVP $63.00 $68.00 $73.00 $78.00
Main Box $48.00 $53.00 $58.00 $63.00
Loge Box $45.00 $50.00 $55.00 $60.00
Tier Box MVP $50.00 $55.00 $60.00 $65.00
Tier Box $35.00 $37.00 $40.00 $42.00

RESERVED SEATS
Main Reserved MVP $56.00 $61.00 $66.00 $71.00
Main Reserved $40.00 $45.00 $50.00 $55.00
Tier Reserved $17.00 $18.00 $19.00 $20.00

BLEACHER SEATS $10.00 $10.00 $12.00 $12.00


Now, I have many friends & co-workers in the area who love the Yankees (I mean to a psychotic passion) and I shudder to think if they wanted to take a road trip up there. Well, if you add the price of tolls, gas, and whatever else, you'll be spending your car note to go see a ball game, unless you care to sit in the bleachers.

If you want to see Yankees game with a family of four, unless you are making 6 figures or know someone with free tickets, how the **** is a family of 4 supposed to see a ball game up there?

Someone has to pay for PAY-Rod (cough, I mean A-Rod), Jeter's, Giambi's, Posada's, Mussina's, and (insert any multi-millionaire as well) and it's the fans. Too bad the corporations and high rollers get to sit up close to touch their heroes, while the working man has to sit far from the action.

Here's a quick summarization about the ticket prices from NY Newsday Yankee Blog:

"Just about all of the tickets from loge box MVP and above are already sold out as part of ticket packages, so you can forget about those unless your company buys a plan. As for the ticket prices, the Yankees substantially increased gameday ticket prices for the best seats -- as much as $400!!! -- but COO Lonn Trost says 98 percent of those tickets are bought at the season ticket rate. There will be a small number of those available to the public, and the Yankees make no qualms about selling them for the high rate. "If we don’t sell them at that price," Trost said, "the brokers are selling them at that price." Trost added that by raising those prices so much, they were able to not raise prices for upper deck and bleacher seats for the third straight year."

Yikes. Is one supposed to feel better? I mean, just **** as much as you can from your fanbase, you know. So much for the family making 50, 60 grand per year or less! I have a good job with great pay, but even I'd choose to sit the cheap seats. I went to Fenway and paid $135 per ticket to sit 8 rows from the field near the visiting dugout, but the Yankee ticket prices just scream highway robbery!

As much as we hate Angelos for the losing seasons and his indifference to signing free agents who *actually make* an impact, I'll say he's kept prices affordable and some of the lowest in baseball.

What does this mean for all of us in Baltimore at Yard and who are O's fans?

More Yankee fans, Baltimore streets covered in blue, being outnumbered in our park, & obnoxiousness from our friends throughout 2007.

A Short Intro and Kevin Millar Re-Signed

 

Hey Y'all,

Ok, so no one knows me yet, but hopefully that will change. As an Orioles fan, I decided to start a blog chronicling my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles and also my opinions on everything ranging from politics, the state of the world, to rude people to entertainment to whatever comes into my mind.
***

Alas, my first official post: As we all know, the fellow who most did not want to see resigned for any reason with the exception of being platooned, Kevin Milliar has returned. To be quite honest, I am glad he's around for another tour of duty. So he's not the big power hitter or the sexy name that we all lust and salivate over, but he's a solid presence in the clubhouse, quotable and he brings a great attitude to the game and fans in general.

Maybe we can get him to platoon with a much younger player or a more established first baseman like an Aubrey Huff or something of the sort, if they are still available in the market.

To be honest, he's nothing much more than a stopgap until something bigger and better comes along in 2008 or whenever in the next decade or whatever, but he'll do. He had a splendid 2nd half, especially after August into the end of the year when he seemed to get more playing time after the Conine trade. Right now, I really hope he's just our everyday DH, though Jay Gibbons is far less than the ideal first baseman.
Hopefully, he can build upon his second half last year and translate it into a hot 2007. I sense if we are out of it mid-year in the 2007 season, he's traded.

Then again, the way the Orioles have done business under Peter Angelos, I could be wrong. Sigh.
Kevin's Orioles Baseball Stat Page (courtesy orioles.com): http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/team/player.jsp?player_id=132788