Feb 06
Don’t worry, neither does Bud Selig? [BI Sports]
In other, related news, Rays pitchers and catchers report two weeks from today. Party on.
Archive for the 'Bud Selig' Category
Oct 21
Bud Selig went on Sirius XM yesterday and had some troubling words to say about the Rays struggle to get a new stadium, which we think they still want. But really, who knows at this point…
“I like Stu Sternberg a lot, as you probably know…I, too, am concerned about their attendance. I track attendance every day. He knows it. I’ve talked to him a lot. They are a wonderful organization, produced a terrific team this year and finished last in the American League in attendance. I’ll let you draw your own conclusion. That’s bad…[Selig then asked if stadium situation is a "lost cause"]…I can’t answer that yet but I’m usually an optimist and I don’t have any reason to be too optimistic.”
Oct 06
If you are a masochist and want to read 1,000 words about how much we suck as a fan base and how much Tampa and St. Pete suck as sports towns, then you should head over to Biz of Baseball, and read Maury Brown’s latest piece.
It reads like an article somebody would write if they wanted a job at ESPN.com. This isn’t the first time Brown has bashed Rays fans. And it is just the same stuff we hear from all talking heads that don’t do any research and just regurgitate numbers they hear on Sportscenter.
[Update: As was pointed out in the comments, Brown was a member of the Portland Baseball Group that failed to bring a Major League Baseball team to Portland, Oregon. So when he says "fans in other markets would die to have a team [like the Rays],” he is speaking from first-hand experience. We’ll let you guys decide if that adds any bias to his writing.]
We are going to reserve further comment and just give you the highlights lowlights…
On contraction:
No, Tampa Bay, you’re safe. But, that doesn’t mean you deserve the Rays. Only by luck are you keeping the team. If the opportunity to relocate or contract the club were available, as fast as you can say, “Bud Selig”, I’m betting they would.
(translation: nobody in their right mind would want a baseball team in Tampa Bay area)
On fans and their priorities:
Fans in other markets dream of an owner and GM the likes of which the Rays enjoy. Tampa Bay yawns, goes to bed early, or flips on a sitcom.
(translation: you don’t care)
On Rays fans that don’t write about the team:
The Rays may have some of the finest writers – both mainstream and new – covering them, but the ones that matter the most – the average fan – are below average. They just aren’t there.
(translation: the fans suck, but I hope the writers will still like me)
On why the excuses are stupid:
There will be apologists that will use the location of The Trop. There are fans that will say it’s the economy. Horse pucky. If it were the economy, the television ratings wouldn’t have crashed harder than a rock falling from The Trop’s roof. And, even if the location is poor (and it is), at least the bandwagon would have shown up in the last week of the regular season, but they didn’t.
(translation: who cares if local TV ratings were 5th in baseball just last year and that they are still good. And location of the stadium doesn’t matter. Even if it does! And a 40 percent increase in fans per game over the last seven home games (~26,000) is a crappy bandwagon! Go talk to the Red Sox, those guys know how to bandwagon!)
On being the next Montreal Expos:
Tampa Bay, your name is apathy. You are the last years of the Montreal Expos in terms of attendance with the team being 1994 before the strike (for the record, the Expos averaged 24,543 in the shortened 1994 season. The Rays in 2011 averaged 18,878).
(translation: the stadium’s location still doesn’t matter, even if it does! And the Rays owners would be better off moving the team to Montreal!)
Here’s to the Rays organization. You’re putting up with more than you should, but you have no choice, and that’s a pity.
(translation: we should feel sorry for millionaire owners that only make millions each year instead of tens of millions. Who cares if most fans are struggling to pay their mortgage. But unfortunately, nobody will take your team away from you, so the rest of us have to suffer.)
See? No comments needed.
[Update: since this post went up, Brown has added a paragraph in which he acknowledges that there are some passionate fans, "just not enough." He also added a line at the end in which he says Stuart Sternberg shouldn't bash the fans.]
Apr 18
Silverman Says Stories Of MLB Pushing Stadium Issue Are “Just Rumors”
Bud Selig, Matt Silverman, New Stadium, Stuart Sternberg No Comments »
Michael Sasso writes about a recent meeting with the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, in which Rays team president Matt Silverman urged Tampa business leaders to be the public voice pushing for a new stadium east of the bay. Of course, this is necessary because the Rays are not allowed to discuss playing anywhere other than Tropicana Field by their use-agreement with the city of St. Pete.
According to Silverman, the Rays “have no grand plans,” and said stories that Major League Baseball and Bud Selig would get involved are “just rumors.”
But are they just rumors? Just in the last month, Stuart Sternberg has twice indicated that Major League Baseball may feel the need to get involved if the stadium issue is not resolved.
First Sternberg said “baseball is just not going to stand for it anymore. And they’ll find a place for me.”And then, just a few days later, Sternberg called urgency on the stadium matter “imperative,” noting that he believes the team’s patience “is greater than Major League Baseball.”
And then there is Selig, Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 05
Idea Of Contracting Rays Is Silly, But Can’t Be Ignored
Boston Red Sox, Bud Selig, Contraction is an ugly word, New Stadium, New York Yankees, Uncategorized 22 Comments »
Yesterday we heard the latest cry from some within baseball’s inner circle looking for the Tampa Bay Rays to be contracted. This immediately led to some (once again) explaining why contraction is a silly idea and why it will never happen in Major League Baseball. But that doesn’t mean that the threat should be ignored.
We have written on several occasions why contraction is highly unlikely. But the fact remains, some in baseball want the Rays contracted. And while they may not get contraction, they may get something else that could be nearly as damaging to the Rays and our hopes of keeping baseball in the Bay Area.
But first…
Who wants the Rays contracted?
When the latest story on contraction broke only days after Stuart Sternberg and St. Pete Mayor Bill Foster exchanged words on the Rays’ quest for a new stadium, many assumed that the talk of contraction was just one of Bud Selig’s “tricks” to get the Rays out of their contract and inside Tampa’s borders.
But Mike Oznanian of Forbes.com cited “high-revenue team owners” who don’t have much of a stake in the Rays moving to Tampa. And based on previous comments, it seems clear that we are talking about the Steinbrenners (owners of the Yankees) and John Henry (owner of the Red Sox).
What do they stand to gain from contraction?
In the early days of revenue sharing Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 19
[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss The Cy Young, A New Stadium And Flying Fennellyisms
Bud Selig, David Price, Felix Hernandez 8 Comments »
Yesterday, the BBWAA announced that Felix Hernandez had won the 2010 American League Cy Young Award. David Price finished second, ahead of CC Sabathia.
Hernandez received 21 of the 28 first-place votes. Price got four of the other top votes followed by Sabathia, with three. Joe Smith of the St. Pete Times had Hernandez first and Price second. Tony Fabrizio of the Tampa Tribune had Price first.
Marc Topkin has some of the reaction. [St. Pete Times]
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Tony Fabrizio explains his Cy Young ballot. [Rays Report]
- Bud Selig says he is prepared Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 08
Is Bud Selig Prepping The Rays Impending Threat To Leave Tampa Bay Area?
Bud Selig, New Stadium 39 Comments »
Buried in the middle of this piece at ESPN.com by Howard Bryant, is this little nugget…
According to sources, baseball commissioner Bud Selig has instructed Rays management not to make significant financial investments in the area until attendance indicators improve, suggesting the team could be investing in potential relocation sites.
The rhetoric from both the Rays and the city of St. Pete will almost certainly escalate this off-season. And at some point, the Rays will announce that if they can’t get a new stadium that fits their needs and demands, they will be forced to explore options in other cities. And Bud Selig may have already given them permission to do so.
Again, this is going to get much uglier before it gets better. If it gets better.
Oct 07
[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss A TBS Fail, A GTMI Fail And Game 1 Of The ALDS Could Have Been Much Worse
Bud Selig, David Price, Joe Maddon, New Stadium 13 Comments »
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: Roy Halladay. At least the Rays weren’t no-hit like the Reds. Still, watching that Phillies team last night left us wondering if they just had their Larry-Bird-in-the-’86-3-point-contest moment. Because it sure seemed like they just walked in the room and said, “We’re just looking around to see who is going to finish second.”
THE BAD: David Price. Maybe James Shields should have pitched game 1. We’re kidding of course. But seriously, should he have?…GTMI Fail. A team won’t get very many chances to push runs across against Cliff Lee. So when the Rays loaded the bases in the first with only 1 out, it was a critical blow when they failed to score. After loading the bases, Lee went on to retire 20 of the final 23 batters he faced…Donut Lineup. As in there is a big hole in the middle. It is bad enough that the Rays game 1 lineup featured two guys hitting under .200 and five hitting under .240. But even worse is a 5-hole hitter (Carlos Pena) who had the lowest batting average in the majors this season and a 6-hole hitter (Rocco Baldelli) that had 25 plate appearances all year. Those two went a combined 0-6 with 5 strikeouts and 7 runners left on base. And to make matters worse, Pena missed two scoops on errant throws that he would normally make…TBS. First there was Buck Martinez, who seemed shocked that David Price would throw so many fastballs in the first inning. My 13-month old daughter knows Price is about 90% fastballs these days. But then there was the Carlos Pena at bat in the bottom of the first. Did he get hit by a pitch with the bases loaded? Did the ball touch anything? Several people have said they could clearly hear a sound prior to hitting the catcher’s mitt. We still haven’t seen a good enough replay to know. With HD technology and 876 cameras, how TBS could not provide a clear replay is beyond us.
THE TELLING: Is today’s game important? Of the 22 best-of-5 postseason series in which the home team lost the first 2 games, only 1 came back to win the series…
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays trail the Rangers 1-0 in the best-of-five ALDS. Today is game 2 at 2:30. James Shields will face CJ Wilson.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Business Insider has launched a new website, “Sports Page” that will deal with the business side of sports. I will be a regular contributor over there. In addition, I’ve heard there is another name that is very familiar to Rays fans that will be joining me. So there should be plenty of Rays content. [Sports Page]
- Carlos Pena says Read the rest of this entry »
Sep 21
[THE HANGOVER] The One Where We Discuss Garza’s First Pitch, Selig On Rays New Stadium And Maddon’s Late And Wrong Move
Bud Selig, Joe Maddon, Matt Garza, Raheem Morris 8 Comments »
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
click above image for boxscore
THE GOOD: 7. Thanks to the Red Sox loss, the Rays magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 7.
THE BAD: First-Pitch Strikes. You can always tell when it is going to be a long night for Matt Garza. On those nights, he struggles to with strike one. And of the 28 batters Garza faced, he threw strike one to on only 9 batters. That is not good…Joe Maddoning. In the first 5 innings, Matt Garza gave up 5 hits, 4 walks, 4 runs and threw 47 of 85 pitches out of the strikezone. The Rays got back in the game by tying it up in the 6th. Rather than realize that Garza just didn’t have it, Maddon went back to the well again. We have absolutely no idea why Maddon expected anything different. But it was no surprise when the first 3 batters reached in the 6th. All 3 would eventually score.
THE TELLING: The Yankees have now won 9 straight games in which Matt Garza was the opposing starter.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Rays are 89-60, 1.5 games behind the Yankees and 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card. After 149 games in 2008, the Rays were 89-60.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- And why was Grant Balfour in the game to face Curtis Granderson? Because Joe Maddon thought Randy Choate was warming up. [Tampa Tribune]
- Matt Garza talks about his latest implosion (Video). [The Heater]
- Bud Selig once again Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 14
In a Q&A with Bud Selig, the commissioner was asked about the possibility of contracting the Rays should they fail to land a new stadium…
No, I wouldn’t. I think we have moved past that.
We’re going into 16 years of labor peace. I regard that as maybe the prime reason for the growth of the sport.
I love the new ballparks. I love revenue sharing. I love interleague play and the wild card. But I don’t think we understood how those labor confrontations were damaging us, whether it was 1972, 1973, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1990 or 1994.
There is no question that both of those teams need new ballparks. We’ll just have to work our way through it. Tampa has done a marvelous job running their team. [General Manager] Billy Beane has done a terrific job in Oakland. With the economics of baseball today, you’ve got to have a new stadium.
Contraction was always a silly idea and we have long been surprised it got so much play. Yes, baseball operates, in part, as 30 different businesses. But in reality Read the rest of this entry »
