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July 09, 2002
Let them play
I have been a baseball fan my entire life. When you cut me, I bleed Dodger Blue. I can remember stats and significant dates in baseball history as clearly as I can recall birthdays and anniversaries in my family.
I hate the DH, I wish they'd raise the mound. I sing "Take me out to the ballgame" when I watch the games on TV.
I buy the Baseball Prospectus each year.
I calculate player's OPS.
I play roto every season.
I keep score during most games I watch, and I save my scoresheets in a folder in my closet.
When I play softball, I hear Vin Scully and Harry Carry calling the game in my head.
Yeah, I am a baseball fan.
I watch the All Star game. Every year. If I'm not going to be home, I tape it, and if I catch a replay of a classic game on ESPN, I'm lost for the duration.
Yeah, I'm a baseball fan, and I am furious. I mean, vein-popping, ear-steaming, teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling furious.
Just when I thought that Bud "King Jackass" Selig couldn't do more damage to the game, just when I thought that we'd nearly hit rock-bottom, he calls the freakin' All-Star game!
A major comeback by the AL, amazing individual efforts from players on both teams, towering home runs and extra innings, the hated Barry Bonds being robbed of a homer in the 2nd only to hit a two run shot in the third.
The first game in a decade that is TRULY exciting and Selig calls it.
No winner, no MVP. Randy Johnson couldn't even be bothered to show up.
Those fans who paid their money to watch a game tonight in Milwaukee expected to see a full game. With a winner and an MVP ceremony. That's what they paid for, and that's what they deserved.
What they and we got was a nice big "thanks for your money, now please leave."
I don't buy this idea that the game doesn't mean anything, so the players shouldn't give their all. Maybe it doesn't mean anything to the players, but it sure means a lot to us fans. Sure, it doesn't count towards anything in the standings, but we baseball fans wait each year for this mid-summer classic, when the best of the best show us what they can do. It is supposed to be an honor to play in the All Star game. It is supposed to be a time when the owners and players give something back to the fans.
Major League Baseball should be ashamed of itself. During a year when Selig has talked of contraction, players are threatening to strike, and the spectre of steriod abuse looms large over each and every ballpark, this game was an opportunity for Baseball and it's players to transcend the controversy and just play, the way we all play in sandlots and back fields and vacant lots all across America.
Instead, they showed us what they're really made of, and it's outrageous.
I have been a baseball fan my entire life, but I promise you this: after tonight's disgraceful ending to an otherwise magnificent game, if there is even one day of strike or lockout, I'm done.
Let them play, Bud. Let them play.
Posted by wil at July 9, 2002 10:23 PM
Selig == Bush?Posted by: Roughy at July 9, 2002 10:31 PM
I mean, they both so famously piss you off and all that.Posted by: Roughy at July 9, 2002 10:32 PM
Don't make me angry, Mr. McGee. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.Posted by: wil at July 9, 2002 10:34 PM
My thoughts exactly. I could understand calling it in the bottom of the 43rd, but the 11th? Didn't Bud "Boom boom boom; three in the head, baseball's dead" Selig get booed in his own hometown at the HR Derby last night?
Mr. Selig, sir, hit the showers.Posted by: Radiofreewill at July 9, 2002 10:34 PM
I was a huge fan. I've even coached little league, and high school ball. I haven't watched a game though since the last strike. MLBB really has had a lot of shame for quite a while. Little League Baseball is the best anyway. The game is just a game. Kids can be kids. A homer is really a grand thing in Little League, not just an everyday event. That really great play is something special.Posted by: Artone at July 9, 2002 10:36 PM
I long for the days of Dave Winfield, or Reggie Jackson, or even Doc Gooden... baseball has really fallen a long way these days.Posted by: Christopher-Jaison at July 9, 2002 10:43 PM
Ditto, Artone. *Was* is the operative word.
Politics always seem to take over the things we love.
Damn Americans.Posted by: Courtney at July 9, 2002 10:43 PM
Wrong order (minor nit)...
It's not:
it should read:
Hi Wil,
Hey Wil,
I suppose college baseball doesn't quite do it for you, huh?
(Which is totally irrelevant, except that it's yet another chance for me to give hella mad props to the Texas Longhorns on their College World Series victory. Hook 'em!)Posted by: Andrew at July 9, 2002 10:49 PM
I don't know anything about baseball, so this question should be valid enough: What the hell happened and why was it bad (in layman-non-baseball-english please)?Posted by: synix at July 9, 2002 11:07 PM
How is this for a sorta stupid idea: The All Star game should count. Whichever league wins the All Star Game earns home field advantage for its respective team in the world series. Regardless of final standings at the end of the year. Players would be playing for themselves and a whole lot more. This way the game could never be called and players couldn't be said to be taking it easy.Posted by: Kalgash at July 9, 2002 11:08 PM
I lurk like mad, and this my first time posting.
Synix, as to your question, this is what happened: It was a very entertaining game, which eventually led to extra innings because it was tied.
All the pitchers on both teams had been exhausted since they only play two innings in an All Star Game... since they don't want to get hurt or tired, so as not to ruin regular season games, which "count".
So with no pitchers to pitch, it was decided the game would end at the end of the 11th. No one scored, so the game remained tied, and was called as such. With no winner, or MVP.
This really shows how little importance MLB puts on the All Star Game. People pay good money to see this, and they don't even care enough to play a pitcher for more than two freaking innings, because they have to be ready for "important" games. Very uncool, and if MLB continues such an apathetic attitude, I believe fans should stop watching and attending.
IlanaPosted by: Ilana at July 9, 2002 11:18 PM
I'm not a baseball fan and still anxiously awaiting to hear more personal news from you, such as, what you did on your Alaskan cruise trip, if you and Anne feel better...Posted by: Angelwwolf at July 9, 2002 11:20 PM
Wil, I'm apologizing in advance for mentioning Trek on your site. Sorry.
Anybody else remember how the end of baseball was predicted on DS9? Nobody cared anymore and it was gone by 2051 or so?
Perhaps this kind of crap is the first sign...Posted by: john the transplanted nebraskan at July 9, 2002 11:25 PM
Ralph Nader can't come to the phone right now as he is on hunger strike in Pitkin, Colorado over a disputed red rover call at Park Lane Elementary.
Your call IS important to Mr. Nader, so please try your fool's errand at a later date or leave a profanity-filled tirade after the beep.
*beeeep*Posted by: Spudnuts at July 9, 2002 11:41 PM
Perhaps this quote is the most eloquent description of how the players feel toward the game:
Well I didn't watch the All-Star game due to personal objections with what's going on with baseball (as Mr. Wheaton is a Dodger fan, I'm a die-in-the-wool AZ Diamondbacks fan), but I was seriously disgusted with Bud's calling of the game. Bad move Bud, very bad move!!!
I also hope that there is no baseball strike, but after everything that I've seen gone on, and after everything that I've heard, I'm holding out little hope, and I fear what this will do to my favorite sport...Posted by: Ben Ragunton at July 9, 2002 11:52 PM
Hi Wil,
I'll try to do this in proper english. You see: I'm Dutch. So bare with me. Anyway: when it comes to baseball, you can always count on my full attention. I understand what you are saying, but you really shouldn't be so mad. In holland baseball (amzing but true) is totally unpopular. So I didn't even get to see the game!!! Boohoo!! If we see any Major League games at all, we have to get up at 5 in the morning for a 3 second recap! OK, I know some things sometimes suck, but appreciate (I have no idea how to spell this) what you have. If you ever come to holland (to Rotterdam specificly) please come and watch a sunday game at Neptunus. It may not be MLB but it's good fun and the player show up!
Enjoy, wil
Love your website
AbePosted by: Abe at July 9, 2002 11:56 PM
To John the Nebraskan:
First, I was sorry to see the 'Huskers leave the CWS so early. They deserved better.
Second, the third-season TNG episode "Evolution" also mentions the demise of baseball, in a Wes-and-guest-dweeb scene about halfway through. (Guess who just bought the third season DVD set...)Posted by: Andrew at July 9, 2002 11:56 PM
OMG! I couldn't agree with you more! I stayed up late for that?!?Posted by: Robin at July 10, 2002 12:16 AM
Damn you, Mr. Wheaton... Just when I decide to go to bed and sulk over this whole fiasco, I have to come back here and read the ramblings of a man as angry as I.
I am a Minnesotan, born and bred. I've been going to Minnesota Twins' games since long before I can remember, and I can't remember a time when I haven't loved the game or the noble team that proudly represents the glory of a united heritage between two communities that otherwise share very few true commonalities to one another. St. Paul – the smaller, more contemplative older sibling tends to sit quietly in the background as the cautious matriarch watching carefully over it's younger, louder, hipper and more rebellious brother – Minneapolis. Even here, people have a definitive preference over which of these cities holds their heart. Baseball closed those gaps, if only for a few hours at a time. We were all Twins, and we all shared a common bond. A love. A pride.
I don't remember the glory days of Harmon "The Killer" Killebrew. His 22 years in Major League Baseball… His 13 All-Star games… His 573 home runs… But I DO remember his induction into the Hall of Fame in 1984 (I was 10.) And then there was the street named after him leading to the parking lot that was once known as Metropolitan Stadium. Although I can't remember the specific moments anymore, I DO remember what our family and our community shared on these otherwise random days. In these moments we were all Minnesota Twins. We shared a bond. We shared a love. And we shared a pride.
And then there were the glory days of the late 1980s and early 1990s. That first ever World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games. Hell, I still have my Homer Hanky, my Twins pennant clock, and the Wheaties Boxes. Oh, the Wheaties boxes… I remember the radio stations (all of them) interrupting any song or news story to play Queen's "We Are the Champions" over and over and over. I remember the party in the streets long into the night. I remember leaving my 7th grade class to go to the downtown parade with a few friends and the one unlucky parent that drew the short straw and had to drive us. And these moments were GLORIOUS!!! They were Gods among men - Kent Hrbek, Tom Brunanski, Kirby Puckett, Frank Viola, Dan Gladden, Bert Blyleven, Zeus himself – coach Tom Kelly. Minnesota shared a bond, a love, and a pride in ourselves and in our new heroes unlike any we had shared before.
In '91, we did it again. And again we shared those feelings and emotions that had united us so many times before. Since then we've had our ups and our downs, like any team. Team owner Carl Pohlad is nothing more than a flesh and blood Mr. Burns… The rich, evil miser that doesn't give a damn about anything other than his pocketbook. And then there's the stadium debate… Oh, God – the stadium debate… Another time, another place… But not here…
And then it came, just if it were prophesized by Nostradamus or forshadowed in Revelations. The second coming of the anti-Christ destroying all in his path… With one fail swoop of his mighty talon, teams could die… They call it CONTRACTION, but we know it for what it is… MURDER… The murder of the soul, the heart… Worse, the demon set out to kill all that had been built by this love we shares – our bonds… our love… and our pride…
Tonite this devil (referred to in the vernacular – Bud Selig) raised those disfigured claws once more… "There will be no winner… There will be no hero… There will be no glory!!!" In a game designed to bring people together, he chooses to tear people apart… In a sport designed to showcase talent and success, he chooses to emphasize mediocrity… He tries to destroy… There is no good in him… He's more machine then man now…
And what of the outcome? Strike? Probably… Contraction? Sure, but he'll be prying the Twins out of my cold, dead hands if he chooses to take them from us… The courts have stopped his minions onceand we can do it again… It would seem as if Mr. Selig is out to destroy baseball as we know it and love it, and soon the jokes we make about the sport dying in the early 21st century might truly come to pass… But Mr. Selig, Mr. Pohlad, and all the other horsemen must realize one thing… This is America's Pasttime… And as we've proven all too many times, we are stronger when we stand together and fight… Baseball is the bond… Baseball is the love… And most importantly, baseball is the pride that we are stronger than the sum of our parts and can do whatever we must to survive… And not Bud Freakin' Selig or anyone can ever take that away from us…
Anyway, this is your forum, not mine… I'll go back to my little hut and get some sleep… Thanks for the time, Wil…
Dodgers Rule! World Series! Shawn Green MVP!!!!!Posted by: LA FAN at July 10, 2002 02:12 AM
Hey, Wil and others -
If the all star game DID mean anything, the players would not be rotated out of the game so everyone has a chance to play. That is a little league rule, not for serious MLB compition. Curt Schilling getting pulled in the second inning? Please - the only time that would happen in a real game is if his arm fell off. The all star game is nothing more than a gift to the fans. It's a fun night of baseball where Barry Bonds is allowed to mock-tackle Torrii Hunter after the later robs him of a home run. It's a night where the coaches and players are allowed to wear ear pieces and be interviewed durning the game. You don't see pitchers brushing back batters like they would if it were heated competition. THIS IS NOT SERIOUS BASEBALL! If it was then there would have been enough players left by the bottom of the 11th for the game to go on and a winner crowned. Look at the scorecard on MLB.com - there are 60 players on it for Christ's sake. The only thing I'm pissed about is the no-mvp thing. Hey, they had co-mvp's in the world series, didn't they?
Dude I hate baseball. Those kids get paid way to flippin much to pay a sport. Now soccer, that's a sport. Baseball's just soup compared to it.Posted by: Chelsey at July 10, 2002 02:44 AM
Now, I love the A's with a passion bordering on ill-educated lust.
I'm not one of them big ole baseball fanatics who knows every little thing. I know enough to get by, and even enough to heckle creatively.
But a tie? In the ALL-STAR game? What. The. Fuck.
This excuse for a donkey's asshole Selig should realize his mistake, and submit to being covered in thousands of tiny spiders.
Like the one crawling across my desk right now.
I mean, fer chrissakes, a TIE?
That's like getting to the point of orgasm - you see it in your sights, it's riiiight there - and someone interrupts to say that Mary Tyler Moore is getting a colonoscopy RIGHT NOW.
And it was going to be a damn good orgasm, too. Spudnuts-worthy.Posted by: KJB at July 10, 2002 03:01 AM
Wil, you're lucky not to stuck in a city with a sorry excuse for a baseball team. The folks here in Tampa really wouldn't being losing anything if there was a strike.Posted by: Rich at July 10, 2002 03:17 AM
Hey, why not try cricket instead? There's only ever been *one* tied Test Match - though there have been plenty of draws...Posted by: NickW at July 10, 2002 04:38 AM
Baseball is dead...no wait I meant Disco. Nevermind. I shall always have my memories of being at Wrigley field and singing along with Harry Carey to "Take Me Out to The Ball Game"
Hey Wil, why don't you send a copy of this post to... umm, whoever's in charge of that stuff? I make it a point to send a letter of complaint whenever I am really, truly pissed off. Sometimes I'm ignored, but sometimes something will happen as a result. I'm not a baseball fan, but it sounds like a lot of players and owners and (whoever else) have forgotten that without fans buying tickets and merchandise, they'd have no jobs. So remind them.Posted by: Lady Amanda at July 10, 2002 04:49 AM
I can't agree with you more. I feel your disgust for Bud Selig. Let me tell you, as a resident of the state of Wisconsin, we hate him just as much, if not more, than you.
I, unlike you, have not beena fan of MLB for many years. Sure, I love the game, and I go to several minor league games a year, but MLB? Forget it.
I know many many people who have said the same thing as you. If the players strike, MLB is done. Stick a fork in it. The little pop-up thing is out. They're through.
Both sides of this manure-slinging contest are dirty, have no moral ground to stand on, and are just money-grubbing babies.
Ignore them, and maybe they'll take their ball and go home.
KahunaPosted by: Kahuna at July 10, 2002 05:27 AM
Hey folks, calm down. I am a longtime baseball fan myself, but come on, they ran out of freaking players. You can blame that on poor management (Barry Zito throwing 3 pitches??), but the bottom line is that they used up all of their players. Can someone tell me what they would have done had they been the manager in the 11th inning of last night's game? Huh? Maybe gotten some people out of the stands and used them instead? Stop crying. There is no crying in baseball.Posted by: sammythet at July 10, 2002 05:29 AM
I think baseball is boring, but listening to Harry Carry....THAT was entertainment.Posted by: dayna at July 10, 2002 05:32 AM
to clarify. Bud Selig is from McCook Nebraska. and i too am a baseball fan. my whole life. i agree it sucks that they called what has always been my favorite game to watch, however, if one of these all-stars, one who could become the next babe ruth, or hank aaron, were to get hurt and end their career in an off-week, simply for fun, display of baseball prowess... that my friends would be the tragedy of the night.
Posted by: andrew at July 10, 2002 05:39 AM
"PUT ME IN COACH"...Wil have you ever thought
I mean look how dedicated you are..you just
IT'S A OMEN!!! Go Wil..reform baseball !
Im not surprised. Baseball lost most of its flair after the strike in 1994(5?). Football has long since surpassed Baseball as Americas pasttime.
On another note, I thought that the tribute to Ted Willams was pathetic at best. Gee, you spent $5 for a little more chalk in the outfield. Whoo hoo! Here's a guy who defined baseball, and you give him painted grass.Posted by: Phxtony at July 10, 2002 05:42 AM
Calling a baseball game for going into the 11th inning? What is this world coming to?Posted by: Andy at July 10, 2002 05:43 AM
I dont care if they ran out of pitchers. Each pitcher only pitched a couple of innings max, bring them back in or have some of the other position players have a stab at pitching.
That would have made it exciting.
It was a very sad night, I was pissed as hell and I am completely sick of Selig. Being from Minnesota, that guy really gets under my skin. Him and PohladPosted by: DomitianX at July 10, 2002 06:09 AM
Alright. I am heartily in agreement with most of hte above posters. I am a baseballnut and I calculate out the weird stats. I was even doing WHIP before it was cool. Hoever I have to admit that I can undestand not exhausting the pitchers. Now, don't they have something similiar to this in many other sports to keep it from becoming boring? Something called a shoot out? They should pick 5 players from each team and *hold your breath* have them hit homeruns. I mean (insert sarcastic tone) I realize that fans hate seeing people hit homeruns, there were only about 50,000 fans that paid to watch 8 men hit little white balls on monday. How hard would it be to setup the pitching cage and throw out 5 pitches to each side??? I am sure Bud Selig though of everything during that 10 minute delay before the bottom of the 11th, that is what he gets paid to do. Fricken bunch of Idiots.
This goes down as a little foreshadowing: The All-Star games gets cut short just like the season will be. No one will be a winner, especially not the fans.
- Law (Die-very-hard Blue Jays Fan)Posted by: Law at July 10, 2002 06:19 AM
I'm not a huge baseball fan because I've always felt like most of the players were greedy. They cared more about money than their fans (at least in the last 10 years or so). In fact, I'd rather go to a minor league game. The stadiums aren't as crowded, the tickets are cheaper, the team is REALLY local and it's all about the game. Those guys are just trying to improve their game so they can make it to the big league ... there's the spirit of baseball.
I'm more of a football fan ... individuals matter, but they can't do much without a good team. In baseball, too much hinges on one player.Posted by: tj at July 10, 2002 06:22 AM
I was at the game. I was amazed that Bud would do this to us.....He is the reason Milwaukee has baseball. As a season Ticket holder for the Brewers, I was able to get my Ticket for face--$175 bucks. Scalpers were getting over $1000 per ticket prior to the start. The fans that were still there at 11:30 pm were true fans--many corporate suites had already bailed. To do this to us was the final blow that may just kill America's pastime.
Is Bud Seling deliberately trying to ruin the game of baseball? I mean what is it with this guy? Call the All-Star game in the 11th inning and not give out an MVP? What's the excuse? "We ran out of pitchers."
See, now you know why I stopped watching after the first strike. I was a huge fan in the 80's, with Gary Carter, Dale Murphy, and Ozzie Smith being some of my heroes. Those were men on and off the field. Now who do you have to look up to? Barry Bonds? It's a sad state of affairs when millionares are fighting with billionares about money. Just play the damn game already.Posted by: md at July 10, 2002 06:57 AM
Amen, brother!Posted by: BURNS! at July 10, 2002 07:16 AM
Sounds like they did the only sensible thing that they could given the situation. Perhaps Bud Selig is a jerk and they should change the rules for the all-star game, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. No team would want to risk injuring a pitcher that they pay millions for just for an exhibition game. The sudden death home run thing sounds like a good idea. But then again, what do I know? The only baseball I watch each year is the Little League World Series and even that was tainted by controversy (Danny Almonte) last year.Posted by: ttrentham at July 10, 2002 07:17 AM
The All Star game mattered to Pete RosePosted by: me at July 10, 2002 07:21 AM
Being a baseball fan in Canada, I hope contraction does not go through. However, Bud Selig is a total jackass and doesn't seem to give a shit about the Expos. Even in their, most likely, last season, he still manages to screw them by not allowing them to increase payroll. Good God man, let them live a little! 1994 screwed us. Let them try to have this.Posted by: Alex at July 10, 2002 07:29 AM
I gave up on baseball when the strike happened. Bunch of money-grubbing, selfish weenies if you ask me.
I was threw after the last strike. I was a major Dodger fan and now I Watch a game occasionally if nothing else is on. Fighting over money when they already make enormous amounts of it is rediculous. Let them dope up and strike all they want but ignore them the way I have. It is the best revenge for ruining one of my favorite games as a child. Join me in the BAN GREEDY BASTARDS campaign.Posted by: hops at July 10, 2002 07:44 AM
I totally agree. I stayed up last night to see a victory, not that. Poor Bud, sitting there in the front row, fearing for his life when the crowd began to boo. Serves him right.Posted by: Paul at July 10, 2002 08:22 AM
I agree with you whole-heartedly. I bleed Mets blue, my mom bled Brooklyn Dodgers blue till they broke her heart. Between the fiasco that is the Mets this season and last night's "tie," it's getting mighty tough to be enthusiastic. I've kept my season tickets, but the in-game banter with the neighbors has progresssed from optimism to sarcasm to the voice of doom.
If you want to see an amusing Top Ten list of other ways to end the All Star game, check out www.thecloser.com.Posted by: DanaG at July 10, 2002 08:31 AM
Hey Wil,
Look at it this way: What if they'd kept it going? What if it went for another couple of innings? And what if, worst case scenario, one of the pitchers threw out his arm after going much longer than he had expected to go in a game that's just for fun?
There's already players who turn down All-Star nominations because they're worried about injuries or being too tired to play after the break. Can you imagine what it would do to next year's game if something like that actually happened?
You got eleven innings of a really great game. Yes, the MVP deal is a travesty, but ending the game was the only safe decision available.Posted by: Roach at July 10, 2002 09:04 AM
I hear ya, Wil. This whole thing stinks. It's such a slap in the face to the greatest hitter who ever lived, Ted Williams. They name the AllStar MVP award after him, and then don't even give it to him! I just wanna pull a Latrell Spreewell on Bud Selig.Posted by: Bozzy at July 10, 2002 09:04 AM
"A pitcher could get hurt...." you mean like during any other game during the year???????
The All-Star game might not be important to the players, managers, or owners, but it is important to the fans...the fans who come out to the ballpark for the game, the fans who by the tickets, the beer, the popcorn, and the taxes (whenever the teams feel like they want a new stadium, or threaten to move everytime they want something for free).
Its an opportunity to see the best players in baseball go head-to-head, one time out of the year. There are no hard & fast rules for the all star game, only conventions (more like traditions) that most certainly could be changed, just to give the fans the thrill of having a winner (instead of two big losers - the fans, and MLB).
And not awarding an MVP? WTF, especially after renaming it this year and all. Its a real travesty. Baseball is on the way out, I'm afraid. The owners don't care, the players don't care, and the fans are started not to care. If there's a strike or lock-out this year, I don't expect the game to recover.
It'll be a shame to not see the Red Sox win a World's Series, but at least I wouldn't have to go through the agonizing process each year with the big letdown.Posted by: Lawrence at July 10, 2002 09:06 AM
I'm with you Wil, I have been a Yankees fan my entire life. I live in Texas so I also follow the Rangers and Astros, however I have always loved the Yankees. What happened last night is a tragedy. In a time when America is looking at baseball for a relief from everyday fears these people are turning their backs on us. I was crushed in 94,I was only 17 and realized then that politics are everywhere.
I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the news of the All Star Game. I had a softball double header last night, but game 2 was cancelled due to a thunderstorm. That only meant eveeryone could get home in time for the first pitch of the game. I had no idea it would be worse than watching a softball game in my league (some teams are really, really bad)! I didn't know a game was allowed to end in a tie! That isn't right.... I say, DO-OVER!Posted by: Liz at July 10, 2002 09:18 AM
Yeah I was wondering if Bud Selig posted on here and goes by the name of Roach.Posted by: Josh Sol at July 10, 2002 09:18 AM
While a tied game might be frustrating....I agree with the managers in their desire not to overextend players and send them back to their teams less than 100%. By its nature, the All-Star game is an exhibition game. Pre-season exhibition games end in ties often. Every player played. There have been years where this was not the case, and fans of that player had reason to be upset.
The purpose of the all-star game for me is to see the league's best players play each other. Which team is the victor is really irrelevant.
I am more upset with Fox for deciding that while the pre-game tributes to Hall-of-Fame announcer Jack Buck and 33 year-old-pitcher Darryl Kile...both died in the last month...for deciding this was a good time to air commercials.
I've been a Cardinals fan since I first learned about baseball...and grew up listening to Jack Buck announce the games. 33 myself, the concept that a healthy 33 year old can die of natural causes stunned me, along with many others. And Kile was great both on and off the field.
That Fox would have the insensitivity to air commercials over those tributes just shocks me.Posted by: John at July 10, 2002 09:20 AM
It is a shame that the All Star Game ended the way it did last night because it will probably be the last one before the end of baseball as we know it. You can almost bet that there is going to be a strike later this summer and that is going to change everything. MORE people NOT showing at the parks and a contraction of MORE than the 2 teams that Selig was looking for.Posted by: Greg at July 10, 2002 09:20 AM
I, too, was very disappointed with the way the game ended last night. I mean, a tie in baseball? That's ridiculous! It's gotta be downright un-American! No MVP? They could have at least named an MVP from both the AL and the NL. As a fan, I feel that this bodes very ill for the rest of the season. I think it's an omen of bad things to come. I thought it was especially cruel considering all the sappy sentimental stuff in the pre-game. It was like being made to love someone only to be told "it's not you, it's me"...Posted by: Jidabug at July 10, 2002 09:25 AM
Hmm first of all Mr. Selig tries to contract my team, the Twins, now look, they have a 7.5 game lead in tha AL Central. Just today I saw a story in my newspaper that he is still threatening the Twins with contraction if they don't get a new stadium. Now he call's the allstar game? Give me a break. For all I care he could have gone out there and pitched, then maybe someone would hit a line drive and knock some sense into him.Posted by: DeltaBlaster at July 10, 2002 09:30 AM
I am like that, but not about baseball. I am like that with Duke men's basketball.Posted by: brek at July 10, 2002 10:00 AM
Now, I don't want to go off on a rant here, but...
Is it just me or is Bug Selid ;) making the game suck more than monica lewinsky at a bill clinton clone convention? I mean, here we are, good little drones boosting the clusterf**ked economy by paying more money for hot dogs and beer than for most movies in theaters, and he calls the game with less grace than janet reno belly dancing for al-qaeda. Sure, giving Ted Williams some honor was good, but I think the Splendid Splinter would like to see Bud's splinter cut off and fed to various sea creatures after seeing what happened to the All Star Game, if you know what I mean.
The All Star Game is just that. A time for the best of the best bat swingers, runners and pitchers to go out there, whomp much ass and take a few names along the way. I'll take Bratney Spears singing Take Me out To The Ball Game in some obscure indian language any day rather than see one of the major games of the season get swept under the rug more than Area 51's real purpose. We paid not with little slips of paper and metal circles to get in the stands... we worked too damn long like drunken ants to get paid in the first place.
So what's next. I think some of the previous posters on the forum were right... baseball is dead, if not dying a painful messy death that makes boiling to death in your own skin seem like a calm refreshment. You just know that by 2100 or so we'll probably have Thunderdome-like battlefields where people legally sign their lives away to kill others since violence and sex still make more money than say, learning about Mars and eventual habitation there so we can save our species.
I'm running out of lame jokes here, so I'll simply say this: Bud Selig should be taken out of the gene pool. Permanently. And George Steinbrenner, come to think of it.
Of course that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.Posted by: The Silent Strider at July 10, 2002 10:10 AM
Spudnuts said: Sorry.
Ralph Nader can't come to the phone right now as he is on hunger strike in Pitkin, Colorado over a disputed red rover call at Park Lane Elementary.
Your call IS important to Mr. Nader, so please try your fool's errand at a later date or leave a profanity-filled tirade after the beep.
This has got to be one of the funniest things I have read regarding this whole sorry-assed situation! Way to go Spuds!Posted by: Potch at July 10, 2002 10:20 AM
I don't follow baseball at all. I am a Dodgers fan in that if they make the World Series I will watch. A bandwagoner through and through. I can't name ONE player on the Dodgers roster and I am proud as hell. I vaguely recall that Piazza is no longer a Dodger, but that's as much as I know.
I will go see a baseball game LIVE just for the nostalgia factor (and to get some sun and drink a beer), but I find the game deadly dull (although I played and enjoyed the sport many years as a little leaguer and was a damn fine -- all-star even -- catcher and second baseman). On par with soccer (1-0!) or golf.
But this "ran out of players" thing really reinforces a lot of criticisms made against pro sports. How the FUCK can you "run out of players?" They're still there, right? What, the fat fucking multi-millionaire pitchers are such finely tuned athletic machines that they are spent after throwing to TWO batters and are done for the night? I bet you bring in some minor league scab from Nowheresville and see if he's "done" after two batters. He'll pitch for the whole night and you'll have to drag him off the field.
I'm a big NBA fan, but even though I was once an NFL fan and MLB fan, I find my enthusiasm for pro sports waning every day. And baseball is the WORST. At least NBA players are generally in some seriously fucking good shape. Baseball players have been phoning it in for decades. The overwhelming majority are coasting on steroids.
Fuck 'em.
Baseball hasn't been the American pasttime for thirty fucking years. Maybe Major League Baseball and Michael Jackson can go halfsies on Johnny Cockring and sue... um... America... for... uh... having a life.
P. S. This post has been grouped into a very un-Spudnuts-like paragraph structure to meet the stringent writing guidelines handed out by my fifth grade English teacher Mrs. Connelly who USED TO RAP MY KNUCKLES with a ruler. But you know what, Mrs. Connelly? You're dead and I'M STILL ALIVE.
So who is laughing last?
Bitch.Posted by: Spudnuts at July 10, 2002 10:20 AM
I hear this from hardcore baseball fans everytime there's a strike, or the threat of one. But it's the very same hardcore baseball fans who are keeping this running gag running. If there is a strike this year, everyone will say "i'm sick of this bullshit, never again." But as soon as the next season starts, as soon as that sound of a bat cracking hits your ears, you'll be back, with stats running around your brain. Bud Selig knows this.Posted by: Mike Murray at July 10, 2002 10:22 AM
I guess I dont get it.
Wil, you mentioned that the All star game was the classic sandlot game, where the best of the best could go out and just play... Show us what they've got. So.. my question is.. Who cares if anyone wins? Do you really sit there and root for the National over the American league, or vice versa? You got to see the best of the best last night, and they put on a great show for 11, not 9, but 11 innings. I think we got more than we paid for.
Now.. I dont think they handled it all that well. Deciding to call the game in the middle of an inning is a little strange, but how else are you going to do it? And yes, the players on the field had their respective teams to worry about. In the larger sense of the major league season, this game absolutely doesn't mean a thing, unless... someone gets hurt. Then you're compromising the fortunes of another ball club, and clearly that was in the minds of Joe Torre and Bob Brenley.
A co-MVP would have been nice to see. Especially since the award had just been named after the late Ted Williams.
Say what you will about Selig, the owners, the players and the whole mess that could come to pass for MLB this season. But, I think they made the right call last night.Posted by: K. Hall at July 10, 2002 10:33 AM
Come on guys. If any one of those players had gotten hurt everyone would be calling "foul" There is NO pleasing everyone. It was a all star game, it doesn't count, its done for the fans. Those who attended the game in person and are disappointed; well you paid a crap load of $$ to see a 9 inning game, well you got that plus a few more innings. I know if my Freddy Garcia got hurt I would have to take some one out. If he gets hurt in a real game, I would still have to take some one out. No MVP does NOT make sense, but calling the game does. Get over it. We are lucky enough to at least have the game of baseball.Posted by: Stacey at July 10, 2002 10:35 AM
I'm not a baseball fan but I understand how angry it can be. I mean I can't imagine watching the all star baseketball game and having the umpire just end the game like that. I think the fans anger should be heard this time.Posted by: Pat at July 10, 2002 10:38 AM
Hey, GODDAMMIT!
Get this fucking straight.
There are no ties in America.
In anything!
How fucking obvious is this?!
Jesus CHRIST!Posted by: Spudnuts at July 10, 2002 10:40 AM
I completely agree With ya Wil. Execpt for the DH. The DH is fantastic.Posted by: Publikwerks at July 10, 2002 10:52 AM
Go Dodgers!Posted by: Tom at July 10, 2002 10:54 AM
You all are stupid sheep to believe that the game deserved a second chance after 1994.
Now you see the true colors of that industry again, and you still make statements like, "If they strike this year, I'm going to hold my breath until they grow a third leg."
Well, dream on. Baseball is dead. LONG LIVE HOCKEY!!Posted by: Techmaniac at July 10, 2002 10:56 AM
The fans will walk on July 11. Bud, its time you see how much you need the fans and not how badly the fans need you.....Posted by: Outlaw2097 at July 10, 2002 11:04 AM
Even though I am still a die hard Blue Jays fan, baseball lost its strong appeal for me after the first strike. I'll watch the occasional game but not as much as I use to. Of course, living in VA makes it hard to catch a Blue Jay game anyway. =P If they go on strike again, I will be too angry for words. They lose alot of fans this way. Anyway, lets hope not.
Side note: The firework incident in your previous entry, happened to our family this year. What a thing to happen but we are laughing hysterically about it now, its all you can do. =)Posted by: Melissa at July 10, 2002 11:07 AM
My thoughts exactly! As a die hard baseball fan myself (Toronto Blue Jays are my team. *ducks to avoid being hit in the head with a base ball* Hey come on, it's a buliding year. :) ) I echo your sentiments. It's time the boys of summer stopped thinking about the almighty buck and started thinking about the fans. Who by the way, provide them with the almighty buck.
TamaraPosted by: Tamara Ward at July 10, 2002 11:15 AM
Why are you so obsessed with their being a winner and a loser?Posted by: Zach at July 10, 2002 11:18 AM
Well said, Wil. Spot on.Posted by: Tom Bridge at July 10, 2002 11:38 AM
I know you're a big baseball fan and everything Wil, I mean come on aren't we all, but you do realise that you''ve jsut written nearly a full screen worth of banter about the game. Not that I'm dissing it or anything, but maybe it's not as good as you thought.Posted by: Anne at July 10, 2002 11:39 AM
I'm from Seattle. I wanted to see Freddy Garcia get the hell out of that game and save his strength for the second half. But, it's easy for me to say ... I attended an ENTIRE All-Star Game here last year.
Bud Selig is in desperate need of a personal PR person by his side at all times.Posted by: Huh Bunny at July 10, 2002 11:52 AM
Like I tell my kids, "It's not what you say, it's the way you say it." It's not the fact that they ended the game in a tie; it's the fact that they screwed around and announced it in the middle of the 11th inning, instead of at the end of the 9th saying: "We only have enough players to play to more innings...let's fight it out until the 11th."
I still can't imagine telling Pete Rose to end in a tie (as I see him crashing into Ray Fosse in the bottom of the 12th of the 1970 All-Star Game)...or telling Ted Williams to end in a tie (as I fume about them naming the MVP in his honor, then not even awarding the damn thing).
I could see Tony Gwynn (who scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th in 1994) squirming in his ESPN commentator's chair...he hated it, too. In fact, I'll bet if they asked the players, they would have wanted to continue. This is all on two clueless managers and one bonhead commissioner's hands.Posted by: Solonor at July 10, 2002 11:59 AM
I love Baseball.
You must read this post by Todd at excess bloggage.
http://www.excessbloggage.com/archives/week_2002_07_07.html#001677Posted by: Solonor at July 10, 2002 12:02 PM
Hey Wil! First time caller, long time listener (although my wife, Laura, occasionally posts)... We live in Milwaukee (Please, come to GenCon!) and we despise Bud Selig. The man's cancelled a World Series, now he's killed an All-Star Game. He may have left his princess daughter in charge of his sad little ballclub, but he's still an owner ruling over the game. The conflict of interest is obvious, and it's killing the game.
Getting back to last night, since the game doesn't count, why not be flexible and let players back into the game? You can't tell me Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa, guys who always play their hearts out, wouldn't have gone back in if asked. People paid $175 and $125 to attend. Those folks, and the rest of us who can't afford this rich man's game, deserved a complete contest. They just named the game's MVP in honor of the recently deceased Ted Williams, and now there's no MVP to award! How can one man be so clueless? OK, I forgot about Bush. Make that TWO men! It's interesting to note that if Selig hadn't named himself commissioner, Dubya just might have taken that job and therefore never stolen the White House. There's someting else we can blame Selig for.
Leave it to Bud to ruin a great party. I almost hope there is a strike. I'm tired of watching my beloved Cubs flounder year after year. When does football season start? My equally beloved Packers should have a good year.Posted by: Shaun at July 10, 2002 12:03 PM
As it happens I live in the Chicago suburb of Milwaukee and I would never have shelled out $125 for a regularly $2 Uecker (obstructed)seat knowing what a bunch of overpaid primadonnas these donkey's are.
Wow. Such venom. You think a US Circuit Court had just come out and declared a sensitive part of the Pledge of Alliegiance unconstitutional. ;)
Okay, before I begin, everyone channel your inner Randy Jackson and yell "This is AMERICA! We don't DO that here!"
Done it? No, you who yelled "I'm as MAD as HELL..." go back to the window and do it again. I said Randy Jackson, not Howard Beall.
With that in mind....
In Japan, they have ties. After 12 innings, in one league, it's officially a tie. And in some circles, they play for ties. To the Japanese culture, it's the best scenario, with both teams saving face.
And tell me, if one team did beat another, was it going to count one bit in the standings? One more homer for Sosa in the record books?
I don'tknow about you, but I'm more concerned about a healthy Pedro and wondering if a 4-2 stretch against the Jays and the Tigers mean a collapse for the BoSox.
Meanwhile, while everyone is duking it out a la "Lisa on Ice" (http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F05.html), I'll just skate around Miller Park and stripping until I'm down to my jockstrap....
Play Ball!
I'm sure this will just be one of many rants on this topic. But I have an idea that I haven't seen mentioned, and I write computer baseball games for a living, so I think a lot about this kind of stuff.
Everyone in baseball seems to agree that Joe Torre, Bob Brenly, and Bud Selig did exactly the right thing last night by ending the game after 11 innings. That all pitchers were used up, and that it was a "no-win" situation.
I beg to differ. In the top of the 9th inning I was already thinking (and talking out loud to my wife) about what they would do if the game went into extra innings and they ran out of pitchers.
The first thing that came to mind, and something the rulers of MLB seem to have missed, is to bring in the position players to pitch.
Most of these guys probably pitched in high school, and I bet a few even pitched in college or the minors. I'm sure Nomar could go out there and throw some 70-MPH batting practice fastballs for a few innings without hurting their arm. Move Garcia and Padilla to right field, and LET THEM PLAY!
The only reason a meeting would be needed would just be to decide at which point BOTH teams would put the infielders on the mound and perhaps open the floodgate of hits. However, hitting a baseball is pretty tough -- as shown by the home run derby where the pitcher is TRYING to throw meatballs. In other words, each team probably would have scored a few runs in the 12th inning hitting BP fastballs, and the game would have ended with a winner.
What amazes me most is that in addition to making the horrible decision to end the game in a tie -- they also bumbled all over themselves making the decision. They stopped the game in the 11th inning to decide what to do. As if it didn't occur to anyone ahead of time that the game would go into extra innings. The fact that they didn't plan ahead is perhaps the biggest sign of incompetence here. It's like going on a long trip without checking the gas tank.
MLB has really shot themselves in the foot with this one. And I fear it's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how incompetently baseball is being run. Oh well.
Clay Dreslough
> The All Star game should count. Whichever league > wins the All Star Game earns home field advantage > for its respective team in the world series.
I've heard this and I like it. Another idea I just thought of is that the winning league gets to host NEXT YEAR'S All Star Game, selected at random. And the host gets to keep a chunk of the money.
So even someone like Randy Winn of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will go out and want to win, because if he does they might play in Tampa next year, thus bringing money and attention to his hometown club.
ClayPosted by: Clay Dreslough at July 10, 2002 12:22 PM
Wil et al,
You deserve it. You bred this contempt and continue to let them get away with it.
Every time I hear about another "baseball outrage" I laugh because every SINGLE time all the baseball fans state collectively "Well if they do ONE MORE THING... that's it I'm done!" But what happened the last time they striked. As soon as the new season started.... every single one of you was back in line. Jockstrap Intelligencia...
Enjoy your shortened season...Posted by: Homer Simpson at July 10, 2002 01:04 PM
Baseball will never be baseball until the players get paid less and they don't use steroids to knock it out of the park.
True baseball died with the likes of Kent Hrbeck and Wade Boggs. True baseball legends. I don't care how many homeruns are hit by the players today. Back when baseball was baseball, they didn't need steroids. It was grit and muscle.
Until baseball is played by the true player, I refuse to watch another game.Posted by: Deadgoon at July 10, 2002 01:04 PM
I'll readily admit, I'm not a huge baseball fan.
When I first read Wil's comments, I misconstrued them to mean that Bud Selig was calling the play-by-play for the all-star game. Why the Hell would I wanna listen to Bud Selig call a baseball game? Is his ego so huge that he believes no one else could possibly do it in a manner befitting the midsummer classic? How about Bob Costas, or Bob Euker (Front Row!).
It was only when I went to espn.com's website to read up on this that I realized that Bud didn't do the play by play, he used the power of his comissionary position to end the game in the 11th inning while the teams were still tied, officially making him the Bane of Major League Baseball (until the players strike).
Now I feel Stoopid.
So...who was doing play by play?Posted by: MSquare at July 10, 2002 01:04 PM
When did baseball turn into soccer? let's have a tie so nobody's feelings get hurt, fuck that!! I'm sure all you liberal panty-asses that come to wil's site were excited about the tie!!YEAH. just more feel good liberalism.Who cares about the score as long as everyone plays, FUCK THAT. you stupid left-wingers are ruining this once great country. and how about that piece of shit singer anastacia, she should be kicked out of the country for not even knowing the words to the National Anthem.What a Fucking disgrace she was. and I see wilwheaton is a supporter of that CUNT!!Posted by: True Blue American at July 10, 2002 01:08 PM
in 1982, i was 7 years old. my dad happened to be a professional skydiver for old style at the time, and often jumped into milwaukee county stadium before the games (milwaukee COUNTY stadium, as in, it used to belong to us). during this time, i met almost the entire team, as we (brother and i) were allowed to watch my dad jump in from on the field, ie: during practice. at 7 years old, the chance to meet cooper, yount, fingers and molitor was pretty significant, and i developed a love for the team. that is, until selig came along... when was the last time they had a winning season? ok, but we still loved them. you've been made commisioner and you're giving the team to your freak-ugly daughter? ummm, well... ok, i guess they're still my brew crew... you want to tear down the stadium and build a new one? i guess so... it is pretty old. wait... you want to tear down our stadium, then have us pay for a new one that will belong only to you and your daughter, to do with as you like, so you get any extra income from non-baseball events? (how the hell did he pull that off?) enough is enough. piss off, you weasly pinheaded self-serving bastard for destroying one of my few remaining positive childhood associations you prick.
Baseball, what a bunch of coked-up steroid heads. So juiced up on the 'roids that they can't even pitch to more than 2 batters. DIE BASEBALL DIE.Posted by: BASEBALL IS SHIT at July 10, 2002 01:14 PM
Bud Selig=Head Up His AssPosted by: btezra at July 10, 2002 01:15 PM
Wil's update is getting Farked at www.fark.com today.Posted by: Philo at July 10, 2002 01:15 PM
BASEBALL=SOCCER=NO FUNPosted by: freud at July 10, 2002 01:18 PM
Growing up, I was a Giants fan and I hated the Dodgers more than anything =P I remember my
But the '94 strike really made me lose interest
Then, this year, someone introduced me to fantasy
I hear you. bad experiences with junior league lead me to quit. mostly due to abuse by parents. I went to a pro game and what i saw there, players and fans alike, turned my stomach. I was 9. I've never played since.
Mind you, I can still pitch 103 Mph, right to the red dot in the pitching tents, and I can still pitch and bat with either hand... I enjoy the athletics, but the shame of the game has kept me away.
Honestly, the whole commercial sports thing makes my skin crawl. I think the fans should teach baseball that this is the 21st century. Its time for the FANS to strike.
DonPosted by: Don at July 10, 2002 02:47 PM
I feel deprived now! We dont have baseball here so I dont have a clue what your talkin about! Wish I did tho sounds fun!Posted by: Hannah at July 10, 2002 03:01 PM
I have to agree with you, although I don't blame it all on Selig.
The concept of "managing" the All-Star Game has become a joke. To assuage all the egos, you have to try to use *everyone*. Which means, that if you go extra innings, you're stuck with just a handful of players.
So, how do we get back to the point where being NAMED to an All-Star Game is enough, whether you play or not? Joe Girardi was the last position player I can think of who actually said and MEANT that, and didn't play--and he probably only sat out because it was his manager that managed that particular game, and knew he meant it and there was no big ego to be bruised.Posted by: Lilith at July 10, 2002 03:05 PM
Now that's just fucking sad. What's the matter, couldn't get one of the overpaid whiners to play one stinking extra inning?
I watch an occasional baseball game, but I'm not a huge fan. But THIS crap... this is just plain stupid.Posted by: The HeartBurn Kid at July 10, 2002 03:07 PM
i'm a long time lurker, but being a hard-core Red Sox fan, and still feeling a little weepy about "Teddy Ballgame" passing away just pushed me to write.
Bud Selig took the game of baseball and turned it into a JOKE. How can there be no winner? don't we play regular games til the bitter end?
it sickens me that the year that they rename the MVP award the "ted williams all star MVP", there IS no mvp.Posted by: dianna at July 10, 2002 03:40 PM
Selig did the right thing, he just did it the wrong way.
The game could have continued if there were pitchers available, but the arms in the game were far too valuable to risk on an exhibition. Brenly and Torre and Selig agreed that it wasn't worth an injury.
But when the announcement was made, it didn't come out that way. It sounded like baseball's mommy was telling the stadium go home, the party's over.
The teams aren't selected normally, the game isn't managed normally, and it shouldn't have to end normally. Though it can if you allow for the other perturbations.
Bringing more pitchers (when did a baseball team last have fewer than 11 arms on its staff? Or 12 for that matter?) and enough position players to make up for the face-time substitutions of the selected 30, and you can play normal baseball after the 9th inning.
Hell, bring the pitchers selected to the College All-Star roster to pitch the extra innings. or last year's minor-league MVP. Or this year's Hall of Fame class.
It was a mechanical problem running up against the irrelevance of the result. I'd rather watch a mid-August Devil Rays-Royals game in a park with 4,000 people in it than see Vicente Padilla blow out his arm because he didn't warm up expecting more than 2 innings in an exhibition game.
Selig got it right, but pissed everyone off anyway. And he swears up and down we're not going to have a strike.
How are you going to spend *your* October, Wil?Posted by: blair at July 10, 2002 03:43 PM
Okay, I have to admit I don't watch baseball so I really don't understand what's going on here, and I don't know where else to ask these questions so I'll do it here:
What's the problem with a tie? It's a sporting event, most of the time one team beats another, sometimes they end tied. Why the outrage?
Now, the really confusing to me is why was there no MVP? Surely the fact that one team didn't beat the other doesn't preclude the ability to pick a player that stood out?Posted by: Very Confused at July 10, 2002 03:47 PM
I am amazed at the number of people who, quite clearly, don't give a damn about the *people* who play baseball.
"Let position players pitch" (which is how Jose Canseco ruined his career) -- "Pitchers should pitch more" (in an exhibition game which means nothing, so they can risk hurting themselves and taking themselves out of of games that do count) -- "I paid my money and *I* want to see a winner" (damn, I hope you never go to a hockey or soccer game, friend)... and other neeping and bleeping over a game that means absofreakinlutely nothing.
Look, baseball does a lot wrong. Most of what they do lately tends to be wrong. But this wasn't wrong. You can't expect pitchers to risk their careers for a meaningless exhibition. You can't ask teams that have tens of millions of dollars invested in these players to take the risk, either.
Please, save the venom for when it WILL be appropriate -- which is that day in mid-August when there will be no major league baseball games because the billionaire owners and the millionaire players won't be able to agree on how to divide the spoils of the game. THAT'S wrong.Posted by: robster at July 10, 2002 03:57 PM
To be honest I dont pay much attention to baseball, especially in Australia where we dont have it!!!
But you have to say....Brasil played a kick ass game against Germany this World Cup..
BRASIL, BRASIL BRAZIL.....Posted by: Abstract at July 10, 2002 04:17 PM
The rules should be changed so that if a game is tied after 11 innings then a home run derby should be held to determine the winner. World cup soccer has more or less this rule, some sudden death and then a penalty shot contest.Posted by: footy at July 10, 2002 04:25 PM
I feel pity for everyone in Wisconsin who's been forced to humor the evil whims of Bud "the Pud" Selig over the years. But apparently the breeze is blowing west, cuz from my comfy lawn chair here in Minnesota I can still smell him.
Baseball's had its troubles in the last 10 years, sure... It's impossible to deny it. But the Selig Monster is the salt on an already opened wound. He's that final turn of the knife after you've been stabbed 29 times in the abdomen. He is the epitome of evil incarnate, and he's destroying our beloved sport hella good.
I'll be the first to admit that the die-hard fans can get a little obsessive at times, but where isn't that true? (I'm sure Wil has hundreds of convention stories where he's wanted to go Shatner on some poor, unloved, overweight Trekkie.) What hurts us most is the sheer audacity that Mr. Selig has to be the governing body of a sports entity that he clearly has lost all love in.
The fact that MLB.com had a story posted within an hour of the game ending announcing that "Players Support Decision to Call Game" shows it as more of a political spin move than any other. Hell, AOL's top news story today is "Baseball Can't Win" which starts with a scathing review of the game, and follows with the painful state of baseball today. CNNSI calls it "Bud's Dud." A statement that couldn't be more true.
And today, Selig's haphazard vow to "make changes" to avoid All-Star ties in the future seems to be made one inning too late. The man has done little to help the sport grow - the TV ratings were down almost 10% from last year. And I won't bother mentioning the poor attendance at ball parks all across the country.
When any business has problems, the blame is usually focussed on a lack of focus. Focus is created by the management. It is the job of the management to bring everyone into alignment. If the management can't create focus, the business usually fails. Bud Selig has provided no true focus that benefits the game. In most businesses, he'd be gone by now.
I shutter at the thought of what will come next. He's been very unsupportive of helping the Twins stay in Minnesota, and I feel for the fans of Montreal too. The new strike seems imminent, contraction WILL happen, and Major League Baseball is looking more and more like a tragic footnote than America's Pasttime.
Goodbye Baseball. You will be missed...
Now damnit, Wil! I SAID I WANTED DANCING GIRLS!!!Posted by: I Am Steve at July 10, 2002 05:00 PM
The following was previously posted:
Posted by Mark at July 10, 2002 06:10 AM"
Perhaps putting the Ted Williams MVP trophy on ice was a poorly choosen phrase. LOL! (but crying inside.)Posted by: Dave at July 10, 2002 05:26 PM
Preach on, Brother Wheaton. The resolution (if you can call it that) to the All-Star Game has served to further make a mockery of MLB. Bud Selig is a fucking idiot and has proved his incompetence again and again and again and should be forcibly removed from power. Now he says the game needs to make changes to how the All-Star Game is regulated to prevent this from happening again. No they don't. The existing rules of the game are fine, and they should be adhered to -- as they were not last night. The game of baseball does not allow for ties. Period. (Japanese baseball does, as a concession to their culture, but even there they play twelve innings before ending the game.) When the managers approached Selig with their concerns, Selig should have said to them, "well, gee, I guess you guys should have managed the game better then, hadn't you?" The All-Star Game is still a Major League Baseball game, subject to the rules of any Major League Baseball game (with a few extra wrinkles already well-established for All-Star contests). Out of pitchers? Well, somebody's got to pitch. Selig's only response to Brenly and Torre should have been this: "If and when either of you feel you cannot field a team of nine players, you may forfeit the game." If Bob Brenly really could not have run Padilla out there for another inning and was unwilling to let anyone else pitch, then he would have had to forfeit and the blame for all this would rest squarely on his mismanagement of the game (and the roster -- only three starting pitchers?).
Also, I don't agree at all with the people saying that the rules should be changed to allow for some odd tie-breaker like a home run derby. The tie breaker is, one team scores more runs than the other. What's worng with a tie, someone asked? Ties simply are not an option in baseball. The end.
Robster, you might want to reconsider using "Look" at the beginning of your sentences -- it makes you sound like Bud Selig. :-) And as for caring about the players, of course we care about the players. I'm a Mariners season ticket holder, I wouldn't want to see Freddy Garcia injured in the All-Star Game. I don't want to see him injured in any other game either, but you know what? That's the concern of the team manager. The managers both mismanaged this game. This was a see-saw game, close for all of the second half, if not the entire game. Extra innings were a distinct possibility. And yet they still burned everyone on both rosters in order to "get everyone in." That's stupid, and the proper resolution would have been to force one or the other manager to either pitch a guy too long, play someone out of position, or forfeit.Posted by: Tim at July 10, 2002 06:06 PM
The DH sucks. It sucks because pitchers need to be able to defend their batters and get their shot at the other pitcher. The threat involved here keeps both pitchers in check.
Having a DH is like war with both side's sargeants leading the cause and orders but never experiencing the battle.Posted by: Dusahn at July 10, 2002 06:50 PM
I'm sitting here, listening to "The Place Where Dreams Come True" from the "Field of Dreams" soundtrack and reading everyone's comments. It's a perfect summer evening, pleasantly warm with a cool breeze, the last of the daylight just fading. The kind of night that should be spent at a ballpark--whether it be the local community-centre league or a major league ballpark--or at the cottage, listening to a game on the radio.
And at the same time, it saddens me to see the head of Major League Baseball do something to antagonize so much of the already eroded fan base. Whether you agree with the decision to call the game or not (personally I find it surprising that they had never considered this possibility and made a rule regarding it--particularly as there was a 13-inning All Star Game in 1987) the main issue, really, is that fact that he's managed to royally piss off many fans, in a year when strike talk was already casting a shadow over the game. Does Selig (and the rest of MLB for that matter) realize how cricial fan support is? Have they *noticed* that the teams which are suffering financially are the ones with problems filling the seats--Montreal being one of the primary examples? Though there are fans who will come back after a second strike, I find it hard to believe that there will be enough of those to support so many teams.
With the decline of baseball in the last few years, one passage in W.P. Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe" seems more nostalgic than usual, and takes on a bittersweet tone:
"I don't have to tell you that the one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has been erased like a blackboard, only to be rebuilt and then erased again. But baseball has marked time while America has rolled by like a procession of steamrollers....It is a living part of history...It continually reminds us of what once was, like an Indian-head penny in a handful of new coins."
To all those in MLB (players, owners, everyone): Baseball is a part of American history. Forget the fans and it *is* history.Posted by: Karen S., Blue Jay Fan at July 10, 2002 07:29 PM
Spudnuts you are so wrong, there are ties.
yeah let them play and let's injure the pitchers!
Bonds robbed homerun was in the 1st, not the 2ndPosted by: paul at July 10, 2002 08:07 PM
I'm not particularly a fan of watching an entire game of baseball on television, but goodness -- do I love baseball *movies*! I cry when I watch FIELD OF DREAMS. Every single time. Oh wow.Posted by: Lisa J. at July 10, 2002 08:10 PM
Me, and my friend's used to borrow the little league field to play baseball. We where verry competitive, and I remember the shame of losing all to well. Maybee a tie now, and then is a good thing. Could be wrong though.Posted by: SpiderWebb at July 10, 2002 08:12 PM
Wil, I am so infuriated with Selig and last night just topped it off. I wrote an article on my website about it. Its simple but to the point on my feelings. http://www.philsphans.com/features
I've titled it "All Your Baseball are Belong To Us." It seemed appropriate when speaking of Selig.
JeffPosted by: Jeff at July 10, 2002 08:19 PM
The way that I've always been able tell that it's spring in California (trust me, it's difficult to tell), is when I hear Vin Scully on my radio say "Well, hi everyone and a pleasant good afternoon to you wherever you may be. The Dodgers..."
I bleed Dodger blue, and have since I was a little girl. I could name the line up of the 64 Dodgers. I went to a car dealership opening just to see Jim Levebre and Junior Gilliam. I love baseball.
I just read an article in which Bud Selig was quoted as saying that one club might not make payroll on Monday and another might not make it to the end of the season. This seems like typical grand standing. Oh look, what troubles we have. We can't pay the salaries, we can't stay open for business, the sky is falling.
I miss the old days when Koufax and Drysdale would pitch on three days rest. When the Dodgers would win 1-0 on Maury Wills walking, stealing second, stealing third and being squeezed home.
What we have now is over inflated salaries, pampered players more afraid of getting hurt (or their clubs more afraid of their salaries being paid when they're hurt).
I want the little guy to win. I want baseball to be a game again instead of a business.
I'm with you Wil. The last time they struck I said "enough". Strike again, and I'm not goin' back.Posted by: darla8855 at July 10, 2002 10:10 PM
yea, i was pretty pissed when they called the game..... switching pitchers every inning or 2... man, thats just stupid in an allstar game (IMO).....Posted by: E at July 10, 2002 10:52 PM
One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces.Posted by: fink ployd at July 10, 2002 10:57 PM
I didn't realize the All Star game was on already, and that the news report was about THAT game.
As Seattle has always been closest to my home, I've been there every time Nolan Ryan came by with the Rangers. (I was there for Ryans' last game of his career). I consider it my home team.
Randy Johnson. I was very angry that he was treated like total crap before being sent off to Arizona. I think he takes a lot of crap from a lot of people and doesn't seem to get the respect he deserves. Nolan Ryan himself has always stated Johnson is the best pitcher all around. The guy loves the game, I suspect there was crap going on behind the scenes that wasn't worth putting up with.Posted by: Yvonne at July 11, 2002 12:15 AM
To those of you saying "bring the pitchers back in": You do realize that's not allowed, right? You can't put a player back in after you take him out in baseball.
So Selig changed the rules and declared a tie. The other option many of you are proposing is to change the rules and let you bring old players back in the game.
Would not either solution piss you off?Posted by: No one in particular at July 11, 2002 12:24 AM
Wil, you hit the nail on the head. And contrary to what some others have implied in this conversation, I think the All-Star game means something. This isn't the NFL All-Star Joke, held every year after the season is already over, as a sort of "hey, you rawk, now come and goof off in Hawaii for a while" thing.
This is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. A game with a lot of history, passion, and excitement. A game that is supposed to highlight everything that is good about baseball. It occurs in the middle of the season, as things are starting to heat up. It showcases the rivalry between the real league and the designated hitter league. ;-)
And Bud ends it prematurely. This was his doing, but it doesn't help baseball's rep as a sport filled with prima-donnas. I mean, come on. Pitchers might get their poor little arms hurt? They get paid a lot of money to PLAY BASEBALL for the fans. Without fans, they'd be working normal jobs like the rest of us.
I'm really getting heated up yet again about baseball. I remember being in Pittsburgh during Matt Williams' home run streak. He and the Giants were about to come and play the Bucs. I had tickets. Life was good. Then the strike hit. Matt got screwed. I got screwed.
The petulant baseball players started playing the following year, but I boycotted baseball completely for two or three years thereafter. Recent events have pulled me back in. The new park in SF is fantastic. Live games in NorCal are finally bearable (sorry about the Colosseum, A's fans).
Now there's talk of another strike, and then this All-Star Game fiasco. Say what you want about football players, but they know what they're getting into when they strap on their gear. They know their bodies will likely break down rapidly. They know they'll be in a lot of pain a lot of the time. But they love the game (and the money, of course) and they work their asses off.
Jesus Christ - it's not like baseball players are sacrificing their bodies for their sport. These guys are going after the money, pure and simple.
What baseball needs is a truly effective revenue-sharing and salary cap pact between owners, players, and the cities they play in (yes, that's what I said). Otherwise, Major League Baseball is gonna kick itself in the nuts AGAIN.
Boy, that was cathartic!Posted by: weberik at July 11, 2002 12:38 AM
there is no joy in mudville tonight.
regarding baseball;
It's designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything is new again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains comes, it stops, and leaves you to face the fall alone.
or how about this ?....
"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base."
one of my faves...
It's d`ej`a vu all over again!
and.. It'snot over till it's over
and I only say this, that in some way, it may bring a smile to your day... but,
there is no crying in baseball!
there's just no crying in baseball!
now I'm going to go see Mr. Hanks in that great movie, just to cheer me up.
or maybe that other move, maybe you have heard of it. it's about these 4 guys, going off to find some dead kid...
goodnight gordy... goodnight and sweat dreams..
and thanks again Wil,
Mr. Art
"Due to illness, the part of Spudnuts will be played by Christopher Walken."
http://webpages.charter.net/rmmatsus/Spudnuts/Berries.mp3Posted by: Rob at July 11, 2002 05:17 AM
One of the greatest moments in All-Star Game history took place last year. Cal Ripken, playing in his final season, hit the game-winning home run and was the All-Star game MVP. In the first inning, Alex Rodriguez switched positions with Cal, with Cal at shortstop and A-Rod at third, so Cal could play at his original position, the place he played when he first came to the major leagues.
It was a great moment, and I think it is what the All-Star Game is all about: a celebration of the greatest players in the game. It also would never have happened if the All-Star Game "meant something." Cal was batting like .225 last year when the mid-summer classic rolled around. If Joe Torre had been "managing to win," Cal would've never got off the bench, David Bell of the Mariners (now with the Giants) would have been starting at third, and there certainly would've been no switching around of positions.
The fans pick the starters, not the managers. Every team gets at least one player, no matter how bad they are. These rules make the game a fun experience for the fans. They also make it very much an exhibition game, and not the competitive event that Wil and some of the other people who are complaining apparently would like to see.
The teams ran out of pitchers because the managers were trying to play everybody. I know in Seattle, people were already bitching that the Mariner's Freddy Garcia was being snubbed because he wasn't played in the first 9 innings. So the managers get criticized if they don't play everybody, and then, if they do and wind up in a jam like last night, they are criticized for that as well.
I don't think that the people who paid for tickets to the All-Star Game were ripped off. They got to see baseball's superstars out there on the same field, which is really what they were expecting.
Was it messed up to have the game end in a tie? Absolutely. Baseball sure was stupid not to see how the All-Star Game has evolved and be prepared for this eventuality. But they will be prepared next year, and I hope they don't change the character of the All-Star Game to do it.Posted by: L-Train8 at July 11, 2002 10:38 AM
To copy everyone else who types this, long time viewer, first time caller.
Baseball used to be very important to me. Being a huge Blue Jays fan my entire life, I used to watch every minute of every game I could. Even when the Blue Jays self destructed(how the hell did they play so bad in '94 with practically the same team that won back to back World Series?!), I watched. This year, the games haven't been on as much due to the new owners being idiots(go Rogers!), but I'm still a fan of the Jays, and of the game.
As for the All-Star Game... I didn't see all of it. I went to see MIIB, and afterwards, I did catch the last half of the game. While I don't agree with when they made the announcement to end the game, I do agree with the reason and the fact that they did do it. The pitchers were all expecting to not pitch very long, and as for Barry Zito, he pitched on Sunday or something, so being on extremely short rest, the one batter was what was expected of him. He did his job, and got to enjoy the rest of the game.
Now while some of you say the players "don't care about the game", I disagree. They all enjoy being there, watching the HR derby, and being a part of the Most-Stars game. You can see them smiling and enjoying themselves, and most of the first time All-Stars(like the Blue Jays' own "I gave up the HR to Bonds" Halladay) truly are honoured to be there.
And as for players not playing in the games, I've seen Blue Jays not get to play, and while it sorta pissed me off, since everyone is supposed to play, i think it's a good idea for not everyone to have to play, in case of scenerios like this year's game.
If I were in Selig, Torre, and Brenley's place, I would have called the game too. However, I wouldn't have had the announcer announce it with 1 out in the bottom of the 11th inning. Before the inning, sure. But not in the middle of the bottom half of the inning you plan to end it in.
And as a final note, if you want to be pissed off at someone for the game ending in a tie, blame former Blue Jays catcher Benito Santiago! Anyone who gets caught looking at strike three in the bottom of the 11th inning of a tied game that's an All-Star game deserves to get a tongue lashing!
I grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. My entire family BREATHES baseball. This is especially a labor of love because the Brewers are sucking SO BADLY this season. It's incredible that a team so bad could be in so beautiful a stadium..and it's a sad insult to the taxpayers here who helped put it all together.
That said, the All Star Game was a great opportunity for Milwaukee to host some seriously great baseball. And host it did -- right until the very end, where Selig (Who helped build Miller Park) went ahead and screwed the fans all over the AL and NL as well as his local fans by providing incomplete and disappointing baseball for all!
It's rediculous, man. I've taken to reading Harry Potter books because of this. It's more interesting, and you always know there'll be a great ending.
Harry Potter books, Chris (or should I say, NDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDLDL... *runs away quickly!*)? That is a little extreme, doncha think? I think H.P. books should be used AS baseballs. Still, Selig should be burned at the stake for calling the game. Now we got to wait until next year. IF there's a next All Star game.Posted by: The Silent Strider at July 11, 2002 01:44 PM
Great idea, though not original. It been proposed by many and never taken seriously...unfortunately. If you wanted to really go way out there and suggest something that would make winning the game mean something...not only do you get home field if you win...the series is played under that league's rules. I bet the American Leaguers would be playing hard then. Yuck!!! I said American League...it's like baseball lite.
I am Steve
Outstanding rant!!! Btw, I hate the Twins :^p I've been a Braves fan since '81. And Hrbek pulled Ron Gant off first base, I don't care what he says...and the stupid ump blew the call.
Unfortunately, I think too many people inside Baseball feel the same way you do about the All-Star game...a real shame IMO.
To all who said something all the lines of, "what else could they do?"
True Blue
Very Confused
I am Steve
Its stupid goings on like this that have kept me from going to MLB games for the past ten years. I support a Minor League team, The Wilmington Blue Rocks. Everyone who attended the All Star Tie should be refunded their ticket. We finally agree on something!
Take carePosted by: Bart Manzella at July 11, 2002 03:46 PM
Screw MLB. Its all about money. No soul. Do everyone a favor -- stop supporting a diseased organization.
Discover the local semi-pro team playing in your area. The stands are empty, except for a few moms and girlfriends. The players will appreciate your presence.Posted by: Here's an idea at July 11, 2002 05:40 PM
Are these semi-pro players cute?Posted by: KJB at July 11, 2002 06:04 PM
And Rob, once again, beautiful.Posted by: KJB at July 11, 2002 06:16 PM
"It's only the All-Star game, so it doesn't matter?"
It's. A. Game. None of it matters. There is no such thing as an important baseball game.
Baseball exists solely because people love the game.
And people who've made their fortunes because of that love can't be bothered to show some respect for it. That's fucking sad.Posted by: R. at July 11, 2002 06:44 PM
It's somewhat hard to play when neither team has any pitchers.Posted by: Mike at July 11, 2002 08:14 PM
Wil.. what about full contact rugby baseball?
or another game I've heard of; place a keg o'beer at 2nd base.. you can't go by without taking a swig.. soon, the game turns fun! or in some cases, very ugly...Posted by: wade at July 12, 2002 05:08 AM
Just to think that I just started watching baseball again because I thought maybe just maybe it may be changing. But its not. Its the same old sh*t. I was raised with a bat and ball in hand and when they striked I just couldn't watch anymore. I can't stand how the Major League is being played. What am I supposed to tell my little kids in Little League about the face of the Major League when they ask?Posted by: sol at July 12, 2002 08:35 AM
The most important issue, to me, is that there was no MVP. I understand why the game was called. Some of the reasons given are reasonable, even if I think the game should have gone on until there was a winner. Somehow. Anyway, there still should have been an MVP ceremony. There should have been 2 MVPs, one from each league. Especially this year in which the award has been named for the late Ted Williams, so shortly after his death. Ok, so I'm not the 1st to say this. But I haven't contributed much lately so I felt compelled to say something. Even tho I didn't see the game. I went to a concert. But I was really looking forward to seeing the hi-lights on Sportscenter!Posted by: jl at July 12, 2002 11:36 AM
I don't understand.
It went to extra innings, so everyone got a full game and a bit more.
Why do people care about it being a draw? What's /wrong/ with a draw? Surely a draw is a happy event in a friendly game - and it at least shows an even spread of skill instead of a whitewash, so what's the problem with it being a draw?Posted by: MetalDog at July 12, 2002 12:19 PM
Mister Gorbachev, tear down this wall!Posted by: Spudnuts at July 12, 2002 12:59 PM
I'm not a big fan of baseball - in fact, I hate baseball, but I have friends who love it and I think it sucks that baseball has gone the way it is moving. First thing - why don't they play the All Star game at the end of the season when the players can give more to the game...just a random thought I had.
second thing - the players don't even seem to care about baseball all that much - they're willing to go on strike AGAIN, haven't they aready seen how that hurt the last time? With a team going out of business next week, you'd think they would care a little bit more about their own sport.
I feel sorry for the fans....it sucks when nobody involved in the sport one loves even cares about that sport at all.Posted by: Chewie at July 12, 2002 01:52 PM
I have to disagree with you, Will. I was at the game and I think they were right to call it. It was an EXHIBITION and not a real game. Both teams were out of players and pitchers on the bench. What would you have thought if Shawn Green was out there and tripped on a drain and blew out his knee in the fifteenth inning and was lost to the Dodgers for the rest of the season? I am a Yankee fan and I certainly did not want to see Jorge Posada or Jason Giambi getting hurt or Mariano Rivera pitching more than an inning. And contrary to your impression of the game, it was not exciting. All the big stars had left the game (and the city as I understand it - by chartered jets). Perhaps if more players were available (particularly pitchers) then it could have gone on. It had gone on long enough - 3+ hours by my watch. They did the right thing despite what the nasty and near riotous fans at the stadium thought. I had a great time in Milwaukee at the FanFest, Home Run Derby and the game itself and I still feel it should have ended when it did.Posted by: Ed at July 12, 2002 02:00 PM
as a ohioan, and a resident greater Cincinnatian, we HATE BUD SELIG, and have for a very long time for the PETE ROSE thing.
We get first dibs. We promise to leave you something to stomp/pee on.Posted by: jen at July 12, 2002 04:25 PM
Professional, highly trained "athletes", who get paid millions per year to play a game, and they can't pitch more than 2 innings? Go to any Little League game and you can see a 10yr old kid pitch 5 innings.
This was supposed to be a sport, a fierce competition, and when it requires a few extra innings what do we get? People who step up and rise to the ocassion? NO. We get "I'm tired and want to go home, but thanks for the cash".
What a bunch of welfare children and sissies!
Wil, you may be a 'fan', but if you don't understand that his hands were tied, that he had to call the game, then you really don't understand baseball.
This is not co-ed softball. It's a big business, everyone knows that. When you run out of pitchers, you call the game. Hopefully, changes will be made that will prevent this from happening again. But condemning the calling of this game shows a great ignorance of baseball in general.Posted by: dave at July 12, 2002 04:56 PM
For those who keep ragging on Selig, where is the outrage for the players. I didn't see any of them complaining about the game being called (most had left the stadium anyway).
It's time for the fans to strike baseball.Posted by: mustafa at July 12, 2002 04:59 PM
F.G.Posted by: Fabian Greene at July 12, 2002 09:48 PM
Well said, and especially since you're actually a fan. So many people have been talking smack about the way the game ended, and I always have to stop them to ask "Did you even watch the game? Do you even know who Barry Bonds plays for?". The answer is invariably "no, didn't watch it, and isn't Bonds a Yankee?"
I just want them to get rid of interleague play during the regular season and for Selig to resign, and for players like Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter to take pay-cuts and just shut up and play. I'll still watch, even if they strike, but I hate to watch the game lose fans. If the majors fail, all the rest will fail, too.
MichelePosted by: Michele at July 13, 2002 12:16 AM
I call BS on that. If as you say the only solutipon was to call the game, then OK -- do it by the rules of baseball. Ties are not prescribed for. I'll say it again, Selig should have told Brenly and Torre, "if and when either of you feels you cannot field a complete team, you may forfeit the game." The debacle was created by the idea that everyone had to get a few seconds of playing time, regardless of the game situation. These guys were ignoring the game itself, paying no attention to the likely possibility of extra innings as they went along. If that had happened, we wouldn't be all over Bud Selig's case for this (just for the multitude of other things he's screwed up), we'd be laughing at the boneheadednes of Bob Brenly's having to forfeit the All-Star Game and extend the AL's winning streak. (what's that? Nobody knew the AL had a winning streak? Oh, right nobody cares who wins the All-Star Game anymore...)Posted by: Tim at July 13, 2002 12:51 AM
Can't disagree with you on this. It seems to me that the All Star game is the one game where they could say once everybody has played that players can start coming in again.Posted by: micah holmquist at July 13, 2002 05:46 AM
I disagree, Wil. The All Star game is the only time fans get to see the best players in the game all together. It is just a 3-day break, and these players' main concern has to be the pennant race, not an exhibition game. The fans came to see these great players play, and thanks to the 14 innings, they got to see them all. I think the fans got their money's worth and more, and perhaps it was even fitting that it end in a tie.
So what, you all feel that the last 2 pitchers should be forced to continue untill one of them has to quit due to injury? Wow, that's the spirit ...Posted by: Puzzled at July 13, 2002 10:33 AM
Wil, I agree that the game was a travesty, but I do not disagree with the calling of the game after both teams ran out of pitchers. I don't think the pitchers that were left should have been forced to endure more risk of injury. The problem was not the way they were used, but the pitchers before them. The starters should pitch three innings if they can, not 2 or 1, and relievers should be able to pitch two. The managers should not choose so many closers to round out the staff; they should choose starters or middle relievers and maybe 1 closer at most, maybe 2.
I also feel it should be mandatory that players who are elected to start in the All-Star Game should do so unless they are injured.
Given the situation, I think Selig did what he had to do (loathe though I am to defend him).
As for baseball and potential legal problems-this is why I play APBA. When today's players act like jerks, I can get out my game and let the stars of yesteryear perform again, and ignore these bozos.
AllenPosted by: Allen Shock at July 13, 2002 05:19 PM
Sure. Fine. Whatever. Selig, you suck. Nice way to honor Ted Williams memory. Jackass.
Baseball lost me as a fan during the last strike. But when I heard what happened during the All Star game it was just confirmation for me that I was right all along. You got a bunch or money hungry, imbecilic morons running Major League Baseball and it will NEVER get better! Don't hate me, Wil!
Good Ole Bud - he's as f***ed up as a soup sandwich and he keeps outdoing himself.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes... it rains. As fine a quote on baseball as you'll ever find but notably absent is sometimes you tie.
And Monkeyboy, go right on bleeding Dodger blue... My Diamondbacks are dragging your boys behind the woodshed for a good old fashioned switchin' -- in your own house - for shame.
I agree with you totaly about the game what a travisty to baseball. On a second note I hope you are now over it enough to post again soon it has been 5 days and I am getting withdraw. I need some new scoop -lol- Hope to hear from ya soon.
-Matt.Posted by: Matt at July 14, 2002 10:15 AM
it's all about money!...the game has been left behind...in the future the new york yankees will tour the country...like the harlem globetrotters do now...and pound the hapless local competition...but you can't blame the yankees for getting the best players money can buy...they can afford it!...and there's no rule against it...sort of like enron and worldcom...baseball will never come clean...until it's called out!...d. burrPosted by: d. burr at July 14, 2002 05:10 PM
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LINN COUNTY, Iowa - One person was killed and another hurt in a two-car crash on Highway 1 just south of Mount Vernon Friday morning.
According to a news release, Linn County sheriff's deputies and other emergency workers were called to the crash just after 6 a.m. Friday. Reports indicate a northbound vehicle crossed the center line of Highway 1 and struck a southbound vehicle driven by Diana Marie Coultas, 46, of Lisbon.
Coultas was taken by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with what officials said were non life-threatening injuries. The driver of the northbound vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. That driver's name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.
The accident remains under investigation.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Potpourri making top
1 Recommendation
modcloth's recommendation
When you were a little girl, you loved the scent of your grandmothers potpourri, which she made herself in batches while you watched. You think of her every time you don this Moon Collection watercolor-print top, which boasts a bevy of blooms atop a cropped-sleeve silhouette and a feminine front ruffle. After you pair this blouse with onyx skinnies and a pair of pink heels, you make sure to check your mailbox before heading downtown. Inside is a package from your dear grandmother, whos enclosed a satchet of you-know-what along with an elegantly written letter


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Lindsay Lohan Started Club Fight, Claims Witness
A witness claims Lindsay Lohan was the drink-tosser, not the tossee as her camp claims, during a tussle at Hollywood club Smoke and Mirrors on Wednesday, according to TMZ.
A witness who was partying with LiLo's foe claims that Lindsay was the one who started the altercation. The source claims that Lindsay tapped the girl on the shoulder and aggressively demanded to know if she'd bumped into her. The girl claimed she hadn't, and suggested it was a man in Lindsay's party.
"That's my dad ... why would he bump me?" Lindsay replied.
"You go clubbing with your dad?" the young lady wanted to know. Whereupon Lindsay's instincts kicked in and she threw a drink in her face.
Allegedly, of course. Lindsay's pop Michael Lohan says this side of the story is a pack of lies. Michael went on TMZ last night and claimed that it was Lindsay who got the face-tini.
Source: TMZ
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text:
The Latin American mss. Dominican Republic, 1765-1803, contains a decree concerning ecclesiastical vacancies by Carlos III, king of Spain; a report concerning the treatment of two criminals; a carta de poder and a petition of a widow, Gabriela Moreno y Sanchez; and a letter from the French general, Francois- Marie Perichou Kerversau, to the governor of Cuba, Salvador de Muro y Salazar, marques de Someruelos.
The correspondents in the collection are Francois-Marie Perichou Kerversau and Gabriela Moreno y Sanchez.
Collection size: 6 items


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August 4, 2009 9:11 PM
SoCal Code Camp – LA #2 has been announced
The SoCal Code Camp website has been reset and is ready for the next Code Camp. This code camp will be the second camp camp that we are doing up in LA. This time it is November 21st and 22nd and is being hosted...
August 3, 2009 11:00 AM
Single Instance vs Multiple Instances
I see this question quite a bit, should I use a single instance or one instance per application database on my server. Continued »


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Photo by Romulo Yanes
YIELD: Makes 1 serving
Mash 1 cup quartered strawberries with sugar and lemon juice in a bowl using a fork. Cut remaining strawberries into 1/4-inch dice and reserve.
Sprinkle gelatin evenly over water in a very small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften, then warm over low heat, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Stir gelatin mixture into mashed strawberries.
Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir frequently until a spoonful of gelatin mixture holds its shape briefly before dissolving back into mixture, about 5 minutes.
Beat cream in another bowl with a whisk until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold 1/2 cup whipped cream into gelatin mixture, then fold in 1/4 cup diced strawberries (reserve remainder for topping).
Spoon one third of strawberry mousse into a glass and sprinkle evenly with half of cookie crumbs, then top with half of remaining mousse and all of remaining cookie crumbs. Top with remaining mousse, whipped cream, and strawberries, then chill until set, about 30 minutes.


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Shaq Goodwin Named To USA Basketball's U18 Squad Sunday
June 10, 2012
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - University of Memphis men's basketball signee Shaq Goodwin has been named to the USA Basketball U18 Team, the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Team Committee announced early Sunday morning. The 12-man roster will continue to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center through June 12 when it departs for the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil, June 16-20.
The USA U18 squad opens play at the 2012 FIBA Americas Championship in Group A with Brazil, Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. faces the U.S. Virgin Islands June 16, Mexico June 17 and Brazil June 18.
The top two teams from Groups A and B advance to play for 1st-4th place June 19-20. The semifinals are scheduled for June 19 with the gold-medal game June 20.
This is the fourth-straight summer that a Tigers player is a member of Team USA participating in an international tournament. Last summer, Joe Jackson played on USA Basketball's U19 squad in Latvia, while Adonis Thomas was a member of USA Basketball's U16 (2009) and U17 (2010) teams. Jackson was Team USA's U19 second-leading scorer (11.6 ppg) in helping the squad to a fifth-place finish. Thomas' Team USA U16 won the tournament in Argentina, and his U17 squad won the gold medal in Hamburg, Germany.
Florida's Billy Donovan is Team USA's U18 head coach, and he will be assisted by Gonzaga's Mark Few and VCU's Shaka Smart.
Joining Goodwin on the 12-man roster were Nathaniel Britt II, Sam Dekker, Jerami Grant, Montrezl Harrell, Jake Layman, Rodney Purvis, Julius Randle, James Robinson, Marcus Smart, Jarnell Stokes and Rasheed Sulaimon.
Goodwin, who signed with the Tigers in November of 2011, completed his senior campaign at Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur, Ga. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward helped lead the Panthers to their first Georgia Class AAAA state title game this past March, finishing as state runner-up with a 22-10 overall record. He had 12 points, seven boards and three blocks in the state championship contest.
For the 2011-12 season, he averaged 21.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks. Goodwin, who shot 74 percent from the field, posted 26 double-doubles in 32 games.
Goodwin, who was the Atlanta Journal Constitution slam dunk champion, played in the McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago, Ill., in late March. Goodwin's appearance in the game was the third-straight year the Tigers had a signee in the prestigious event. He was named to the Georgia Class AAAA All-State and 6AAAA All-Region first teams in addition to the Atlanta Journal Constitution All-Metro first team (DeKalb).
Prior to his senior campaign, Goodwin was rated among the top-50 players in the country. ESPN.com ranked Goodwin the No. 26 player in the nation, No. 6 power forward in the country and No. 2 player in the state of Georgia. In the Rivals.com rankings, Goodwin was rated the No. 44 player in the nation and No. 10 power forward in the country.


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Inter defender Rolando says the prospect of this weekend's derby with Milan means his teammates need no motivation.
The old rivals lock horns at San Siro on Sunday evening with both sides in the hunt for a place in next season's Europa League.
"A derby is a different type of match," Rolando said to SkySport24. "We know that, by winning the derby, we will be able to reach the Europa League.
"At the moment that is all we are thinking about, about the fact that it is an important match in our quest to get into Europe.
"But a derby can change everything, it is the sort of match that we can be motivated for all by ourselves."
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