Interleague Bias: More fans and AL Dominance. Nope & Nope.

Ok, let’s tackle this. Interleague. I can’t stand the bias. There are 2 angles to the bias, actually, but I’ll tackle the “attendance” one.

Read a tweet from Buster Olney. Here it is:

Since its inception in 1997, Interleague Play has drawn an average of 33,285 fans per game, +11.8% above average.

Well, DUH! When is interleague? The middle of the season, right? June, July? Yup. It’s not in April. It’s not in September when half the clubs are out of it.

If you took a sample of games from, ooh, say, June 1975 and a sample from April and Sept of the same year, do you think the attendance for the mid-Summer would be 11% greater than in April??? Again: Duh.

But, Bud Selig and Buster Olney will continue to peddle the idea that interleague is so popular with the fans [groan].

Oh, what’s the other myth? The “AL is invincible” myth. Since interleague began, they have won at a .522 clip. So, what’s that? Every 45 games, the AL wins one more than the NL. Anyone want to bet that the salary disparity between leagues is well above that figure? If that’s true, and this were the only measure, then the NL would be much more efficient at spending money than the AL, and that’s WITH the WILPONS spending money with a firehose during this period! (and Selig shifting his uber-small mkt Brewers to the NL).

Figures on this stuff, welcome, just make sure you can cite verifiable references.

Dodger fast start? Swami nervous…

Spoke at length with the Swami this morning. He was up late waiting out the game on the coast so he was slow getting started, but with the McCourt thing cleared and new owners there and the super-hot-start they have going, I expected the Swami to be all made up about things and he wasn’t. He was nervous about needing another pitcher at the break and that certain things weren’t right. Oh sure, he said some positive things but he was cautious overall.

He ripped Uribe’s hitting, especially his apparently unorthodox foot movements in the box, and that lead to the inevitable comparison to the Boys of Summer all-glove, no-hit 3rd baseman, Billy Cox. “But that team was loaded”, was the refrain, and that led to “Hodges should be in the Hall”, which made me think, “why don’t they just put the whole 1953 Dodgers in the Hall and get it over with?”, which led to the old idea that one pitcher, either way, would have made the Dodgers win all those world series in the era (1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956 I include 50 because with another pitcher, they would have beaten the Philly Whiz Kids and in 1951, they would have beaten the Giants with one more arm). And that led to the agreement that the worst trade for the Dodgers of that era was when the Yankees traded Joe Gordon to Cleveland for Ali Reynolds, which, he and I agreed on finally, but, that he added, of course: “…but they had Raschi…”

And the takeaway is how great it is to have this discussion at all. Most of it well before I was born but Swami doesn’t care about that if you know your stuff and can keep up with him. Like last Summer when he casually added to a discussion an anecdote about a Chinese home run he saw hit at the Polo Grounds off Rex Barney? Or was it Karl Spooner? He was there with the CYO. He probably remembered the count too.

Taking my sons to Citizens Bank Park the other day made me realize that they will never see Shea Stadium and to them, it will be as The Polo Grounds was to me: just this ancient and unattainable thing that you see pictures of. Thinking about it from my new perspective makes me realize that it isn’t all that. It’s just a concrete bowl of seats more or less, give or take. Like when you go to your first world series game or playoff game and sit down and realize, “it’s just another game”.

It was great talking to the Swami, but I have to say I was a little disappointed that he wasn’t happier about things. He was crying when the team was in a funk and now he’s nervous. Fandom. He did admit to spending like all his time in the garage. That’s the man-cave where the XM radio is and the hotplate and the beer. The he-man woman haters club, basically, for the neighborhood guys. I’ll have to get down there to see it.

Jackie Robinson Day CBP April 15, 2012, Brian Birrer

My brother was in the box seats for the intros and he sent me over a couple of grainy screen grabs, and I’m very glad that he did because I had no photos of this as my wife had to be with the statue, and my youngest, in left field.

I was told to be behind the plate on the concourse at 12:50pm for a radio spot on the Phillies pregame. I had done that last year, so I knew where I had to be and what would take place. Just before heading down there, a Phillies employee with a clipboard, came up to me and asked if I was Brian etc.? I was then being whisked to the area by the dugout and told I was going to be introduced on the field. This was a surprise as no one had mentioned it, but I was willing.

I thought I could make the radio spot and still get back down there but they literally wouldn’t let me leave! Then, another Phillies person came and got me and I did the radio spot and still got back to the plate.

No sooner had I reached the holding area by the end of the screen beside the Mets dugout, they said “go out there” and pointed to a spot on the field and I did as directed and a cameraman took a closeup for a few moments as they did the intro, which was a spoken introduction followed by my 2 minute movie playing on the Phanavision. To add to the surrealness of it, I am standing on a big league field getting intro’d and listening to my voice blare out of the PA and seeing shots of my crummy shop on the Phanavision. Look close behind the head sequence, and you’ll see my Mickey Mantle statue in the background. He has since been beheaded, as he is getting a face…er…headlift.

This is what it looked like.

It was a lot of fun and a nice surprise as I never imagined that it would go that way. I was also very grateful to my brother, because he collected my oldest boy, who’s 4, and brought him down close to where he could see everything from the box seats nearby, so you love that. Thanks Bob! And Thanks Kenny!

All day long it was the same: folks lined up to take photos with the statue

Jackie Robinson Day 4/15/2012 Citizens Bank Park

For the 2nd straight year, we were guests of the Philadelphia Phillies on the occasion of Jackie Robinson Day, April 15, 2012. The statue is a one-of-a-kind, hand-carved, solid-wood statue, depicting Robinson in a 1955 home Dodger uniform. Everything you see on that statue is wood; the shoes, shoelaces, hat, skin, uniform: everything. Fans enjoyed taking photos with it all game long. It was a great experience and I want to thank the Phillies, particularly Kenny Johnson and Deb Rinaldi, for their work in making this come off so easily.

Jackie’s next stop is scheduled to be the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MO, in time for this Summer’s All-Star game, which is in KC this year.

The Phillies crew gets some close ups of Jackie right off the bat.

The boys eat lunch behind the sign. It’s a long drive down for them and they need some fuel.

The boys each got a Phillie Phanatic from the guys at the Phillies. It was a very generous gift for them and they loved them! All day, they were our constant companions.

Here’s Gregg Murphy of the Phillies going over our in-game spot in the 5th inning. They could not get a camera to show the statue live, so they used the shots they had gotten earlier and we did the spot from the standing room section behind the left field foul pole. Murphy was very nice and put me at ease and the spot came off nice and relaxed.

The boys were tired but rallied in the suite. We only had an inning or two up there, because we have to be with the statue mostly, but we did get up there. The two gentlemen in the background are the fellows who played for the Phildelphia Stars in the early 1950′s. They signed the ball we got last year and we were glad to see them again. The Tuskegee Airmen were in a different suite and I got over there in time to speak to a few of them and that was a real nice treat. They are great guys and the country should be aware of their sacrifices under trying conditions.

The boys pose with their Phanatics.

The boys loved the doughnut car and even got some freebies.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Both boys were old enough to go and really enjoyed it. The Phillies’ staff was just great as always and we hit all of our marks during the day. Many, many people said very nice things about the statue and it’s always great to get the statue out in front of baseball fans and hear their comments. It makes all the hours spent covered with sawdust seem worth it. Thanks, everybody. Hope to see you next year.

Matheny: Not optional for little league coaches

Here is a phenomenal writeup from Mike Matheny addressed to little league parents. It’s the ground rules for a team he was coaching. It’s worth a read if you want to coach kids at really anything at all.

Remember Yankee Fans: This is why you lost

Yankee fans: This is why you lost. You made the guy take his big, facial band-aid off. Bad Kharma. Big loss.

If I were the promo guy in Detroit, I would work a deal with J&J to give every fan in attendance a big, square facial band-aid when the Yankees come to town. Great promo. Love to see it.

Auction to benefit Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City

Buster Olney had tweeted this and I want to put it out there as well. This is an auction of items that will benefit the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City. Here is the auction link.

I have been in discussions with the curator of that museum to have my Jackie Robinson statue displayed out there this Summer in conjunction with the All Star game. It is a great museum. There is also a Jazz museum near that (16th & Vine) and that is very appropriate as KC was a huge hub of Jazz; as much as New Orleans and Chicago certainly. All Jazz roads led to, or through, KC at one time.

Please support this worthy and most excellent museum with whatever you can. Every little bit counts in preserving some important chunks of our history.

So long, Kid

Heard the sad news that Gary Carter has changed worlds. A few thoughts in no particular order.

I still recall the thrill of reading in the NY Post while at college, one cold winter night, that the trade had been made. It was Carter for Hubie Brooks, Mike Fitzgerald, Herm Winningham and a pitcher, I believe. Surely, this was the missing piece!

It was fun to be a Met fan in 1984-85 and it had not been fun for 10 years. My whole life to that point. I barely remembered 1973. In between? A dessert. And worse, the Yankees were buying up pennants like it was nothing with George’s money.

Fast forward to opening day. I recall going to a guy’s house to watch it. I was really happy to see the game, because I was away at college. In the 9th, Carter hit a game winning homer. It was great. I can still recall this vividly. You have to understand that Mets fans just did NOT have this kind of thing to cheer about! EVER!

Now we had Keith Hernandez driving in runs and a top, top catcher with power and Gooden and Darling and Sid and on and on. It got better. 1985 was my favorite year. I wen to the most games and I really enjoyed the battle with the Cardinals that ended in the 3 game set in St. Louis, that had Strawberry’s homer off the clock.

About 3 years ago, Carter signed my nephew’s baseball card at the Newark Bears game. It was neat. We got to talk to Tim Raines (a stone hall of famer, to me) and got the Carter autograph. Max’ mom was a huge Carter fan so she was happy he got it. Now, he’s gone. He was, by all accounts, a good man. He took flak for doing interviews but hey, that was part of his job and the rest of the Mets in that era weren’t choir boys, so I’m guessing that a lot of that flak was misplaced, er, let’s just call it, “lifestyle bias”.

Kid, you made a lot of people you never met, happy. If I could bottle up one moment, it would be that opening day homer. It symbolized the change in the Mets. The hope of the season (finally) to come. It was fun to be a Mets fan again and that embodied it. Thanks.

Is the NFL “Socialist”? MLB Socialist?

I keep hearing this. “The NFL is Socialist”. You also hear it when you complain that the Yankees take the field every night with an AVERAGE payroll advantage of 115 million! That’s AVERAGE. About half the time, yea, it’s worse. That’s a joke, right (well, not to Yankee fans who are in mass denial)? No, Yankee fans cry that if you have a problem with that, then you want “Socialism” for MLB.

There’s one problem with that. It’s 1000% wrong. The term “Socialism” describes the relationship between a government and its people. Got it?

When you talk about the NFL, or MLB, you are talking about an individual business. These businesses sell a product to the public. The product happens to be a fair sporting contest on the field between professional athletes. By “fair”, we mean, at a minimum, that the outcome is not known to any great degree, beforehand (that’s wrestling). That’s why players gambling is frowned upon; because the whole thing rests on the public TRUSTING that the games are honestly competed on the field.

Sharing revenue or capping expenditures, ENHANCES that which the business is selling: fair, honest competition on the field. It apples to oranges to even mention “Socialism” at this point.

If you DO NOT limit expenditure disparity (read: New York Yankees), then you have an UNFAIR system where outcomes are not totally in doubt.

Why hasn’t this system glitch been addressed in MLB? Well, the owners that bought the teams (including the Yankees) bought into an unfair system, and to change it with them holding the team, would diminish the value of their asset. That’s a tough sell. Good luck.

The other reason it has never changed is TV money. The biggest post season numbers come from the biggest markets and that drives the biggest revenue generator, the national TV package. So the on-the-field bias, translates into a nice bias at the cash register. Again, good luck changing that one. It’s patently unfair, but it works FOR them. Look, even the Mafia knew in 1930, to split New York into 5 zones! Having NY compete with Pittsburgh or KC is patently ABSURD!

Why else is it permitted? Well….er…Yankee fans LIKE IT! They like beatdowns and they have convinced themselves that it isn’t unfair. With an irrational mass denial akin to political or religious fervor, they have opted to “look away”. They like to feel “superior” in their fandom. There’s nothing wrong with what they do–only with what others do. Heck, it’s to the point where Yankee fans will advocate with a straight face, that super rich men should buy the small market teams and operate them at tens of millions in losses each year out of their own pockets! Just so Yankee fans don’t feel, ahh, you know, guilty, about outspending the rest of the league by an average of 114 million in 2010 and 115 million a night in 2011. Great.

Socialism to ensure your product actually IS what you say it IS? No, not even close. If MLB was a drug company, they’d be shut down because their product does not live up to it’s label (Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906). Imagine that. But there’s nothing to see here.

Unique Curt Schilling life size “bloody sock” sculpture to be auctioned for ALS

Click here to go to the site in a new window

Recently completed: a solid-wood, hand carved, life size statue of Curt Schilling’s leg (yes, leg). The sculpture will be auctioned off to benefit ALS at a future date to be determined.

I had a ball making this item and I really like it although it generates some interesting responses, from bemused to, “who’s Curt Schilling?” from the non-sporting crowd. I have had it in front of people and the responses have been nice.

I got so tired of people not understanding that my art was 100% wood, even, at times, when they were standing in front of it and being told by me that it was wood. You would be surprised. So with this piece, I put it right out there and I plan on doing that with all of my pieces from now on.

* And before anyone asks me, I’ll tell you. ALS is handling the auction. It’s not on any fast track right now. Yes, I have tried to contact Curt Schilling through social media to propose the idea that he sign it to give it legs in the auction. Since I’m not making a dime off of it, I figured that I’d at least be acknowledged and to date I have not been. Am I disappointed in that? Well, to be completely honest, I am a little, I have to admit, but, I know he’s doing this huge launch to a product that his company has sweated blood to produce, so I understand the busyness.

I know he has people coming at him from all angles with his gaming company and on and on, so I do respect the demands placed on him, however, when someone spends the time I did, meticulously creating an art object for a charity auction for a cause that he champions, then I would hope for an acknowledgement at least. Even if the answer is “no”, which it could easily be. He may be uncomfortable getting too close to something that might appear self-serving. I would totally respect that. But I would like to at least hear, “message rcvd. great work. sorry, no can do good luck”. That’s it. Would that be too much? I read 10 tweets a day from him about the video games and sundry so it’s not like he’s not plugged in. Oh well, everything happens for a reason. So don’t ask me this question again! Got it? haha. Thanks.

Addendum: The Jackie Robinson statue looks like it will be appearing at Citizens Bank Park for the Mets-Phils on Sun April 15, 2012, but I do not have confirmation on that as of right now. It’s a strong possibility however. Love to see everyone there. Day game! Very pleased that the schedule makers did that.

Also, I am in talks with the Negro League Baseball Museum to have Jackie shipped out to Kansas City and displayed at the museum through the All-Star Game period. I’m very happy about that as well. Jackie belongs there and I hope a lot of folks get to see him.