Source: Newsweek
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity, really the privilege, to be in the right place at the right time. I visited upstate New York, to snow shoe. But, unfortunately, there was no snow to shoe in, so I hiked and then treated myself to a glass of wine. But not just any glass of wine, The Thirsty Owl glass of wine, at a bistro in Saratoga, NY, that gets its wine from its winery by the same name in the Finger Lakes. That glass of wine led to riveting conversation with the general manager and family owner of the Owl, who just happens to be the biggest baseball fan I have met (besides myself). And this owner, Josh Cupp, inked a piece from his heart which I share in part here. Give it a read, because it may get you thinking about the game you love and how you might need to love it differently in 2020.
"Pitchers and catchers report in just moments. Chances are if you have gotten laid in the last decade and don’t refresh MLBTraderumors.com constantly, you won't be able to tell me where the big boys from FA Class 2020 signed outside of Gerrit Cole and Anthony Rendon.
You might not be privy to the brilliant three hitter minimum rule (or keep on chuckin til half inning’s end) set to roll here in just weeks. How good was/is Joe Girardi? We’re about to rediscover as the Phillies will challenge the Braves in the NL East and Rendon’s exit will have the Nats hemorrhaging wins. These are just a few of the storylines that are all but lost to garbage can lids, cameras, buzzers, and impenitent athletes that have made our stomachs churn.
Source: The Los Angeles Daily News
Collectively baseball fans can’t seem to shake the hangover. The Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to demand that MLB have Houston vacate the 2017 World Series. Right. Makes sense. Council members, get picked last in kickball much 40 years ago? Poor losing is a fashion trend worn well by no one; athlete, politician or fan. Is Dallas spot on? Are we owed an apology? If you are unabashed enough to ask folks that make literally 1% of your annual income to bang on a garbage can lid so you can score an advantage, should we expect an apology from these ballplayers? Furthermore, said apology would be carefully crafted by an agent or team rep, wouldn’t be sincere, and it wouldn’t change a thing.
But first, my question for the other teams is this: you didn’t know? You couldn’t hear that lid, or the whistling? Surely you noticed, so try better code your signs. Too much work?
Solutions are the way forward. Here are two.
1) Throw a few in Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve’s earholes come April or
2) Figure out a way to give and receive signs in a more expeditious and efficient way that will also be theft proof. Whaaaat? You mean stop crying in my beer and make the game faster and easier to watch? Onward and upward.
Source: Orange County Register
You folks ever watch an NFL game? Those coaches on the sidelines, Offense and Defense coordinators up in the booths and the 6’4, 227 lbs quarterbacks on the field; do you see them flashing 1s 2s and 3s with while sporting fabulous florescent nail polish? Nope, they use radio communication. Ear pieces for one coach/manager on bench, one for catcher whom also sports a microphone on the chin portion of his mask and he can actually dictate verbally the next pitch to his pitcher. If the pitcher doesn’t like it, shake it off old school and try again. The pitch call could be determined anytime between the previous and forthcoming pitch and not just when the hitter is settling in the box. We’re not talking headphones, just a sporty little ear piece. Teams could decide themselves whether to utilize this technology or not. No sign stealing and quicker sequences the net result.
Earpieces and Get-over-it-ism done.
Lastly, the one problem I have with baseball I don’t have a good answer for. Players’ inflated salaries and trying to understand how I am meant to relate to the players that wear these hallowed uniforms. Quick stat/fact or two to explain my conundrum.
Babe Ruth made $80k in 1930 (a paltry $1.1M in 2020 money), the highest annual salary of his career. That was a lot of money back then, as the average annual individual salary in the US at that point was $1368. That means Babe made 58x the average fan’s annual salary. Last year Stephen Strasburg raked $38.3M while the average annual salary in the US sat at just over $58k. That means Strasburg made 656x more the fan that’s asked to come support him at Nationals Park. What does that fan have in common with Mr. Strasburg? How relatable is the game now? If ballparks keep selling out and folks watch on TV, why would owners, agents, players want to change a thing?
I understand TV contracts, free agency and capitalism. I also understand that noble professions such as teachers and nurses do far more for the betterment of humankind. However, the reality is the number of people that can throw a ball 100 mph or can hit that 100 mph pitch 450 feet is incredibly minute.
Source: NBC
My initial dream scenario would be to scale back salaries so the best players in the game made $10M annually and not $40M. Next, ticket prices cut by a third. It shouldn’t cost half your weekly paycheck for a family of four to see a game in person. Initially, I thought start a rallying cry and boycott one game out of 81 home games. Maybe that’d get some traction. Pipe dream.
I’m forever hooked on sixty feet and 6 inches, going first to third, and breaking in a new glove. Not everyone loves this game the way I do, unconditionally. Play it fairly, play it hard, play it quicker and show us you love the game as much as we do."
Thanks, Josh, for the wine, the conversation and the clever piece that helps ease the pain we all felt when the Astros cheated. What are your thoughts, readers? Anything to add?
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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