Major League Baseball, 2011

[Bud]

It's that time of the year again! It doesn't feel like it here, though. Gray, dreary, and in the low 40s.

I'm pretty sure the weather is better in LA, where my beloved, DEFENDING WORLD CHAMPION GIANTS play the hated Dodgers in less than an hour.

Summer begins today!!!

[gundy516]

Yeh, it's baseball time again! I am going to the home opener for the Mariners next Friday the 8th. Looking forward to this..................I don't think we have chance of making the post season, but they are fun to watch, especially with Felix pitching!

[Bud]

You never know how things will turn out!

I have tickets to see the Mariners play the Nationals this year. Looking forward to watch Ichiro play

[gundy516]

Hey Bud we're undefeated!!!!! I know it's only two games into the season, but it's already starting to look better than last year

[mapache61]

Opening weekend: Dodgers vs Bud's Defending World Chumps.
LA: 3
SF: 1
I know. There are still 158,000,000 games to go. Wake me when it's over.

The Mariners could do something. Why not? I'm sure the espn clowns like Anaheim and Texas. But I'm picking Seattle or Oakland to win the AL West.

[scielle]

Baseball? 'tis a silly game. (And "World Series" a massive misnomer! Not much of a world if it excludes Cuba, Japan, South Korea...)

[Bud]

gundy516 - Hope things start turning up for the Mariners! Tough loss streak

mapache61 - Giants finally in range of .500. Cain on the mound tonight!

scielle - As I'm sure you're aware, the Major Leagues do include Canada, so there it's more than just a US thing. But point well taken. There was some talk a few years back of expanding into Mexico, but with the current drug wars it's probably a good thing that didn't happen.

I'm looking forward to attending my first MLB game this season, on Friday, 15 April. Nationals vs Milwaukee

[gundy516]

Oh Bud I don't know about the Mariners right now................had fun at the home opener though; pregame festivities and tributes were really nice.........game not so nice....................a 10 run 4th inning by Cleveland had the hometown sold out crowd of 45,000 booing.....................on top of that we had to pay $40 for parking.............$10 each for beer! It is not a cheap ticket these days for Major League baseball. We're now 2 and 7 so hopefully we can get this turned around:).

[gundy516]

MARINERS WIN! MARINERS WIN! (FINALLY!!!!)

[mapache61]

Baseball is a silly game? Yes, it is. But no sillier than any other sport.

[gundy516]

You know, I absolutely love baseball........but it can be very difficult to watch sometimes..........case in point my Mariners team

[Bud]

I don't think it'll be too long before the Mariners climb in the standings. Looks like you have a decent shot at a win today!

The beer prices at Nationals Park are $8.00, same as last year. Not that I needed any beer Friday night. It was the coldest and windiest game I can remember attending, and I'm a seasoned veteran of Candlestick Park

[mapache61]

I'm assuming $8 is for a large beer. That's good. So is $10 in Seattle. Here, Frank McBankrupt sticks us up for $12. What I can't believe, gundy, is $40 for parking. Not even the Lakers charge that much (last time I went, I think it was $25). Speaking of the Lakers, I was not suprised they lost game 1 to New Orleans yesterday. Hope I'm wrong, but I don't think a three-peat is in the cards for the purple-and-gold.

[Bud]

Only one beer size at Nats Park. $12 for blue beer?? That's steep. Found some interesting cost info here:
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/201 ... prices.php

We pay just $5 for parking. We found an outer lot that's very walkable, and sits under a major freeway, so it's covered. As you get closer to the ballpark, prices creep up to $35.

[gundy516]

Parking is an issue in downtown Seattle; there is a parking garage next to both stadiums (baseball and football are right across the street from each other) and it's $20 bucks there but finding a spot on busy nights is not easy (although parking in the garage now for the rest of the baseball season won't be a problem with the way the team is playing !); People are just starting to use more transit in Seattle, however us Westcoasters and Northwest folks do love our cars!
You know what I do like thought that Seattle did with the roads going to the stadium............there are exits and entrances to the interstate right from the ballpark .......very nice to get out at night from a game.
Anyway, I hope the rest of you enjoy the season and hopefully weather improves for baseball!

AND, wow $10 for beer!?

[mapache61]

RE: Bud's link.
Cheers to the Giants for a $6 dixie cup of watery beer? Ha! Yeah, such a bargain. And by the way, this Fan Cost Index (see link in SF Weekly story) cannot be trusted. The Dodger Stadium beer, hot dog and soda prices are ALL wrong. Too bad this SF Weekly writer can't afford to go to a game and check the prices himself. I know what these free Weekly papers pay, and he's lucky if he earned $2.50 for this article. At today's MLB prices, that'll buy him six peanuts and a sip of Coors Light -- provided he has another $25 for a seat located 7 miles above the field. God bless America's pastime!

$12 for a Dodger Blues beer? Yup, that's for a large "premium" beer (imports & microbrews). A large cup of p*ss-water (Bud Light) is $10; a small runs you $8. And unless you're a cheap creep, add a buck to everything so you can tip the poor beer jockey who's being paid slave wages by Frank McSlime.

Gundy, I am rooting hard for your miserable Mariners to do something this year. Here, just behind the Orange County curtain, I'm forced to listen to a lot of bold talk from Angels bandwagoners.

Bud Selig for President in 2012!

[gundy516]

RE: Dodgers

I'm sitting here listening to the post-game for Mariners (lost again ) and they are talking about the Dodgers..............wow, what happened...........apparently it's looked at as actually good news right now because the owner is out and he wasn't a good guy! Interesting stuff. I grew up a Dodger fan and really have been one all my life so would like some good news to come out of this!

[Bud]

I grew up a Dodger fan and really have been one all my life

NOOO, say it ain't so!!!

Bud Selig for President in 2012!

Due to what happened today, I believe you're in line to be his campaign manager. A match made in heaven, if you ask me

[gundy516]

Sorry Bud, but yes back in the day (in the late 60's and early 70's) we had a AAA team here that was affiliated with the Dodgers............I got to see a lot of the future Dodgers of the 70's play then! Now we have an A leage team here that's affiliated with the Texas Rangers! I do root for the A team but I certainly don't root for the Rangers!

[mapache61]

At last, the Puppet Commissioner hath taken the Mighty Blue away from the Great Satan that is McFraud. Glory! Glory!

gundy516 has some some questions. I'm happy to answer them.

Seven years ago, Der Fuhrer (Selig) and the MLB owners (Selig's puppets, and vice-versa) approved the sale of the Dodgers (then owned by News Corp) to a Boston-based charlatan named Frank McCourt, who made his "fortune" as a Boston real estate developer. The word fortune is in quotes because he was one of those classic rich-poor guys; lots of assets, not a lot of actual cash. McCreep's purchase of the team was mostly financed by debt. Why would Der Fuhrer allow this broke SOB to buy a MLB franchise, you ask? As if you didn't already know, Selig is a shady cat. And it's widely believed he approved the quick-sale as a favor to his buddies over at News Corp (Fox). We Dodger fans weren't happy, but at the time we thought, 'Hell, there's no way this McCourt guy can be worse than Rupert Murdoch's Evil Empire.' We were wrong.

Enter the Great Satan. Almost immediately, ticket prices, concession stand prices, parking prices, etc, shot through the roof. He also hired the most incompetent General Manager he could find: an absolute buffoon named Ned Colletti who came to us from Bud's beloved Giants' front office. No one was happy, but at least the Dodgers were playing better than they had in YEARS, and McCourt even renovated the stadium's Field Level councourse (this was BADLY needed). He then promised even more stadium renovations. We're still waiting.

It was about this time we began to grow VERY unhappy with McFraud. He was charging the fans increasingly outrageous prices to attend games, and obviously raking in lots of cash (the Dodgers typically lead the NL in attendance). To be fair, he was spending plenty of it to sign free agents, but thanks to the bungling, Giants-bred bonehead Colletti, much more often than not, these free agents were MAJOR busts. We're talking at least $150 million flushed down the toilet. Probably much more.

NOTE: I have to do some work. I'll continue with Part 2 later. I know all of you can hardly wait.