All Star Announcement

It's official, the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be held in...Target Field!

This caught me off guard, as I was expecting either Wrigley Field or the New Yankee Stadium. Target Field is a huge ballpark, definitely built for pitchers, so the scoring may be affected by the dimensions.

I've never shied away from my distaste for the "Era of Expansion", the time period that claimed such architectural masterpieces as Tiger Stadium, Shea Stadium, Comiskey Park, and eventually even Yankee Stadium. However, the Metrodome was not built for baseball, period. Retractable roofs are all the rage nowadays. The Twins had to leave, period.

Target Field is a better venue for baseball. With the Vikings moving in 2016, the Metrodome may meet a sad end.

But, consider this, the Metrodome was built in 1982, making it 34 years old at the time of its replacement.

The city of Minneapolis/Vikings/Twins spent $124,000,000 (million!) for a venue that lasted just 34 years. This total does not include any renovations, such as patching the roof after it collapsed in 2010.

In STARK contrast, the Red Sox spent $650,000 for a venue that has lasted 100 years, not including the $285 million spent to improve the park over the years, such as the added Green Monster seats (.406 Club).

New stadiums do not have HALF, not even HALF, of the craftsmanship, artistry, and care that was put into the old ballparks. After 34 years, the Metrodome is being abandoned. In 2011, cracks were discovered in the concrete at the New Yankee Stadium ($1.4 Billion). After just 13 years, rumors are surfacing that the Rays are thinking of leaving the Trop (please be true!).

New Stadiums are just that, stadiums. Built to attract fans and promotions, all about the cash and trying to entice people into visiting the park.

Case in point, Citi Field.

After New York, the Mets, and NYC spent $900,000,000 for the stadium, and playing three years in the venue, following the 2011 season, they spent an additional fortune (only stated as under the original $800,000,000 estimated for the renovations) to move in the fences.

Let this be both a warning and a lesson to future teams. Before breaking the bank to build a stadium that will last 30-40 years, think for just a few moments: Is it really worth it to spend all that money on a venue just to tear it down before it's 50th anniversary?

With that said, I will leave the taxpayers of America to ponder the very questions that I have posed and the evidence supporting or denying them. Leaving them with the writings that show the terrible quality of new venues...

...an this picture of the collpase of the Metrodome roof.

Siding With Selig

Siding With Selig

Why the All Star Game Should Count

It's hard to believe it was ten years ago that Commissioner Bud Selig made the controversial decision to call the All Star Game a tie. He made the argument that since both teams had run out of pitchers, and the game was nothing more than an exhibition, there was no other way.

The next year, Selig made the move to award home field advantage in the World Series to the winning squad (American or National League). Sportswriters and fans alike widely criticized the move then and continue to do so today.

But, let me present you this...What do you get when you take away meaning to an All Star Game?

The 2012 Pro Bowl.

Simon Samano of NFL.com wrote about the game, "Players love the trip to Hawaii but don't care for the game itself. They have no desire to risk injury in a meaningless game, which is why they don't play hard, which is how you end up with 59–41 as the final score. It's that lack of effort that caused fans to boo during portions of this year's game." Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stated on his radio show, "I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn't put any effort into it."

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking a week after the game, stated that the 2012 Pro Bowl "wasn't the kind of football we want to be demonstrating to our fans, and you heard it from the fans, the fans were actively booing in the stands. ... We are going to either have to improve the quality of what we are doing in the Pro Bowl or consider other changes."

Making the game count for something is the answer to improving the game. Since the 2002 incident in the All Star Game, the quality of baseball played in the game has seemingly improved to a certain extent. If it worked for baseball, it can work for football.

You can take away the bonuses for players who don't want to play, but in the end, will athletes who make millions of dollars per year really care? The time is right to make the game count.

No matter what others say.

On the All Star Game: 2013 Edition

It's official, Citi Field will host the 2013 All-Star Game. Citi is one of the most beautiful ballparks, along with Kauffman and of course, the New Yankee Stadium. This will benefit the Mets and also be a great thing for Major League Baseball.