ARTIFICIAL TURF SPORTS ESSAYS (Feel free to comment on the Turf Message Board. For archived essays, scroll down to the "Classic Essays" pages).
BAD NICKNAMES…By Bill Rogan (1-2-09)
There are plenty of bad team names in sports, too many to mention here. But the worst has to be Avalanche.
Why you would name a team after a natural disaster is a mystery to me.
While is does have ties to the state since avalanches occur in Colorado, it seems somewhat distasteful to me since people die in avalanches.
Last weekend in Colorado, two people died in an avalanche. I wonder if their loved ones think any differently now about the name of the local hockey team.
There are other teams named after natural disasters. Such as the Miami Hurricanes, Iowa State Cyclones and San Jose Earthquakes to name a few.
I don’t know of any teams named the Floods or the Tsunamis. Maybe it’s just a matter of time until that happens.
In an age where people want names like Warriors or Braves eliminated, I’m somewhat surprised that no group has been created to argue against the use of natural disasters as a nickname in team sports.
I’m not for or against abolishing natural disaster nicknames. However, if I lost a loved one in a hurricane, earthquake or avalanche, maybe I would think differently.
BASEBALL ON A COLD WINTER DAY…By Bill Rogan (12-24-08)
One of the most exciting plays in baseball, if not the most exciting, is the rare inside-the-park homer.
While most people this morning were thinking about Christmas, the weather, the economy, whatever, I was thinking about inside-the-park home runs.
On August 27th, 1977 I witnessed something strange and I don’t know if it has ever been done before for since.
At Yankee Stadium, Toby Harrah of the Texas Rangers connected for an inside-the-park home run. The muttering of obscenities by Yankee fans had barely subsided when the very next hitter, Bump Wills, duplicated Harrah’s feat with an inside-the-parker of his own.
It got even stranger years later when I got to know Wills when he was the manager of a minor league team I was broadcasting for. I asked him about the back-to-back inside-the-park home runs and he couldn’t really remember the details. If I was one of the guys who hit back-to-back inside the park home runs, I think I would remember everything about it.
Speaking of rare inside-the-park home run feats, I was in attendance at Three Rivers Stadium for a Cubs-Pirates tilt on May 26th, 1997.
In the sixth inning, Sammy Sosa of Chicago belted a deep drive into the right-centerfield gap that resulted in an inside-the park home run. Since I was sitting in the right-centerfield bleachers, four or five rows up, I lost sight of the ball as it got towards the wall. I didn’t know if the ball took a weird hop away from the outfielders or if the ball got bobbled for a moment. All I know is that Sosa scored and it was ruled an inside the park-home run. I’ve never seen a replay so I’ve always wondered how Sosa could score on what normally is a double or maybe a triple at best.
In the bottom of the inning, Tony Womack lined one into the exact same spot Sosa did. Again, I lost sight of the ball, I’ve never seen a replay and I still ponder how Womack could have scored. Womack had great speed but he probably should have had a triple at best.
So while I’ve never seen a no-hitter, I have seen some rare and odd inside-the-park home runs. I’ve also wondered if I’m the only one who was in attendance at Yankee Stadium for Harrah and Wills back-to-back insiders and at Three Rivers Stadium for the Sosa-Womack same inning inside-the-park home runs.
On cold winter days, this is how my vacuous mind rolls.
another one bites the dust…by Bill Rogan (12-19-08)
Another pro wrestler died this week, a guy named Mike Bell, who was known as “Mad Dog” in the ring.
After the obligatory condolences to the family by World Wrestling Entertainment, or the WWE, the fake sport will move on and Bell will be forgotten by the time the next show appears on TV. Heck, Bell’s demise isn’t even posted on the WWE website. He’s just another replaceable part.
Bell, 37, like so many current wrestlers and so many dead ones, was a steroid freak in addition to being addicted to painkillers and alcohol.
A search on Google for dead pro wrestlers revealed a list of 33 wrestlers who died, mostly from drug abuse, before their 40th birthday.
If there were an epidemic of baseball, football or basketball players dying in their 20’s and 30’s there would be a public outcry demanding answers. Those leagues, I’m sure, would also be more pro-active in finding a remedy to the situation. At least they would be a lot more pro-active than the pro wrestling community which has basically done nothing.
The WWE instituted a couple of years ago, a “wellness program” for their wrestlers. How’s that working out?
The WWE even capitalizes on death. Last year, after popular wrestler and drug abuser Chris Benoit killed his wife, son and himself in a murder suicide, the WWE televised a three hour tribute show on Benoit. Nice.
Vince McMahon has run the WWE for a long time. His sexist, racist and anti-social storylines cater to the lowest common denominator of humans and he’s made a fortune doing so. In the process, his wrestlers routinely die horrific deaths at a young age.
In 1999, a wrestler named Owen Hart fell to his death during a stunt in a packed arena. He was entering the ring from the rafters and his harness broke. He plummeted 78 feet and died in the ring from his injuries. However, the event went on as planned. Oh yes, the next night there was a “tribute” show for Owen Hart.
I’m not big on sensitivity training but the WWE could certainly use a heaping dose of it.
So Mike Bell’s death will be in vain, just like so many before him and certainly those who will follow with their own sad endings. Who cares? It’s only pro wrestling and the show must go on.
CC HITS THE JACKPOT…By Bill Rogan (12-12-08)
The Yankees signed free-agent pitcher C.C. Sabathia to a 7-year deal worth 161-million dollars. Many teams are outraged at the Yanks for giving that kind of contract to Sabathia. I can understand their frustration but that’s the way it goes. The Yanks have the most money so they spend the most money.
When you think about it, it does sound crazy. Sabathia will make 23-million per season which, if he wins 22 or less games, works out to more than one million dollars per win.
Sabathia could be worth the investment. He could also be the next Carl Pavano who was paid 38-million dollars to accumulate a 9-8 record over four seasons. That works out to more than four million per win.
If you want crazier how about the fact that Alex Rodriguez and Sabathia combined will make 50-million dollars which is more than the entire payroll of several teams.
Throw in Jeter’s 21-million dollar per year salary and that’s three players making more than 70-million beans this year.
Yankee fans think this way. Jeter deserves his 21-million. He’s got World Series rings. A-Rod and Sabathia? Yankee fans don’t care what they’ve done in the past. They only know that these guys have yet to win a World Series title in pinstripes.
So, the pressure is on Sabathia to pitch the Yankees to a World Series title. If he succeeds he’ll be a hero and the money will have been well spent. If he tanks it, he’ll wish he was never born. Wait. He’ll be glad he was born because no matter what happens, Carsten Charles Sabathia won the Powerball when he signed with the Yankees.
YOU CAN’T SPELL ELITE WITHOUT ELI…By Bill Rogan (12-5-08)
Last week on this website, our poll question was which quarterback is better right now, Peyton Manning or his little brother Eli.
A little more than 400 people responded and Peyton won 56% to 44%.
A season ago, such a poll question would not only have been preposterous, but I’d be willing to bet that Peyton would have garnered well over 90% of the vote.
One year ago, Eli had one of the worst games a quarterback can have when he threw four interceptions, three of which were taken back for Minnesota touchdowns. The younger Manning was booed out of Giants Stadium and deservedly so.
That night on The Turf, I had a meltdown. I railed against Eli claiming he was an unemotional robot who had no fire to inspire his teammates. He wasn’t a leader, he wasn’t intense like an NFL quarterback should be and he certainly wasn’t his brother. Not even close. Instead, the Giants were stuck with a comatose quarterback who lacked everything a leader should be.
So what happened? How did Eli Manning go from where he was to where he is now which is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. How did he go from an erratic, turnover prone quarterback to a Super Bowl MVP and the leader of the best team in the NFL?
I don’t know how he did it and I’m not sure I even want to know.
I do know this, Eli Manning is unflappable. He’s calm and cool under fire. He’s a quiet leader who doesn’t need to run his mouth like Philip Rivers. He’s a silent leader and behind center has become a deadly assassin, picking apart defenses and running the Giants offense with precision.
There is a good chance he’ll end up with his second Super Bowl Championship in February. That would be one more ring than Peyton has.
Which quarterback would you take right now? I’ll take Eli.
NO THANKS…By Bill Rogan (11-28-08)
This is the season to give thanks to what we have. I’m very thankful for all the blessings in my life but I’m sure you don’t give a rip. Nor do I want to bore you with details on why I’m thankful.
However, I’m not thankful for many things, especially in the sports world.
I’m not thankful for the Boston Red Sox or their fans. I hate the Red Sox and their fans can take a flying leap off the Royal Gorge Bridge for all I care.
I’m not thankful for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. I can’t stand that guy.
I’m not thankful that the Yankees are going to be playing in a new stadium.
I’m not thankful for the outrageous sums of money it costs people to attend sporting events.
I’m not thankful for the owners of the Rockies who continue to be the worst owners of any franchise in Denver.
I’m not thankful for the NHL schedule that once again leaves the Rangers without a visit to Colorado this year.
I’m not thankful for the lousy college basketball in this state.
I’m not thankful for the Detroit Lions, a complete joke of a franchise. See, there is actually worse ownership than the Rockies.
I’m not thankful for the AFC West, the sorriest division in football.
I’m not thankful for Syracuse beating Notre Dame, a loss that will haunt me for a long time.
I’m not thankful for the Broncos wretched defense. Or offense.
I’m not thankful for people who feel the need to act like morons at sporting events or any place in public.
I’m not thankful for the awful Monday Night Football announcing crew, especially Tony Kornheiser.
I’m not thankful Wyoming firing football coach Joe Glenn.
I’m not thankful for the NBA, a league that I just can’t seem to enjoy like I did in days gone by.
I’m not thankful for fantasy football or the knuckleheads who insist on discussing their teams with me. I don’t care Mr. Jerry Jones wannabe.
I’m not thankful for the never-ending commercials while trying to watch football.
I’m not thankful for this sports essay, it stinks.
That’s all for now which I’m sure you are thankful for.
SPORTS LAWS…By Bill Rogan 11-19-08
We have laws in society, for obvious reasons. But there should also be laws that extend into the sporting world.
For instance, there should be a law against big, fat, hairy guys taking their shirts off at baseball games. Or football games. Or any game for that matter.
It should be against the law to sit behind home plate or the dugouts and wave at the television camera to the person you are talking to on your cell phone.
It should be against the law for soccer fans to talk to non-soccer fans about the game’s “passion” as if it is the only sport that has passion. Maybe soccer fans should cool it on the passion stuff and as a result there would be fewer riots over glorified kickball.
It should be against the law for ugly people to sit courtside at an NBA game unless it is David Stern. Or Andy Cornell.
There should be a law against scoreboard marriage proposals…unless it is known in advance that the woman will reject his offer in humiliating fashion.
It should be against the law for baseball managers or pitching coaches to wear a jacket when the temperature is above 90-degrees.
A law should be in the books against male figure skating simply because it makes me uncomfortable. That’s a good enough reason.
It should be against the law for adults to yell anything other than encouragement at youth sporting events. Non-adults can yell anything they want.
A law should be on the books that makes it illegal to play football in domed stadiums. And on the subject of domed stadiums, or stadia for the English police, it should be against the law to play basketball in a domed stadium. Hoops should be played in an arena or gym.
It should be against the law for the President-elect to talk about helping create a college football playoff system. Aren’t there more pressing issues like terrorism and the economy? We didn’t vote for a new President so he could put college football on his plate. That’s my job.
It should be against the law for the Super Bowl halftime to be more than 15-minutes. There should also be legislation against washed up rockers as halftime acts.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, the only halftime entertainment should be a marching band, preferably the Southern Cal or the Grambling marching bands.
It should be against the law to interview hockey players. The next insightful thing a hockey player says will be the first insightful thing a hockey player has ever said.
It should be against the law for a baseball manager to run out to second base and argue a judgment call. In the history of the game has an umpire ever changed his mind? Does the manager think that this will be the first time an ump will say, “You know you’re right. You saw the play better from 120 feet away than I did 5 feet away. He’s SAFE!”?
It should be against the law for any male over the age of 18 to wear a sports jersey of his favorite team or player. Even worse is a guy wearing a team’s jersey with his own name stitched on the back.
A law should be immediately enacted that makes it illegal for athletes to point to the sky when they catch a pass or bloop a single into the outfield.
Finally, with Thanksgiving on the doorstep, it should be illegal for the Detroit Lions to ruin our holiday every year by playing on Turkey Day. Actually, it should be illegal for the Detroit Lions to even exist.
Yep, it were up to me, these sports laws would be on the books tomorrow and the world would be a better place.
WHAT’S ONE MORE STAT?...By Bill Rogan (11-11-08)
Baseball statistics are plentiful. There are the simple stats such as batting average, runs batted in, home runs, stolen bases, wins, losses, ERA, strikeout to walks ratio and fielding percentage.
Then you have the more complicated stats such as OPS, on-base percentage plus slugging and WHIP, which stands for walks and hits per innings pitched.
There are the meaningless stats such as “Holds” and BABIP, which is batting average on balls in play.
There are baseball stats for everything. Well almost everything.
I’ve always felt that one of the most difficult chores in baseball is a catcher blocking pitches in the dirt.
Games have been won or lost depending upon if a catcher blocks a ball in the dirt. While the guy who makes a diving catch in the outfield gets a standing ovation, how often have you seen a catcher get applauded when he blocks a pitch in the dirt with the winning run on third base?
Pitchers who have faith in a catcher adept at blocking balls in the dirt can throw a breaking pitch with confidence knowing that if it bounces the catcher will likely prevent it from going to the backstop.
If blocking a ball in the dirt with runners on base is such an important part of the game then why isn’t there a stat for it?
I propose a simple stat that needs no complicated mathematical formula. Blocks. That’s it.
A catcher gets credited with a “block” when a pitch bounces in front of the plate and the catcher prevents any runners from advancing to the next base. If the ball bounces past home plate then the official scorer would determine if the catcher gets a block. This would prevent a catcher from catching a ball on the short-hop in order to pad his block stats.
People say there are too many stats and maybe they are right. But the “block” stat should be incorporated into the game immediately. The Catchers Union of America, and their agents, would appreciate it.
JOEY THE TRASH TALKER...By Bill Rogan (11-7-08)
Joey Porter said something very interesting this week. The Dolphins linebacker was wondering why Jaguars wide receiver Matt Jones was playing and not suspended. Porter said to reporters regarding Jones, that he was "still trying to figure out how a guy gets caught with cocaine in his car and still plays the game and nothing happens. How does he get away with that?"
That's a very reasonable question if you ask me. Why is Jones playing?
Jones, who is appealing his three game suspension, wanted to know if Porter was the Commissioner and if he likes other men. Weak comeback. Porter wins that battle as he's gotten into Jones' head and the Dolphins aren't even playing Jacksonville this week.
Before the Broncos game last Sunday, Porter called Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall soft. Marshall came up small with just two catches in the loss to Miami. Two days later Marshall looked lame in cracking back on Porter calling him soft. Wait a second. You don't trash talk after you get beat and you were a non-factor. Advantage Porter.
When he toiled for the Steelers, Porter's target before Super Bowl XL was Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens. Stevens made the mistake of trash talking Porter who fired back strongly. Porter and his teammates won the game and Stevens barely made a peep on the field.
Porter is an agitator. If he was a hockey player he would be Claude Lemieux or Sean Avery. He's never met a microphone he doesn't like but he backs it up on the field. He gets into verbal wars and seems to come out on top more often than not, unlike Patrick Ewing who never delivered on his many "guarantees."
I enjoy Porter because he talks a good game but plays a good one as well. He can certainly be a knucklehead at times but he brings intensity and passion to the game. You can't deny he's colorful and I'm eagerly awaiting his next verbal sparring match.
MORE MINI-ESSAYS....By Bill Rogan (11-2-08)
If your defense can’t stop the run you can’t win. Be it Pop Warner football, high school, college or pro, if you let teams run wild you can’t compete. Case in point the Denver Broncos. Until they can keep teams from running at will, then they will be a mediocre football team....
The World Series is over and done with and I didn’t watch much of the series. I don’t really care about the Phillies or Rays but that wasn’t why I was a disinterested fan. Baseball has made it inconvenient for people to watch the games. They start late, end late and night games in late October creates terrible conditions in which to determine a champion.....
The other day I spoke to a recently retired high school wresting coach. He was very successful, well respected and won championships in his more than two decade coaching career. The most he ever made coaching wrestling? A measly $5,000. That is insulting and why high school athletic directors have a difficult time finding solid, qualified coaches.....
College football is a mess again as far as the BCS is concerned and I love it. The BCS creates controversy and discussion and makes the regular season the most relevant regular season of all sports. I hope college football doesn’t go to a playoff.....
Speaking of college football, I still think that Southern Cal is the best team in the land. How they lost to Oregon State earlier this year is a mystery that will never be solved. With a weak Pac 10 and no conference title game, the Trojans will not make it to the BCS Championship game unless they get some help in the form of losses to Alabama, Penn State and Texas Tech.....
My excitement level for the start of the NBA season is as low as its ever been. As in zero interest. I used to love the NBA but for reasons I’m not even sure of I cannot wrap my arms around the league anymore. That said, college hoops is right around the corner and that makes me quite happy.
LARRY THE REPULSIVE…By Bill Rogan (10-24-08)
Larry Johnson is a tremendous running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. Larry Johnson is also a tremendous failure as a human being.
The Chiefs benched Johnson last week and again for this Sunday’s game against the Jets for his latest transgression against women. Earlier this month Johnson was charged with assault for allegedly spitting in a woman’s face at a night club. He’s had three other assault allegations against him since he’s been with the Chiefs. In 2003 he allegedly waved a gun at a girlfriend during an argument. That charge was dropped when he entered a domestic violence diversion program. A lot of good that did.
This week Johnson apologized for his behavior and said he, “was kind of disgusted with myself.” That is all fine and good except he apologized to anyone and everyone except the woman he apparently spit upon.
If these guys were severely disciplined instead of enabled when anti-social behavior develops then maybe we wouldn’t have these ugly incidents that seem way to prevalent today in pro and college sports.
If I were a Chiefs fan, I wouldn’t want this creep on my team. I don’t care how good he is, I don’t want to root and cheer for such a miscreant. I would rather lose with players who stay out of trouble than win with bums like Larry Johnson.
A GAMBLING EVENT…By Bill Rogan (10-19-08)
Andy Cornell likes to disparage horse racing by claiming it isn’t a sport but a gambling event. While I am one of the few people who enjoys horse racing without wagering on it, I do see his point. A little.
But if horse racing is a “gambling event” then what would you call college and pro football?
While I don’t have any facts to back it up and I’m too lazy to do any research, I would say more people gamble, in some form, on football than horse racing. Does that make football a gambling event too?
Everywhere you turn, people are talking about their fantasy teams, office pools or simple bets with their local bookie. The sports books in Las Vegas are packed on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the football season.
Wasn’t there a time when gambling was frowned upon? Didn’t everyone have an Uncle Al who was a degenerate gambler that was always looking for cash to pay off his bookmaker or risk having his legs broken?
The NFL frowns upon gambling but I wonder if behind closed doors they secretly rejoice for the wagering public. People who gamble on games have an interest. Interest results in popularity and more money for the league. Perhaps even Commissioner Goodell participates in an office pool or even has a fantasy team.
Truthfully, I couldn’t care less if people gamble on football games although I could do without fantasy football fanatics who should spend some quality time on a chain gang instead of telling me about their fake teams.
So back the original question. Yes, football is a gambling event and it wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is without the wagering aspect.
THE THANKLESS WORLD OF O-LINEMEN…..By Bill Rogan (10-12-08)
Of all the positions in team sports that I would refuse to play it would be offensive line in football.
I don’t know why anyone would want to be an offensive lineman. Are there kids who actually say, “When I get older I want to expand to 320 pounds and be an offensive guard”?
Growing up, I played football through the 9th grade. Never did I play offensive line. Even if I was a fat pudgy kid who couldn’t play anything else, I wouldn’t have been an offensive lineman. If the coach told me I was going to play offensive line, I would have said, “See ya.”
There is no glory in being an offensive lineman. You can make 100 great blocks in a row but you miss a block and your quarterback gets killed, you get noticed. Oh yeah you’ll get noticed. First by the fans who boo you and then the coaches who will scream in your face how lousy and worthless you are.
A holding call will have an offensive lineman’s transgression broadcast to the world. I don’t know if you, at your job, have your mistakes announced to the rest of the company but that is what happens in the world of O-lineman.
If an offensive lineman gets beat and his defensive counterpart records a sack, the downtrodden offensive lineman gets to watch the defensive guy do his sack dance and preen for the cameras. Do we ever see an offensive lineman do a dance after a good block? No. Which is actually a good thing. We don’t need to see O-lineman shake and jiggle their fat bellies.
An offensive lineman springs a running back with a great block and who gets all the attention? The running back.
While the quarterbacks spend their free time dating cheerleaders and doing TV interviews, offensive lineman are eating like billy goats and pumping iron.
The odd thing is, studies show that offensive linemen are usually the smartest players on the team. Well, if they are so smart, why are they offensive linemen?
While I don’t understand why anyone wants to be an offensive linemen, I appreciate them. Football would look pretty strange without them. So I salute those caloric inhaling big bodies called offensive linemen. I’m just glad I’m not one of them.
A DREADFUL SEASON FOR THE ROCKS...By Bill Rogan (9-26-08)
The Rockies season is just about over. The hot streak that would propel them to the top of the weak National League West never happened. The Rocks longest winning streak of the season was five. In a division that was there for the taking, the team that won the National League pennant a year ago was over the .500 mark just once this year and that was Opening Day. After beating the Cardinals, Colorado lost five in a row and ended April at 11-17.
Before the season, I picked the Rockies to repeat. My belief was this team finally learned how to win last season. They would be full of confidence and ready to march through the division to the playoffs.
I’m still baffled about how things turned out. In my opinion the Rockies have the best lineup in the West, if not the entire National League. I didn’t think they would hit so poorly with runners in scoring position.
The pitching was terrible. Jeff Francis threw the ball like he was hurt or never pitched in his life before this season. He went from a 17-game winner to a four game winner with a bloated earned run average. Franklin Morales who was penciled into the rotation regressed forgetting what the strike zone was. Closer Manny Corpas pitched like a corpse, blowing seven saves before the Stanley Cup playoffs ended. Kip Wells the fifth starter? As Allen Iverson’s mom might say, “Don’t go there.”
At the trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired Manny Ramirez. The Diamondbacks picked up pitcher Jon Rauch and slugger Adam Dunn. The Rockies ? They did nothing. In a division up for grabs, a sub .500 team did zilch.
The manager, Clint Hurdle was very good at making excuses and keeping a sunny disposition in his post-game comments. He did a better job at that than to get his underachieving team back to the playoffs.
I know a lot of people that would love to see the Rockies return to the post-season next year. With a few shrewd moves I firmly believe they can do it. However, I wonder if management is interested in seeing that happen. I’m not convinced the owners of the Rockies truly want to win. After all, winning ball clubs cost money.
THE DEVIL RAYS, UM CHECK THAT, RAYS…..By Bill Rogan (9-18-08)
Earlier this year, I refused to call Tampa Bay’s baseball team the Rays. I decided to call them Devil Rays. If it looks like a Devil Ray, plays like a Devil Ray and stinks like a Devil Ray, then it’s a Devil Ray.
My feeling was I’ll call them what I want to call them. A franchise that has never won more than 70-games in a season wasn’t going to get my respect. Devil Rays they are until they prove otherwise.
Earlier this season, the Devil Rays were a nice story. They’ll fade I reasoned. They didn’t. Midway through the season, the Devil Rays were still winning and leading the American League East. Well, they’re hanging in there I said, but they’ll collapse. Well, it’s September and the only team in the East that collapsed were the Yankees. What? Is this some kind of joke?
Unfortunately for Yankee fans, it’s no joke. Tampa Bay is on the verge of going to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history while the celebrated Yankees close out Yankee Stadium without a playoff appearance for the first time in 14-seasons.
Give Tampa Bay credit. They’ve been punching bags their entire 11-season existence. Nobody believed in them. They fought through injuries and small crowds at Tropicana Field.
Yep, the Devil Rays are going to the post-season and the Yankees are going home. Let me amend that. The Rays are going to the playoffs. The Rays. They’ve earned my respect and the respect of the baseball world.
By the way, do you think God had anything to do with it? After all, they were horrible as the Devil Rays but after dropping the Devil part of their name they’ve become winners?
Just wondering. May the Tampa Bay Rays enjoy the post-season. They earned it.
FANS = SUCKERS…By Bill Rogan (9-11-08)
When is enough enough? When will fans of professional sports teams finally say, “That’s it, no more.”
Fans are getting gouged left and right every time they attend a pro sporting event. The only thing on the minds of those who run pro sports franchises is how much money can they take out of your pocket.
The average NFL ticket price rose to close to 8-percent this season, led by Tampa Bay which jacked up ticket prices 24-percent.
Major League Baseball ticket prices increased by close to 11-percent this year. The NBA and NHL also saw ticket hikes.
The average raise for the American worker is just 3.5-percent, if you’re lucky and if you don’t work in radio.
Next season, when the Yankees move into their new stadium, ticket prices for the first nine rows near home plate will be priced between $500 and $2,500. The Yankees should be embarrassed to charge that much but they can because someone will pay it. For now anyway.
Yes, I know that salaries are through the roof. The players have to be paid but that doesn’t mean fans can’t fight back. But how many times have you heard an athlete say they’ll take a little less money if it means the fans get a break on tickets? Never comes to mind. Athletes don’t give a rip about the fans either. Except when they want $20 bucks for an autograph.
Perhaps because I have a forum with our radio show and website, fans feel compelled to tell me how outraged they are at the cost of attending a game. They complain about the cost of parking and concessions. I tell them the same thing; stop allowing yourself to be a sucker.
Ticket brokers, also known as legalized scalpers, attach things such as “convenience fees” and “venue fees” onto the price of a ticket. Why? What is a convenience fee and what is a venue fee? If I buy a ticket, doesn’t that allow me into the venue?
Here’s what fans should do.
Stop going to games. If you must go to games, don’t walk into a stadium or arena hungry. Refuse to pay jacked up prices for concessions. Don’t buy lousy souvenirs at ridiculous prices. Stop allowing teams to blatantly rip you off. The reason they do so is because they can.
Professional teams take fans for granted. They know you’ll pay regular season prices for meaningless exhibition games. You’ll fork over money for the scam known as Personal Seat Licenses. They know that you’ll pull out that credit card and pay 30-bucks for a couple of hot dogs, a beer and a soda. You have to park somewhere. Teams and independent parking lots will gouge you on parking, knowing full well fans are too lazy to park in a cheaper lot several blocks away.
Sports owners continue to make the public ante up for new stadiums with the veiled threat of taking their team elsewhere.
Professional sports take and take and take but I see very little being done to help out the fans. They’ll say, “We have affordably priced tickets.” Yeah, in the upper reaches of the venue.
I’m waiting for the fans to revolt but they just continue to allow themselves to get slapped around. I don’t understand it.
I have a few suggestions. Watch the games at home. You can eat from your own kitchen and sit around in your underwear if you wish. Plus, you can turn the channel to other games. The money you save can then be used for other, more important things, like paying the mortgage, saving for the kids college education or investing for your retirement.
If you crave live action, then go to minor league games or better yet, high school events. High school administrators actually appreciate your attendance at games and so do the athletes.
The fans need to take action now. If you are a fan who is sick and tired of getting shafted by your local team owner then let them know you won’t take it anymore. Keep your money where it belongs…in your wallet.
DUMBASSES…By Bill Rogan (9-3-08)
I recently spent about two hours watching videos of daredevils crashing on YouTube. Daredevil being a nice way to say complete schmuck.
Yes, I sat there like a moron watching idiots perform, or at least try to perform, various stunts and tricks on bicycles and motorcycles.
It was quite entertaining watching these buffoons fly off their bikes into walls, or rocks, or down ravines. Then I began to wonder, why am I so amused and enthralled by these knuckleheads risking life and limb on an internet video site? What kind of person does that make me to watch these mini-disaster videos?
I’ll tell you. It makes me a person who doesn’t mind watching people break bones, tear ligaments and get their faces rearranged all in the name of entertainment. If they want me to watch, OK, I’ll watch.
Try it sometime. You may feel it’s beneath you to watch these dopes attempt stunts that will invariably go wrong. But once you watch some fat kid crashing his bike down a flight of stairs or another slappy fall short of his attempt to land on the roof of an apartment building after going off a steep ramp, then you’ll be hooked.
So to all those daredevils out there, and I’m talking about the ones still active and not in wheelchairs, thanks for your ridiculously insane hobby. Keep trying your death defying stunts, continue keeping your orthopedic surgeons in practice and above all, thanks for the entertainment. While it makes me dumber for watching, I’ll never be quite as dumb as you.
MY SOCKS…By Bill Rogan (8-27-08)
I went to a community picnic last week. I figured, after living in my current neighborhood for seven years, it might be time to meet some of the neighbors.
Sure enough, one guy came up to me and sarcastically said, “Nice socks.”
I replied, “Thank you.”
It should be noted, while we were both wearing shorts, he was wearing socks that barely covered his ankles while I was wearing my white tube socks up to my knees.
I’ve always worn white tube socks pulled above the calf for as long as I can remember. And since 1980, when that look apparently went out of style, I’ve been the recipient of barbs regarding my socks.
One guy came up to me a few years back and said, “Welcome to 1975.”
I said, “What?”
He then simply pointed to my socks.
My sister Mary was horrified a couple of years ago when her young son started wearing high white socks. I was living in Denver so it wasn’t me who taught him the proper way to wear his socks. But, after a while, he abandoned the look and now I remain one of the few throwbacks to wear my white socks pulled all the way up. It should be noted that my socks are always white, no stripes. Striped socks are a bad look.
I’ve also had people crack on me because when I have to wear dark dress socks, I wear them over my white tube socks. This stems from an incident when I was about eight years old. After coming back from church on a warm Sunday morning, I took off my dark socks. But, much of the material from the socks stuck to my feet and ankles. I made a life altering decision right there and then. Dark socks would never touch my feet again. Plus, to me, dark socks are thin and uncomfortable. White tube socks just feel better and keep my lower legs warm.
Even though most people make sport of me and my high white tube socks, I persevere. But not everyone likes to poke fun at me. I recall playing in a pickup basketball game a while back and a guy on the other team came up to me and, while pointing at my socks, said, “Now that’s the look!” It should be noted that he too was wearing his white socks the right way, pulled up to his knee.
Call it what you want. The DC playground look. The Michael Cooper look. The Dork look. Whatever. All I know is that I like the way my socks feel and I don’t care whether it’s stylish or not.
GOODBYE BEIJING...By Bill Rogan (8-24-08)
So the Beijing Olympics are over and done with. Good.
I’m not a big Olympics fan although that wasn’t always the case. In my younger days, I loved the Olympics but the modern games are just too commercialized and professional for my taste. What ever happened to the original idea of amateurs competing in the Olympic games?
But Bill, the Olympics promote world harmony. Really? How’s that world harmony stuff working out these days?
There are also too many nonsensical Olympic events. Trampoline? Beach volleyball? Sailing? Archery? Hard to get excited over time wasting events like that.
Don’t get me wrong, there were some things I liked about the Olympics. Michael Phelps was incredible winning 8 gold medals. However, lets not get carried away with the number. There are a lot of different swimming events. For LeBron James to win 8 gold medals he would need to play, and win, in 8 different Olympic games over the course of at least 32 years. Not going to happen. Although, why not expand basketball into several events like swimming? You could hand out gold medals for 3-point shooting, slam dunks, H-O-R-S-E, dribbling, 3 on 3, 1 on 1 or free throw shooting. I’m guessing the USA wouldn’t be very good in the free-throw competition.
Sure, having all those basketball events sounds silly. But that is what the summer Olympics have become. A silly event that happens every four years. From the silly opening ceremonies to the silly events to the silly athletes saying they won “for their country” when all they really want to do is cash in on their success, and quickly, because no one will remember who in the world they are in three weeks.
Up next for the summer Olympics, London in 2012. I’m not looking forward to it.
99 AND COUNTING...By Bill Rogan (8-15-08)
On October 14th, 1908, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Detroit Tigers 2-0 to win the World Series in five games. It's the last series title for the Cubs, nearly 100 years ago.
I’m guessing there were some babies born a day or two or maybe a week or so later who went on to become Cubs fans. Most of those people are dead. But maybe, just maybe there is some 99-year old guy, hanging on waiting for his beloved Cubs to win the World Series in his lifetime. Just one World Series championship is all that Cubs fan has been pleading and even begging for. Just one stinkin’ Cubs World Series Championship in his lifetime. He’s not greedy like Yankee fans who feel it is a universal calamity and injustice if the Yankees don’t win every year. Cubbie fans simply want just one World Series title before they punch their dance card.
This could be the year. The Cubs are the best team in the National League as I write this. They seem to have a great chance of at least getting to the World Series for the first time since 1945. Could it actually happen?
Back to the 99-year old guy who was born just after the Cubs won the series in 1908. How nice a gift would it be for the Cubs to finally win it in his lifetime? That would be awesome. Dying shortly after a Cubs World Series victory would be the perfect exit after all the years of painful suffering and unyielding loyalty.
What I wouldn’t want to see happen is for that old timer to take a dirt nap a day or so before the Cubs win the World Series this year. That would be a bummer.
Still, the Cubs actually have to win the World Series for any of the above scenarios to come into play. I hope they do it. They certainly are due. But, remember, they are the Cubs.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL...By Bill Rogan (8-10-08)
Name the two most tradition-laden sports in America? If you said baseball and college football you would be correct.
Baseball has been around since the Civil War. While we are not sure of the precise origins of baseball, we are certain about the first college football game.
On November 6th , 1869 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers defeated Princeton 6-4. The scoring back then was different and the game looked like a combination of rugby and soccer. There were 25 players per side and it was brutal and chaotic.
A week later, Princeton defeated Rutgers in the rematch, 8-0.
Over the years, college football gained popularity and also had its detractors. In the early years, death on the gridiron was not uncommon. There was even talk of banning college football. Rule changes and improved equipment helped grow the game.
Today there is nothing like a fall Saturday when your team takes the field, be it a lesser known Division III school or a national powerhouse. Doesn’t matter. When the band plays the fight song and the teams line up for the opening kickoff, the excitement and anticipation levels are higher than Timothy Leary ever was.
College football returns in a few weeks. When it does I have just one favor from my family, friends and acquaintances. When Autumn Saturday’s roll around, please, please leave me alone. No phone calls, no invites to weddings, movies, picnics or any of that nonsense. No hanging out, unless you are a Notre Dame fan and want to bring food and watch the games with me. Your cooperation is appreciated. Thank you and Go Irish!
JARBOE GONE…FOR NOW…By Bill Rogan (8-3-08)
Coming to a college campus soon, hopefully not near me, gangsta wide receiver Josh Jarboe.
This idiot was just kicked out of Oklahoma before he could even suit up for the Sooners.
Bob Stoops sent his prized freshman packing because Jarboe, one of the top high school recruits a year ago, would prefer to make obscene rap videos about guns and killing people than in playing football.
This wasn’t a one time transgression for the Decatur, Georgia native. He was caught on his high school grounds with a loaded gun. Since he’s a great athlete, the felony was dropped to a misdemeanor and he got a slap on the wrist, two years probation and 80 hours of community service. It makes me shudder that a guy walking around with a loaded pistol at a high school would do community service. The last place you would want this moron is in a community. How about community service in a prison somewhere?
Anyway, you might think Jarboe, if he had half a brain, would realize he caught a break and it was a lesson learned. You might also think that he would take advantage of his second chance.
Instead he went on YouTube and did his little tribute to guns and killing people. Stoops did the right thing by getting rid of this trouble maker. With all the killings we have seen on college campuses recently, it would be highly insensitive and dangerous to allow Jarboe to roam the Norman, Oklahoma campus.
However, we have not heard the last of Josh Jarboe. Some other school will offer Jarboe a scholarship. They’ll talk about how he deserves another chance and he’s really a good kid. What will they say if he goes on a shooting rampage and kills other people? That’s a chance I wouldn’t take if I were a college football coach.
(*Note* Troy University and Head Coach Larry Blakeney have given Jarboe a scholarship. He'll be eligible to play in 2009)
THE HALL...By Bill Rogan (7-27-08)
Today was Hall of Fame induction day. No need to specify the sport. When you say Hall of Fame, to me baseball is implied. If you talk about the other Hall’s of Fame, then you have to specify the sport.
It makes me feel old to watch the ceremony on television and see the returning Hall of Famers. I saw many of these guys play. While I feel older, they are always young in my memory.
Baseball is interesting in that a 90-year old guy can love the game just as much as a 10-year old kid, although 10-year old kids don‘t seem to love the game like they used to. That is unfortunate.
Walter O’Malley was inducted into the Hall of Fame today. I wonder what old time Brooklyn Dodgers fans think of that since he was the guy who broke their hearts by moving to Los Angeles.
Dick Williams deserves his place in Cooperstown. I once interviewed him for an hour about a book he wrote. He was a great interview and afterwards told me that I was the first person who interviewed him who actually read the book.
I also recall Williams managing the Padres in the 1984 World Series. In a key spot, with Kirk Gibson of the Tigers coming up, he went out to the mound to talk strategy with Goose Gossage. Goose talked Williams into letting him pitch to Gibson. Mistake. Gibby took Goose into the upper deck at Tiger Stadium. Yes, the same Goose Gossage that was finally inducted into the Hall today.
The most feared reliever ever, I have a couple of vivid memories of Goose, other than the 84 World Series. One is the pine tar game in 1983 when he gave up the infamous homer to George Brett. The other memory is much more pleasant, Goose closing out the best game I’ve ever seen, 1978 playoff tilt against the Red Sox. With the tying and winning runs on base, and Yastrzemski at the plate, Goose got Yaz to popout to third. I must confess, I wanted Yankees Manager Bob Lemon to bring in lefty Sparky Lyle to face Yaz. I’m glad Lemon stayed with Goose, although I think Sparky would have gotten the job done too.
The Hall of Fame is one of my favorite places. If you like baseball and American history, you can’t beat the Hall of Fame. If you’ve never been to Cooperstown, New York you need to go.
While baseball has had its problems, the game is still the greatest ever invented by man. I don’t know if I could live without it. Congrats to all the new Hall of Famers and thank you.
BEND OVER JIMMY…By Bill Rogan (7-18-08)
My friend Jimmy has been a longtime season ticket holder of the New York Giants. He went to Giants games as a kid when they played at Yankee Stadium. He was there when they played at the Yale Bowl and at Shea Stadium. He was there when the G-Men played their first game at Giants Stadium in October of 1976.
During the early years of Jimmy’s love affair with the Giants they were horrible. But Jimmy kept going to the games with his dad, hoping one day to see his beloved Giants in the Super Bowl. He was there when the Giants finally won Super Bowl XXI in the Rose Bowl over the Broncos.
On many occasions I accompanied Jimmy to Giants Stadium. We would tailgate in the parking lot and go inside the stadium to catch the warm-ups. A Sunday at Giants Stadium was always a lot of fun, especially during the Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor era. Could one have a better friend than one who owned Giants season tickets? I’m actually on the waiting list for Giants tickets. I’m about 23,000 on the list.
I haven’t been to a Giants home game in a long time but Jimmy still goes and cheers passionately for Big Blue.
I feel bad though for Jimmy. He’s a hard working guy who loves his team but he has a family to support and when the Giants move into their new stadium for the 2010 season he may have to give up his tickets. He very well may get priced out.
The Giants are now in the scalping business. They are demanding Personal Seat Licenses also known as PSL’s, in order for fans to keep their tickets. PSL’s are the biggest scam in sports and should be illegal. Basically, the Giants are telling their fans, if you want to keep your tickets you have to pay an exorbitant amount of money just for the right to then purchase your tickets.
In order to keep his current mezzanine seats in the new stadium, Jimmy will have to pay between $4,000 and $12,500 per seat just for the right to then buy tickets that have a face value in the $200 range. He has two tickets so you do the math since mathematics isn’t my bag. But I will say this; it’s a lot of money. Some PSL’s though will cost $20,000 per seat. Jimmy’s not getting ripped off quite as bad some.
It is fair to say the Giants have one of the most loyal fan bases in sports. However, the Giants are doing their best to rid themselves of these loyal fans. A nice reward to those who filled Giants Stadium year after year.
Yep, Giants management will say the new (totally unnecessary by the way) stadium will be state of the art, “for the fans.” Too bad most in attendance won’t be the real fans.
If the late Giants owner Wellington Mara was still around I’d bet he wouldn’t stand for PSL’s. I wish the politicians and fans wouldn’t stand for it either.
What I would like to see is every Giants season ticket holder refuse to pay for PSL’s. If they refused to be victims of extortion, would the Giants have no choice but to eliminate PSL’s or play their games in a beautiful empty stadium? Just a thought.
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