I understand that players should get the big money since it's they and not the owners who earn it. And that a lot of players want the security of long, long days. And that Lindor is a special talent.
But I have never really liked either huge contracts or long contracts. I will never feel comfortable with anyone earning that kind of money (a byproduct of both my distrust of capitalism and my mother forever saying that athletes shouldn't make more money than teachers). I think it's just silly to give anyone a contract for more than five years. And you know that the Mets being the Mets, they will eventually end up with an Albert Pujols situation, an old player sucking the money away from everyone else.
So I am happy the Mets extended Lindor and that he will be happy now and give it his all. But it's just not something I feel much joy over.
I know Opening Day is overhyped, but I do love all of the traditions: flag bunting, overlong player introductions and a positive COVID test for the Nats.
(Between COVID and the Lindor deal I think I’ll skip ESPN and just listen to Mets-Nats on the radio.)
"Sure opening day is baseball's bandwagon. Pundits and politicians and every prose poet on the continent jumps on board for a few days. But they're gone soon, off in search of some other windy event worthy of their attention. Then, once more, all those long, slow months of baseball are left to us. And our time can begin again." -- Thomas Boswell circa 1983
"For we know that baseball will be here for us next week. Next month. And on through June, July, August, September and October to keep us company." Do we, though? DO WE?
I'd say Kiki Hernandez was a surprise on that top jersey sales list. Even taking into consideration that he went from one very popular team to another.
I don't think the purpose of those new Amtrak lines is to connect Cheyenne and Pueblo. It's to connect Cheyenne and Denver, and connect Pueblo and Denver. Which is the kind of "long enough that you don't want to drive, but too short to fly" routes that work best for rail travel in the US.
Though I wouldn't think either Cheyenne nor Pueblo are big enough cities to have a lot of travel between them and Denver, they are the endpoints of the I-25 corridor north and south of Denver that have a number of communities (Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, etc.) that might have residents frequently traveling to Denver.
I loved listening to Blue Jays radio games on SiriusXM when my A’s would play in Toronto. The broadcasters would give room for the PA announcer to announce the batter and you’d get the walk up music, to boot. Always thought that was a nifty little thing to do (even tho with music broadcasting rights/royalties, maybe a little illegal? Still fun tho.)
Happily second Craig’s thoughts on improving local infrastructure/transportation first. Here in San Diego - America’s eighth largest city, depending on what we had for breakfast on any given day - the public transportation system is absolute booty. There’s a reasonably efficient trolley system, but deep-pocketed NIMBYs have ensured it stays almost entirely south of the 8 freeway (locals’ unofficial demarcation line for “I’m not racist, but...”) And, the few bus routes we have here in the north county run so irregularly, that my (now retired) co-worker (who lived 35 minutes away in Imperial Beach) needed nearly three hours to bus up north in the morning.
I bought tickets to a live sporting event yesterday. First time in over a year. It's the home opener for the Richmond Kickers soccer club (4th division of US soccer I think?) - but it's live sports! The Flying Squirrels (Giants AA affiliate) start in early May. Hoping to snag opening day tickets there too when they go on sale, although I suspect with the capacity limitations that might not happen. Still...live sports! Only 24 days away.
I have Lou Schiff beat! I grew up in Manhattan (not KS). When I was about nine, maybe 10, my Mother would, on a weekend, pack a couple of sandwiches in a paper sack and give me 50 cents to go to the Polo Grounds to watch the Giants for a Sunday double-header. The 50 cents covered bus fare round trip, a dime for a scorecard (I brought my own pencil), and a soda to wash down the sandwiches. I took the bus west to 8th Avenue and transferred to another bus that went north through Harlem. No worries! Today most Manhattan parents wouldn’t let their 10 year old kid go out to buy a newspaper without a Doberman and a can of mace. My time was better.
I understand that players should get the big money since it's they and not the owners who earn it. And that a lot of players want the security of long, long days. And that Lindor is a special talent.
But I have never really liked either huge contracts or long contracts. I will never feel comfortable with anyone earning that kind of money (a byproduct of both my distrust of capitalism and my mother forever saying that athletes shouldn't make more money than teachers). I think it's just silly to give anyone a contract for more than five years. And you know that the Mets being the Mets, they will eventually end up with an Albert Pujols situation, an old player sucking the money away from everyone else.
So I am happy the Mets extended Lindor and that he will be happy now and give it his all. But it's just not something I feel much joy over.
I know Opening Day is overhyped, but I do love all of the traditions: flag bunting, overlong player introductions and a positive COVID test for the Nats.
(Between COVID and the Lindor deal I think I’ll skip ESPN and just listen to Mets-Nats on the radio.)
"Sure opening day is baseball's bandwagon. Pundits and politicians and every prose poet on the continent jumps on board for a few days. But they're gone soon, off in search of some other windy event worthy of their attention. Then, once more, all those long, slow months of baseball are left to us. And our time can begin again." -- Thomas Boswell circa 1983
"For we know that baseball will be here for us next week. Next month. And on through June, July, August, September and October to keep us company." Do we, though? DO WE?
I woke up to the first sign of Opening Day in NE Ohio. Snow.
I'd say Kiki Hernandez was a surprise on that top jersey sales list. Even taking into consideration that he went from one very popular team to another.
Nice Louis. But will Dave Van Horn and Art Shamsky's wives just throw those tickets away instead of your wife?
I don't think the purpose of those new Amtrak lines is to connect Cheyenne and Pueblo. It's to connect Cheyenne and Denver, and connect Pueblo and Denver. Which is the kind of "long enough that you don't want to drive, but too short to fly" routes that work best for rail travel in the US.
Though I wouldn't think either Cheyenne nor Pueblo are big enough cities to have a lot of travel between them and Denver, they are the endpoints of the I-25 corridor north and south of Denver that have a number of communities (Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, etc.) that might have residents frequently traveling to Denver.
I miss the SF of my youth before the rise of Big Tech. Gosh, I am old.
I loved listening to Blue Jays radio games on SiriusXM when my A’s would play in Toronto. The broadcasters would give room for the PA announcer to announce the batter and you’d get the walk up music, to boot. Always thought that was a nifty little thing to do (even tho with music broadcasting rights/royalties, maybe a little illegal? Still fun tho.)
Happily second Craig’s thoughts on improving local infrastructure/transportation first. Here in San Diego - America’s eighth largest city, depending on what we had for breakfast on any given day - the public transportation system is absolute booty. There’s a reasonably efficient trolley system, but deep-pocketed NIMBYs have ensured it stays almost entirely south of the 8 freeway (locals’ unofficial demarcation line for “I’m not racist, but...”) And, the few bus routes we have here in the north county run so irregularly, that my (now retired) co-worker (who lived 35 minutes away in Imperial Beach) needed nearly three hours to bus up north in the morning.
I bought tickets to a live sporting event yesterday. First time in over a year. It's the home opener for the Richmond Kickers soccer club (4th division of US soccer I think?) - but it's live sports! The Flying Squirrels (Giants AA affiliate) start in early May. Hoping to snag opening day tickets there too when they go on sale, although I suspect with the capacity limitations that might not happen. Still...live sports! Only 24 days away.
The good thing about what Geddy Lee wrote is:
1) He is always hopeful, but discontent.
2) He knows changes aren't permanent.
3) But Change is.
I have Lou Schiff beat! I grew up in Manhattan (not KS). When I was about nine, maybe 10, my Mother would, on a weekend, pack a couple of sandwiches in a paper sack and give me 50 cents to go to the Polo Grounds to watch the Giants for a Sunday double-header. The 50 cents covered bus fare round trip, a dime for a scorecard (I brought my own pencil), and a soda to wash down the sandwiches. I took the bus west to 8th Avenue and transferred to another bus that went north through Harlem. No worries! Today most Manhattan parents wouldn’t let their 10 year old kid go out to buy a newspaper without a Doberman and a can of mace. My time was better.