My Qualms with the World Series

As I sit and watch a dramatic game 4 of the 2010 World Series, I can't help but be frustrated with Major League Baseball. As you can probably imagine, the umpires have been a major disappointment to me, as it has been for countless others, as I watch bad calls go both ways. But that's another discussion for another time!

What really irks me is the corporate imposition on the game. To wit, here are some nuisances that I've encountered:

-REALLY, REALLY, REALLY long commercial breaks. These commercials slow down the game way too much, ruining the flow of the game and taking too long to complete each game. The game started shortly after 8pm, and it's now almost 11:30, with still the full 9th inning to go. And it's only a 4-4 game with few pitching changes to slow things down. These commercial breaks need to be shortened in order to appeal to younger fans, since most of them can't stay up too late.

-Speaking of 8:00 games, why does MLB insist of showing the games so late? At least on a Sunday night, we could get a 7:00 game, no? It's likely due to some kind of prime time formula that skews (and screws!) the timing, but something that is not fan-friendly.

-Repeated commercials ad nauseum. How many times do we need to be tortured with Subway's $5 foot long commercials and the obnoxious Mac commercials before we get spasms and automatically decide to NOT buy from these advertisers?

That's my rant for the night as I sweat out this 9th inning. It's a shame that an otherwise excellent World Series would have to be marred by such frustrating intrusions. But if the Phils win it all, it will all be worth it. I suppose. Go Phils!

Another Idea: Targeted Ads in the Backstop

Next idea for the night...

You know those digital ads that appear behind the catcher at a baseball game on the backstop? Well how about we turn them into targeted ads, a la pay per click ads on Google.

So instead of a useless, untargeted ad for, say, Spongetech, which seem to have popped up a lot lately, pop in an ad that relates to the hitter, or other relevant situation.

Examples:

-Ryan Howard steps to the plate, up pops an ad for Subway, whom he endorses

-It's a blazing hot summer day, and the announcer mentions the 97 degree temperature and how the players are drinking lots of liquids... up pops an ad for Gatorade or Aquafina

-A player slides into second and gets a mess on his uniform. Yup, you guessed it, an ad for Tide or another laundry detergent appears.

Admittedly, this could get annoying if it happened every 10 seconds, so there would have to be some limits, but my thought is that it would provide a lot better context for the advertiser and make a better connection with the fans, thus making the ads more valuable.

Well, that's my second thought for the night. Now it's drawing near midnight and it's tied at 4 at the end of the 4th between the Phils and Rockies. Thanks TBS and MLB for this lovely late night game, I'll see what else I can blog about to keep awake...

Give "Back" to a Good Cause

As I watch this torturously late Phillies-Rockies National League Divisional Series playoff game (11pm Eastern Time, with only 2 innings in the books), I had a thought... I think it's time to reevaluate the batboys' uniforms.

Huh?

Just follow me here.

So the batboys for each game wear the home team's uniform and usually the back of their jerseys are emblazoned with the clever statement of "BATBOY."

Instead of wasting this prime space, which is seen by millions of people every game, why not give "back" to a good cause by outfitting each batboy with a shirt that features a local non-profit's name, website, and/or logo? And perhaps after each game, the shirt gets signed by some of the players and given to the charity to get auctioned off. This simple act raises awareness for the charity, then raises a bit of money via the auction, rather than wasting the space on the jersey with an uninspiring noun.

Just trying to think of some ways to give back in this age of big-business baseball. Maybe I'll even have some more ideas to throw out there before the end of this (long) night...

I Have the Solution to the Phillies' Closer Problems

Ok, it finally dawned on me. With Brad Lidge having blown 10 saves this season and Ryan Madson having blown six saves, that's a lot of games lost or made unnecessarily more difficult to win than need be. Here's what we need to do to solve the problems that the Phillies have had with their closers this year:

Develop a "Biblical" plan to foil any attempt to finish the game when the Phillies are winning by three runs or less after eight full innings.

Allow me to clarify.

If the Phillies are winning after eight innings, something clearly needs to be done about eliminating that boorish and inconvenient ninth inning. I'm thinking that we need to unleash some pesky plagues to ensure that the 9th inning gets canceled altogether and the Phils leave the ballpark with a victory.

Perhaps one night after the eighth inning concludes, the lights mysteriously go off and won't go back on, and the darkness subsequently forces the umpires to call the game.

Or maybe Hurricane Schwartz can whip up an improptu hail storm to halt the game.

Locusts? Sure.

Frogs? Why not.

The point I'm making here is that we don't need anybody to be a hero and close a game out in the 9th inning. Instead, simply avoiding the ninth inning altogether would be fine and dandy by me. In other words, "Let my bullpen go."

Just Sayin'

Michael Vick has received some harsh criticism by Eagles fans ever since they signed him.

What he did was indeed downright disgraceful, but I personally wonder if it has something to do with the fact that people care more about their pets than their fellow human beings.

To wit, Brett Myers had an incident of hitting his wife in public (a case where charges have since been dropped), but now Philly fans are clamoring for him to pitch as a closer in place of the struggling Brad Lidge.

Eagles fans also went nuts when Cowboys' receiver Michael Irvin was taken off on a stretcher.

Let's not forget that our fair city's favorite sports icon is Rocky... a guy who punched meat and bloodied many an opponent (albeit in a fictional world).

And speaking of meat... that hamburger you're eating right now? Think about how much abuse that cow went through to get to your mouth.

I'd like to see us live in a more civilized world, but until then, let's at least be consistent in who we love and hate in this world.

What the Phils Need for Their Playoff Run

The Phils have signed Pedro Martinez for a cool mil to hopefully eat up some innings down the stretch run. And rumors are swirling about Roy Halladay coming to Philly in a trade. Perhaps there will be other moves made as well.

My personal opinion? I think the Phils need a submarariner in the bullpen. When was the last time this squad had a sidearmer? Kent Tekulve in the mid-80s? There were probably others that I'm forgetting since his time, but nobody of consequence.

Bring in a submarine pitcher, and we'll soar to the championship. That's my take on it.

Phillies. Yikes.

I realize it's tough to stay hot for 162 games of a season in the MLB, but getting swept back-to-back at home? Ouch, that's painful.

The Phillies have had some tough breaks lately with Lidge and Ibanez getting hurt, and Howard getting sick (although he still managed to hit a clutch 3-run home run on Saturday after being in the hospital the night before), but how bad can a team look on it's own home turf? This has gone beyond a slump. This has gone to yikes.

Quite Amazing...

World Series Champs! Amazing!

This has been quite a climb for a team that wallowed in obscurity in the late 90s and suffered frustrating underachievement in the 2000s. Fortunately that's all behind us now and we can celebrate the Phils' big victory in the WORLD SERIES.

Perhaps most amazing is to take a look at the individuals on this team. Considering all of the following backgrounds, whoda thunk we'd win it all?

-Cole Hamels: a long-time rising star who, in 2005 broke his hand in a bar fight, is now World Series MVP and a candidate for Cy Young award

-Ryan Howard: the all time leader with the most strikeouts in a season, is also the 2006 MVP and a candidate for winning that award again this year

-Pat Burrell: booed heavily for years for not living up to expectations of being a #1 pick, won the World Series on a monstrous double

-JC Romero: the eventual 2007 World Series champions Boston Red Sox cut him, and now he is an ace setup man

-Carlos Ruiz: could barely buy a hit during the regular season, all of the sudden turns out to be one of the most productive offensive players in the World Series

-Jamie Moyer: we all know the drill... 45 and still pitching, say no more

-Matt Stairs: was basically ignored when the Phillies picked him up at the trade deadline, wound up having one massive home run that may have turned the momentum in Philly's favor for the rest of the World Series

-Brett Myers: involved in an assault case for beating up his girlfriend, a couple years ago, and then this year struggled to throw a strike in the beginning of the season, was subsequently sent down to the minors, and then came back with a vengeance for much of the season, and performed admirably in the playoffs (particularly with the bat in hand!)

-Joe Blanton: people yawned when the Phillies got him before the trade deadline because his last name wasn't "Sabathia", but guess what? Blanton more than held his own and even socked a home run in the World Series

-Shane Victorino: picked up by the Phillies from the Dodgers from the Rule 5 draft; Philly tried to give him back, LA didn't want him, and he wound up being an incredible force in the Phils lineup many times this season

-Charlie Manuel: the ultimate underdog... ragged on by fans for being a country bumpkin, he's now the toast of the town. I can't say I've always been in favor of him, but at long last he pulled it together and led the Phils to the Holy Land

And I could probably go on, but hey, you get the drill! This was a team that surprised me and surprised a lot of other teams out there. Congrats to the 2008 Phillies for proving that the past is past and a World Series ring can erase all of those memories! (Except on stupid blogs like this one!)

Ahh, How Far We've Come

Ok, so the Phils have a leg up on winning the 2008 World Series as they are just one game from winning it all (wow-- is this for real???). Just think about how far this team has come from just a few years ago. And just think about how far this team has come from the mid-1980s when it was a perennial basement dweller.

Now, watch this clip and you'll see how far this team has come since 1986 in so many ways. As a marketer by trade, it kind of hurts to watch this series of commercials from the 1986 Philadelphia Phillies, because they're just so bad. Yet I couldn't take my eyes off of it...

So, without further ado...

The 1986 Philadelphia Phillies "It Only Happens When You're Here" commercials...

Some R and R for the Phillies

Well folks, it's World Series time, and guess what? The Philadelphia Phillies are 4 wins away from bringing home some hardware. Whoda thunkit??

Having clinched a World Series berth last week, they will have had about a week of R & R to get ready for Wednesday's Game 1 battle against the Tampa Bay ("Don't Call Me Devil") Rays. That rest and relaxation should help, and hopefully it will get them off to a hot start compared to the Rays who have ridden an emotional roller coaster of late.

But the other R & R that I felt like blogging about today was the one and only Randy Ready. Yes, you remember Randy Max Ready, the quintessential utility position player for the Phillies in 1989-1991 and then again in 1994 and 1995.

Having bounced around from team to team with six different stints from 1983-1995, Randy unfortunately wound up on some bad squads and only played in one single playoff game during his career (he struck out to Tom Henke in his only at bat, unfortunately). This playoff appearance was during his days of playing for the Oakland A's who went up against the infamous Toronto Blue Jays in the 1992 ALCS. The A's lost and the Jays went on to win the World Series, and then, as all Phillies fans know, went on to win the World Series again in 1993.

Otherwise, Ready was a pretty reliable guy to have off the bench. During his career, in fact, he played every single position except catcher, pitcher, and shortstop. He played 234 games at second base, followed by 203 at third base, and scattered his time across the field, as well as DH, throughout his career.

Another fact of note... in 1989, Ready was traded along with the quintessential '93 Phillies fan favorite, John Kruk, to the San Diego Padres for Chris James. His best season was actually in 1987 for the Padres when he hit .309 with 12 homers and 54 RBIs in 124 games. Unfortunately it was pretty much all downhill from there as his playing time steadily dropped.

Today, at age 47, Randy Ready manages the Portland Beavers, the triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. In his first season, the team finished fourth with a 70-74 record. Now for some fun facts... are you Ready for this one... Randy (whose middle name is Max) is flanked by Max Venable, hitting coach, and John Maxwell, trainer. Oh and one more doozy for ya about the Beavers: from the span of 1983 to 1987, the Beavers had four managers over five seasons, starting with John Felske (who later managed the Phils), Lee Elia (who later managed the Phils), and yes, the legendary Charlie Manuel, current manager of the Phils. Now THAT'S six degrees of baseball separation right there. Go sleep on those gems for a little bit... just make sure you wake up by Wednesday night...

Craving Creativity in Chants and Cheers

Last night I revelled in the revelry that was reveling on the streets of Philadelphia as the Phightin' Phils wrapped up the National League Championship Series by humiliating the Los Angeles Dodgers in stunned Dodger Stadium in Chavez Ravine. It's great to see Philly fans having a good time celebrating the win and I'm glad that there were no reports of people getting hurt, doing stupid stuff, or generally misbehaving. It was a memorable night for Philly.

But I couldn't help but notice how weak we are when it comes to chanting for the team we embrace so strongly. The best that fans can come up with, be it at a game or at the intersection of Frankford and Cottman, is "Let's Go Phillies" (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap). Or "Beat L.A." And of course the ever-popular derrogatory yell of "(Fill in an opposing player's or team's name) sucks!" That's basically it. Where's the creativity?

In soccer- (football-) loving nations the world over, each team has its own distinct chants that are belted out, songs that are sung, or rhythms that are pounded out. But for some reason in Philly, like every other American city I suppose, the best we can do is three words at a time and a couple of claps on occasion.

At least in football (American football), the Eagles have a fight song, though that has gotten played out more than any MC Hammer hit ever was, likewise to the "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!" chant.

Yes Phillies fans and Philly fans in general are passionate about their teams, but I find it hard to believe that we can't raise the bar in terms of creative chant choreographing. And come to think of it, ever since our teams left the Spectrum and Veterans Stadium, the signs have become a lot lamer and less frequent too.

My message in all this to fellow Philly fans is... keep up the intense passion for your teams, but how 'bout we scream out something new for a change?

A Thought on Home Plate Umpires

Whilst watching the Phillies lead the Dodgers in game 1 of the National League Championship Series, I had a thought about home plate umpires who are charged with the unthankful task of calling balls and strikes.

As anybody who has watched baseball can attest, the best umpires are those that can make accurate calls on balls and strikes the vast majority of the time, and do it quickly.

Well what if we gave the umps a half second extra or so to just pause and think about the pitch and make sure it was a ball or strike? During the course of a game there are dozens of pitches that will be right on the borderline, but it is expected that the ump make the call immediately after it hits the catcher's glove, causing the ump to make a judgment based on instinct rather than analysis. Would fans be willing to allow a momentary pause to think about what he just saw and make sure his initial instinct is accurate? I would think this would increase the accuracy of the calls over the course of the game.

One of the allures of baseball is the quick action the bang-bang of the ball hitting glove, umpire pumping his fist or calling a ball instantly afterwards. And perhaps the heated debates that ensue after a controversial call is made is also part of the allure of baseball. As is the catcher slinging the ball down to third base after the ump calls strike 3.

But perhaps every now and then it wouldn't be a bad thing if the ump took a quick mental pause to ensure the accuracy of the call. Just a thought.

Strike three on a swing and a miss, Phils win game 1. Who cares about the umps! Go Phils!

Go Phils! Yo! Down in Front!

Great first game in the National League Division Series between the Phils and Brewers last night. And thus far in game 2, things are even better. The way the Phils are getting things done this could be a quick series, but that's another matter.

While at yesterday's first playoff win for the Phils since 1993, I celebrated with 45,000+ Phillies fans and had a great time at Citizens Bank Park in chilly Philly. My seat, which was given courtesy of a friend, was pretty decent... clear view of everything, small section, aisle seat, easy in/easy out... it was all good.

But you know what was really annoying? People walking through the aisles during the game! How much more frustrating does that get? When people are in their seats watching the game, the last thing they want to do is stand up so some yutz can squirm by you and then you miss a double in the gap because he couldn't wait a minute. It's a matter of etiquette: wait till a stoppage in play, THEN go to your seat. Have respect for others, that's the name of the game. Perhaps the section attendant should have regulated as well, asking people to wait until they head back to their seat. I don't know.

So anyway, it was a great win for the Phils over the Brew Crew and hopefully the Phightins will pull out another victory tonight. And I'll watch the rest of this game from the comfort of my own chaise lounge without anybody walking in front of me!

Go Phils!

A Small Request for Phillies Playoff Berth

Baseball runs for a long, long season. I can only imagine how emotionally draining it must be to be a player and have to fight for 162 games during the year. And without a doubt making the playoffs is an amazing accomplishment since only 8 teams in the entire league get there. Fortunately, the Phillies should very well be one of those 8 teams this year. We'll find out tonight (hopefully) or tomorrow if they're in.

My one small request for the Phillies clinching the playoffs is... after you clinch a playoff berth adhere to this quote:

"Act like you've been there before."

That quote applies more usually to football players scoring a touchdown, but I think it would help the Phils' chances in the playoffs since they won't be going through an emotional roller coaster, but rather stay level and focused. Win the World Series? Go nuts, hell the fans will. But clinch a playoff spot, show your cool and get ready to get down to business in a couple of days.

That's my 2 cents.

Phillies... Playoffs???

I know, I know, it's sacrosanct to utter the "p-word" when talking about the Phillies until they actually clinch the right to go to the p-word, but I just had to delve into a little bit of history, to discover some trivia gems. To wit:

-Should the Phillies make the postseason in 2008, it will be the first time since the Wild Card system was enacted they made it in back-to-back years.

-The last time the Phillies made the playoffs in back-to-back years, it was 1980 and 1981. And yep, we all know what happened in 1980... Tug McGraw jumped off the mound to celebrate the team's World Series victory.

-Prior to that, in the team's 125 year history, the Phils had back-to-back playoff appearances only one other time, and that was in 1976, '77, and '78.

-Interestingly, the Chicago Cubs, the NL Central winner last year and this year (they clinched already), also hadn't been in the Major League playoffs in back to back years since the Wild Card system was implemented, and the last time that they earned playoff rights in consecutive years was in 1906, '07, and '08. And guess what? They won the World Series in 1907 and 1908.

Little eerie, huh?

Thanks to baseballreference.com for allowing me to do some playoff research.

Phillies Random Locker Room Postings

Lately I've read about two separate locker room postings that caught my attention.

First I heard about Mike Schmidt emailing this message to the Phillies in regards to the storm of the Phillies/Mets series:

"The Mets know you're better than they are. They remember last year."

For starters, I'm rather impressed that Mike Schmidt uses email. It's kind of cool to think of my childhood idol shooting a motivational email off to a bunch of younger guys. As of right now the email seems to be working as the Phils are closing the gap on the Mets, having won the first two games of the series.

Today I read about another locker room message that was posted between games of today's doubleheader. According to ESPN, Charlie Manuel apparently wants to keep his team focused before the second game of the day, so he posted the following directive:

"No football on any TV after 7:15."

Hmmm... I hate to break it to Charlie, but football games are basically over at 7:15, not to mention that I'm sure most or all of these guys could sneak a game on their cell phones if they really wanted to. Not to mention the other fact that the game time is 8:05 so I'm sure most of the guys will be warming up at that time anyway. All in all, it's not quite the spine-tingling "Win today and we walk together forever" message left by Fred Shero for the Flyers final game in the Stanley Cup.

Now we wait for the next exciting message to be found on the Phillies' locker room wall...

Spotted: Small Ball by Phillies

Lately I've written a lot about the Phightin Phils, including a post or two where I've ripped their lack of hitting lately. One thing that has really bugged me this year is that the Phillies can only score in big innings (read: home runs or doubles), and have not been able to steal a run here or there just by playing small ball (read: singles, walks, steals, wearing down the pitcher, etc.).

Well that finally changed yesterday against the Cubs. Here is the recap of the sixth inning, as reported by ESPN.com:

J Rollins flied out to center.
C Utley singled to right.
P Burrell flied out to center.
R Howard singled to right, C Utley to third.
S Victorino hit by pitch, R Howard to second.
J Werth singled to right, C Utley and R Howard scored, S Victorino to third.
P Feliz flied out to center.

Notice there's no mention of "home run" in that recap? They picked up two big runs off of a tired starting pitcher merely by getting three singles, a hit batsman, and aggressive running. And they made the pitcher throw 22 pitches that inning. That's baseball folks! True, home runs can (and do) play a huge role in a team's offense, but not relying on the home run will get you places. Especially when you play against a great team like the Cubs, on the road, and down the stretch.

It's the little things in life...

Phillies Lack Hitting Discipline (Yet Somehow Still Win)

I'm watching this ridiculous 13 inning marathon between the Phillies and the Mets right now. And while I do credit the Phils for making an incredible comeback after an ugly 7-0 deficit to start the game thru four innings, this game should have been long over. And what it comes down to, in my humble opinion, is the hitters not having discipline and being smart hitters.

I don't know how many times in this game (and many other games) where I've seen men on base in crucial situations and the batter-- be it Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and probably others-- either strikes out terribly or pops out weakly to the infield. This is terribly frustrating.

So the moral of the story is not only did the hitters NOT get a hit in a crucial situation and bring home a big run, but they didn't even move a runner over when they made an out. These are the things that this team too often fails to do to squeeze out extra runs and, subsequently, extra wins. Sure, other teams around the league have this problem too, but I have to think that with so many talented hitters on this team, the Phils should be all means be more disciplined and smart at the plate.

By the way, thanks Chris Coste for finally ending this craziness!! Ahh, first place...

Phillies Power Tickets: A Sham

Twice this year I've gone to Phillies games where I had a "Power Ticket", which is a cute way of saying I have a $10 gift card. And twice this year I've realized that they're a waste of money. If you're considering buying this type of ticket, think again. Here's why:

-For starters, you can ONLY use the $10 voucher on the day of that game. So if you have a couple bucks left over, it goes right back into the Phillies' pockets rather than being able to use it at another game. For example, what if you have to leave the game early before you can cash it in? Sorry, you lose.

-In reality, you're either going to not spend exactly $10 (meaning that the leftover money goes right to the Phillies), or you're going to go over that $10 to buy food, merchandise, etc. in which case why bother with the Power Ticket anyway?

-My feeling is that they call it a Power Ticket rather than reminding fans that there's a $10 credit built into the ticket thinking that they'll forget they have this money available and thus the money will go unspent (read: free money for the team!).

So save your money and avoid the Phils' Power Tickets. It's a no-win situation for the fans.

Weird Phillies Fans

At today's Phillies game, I had the chance to observe some weird Phillies fans in action. A few that caught my eye included:

-A guy sitting a few rows in front of us yelled at another fan in the next section over who was trying to start "the wave." Anytime the wave-starting fan stood up to start the wave, this old codger yelled "NOOO!!! Sit down!!!" and proceeded to mutter how much he hates the wave. Why? It's a game, not a funeral... if people want to have some fun, well, that's the whole point! Not to mention the fact that the guy was wearing a baseball glove (which is perfectly fine), with a batting glove on underneath (which is just bizarre). (Good observation Mike D!)

-A guy sat on the aisle next to us with a fat baseball stats book, a yellow legal pad, and a bag full of pistachios. He took notes every so often, flipped through the book's pages, and had shells strewn all over the aisle. To add to it, he had nose hairs that practically reached down to his upper lip. No real wonder why he was alone...

-While walking along the concourse, two college-aged dudes came up to me and one of them asked "Do you know where Billy is?" I assumed it was a joke and played along, saying "Yeah I think I saw him go that way." And I of course kept walking and didn't turn back.

Weird. Very weird. But at least the Phillies won.