2010 Baseball Thread No. 2 (which was my Little League number!)

When Carlos Guillen came off the DL, which I believe was last week. They decided to put Ramon Santiago at second and keep Brennan Boesch, who was called up when Guillen went on the DL and has been killing the ball.

I said going into the season that too many righties in their everyday lineup was going to be the Tigers' Achilles heel, but it appears they've solved that problem with Boesch.

 

Another bulletpoint on the Bryce Harper for No. 1: 6-for-6 (four homers, double, triple) 10 RBIs to keep his team's season alive.

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/harper-lifts-csn-to-junior-college-world-series-94686519.html

 

Nats average attendance (excluding opening day sellout) 19,000

Estimate of attendance for Stephen Strasburg starts: 35,000 (conservatively)
Differential 16,000
Approx. revenue (tix, food, etc.) per fan per game: $100

16,000 X $100 = $1.6 Mill X 10 starts (What Strasburg will have in minors if he comes up for June 4 game)= $16 million

If Nats make wild card and get swept, 1 home game in playoffs is estimated to be worth $4 mill in revenue.

Please tell me again how keeping Strasburg in the minors for two months to save approx. $18 million 7 years from now was a smart move, from either a competitive or economic standpoint.

 

For a guy who hates many baseball statistics in part because they are based partially on guesswork and bullshit, you sure do like engaging in guesswork and bullshit.

Let's assume I actually bought into your made-up numbers for a moment (which I don't). They are still going to get every single dollar that you wrote about, just some of it coming at a later time, except the Wild Card revenue, which is a very large assumption on your part.

Of course, you also ignore the fact that the guys at the back of the rotation, the ones given an opportunity becuase the Nats kept Strasburg down this long, haven't been the problem. It has been the top of the rotation, the guys who would have been getting starts anyway.

Darn actual facts messing with your little projections. Must be frustrating for you.

 

As hilarious as this is, check this out. It's even better...

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2010/05/steve_phillips_nats_should_tra.html

 

Translation: Spnited nailed it.

 

The Nationals, who don't draw flies, are going to average 35k? Seems optimistic.

Last year, the Nationals averaged 12,000 a game for TELEVISION. Now, 35,000 are going to get off their asses and go to the games?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/01/AR2009060103180.html

Your $4 million guess for the wild card game is wildly inflated.
http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3614:mlb-postseason-clubs-make-extra--but-how-much-depends&catid=26:editorials&Itemid=39

A comparable would be the twins' one game playoff last year, which generated $1 million, not $4 million. And you aren't even taking into account that MLB takes 60% of the gate receipts for all the mandatory playoff games.

 

Cool Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story on Babe Ruth's last hurrah -- a three-homer game at Forbes Field on May 25, 1935 (75 years ago today). Nice job of reporting by Robert Dvorchak, as he actually interviewed a couple of eye witnesses:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10145/1060573-63.stm

 

Nice story. Thanks for posting it.

Ruth just comes across as so much larger than life. Hitting his last home run 550'.

Does anyone know why he wanted to manage so badly?

 

Probably just to stay in the game. It wasn't uncommon for superstar players of that era to manage after their careers were over (or to become player-managers late in their careers and keep managing for years afterward). Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Mickey Cochrane and Walter Johnson, among others, all managed.

You don't see that today in the post big-money era. Guys would rather spend their later years playing golf.

Frank Robinson was the last real superstar to manage for any length of time (Joe Torre was a great player, but I wouldn't say he was a superstar). The last one before him was probably Pete Rose, and he hasn't managed in 20 years. Ryne Sandberg -- who is now managing at Triple-A -- is supposedly the heir apparent with the Cubs, but he's the exception.

EDIT: Forgot about Tony Perez, who last managed in 2001.

 

That was freaking awesome. I love the Sports Bog.