2012 MLB Regular Season Running Thread

I'm saying in the draft, the teams at least have exclusive negotiating rights. A player like Appel can't just sign with somebody else. He has to sign with the Pirates or wait, so the smaller markets have a better shot at signing top talent. It is a gamble, but they have to gamble because they can't compete when major-league talent becomes available in free agency.

So, MLB restricted spending in the area where weaker teams, which are often smaller markets, might have an advantage, rather than with major league free agency where the restrictions are actually needed.

 

Agreed. And really you could even "splurge" and get seats down the line or upper deck at regular prices ($20-40), instead of Stubhub.

I almost never eat at the ballpark and usually just get one soda, if I get real thirsty.

Two tickets ($20 each), parking ($10), 2 sodas ($3.50 each) = $57 total.

 

That's always been true. The only thing that's different is that all teams have a cap, but small-market teams have a larger cap and extra picks.

 

Dem's the facts.

I guess you're more apt to do that if you're relatively close to that major league experience. When trips to the "big city" are rarer, the fan might tend to really "splurge" a little more, buy the food, live la vida loca.

 

And that's totally OK, too. I always tend to spend more money when I'm visiting a new stadium, because I want to get the full experience.

But that's a choice. You're not forced to splurge, and you're not forced to spend a lot of money to enjoy a big-league game at most ballparks.

The option to spend less is there, for whoever wants to take advantage of it.

 

Totally agreed.

 

That's usually our gameplan. Purchase water/nuts outside the park if they let you bring it in, sit in the upper deck and enjoy the game.

A lot of times, we end up with pretty good seats anyway, just from spotting an empty pair and moving. I took my son to Wrigley. Spent $19 each on lower-deck seats, used the El, didn't buy a thing at the park and got out of there with less than a $50 hit on my wallet at one of the highest-priced ballparks in MLB. I used to be able to go to Riverfront Stadium and would spend $6 on a seat and $5-10 on parking. Marge never paid the ushers past the 5th inning, so I always saw the end of the game from a pretty good seat .

 

You still aren't getting it and you are the one who brought up smart teams taking advantage of market inefficiencies. That's what teams like the Pirates have to do, and MLB took away their method of doing it. It was place where small markets could compete. The fact that many of them didn't take advantage of it is irrelevant.

Here's the bit you and many others who get into this debate with me don't get. I don't give a damn about parity. I care about opportunity. If a team dominates the NFL that's cool because they did it on a level playing field. They earned it, rather than just using a built-in advantage to contend every year like the Yankees do.

 

That's my philosophy. I'm several hours from the nearest major league city, so I go to a game maybe once every five years if that. I have no problem plunking down some extra cash for good seats and having a first-rate experience.
If I lived closer and went more often, though, I'd definitely be familiar with the sightlines from the upper deck. Especially if I lived in a town like Houston, Miami, Atlanta or Pittsburgh, where you can readily trade up once the game gets going.

 

And now that the opportunity is being given to all teams, not just the teams who want to spend the most money, to get top amateur talent, you are complaining.

 

That's what makes Milwaukee great. You drink and eat in the parking lot before and after the game!

 

The hit the White Sox are going to take next year? Closing the Red Line on the south side for repairs. That'll really hurt the Sox.

That's why I'm (finally) going this year for the first time.

By the way, the parking garage on the north end of the Red Line, at the Howard station, up near Evanston, is $2. Great for Cubs games. I'm using it to go to a Sox game later this summer, even though the El trip is much longer.