Good Thing Everyone’s Unemployed, Because You’ll Never Get Any Work Done Once You See This

I too always wanted one of those magnetic standings boards as a kid.

link

As soon as I was finally able to get one for a birthday or Christmas, what happened? Expansion in 1977, and it was obsolete. I had to draw little Blue Jays and Mariners logos on paper, and tape them at the bottom of the board. It was a major drag.

Man, those 80-88 Kings jerseys are fantastic!

Thanks for the post Paul!

[quote comment=”327849″]
As soon as I was finally able to get one for a birthday or Christmas, what happened? Expansion in 1977, and it was obsolete. I had to draw little Blue Jays and Mariners logos on paper, and tape them at the bottom of the board. It was a major drag.[/quote]

Ah, bummer. I too wanted one of the standings boards but couldn’t decide which sport to pester my parents for, so I went the DIY route and made my own. For baseball I drew the team logos on paper and stuck magnetic tape on the back. Football and hockey I printed out logos from the early Internet (1991, it was not easy to find) and cut them out, magnetic tape.

The real problem was finding a big enough magnetic surface for standings. The refrigerator door was already full of spelling tests and photos, so I was forced to move to the basement and use the washing machine for one league and the dryer for the other league…all went well until the washing machine flooded and I lost the entire Wales Conference.

In 1993, I sent away for a baseball standings tracker that used the miniature plastic helmets (not the ice-cream ones, these were smaller), and that was fantastic fun until MLB realigned and added Central Divisions, making the cardboard display absolutely useless…

Saints’ “Flawless City Long Sleeve Jersey Shirt”

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shout out to Teebz.

Can you leave my city alone now?

Thx Mate! :-P

[quote comment=”327857″]Saints’ “Flawless City Long Sleeve Jersey Shirt”

link

Not only are there NFL versions of the “Flawless City Long Sleeve Shirt,” there is this one – just for you Paul and Phil, link

Looks like they’ve got baseball teams too

link

Looks like somebody forgot about the pinstripes.

link

The magnetic scoreboard ad has the Braves and Yankees in the wrong leagues:

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[quote comment=”327864″][quote comment=”327861″][quote comment=”327857″]Saints’ “Flawless City Long Sleeve Jersey Shirt”

link

Not only are there NFL versions of the “Flawless City Long Sleeve Shirt,” there is this one – just for you Paul and Phil, link

yep, just search amazon for “flawless city” and a bunch pop up.[/quote]

These Flawless City jerseys look like they would be an ideal first-time / starter project for DIY.

Being someone that is not particularly adept at graphics design nor crafts / sewing, for those of you that have tackled these types of projects, am I correct in this assumption?

[quote comment=”327863″]Looks like they’ve got baseball teams too

link

Where did you find that? I would like to see what they have to offer for the Reds.

[quote comment=”327870″]Can NO MAS make a shirt that says “SHUT UP Suzyn!”[/quote]

A shirt for longtime Jets fans…
I, TOO, WANT TO KISS SUZIE KOLBER

I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

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The Patriots version is disappointing.
link

However, the Packers version is great!
link

I always knew that Chicken was a damn Commie.

link

Following up on yesterday’s comments – hey Squiddie, where did you find those Borchert Field pics? Google Image searches are coming up blank, are they mislabeled or something?

[quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

Poor Balsillie. He’s like Charlie Brown with the football.

Also, maybe it was Doctors Day at Nationals park? ;)

[quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

[quote comment=”327885″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

Poor Balsillie. He’s like Charlie Brown with the football.

Also, maybe it was Doctors Day at Nationals park? ;)[/quote]

Move them to Southern Ontario?
Hamilton Coyotes?
Windsor Canadians? (no, wait, that’s sorta taken)
London Derrieres?

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327887″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

Hamilton hasn’t been selected as the city yet.

For anyone interested, the website that Balsillie’s people have created is called “link” – a clear shot to bring a seventh Canadian team to the NHL.

I whole-heartedly did not sign up.

[quote comment=”327891″][quote comment=”327887″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

Hamilton hasn’t been selected as the city yet.

For anyone interested, the website that Balsillie’s people have created is called “link” – a clear shot to bring a seventh Canadian team to the NHL.

I whole-heartedly did not sign up.[/quote]

It’s too early to be posting without coffee. Damned spelling mistakes. Back in a few. Talk amongst yourselves.

[quote comment=”327894″][quote comment=”327887″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

link

Hey, isn’t KC looking for a team?
(and I know Basillie wants to move them to hamilton)

[quote comment=”327895″][quote comment=”327894″][quote comment=”327887″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

link

Hey, isn’t KC looking for a team?
(and I know Basillie wants to move them to hamilton)[/quote]

I think KC has dibs on the Isles. (. . . and Phil gets angry . . .)

No “territorial” issues in NHL?
You’d wouldn’t think he’d get the Leafs’ vote for a move to Hamilton…or the Wings’ for landing in Windsor.

Or, maybe, since Long Island is looking for a major league hockey team (ahem) we could end with the Kansas City Islanders and the New York Coyotes. Oh, brother, there’s a pair of nicknames to draw to.

—Ricko

Paul,
When I first saw a headline and picture of Dom I thought it was Paul Prudhomme too. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.

I know, they’ll change their name back to “Jets”

(Teebz’ innards just seized up)

[quote comment=”327904″][quote]What would they call the Hamilton team?[/quote]

how boot the link?[/quote]

Right. So they can have an alternate jersey that says CONTS.

[quote comment=”327905″][quote comment=”327904″][quote]What would they call the Hamilton team?[/quote]

how boot the link?[/quote]

Right. So they can have an alternate jersey that says CONTS.[/quote]

on the wall of sage rink (where my alma mater played … and i think still plays)…there was a sign, painted on the wall, stating:

[quote]GO YOU CONTS![/quote]

i shit you not…wonder if it’s still there

[quote comment=”327904″][quote]What would they call the Hamilton team?[/quote]

how boot the link?[/quote]

I’m sure they’ll serve some fine sham-pon-ya at the game.

link

[quote comment=”327910″][quote comment=”327879″]However, the Packers version is great!
link

Oh, man — that’s pretty awesome.

Might have to cut off the sleeve cuffs, though, to avoid the douchebag effect.[/quote]

As a non-NFL guy, even I’d wear that. That is a pretty sweet sweater.

I was a regular customer for Glass Gard glasses holders all through my teens and twenties. Much better than any other brand, IMO.

If Livan was wearing blue sleeves while the other Mets were wearing black he should have been made to change. He was violating rule 1.11a, part of which says “All players on a team shall wear uniforms identical in color, trim and style,” and “Any part of an undershirt exposed to view shall be of a uniform solid color for all players on a team.”

Actually it would have been better for everyone else to change to blue, of course. :-)

“And Ricko, if they name the team as “Jets”, they had better be prepared for a large-scale inferno. My offer to burn the city down still stands. LOL”

Well, I meant that name “reversion” only if by some twisted and wholly unlikely trail of events the Coyotes ended up on Long Island, where of course they probably couldn’t use “Jets” even if they wanted to.

Although, “Hamilton Jets” does have a nice, short, punchy sound to it, doesn’t it…and it WOULD point to the fact that the team HAD come home. To Canada, anyway.

So maybe…

Then again, the original WHA franchise in Hamilton was going to be the “Ontario Nationals” before they ended up moving to Ottawa before the start of the first season…
link

I still have a 3″ patch of that logo with “Ontario” instead of “Ottawa”. Might have to put in on red hoodie or something.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327903″]I know, they’ll change their name back to “Jets”

(Teebz’ innards just seized up)[/quote]

Replace the Islanders with the Coyotes and we have a second New York Jets?

sweet…

Baseball Digest uni-related item from December 1963, link: “They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing.”

[quote comment=”327915″]”And Ricko, if they name the team as “Jets”, they had better be prepared for a large-scale inferno. My offer to burn the city down still stands. LOL”

Well, I meant that name “reversion” only if by some twisted and wholly unlikely trail of events the Coyotes ended up on Long Island, where of course they probably couldn’t use “Jets” even if they wanted to.

Although, “Hamilton Jets” does have a nice, short, punchy sound to it, doesn’t it…and it WOULD point to the fact that the team HAD come home. To Canada, anyway.

So maybe…

Then again, the original WHA franchise in Hamilton was going to be the “Ontario Nationals” before they ended up moving to Ottawa before the start of the first season…
link

I still have a 3″ patch of that logo with “Ontario” instead of “Ottawa”. Might have to put in on red hoodie or something.

—Ricko[/quote]

I could see, and this is really stretching the elastic of my mind, Balsillie putting a team in Richmond Hill. Now, RH is a suburb of Toronto, but they have trying to get an OHL team to move there. They have 181,000 people locally in the town’s borders, but are within millions of people.

It also solves the on-going “second team in Toronto” question. The only problem? No NHL-sized arena in the area.

[quote comment=”327919″]Baseball Digest uni-related item from December 1963, link: “They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing.”[/quote]

also from there:

[quote]Most Elusive Runner — Warren Giles, the N. L. prexy[/quote]

prexy? doesn’t that only refer to college presidents or have province in Variety and other trade magazines?

[quote comment=”327922″][quote comment=”327916″]Seriously, why not put a team back in Winnipeg? It’s a huge gap between the southern Ontario teams and the Alberta teams. Just put them back and call them the Jets (or take “Moose” from the AHL team). The city’s big enough, and would probably support hockey far more than Phoenix (or Hamilton). And it keeps a Western team in the West.[/quote]

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Winnipeg has 650,000 total. Surrounding areas? About 10,000. There is no fanbase for $250-400 tickets either. It’s a blue-collar town.

Also, it helps if there was some serious corporate support, and Winnipeg does not have that support necessary to operate an NHL franchise.

Those reasons are why the team left in the first place.[/quote]

Serious question, Teebz.
Regina or Saskatoon?

[quote comment=”327891″][quote comment=”327887″][quote comment=”327875″]I guess hockey in the desert can’t last long.
Coyotes file for bankruptcy.

link

What would they call the Hamilton team? The previous Hamilton-based NHL team was the Tigers.

link

Hamilton hasn’t been selected as the city yet.

For anyone interested, the website that Balsillie’s people have created is called “link” – a clear shot to bring a seventh Canadian team to the NHL.

I whole-heartedly did not sign up.[/quote]
After Balsille’s failed attempt with the Preds on what should have happened, I find it difficult to think Bettman would allow this to happen.

Anyone else see that the owner of the KHL is looking to buy anywhere up to 3 NHL teams out of a pool of 10 he’s currently considering?

[quote comment=”327927″]
Anyone else see that the owner of the KHL is looking to buy anywhere up to 3 NHL teams out of a pool of 10 he’s currently considering?[/quote]

Won’t happen in a bazillion years.

Medvedev is richer than anyone can imagine, but when you compete openly with the NHL and don’t come to an agreement on player transfers, you’re not going to be asked to be included in the NHL Owners’ Club. Especially after several clubs signed NHL stars under contract.

Just because he’s considering the teams doesn’t mean the NHL will approve his bid. In fact, I’m quite certain the NHL will flat-out deny any bid made by Medvedev unless the NHL gets what it wants: either the shutdown of the KHL or the KHL becomes a European minor-league system of the NHL.

[quote comment=”327930″]I say move the Coyotes to Wisconsin. I always wondered why we didn’t have an NHL team to begin with.

-Greenie[/quote]

Where in Wisconsin would you put the team? The Milwaukee Admirals have a huge following, and are a team deep in history in that town.

Green Bay? It’s a football town. Strictly football.

“Edmonton is also experiencing this trouble now – smaller city, no surrounding community support, and local businesses are being hit hard by the recession.”

Was gonna be my next question: How much time you think the Oilers have left in Edmonton?

Hockey isn’t like MLB, NBA or NFL. There still are plenty of medium to large markets out there, with arenas, that would look good to struggling NHL teams. And many are in colder weather environs; aren’t stuck with the Sun Belt.

Making no value judgments, just looking at open markets and not taking into account playing sites, the list is long: Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Hartford, Cleveland, theoretically Long Island….(just for starters)

Granted, some would be lousy choices, but the point I’m making is the perceived attractiveness of a small market-to-larger market move.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327929″][quote comment=”327927″]
Anyone else see that the owner of the KHL is looking to buy anywhere up to 3 NHL teams out of a pool of 10 he’s currently considering?[/quote]

Won’t happen in a bazillion years.

Medvedev is richer than anyone can imagine, but when you compete openly with the NHL and don’t come to an agreement on player transfers, you’re not going to be asked to be included in the NHL Owners’ Club. Especially after several clubs signed NHL stars under contract.

Just because he’s considering the teams doesn’t mean the NHL will approve his bid. In fact, I’m quite certain the NHL will flat-out deny any bid made by Medvedev unless the NHL gets what it wants: either the shutdown of the KHL or the KHL becomes a European minor-league system of the NHL.[/quote]
Oh I know it won’t happen, but I find it to be interesting, to say the least…

I think Medvedev might be jumping the gun on this one. If he would spend time developing the KHL into something that very seriously competes with the NHL for talent over a long stretch of time, he could eventually get his league to to a NFL-AFL type of merger, which would create a true global professional hockey league and develop what is essentially the Champions League of hockey…

but to go in now just screams that he doesn’t think the KHL can compete and he’s trying to abandon ship before it busts. Bettman would be wise to keep him out and watch that castle burn to the ground, and then come in and, as you said, offer them an olive branch that would make them become a subsidary of the NHL where they would be more of a developmental league than anything else.

Teebz is right. It isn’t about the size of the host city. It’s about the Dominant Market Area. “DMA” is an advertising term that certainly applies here. Also there’s “ADI” (Area of Dominant Influence”).

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327919″]Baseball Digest uni-related item from December 1963, link: “They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing.”[/quote]

I am now adding Mickey Mantle to the list of jackasses I despise.

[quote comment=”327934″][quote comment=”327932″][quote comment=”327922″][quote comment=”327916″]Seriously, why not put a team back in Winnipeg? It’s a huge gap between the southern Ontario teams and the Alberta teams. Just put them back and call them the Jets (or take “Moose” from the AHL team). The city’s big enough, and would probably support hockey far more than Phoenix (or Hamilton). And it keeps a Western team in the West.[/quote]

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Winnipeg has 650,000 total. Surrounding areas? About 10,000. There is no fanbase for $250-400 tickets either. It’s a blue-collar town.

Also, it helps if there was some serious corporate support, and Winnipeg does not have that support necessary to operate an NHL franchise.

Those reasons are why the team left in the first place.[/quote]

I see your point, but Winnipeg is still larger than Hamilton or London. Yes, they might have some additional fan-base from the Toronto burbs, but that also meanas that a lot of people IN Hamilton are Leafs fans (or fans of some other team). Winnipeg is the 8th largest city in Canada. The 7 larger cities all have NHL teams, except Quebec City (7th largest). Windsor, Saskatoon and Regina are all REALLY small.[/quote]

Hamilton has 7 million people it can draw from within three hours of that city. That’s a pretty good number when you only need 16,000 people.

Winnipeg’s closest city over 1 million people? Minneapolis. And no one from Minny is driving seven hours north to see a hockey game when the Wild are in their backyards.[/quote]

Then Hamilton it is. So what’s more likely: Tigers, Bulldogs, or Fincups.

[quote comment=”327940″][quote]Hockey isn’t like MLB, NBA or NFL[/quote]

because it’s not a major sport?[/quote]

Ladies and gentlemen, LI Phil, “the straw that stirs the drink”.
At Uni Watch, anyway. LOL

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327942″]The All-Blacks uni change reminded me that MTV has a show named Duel,set in New Zealand, where the contestatnts all do the Haka in the opening credits.

BTW, I will be accompanying Mr. Hecken to “Shea: this evening while wearing my newest DIY creation![/quote]

Not only that Matt, but during the first challenge, they played a modified form of rugby where one of the teams was referred to as the all blacks..

[quote comment=”327942″]The All-Blacks uni change reminded me that MTV has a show named Duel,set in New Zealand, where the contestatnts all do the Haka in the opening credits.

BTW, I will be accompanying Mr. Hecken to “Shea: this evening while wearing my newest DIY creation![/quote]

And Phil will be dressed at Tim Gunn?

[quote comment=”327933″]”Edmonton is also experiencing this trouble now – smaller city, no surrounding community support, and local businesses are being hit hard by the recession.”

Was gonna be my next question: How much time you think the Oilers have left in Edmonton?

Hockey isn’t like MLB, NBA or NFL. There still are plenty of medium to large markets out there, with arenas, that would look good to struggling NHL teams. And many are in colder weather environs; aren’t stuck with the Sun Belt.

Making no value judgments, just looking at open markets and not taking into account playing sites, the list is long: Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Hartford, Cleveland, theoretically Long Island….(just for starters)

Granted, some would be lousy choices, but the point I’m making is the perceived attractiveness of a small market-to-larger market move.

—Ricko[/quote]
You can cross out the entire Northeast. The area is already too saturated with NHL franchises, and needs to lose one (Isles) instead of bring another one in, so forget moving a franchise up there. Also, forget about moving to another area in the US to a place East of the Mississippi. You’ve reached the tipping point there, and adding another team within that region just won’t do anything. Forget about the Central Plains areas outside of perhaps Kansas City. Just isn’t enough people who would care about hockey. No Northern transplants, and nobody that would sustain a team. Forget about anything in the Southern part of the West Coast, you’ve basically exhausted that area. Also, forget about anywhere in Canada that isn’t the largest untapped city in its Province. You’re not going to move a team to a small market in Canada when you can exploit a big area.

So what do you have?

Portland, Seattle, Hamilton, Saskatoon, or Quebec City. Maybe add in Kansas City or Las Vegas if Bettman gets his way.

[quote comment=”327943″][quote comment=”327940″][quote]Hockey isn’t like MLB, NBA or NFL[/quote]

because it’s not a major sport?[/quote]

Ladies and gentlemen, LI Phil, “the straw that stirs the drink”.
At Uni Watch, anyway. LOL

—Ricko[/quote]

“Ricko can stir it, but he can only stir it bad” —RMJ ;-)

[quote comment=”327949″]
Portland, Seattle, Hamilton, Saskatoon, or Quebec City. Maybe add in Kansas City or Las Vegas if Bettman gets his way.[/quote]

Portland is a no-go. Paul Allen has already stated he wants nothing to do with the NHL in his arena.

Seattle? They already lost the Sonics. They won’t support an NHL team. Their WHL team is suffering right now because they get no crowds there.

Saskatoon is definitely out. Blue-collar, working people who support the cheap tickets to the WHL’s Blades, but will never spend $400 x 41 games to see players they don’t care about. Also, no corporate sponsors who will keep the team buoyed.

Quebec City barely wanted the NHL when the Nordiques left, so I doubt they would even be considered.

If Phoenix failed miserably, Las Vegas would be worse. You don’t go to Vegas to watch sports. You go to Vegas to bet on sports.

[quote comment=”327942″]The All-Blacks uni change reminded me that MTV has a show named Duel,set in New Zealand, where the contestatnts all do the Haka in the opening credits.

BTW, I will be accompanying Mr. Hecken to “Shea: this evening while wearing my newest DIY creation![/quote]

did you DIY a mets jersey with “internet troll” on the back?!?!

and what inning will you 2 be thrown out of the game?

[quote comment=”327955″][quote comment=”327942″]The All-Blacks uni change reminded me that MTV has a show named Duel,set in New Zealand, where the contestatnts all do the Haka in the opening credits.

BTW, I will be accompanying Mr. Hecken to “Shea: this evening while wearing my newest DIY creation![/quote]

did you DIY a mets jersey with “internet troll” on the back?!?!

and what inning will you 2 be thrown out of the game?[/quote]

I’m hoping they go as the fully-dressed umpires. LOL

[quote comment=”327953″][quote comment=”327949″]
Portland, Seattle, Hamilton, Saskatoon, or Quebec City. Maybe add in Kansas City or Las Vegas if Bettman gets his way.[/quote]
Seattle? They already lost the Sonics. They won’t support an NHL team. Their WHL team is suffering right now because they get no crowds there.

Quebec City barely wanted the NHL when the Nordiques left, so I doubt they would even be considered.

If Phoenix failed miserably, Las Vegas would be worse. You don’t go to Vegas to watch sports. You go to Vegas to bet on sports.[/quote]
With Seattle, I could see it happening. Yes, they lost the Sonics, but they’re so close to Canada and have enough Canadian transplants, that I could see them doing well. It would be worth a shot, it has a chance.

Quebec City could be good. The city is large enough that they could definitely try again, but their hard part will be trying to cut into the Montreal fanbase. Its a possibility, but not that great of one.

And Las Vegas? Don’t worry, I completely agree. That said, I’m not sure Bettman shares our viewpoint.

Right now, there just aren’t that many new places an NHL franchise can go and be successful. The areas that can are already too saturated and the areas in Canada that can have already had their shot.

[quote comment=”327953″][quote comment=”327949″]
Portland, Seattle, Hamilton, Saskatoon, or Quebec City. Maybe add in Kansas City or Las Vegas if Bettman gets his way.[/quote]

Portland is a no-go. Paul Allen has already stated he wants nothing to do with the NHL in his arena.

Seattle? They already lost the Sonics. They won’t support an NHL team. Their WHL team is suffering right now because they get no crowds there.

Saskatoon is definitely out. Blue-collar, working people who support the cheap tickets to the WHL’s Blades, but will never spend $400 x 41 games to see players they don’t care about. Also, no corporate sponsors who will keep the team buoyed.

Quebec City barely wanted the NHL when the Nordiques left, so I doubt they would even be considered.

If Phoenix failed miserably, Las Vegas would be worse. You don’t go to Vegas to watch sports. You go to Vegas to bet on sports.[/quote]

The funny part is that Phoenix did better when the “Yotes were at America West Arena with obstructed view seats in downtown phoenix which has almost no nightlife than when they moved to Glendale and played in an arena built specifically for them in the middle of a thriving entertainment district that the arena anchors. The difference, setting aside the Ellman/Moyes fiasco, is that they were competitive early on. 5 out of their first 6 years they made the playoffs. They have not made the playoffs once in the last 6 years.
No team, in any sport, draws consistently n Phoenix when they are not winning. The Suns have been here for 40 years, and sell out nearly every game, but in the early 2000s they were not drawing, because they did not make the playoffs. Phoenix is a melting pot city, and so you take a sport that does not translate well in the desert southwest anyway, and then fail to produce a competitive team, and it is hard to come up with a large enough fan base to get out of the red.

[quote comment=”327961″]
The funny part is that Phoenix did better when the “Yotes were at America West Arena with obstructed view seats in downtown phoenix which has almost no nightlife than when they moved to Glendale and played in an arena built specifically for them in the middle of a thriving entertainment district that the arena anchors. The difference, setting aside the Ellman/Moyes fiasco, is that they were competitive early on. 5 out of their first 6 years they made the playoffs. They have not made the playoffs once in the last 6 years.
No team, in any sport, draws consistently n Phoenix when they are not winning. The Suns have been here for 40 years, and sell out nearly every game, but in the early 2000s they were not drawing, because they did not make the playoffs. Phoenix is a melting pot city, and so you take a sport that does not translate well in the desert southwest anyway, and then fail to produce a competitive team, and it is hard to come up with a large enough fan base to get out of the red.[/quote]

Good point, Rodd. And, not to rain on the parade, but Phoenix has been hit hard by the recession. Housing prices are at a ridiculous low for the Phoenix area, and growth has all but stopped.

With the NHL being so reliant on the walk-up tickets and butts being in the seats, it’s the sport where teams who are hurting will be hit the hardest. And the Coyotes are a perfect example of the storm.

[quote comment=”327962″][quote comment=”327957″][quote comment=”327955″][quote comment=”327942″]The All-Blacks uni change reminded me that MTV has a show named Duel,set in New Zealand, where the contestatnts all do the Haka in the opening credits.

BTW, I will be accompanying Mr. Hecken to “Shea: this evening while wearing my newest DIY creation![/quote]

did you DIY a mets jersey with “internet troll” on the back?!?!

and what inning will you 2 be thrown out of the game?[/quote]

I’m hoping they go as the fully-dressed umpires. LOL[/quote]

at this point… i’m just hoping they go fully-dressed![/quote]

Phil’s first thought, of course, was, “Define ‘fully-dressed’.”

[quote comment=”327966″]People forget that a lot of people actually live in Las Vegas, not just go there to lose money. In fact it is the biggest US city with no pro team in the big 4 leagues.[/quote]

There’s that whole “gambling” problem that scares the big four leagues off.

But not Pete Rose, thankfully. LOL

[quote comment=”327883″]Following up on yesterday’s comments – hey Squiddie, where did you find those Borchert Field pics? Google Image searches are coming up blank, are they mislabeled or something?[/quote]
They filed under Beer Drinking. I think all the photos in that file were taken around Milwaukee, but I might be stereotyping here.

Try link and link.

From the same file but not related, I like this photo of link.

[quote comment=”327960″]Absolutely. I proposed contraction a while back (as Ricko stated), and it seems to be a great option at this point with so many NHL teams on shaky ground.

Shut it down. Establish a bigger market share for teams in markets with a foothold by dispersing the contracted teams’ players and increasing star power. Shut down any idea of expansion until the US TV deal is equivalent to what the NHL receives from the CBC and TSN in Canada.[/quote]
Yeah, I kind of agree with the idea of contraction.

I don’t see how the NHL would be worse off if you contracted the Preds, Thrash, Panthers, and Yotes. And really, you could possibly add the Jackets and Isles to that list as well. Do that, bring the total teams down to 24 and you could have the conferences made up of 2 divisions each.
West:
Division A: Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Avs, Blues, Stars
Division B: Wings, Hawks, Oilers, Flames, Canucks, Wild
East:
Division A: Leafs, Habs, Bruins, Sabres, Pens, Sens
Division B: Flyers, Rangers, Caps, Canes, Bolts, Devils

Eliminate the weak, keep the strong/surviving and move on. Plus, the divisions line up better this way

[quote comment=”327936″][quote comment=”327931″][quote comment=”327930″]I say move the Coyotes to Wisconsin. I always wondered why we didn’t have an NHL team to begin with.

-Greenie[/quote]

Where in Wisconsin would you put the team? The Milwaukee Admirals have a huge following, and are a team deep in history in that town.

Green Bay? It’s a football town. Strictly football.[/quote]

Green Bay has a hockey team – I’ve seen them play, to boot!

link

Goodness… how many times have the Gamblers changed their uniform and logo in the past 10 years? Or is that common in the USHL for teams to change logos and such often?

[quote comment=”327949″][quote comment=”327933″]”Edmonton is also experiencing this trouble now – smaller city, no surrounding community support, and local businesses are being hit hard by the recession.”

Was gonna be my next question: How much time you think the Oilers have left in Edmonton?

Hockey isn’t like MLB, NBA or NFL. There still are plenty of medium to large markets out there, with arenas, that would look good to struggling NHL teams. And many are in colder weather environs; aren’t stuck with the Sun Belt.

Making no value judgments, just looking at open markets and not taking into account playing sites, the list is long: Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Hartford, Cleveland, theoretically Long Island….(just for starters)

Granted, some would be lousy choices, but the point I’m making is the perceived attractiveness of a small market-to-larger market move.

—Ricko[/quote]
You can cross out the entire Northeast. The area is already too saturated with NHL franchises, and needs to lose one (Isles) instead of bring another one in, so forget moving a franchise up there. Also, forget about moving to another area in the US to a place East of the Mississippi. You’ve reached the tipping point there, and adding another team within that region just won’t do anything. Forget about the Central Plains areas outside of perhaps Kansas City. Just isn’t enough people who would care about hockey. No Northern transplants, and nobody that would sustain a team. Forget about anything in the Southern part of the West Coast, you’ve basically exhausted that area. Also, forget about anywhere in Canada that isn’t the largest untapped city in its Province. You’re not going to move a team to a small market in Canada when you can exploit a big area.

So what do you have?

Portland, Seattle, Hamilton, Saskatoon, or Quebec City. Maybe add in Kansas City or Las Vegas if Bettman gets his way.[/quote]

How about the NHL coming to it’s senses and use this opportunity to dump the dead weight?
They don’t need relocation/expansion, they’d be better served overall by contracting down to 24-26 teams.

[quote]I love baseball too much to get thrown out of a game[/quote]

famous last words

[quote comment=”327977″][quote]I love baseball too much to get thrown out of a game[/quote]

famous last words[/quote]

My thought exactly

[quote comment=”327976″][quote comment=”327967″][quote comment=”327966″]People forget that a lot of people actually live in Las Vegas, not just go there to lose money. In fact it is the biggest US city with no pro team in the big 4 leagues.[/quote]

There’s that whole “gambling” problem that scares the big four leagues off.

But not Pete Rose, thankfully. LOL[/quote]

That argument is the dumbest objection to a having a pro sports team in Vegas. Look at Detroit. They have 3 large Casinos (not dinky Indian casinos) downtown and another across that river that has sports betting. Add to that the boom of online sports gambling and it really doesn’t matter if a city has casinos or not. People who are going to bet on the games will do so.[/quote]

So when the leagues publicly say that they don’t want to deal with that kind of negative publicity in the event that someone within their ranks gives into temptation, what do you make of that?

You know, considering the blackballing that Pete Rose took. And Rick Tocchet has taken.

[quote comment=”327966″]People forget that a lot of people actually live in Las Vegas, not just go there to lose money. In fact it is the biggest US city with no pro team in the big 4 leagues.[/quote]
Just out of curiosity, what’s the demographics of the actual Vegas residents? If most of a expected fanbase are hourly casino workers, I’m not sure such a franchise would necessarily work. IIRC Caps owner Ted Leonsis has said that the Caps’ fanbase slants toward a more affluent demographic which seems to match the long time TV sponsorships.

[quote comment=”327981″][quote comment=”327976″][quote comment=”327967″][quote comment=”327966″]People forget that a lot of people actually live in Las Vegas, not just go there to lose money. In fact it is the biggest US city with no pro team in the big 4 leagues.[/quote]

There’s that whole “gambling” problem that scares the big four leagues off.

But not Pete Rose, thankfully. LOL[/quote]

That argument is the dumbest objection to a having a pro sports team in Vegas. Look at Detroit. They have 3 large Casinos (not dinky Indian casinos) downtown and another across that river that has sports betting. Add to that the boom of online sports gambling and it really doesn’t matter if a city has casinos or not. People who are going to bet on the games will do so.[/quote]

So when the leagues publicly say that they don’t want to deal with that kind of negative publicity in the event that someone within their ranks gives into temptation, what do you make of that?

You know, considering the blackballing that Pete Rose took. And Rick Tocchet has taken.[/quote]Rick Tocchet, the [i]current[/i] coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning?

[quote comment=”327946″][quote comment=”327933″]
Making no value judgments, just looking at open markets and not taking into account playing sites, the list is long: Kansas City, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Hartford, Cleveland, theoretically Long Island….(just for starters)

Granted, some would be lousy choices, but the point I’m making is the perceived attractiveness of a small market-to-larger market move.[/quote]

Good list, Ricko.

Milwaukee has the AHL’s Admirals, and they draw a great crowd to a hockey game. Their management team does an excellent job in marketing hockey, and they have really established a great niche there.

Hartford has the AHL’s Wolf Pack, and they are owned by the NHL’s Rangers. Moving them would take a monumental effort, but the crowds aren’t the best in Hartford for AHL hockey. Putting a mediocre NHL team there might work, but you’d really have to get a commitment from local businesses for this to work.

Cleveland has the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, and they are essentially an arena tenant when the Cavaliers aren’t playing. They don’t draw a great crowd, and really don’t have a good history to draw on. Hockey in Cleveland has failed a number of times in the NHL and IHL, so this one would be a huge risk.

Cincinnati has the ECHL’s Cyclones, and they draw great crowds for being an ECHL team. Cincy’s last pro team was the WHA’s Stingers, and they lost money. The AHL’s Mighty Ducks lost money as well and were folded. Selling hockey in Cincy would be similar to selling hockey in Cleveland.

Kansas City has an attractive arena run by hockey people (Ansch… whatever that group is called), so this would be an enticing offer. Due to their proximity with St. Louis, it gives the Blues an immediate rival and they can remain in the Western Conference if the ‘Yotes were to move. However, the Scouts didn’t take in KC over three years, so this would remain to be seen.

My choices would be Long Island (keep the Isles there) and Toronto with a second team.[/quote]

Portland would seem to be an option. Rename them the Buckaroos. They would make a natural rival with Vancouver. If Seattle had a good arena it would also make sense.

[quote comment=”327923″][quote comment=”327919″]Baseball Digest uni-related item from December 1963, link: “They should have come out of the dugout on tippy-toes, holding hands and singing.”[/quote]

also from there:

[quote]Most Elusive Runner — Warren Giles, the N. L. prexy[/quote]

prexy? doesn’t that only refer to college presidents or have province in Variety and other trade magazines?[/quote]
Another item that caught by attention was the description of Gene Freese (seventh paragraph). Apparently Mr. Freese had problems with his bat.

There is a story that Dom Delouise once went into Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant, and the staff thought it was the boss.

it’s even mentioned in the link about Delouise’s passing

Do we perchance know to which Mets combination Mr. Hecken and Mr. Powers will be subjected this evening?

Any guesses?

Also, which t-shirt should Phil wear:
1. “I’M CALLING IT SHAY”
2. “PERSONALLY, I’M INTO FLUSHING”
3. “WHERE’S MOOKIE?”

—Ricko

Want some real fun?

Check out link.

And you thought hockey had its problems. LOL

[quote comment=”327922″]Winnipeg has 650,000 total. Surrounding areas? About 10,000. There is no fanbase for $250-400 tickets either. It’s a blue-collar town.

Also, it helps if there was some serious corporate support, and Winnipeg does not have that support necessary to operate an NHL franchise.

Those reasons are why the team left in the first place.[/quote]

Good Friend Teebz, all I can say here is “don’t go too far with the raw numbers”. Houston isn’t on anyone’s list for an NHL team, yet their population count is far in excess of many areas with NHL teams. There has to be some interest factor/multiplier considered for these types of decsions.

Sure there’s many good reasons why hockey is deserting Canada. The acting career of Mrs Wayne Gretzky, the idea that you need corporate money/suites to survive and the TV contracts all come to mind. My only comment is that you can’t just plug some numbers into a computer and come to a good decision.

To everyone who mentioned contraction: IMHO, a great idea but don’t just limit it to the NHL. (I know it will never get done, but it remains a good idea who’s time will only come after a mid-season bankrupcty-if then.)

[quote comment=”327850″]Isn’t the plural of Bison, Bison? Not according to link.[/quote]

Or the AAA affiliate of the Mets. link

[quote comment=”327969″]They filed under Beer Drinking. I think all the photos in that file were taken around Milwaukee, but I might be stereotyping here.

Try link and link.[/quote]

Sterotyping?? Why do you say Milwaukee? Just becaue of the foot-tall aisle numbers painted on the floor in that second picture?

Hey, people can pass out in almost any town… :-)

RE: Boras and neutral site for World Series.

I think that is EXACTLY what MLB is maneuvering itself into, by design. Pushing the season deeper into November is all about that. They’re HOPING weather experiences take things to the point where they can say, “Well, guess we have no choice but to go to a neutral site for W-S.”

MLB looks at the Super Bowl and wants its premier event, like the Super Bowl, to be a huge deal for all its corporate sponsors, big wigs and other fat cats.

In some boardroom, MLB has envisioned a sort of baseball Mardi Gras of a week or more rotating among places like Miami, L.A, Houston, Phoenix (or cities with domes)…perhaps even New Orleans itself as an ultimate neutral site. MLB wants that kind of sustained orgy of attention, spending and advertising revenue smack in the middle of the NFL season.

I may not be around to see it, but I’ll bet within a decade, perhaps a bit more, that’s the way it is.

Go ahead, call me crazy. Or trust the instincts of someone who’s been watching this shit—inside and out as fan, journalist and PR person—for 55 years now.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”328004″]
Sitting here in Chicago, personally I think that either Milwaukee or suburban Chicago should get stronger consideration: but I’ll acknowledge that people may say I’m biased.[/quote]

Both places you just mentioned have very strong AHL teams.

[quote comment=”327997″][quote comment=”327922″]Winnipeg has 650,000 total. Surrounding areas? About 10,000. There is no fanbase for $250-400 tickets either. It’s a blue-collar town.

Also, it helps if there was some serious corporate support, and Winnipeg does not have that support necessary to operate an NHL franchise.

Those reasons are why the team left in the first place.[/quote]

Good Friend Teebz, all I can say here is “don’t go too far with the raw numbers”. Houston isn’t on anyone’s list for an NHL team, yet their population count is far in excess of many areas with NHL teams. There has to be some interest factor/multiplier considered for these types of decsions.

Sure there’s many good reasons why hockey is deserting Canada. The acting career of Mrs Wayne Gretzky, the idea that you need corporate money/suites to survive and the TV contracts all come to mind. My only comment is that you can’t just plug some numbers into a computer and come to a good decision.

To everyone who mentioned contraction: IMHO, a great idea but don’t just limit it to the NHL. (I know it will never get done, but it remains a good idea who’s time will only come after a mid-season bankrupcty-if then.)[/quote]

I am a Canadian hockey fan in the Hamilton market and have been following this story for a long time. There are territorial rights, 50 mile radius. Hamilton falls under both Toronto and Buffalo, but….
Kitchener/Waterloo (Headquarters for RIM Jim Balsillie) is OUTSIDE all territorial rights. It is within 3 hours of 7 million people, and may well be the new home of the Coyotes.
Also on territorial rights, the leafs and sabres both have 1 vote, neither can veto a move, but it is speculated all the owners would vote with them.

For the NHL (and NBA) the time to seriously consider contraction has come. Too many teams, oversaturated markets, too much competition for the ever-dwindling disposable entertainment dollar.

Regarding the World Series chatter, when will the other leagues ever learn – one of the main reasons the Super Bowl is such an event is because it’s ONE GAME.

I hear you, Ricko. It would shift baseball from the competition side of the dial to deep into the commodification side.

I’m presuming, perhaps a trifle too optimistically, that we’re safe from the owners doing any of this. Because it’s Boras’ idea.

[quote comment=”328009″]For the NHL (and NBA) the time to seriously consider contraction has come. Too many teams, oversaturated markets, too much competition for the ever-dwindling disposable entertainment dollar.

Regarding the World Series chatter, when will the other leagues ever learn – one of the main reasons the Super Bowl is such an event is because it’s ONE GAME.[/quote]

Let’s talk about one of many other ways MLB benefits from a neutral site W-S, and the resulting clout.

How To Get a Stadium Built In…say, Tampa: Guarantee the city a “World Series Week” as soon as possible after construction is complete. The revenue–and exposure–for any such metro area would be be astronomical.

I’m tellin’ ya…it’s comin’.

For SO many reasons. All of them about economics.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”327879″]However, the Packers version is great!
link

Can anyone find the Giants’ version?

[quote comment=”328008″]Seriously. Ponder it. No travel days. Barring rain, seven straight prime time nights of World Series. Eventually the teams involved almost cease to matter. It would the ultimate annual mini-series…the games and all the debauchery around them. “The Today Show” and “Access Hollywood” would stay in town the whole time. Hell, “The View” would probably broadcast from there. My god, “World Series Week”. MLB is wet just thinking about it. They frickin’ can’t wait. They just need winter weather to take them to it. And the public will willingly agree.[/quote]
Ricko, Ricko, Ricko: don’t you get it? If this happened, the All-Star game wouldn’t matter any more.

:-))))

[quote comment=”328014″][quote comment=”328005″]Both places you just mentioned have very strong AHL teams.[/quote]
Absolutely, and that’s one of the reasons I think they both should be mentioned more often.
[/quote]

Agreed – Milwaukee should definitely be on the list. The arena’s old, so maybe not on the short list, but definitely on the list.

Ironic, too, since the Bradley Center was built with private money specifically to draw an NHL franchise.

[quote comment=”328018″]I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, if not, has anyone ever noticed how much link looks like link?[/quote]
It’s been noticed once or twice.

Especially since Walgreens uses the link as well.

[quote comment=”328012″][quote comment=”328008″]Seriously. Ponder it. No travel days. Barring rain, seven straight prime time nights of World Series. Eventually the teams involved almost cease to matter. It would the ultimate annual mini-series…the games and all the debauchery around them. “The Today Show” and “Access Hollywood” would stay in town the whole time. Hell, “The View” would probably broadcast from there. My god, “World Series Week”. MLB is wet just thinking about it. They frickin’ can’t wait. They just need winter weather to take them to it. And the public will willingly agree.[/quote]
Fortunately, there is no way in hell the owners would allow baseball to take away the revenue of having 2-3 home games with extremely jacked up ticket prices during the World Series.[/quote]

You’re missing the bigger picture. There’s far more potential money involved—for every team—than the revenues for 2-3 home W-S games. They won’t need hometown fans for the W-S anymore. And they won’t care, either, because the money and the exposure will be so great.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it would necessarily be so. I’m saying this is what they’re envisioning. They have to be. There is no sane reason to push the W-S deeper into November unless you’re up to something. Short term it’s about money, yes. Long term, it’s about even more money. I’m telling you, this is what’s on their minds.

Stop thinking that they give a shit about individual fans or even, to a great degree, individual teams. Once you accept that, it’s much easier to project the direction of all this.

I’m not angry with, just saying get past the “fan perspective.” See it though owners’ eyes and the ulterior motive of extending the season starts to come through.

—Ricko

inter-league play proposed in 1955

link

typical MLB, it only took 40 years to get done

no more DH (or a DH in the NL) by 2048!

[quote comment=”328020″]How would one determine home-field advantage with no All-Star Game??? LOL[/quote]Stop it, just stop it now Teebz. You’re making Bud Selig’s head hurt. :-)

Some of my internet buddies had a short poll on whether or not the All-Star game should have any bearing on the WS home field. Needless to say, the vote was about 19-1 against Bud’s brainstorm (with a few unprintable comments thrown in).

But getting back to the point of this blog: think of it, no home field means alternate uniforms galore!!

When the Dallas Cowboys play the Dallas Texans (KC Chiefs) this fall, there is a good chance there will be a blue vs red game– both teams wearing colored jerseys (Texans in red, Cowboys in throwback blue).

link

Equipment manager Mike McCord said the Cowboys are scheduled to wear their blue throwback jerseys in the games against the Chiefs and Raiders.

Although the Chiefs will be wearing a red and white uniform with red helmets, McCord said the NFL will likely allow the Cowboys to wear the blue jerseys for the Oct. 11 game. Uniform rules mandate one team always wear a white jersey, but there have been some exceptions, especially with throwback uniforms. In the Cowboys’ 2001 Thanksgiving Day game, they wore a blue jersey at Texas Stadium against Denver’s classic “Orange Crush” uniforms.

[quote comment=”328028″]I feel that selling a team to a fanbase with no connection to it (Coyotes in Phoenix, for example) is a moronic idea.

Removing a team with a long history from a community is equal in terms of its idiocy.

That being said, I’d rather see the AHL Admirals than the NHL Admirals simply because the AHL generates more younger fans because it is more affordable. That’s not to say they won’t become NHL fans, but you have a greater advantage of making that child/pre-teen into a hockey fan if they can afford to go to the game.

The biggest complaint about hockey on TV in the US is that it’s hard to follow. Hockey is a game that is better live than it is on TV. Why? Atmosphere, the speed of the game, and the crowd.

The Admirals, with their successful marketing, generate all three of those in spades. Keep them in the AHL. They are a cornerstone organization at this point.[/quote]

It does come down to a chicken-or-the-egg argument in the end. And I know my tilting at windmills will eventually lose out to the corporate suites, TV potential, etc.

As I said, those “new” markets like Phoenix, etc. come down to a crapshoot. Places like Milwaukee are less of a crapshoot for me. My ignoring money in favor of tradition is one of the (many, many) reasons I’ll never own a franchise: and of course, it’s also one of the reasons this blog is one of my favorites. :-))

[quote comment=”328027″]But getting back to the point of this blog: think of it, no home field means alternate uniforms galore!![/quote]
Fuck that!

With the WS played at a neutral site, MLB will have specially designed ‘American League Champions’ and ‘National League Champions’ jerseys for the teams to wear. No more patched, they get their own home and away jerseys designed by the WS Committee assigned to the respective location and year. Of course these will be available for purchase by the fans, but since they will be such a special event, they will be priced $50 more than regulars for replica jerseys and $100 more than regulars for Authentics.

[quote comment=”328030″]
The date is obviously not the date they were taken, since all the beer drinking shots have the same photographer and date (busy guy?). I would have thought it was the cover date, but there wasn’t a July 7th issue in 1949 – July 4th and 11th.[/quote]

If I ever open a bar, that’s what it will look like. Only with less old guys and more hockey stuff on the walls.

Ok, so it won’t look like at all, but the idea is the same. LOL

[quote comment=”328035″][quote comment=”328030″]
The date is obviously not the date they were taken, since all the beer drinking shots have the same photographer and date (busy guy?). I would have thought it was the cover date, but there wasn’t a July 7th issue in 1949 – July 4th and 11th.[/quote]

If I ever open a bar, that’s what it will look like. Only with less old guys and more hockey stuff on the walls.

Ok, so it won’t look like that at all, but the idea is the same. LOL[/quote]

I do like the idea of a hole-in-the-wall hockey bar, though, now that I have thought about it.

[quote comment=”328033″][quote comment=”328027″]But getting back to the point of this blog: think of it, no home field means alternate uniforms galore!![/quote]
Fuck that!

With the WS played at a neutral site, MLB will have specially designed ‘American League Champions’ and ‘National League Champions’ jerseys for the teams to wear. No more patched, they get their own home and away jerseys designed by the WS Committee assigned to the respective location and year. Of course these will be available for purchase by the fans, but since they will be such a special event, they will be priced $50 more than regulars for replica jerseys and $100 more than regulars for Authentics.[/quote]

Now you’re gettin’ it. LOL

I really do believe they’re hoping for a W-S so bedeviled by cold weather or even snowstorms that there’s a groundswell to take the event to a neutral, warmer (or domed) site so “Baseball doesn’t last until December, for chrissakes.”

The moment that happens the door will be flung wide open for them to pretty much do whatever they choose. And we’ll see the World Series played at a neutral site annually either at the end of October or the second week in November (can’t go first week and have Presidential election coverage pre-empt them every four years).

I know if I were advising them, and a neutral site was their goal, I’d tell them to do exactly what they’re doing, be a little patient and, eventually, laugh all the way to the bank.

There. I’ve said my piece, listed most of the reasons I think it’s going down the way it is.

—Ricko

So, last night I was watching the Ducks v. Red Wings hockey game and something occurred to me. Something of a “duh” moment. Hockey refs wear black and white stripes, so do football refs and basketball refs. Why don’t baseball umpires wear the zebra stripes? And where/why did the zebra stripes originate anyway? Was it because of the use of black/white cameras, and you could tell the ref in later photos? Just a curiosity that’s been bugging me.

[quote comment=”328038″][quote comment=”328034″]Hey Teebz, one more thing: the Cubs ran out five bench players yesterday against Tim (Cy Young) Lincecum. Think the corporate suite holders and CBOE Auction seat buyers were happy? :-)) But I’ll bet the 6-year old kid who was on his first trip to an MLB ballpark couldn’t have cared less.[/quote]

My guess? The kid probably was soaking up the experience of being at Wrigley with dad or mom, and didn’t care if the Cubs ran out 10 homeless guys.

But the corporate stiffs? They probably do because they’re entertaining clients who want to see the Cubbies win.

Which is better? If I had my way, the kid’s experience would trump the corporate experience every time. But it takes dump trucks of money to run an MLB franchise, so money trumps all yet again.[/quote]
My guess on conversations:

(View Level seats)
6-year old: Daddy, who’s number 6?
Dad: I don’t know, son.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Corporate Suites)
Business Development Manager for (place company name here): Hey, did you see the ass on that waitress?
Client: Hell yeah I did!
BDM for (?): Can I get you another beer?

You tell me who cares about the game and who cares about the atmosphere.

Never forget, this is a group that looked the other way when athletes were suddenly and unexplainably becoming physically huge and hitting baseballs like they were Titleists…

…because it was packing the fans in.

[quote comment=”328046″][quote comment=”328041″]So, last night I was watching the Ducks v. Red Wings hockey game and something occurred to me. Something of a “duh” moment. Hockey refs wear black and white stripes, so do football refs and basketball refs. Why don’t baseball umpires wear the zebra stripes? And where/why did the zebra stripes originate anyway? Was it because of the use of black/white cameras, and you could tell the ref in later photos? Just a curiosity that’s been bugging me.[/quote]
I would imagine because football, basketball, and hockey are fast moving sports and requires a CLEAR differentiation between player and referee, hence the stripes.[/quote]

i think the nba refs are gray, right? really… i’m not sure, don’t watch a TON of nba games

Re: Life photo dates. I think it might have something to do with when the film was processed. I’ve come across some photos where they make a note that the photographer had the film processed on location or by someone other than the approved laboratory.

Re Bars. I know Paul has already linked to pics of it, but I’d want link. Maybe with a little less Schlitz.

But if you’re looking for a hole-in-the wall sort of place, may I suggest link. The only drawback is that it’s on Malta.

[quote comment=”328040″]Ricko, I hear what you’re saying.

But I also think you’re crazy on this one.[/quote]

yeh…

like ricko’s never heard that before

It will be a lot of fun going through the old Baseball Digests.

It is wonderful that some publications have done the online thing.

Does anyone know where I can find Washington Redskins game socks? I’m looking for the striped ones that they rarely wear nowadays, but have only been able to find ones for the Chiefs. I want the darker burgundy that the Redskins wear though.

[quote comment=”328050″][quote comment=”328041″]So, last night I was watching the Ducks v. Red Wings hockey game and something occurred to me. Something of a “duh” moment. Hockey refs wear black and white stripes, so do football refs and basketball refs. Why don’t baseball umpires wear the zebra stripes? And where/why did the zebra stripes originate anyway? Was it because of the use of black/white cameras, and you could tell the ref in later photos? Just a curiosity that’s been bugging me.[/quote]

link
A wiki answer is almost worse than none at all.

[quote comment=”328057″][quote comment=”328050″][quote comment=”328041″]So, last night I was watching the Ducks v. Red Wings hockey game and something occurred to me. Something of a “duh” moment. Hockey refs wear black and white stripes, so do football refs and basketball refs. Why don’t baseball umpires wear the zebra stripes? And where/why did the zebra stripes originate anyway? Was it because of the use of black/white cameras, and you could tell the ref in later photos? Just a curiosity that’s been bugging me.[/quote]

link
A wiki answer is almost worse than none at all.[/quote]

yeah it is.. made me laugh..

[quote comment=”327982″][quote comment=”327978″]So, um…uniforms are cool…and, stuff.[/quote]
Nice effective post. I mean, in an attempt to change the subject back to uniforms, you resort to only complaining.

ok, here’s a suggestion, want to change the subject, change it yourself. Bring up a topic we’d like to discuss, then it’ll change. Complaining, that won’t do anything.[/quote]
Lighten up, Francis.

hockey!

link

[quote comment=”328061″]Lighten up, Francis.[/quote]

you just made the list, buddy…and i don’t like nobody touching my stuff

[quote comment=”328065″][quote comment=”328061″]Lighten up, Francis.[/quote]

you just made the list, buddy…and i don’t like nobody touching my stuff[/quote]
Serenity now, Phil, serenity now.

[quote comment=”328049″]The only drawback is that it’s on Malta.[/quote]You say that as if it’s a bad thing to be on Malta.

:-)

[quote comment=”328049″]Re Bars. I know Paul has already linked to pics of it, but I’d want link. Maybe with a little less Schlitz.[/quote]The beer that made Milwaukee famous!

So can anyone tell me what’s on the right side of that picture? Is it a grocery store that’s right next door to the bar (and heaven knows that certainly is possible in Milwaukee)?

JMHO, but if you want a hole-in-the-wall bar you can’t have a oval/circular bar. By definition, all hole-in-the-wall bars have to have bartenders who weigh at least 300lbs. Maybe more if its a guy. If you have to duck under some part of the bar or squeeze through, then go right ahead and get yourself some potted ferns.

[quote comment=”328021″][quote comment=”328018″]I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, if not, has anyone ever noticed how much link looks like link?[/quote]
It’s been noticed once or twice.

Especially since Walgreens uses the link as well.[/quote]
Walgreen’s has a better team

[quote comment=”328019″]Ironic, too, since the Bradley Center was built with private money specifically to draw an NHL franchise.[/quote]

Lloyd Pettit wouldn’t have had it any other way.

A shot….and a goal!!!

:-)

[quote comment=”328072″]How do you solve the problem of hotel reservations, etc., when you don’t know how long the series will last?[/quote]
Shhh, please don’t destroy Ricko’s dreams that way….

;-)

[quote comment=”328074″]It’s a package liquor store. The signs are for items like brandy and “rock and rye” and there’s just bottles on the shelves. Also there is a gap at the far end of the bar. Looks ilke a great place. I wonder if the barback lost his shirt on a bet.[/quote]Thanks: either your eyes or your monitor is better than mine. Probably both.

Again, I know it’s Milwaukee; but why would you put the gap at the far end of the bar, near the street entrance? Wouldn’t the beer kegs all be coming in from the back?

I was thinking it was a hot day, but then you see all the patrons with flannel and jackets and everything else: maybe that barkeep was an early version of Tom Cruise. :-))))

[quote comment=”328078″][quote comment=”328076″]I was just in Milwaukee this weekend, and after the Admirals’ 4-1 win over Houston, got suckered by friends into going to a bar with $10 martinis. [/quote]

Crank call!!

Next caller on “Am I living the High Life”…[/quote]

no really, true story – as much as I love that fat man. “for $10 dollars i’ll be a macadamia nut!”

[quote comment=”328079″]no really, true story – as much as I love that fat man. “for $10 dollars i’ll be a macadamia nut!”[/quote]

Just curious: where in Milwaukee? Either in that psuedo chic-chic “Third Ward” area or in the Hilton or Wyndham I’ll bet. I’ve been in the bar at the Pfister (hold the jokes) and even they wouldn’t have the guts to try that.

Did a couple of different places after basketball games downtown, lots of fun: but for that hole-in-the-wall experience, you almost can’t go wrong near County Stadium.

I love that guy too: just wish they’d actually FILM the *&^ commericals in either Milwaukee or Chicago. Yeah, lots of restaurants around here have that wooden loft roof look guys…. :-( JMHO, but putting him in LA for those commercials just defeats the entire purpose of the “cleanup on Aisle Common Sense” motto.

[quote comment=”328075″][quote comment=”328072″]How do you solve the problem of hotel reservations, etc., when you don’t know how long the series will last?[/quote]
Shhh, please don’t destroy Ricko’s dreams that way….

;-)[/quote]

How do they book hotel rooms for NCAA Basketball’s Big Dance? Not everyone’s team makes it past the first day, you know.

What the heavywight lodgings providers could say: “Our World Series Package is a seven-night plan, sir. If the series ends early, you pay only 50% of the original rate for the remaining nights of your reservation.”
(of course the original “plan” price was double the normal rate, so they’d be a full regular revenue for those days even if they did just let folks off the hook early; look at rates during any Super Bowl week).

Let’s flip it over. What if I can tell you right now that the 2010 World Series will begin on, say, October 20, in Miami. Corporate buyers can book now. Corporate trade shows could be booked and planned now. I can stage the damnest baseball-centered trade show/enertainment venue you’ve ever seen. Every year.

Right now two extremely important things that MLB cannot control/predict are the location and the weather. They could control the location 100% and the weather maybe 85% (100% in a dome).

In television (and that’s what this is about) control is essential. The more of it, the better.

—Ricko

[quote comment=”328076″][quote comment=”328069″][quote comment=”328049″]The only drawback is that it’s on Malta.[/quote]You say that as if it’s a bad thing to be on Malta.

:-)

[quote comment=”328049″]Re Bars. I know Paul has already linked to pics of it, but I’d want link. Maybe with a little less Schlitz.[/quote]The beer that made Milwaukee famous!

So can anyone tell me what’s on the right side of that picture? Is it a grocery store that’s right next door to the bar (and heaven knows that certainly is possible in Milwaukee)?

JMHO, but if you want a hole-in-the-wall bar you can’t have a oval/circular bar. By definition, all hole-in-the-wall bars have to have bartenders who weigh at least 300lbs. Maybe more if its a guy. If you have to duck under some part of the bar or squeeze through, then go right ahead and get yourself some potted ferns.[/quote]

I was just in Milwaukee this weekend, and after the Admirals’ 4-1 win over Houston, got suckered by friends into going to a bar with $10 martinis. I scanned the beer list and found a ‘rotating mug’ that was only $5. While my friends had the regular 20 oz. beer for $5, I got a half-liter mug of Schlitz for $5 and was pretty happy with it. Quantity over quality.[/quote]
You can have both.

The new Schlitz went back to the old recipe.

[quote comment=”328083″]How do they book hotel rooms for NCAA Basketball’s Big Dance? Not everyone’s team makes it past the first day, you know.
—Ricko[/quote]

Nah, but by the time you get to the last two weekends (when they’re in domes 50% of the time) you’re selling tickets to either locals or corporate heavyweights who don’t care who’s actually playing. IMHO there aren’t a lot of hotels booked that first weekend.

My team went to Portland this year, to play in their NBA-sized arena on the first weekend. AFAIK there was less than 500 seats available for everyone; including the band, family, ultraheavyweight givers (the people with buildings named after them) and famous alums to be seen on TV.

Most importantly: those dates are known, uncancel-ilbe, etc. The locals who buy the tickets aren’t going to say “wow, we thought they’d be playing three days this year…”

NCAA to World Series: apples/oranges. JMHO.

[quote comment=”328084″] The Hi-Hat on Brady. Not really a fan. I prefer Yield on Kenilworth.[/quote]Thanks for that info, I’ll have to mention that to my Milwaukee buds. I’m not familiar with that area off the top of my head (I had to Google-map it).

Now, if you would have said “right around the corner from the old Avalanche” then I could have driven there without a map. :-) But that was years ago.

Didn’t read all the posts but Seinfeld “Cigar Store Indian” Jerry says he gets Dom Delouise and Paul Prudhomme confused, circa 1993.

Couple days later after Jack Kemps death.

I found these color pictures of my favorite Buffalo Bills helmet. To me the standing buffalo with single red stripe was the best looking Bills helmet.

link

link

[quote comment=”328092″][quote comment=”328087″][quote comment=”328083″]How do they book hotel rooms for NCAA Basketball’s Big Dance? Not everyone’s team makes it past the first day, you know.
—Ricko[/quote]

Nah, but by the time you get to the last two weekends (when they’re in domes 50% of the time) you’re selling tickets to either locals or corporate heavyweights who don’t care who’s actually playing. IMHO there aren’t a lot of hotels booked that first weekend.

My team went to Portland this year, to play in their NBA-sized arena on the first weekend. AFAIK there was less than 500 seats available for everyone; including the band, family, ultraheavyweight givers (the people with buildings named after them) and famous alums to be seen on TV.

Most importantly: those dates are known, uncancel-ilbe, etc. The locals who buy the tickets aren’t going to say “wow, we thought they’d be playing three days this year…”

NCAA to World Series: apples/oranges. JMHO.[/quote]

Yet the NCAA format goes on, and almost NOBODY has home games there.

Lots of particulars, but it’s do-able, especially if a huge chunk of change is coming into MLB coffers.

And, personally, I think there’d be only one weekend. First game on Thursday. If it’s a sweep, the final two games are on the weekend. If not, they’rejust building the audience for the three reminding games during the week.

“Play the World Series at night?
Frankly, Mr. Finley, I think you’re crazy on this one.”
Right up until someone shows them the money.[/quote]

I think a big difference in the MLB to NCAA tourney comparison is that, in the tourney, ALL games are game 7, do-or-die. Same thing applies to the apples/oranges comparison between the World Series and Super Bowl.

Christ…I’m at shea now…everyone is (fans) wearing fuckin black

They’ll never ditch it…*sighs*

[quote comment=”328097″]Christ…I’m at shea now…everyone is (fans) wearing fuckin black

They’ll never ditch it…*sighs*[/quote]
Hey Phil, what shoes does Powers have on right now?

[quote comment=”328097″]Christ…I’m at shea now…everyone is (fans) wearing fuckin black

They’ll never ditch it…*sighs*[/quote]

Don’t be that guy texting on a cell phone at the game. Have a beer and enjoy the action.

Stay dry out there!

[quote comment=”328018″]I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, if not, has anyone ever noticed how much link looks like link?[/quote]

What’s that green dot on the back of the helmet again?

[quote comment=”328080″][quote comment=”328071″][quote comment=”328021″][quote comment=”328018″]I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, if not, has anyone ever noticed how much link looks like link?[/quote]
It’s been noticed once or twice.

Especially since Walgreens uses the link as well.[/quote]
Walgreen’s has a better team[/quote]

…and draws more fans[/quote]

Last Monday, the Nationals maybe got 1,000 people. The day before, the Washington Freedom of Women’s Professional Soccer got more than 5,000.

Soccer: our national pastime.

[quote comment=”328093″]Couple days later after Jack Kemps death.

I found these color pictures of my favorite Buffalo Bills helmet. To me the standing buffalo with single red stripe was the best looking Bills helmet.

link

link

I’d tend to agree. Simpler is better – there’s something really elegant about those helmets with the single red stripe.

Brewers’ Manny Parra back to the high cuffs, so far no runs in 4 with a 10-0 lead. Much better than the low-cuffed performances.

[quote comment=”328107″][quote comment=”328093″]Couple days later after Jack Kemps death.

I found these color pictures of my favorite Buffalo Bills helmet. To me the standing buffalo with single red stripe was the best looking Bills helmet.

link

link

I’d tend to agree. Simpler is better – there’s something really elegant about those helmets with the single red stripe.[/quote]

Well put Chance.

OH…powers had on orange pumas

Not really uni related, but this is the best sports related soapbox I have, so here goes:

I am so damn tired of hearing about Brett Favre. I was tired of hearing about him last year when he eventually went to the Jets, and now my fatigue is tenfold. I want him gone from my television and my ESPN.com. My frustration comes not just from Favre’s unfathomable overexposure, but lately also for what he stands for.

I don’t know if it is Favre’s mission in life to screw over the Packers organization and members of the front office, but it certainly seems like it is. What he has neglected, or worse, intentionally ignored is the slap in the face to the Packers fans who used to revere him. Manuvering to become the starting QB of a chief rival of the Packers and using machinations to assure that the Packers get no compensation is an act of utter disrespect and contempt toward these people.

Now I personally am no Packers fan, but I can certainly empathize with them. If I was a Packer fan, I would be very bitter towards Mr. Favre right now, to the point where I would feel foolish for formerly holding this guy in such high regard. As it is, I the non-Packers fan can say I always saw Favre as overrated, but I also deeply respected his leadership and grit. Now I can say that I have lost a lot of that respect for him and if he does go to the Vikings, I will actively cheer for his failure.

This post absolutely made my day. Loved baseball Digest.

Mini-sports kits: check (all of ’em)
Magnet standings board: check (all of ’em)
Eye glass holder: check

I could go on….. How sweet.

When was the last day game in the World Series? My mother was mentioning the other day when her teacher in class played the radio broadcast of the Milwaukee Braves World Series game.

Granted, the World Series isn’t about baseball – just as much as the Super Bowl isn’t about football. They have become the money-makers that corporate big-wigs always want to see.

I can think back to Hendu’s blast against Donnie Moore for a regular season playoff game, back when 8 wins meant a world title…..just wondering.

PS- LOVED those magnetic boards. Had a ton of those team magnets- just not the board to go on. Think I was exclusive to Baseball.

[quote comment=”328120″]When was the last day game in the World Series? My mother was mentioning the other day when her teacher in class played the radio broadcast of the Milwaukee Braves World Series game.

Granted, the World Series isn’t about baseball – just as much as the Super Bowl isn’t about football. They have become the money-makers that corporate big-wigs always want to see.

I can think back to Hendu’s blast against Donnie Moore for a regular season playoff game, back when 8 wins meant a world title…..just wondering.[/quote]

[quote comment=\”328120\”]When was the last day game in the World Series? My mother was mentioning the other day when her teacher in class played the radio broadcast of the Milwaukee Braves World Series game.

Granted, the World Series isn\’t about baseball – just as much as the Super Bowl isn\’t about football. They have become the money-makers that corporate big-wigs always want to see.

I can think back to Hendu\’s blast against Donnie Moore for a regular season playoff game, back when 8 wins meant a world title…..just wondering.[/quote]

If you believe Wikipedia, it was game 6 of the 1987 World Series.

I don’t hate the night games, I hate the off days. They play every day all year, then there’s a ton of off days in the playoffs. Its a huge advantage to a team with a weaker pitching staff who might not even have to use their 4 and 5 starters.

As far as the “neutral site” proposal, take it for what its worth, which is Scott Boras musing about how to get more $$ into the players pockets. He doesn’t care about what’s best for the game – which is not a slam, he’s supposed to be an advocate for his clients, he’s not the commissioner – just keep in mind who’s making the proposal.

[quote comment=”328023″][quote comment=”328012″][quote comment=”328008″]Seriously. Ponder it. No travel days. Barring rain, seven straight prime time nights of World Series. Eventually the teams involved almost cease to matter. It would the ultimate annual mini-series…the games and all the debauchery around them. “The Today Show” and “Access Hollywood” would stay in town the whole time. Hell, “The View” would probably broadcast from there. My god, “World Series Week”. MLB is wet just thinking about it. They frickin’ can’t wait. They just need winter weather to take them to it. And the public will willingly agree.[/quote]
Fortunately, there is no way in hell the owners would allow baseball to take away the revenue of having 2-3 home games with extremely jacked up ticket prices during the World Series.[/quote]

You’re missing the bigger picture. There’s far more potential money involved—for every team—than the revenues for 2-3 home W-S games. They won’t need hometown fans for the W-S anymore. And they won’t care, either, because the money and the exposure will be so great.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it would necessarily be so. I’m saying this is what they’re envisioning. They have to be. There is no sane reason to push the W-S deeper into November unless you’re up to something. Short term it’s about money, yes. Long term, it’s about even more money. I’m telling you, this is what’s on their minds.

Stop thinking that they give a shit about individual fans or even, to a great degree, individual teams. Once you accept that, it’s much easier to project the direction of all this.

I’m not angry with, just saying get past the “fan perspective.” See it though owners’ eyes and the ulterior motive of extending the season starts to come through.

—Ricko[/quote]

I too can see it coming – though I believe it not to be a good thing.

I am in New Orleans, and to me the 1977/1978 Super Bowl (Broncos vs Cowboys)was the end on the Super Bowl being about the teams and their fans and instead began the dismal trend of the game becoming a Disneyland-type experience for every million dollar lawyer, doctor and Hollywood type and their spoiled kids. The teams and their loyal fans are ignored, and are too often on the outside looking in. There are some exceptions, like the Green Bay fans clogging the town en mass with tickets or without, or to a lesser extent the Bears fans in 1986. True, raw enthusiasm, as authentic as it comes.

Nothing, however, compares to the 1975 Super Bowl where fans of both teams, the Steelers and the Vikings, were truly fans of their teams and came to N.O. by the tens of thousands – hungry for a breakthrough after years of frustration. I watched true, great fans of both teams rewarded for great seasons after years of following their teams – both sincerely hungering to finally climb to the top of the NFL mountain.
I watched a Steelers fan pay for the hotel bill of his entire floor when he checked out of his hotel the day after the Steelers won their first title. His sincerity as the hotel clerk tried to talk him out of it moves me to this day. As a Steelers fan, he had climbed the mountain, and was able to see it with his own eyes.

Today, that guy gets to watch it on TV, or go broke out-bidding a millionaire doctor from somewhere unconnected to the teams for the ticket.
Pathetic.

By 1977 it was all about the money, and the non-team fans pouring in, and every N.O. Super Bowl since has gotten more and more eliteist and more prima donna disgusting.

Entertainment Tonight on stilts.

Oh yeah, the neutral site Baseball week is coming.

[quote comment=”328127″]I’ve been reading reading Roger Angell’s Five Seasons, written between 1972 and 1976. The more things change the more they stay the same. Fans at the time, he writes, were saying that the DH, Astroturf, night World Series games, free agency and expansion were all ruining the game and would cause its eventual demise. Seems the exact opposite has happened. Do I think we’ll ever see neutral site World Series games? Nope. But if it happens, baseball will go on, likely even more popular than ever.[/quote]
Good point.

Don’t forget the initial reaction to radio – it was going to kill all social interaction, close the theatres, shutter libraries.