Buy me some Sushi and Cracker Jacks!
J-Pop Crazy Funtime Baseball Now!
Play Ball? Once again MLB executives prove that they might be the stupidest front office in all professional sports. Major League Baseball kicked off its 2012 season at 6:10 a.m. Eastern time, featuring a match-up of the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners in a game that was played in Tokyo, Japan. Brilliant Idea Guys! Lets start off the season by featuring a game that takes place between 3 in the morning and 6 in the morning for our American citizens. Also, lets not tell anyone about it! I didn’t read anything in the papers about it, didn’t really see it mentioned on television, nor did any of the many baseball fans I chat with have anything to say about it! Remember when Baseball was the National Pastime?
The NFL kicks off its regular season in a prime time spot on NBC, featuring the defending champs and another contender. They announced yesterday that the Giants and Cowboys would kick off the regular season this year. Look at the contrast there! Giants vs. Cowboys at 8:00 p.m, or Athletics and Mariners at 6:10 a.m. In that marketing decision alone, it is abundantly clear to see how the NFL has risen to the top of the American sports world, while MLB has been steadily declining.
Anyone know the final score of the Yakult Swallows / Hiroshima Carp game?
I’ve tried to defend baseballs decision making over the years. I think baseball is the best sport on Earth. I love the idea of 162 games, a marathon style of a season. The ups and downs that inevitably take place make the World Series truly something that is earned. Baseball is everyday, so if my Yankees lose, I don’t have to wait very long until they get back out there. I feel robbed this year though. As a huge Yankee fan, and fantasy baseball player, I used to cherish my opening days. Looked forward to seeing baseball highlights on TV and getting to watch the game I love, the game that symbolizes spring has arrived. Now I will be excited for the Yanks to open up, and all 30 teams getting underway, but it is still hard to imagine that the 2012 baseball season has begun and I have not had the opportunity to view one pitch yet this year.
THE NFL plays a regular season game in the middle of the year in London. The NBA had their first regular season games on international soil this past year, as the Nets and Raptors played in Milan, also in the middle of the season. The NHL opened up in Europe this year, though since most of the NHL fans aren’t American, this is much more acceptable for the NHL. Even so, if MLB is taking their marketing advice from the NHL, they are in a whole lot of trouble regardless. Send the A’s and Mariners over to Japan later in the year, or have the defending World Series team go abroad to play exhibition games. There has to be a better solution that the commissioners office can come up with than shipping opening day overseas. MLB is killing baseball one dumb ass move at a time! Anyone else agree or even care at this point?
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Baseball better get with the program, as the NFL has gained momentum through excellent marketing and hype. I’m still really only hearing football news, and it is baseball season! J.E.T.S. Jets!Jets!Jets!
March 29, 2012 at 10:28 AM
The only sport I am not a huge fan of is baseball but this posting was well written. One can only hope that the commissioner of baseball recognizes the damage his decisions are having on the sport of baseball and that he steps down.
March 29, 2012 at 6:53 AM
At least Ichiro went 4 for 5 (albeit all singles and two of them infield singles) in front of his roaring home crowd of 44,227. I love the idea of two teams going to Japan to play in front of our far eastern brethren but it’s upsetting how little press this event gets. This is the fourth time MLB has exported two team’s opening series to the other side of the pacific ring of fire (Mets vs. Cubs in 2000, Yankees vs. Tampa Bay in 2004 and the Red Sox vs. Oakland in 2008)and I have little to no recollection of any game. All I can recall is Josh Beckett refused to go in 2008 because he felt the 12 hour flight would be bad for his already ailing back (weak). Selig, step your game up before the ratings fall deeper than the Mariana Trench (35,800 feet).
March 28, 2012 at 8:28 PM
Ha, Nice job with the Mariana Name Drop…I recall the Yankees vs. Rays opening there in 2004. The Yankees traded for A-Rod the offseason prior and I was so amped to see him in pinstripes. Even though I was in college and was part of the tiny percentage of the American public who could possibly fit a 6 a.m. baseball game into their schedule, I don’t remember doing so. I agree with you that exporting the product to international fields is a good business move for baseball, especially with the influx of foreign players on Major League rosters. I just think there has to be some other scenario to market overseas that would still allow the American public to have the chance to witness the first baseball that counts on our own soil.
March 28, 2012 at 8:37 PM
Buy me some sushi and cracker jacks…..love it, lol. You are soooo right….it’s beyond ridiculous that they would do that….well written piece…
March 28, 2012 at 7:23 PM
Bobby:
Remember, this problem is brought to you by none other than “Knucklehead Selig.” Baseball is the only sport that has teams play games that count and then go back to exhibition games. It’s all about money with Selig. Baseballs popularity is dipping because of poor decisions. Ofcourse, if you want to get up at 5am, you could watch the game.
March 28, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Totally agree with you on this one, the only way I found out this game was going on was by listening to MLB Network Radio this morning, and even the hosts of that show didn’t really know the season had started. I didn’t hear any promotion of the game at all and I couldn’t even believe the game wasn’t even broadcast on TV. Apparently the only way you could watch was on the internet. Not to mention opening with the A’s and Mariners, two teams that are going to be horrible this year. I think it’s also really ridiculous the A’s and Mariners are playing 2 real games over there, then coming back to play more spring training games for a week. This made no sense at all.
March 28, 2012 at 4:31 PM
Look on the bright side – with the number of pitching changes and other game delays in BB in the last decade, we’ll probably get to see the last 3 innings over coffee at 9 AM (sorry California).
March 28, 2012 at 3:28 PM
I agree that Football is definitely a more popular sport in America. I myself feel that todays opening day game was a joke. Baseball needs some revamping and I think that should start at the commissioner level. Bud Selig has to go…sooner than later.
March 28, 2012 at 2:18 PM