One of my favorite topics to read about has anything to do with baseball and how it relates to the business world. The article that I saw in today's Wall Street Journal has to do with exactly this and how some fans are taking advantage of tough economic times. The gist of the article is the fact that some teams are doing more to make the experience more enjoyable for the season ticket holders, something that I feel is long overdue.
Just think about it for a minute, how devoted do you have to be to buy all 61 home games on your favorite team's schedule? The answer to that is that you have to be a huge fan who if you ask me may deserve a little extra based on your devotion to the home team. Some of the benefits that teams may offer are earlier entrance times into the ball park so that the season ticket holders can have a chance to take in some extra batting practice. Another common benefit being offered to the season ticket holders are meet and greet sessions with the players.
Times are tough right now and it is about time for some of these organizations to realize that the business they are still getting is coming from some of the most loyal fans in the world, the season ticket holders.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Taking Issue with the Yankees
This past weekend the Yankees played a three game set against the Red Sox and were throughly embarrassed. After losing three consecutive games up in Boston the Yankees record dropped to .500 with a 9-9 record. Boston on the other hand have won ten straight games. The Yankees flaws are not simple as they involve many aspects of the way they are playing and can not be remedied with simple trades and call ups. I am afraid to say it but what the Yankees need is a shakeup to the core of the franchise.
Let's start with the game this past Friday night. Mariano Rivera was on the mound with a 4-2 lead and gave up a ninth inning bomb to Jason Bay which tied the game. The game ended in extra innings where Youk hit a walk off home run to beat the Yanks. I am not saying that I don't want Rivera closing for the Yankees but what I am getting at is the fact that they need to start preparing for the post-Rivera era. Rivera used to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees but when they got smart enough to put him in the bullpen they had him as a setup man for John Wetland. What the Yankees need to do is to put Jaba back into a setup man role so that they have the crucial closer position taken care of when Mariano does leave.
Saturday the Yankees had the offense to win the game but the pitching did not follow suit. The Yankees had a 6-0 lead only to see AJ Burnett blow the lead when he gave up eight runs over the next two innings. With the kind of contract the Yanks gave AJ this kind of performance against Boston when the team had a demoralizing loss the night before is just not acceptable. You get paid that big money for a reason and that reason is so that you will be 'the stopper'. The stopper is the guy who when given the ball when it is his turn to pitch is prepared to bring a team out of whatever kind of slump they may be going through at the time.
Sunday was a tougher loss because there was no single person who can be held responsible for their sub par performance. One thing I will point at from Sunday is the fact that the Yankees gave up three runs in the fifth inning. This is okay with me as long as they have some fight and come out hot the following inning to attempt to switch the momentum. The top of the sixth for the Yankees was a flat inning with nothing spectacular, letting Boston keep the momentum and ultimately the ball game.
I will always be a Yankee fan but I will admit that I find it harder and harder to put my full devotion into this ball club. The fact that they may not be winning has nothing to do with it, it has to do with the way the team has been formed and the way they are treating the true fans. I said this before the season starting and I will say it again, paying the best players available huge sums of money is not the way you put together a winning ball club. You need role players and I can count the number of role players that the Yankees have playing for them on one hand. Jeter has and will always be a role player, Posada knows how to call a ball game and is a role player, a role player who doesn't get enough attention is Nick Swisher, a relaxed guy who has a genuine love for the game and brings everything he has on a day in day out basis.
The Yankees have a new stadium and the message that I keep hearing is that it provides a great experience for the fans. Is that the reasons why the Yankees priced out their premium seats so that they remain empty for many games? Fenway to me is a fan friendly stadium. Their prices are expensive but they still manage to sell out every game. The atmosphere is intense there with people watching the game and having a genuine love for their team. The Yankee stadium crowd does not have tis same feel because of tourists and corporate ticket holders who do not have a great level of baseball knowledge.
Why should I give my undying devotion to the Yankees? All they have done for me lately is overprice their seats to keep me out of games and form their team in a fundamentally flawed fashion. Will I still watch the Yanks on TV and follow them over the course of the summer? Yes, but it has changed from what it used to be.
Let's start with the game this past Friday night. Mariano Rivera was on the mound with a 4-2 lead and gave up a ninth inning bomb to Jason Bay which tied the game. The game ended in extra innings where Youk hit a walk off home run to beat the Yanks. I am not saying that I don't want Rivera closing for the Yankees but what I am getting at is the fact that they need to start preparing for the post-Rivera era. Rivera used to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees but when they got smart enough to put him in the bullpen they had him as a setup man for John Wetland. What the Yankees need to do is to put Jaba back into a setup man role so that they have the crucial closer position taken care of when Mariano does leave.
Saturday the Yankees had the offense to win the game but the pitching did not follow suit. The Yankees had a 6-0 lead only to see AJ Burnett blow the lead when he gave up eight runs over the next two innings. With the kind of contract the Yanks gave AJ this kind of performance against Boston when the team had a demoralizing loss the night before is just not acceptable. You get paid that big money for a reason and that reason is so that you will be 'the stopper'. The stopper is the guy who when given the ball when it is his turn to pitch is prepared to bring a team out of whatever kind of slump they may be going through at the time.
Sunday was a tougher loss because there was no single person who can be held responsible for their sub par performance. One thing I will point at from Sunday is the fact that the Yankees gave up three runs in the fifth inning. This is okay with me as long as they have some fight and come out hot the following inning to attempt to switch the momentum. The top of the sixth for the Yankees was a flat inning with nothing spectacular, letting Boston keep the momentum and ultimately the ball game.
I will always be a Yankee fan but I will admit that I find it harder and harder to put my full devotion into this ball club. The fact that they may not be winning has nothing to do with it, it has to do with the way the team has been formed and the way they are treating the true fans. I said this before the season starting and I will say it again, paying the best players available huge sums of money is not the way you put together a winning ball club. You need role players and I can count the number of role players that the Yankees have playing for them on one hand. Jeter has and will always be a role player, Posada knows how to call a ball game and is a role player, a role player who doesn't get enough attention is Nick Swisher, a relaxed guy who has a genuine love for the game and brings everything he has on a day in day out basis.
The Yankees have a new stadium and the message that I keep hearing is that it provides a great experience for the fans. Is that the reasons why the Yankees priced out their premium seats so that they remain empty for many games? Fenway to me is a fan friendly stadium. Their prices are expensive but they still manage to sell out every game. The atmosphere is intense there with people watching the game and having a genuine love for their team. The Yankee stadium crowd does not have tis same feel because of tourists and corporate ticket holders who do not have a great level of baseball knowledge.
Why should I give my undying devotion to the Yankees? All they have done for me lately is overprice their seats to keep me out of games and form their team in a fundamentally flawed fashion. Will I still watch the Yanks on TV and follow them over the course of the summer? Yes, but it has changed from what it used to be.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Body Language speaks volumes
This is a topic that I have addressed before and am going to address again. Like it or not people are judged and assumptions are drawn based on the way they appear in public. The last time I talked to people about this issue was during the Vick trial where he appeared lackadaisical and care free during his trial for charges of dog fighting. If a person enters a trial in this manner then I feel the result of the trial should be affected accordingly. This theory also works in the reverse fashion like when a person shows remorse and a willingness to change during a trial, they should be judged a bit more leniently.
The body language I want to take a look at is the body language of the 18 year old Somalian pirate who is going to be tried for holding a cargo ship hostage and shooting at the captain of the ship. The photo is of the young pirate being led to a federal building in New York. The federal agents that are leading him look very serious about their responsibilities and understanding of the fact that they have an important job to perform. The pirate seems to have a grin on his face. This makes me question wether of not this young man understands how bad a crime he is being tried for. I don't think he understands because he has been raised in a pirate culture where these type of actions are common practice that should not be punished.
I was talking to someone about the pirate the other day and he made the point that he feels somewhat bad for the pirate because he was raised so poorly. I can understand this logic because he did not have the opportunity to be raised properly.
Another theory is that this pirate is smiling to show his bravery and the fact that he will not be scared by the federal agent's tactics. I can understand this but I still feel that this simple display of body language shows a lack of understanding for the severity of his actions. This lack of understanding makes some sense because again the way he was raised has not taught him that his actions are wrong.
Monday, April 20, 2009
It's about corporate reponsibility
A friend of mine sent me copy of this article today. It has to do with pharmaceutical companies that dumped 271 million pounds of drugs into waterways that often led to water that the public eventually consumed. In a time like this where there is more and more emphasis placed on the responsibilities that companies owe the public these corporations need to be held accountable.
Another part of this story that frustrates me is the fact that federal officials do not know the extent of the contamination because they have no program in place that tracks this type of activity. For all we know this process could have been going on for even longer than the public realizes.
News stories today talk about financially irresponsible decisions being made by companies but I feel it is just as important to expose other types of irresponsible actions that companies take. Once consumers are given the information that certain companies are not being responsible they can alter their purchasing decisions as a result of what they have learned. This penalizes the companies for being irresponsible because they are losing potential profit from people who previously may have bough what they had to offer.
Now I am a person who can have a cynical view of some people of society especially when I see a story like this one where there is a fairly blatant case of people just not caring. It would not shock me if there were people receiving kickbacks from the drug companies that allow them to fly under the radar with their current practices.
Another part of this story that frustrates me is the fact that federal officials do not know the extent of the contamination because they have no program in place that tracks this type of activity. For all we know this process could have been going on for even longer than the public realizes.
News stories today talk about financially irresponsible decisions being made by companies but I feel it is just as important to expose other types of irresponsible actions that companies take. Once consumers are given the information that certain companies are not being responsible they can alter their purchasing decisions as a result of what they have learned. This penalizes the companies for being irresponsible because they are losing potential profit from people who previously may have bough what they had to offer.
Now I am a person who can have a cynical view of some people of society especially when I see a story like this one where there is a fairly blatant case of people just not caring. It would not shock me if there were people receiving kickbacks from the drug companies that allow them to fly under the radar with their current practices.
Friday, April 17, 2009
The Problem with Tea Parties
As many people know we just celebrated Patriots Day. Some people took this opportunity to stage 'tea party protests'. Originally the tea party was to protest taxation without representation that was taking place during that time of British rule. When people are staging reenactments of the tea party in the year 2009 with the point to show that they still are not being represented I have a problem with it.
At this point in time we vote for our president. That means that the population is being represented by the elected officials who enter political seats. These tea parties that are taking place are not as much anger over people not being represented but instead opportunities for people to score points against the Obama tax plans. Let's take a closer look into that, what type of people are protesting Obama's plans?
The people protesting are the people who make over a quarter million dollars a year. They are the people who stayed quiet during the eight years of the Bush administration where there incomes were more protected and now are claiming that they are not being represented. Just because you may not be pleased with the system that is in place this does not translate into you being under-represented.
The use of a tea party to express your anger with the current system does not make sense. If you want to hold a protest expressing that you are being over taxed that is your right. Holding a protest that expresses the fact that you are not being represented does not make sense because the system we live in, like it or not, is an accurate representation of the choices that the majority of voters make.
At this point in time we vote for our president. That means that the population is being represented by the elected officials who enter political seats. These tea parties that are taking place are not as much anger over people not being represented but instead opportunities for people to score points against the Obama tax plans. Let's take a closer look into that, what type of people are protesting Obama's plans?
The people protesting are the people who make over a quarter million dollars a year. They are the people who stayed quiet during the eight years of the Bush administration where there incomes were more protected and now are claiming that they are not being represented. Just because you may not be pleased with the system that is in place this does not translate into you being under-represented.
The use of a tea party to express your anger with the current system does not make sense. If you want to hold a protest expressing that you are being over taxed that is your right. Holding a protest that expresses the fact that you are not being represented does not make sense because the system we live in, like it or not, is an accurate representation of the choices that the majority of voters make.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
It all starts tonight
I have been waiting on edge since Sunday for the playoffs to begin and tonight is the night. As much as I love all of the playoff hockey match ups there is really only one that I have much emotion caught up in at this point in time. Everyone who knows me knows that the series I will be watching is the Rangers vs. Caps series. After following a team for an 82 game season it is exilerating to say the least seeing them enter a best of seven series to determine if they will go on in their quest for the cup.
I see the key to this series being the play of Mark Stall. In the previous match ups against the Capitals it has been Stall who has had the job of containing the explosive Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is one of the best players in the league and Stall has played the role of agitator against Alex in the previous meetings. Stall has not let Ovechkin get many good angle shots and if the Rangers have any shot at winning this series this trend needs to continue.
One thing that the Rangers can't do is hope to contain Ovechkin and then forget about the rest of the Washington Capital team. They have the best offensive defense man in the league in Mike Green who can not be left alone at the point during a power play. The shots that he takes from the points are rockets that often catch screened goaltenders off guard. Semin is just as dangerous as Green and when left open has no problem taking an Ovechkin pass and turning it into a goal.
Where the Rangers have an advantage in this series is in the goal tending category. Theodore can be vulnerable at times and the Rangers need to pepper him with shots. When you have a goalie who gives up rebounds like Theodore does from time to time you also have to have players crashing the net to capitalize on these opportunities. Lundquvist has had some playoff experience over the past three seasons solidifying himself as one of the top goaltenders in the league. The Rangers just have to make sure that there are no spare Capitals creating traffic in front of the net through playing a physical game.
A factor in this series that can never be overlooked in this series is that of Sean Avery. Historicly Avery always has done a good job of getting under the skin of opponents causing them to take needless penalties and loose focus. I am not sure if there is a player Avery will be targeting in this series, like he has in the past. If he is his pesky self it will be huge for the Rangers chances of pulling off this upset.
I see the key to this series being the play of Mark Stall. In the previous match ups against the Capitals it has been Stall who has had the job of containing the explosive Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin is one of the best players in the league and Stall has played the role of agitator against Alex in the previous meetings. Stall has not let Ovechkin get many good angle shots and if the Rangers have any shot at winning this series this trend needs to continue.
One thing that the Rangers can't do is hope to contain Ovechkin and then forget about the rest of the Washington Capital team. They have the best offensive defense man in the league in Mike Green who can not be left alone at the point during a power play. The shots that he takes from the points are rockets that often catch screened goaltenders off guard. Semin is just as dangerous as Green and when left open has no problem taking an Ovechkin pass and turning it into a goal.
Where the Rangers have an advantage in this series is in the goal tending category. Theodore can be vulnerable at times and the Rangers need to pepper him with shots. When you have a goalie who gives up rebounds like Theodore does from time to time you also have to have players crashing the net to capitalize on these opportunities. Lundquvist has had some playoff experience over the past three seasons solidifying himself as one of the top goaltenders in the league. The Rangers just have to make sure that there are no spare Capitals creating traffic in front of the net through playing a physical game.
A factor in this series that can never be overlooked in this series is that of Sean Avery. Historicly Avery always has done a good job of getting under the skin of opponents causing them to take needless penalties and loose focus. I am not sure if there is a player Avery will be targeting in this series, like he has in the past. If he is his pesky self it will be huge for the Rangers chances of pulling off this upset.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Experience in the stands at MSG
So I went to the Ranger game last night and had an amazing time. I went with my dad and got to see the Rangers play a really fundamentally sound hockey game to beat Montreal. The effort was there, in particular the seccond period. Drury did a great job crashing the net and being able to capitalize on rebound opportunities. This is his time of year and I am really not surprised to see him stepping up now to help the Rangers on their playoff run. The play on the ice was of playoff caliber but I want to comment on some things I saw in the stands.
Number one, I have to give it to Canadian fans they show up in numbers whenever their team is in town and are very vocal to say the least in support of their team. The jerseys of the opposing team are seen in many sections throughout the arena but most of the fans tend to stick together up in the 400s. The spirit of these fans is really great, they have chants and songs that they sing and engage in for all three periods. It is irritating as a fan of the home team to see the influx of vocal fans of the opposition in your arena. It makes me realize what fans of the Baltimore Oriole fans must feel like when the Yankees and Red Sox fans invade their ballpark.
The main event of the night in the stands was not watching the Canadian fans but instead a Ranger fan. The camera man stopped by our section to put some of the fans on the jumbo-tron. There was not enough time and so nobody in my section got onto the screen. This fan was not happy with that because he wanted a little girl and her dad on the screen. The man stood up and started yelling at the camera man as he walked away. He kept standing as people in our section yelled at him to sit down and watch the game. He then gave the section the finger, continued yelling about the camera man who walked away. Security then stopped by and told him to sit down which he did for about a seccond. As soon as the guard walked away he continued standing and yelling at people in our section. Security saw this and about five of them stopped by to throw him out of the game. When he sensed this he threw a near full beer into the middle of our section dousing everyone. People started throwing stuff back at him as it took all five security guards to pretty much drag this guy out of the arena. I just found it nuts how all this started as a guy trying to get the camera man to put a daughter and father on the screen and ended with him screaming at a section of angry fans while being dragged out.
Number one, I have to give it to Canadian fans they show up in numbers whenever their team is in town and are very vocal to say the least in support of their team. The jerseys of the opposing team are seen in many sections throughout the arena but most of the fans tend to stick together up in the 400s. The spirit of these fans is really great, they have chants and songs that they sing and engage in for all three periods. It is irritating as a fan of the home team to see the influx of vocal fans of the opposition in your arena. It makes me realize what fans of the Baltimore Oriole fans must feel like when the Yankees and Red Sox fans invade their ballpark.
The main event of the night in the stands was not watching the Canadian fans but instead a Ranger fan. The camera man stopped by our section to put some of the fans on the jumbo-tron. There was not enough time and so nobody in my section got onto the screen. This fan was not happy with that because he wanted a little girl and her dad on the screen. The man stood up and started yelling at the camera man as he walked away. He kept standing as people in our section yelled at him to sit down and watch the game. He then gave the section the finger, continued yelling about the camera man who walked away. Security then stopped by and told him to sit down which he did for about a seccond. As soon as the guard walked away he continued standing and yelling at people in our section. Security saw this and about five of them stopped by to throw him out of the game. When he sensed this he threw a near full beer into the middle of our section dousing everyone. People started throwing stuff back at him as it took all five security guards to pretty much drag this guy out of the arena. I just found it nuts how all this started as a guy trying to get the camera man to put a daughter and father on the screen and ended with him screaming at a section of angry fans while being dragged out.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Fraud that is the Yankee ticket system
So the Yankees now have a new stadium right across the street from the old stadium that they used to call home. The new stadium contains many new amenities that have caused the Yankees to raise their prices for the upcoming season. Seats are still available for most games, even the premium games like those against Boston and the Mets. The problem with this is the fact that the seats that remain for these games cost about 900 a seat and I don't see how anyone would be able to afford them.
When I saw that the Yankees were releasing 5 dollar tickets for 11 games through the regular season I was extremely excited. For the past two years I have bought all 11 of the five dollar games and made it to as many as possible. This season the Yankees did not offer the option to buy the full plan but instead you have to buy each of the games individually. I went online to look for availability of seats for each of the 5 dollar games and this is where I had a problem.
I could not find two seats together for any of the 5 dollar games and so I went to the ticketmaster outlet to look for even single seats that may be available for any of the 11 games. Guess what, zero 5 dollar seats available for any of the 11 games. Why would they even promote five dollar seats for 11 games when they do not have any seats available for any of the listed games? I almost feel like they are teasing the fans, almost as if to say, "hey look we are doing something to be fan friendly with our five dollar plan". In reality they gave the fans nothing.
I am really fed up with the way the Yankees have handled their ticketing this past season. They have priced out the real fans and invented affordable tickets that in reality do not even exist. If there are no five dollar tickets available then the Yankees should not even bother teasing the fans with the illusion of five dollar seats being available. I will not spend anything more than 25 dollars a seat for any game, unless it is a premium one against the Red Sox or Mets.
I won't stop going to see the Yankees but what I will do is limit what I purchase inside the stadium and continue to voice my displeasure with the way they are currently operating.
When I saw that the Yankees were releasing 5 dollar tickets for 11 games through the regular season I was extremely excited. For the past two years I have bought all 11 of the five dollar games and made it to as many as possible. This season the Yankees did not offer the option to buy the full plan but instead you have to buy each of the games individually. I went online to look for availability of seats for each of the 5 dollar games and this is where I had a problem.
I could not find two seats together for any of the 5 dollar games and so I went to the ticketmaster outlet to look for even single seats that may be available for any of the 11 games. Guess what, zero 5 dollar seats available for any of the 11 games. Why would they even promote five dollar seats for 11 games when they do not have any seats available for any of the listed games? I almost feel like they are teasing the fans, almost as if to say, "hey look we are doing something to be fan friendly with our five dollar plan". In reality they gave the fans nothing.
I am really fed up with the way the Yankees have handled their ticketing this past season. They have priced out the real fans and invented affordable tickets that in reality do not even exist. If there are no five dollar tickets available then the Yankees should not even bother teasing the fans with the illusion of five dollar seats being available. I will not spend anything more than 25 dollars a seat for any game, unless it is a premium one against the Red Sox or Mets.
I won't stop going to see the Yankees but what I will do is limit what I purchase inside the stadium and continue to voice my displeasure with the way they are currently operating.
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