You remember at the end of Rocky II, Apollo and Rocky are evenly matched and it goes into the 15th round and at the very end, they both fall down and the umpire starts counting and Rocky barely stands up and wins the title - well, that was the All Star Game in a nutshell.
Call this the revenge of the game without an end. When Selig called off the "exhibition" All Star Game before a conclusion resulting in a tie (A TIE? THERE ARE NO TIES IN BASEBALL!), he angered a great many fans. As a result of that game, the following year he changed the rules so that the All Star Game would have meaning - he made home field advantage in the World Series the prize that the winning team received. Because of that, the game can no longer end in a tie.
Unfortunately, the game is still an exhibition. And fans who attend or watch on TV want to not only see their "league" win the game, but they want to see all the stars selected play. Which means that managers are inclined to use up their players at an alarming rate, substituting willy-nilly, during the regular nine innings so that everyone has a chance to play. If the game goes into extra innings, of course, then managers have to scramble to make sure they have a team on the field.
When I tuned in to last night's game, they were in the bottom of the 14th. The AL was using its last pitcher and he was on a strict pitch count, and the NL had only two pitchers, and one of them was in the game. Both pitchers that were pitching had just pitched on Sunday and they were dead tired. Furthermore, if neither team won soon, both managers were going to be out of pitchers to use.
The outcome was probably never really in doubt. Someone was going to win because somebody had to win. Just like Rocky II, it was the last team standing that got the victory. When a sacrifice fly was hit in the bottom of the 15th, the final throw to the plate was almost meaningless because anything even close was going to be called safe by the umpires. There was simply no other alternative. NL fans might be a tad upset, but they had just as many chances to win the game. In the end, however, the AL simply stood longer and thus won the title.
Now, maybe Selig will get his head out of that dark place and restore the game to its original purpose - drop the whole home field advantage stuff and change the All-Star voting back to only those people who actually attend games (sorry Japan, but if your players are good, they'll still be voted in). Otherwise, sooner or later, Apollo is going to enter the All-Star game dressed in the Red, White and Blue and singing James Brown. And that's a sight none of us want to see.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
To Leave or Not To Leave
Before this discussion even begins, I want to clarify that I was taught the proper respect for the game by my father - you leave the game after the last out and not a second sooner. So any opinion to the contrary is not as a result of improper upbringing and does not show deficient breeding - lest I tarnish the Robison name and the clan Gunn and its illustrious ties to baseball fandom forever.
That having been said, the question has been raised many times before by fans the world over - when is the proper time to leave the game. Out of sheer respect for the players, who must continue to battle until the final out no matter the outcome, it would seem that the short answer is the traditional answer - you leave after the final out. However, in this post-modern era of complicated schedules and rushed lives, is that model of fan behavior even realistic anymore.
I have been to three games this season and my average departure time has been the 7th inning stretch. The first game ran long and it was a school night - so we left early and were pleased with the ultimate outcome as the Giants won just about the time I got home. The second game - this last Monday - the Giants managed to allow the Astros back into the game, and ultimately to take the lead, before I left. The Astros eventually beat the Giants 7-4, but I was already home before that happened. To be fair, the game had come out of nowhere and I had not really scheduled for it - so any innings of the game that I saw were technically extra innings as far as my viewing schedule was concerned. Yesterday, the Giants and White Sox were battling one another in a game that was sloppy and ugly. After the Giants battled back to a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the 7th, they promptly gave up three runs in the top of the eighth and we decided to leave. Before we reached the car, the Giants got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-8. But by the time we were in the car and had got the radio on, the White Sox had increased their lead to 13-8, which also turned out to be the final score. Though if you were to ask me, the outcome was never in doubt after the White Sox took the 9-6 lead.
We've all been surprised by dramatic comebacks. We've all seen upsets. We've all watched the tide turn and momentum change. But for some reason, it just happens less in baseball than other sports. There are games you go to where the odds of scoring one or two runs to make a comeback seem as long as a basketball team from Somalia making up a 40 point first half deficit against the Dream Team. Not insurmountable. Not impossible. But definitely improbable - to the extreme.
But should the decision of whether to leave or not to leave be based entirely on your team's chances to win? Should weather be factored in? Should schedule have any factor in the decision? Or should a die hard fan remain intact at a game until the players trot off the field for the last time?
My actions say one thing. My heart says something else. Not all that different from the struggles in my Christian faith. Sometimes remaining faithful to the things we love can be hard in the face of our struggles with daily life. I hope for a day when I no longer have anything better to do than watch my team and support them with my presence and my prayers until the outcome is complete and the best team has won.
That having been said, the question has been raised many times before by fans the world over - when is the proper time to leave the game. Out of sheer respect for the players, who must continue to battle until the final out no matter the outcome, it would seem that the short answer is the traditional answer - you leave after the final out. However, in this post-modern era of complicated schedules and rushed lives, is that model of fan behavior even realistic anymore.
I have been to three games this season and my average departure time has been the 7th inning stretch. The first game ran long and it was a school night - so we left early and were pleased with the ultimate outcome as the Giants won just about the time I got home. The second game - this last Monday - the Giants managed to allow the Astros back into the game, and ultimately to take the lead, before I left. The Astros eventually beat the Giants 7-4, but I was already home before that happened. To be fair, the game had come out of nowhere and I had not really scheduled for it - so any innings of the game that I saw were technically extra innings as far as my viewing schedule was concerned. Yesterday, the Giants and White Sox were battling one another in a game that was sloppy and ugly. After the Giants battled back to a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the 7th, they promptly gave up three runs in the top of the eighth and we decided to leave. Before we reached the car, the Giants got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth to make it 9-8. But by the time we were in the car and had got the radio on, the White Sox had increased their lead to 13-8, which also turned out to be the final score. Though if you were to ask me, the outcome was never in doubt after the White Sox took the 9-6 lead.
We've all been surprised by dramatic comebacks. We've all seen upsets. We've all watched the tide turn and momentum change. But for some reason, it just happens less in baseball than other sports. There are games you go to where the odds of scoring one or two runs to make a comeback seem as long as a basketball team from Somalia making up a 40 point first half deficit against the Dream Team. Not insurmountable. Not impossible. But definitely improbable - to the extreme.
But should the decision of whether to leave or not to leave be based entirely on your team's chances to win? Should weather be factored in? Should schedule have any factor in the decision? Or should a die hard fan remain intact at a game until the players trot off the field for the last time?
My actions say one thing. My heart says something else. Not all that different from the struggles in my Christian faith. Sometimes remaining faithful to the things we love can be hard in the face of our struggles with daily life. I hope for a day when I no longer have anything better to do than watch my team and support them with my presence and my prayers until the outcome is complete and the best team has won.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
The Worst Promo Night I've Attended
In the spirit of Will's awesome post about the upcoming light bulb promo night, I thought I would share my story of the worst promo night I've attended. It was the Reds-Giants game on August 1, 1991 in Cincinnati.
My buddy Chris and I met up with my Black Sheep of the family uncle at the park and went through the gate. It just so happened to be GEORGE FOSTER NIGHT and all 30,000 fans were handed a 18"x24" poster of George suitable for framing. We got to our seats in the second tier and that's when we started drinking. Then the game started...
I knew it was going to be a long night because Will Clark cranked one out in the first inning. Then, it seemed like every inning, the Giants would get a run or two and by the seventh inning stretch, it was 5-0.
During the stretch, they marched about 200 guys out onto the field thathad just joined the military so they could take their oath. And that's when I saw the first UFO. It was a finely crafted paper airplane, that looked strangely like George Foster, and it came lofting down from the Upper Deck and slammed into the field. I remember saying, as I stared at the scene and heard the crowd cheer for the plane, "Why would someone do that?" As I said this, I turned to my Uncle Richard just in time to see him put the finishing touches on his airplane and launch it. Richard's only fell to the section below us, but he was so drunk that it really didn't matter. And we all laughed.
As you can imagine,with the combination of beer, a George Foster poster, and a 5-0 score, the airshow was on! For the next two innings, there was a nonstop onslaught of airplanes. Most would just fall to the crowd below, but several made it onto the field. One in fact, made it all the way to second base! When that happened, Riverfront stadium erupted in cheers and I think even Barry Larkin smiled as he retrieved it from the base paths.
As you can see, even something as simple as a free poster can go terribly wrong. But then again, it gave us something to cheer for.
My buddy Chris and I met up with my Black Sheep of the family uncle at the park and went through the gate. It just so happened to be GEORGE FOSTER NIGHT and all 30,000 fans were handed a 18"x24" poster of George suitable for framing. We got to our seats in the second tier and that's when we started drinking. Then the game started...
I knew it was going to be a long night because Will Clark cranked one out in the first inning. Then, it seemed like every inning, the Giants would get a run or two and by the seventh inning stretch, it was 5-0.
During the stretch, they marched about 200 guys out onto the field thathad just joined the military so they could take their oath. And that's when I saw the first UFO. It was a finely crafted paper airplane, that looked strangely like George Foster, and it came lofting down from the Upper Deck and slammed into the field. I remember saying, as I stared at the scene and heard the crowd cheer for the plane, "Why would someone do that?" As I said this, I turned to my Uncle Richard just in time to see him put the finishing touches on his airplane and launch it. Richard's only fell to the section below us, but he was so drunk that it really didn't matter. And we all laughed.
As you can imagine,with the combination of beer, a George Foster poster, and a 5-0 score, the airshow was on! For the next two innings, there was a nonstop onslaught of airplanes. Most would just fall to the crowd below, but several made it onto the field. One in fact, made it all the way to second base! When that happened, Riverfront stadium erupted in cheers and I think even Barry Larkin smiled as he retrieved it from the base paths.
As you can see, even something as simple as a free poster can go terribly wrong. But then again, it gave us something to cheer for.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Worst Promo EVER
Okay, in the history of sports rivalries there are few that are more intense than that between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I can remember many a game where fights broke out in the stands, beer was dumped on players heads, etc... I try to avoid going to games between these two teams because of the intense rivalry and the large amount of yahoos who go to the game to get liquored up and pick fights.
With that in mind, what the hell are they thinking?
July 17th, 2008 at AT&T Park, Giants vs. Dodgers, and it's PG&E Solar Day at the park. The first 20,000 fans will receive a free CFL light bulb. Never mind the aforementioned facts, let's just consider the idea on its own merits. Where the hell are 20,000 people going to put their CFL light bulbs while they are trying to watch a baseball game? How are they going to wear a glove, hold a hot dog, and also manage their fluorescent glass tubed light bulb? Already a bad idea.
Now add in the element of this rivalry and you can see the large bloodbath that will surely ensue. You heard it here first, folks, Will the Prognosticator is calling ahead to say that this will go down in the history of history as the worst promo EVER!
(So long as the Dodgers lose, however, the game will be considered a success.)
With that in mind, what the hell are they thinking?
July 17th, 2008 at AT&T Park, Giants vs. Dodgers, and it's PG&E Solar Day at the park. The first 20,000 fans will receive a free CFL light bulb. Never mind the aforementioned facts, let's just consider the idea on its own merits. Where the hell are 20,000 people going to put their CFL light bulbs while they are trying to watch a baseball game? How are they going to wear a glove, hold a hot dog, and also manage their fluorescent glass tubed light bulb? Already a bad idea.
Now add in the element of this rivalry and you can see the large bloodbath that will surely ensue. You heard it here first, folks, Will the Prognosticator is calling ahead to say that this will go down in the history of history as the worst promo EVER!
(So long as the Dodgers lose, however, the game will be considered a success.)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Your Pay vs. Zito's Pay
Check out this calculator, courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle. Compare your pay vs. Barry Zito's pay and what you can buy with your money versus what Barry can buy with his $126 million salary over 7 years.
Naturally, this is painful for me to write being a Giants fan, since he is now the highest paid long reliever in baseball.
Check it out.
Naturally, this is painful for me to write being a Giants fan, since he is now the highest paid long reliever in baseball.
Check it out.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Fan Stats Part 1
As the 7th Inning Stretch Deputy Commissioner of Baseball Statistics, I am hereby imposing the use of Fan Statistics to determine any fans net worth to a baseball team. So from now on, I expect you all to list your most relevant stat next to your name when commenting or posting. You may choose from the following list of relevant Fan Statistical Categories:
R.P.G. (Record Per Game) - This, the most straightforward of stats, is the Record Per Game stat, also known as your win/loss record while attending games. Currently, I have been to one game and my RPG is 1-0. There is also an RPG Percentage for those truly into mathematics, and my current RPG% is 1.000.
W.A.G. (Wins After Game) - This is a more relevant stat to your fandom ability. This statistic measures the number of wins your team has after you attend a game - kind of like the Yards After Catch statistic for wide receivers. It is measured by the total number of wins your team scores after attendance (until the next loss, of course) divided by the total number of games attended to create an average W.A.G. score. Currently, the Giants have won two games in a row after my visit. This creates a WAG score of 2.00 (2 games divided by 1 visit). If they win again tonight, my WAG score would increase to 3.00.
R.P.V. (Record Per Viewing) - This is the same as your R.P.G. except that it measures your Television viewing record. For the true fan, partial viewings, like partial attended games, count towards your total record. I have not actually seen any games on TV this season (except the last half inning of the one I attended) so my R.P.V. would be the same as my R.P.G..
W.A.V. (Wins after Viewing) - same as W.A.G. except again it refers to Television viewing.
R.P.L. (Record Per Listen) - This can be a brutal category for most since most fans will listen to the radio portion of some game pretty much every game of the season, and so, often their R.P.L. will match the team's record perfectly. This pretty much makes this a meaningless statistic. But if you happen to only listen to the radio when your team wins, then its a good stat to have.
W.A.L. (Wins after Listen) - again, pretty meaningless, unless you happen to only listen to games at the start of long win streaks.
That's it for now. Once again, please include your most relevant fan stat after your name when commenting here.
Next Time we'll tackle important Fan Stats like R.S.B (Runs Scored while in Bathroom) and R.P.G.F. (Runs Per Garlic Fry order).
Until then, keep those fan stats recorded.
Will (2.00 WAG) Robison
R.P.G. (Record Per Game) - This, the most straightforward of stats, is the Record Per Game stat, also known as your win/loss record while attending games. Currently, I have been to one game and my RPG is 1-0. There is also an RPG Percentage for those truly into mathematics, and my current RPG% is 1.000.
W.A.G. (Wins After Game) - This is a more relevant stat to your fandom ability. This statistic measures the number of wins your team has after you attend a game - kind of like the Yards After Catch statistic for wide receivers. It is measured by the total number of wins your team scores after attendance (until the next loss, of course) divided by the total number of games attended to create an average W.A.G. score. Currently, the Giants have won two games in a row after my visit. This creates a WAG score of 2.00 (2 games divided by 1 visit). If they win again tonight, my WAG score would increase to 3.00.
R.P.V. (Record Per Viewing) - This is the same as your R.P.G. except that it measures your Television viewing record. For the true fan, partial viewings, like partial attended games, count towards your total record. I have not actually seen any games on TV this season (except the last half inning of the one I attended) so my R.P.V. would be the same as my R.P.G..
W.A.V. (Wins after Viewing) - same as W.A.G. except again it refers to Television viewing.
R.P.L. (Record Per Listen) - This can be a brutal category for most since most fans will listen to the radio portion of some game pretty much every game of the season, and so, often their R.P.L. will match the team's record perfectly. This pretty much makes this a meaningless statistic. But if you happen to only listen to the radio when your team wins, then its a good stat to have.
W.A.L. (Wins after Listen) - again, pretty meaningless, unless you happen to only listen to games at the start of long win streaks.
That's it for now. Once again, please include your most relevant fan stat after your name when commenting here.
Next Time we'll tackle important Fan Stats like R.S.B (Runs Scored while in Bathroom) and R.P.G.F. (Runs Per Garlic Fry order).
Until then, keep those fan stats recorded.
Will (2.00 WAG) Robison
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Rally Malt
Many "fans" hated Candlestick Park because it was cold, damp, and seriously hardcore. But there was a certain breed of people that absolutely loved Candlestick - a hardy stock known as Giant's Fans. Basically, no matter how much you claimed to love the Giants, if you didn't love the Stick, you weren't a real fan.
Which isn't to take away anything from the new crown jewel of all baseball stadiums - Pacbell/SBC/AT&T/TELCOMDLESTICK Park at Willie Mays Plaza. This stadium is comfortable, easy to access, and has provided some thrilling moments in its 8 year history. Its just not Candlestick. There's no separating the wheat from the chaff. It just sort of clumps together in an unsightly mess. And as a result, you get people watching games while working on their laptops. And yahoos standing up every ten seconds to wave to their cell buddies across the park while talking on the phone. There are no hardcore fans at this park unless you talk about the guys who go all game without eating a single garlic fry in what has to be pure Guantanamo type torture.
I was reminded of all this the other night as Andy invited me to come along in place of his wife to watch the Giants Opening Night game. For a change, the park was frigid. Seriously, if someone had thrown a beer at a Dodger Fan it would have frozen in mid-air. People were dressed in layers like tiny Nanooks and blankets were everywhere. It was gloriously cold and, except for the wind, deliciously Stick-like. Andy and I both opined that the crowd had a decidedly old school feel to it as all the Yup's were probably at home with their Starbuck's Lattes and stairmasters watching the game on TV. Only true fans stuck it out against that cold.
Of course, there's a limit. And after 8 years of soft comfort and too many incredibly scrumptious brats with grilled onions, I have to admit to having lost a certain edge in my tough Stick loving nature. When it was starting to look bad for the Giants, I suggested to Andy that, just like in the frigid days of Candlestick, it was time for our 9th Inning Frozen Chocolate Rally Malt, he simply declined, and I didn't press the issue. Something about frozen ice cream on a frozen night had lost its appeal in the previous 8 years. The Padres ended up tying the game in the 9th and after the Gigantes failed to win the game in the bottom of the 9th, we actually left the park for warmer climes. (The Giants did end up winning in the 11th, but only the true die-hards were there to see it - the rest of us had kids to put to bed and work to go to in the morning. I lament the loss of my baseball innocence.)
Either way, the first game of this new season that I attended, was the best experience I've had in years. There were no big stars hogging the limelight. There was no talk of contracts or labor issues or off-the-field legal troubles. It was just baseball, frigid cold, and good times - like the old days.
But Andy had better be on notice - next time we're getting the Rally Malt!
Which isn't to take away anything from the new crown jewel of all baseball stadiums - Pacbell/SBC/AT&T/TELCOMDLESTICK Park at Willie Mays Plaza. This stadium is comfortable, easy to access, and has provided some thrilling moments in its 8 year history. Its just not Candlestick. There's no separating the wheat from the chaff. It just sort of clumps together in an unsightly mess. And as a result, you get people watching games while working on their laptops. And yahoos standing up every ten seconds to wave to their cell buddies across the park while talking on the phone. There are no hardcore fans at this park unless you talk about the guys who go all game without eating a single garlic fry in what has to be pure Guantanamo type torture.
I was reminded of all this the other night as Andy invited me to come along in place of his wife to watch the Giants Opening Night game. For a change, the park was frigid. Seriously, if someone had thrown a beer at a Dodger Fan it would have frozen in mid-air. People were dressed in layers like tiny Nanooks and blankets were everywhere. It was gloriously cold and, except for the wind, deliciously Stick-like. Andy and I both opined that the crowd had a decidedly old school feel to it as all the Yup's were probably at home with their Starbuck's Lattes and stairmasters watching the game on TV. Only true fans stuck it out against that cold.
Of course, there's a limit. And after 8 years of soft comfort and too many incredibly scrumptious brats with grilled onions, I have to admit to having lost a certain edge in my tough Stick loving nature. When it was starting to look bad for the Giants, I suggested to Andy that, just like in the frigid days of Candlestick, it was time for our 9th Inning Frozen Chocolate Rally Malt, he simply declined, and I didn't press the issue. Something about frozen ice cream on a frozen night had lost its appeal in the previous 8 years. The Padres ended up tying the game in the 9th and after the Gigantes failed to win the game in the bottom of the 9th, we actually left the park for warmer climes. (The Giants did end up winning in the 11th, but only the true die-hards were there to see it - the rest of us had kids to put to bed and work to go to in the morning. I lament the loss of my baseball innocence.)
Either way, the first game of this new season that I attended, was the best experience I've had in years. There were no big stars hogging the limelight. There was no talk of contracts or labor issues or off-the-field legal troubles. It was just baseball, frigid cold, and good times - like the old days.
But Andy had better be on notice - next time we're getting the Rally Malt!
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
The Early Returns
So guys...3 days in and what do we have? A new ballpark in DC, the smallest crowd in Camden Yards history (which was tonight), a decimated Angels pitching staff (Kelvim is out for the season), an overseas opener (ghastly), A-Rod's first homerun, and a dud of a Giants/Dodgers rivalry.
But who cares?
The grand ol' game is back, and I am LOVING it.
But who cares?
The grand ol' game is back, and I am LOVING it.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
It is Time
Okay guys...the season begins in..gasp...Tokyo...this week, so it is about time that we put our season's predictions in place.
So you've got a couple of options:
1) Post your picks here.
Or
2) Post your picks over at your personal blogs.
I plan to publish my picks over at The Beach this week. Who's game?
So you've got a couple of options:
1) Post your picks here.
Or
2) Post your picks over at your personal blogs.
I plan to publish my picks over at The Beach this week. Who's game?
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