Other Resources My Cup of Joe » America's favorite past time has passed it's time. Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, the bear, DerekL, alicefoeller Reply
2006-09-18 10:04 AM

User image

Pro
3673
200010005001002525
MAC-opolis
Subject: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

Dunno about the rest of you, but is major league baseball losing it's flare?  I realized this Saturday night after watching the great A&M vs. Army game.  The game ended and ESPN2 aired "Baseball Tonight" and I found myself thinking, "who in their right mind would want to watch baseball tonight after such a great college football game?"  I was dumbfounded at the programming and equally dumbfounded at my newfound apathy for MLB.

Maybe it's the long and boring season that means so little.  Maybe it's the fact that there are no salary caps and the same money whoring teams (yankees) are the ones who always win with the occassional exception (marlins).  Maybe it's the fact that players go on the DL for hangnails or sore ear lobes (pu$$ys).  Maybe it's the fact that free agents jump teams faster than they jump groupies making it difficult to get attached to any team since they change year to year.

Maybe it's a little bit of everything.  Either way, IMO major league baseball is a bore and is about as much an "American Past Time" as is the sock hop.  You had your time, now move over for the more enjoyable sports.



2006-09-18 10:14 AM
in reply to: #544319

User image

Elite
2421
2000100100100100
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

Much as we may disagree politically, we're in the same boat on this one.  So often I hear people (Americans) complaining that the most popular sport in the world (soccer) is so slow and incredibly boring.  How can you say that with a straight face as long as we're calling baseball our Nat'l Pasttime?!?! 

I can't even remember the last time I've sat all the way through a baseball game... who's got 4 hours to spare on a Wednesday evening anyway.  They need speed the game up... waaaay up.  Add a 20 second max time limit between pitches, only allow 45 seconds between inning changes... now that would be entertaining, watching some fat-a** 1st basemen have to sprint across the diamond to get out of the way.

And not only that... we're not even winning the World Championship anymore... how can we call it the World Series when this nation doesn't own the World Championship in the sport?

bts

2006-09-18 10:16 AM
in reply to: #544319

User image

Runner
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Primary reason I stopped watching pro sports. Stick to college. Heck, I can't stand watching baseball, but I still don't mind watching college baseball.
2006-09-18 10:17 AM
in reply to: #544319

User image

Resident Curmudgeon
25290
50005000500050005000100100252525
The Road Back
Gold member
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Whew! From the headline I though sex was going out of fashion.
2006-09-18 10:18 AM
in reply to: #544343

User image

Pro
3673
200010005001002525
MAC-opolis
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

the bear - 2006-09-18 11:17 AM Whew! From the headline I though sex was going out of fashion.

If it ever does, call me old fashioned.

2006-09-18 10:21 AM
in reply to: #544343

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.


2006-09-18 10:37 AM
in reply to: #544319

Master
4101
20002000100
Denver
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
The Mac - 2006-09-18 9:04 AM

Dunno about the rest of you, but is major league baseball losing it's flare?  I realized this Saturday night after watching the great A&M vs. Army game.  The game ended and ESPN2 aired "Baseball Tonight" and I found myself thinking, "who in their right mind would want to watch baseball tonight after such a great college football game?"  I was dumbfounded at the programming and equally dumbfounded at my newfound apathy for MLB.

Maybe it's the long and boring season that means so little.  Maybe it's the fact that there are no salary caps and the same money whoring teams (yankees) are the ones who always win with the occassional exception (marlins).  Maybe it's the fact that players go on the DL for hangnails or sore ear lobes (pu$$ys).  Maybe it's the fact that free agents jump teams faster than they jump groupies making it difficult to get attached to any team since they change year to year.

Maybe it's a little bit of everything.  Either way, IMO major league baseball is a bore and is about as much an "American Past Time" as is the sock hop.  You had your time, now move over for the more enjoyable sports.



I still love baseball. Alot of the things you don't like about baeball are the same with any pro sport. How recognizable is you favorite NFL team from year to year? If anything theres less stability there from year to year than baseball due to the salary cap. As soon as a player gets good his team can't afford to keep him any more. Sure the Yanks are good & they make and spend alot of money. But they also didn't even make the playoffs for 15 straight years in the 80's and most of their core is home grown. Its not just how much $ you have, its what you do with it. Plus teams that spend alot also pay alot in the luxury tax which goes to teams with less money. Theres alot of things I don't like about the salary cap. I'd rather have a few really good teams who know how to play well than 27 mediocre ones. I miss the days of dynastys in football. Those teams gave you someone to root for or root against. A team can go from 1-15 one year to the Superbowl in the next and they did that without buying money whoring free agents jumping ship? And then back to 2-14 the next year. I thikn baseball (regualr season anyway) is more of an in-person-not-so-much-fun-to-watch-on-tv sport since it is so much slower. Or maybe America is too much of an instant gratification, no attention span culture now to go for a slower strategy game like baseball. I still love it though.
2006-09-18 10:40 AM
in reply to: #544370

Pro
3673
200010005001002525
MAC-opolis
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

drewb8 - 2006-09-18 11:37 AM
I still love baseball. Alot of the things you don't like about baeball are the same with any pro sport. How recognizable is you favorite NFL team from year to year? If anything theres less stability there from year to year than baseball due to the salary cap. As soon as a player gets good his team can't afford to keep him any more. Sure the Yanks are good & they make and spend alot of money. But they also didn't even make the playoffs for 15 straight years in the 80's and most of their core is home grown. Its not just how much $ you have, its what you do with it. Plus teams that spend alot also pay alot in the luxury tax which goes to teams with less money. Theres alot of things I don't like about the salary cap. I'd rather have a few really good teams who know how to play well than 27 mediocre ones. I miss the days of dynastys in football. Those teams gave you someone to root for or root against. A team can go from 1-15 one year to the Superbowl in the next and they did that without buying money whoring free agents jumping ship? And then back to 2-14 the next year. I thikn baseball (regualr season anyway) is more of an in-person-not-so-much-fun-to-watch-on-tv sport since it is so much slower. Or maybe America is too much of an instant gratification, no attention span culture now to go for a slower strategy game like baseball. I still love it though.

We just had a dynasty a few years ago.

 



Edited by The Mac 2006-09-18 10:43 AM




(bling.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
bling.jpg (4KB - 33 downloads)
2006-09-19 7:01 AM
in reply to: #544319

Pro
3903
20001000500100100100100
Andover
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
With the exception of the turnaround series game for the Sox -vs- Yanks, I haven't watched a game since the last strike. Pissed me off that they aren't happy with the money they are making--it's a FKn' GAME and it's not like they are wrecking themselves like football players, whom I also think shouldn't make the money they do--but I still watch them.
2006-09-19 8:28 AM
in reply to: #544343

Veteran
161
1002525
Vancouver, WA
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
the bear - 2006-09-18 11:17 AM

Whew! From the headline I though sex was going out of fashion.



for some reason the first thing that came to my mind was corn hole????
2006-09-19 12:23 PM
in reply to: #544319

Expert
1164
10001002525
New Port Richey
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

If baseball has passed its time how come it keeps setting attendance records. The two New York teams have drawn over seven million fans this year. Also the team with the most cash flow is not the Yankees but the Chicago Cubs and they have not been to the series forever.Critics of baseball don't look at the whole picture of the game. They are just thinking about the obvious pitching and hitting and not about the strategy of the entire game. Don't get me wrong I love football but it pales in comparison to Baseball. Baseball players are tougher than you think. Did you see the pitcher who go hit in the head with the ball the other night and it bounced off his head a good fifty feet. His comment after the game "it just felt like I got hit by a person in the head, no big deal".



2006-09-19 4:33 PM
in reply to: #544319

Master
1862
10005001001001002525
San Mateo, CA
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Baseball is profoundly boring to watch on TV, but I don't mind watching it in person.  However, I much prefer minor league games to pro games.  As for football, I'd rather watch it on TV.  I was given tickets to a 49er game last year, and when left the game decided that TV was a much better way to catch a football game.
2006-09-19 6:43 PM
in reply to: #544319

Pro
3883
20001000500100100100252525
Woodstock,GA
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.

I love baseball, although I lose interest when football season starts. And drew what crack pipe are you smoking to think that the Yankees are "home grown"?. You want to see a home grown line up check out the Braves, 8 of the 9 players on the field are from the Braves farm system.

Yankees

1B-Giambi- Umm not home grown (manmade grown!!)

2B-Miguel Cairo-not home grown

SS-MR Overrated Jeter (home grown)

3B-The best SS in Baseball (so why is he playing 3B?) A Rod (grown in Seattle)

RF-Sheffield or Matsui (nope not homegrown there)

CF-Bernie Williams or Johnny Damon (Damon not homegrown)

LF-I have no idea who plays this position for NY. I think Steinbrenner randomly chooses a fan to suit up for this position.

Pitching-Randy Johnson (nope) Mike Mussina (nope)....

Where was the homegrown talent again??

2006-09-19 7:54 PM
in reply to: #544319

Extreme Veteran
389
100100100252525
Central Wisconsin
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Maybe Ill loose my man card for this one, but since I graduated from high school 14 years ago, I havent watched a single game of any type of sports on tv. Personally, I think they are just a bunch of over paid prima donnas. Granted, I love playing baseball but with PED's and 7.5 million dollar a year contracts its lost its draw for me. Id love to see a player negotiate a huge salary, then say "you know what, Ive made too much money as it is, 100% of my salary is going toward a new school or underprivelaged youth programs......."


Wow, cant belive I just said that, Im not even a democrat.
2006-09-19 8:11 PM
in reply to: #544319

Subject: ...
This user's post has been ignored.
2006-09-20 9:34 AM
in reply to: #546174

Master
4101
20002000100
Denver
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Rocket Man - 2006-09-19 5:43 PM

I love baseball, although I lose interest when football season starts. And drew what crack pipe are you smoking to think that the Yankees are "home grown"?. You want to see a home grown line up check out the Braves, 8 of the 9 players on the field are from the Braves farm system.

Yankees

1B-Giambi- Umm not home grown (manmade grown!!)

2B-Miguel Cairo-not home grown

SS-MR Overrated Jeter (home grown)

3B-The best SS in Baseball (so why is he playing 3B?) A Rod (grown in Seattle)

RF-Sheffield or Matsui (nope not homegrown there)

CF-Bernie Williams or Johnny Damon (Damon not homegrown)

LF-I have no idea who plays this position for NY. I think Steinbrenner randomly chooses a fan to suit up for this position.

Pitching-Randy Johnson (nope) Mike Mussina (nope)....

Where was the homegrown talent again??



Obviously you can't have an entirely home grown team these days, but the core - Jeter, Williams, Posada, Rivera and now Cano and Andy Phelps at 1st - all came up thru the farm system. LF - Melky Cabrera - also from the farm system, although once matsui can play the field again they might do a platoon type of thing with him. Sure they overpay for free agents just like everyone else, but they also (had) a good farm system. Of course its gone to s*it now that they give away a prospect any time they think they need someone...


2006-09-20 9:45 AM
in reply to: #544319

Philadelphia, south of New York and north of DC
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
The Mac -

Maybe it's a little bit of everything. Either way, IMO major league baseball is a bore and is about as much an "American Past Time" as is the sock hop. You had your time, now move over for the more enjoyable sports.

I love baseball. It's my favorite sport to watch. I even subscribe to mlb.com, so if I'm working in the evening I can plug into any game that's going on.

But I agree that it's not America's past time anymore. And I understand why some people find it boring.

I grew up when it was the only game. Football and basketball were what you did while you waited for spring training to come around.

Baseball is a soap opera. You need to follow it day in and day out to get the most out of it. With football, you can sit down and watch one game a year and enjoy it. With baseball, that's harder to do. The strategy, and the history, is what makes baseball such a pleasure. Part of understanding the strategy is knowing what's been going on in the previous games.

The other thing is that I don't see kids playing pickup baseball games. In my area, plenty of kids play pickup basketball, and even football and street hockey. I don't see anyone playing pickup baseball. My own kids aren't interested in it at all. Without that kind of participation it's harder to relate to the game.

I love baseball, but I think it's future is bleak.

 



Edited by dontracy 2006-09-20 9:47 AM
2006-09-20 9:46 AM
in reply to: #544319

Expert
1164
10001002525
New Port Richey
Subject: RE: America's favorite past time has passed it's time.
Many of the home grown Yankees have been responsible for their success. Jeter is having an MVP season.  Melky cabrera and robinson cano have had decent seasons filling in for injured people. In fact Cano has started more games at second. Wang has won 18 games and has become the go to guy. Rivera is still the best closer in baseball and Williams has been a valuable player off the bench and filling in.
New Thread
Other Resources My Cup of Joe » America's favorite past time has passed it's time. Rss Feed