OT - Baseball season is here- Anyone care?

[PBWrench]

HUGE Braves fan. Love, love. love baseball. Which is why I ignore the American League until the World Series. AL is a mildly interesting sport, but it is certainly not baseball.

[Johnnysmooth]

Originally Posted by PBWrench

HUGE Braves fan. Love, love. love baseball. Which is why I ignore the American League until the World Series. AL is a mildly interesting sport, but it is certainly not baseball.

Au contraire - being a Red Sox fan here in Red Sox Nation, AL rules work just fine for me and certainly worked fine for us in last year's World Series

[johnniecakes]

I like going to games but cannot bring myself to drop > $100 for a game. So we attend the Phillies AA team games in Reading. Great night out for <$25 and the drive is 15min instead of 2hrs. Much more enjoyable experience overall.

[Mzilliox]

who? what? Americans choose a weird sport

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by johnniecakes

I like going to games but cannot bring myself to drop > $100 for a game. So we attend the Phillies AA team games in Reading. Great night out for <$25 and the drive is 15min instead of 2hrs. Much more enjoyable experience overall.

We go to the Clearwater Threshers, Phils A affiliate, games on Tuesdays. Dollar Night. $1 for a ticket, $1 food, and $1 for pints of beer, including craft beers.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by johnniecakes

I like going to games but cannot bring myself to drop > $100 for a game. So we attend the Phillies AA team games in Reading. Great night out for <$25 and the drive is 15min instead of 2hrs. Much more enjoyable experience overall.

You should try Camden Yards. I was just there this weekend to see the Yankees, and plenty of affordable seats. Nice stadium.

[XXtwindad]

Read an article a few days ago regarding the decline in MLB attendance. Tried to find it via a Google search, and a whole slew of articles came up. This one seems to encapsulate the reasons pretty concisely:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndica...ouble.amp.html

Everything is walk, strikeout, home run. Boring as hell. The recently passed Bill Buckner, a great contact hitter without great power, would have difficulty catching on with a club now. The great Ichiro seems like he was from a completely diffferent era.

Where are the Rod Carews? The Rickey Hendersons? The Ozzie Smiths? It's always tempting to see life (and sports) through a gauzy haze of nostalgia. I'm a product of the mid 80s and early 90s when it comes to the formative years of sports fandom. In the basketball universe, that meant Magic v Bird and the heyday of Jordan.

Was basketball "better" then? No way, in my book. The artistry and versatility of LeBron James, Curry, Durant, Jokic and others is an evolutionary revelation.

But baseball was much better when stolen bases were still a factor, when the "hit and run" was still employed as a key strategy, and when starting pitchers usually lasted more than five innings.

I'm interested in hearing any arguments to the contrary...

[72gmc]

My local team is the Mariners.

[unterhausen]

I'll probably go to a summer league game. That is always fun. But it's unlikely I'll go to 2 games. Oftentimes you can get in free.

Can't get too excited about MLB anymore.

[Hellgate]

My Royals stink this year...man, what a season to forget.

[Matthew]

My Tigers stink too with no light at the end of the tunnel. Their attendence is WAY down compared to other years. Of course they used to contend back then. I know if they were competitive it would be much better. They're just hard to watch right now.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Originally Posted by fignon's barber

We go to the Clearwater Threshers, Phils A affiliate, games on Tuesdays. Dollar Night. $1 for a ticket, $1 food, and $1 for pints of beer, including craft beers.

Sounds good. Memphis Redbirds used to have free haircuts on Sundays. It was on a pavilion so you could watch the game while getting it.