FanNation - The Republic of Sport

If I were the ownership of the team, I would lock the gates to for the next home game. Fans want to cheer when a player gets injured, that's what they get. They can listen to it on the radio at home. I wouldn't be a total jerk, I'd give them refunds for the cost of their ticket, but i wouldn't let anyone but the press into the game. No corporate boxes, no season ticket holders, n dog pound. Sure I'd take a huge hit in the wallet, but I bet fans would be a bit nicer the next time they came.

I give a crap about the Pro Bowl. I think it can be a fun event. Some complain that it's a meaningless game. I say, that's the freakin point. It's a GAME! If players didn't want the Pro Bowl, first off, they wouldn't have it; the NFLPA would have the game dropped before we knew what happened. And second, if players didn't want to play in it, there wouldn't be bonuses structured into contracts for being selected.

Yes, the voting system is flawed. Yes, it's in Hawaii every year making it neigh impossible for Joe Fan to go. Yes, it could be better. But I ask you this:
What could be more awesome than the best football players in the league coming together to have fun and play a schoolyard game?

THAT'S how you fix the Pro Bowl. You have all the coaches in the league decide the best players from each team - they can't pick from their own team. The Super Bowl coaches build their squads from there. You get Kurt Warner out there drawing plays in the dirt for Adrian Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald. Nothing on the line, no hype, not even going 100%. Just good old schoolyard ball. Give everyone a 100k check with a 25k bonus per person to the winning side. And nice watches, who doesn't like a nice watch. Players will love it. Fans will love it. All will be right with the world. Thank you and good night.

Ask Tampa how they feel about Garza and Bartlett...

It's interesting that they bring up Molina on the San Fran side. We have no need for a catcher. Unless he's willing and able to switch to 3rd and hit about 15 more HRs a season, I don't want him.

As a Twins fan, I'm GLAD that hank missed out. The kids we got from the Mets turned out to be pretty good. And how, exactly did the trio that the Yank-Mes were offering do? Perhaps it's not so much the players that are to blame, but maybe the system that they were put into...

Big Socks, ...the pre season USED to be 5 -6 games long and they went away with it...why would they go back to it?
It wouldn't cut down on injuries...more games played equals more injuries a season....why play a half ass game in pre season? no one wil lcare or buy tickets for that?
Steveo16220 says:get a life | 05/21/08, 11:58 PM

Steve - it's the same reason that Spring Training is more than a week long. Give the guys a few extra weeks to get used to that level of punishment again and I'd be willing to bet that - long term - injuries would go down. You'd probably see an increase the first few seasons, but the long term benefits would certainly out weigh that.

As for why teams would go back to 5 or 6 preseason games? Money. If they're filling seats at regular season prices now, they're going to be able to fill seats for two more games. If you offer the product, especially in the NFL, people are going to pay for it. You might not, I might not, but the next schmoe in line sure will. Besides, to the management, any added revenue is a good thing, right?

As a fan, I enjoy preseason games. Sure, you're not always going to be able to see your favorite team's top stars, but you get a glimpse of the heroes to come. That kid who's a third-string rookie today gets his playing time in the preseason because there are established veterans on the team who are going to get the snaps in the regular season. So I get to see the hot young rookie out on the field a season or two before he begins to get the regular starts. For that kid, it's like Rudy out there for him. He gets to go out, play pro football in front of a crowd and show the coaching staff that he belongs on this team. He's going to go 125% every play. Vets in preseason half-ass their way though games because they don't want to get hurt. I'd rather see some unknown kid give his all for four quarters than a "superstar" walk through a game.

Again, that's just how I feel about it. I'm obviously in the minority.

This is a stupid idea.
Honest Abraham | 05/21/08, 10:01 PM

The idea of adding a 17th game, or my idea of extending preseason?

Why is everyone so down on the preseason? Personally, I like it and would be ok with an extra game or two (provided they started earlier in the year than they do now). I think that if done correctly, it has the potential to reduce season- and career-ending injuries. Think about it. Why is Spring Training so long? To get the ball players used to the rigors of a 162 game season. But you can't just throw it all into a couple of weeks and say that the players are ready, even those that played winter ball or "worked out" in the off season. There's just too large of a gap between the end of the regular season and the start of the new one. And that's in baseball. It's even longer in football and the player's take a considerable bit more physical strain on their bodies during the season. Give them a 6 game preseason, starters (or projected starters) play 2 quarters in the first 3 games, 3 quarters in the next 2 and a full game in the preseason final. Get them used to playing a full game again. Sure, it's overall more wear on their bodies, but if done in the right way, it could lengthen their careers. I'm no personal trainer or doctor or anything, but that's what I think about it. Plus, it would be a revenue spike for the teams, adding those two extra games. Maybe they could lower tickets a bit so I can actually afford to go to a game or two without having to take out a second mortgage...

That being said, I'm in total agreement with whoever said the season should start sooner and get the Super Bowl back into January.

THUNDER DAN CAN!!!

I think that this would be a smart move, if for no other reason that PR. He was a positive role model when he was on the court and was almost like a second coach out there anyway. He's stll very much loved and respected in the Phoenix Valley. And if he can't coach worth a lick, it'll still put people in the seats.

I would not allow my son to wear the same Jersey everyday for five years. My 7 year old complains because he can't wear his USC or RAIDERS gear at least once a week to school. Sometimes a parent has to say NO
Jabril1217 | 05/06/08, 09:11 AM

My thought is, there a re a lot of other athletes out there that this kid could have picked to idolize. I think that it's awesome he chose someone like Favre and not Vick or Pacman or someone of that ilk.

Personally, I admire the kid for having the wherewithal to go through with wearing it every day. When I was a kid, we would tease the other kids RUTHLESSLY if they wore the same clothes twice in a week. For him to go to school every day for over FOUR YEARS in the same jersey knowing that he's going to get railed on by his peers shows that he's got some internal fortitude. Were he my kid, I would have been sad when he took it off and would have promptly taken him out to buy a new one when the old one got too small. Hell, I may have even gotten one for myself. Sometimes a parent also has to be understanding.

I think what jbuck was saying is that to trade up in the draft we'd have to give up more and get someone who is unknown than if we gave up a couple picks for Allen and know what we're getting.

As for Jackson, I am seriously telling you that I think he has potential. Do I think he's the next coming of Montana, Marino, or Favre? No. Certainly not. But do I think he could be another McNair or Cunningham. A good journeyman that throws a ton for a long time. Do I think he'll ever be H of Fame worthy? No. Certainly not. But Hall of Really Good? He certainly has the potential. If the coaching staff continues to groom him well and gets him a decent receiving corps, that is.

All I know is that an NFL without a salary cap is a ban NFL. That and if the players do strike and they do bring in replacements like they did in the 80s, I'm marching my happy ass down to the stadium.

I kinda feel bad for the kid. When he first came up he was a decent pitcher. Not lights out r anything, but something happened to him when he blew those games in the series. It's too bad to see how he's regressed in just a few short seasons. Like others have suggested, perhaps he can resurrect his career in Japan or elsewhere.

As a longtime Minnesota Vikings fan who is contemplating a move to Buffalo, all I have to say is that moving the Bills to Toronto would be a horrible PR decision for the NFL. Coming from the frozen north myself, places like Minneapolis, Green Bay, and Buffalo, have such intense loyalties (Buffalo especially) to their teams. If they decided to move my Vikes to LA or anywhere else that's been floated around for the past few years, I'd be angry. Very angry. My anger, however, would pale in comparison to that felt by the mighty fans of Buffalo should this proposed move take place. Furthermore, teams already don't like playing in Buffalo in the second half of the season because of the crappy weather; are they really going to want to play another 100 miles north?

Sabathia is no where near Santana's talent anyway. Is he a top-tier pitcher? Heck yeah. Is he Santana's equal, no way. He shouldn't get close to Santana money. (Granted, I think that Santana shouldn't get "Santana money" and I'm a Twins fan. I mean, $80 mil over 4 years is hardly chump change... Why was that such a bad deal for him again?)

Sorry, my mistake, it was the AAA kid who's already had Tommy John, not the AA kid...


You know, because that's so much better.....


I reiterate my previous question: What did we just do?

So as a life-long Twins fan, I've been expecting Johan to be traded all off-season. I've been looking ahead to this day with mixed emotions. I was sad to find out that we were shopping him, but excited that we'd be getting some great ballplayers in return. So today, the holy of holies happens and Johan becomes a Met. (Question, should it be Met or Mets? When the name of a singular entity, the team as one cohesive unit, is a plural, I don't know the proper wording for that....). Anyway, back to the holy of holies. He's a Met. Who the heck did we get, exactly? A couple of AAA guys, a pitcher who's never been out of AA (and ALREADY had Tommy John...), and a 19 year old kid. I think back to my days as a Marine and have to wonder, WTF? How did this happen? We go from courting studs to taking the mares that were sent out to pasture? What did we just do?

And Mixin? As much as I hate large market teams and what they've done to drive up payrolls, it's not entirely their fault. You need to look outside of management and see who the real monsters are. These monsters make the monster owners look like teddy bears. I hear they call themselves the MLBPA. You have to think about WHY the Yankees spend so much. It's partly because they can, but it's mainly because they NEED to. Sure, you can win your division 4 of 6 years by being the best AAA team in the Majors, but at the end of the day, where are you? Still sitting at home in October saying, "We'll get em next year." Because baseball is driven solely on the market economy, players will get what they demand because they are the ones on control of the supply. As an owner, you can either pay the price for the top product, or you don't. But as the old adage says, you get what you pay for.
As for Pohlad, he's had highs and lows during his tenure as owner. As you and others have mentioned, he kept us from moving. But he also tried to contract us. I think that as one time he was interested in fielding a winning team, but I no longer believe that to be the case. In my mind's eye, he is no better, and in some ways worse, than every Steinbrenner that you come across. He's taken some good steps locking up Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer, but signing Johan instead of shipping him off for kids who very well may not see (or perhaps shouldn't see) major league uniforms would have shown that he was willing to work with the system and bring a championship back to Minnesota where it belongs. How better to inaugurate our new stadium than to hand out the rings on opening day? Alas, that's not going to happen.

Timewlker, that is actually a very good idea, in my opinion. Though, in all seriousness, I don't know how his young ego would handle a perceived demotion to the bullpen. After coming back from major surgery/rehab as he hes, I'm not sure he'd want to have put all that time in just to pitch an inning or two every couple of nights. If it was my decision, I'd slot him in as the #3 starter going into Spring Training and progress or regress from there. If he excels in ST, he moves up to the #2, assuming that Johan is still in town. If he does bad, a fourth or fifth slot, perhaps even long or middle relief again with, in the latter scenario, the idea that I'll put him in the closer position next season after Nathan leaves via free agency.

There are a lot of nice condos in Minneapolis...

As a Twins fan, I feel it my duty to rag on Carl Pohlad every time a free agent stud slips through our fingers. However, what some people seem to forget is that even though Carl Pohlad is worth $3.1 Billion, that is HIS money. The TWINS cannot touch that money to make deals. It belongs to Carl Pohlad and Carl Pohlad alone. (Then his kids once the geezer kicks the bucket...) Sure, he could INVEST (a word that seems to be thrown around a bit as of late) more of his money into the team, but at what return? He is shrewed businessman. If he thought it financially viable - for him - he would invest more money. But if he didn't think that he would make money on his return, why on Earth would he do it? Would you buy stock in a company that wouldn't allow you to earn money on your investment? I wouldn't. I doubt any of you would either.

I'll reiterate what I've said elsewhere. Last season, Hunter set career highs in ABs, Runs, Hits, and RBIs. He also hit a career high 45 doubles. His home runs were consistent with his career averages as was his batting average. Oh, and his fielding percentage was higher than it's been since his rookie season.

That doesn't sound like a fading player to me. And we'll have to wait and see about the overpaid. But then again I'm one of those guys that thinks ALL pro athletes are overpaid, even those playing for the league minimums.

Games - 160, At Bats - 600, Runs - 94, Hits - 172, Home Runs - 28, RBI - 107, Stolen Bases - 18, Batting Average - .287

Just for your information, those are career highs in ABs, Runs, Hits, and RBIs. He also hit a career high 45 doubles. His home runs are consistent with his career averages as is his batting average. Oh, and his fielding percentage is higher than it's been since his rookie season.

Yeah, those look like numbers of a player past his prime... You know, there is another player - football player - in the Northern Midwest that everyone said is past his prime. Ask Brett Favre what he thinks about playing past your prime.