Letsa hava Baseball party!

I've been contemplating Superbowl Sunday the last few days (mostly since, well, it's this Sunday). I will be attending a Superbowl party of sorts, though it's just pizza with my girlfriend and her parents (HUGE Steelers fans). Now, I'm not a huge fan of football, but I do quite enjoy the Superbowl, simply because I LOVE parties. Not the kind of parties where you just go out to get drunk, but parties with some kind of purpose, you know, Christmas, Halloween, 4th of July, Superbowl. Super Sunday has become it's own unofficial holiday, evidenced by the fact that all the food shows and magazines have been running Gameday recipes for two weeks now. However, I've realized that there are very few opportunities to have baseball parties.

Part of the reason that you can't have a Superbowl style baseball party is the format of the championship. The only game that guaranteed to end the season is Game 7, but what if there isn't one? That'd be embarrassing. You could either schedule a party around an event that isn't definitive, say, Game 5, or one that never happens. Yet I think there are some great opportunities for parties that aren't being taken advantage of because of scheduling. This year, for example, the Official Opening Day for the League is Sunday, April 5th. The Primetime game is the Phillies and the Braves, which makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that the day game on that day is the Dogders and the Giants. Those are all NL teams. I don't understand why the day game isn't the AL Champion Rays, so you have both League Champions opening the seasons. I'm sure there's some reason for this that lies beyond my expertise, but that's not really my point. My point is that the season starts on a Sunday. Ok, good. Another 13 teams start their home seasons on the following day, Monday.

Wait, what?

Here's an idea, have the season openers play on Saturday and then the other teams can play on Sunday. That way 15 teams have had their home openers in the same weekend. The other 15 were the "away" teams, obviously. The next weekend, the 15 teams that were the "away" teams will have their home openers on Saturday. Or split up between the Saturday and the Sunday. Viola! All 30 teams have opened their ballparks for the season on a weekend. Let's party! Sure, people could have a party on the 5th for the Phillies, but most people wouldn't hold a baseball party for a team that wasn't theirs.

Now, I know that MLB isn't going to do anything simply for the convenience and happiness of the fans; but have they thought about the money they're missing out on? First of all, more people would watch the Opening Day game on television. Sure, Opening Day always sells out at the ballpark, but who's home at 1:05 on a Monday to watch the game if they don't have tickets?  If the fanfare around Opening Day was increased, it may well become a mini holiday in its own right. Maybe not to the same degree that the Superbowl has, but it would sure be bigger than it is now. And there would be parties, I guarantee it. Parties with paper plates and cups and napkins and score cards and party favors and hats and noise makers and streamers and invitations. Most fans would want all those party accessories to have their beloved team's logo on them. Meaning they would have to be Officially Licensed by MLB. A swell in television viewers and merchandise? All for moving the Openers up ONE DAY? Come on, Bud, you guys are missing an industry the size of Rhode Island.

And while you're at it, move the All-Star Game to a Sunday, too, with the Home Run Derby on Saturday. Another party. And always make sure that Game 1 or Game 7 of the World Series are both on the Weekend and schedule them so that an EAST COAST game doesn't go past Midnight. How about a day game? Huh? Just one?

P.S.- I'm making football shaped brownies for Sunday and I'm very excited. Though that's not really relevant.

70 days until Opening Day (which is, by the way, a Friday...at 1:05. When most people are still at work and school. Except me, 'cause I'm skipping.) GO TIGERS!     

Can you hear the drums, Fernando?

I can honestly say I'm not sure why everyone is so stuck on Fernando Rodney. And by everyone, I mean the management, front office, and coaching staff of the Tigers. Look, I understand that he was really good in 2005-2006. Ok, Fine. I understand that we went to the World Series in 2006 because we had great pitching and Rodney was a big part of that. But it seems like every time I look at the Tigers homepage, there's a story about how RODNEY WILL BE FINE RODNEY IS OUR BUDDY HE'S A BIG LEAGUE PITCHER AND HE'S A VITAL PART OF OUR CLUB. Good lord, you'd think he was Sandy Koufax. I believe there's been at least five articles written about Rodney. "Rodney's role key to Tigers' success." "Rodney vital to Tigers' hopes." They inked him right up but are arguing money with Verlander. Even after they signed Lyon, Leyland was all too quick to assure us that no one's discarding Rodney.

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but why not?

Maybe someone can enlighten me on this.

Tigerfest 2009

A boy of about 8 years old asked this question of Clete Thomas, "After hit-after you hit a ball that goes just, um, just foul, what kind of adjustments do you make for the ball-for the next pitch?" Clete Thomas, undoubtedly expecting a question about his favorite foods from a child of that age, stumbled through an acceptable answer about looking for something good to hit. A while later, when Nate Robertson was taking questions, the same boy asked this, "You pissed...pitched (cue everyone doubling over with laughter) a game in Texas where you didn't get anybody out, what kind of affect-mental affect did that have on you and what did you do to adjust your mental effect?" Nate couldn't answer for a full two minutes because he was laughing about the Freudian slip, then he couldn't answer because the question was ridiculous, but finally said something about not letting it get to you, pulling up and blah blah. This boy is going to be either the best or the most irritating sports analyst ever. Maybe both.

Fortunately, that was not the highlight of Tigerfest, though it might have been the funniest moment. In case you don't know or have never attended a similar event in your city, Tigerfest is a pre-season celebration held at Comerica park. There's autograph sessions, photo sessions, various vendors, tours of the park, a fan q and a session, ect. You get the picture. My expirience was, overall, great. I had a lot of fun. I think next year I will definately go again, but I might plan it a little better. More layers of clothing are certainly in order. Don't get me wrong, we (my girlfriend and I) were both wearing a shirt, sweatshirt, and heavy coats, but it was about ten degrees in Detroit yesterday. And I forgot my gloves. The hand that wasn't in my baseball mitt was numb without ten seconds of going out into the concourse. Luckily, we were able to stay in areas that were semi or fully enclosed and relatively warm the entire time.

 I got Justin Verlander to sign my mitt, and a couple of other autographs (Clete Thomas, Wilkin Ramirez, Rafeal Belliard) on a hat that a park employee gave me (because I forgot that, too). I walked through the Tigers Clubhouse. I had my picture taken with the 1984 Championship Trophy, Marcus Thames, and Miguel Cabrera:

.....

Ok, ok, but I honestly did have my picture taken with the trophy and Thames. I just don't have copies yet.

Anyhoo, I really did have a good time. Everyone seemed in really good spirits. The players seem a little like they have something to prove (which they do) and that's always good. I'm already planning next year's strategy for getting more autographs and maybe seeing the q & a in person, instead of on the TVs throughout the park. I might even be able to get in earlier because of my ticket package, which is paid in full. I'm even more excited than I was before about this season (which is, of course, the purpose of this event). Opening Day in April seems like years away at this point, though oddly it seems like my thesis, which is due in April, is coming up next week.

That kind of gives me a headache.

75 days to Opening Day. Go TIGERS! haha 

Drumroll Please...

I placed a deposit on my ticket package today. My seats are in Section 214, Row 14, Seats 10-11. Not bad, if I do say so myself. Of course, with my luck the guy with season tickets in front of us will have a...giant...hat.