Random Baseball Musings

[CubsInNC]

I actually think a Memphis team would do well (the Redbirds average 7200 fwiw). That area of the country is probably the most populated area in the US that is the farthest from an MLB stadium. A Memphis team would get most of Tennessee, Little Rock (less than 2 hours away) and most of Arkansas, north Louisiana, all of Mississippi, and possibly even New Orleans (same distance to Houston and Memphis from NOLA). Southerners are all about baseball too. For example, Ole Miss averages 10,000 for SEC baseball games. I think it would need to be an indoor park; Memphis being right on the river is miserably muggy in the summer.

 

I'm not sure that a Memphis team would do that well. There would have to be a significant investment in Memphis by the ownership to make the park a draw. The trend in baseball is for less suburban ballparks, and more ingrained in a cities downtown. I highly doubt you're going to get people from all over to travel to Memphis, proper, to go to a game. The city has done little successfully to cut back on it's crime problems. And if those people from a few hours away won't go, they likely won't change their allegiance from the current team.

 

Traffic is bad enough in Midtown, without a sports draw. There's nowhere near enough additional revenue available from increasing taxes to make that happen.

 

I'd advocate the only way you'd draw from all over is to put the team in one of the North Mississippi suburbs, but then you lose the biggest advantage Memphis has- no state income tax.

 

I have to agree with most of this having spent a decent amount of time in Memphis and having gone to the Redbirds park several times. The downtown area is minutes from some pretty awful neighborhoods and there would have to be a major revamping of downtown access to handle the traffic that would result from an MLB game crowd. On top of that, I think you'd be hard pressed to get fans who have been Cardinals fans for several generations to switch allegiances, which I honestly think would be the biggest hurdle. The reason the Redbirds draw as well as they do has a whole lot to do with the fanbase wanting to see guys they're going to see playing for their favorite MLB team soon.

 

There's a good spilt here between Cardinals and Braves fans, as well as quite a few transplants from the Pittsburgh area, as Memphis used to have a strong steel industry. The local news tends to cover the Cardinals more, but in terms of apparel, it's pretty well divided.

[jersey cubs fan]

This interaction between Miggy and a fan is so awesome

 

http://m.mlb.com/video/v191386183/detcle-miggy-gives-bat-and-gloves-to-young-fan

It's pretty much guaranteed that little [expletive] will commit sexual assault within 8 years.

[jersey cubs fan]

[vine]https://vine.co/v/e5rZgiqJtrg[/vine]

[Banedon]

[vine]https://vine.co/v/e5rZgiqJtrg[/vine]

 

The adults cowering in fear and leaving the kids to fend for themselves makes me a little angry.

[jersey cubs fan]

The adults cowering in fear and leaving the kids to fend for themselves makes me a little angry.

 

One guy cowered in fear, but the meathead one row back there just wanted to watch skulls get crushed.

[Banedon]

The adults cowering in fear and leaving the kids to fend for themselves makes me a little angry.

 

One guy cowered in fear, but the meathead one row back there just wanted to watch skulls get crushed.

 

The lady next to the kid that caught the ball was cowering too.

[Sammy Sofa]

Not as bad as the dork at yesterday's Cubs game Michael Jackson-ing his baby catching that foul ball.

 

And that's talking about Jackson dangling has baby over a hotel balcony, you creeps.

[seanimal]

if i knew the guy who covered himself while his daughter almost got brained by a baseball, i would lay into him mercilessly with the fiery passion of a thousand suns

[Guest]

Not as bad as the dork at yesterday's Cubs game Michael Jackson-ing his baby catching that foul ball.

 

And that's talking about Jackson dangling has baby over a hotel balcony, you creeps.

 

Bill Plaschke agrees

 

@BillPlaschke: Stunned everyone is praising this guy. He put baby at risk. Nothing to cheer for here http://t.co/i9kNWRCYEt

[Andy]

Watching Quick Pitch and they show highlights of the Yankees vs Phillies and Jimmy Fallon is in the front row wearing a Yanks hat. Did he really sell out on the Red Sox now that he hosts The Tonight Show??

Fallon has always been a Yankees fan, I think, inasmuch as he actually cares at all, which is very little.

[Guest]

Francona

 

[Banedon]

Francona

 

 

I'm really confused by this. I mean...9 boxes of 6 popsicles, with 1 box left is 48 popsicles....but he said he at 17.

[Guest]

Francona

 

 

I'm really confused by this. I mean...9 boxes of 6 popsicles, with 1 box left is 48 popsicles....but he said he at 17.

 

maybe someone(s) else ate the others...he mentions "they" as the people who brought them i guess

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Watching Quick Pitch and they show highlights of the Yankees vs Phillies and Jimmy Fallon is in the front row wearing a Yanks hat. Did he really sell out on the Red Sox now that he hosts The Tonight Show??

Fallon has always been a Yankees fan, I think, inasmuch as he actually cares at all, which is very little.

 

Hmmm maybe I thought he was a Sox fan because of that movie.

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Edit:oops Edited June 24, 2015 by itisallpartoftheplan

[itisallpartoftheplan]

Not as bad as the dork at yesterday's Cubs game Michael Jackson-ing his baby catching that foul ball.

 

And that's talking about Jackson dangling has baby over a hotel balcony, you creeps.

 

Bill Plaschke agrees

 

@BillPlaschke: Stunned everyone is praising this guy. He put baby at risk. Nothing to cheer for here http://t.co/i9kNWRCYEt

 

Having the baby there was dumb but once there best option was to catch it. If it hits the brick could've bounced hard at him or the baby.

 

Heard he's a White Sox fan.

[jersey cubs fan]

Not as bad as the dork at yesterday's Cubs game Michael Jackson-ing his baby catching that foul ball.

 

And that's talking about Jackson dangling has baby over a hotel balcony, you creeps.

 

Bill Plaschke agrees

 

@BillPlaschke: Stunned everyone is praising this guy. He put baby at risk. Nothing to cheer for here http://t.co/i9kNWRCYEt

 

Having the baby there was dumb but once there best option was to catch it. If it hits the brick could've bounced hard at him or the baby.

 

Heard he's a White Sox fan.

I sat in very similar seats a few years ago and my kid got her first ball from Daniel Murphy. Pretty sweet spot to sit.

[Guest]

white sox are negative in WAR for hitting as a team.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0

[Sammy Sofa]

Not as bad as the dork at yesterday's Cubs game Michael Jackson-ing his baby catching that foul ball.

 

And that's talking about Jackson dangling has baby over a hotel balcony, you creeps.

 

Bill Plaschke agrees

 

@BillPlaschke: Stunned everyone is praising this guy. He put baby at risk. Nothing to cheer for here http://t.co/i9kNWRCYEt

 

The catch was indeed badass, but the guy is kind of a doof for going for it in the first place.

[jersey cubs fan]

The catch was indeed badass, but the guy is kind of a doof for going for it in the first place.

why?

[Sammy Sofa]

The catch was indeed badass, but the guy is kind of a doof for going for it in the first place.

why?

 

I'd figure if someone is feeding their baby it's not the best option to dangle your kid from one arm and shoving the bottle in their mouth while you're reaching in to the field towards a charging baseball player and your focus is on catching a ball.

 

It's hardly a big deal; I am just amused by his priorities.

[jersey cubs fan]

The catch was indeed badass, but the guy is kind of a doof for going for it in the first place.

why?

 

I'd figure if someone is feeding their baby it's not the best option to dangle your kid from one arm and shoving the bottle in their mouth while you're reaching in to the field towards a charging baseball player and your focus is on catching a ball.

 

It's hardly a big deal; I am just amused by his priorities.

The only other option is to cower and cover the kid with your body, hoping that the ball doesn't bounce and hit you/him. I think it's best to take control of the situation.

 

Also one hand baby holding is second nature a couple months in.

[Sammy Sofa]

He should have distracted Gonzalez away from the ball by tossing his kid to him.

[Banedon]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that most parents get pretty good at multitasking while holding a baby. The guy wasn't danging his kid over the balcony, and he wasn't trying to field a screaming line drive or anything. There's plenty of things to get mad at bad parents for, but meh on this one.

[Sammy Sofa]

Who's mad over it? Just seems goofy to me.