The End of Interleague Play as we know it

This past weekend was the commencement of the 2012 interleague schedule.  Interleague Play is annually a big revenue boost for teams around the league, as fans flock to ballparks to see teams that do not get to come to town that often.  In particular, the "natural rivalry" home-and-home series are a big draw.  As a Brewer fan, I always look forward to the six games between the Brewers and Twins.  Much like when the Brewers play the Cubs, the team records are out the window when these two match up, and they are always fun battles to watch.  Unlike the Battle of Ohio, the Subway Series, or the Freeway Series, it doesn't really have a name, though so I am nominating the "Reciprocity Series" as my vote, since students from Minnesota and Wisconsin enjoy in-state tuition the other state's schools.

Whether you are a fan of interleague play or not, as of next year it is definitely here to stay.  Due to the Houston Astros moving to the AL West next year, out of necessity there will have to be interleague play all year round instead of just in blocks in May and June.  I personally don't like this idea, but I understand that the balancing of the 6 divisions is the greater good.  I have two main problems with year-round interleague.  First off, there will inevitably be situations in September when a team in a tight divisional race will be forced to play a meaningless interleague series.  The other 3 major sports all play "interleague" year-round, but there are an even number of teams in each of those sport's leagues, so this is not a problem.  The only way to remedy this for MLB would be to follow suit and contract 2 teams, or add 2.  I can't really see contraction happening due to the revenue sharing program - maybe a team moving, but not contraction.  And unless MLB wants to expand more outside the US or change territorial rules, expansion does not seem likely either.  So we could be stuck with this for awhile.  Secondly, MLB is threatening to do away with the "rivalry" series starting next year.  I can understand that people would have mixed feelings about this - if you live in large markets like Chicago, NY, or LA, this would be a tragedy, but for example a citizen of Atlanta or San Diego does not really have a natural rival, so there is no big loss there.  I personally think that it would be a huge mistake to do away with these series and I hope MLB finds a way to keep them happening.  Imagine how much less interesting baseball would be if the Cubs & Cardinals, or Red Sox & Yankees, or Dodgers & Giants never played during the year...I think these rivalry series hold the same weight.  Either way, I'm looking forward to the Brewers having one less team to compete with in the division next year.

A quick update on the Tour front.  The week before our South Florida trip, our US Cellular Field 5th Anniversary visit has ballooned, as so many of our trips do, into a 3-ballpark weekend.  The night before we are going to see an independent league team in the Chicago metro area that has always eluded us, the Windy City Thunderbolts.  Also, on Friday night, we will be watching our first game in the inaugural season of the Lakeshore Chinooks in Mequon, Wisconsin.  From what I have read, the fundraising efforts for the park did not go very well, so a lot of what was originally designed did not get built.  Needless to say, it will be interesting to see what is actually there besides metal bleachers.  We know for sure there will be a tasty fish fry and a good ballgame so that's all that matters.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.22:
Brewers 17-25, -6.0 (3 v. Giants, 3 @ Diamondbacks)
Reds 22-19, -0.5 (4 v. Braves, 3 v. Rockies)
Twins 14-27, -9.0 (3 @ White Sox, 3 v. Tigers)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 9

Andy Pettitte Returns to the Yankees

Lost amongst big stories like Josh Hamilton's freakish week at the plate, the Orioles leading the AL East, and Bryce Harper's major league debut, was Andy Pettitte coming out of retirement and rejoining the Yankees yesterday.  It was in March that Andy announced he felt the competitive juices flowing again and wanted to attempt a comeback, and the Yankees indulged him with a minor league deal.  Who would have known at the time that the Yankees would need him as much as Pettitte needed the Yankees?  In his first start since September 2010, he allowed 4 runs over 6.1 at Yankee Stadium in, as Derek Jeter put it, a "1999 throwback start" against Kevin Millwood and the Mariners.  Pettitte seemed to pick up right where he left off, down to about 88 on the fastball but still very effective, keeping hitters off-balance as he does.  With the big offseason trade of Michael Pineda out indefinitely and Phil Hughes struggling again, Andy has a chance at age 39, after not having picked up a baseball since throwing a ceremonial first pitch last season, to once again be an anchor of the Yankee rotation.  Andy Pettitte is the quintessential team player and embodies everything that's good about baseball, and the game is lucky to have him back on the mound.  I can't wait to see him pitch again in one of the many games New York will inevitably be playing on national television this season.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.14:
Brewers 15-19, -5.0 (2 @ Mets, 2 @ Astros, 3 v. Twins)
Reds 17-16, -2.5 (2 @ Braves, 2 @ Mets, 3 @ Yankees)
Twins 10-24, -8.0 (2 v. Indians, 2 @ Tigers, 3 @ Brewers)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 8

The Logic of the Contract Extension

One of the things that is so attractive about baseball for me is its very calculated "game within a game" aspect.  Managers have their situational thinking, pitchers have their routines, hitters have their tendencies, and defenses are positioned.  All of these scouting reports are available to everybody and there is a constant battle of wits to out-think the other team and stay one step ahead.  But when we mix all of these known factors together into certain combinations, there are an infinite number of results on every pitch, and no matter how we think things might play out in our head, a new scenario is always possible.  Every pitch is then tracked and extrapolated into spreadsheets and plugged into formulas, and an entire player's career can be predicted based on a series of events that could have gone a million different ways if it were played out a million different times.  And then just when you think you have everything figured out, there is always the variable of injuries that can ruin all data.  This is what makes the worth player contracts so fascinating to me.  When the causal fan sees a monster contract, it is actually very thought out in most cases based on projections and comparisons and not just a huge arbitrary sum of money.

That is why more than ever, you are seeing younger players being locked up by their teams instead waiting for them to reach their prime and hit free agency, perhaps no more prevalent than this year.  More and more teams are employing sabremetric statistics and weighing risk vs. reward to determine the best possible value and practical number of years to get out of their players before they hit the market.  Multi-year contracts for players in arbitration and even pre-arbitration gives the team far more control and payroll stability.  However, in free agency, very often a team gets caught up in a bidding war and can overpay for a player because things like demand and personal feelings get involved and create unknowns, which is never good when planning a budget.  Every free agent understandably wants more years and more money than the guy before him and by this time a player is most likely just entering or already at his prime, so a team will be paying a large amount of money based solely on past performance and not projected worth. 

The boldest case of a general manager bucking this trend that I have seen was Theo Epstein this past offseason.  We all know that the Cubs had the money to sign Prince Fielder, the 27-year old stud first baseman with over 200 career homeruns.  Experts had all said this was a done deal.  But Epstein came in and changed the culture of the Cubs immediately.  He basically said "we're not paying for past performance, we're paying for future growth."  Yes, maybe Fielder will be a 30-100 guy for all 9 years of his contract with the Tigers and will play 162 games each year as he has been known to.  But this is highly unlikely.  It is a pretty common line of thinking that age 30 is about a professional baseball player's peak, and any production beyond that is deflated - I won't even get into the Pujols contract with the Angels. 

Epstein's method of rebuilding through the minor leagues and signing undervalued free agents is going to greatly help the Cubs organization in the long term, but it is certainly not the only smart way to run a team.  Staying in the division, the Reds and Brewers have taken more of a middle-market approach by locking up their own existing players with extensions.  This allows these teams to slowly increase payroll in a controlled fashion by building around a core group of players over a multi-year stretch, in an effort to grow the fan base and attract lucrative free agents.  Some of these extensions may be of the Joey Votto-Ryan Braun variety, where you are in exclusive negotiating rights with a player and want him to be part of that team for life, and some extensions may be of the Jay Bruce-Yovani Gallardo variety, who signed relatively conservative deals in pre-arbitration years to control future arbitration costs and cover a few free agency seasons.

Signing contract extensions early in a player's career are to the benefit of almost everyone.  It provides the team and the player with financial stability.  It shows the fanbase that the team is committed to the future, and fans can know what to expect when they come to the ballpark instead of turning over 3 new positions every year.  The biggest hurdle to this theory are the agents.  They always will want to see a player maximize his value and sign the big guaranteed contracts in arbitration and subsequently free agency.  But if a team can sensibly scout and predict a player's ability early in his career, it's a good move to sign a player early.  Ryan Braun's initial contract of 8 years/$45 million was one of the most ludicrous things I'd ever seen at the time.  I could not believe both that a player would handicap himself for future salary and that a team would commit to a player that early.  But you know what, it's low-risk high-reward if the player turns out to be a star.  How much money have the Brewers already saved on Braun with this contract?  And from his perspective, there are no guarantees in this game.  Braun may suffer some horrific injury and never even see free agency, but now he has 8 years (and since then another 5) that he knows he will be set financially.  And as he has said, "is there anything I really want that I can't buy with this amount of money?"

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 05.08:
Brewers 12-17, -6.0 (3 v. Reds, 3 v. Cubs)
Reds 15-13, -2.5 (3 @ Brewers, 3 v. Nationals)
Twins 7-21, -10.0 (3 v. Angels, 4 v. Blue Jays)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 6

Bryce Harper makes MLB Debut

This past weekend, baseball's "chosen one" Bryce Harper made his much-anticipated major league debut in LA against the Dodgers.  The Nationals got swept out of town and the 19-year old phenom went 2-6 with a double, 2 walks, an RBI, and a fantastic catch in center field (which is not his natural position, by the way).  Aside from his stupid faux-hawk and excessive amount of eye-black, this kid just looks like he belongs, and whether or not he remains on the team the entire year, he should be a fixture in the Nats lineup for at least 6 years.  Here's an idea of his talent: he was booed in his first professional at-bat, usually an honor bestowed upon future hall-of-fame veterans.  It was never a matter of "if" with Harper, but "when," and there has been much debate as to when he should be called up - later in the season to keep him under team control for a 7th season, or early in the year to sell tickets and help what was already a good ballclub.  He wasn't exactly tearing it up at Syracuse at the time of his callup, but with Ryan Zimmerman going on the DL and Mark DeRosa not performing, the Nats were looking for a spark in their lineup, and they thought Harper could help sooner rather than later. 

Washington has been a trendy preseason pick to win a playoff spot.  As of Monday, they lead the NL in ERA and are tied for the division lead with the Braves.  Aside from maybe the Royals, this team I feel has the largest upside in terms of a core of young talent, but something that the Nationals have that KC will never have is money.  They have the wealthiest owner in baseball and have the power to lock up guys like Jordan Zimmermann, Steven Strasburg, Danny Espinosa, Michael Morse, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman, Drew Storen, and Harper to long term deals, - and some they already have - but at the same time, they also have the resources to spend a lot of money on free agents like Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.  Look for this team to be major players at the deadline this year a la Pittsburgh last year to add some veteran pieces to the puzzle for a playoff push.

I wrote a post two years ago entitled "Nationals on the verge of Greatness," and then last year about how the Nats were over .500 all the way into July.  I liked the Nats in 2010, in 2011, and I still like them as a playoff contender for 2012 and beyond.  The potential has been building a little slower than I have thought, and was certainly delayed by Strasburg's Tommy John surgery, but this is the season the Nationals put it all together and win a playoff spot.  In the last three years, this team has witnessed the debuts of arguably the most heralded pitcher and position players in baseball since Dice-K and Ken Griffey Jr, and they have another stud pitcher that is on few people's radar in Jordan Zimmermann that has Cy Young potential.  I think the callup of Bryce Harper signifies much more than the start of a career; it signals that this organization believes that this is the year, and it represents the beginning of a great era of baseball in DC.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.30:
Brewers 10-12, -4.0 (3 @ Padres, 3 @ Giants)
Reds 11-11, -3.0 (3 v. Cubs, 3 @ Pirates)
Twins 6-15, -5.5 (3 @ Angels, 3 @ Mariners)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 6

Ballpark Chasers

I've been a part of this group on Facebook called "Ballpark Chasers" for some time now, and it's been a great resource for me.  I've found out a lot about various ballparks I didn't know, and it is really great to share stories and ideas with people who share the same passion as me of trying to see a ballgame in as many stadiums as possible.  I recently also came across this article on ESPN that chronicles a few extreme ballpark enthusiasts.  I doubt that I will ever be in the same class as any of these people, but it's something to aspire to.  Not mentioned in the article is this guy Chuck Booth, who blogs on ballparkchasers.com and holds the world record for fastest to see a ballgame in all 30 stadiums.  He did it in 24 days in 2009 and this year is doing the same trip x6 laps.  Another similar story came out in Milwaukee this past weekend about a 25-year old Brewer fan who has battled leukemia and a brain stem transplant, and the team is sending him to all 162 Brewer games this season, home and away. 

On the surface I might be jealous of all of these people who seemingly get to live the dream without monetary or time restriction, but deep down I am just proud that I can call myself a part of this special fraternity.  As of June 29th of this year in Miami, I can once again say that I belong to that elite group of fans who have attended a ballgame in all 30 MLB stadiums.  Some people might say that ballpark chasers are just wasting time and money, or that they don't have a life.  But who are we to judge what people do in their free time, as long as it's legal?  Erik and I have created so many great ballpark memories over the years, and for me it doesn't get much better than sharing a baseball game with friends.  We can only hope to continue visiting ballparks as our ballpark brethren, and I continue to feel grateful and lucky that I get to live such a dream with each passing year.

Speaking of which, these articles recently made Erik and I aware that neither of us had any idea how many ballparks we've actually been to.  We tallied our results from memory and E came up with 91 parks, and myself 99, including 77 together.  I'm so excited that my next ballpark will be my 100th!  I have several ideas of which park will put me at the century mark, but it will most certainly be in June sometime before we visit Marlins Park.


STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.23:
Brewers 7-9 (3 v. Astros, 3 @ Cardinals)
Reds 7-9 (3 v. Giants, 3 v. Astros)
Twins 5-11 (3 v. Red Sox, 3 v. Royals)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 5

Name the Lakeshore Chinooks Mascot

(Photo courtesy of Chinooks website, taken at team's launch party)

One of my submissions - Sammy Sturgeon - was selected as a finalist for the new Lakeshore Chinooks' mascot!  So everybody please go to www.lakeshorechinooks.com and cast your vote for "Sammy" on the homepage!  Contest ends in May.  Hopefully I will win some free seats!

For those who don't know, the Chinooks are the latest team to join the 16-team Northwoods League of the summer collegiate circuit, and are based out of Mequon, Wisconsin, about 15 miles north of Milwaukee.  The team's majority owner is Jim Kacmarcik, the president of Kapco Metal Stamping, hence the new stadium's name of Kapco Park on the Concordia University campus.  The team is also co-owned by Brewers legend and Kapco spokesman Robin Yount, Brewers hall-of-fame announcer Bob Uecker, and Milwaukee Bucks GM John Hammond.  With this combination of local ownership and a brand new ballpark right on Lake Michigan not more than a half-hour from downtown Milwaukee, this team should most certainly draw near the top of the league's attendance for years to come.

Even though I live in Madison now, I'm very excited to get out and see the new park, and for the Milwaukee metro area to finally have the opportunity to experience collegiate summer baseball.  I think this new team is coming in at a great time, now being able to piggyback the success the Brewers have had at the gates in recent years, not to mention a probable partnership between the two teams.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.17:
Brewers 4-6 (3 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Rockies)
Reds 4-6 (3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Cubs)
Twins 3-7 (4 @ Yankees, 3 @ Rays)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 2
Peter - 2

Opening Weekend 2012

 
All photos of Snappers Home Opener and Brewers Home Opener available on Flickr.

The best day of the year has once again come and gone - Opening Day! The Minor League and Major League seasons kicked off in the US on Thursday, and Erik and I took in home openers for both. The 2012 season has some added excitement this year, as the Brewers look to defend their 2011 NL Central title while coming off of their best regular season in franchise history, winning 96 games and advancing to the NLCS for the first time in 29 years. This season is also exciting on the Tour front, as we celebrate our 5th Anniversary season.

An update on this year's trip to South Florida: tickets are purchased and flights are booked! We are flying into Fort Lauderdale on June 28th and leaving on July 1st, taking in a couple games in Miami's Little Havana and one at Roger Dean Stadium, home of the Jupiter Hammerheads. We also still plan on taking in a 5th Anniversary ballgame at The Cell, but are waiting for ticket prices to come down when the White Sox start backsliding, which should be soon.

This year I attended my 5th consecutive Miller Park home opener, and my 4th consecutive minor league opener. This year's Midwest League venue was the "lovely" Pohlman Field of Beloit. I was all set to hit up another Kernels opener and obtain the Mike Trout bobblehead giveaway (don't worry - I still got it on eBay), but my prayers were finally answered and I got a job back in Wisconsin! So the Snappers and Mallards are once again my homebase Midwest League and Northwoods League teams. An April game in Beloit was exactly how I remembered it - cold, empty, and a loss. I think most of my disdain for Beloit comes from the fact that it's always 38º and a Snappers loss whenever I go. That's not to say that Pohlman Field isn't still a dump, because it is. Rumors are yet again afloat about a new downtown Beloit or Janesville park for the team. Nothing at the current stadium has changed, aside from the Leinie's Lodge now being sponsored by Suds O'Hanahan, whatever that is. Same food, similar promotions, even the same 1995 mascot costume for Snappy. I often complain about this park, but there's also a part of me that finds something about it endearing. I always enjoy coming back because of the very simple laid back experience, the affordability, and the good product the Twins organization always puts out on the field. It's just baseball and cheap concessions, and the Snappers don't try to fluff it up and pretend they're something they're not. I also told a local news station as much, as Erik and I were interviewed upon entering the park and obtaining our complimentary magnet schedules. The Snappers lost 5-2 on this day, mostly behind a 4-spot put up by the visiting Peoria Chiefs in the 3rd. Both teams tagged a lot of balls, but they died in the crisp cold wind. The Twins' top prospect Miguel Sano made his A-ball debut at 3B, after hitting .292 with 20 HRs in rookie ball last year. He took the collar, striking out twice. The Snappers made a game of it in the 9th, but there was no way we were going to stay for extra racks in the frigid weather anyways.

The following day brought the Brewers' season debut at Miller Park on Friday, which meant another Lenten tailgate crafted by the Nagel Family, featuring spicy shrimp and cheese pizza. Thankfully, Catholics don't seem to have a big hang-up about drinking on Good Friday. I'm anxious to see all of the changes at Miller Park this year, but from now where we were sitting in the 2nd deck I didn't notice much except for the new 2011 NL Central Champions banner. Aside from quadrupling the team's payroll in 8 years, owner Mark Attanasio has also put money into making Miller Park a more enjoyable fan experience. One of my biggest complaints about Miller Park over the years - the food variety - has been addressed by adding over 30 new foods and several new vendors over the past two seasons, including many Food Network entrees and adult helmet-sized nachos. For any new or veteran visitors to Miller Park, the outdoor patio food stand on the ground level, 1st base side, is absolutely incredible food. One thing I didn't get to see yet was the new team store which is supposed to resemble Bernie Brewer's chalet from old County Stadium, but I'm sure I will be hitting it up eventually to find me a $3 Casey McGehee t-shirt in the sale bin. 

My family, Lauren, and I had our usual 10-pack seats about midway up on the Loge Level, 3rd base side, and witnessed the Brewers Opening Day pregame rituals of player introductions, the Racing Sausages' First Brat Relay, and the National Anthem performed by the owner's dad. Yovani Gallardo took the ball for his 3rd consecutive Opening Day start, and also lost his 3rd consecutive in a decisive fashion, as he gave up 4 homeruns in only 3 2/3 innings. The Cardinals certainly seem like their offense will be able to sustain the loss of Albert Pujols, if their veterans can stay healthy and David "The Big Chill" Freese can keep up his torrid pace. The Brewers have also certainly held their own offensively without the departed Prince Fielder, scoring 21 runs in 4 games on the young season, including 3 homeruns by Corey Hart who played a grand total of 3 major league Spring games.  Despite the 11-5 beating, this would prove to be one of the more memorable Opening Days because of what transpired after the game.  On our way out to the parking lot for the customary post-game re-tailgate, fans were confronted with billowing black smoke from the north.  At first glance I thought nothing of it and assumed it was just a cloud of grill smoke, but after I got a good whiff I noticed it was burning plastic.  Apparently, the recycling center for the nearby Miller Brewing plant caught fire and ironically engulfed the area in noxious smoke.  Only a few minutes went by before it became hard to breathe, and we unfortunately had to cut the day short.  However, it would take a lot more than a home team loss and a burning building to put a damper on Opening Day for me.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 04.09:
Brewers 2-2 (4 @ Cubs, 3 @ Braves)
Reds 2-2 (3 v. Cardinals, 4 @ Nationals)
Twins 0-4 (3 v. Angels, 3 v. Rangers)

2012 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 1
Peter - 2