Ways To Make Attending A 2009 MLB Game Affordable

The economic climate in America has everyone worried. In times like this, entertainment is the first thing that families will cut in order to save money. So what kind of attendance can Major League Baseball expect in the 2009 Major League Baseball season?

MLB is confronted with two major issues as we approach the 2009 MLB season. A bad economy and the "steroids in baseball" issue raising its ugly head again. But realistically, regardless of the steroids issue, families are just not going to come out to the ballpark like they have in previous years.

If you do plan on attending a major league baseball game in 2009, here are a few tips for doing it cheaply:

1. Check out your teams web page and search for discount ticket days. Most teams run some type of family day, half price ticket day, reduced hot dog day, anything. Search the promotion section and plan your day at the park around one of these days. The first way to save money is by taking advantage of lower tickets.

2. Bring your own snacks because food at ballparks can be very expensive. If you can eliminate the cost of food, your overall cost can be reduced by a large percentage. Check your team's website to see what the rules are for bringing in food to the stadium. You may want to bring some sandwiches and eat them in the parking lot before the game - make it a tailgating episode.
3. Parking is another large cost. For most ballparks there is parking very near the stadium, but you will pay for it. If you have young kids, it might be worth paying the price, but if your kids are older find an alternative. The further away you go from the stadium the cheaper. One option is to park in a parking garage away from the stadium and hop a bus. Or take public transportation from your home, eliminating parking cost altogether.

4. Limit the number of souvenirs you purchase. If your kids want a jersey, buy that prior to the game. Convince them this way they can wear it to the game. Also, if you know months in advance you are going to the game, have your kids earn money by doing chores. This money then can be used for any purchases they may want. This will limit the amount spent and make them feel proud of their purchase and accomplishment.

5. Limit the number of alcoholic beverages. At $7 - $10, beer is probably the bigger cost at the game.

6. One of the best ways to make a major league game affordable is to see the minor league affiliates. Prices for tickets can be had for as little as $10 for a really good seat. And the minor league baseball parks cater to the family. They will stage events that entertain the kids and the mascots are always interacting with the crowd. If you go early enough, the players are more than happy to sign autographs for the kids. And there is always a minor league ball club close to home.

So even though it is a tough year economically, you can still enjoy the national past time. To make it even more fun for you and the kids keep score at the baseball game - the memories of that day will be priceless.

source: ehow.com, howtoscorebaseball.info, bestbaseballebooks.com

Jose "Can Say So" About A-Roid

Back in December of 2007, more than 80 players were named in one capacity or another in the Mitchell Report, the investigation into steroid use by major league baseball players. But Jose Canseco was certain there would be at least one more name in the document: Alex Rodriguez.

Immediately after the report was released in 2007, Canseco, who was one of the players named by Sen. George Mitchell in the report, told the Fox Business Channel he was surprised not to see A-Rod's name in the report.

"All I can say is the Mitchell Report is incomplete," Canseco said. "I could not believe that (Rodriguez's) name was not in the report."

It turns out that Jose Canseco was right!

Everyone has heard the latest news that Alex Rodriguez admitted taking steroids from 2001-2003. But in an interview back in 2007 on the "CBS Evening News with Katie Couric," he denied every taking steroids and never "had the urge" to take them.

In a Fox interview shortly after the Mitchell report was made public Canseco said of the Mitchell list "It's laughable," "I heard the report, I saw the list of players and there are definitely a lot of players missing. I don't know what they accomplished or what they are trying to prove."
In Canseco's 2005 book, "Juiced," he discussed A-Rod several times, saying the perception that Rodriguez was "the clean boy" was false, pointing to his politically correct personality with reporters as being insincere.

Canseco wrote of Rodriguez: "He's not the saint he's perceived to be. Eventually the media will find something nasty to write about Alex Rodriguez, because trust me, they're looking for it."

Rodriguez has had his share of controversy on and off the field, but he has never been linked to any drug-related issues - not until now!

In late July 2008, Canseco told a Boston radio station that he had "other stuff" on A-Rod, information he would reveal in his next book, "Vindicated," although he wouldn't say whether it was steroid-related.

"Wait and see," Canseco told WEEI.

Well, we don't have to wait any longer. Alex Rodriguez has admitted to taking steroids and apologizes for lying to the American public.

So far, all the allegations Canseco has made about big names using steroids have all came true!

Maybe he should become a politican, we could use some truth there!

source: nydailynews, Fox News

Alex Rodriguez Goes From "A-Fraud" To "A-Roid"

According to a report on the Sports Illustrated website, Alex Rodriguez, the homerun hitting third baseman for the New York Yankees tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003. That was when baseball granted players immunity while it conducted survey testing with the hope that the number of cheaters would be low and the performance-enhancement problem would go away.

In that report, 104 major leaguers were identified as having tested positive. At the time, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) guaranteed the players that the results of that "survey" would be kept confidential with no chance of it ever being released to the public.

This is more bad press for Alex following the assertion in Joe Torre's book "The Yankee Years" that his Yankee teammates nicknamed him "A-Fraud" and that he had a "single-white female"-like obsession with Derek Jeter.

Rodriguez reportedly tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone while playing for the Texas Rangers, but does really matter where it was, or when or for how long? Unless he or baseball, or both, can effectively counter another damaging blow, Rodriguez takes his place in the ever-expanding enhancement holding pen, a shadow cast across his career

No word yet from A-Roid or his agent, Scott Boras, in regard to the SI report.
It will be interesting to see what stance A-Roid will take on the matter. Will he come clean like Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitt or will he go the way ala Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens and deny, deny, deny.

It's obvious that steroids in Major League Baseballwill not go away!

Despite all-things-A-Roid, the Yankees are contractually obligated to Alex Rodriguez until 2018 and will have to put up with the distraction.

I wonder what Madona thinks about all of this?

source:nytimes.com

Steroids and Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball has become not only a part of Americana, but a way of sharing passions that span generations, geography and social class. When you look back at the history of baseball, it is a representative of a simpler and purer world. The Steroid Era of 1994 - 2004 corrupted that view, as major league baseball statistics rose dramatically. I guess it all started when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa raced to beat Roger Maris's single season homerun record of 61 back in 1998.

The sudden rise in individual baseball achievements raised questions about how they were being achieved.

Was it the baseball? I remember the rumors that the balls were being made differently, that they were being wrapped tighter or dried out so they would fly out of the stadium.

It wasn't until 1998 when the rumors of steroid use among players came to light when it was discovered that Mark McGwire was taking androstenedione.

Performance Enhanced Drugs In Sports
The use of performance enhancing drugs appears to be tied directly with mass-entertainment sports. It goes all the way back to the ancient Olympics when athletes used herbs and mushrooms in order to improve their performance in competition. In the modern day, with the increase of commercial endorsements and off-the-field rewards, the use of performance enhancing drugs began to escalate.

Steroid use became a banned substance in 1991 but testing didn't begin until the 2003 season. The powerful Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) consistently rejected MLB's recommendations to test for steroids. The initial testing of performance enhancing drugs did not dissuade the players from using it. It wasn't until pressure from Congress and the public in 2005, and a harder stance on performance enhancing drugs, that its use began to fall.

The use of performance enhancing drugs had some interesting effects on the game. Along with the jump in offense related baseball achievements, the nature and frequency of injuries began to escalate. The number of players on the Disable List (DL) increased 31% from 1989 to 1998 and he average stay on the DL increased 13% over the same period. The nature of the injuries changed due to oversized muscles ripping away from the bones that could no longer support them. It wasn't until Ken Caminiti became the first star to admit using steroids.

It wasn't until 2005 that MLB and the MLBPA agreed on a new drug testing policy. The new policy, currently in effect, includes year-round testing and stricter penalties for steroid use but still pales in comparison to other sports. Penalties for positive tests now results in a mandatory 50 game ban for the first offense, 100 game ban for the second offense and lifetime ban, with the possibility for reinstatement, for the third positive test.


Measuring the Effect of Steroids On Baseball
In 2007 a study conducted by Berkley University, "Steroid Use In Major League Baseball" lead by Mitchell Grossman, the researchers set out to measure the effect of steroids on Major League Baseball.

The study developed a measure called On-base prowess (OPS). It combined two offensive baseball statistics, that most baseball experts agree, are the best measure of a players offense ability - On Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Percentage (SLG)

OPS = OBP + SLG
OBP = Hits (H) + Bases on Balls (BB) + Hit By Pitch (HBP) / At Bats (AB) + Bases on Balls (BB) + Sacrifices (SF) + Hit By Pitch (HBP)
SLG = Total Bases (1B + 2*2B + 3*3B + 4+HR) / At Bats (AB)
where 1B = single, 2B = Double, 3B = Triple and HR = Homerun
(baseball scorekeeping ebook)

The team of experts devised two methods to determine the effect of steroids on a players OPS. They defined a Pre-Steroid Era (1985-1993) and a post Season era (1994-2004). They compiled the OPS statistics for all players in those years. Batters with less than 100 At bats (ABs) and pitchers were excluded.

The results shows that average OPS in the Pre-Steroid Era was .738, .048 less than than the average OPS in the Steroid Era, .784. This statistic gives us some sense of the effect of steroids but it doesn't really compare a steroid user "before-and-after" steroid use.

The second method used was what they called the Steroid Seven Method. Using the same parameters, the study singled out 7 players in the Steroid era who admitted to or was suspected of using steroids. Rather than compare the players performance in the two eras, they used their statistics of the last few years of the Steroid Era (2001-2004) and compared that to the first year of the Post-Steroids Era (2005). While not all the players saw a significant change in OPS over that time period, the average change in OPS was a decrease of .160.

Although these methods are not exact, they do represent a good approximation of the effect of steroid use in Baseball. The average of the All Player Method .048 and the Steroid Seven Method .160 equals a .104 OPS average.

Using the OPS calculations, estimations can be made on the effect of steroid use on a player' salary. First, they needed to determine the effect of increased OPS on a player's salary. The study used the 2004 statistics for a regression of OPS vs salaries for 2004. From this regression it was determined that an increase in OPS of .100 leads to an increase in salary of $2 million. Therefore, the average increase in OPS due to steroids of .104 leads to an additional salary of $2,085,438.

The benefits of increased offensive production to major league baseball during the Steroid-era was dramatic. The average MLB franchise value rose from $140 million in 1994 to $332 million in 2004.

The conclusion of the study suggests the players, MLB franchises and even the media all benefitted from steroid use. However, there were negative implications for all three groups due to the scandal.

Let's hope we have all learned a lesson!



source: "Steroids and Major League Baseball" by Mitchell Grossman, Timothy Kimsey, Joshua Moreen and Matthew Owings

Holy Sheets! Deal With Rangers Called Off Due To Bad Wing

Ben Sheets, the free agent who signed a two year deal with the Texas Rangers, pending a physical, may need to find another job. It seems that Mr. Sheets, who pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, may need surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his elbow.

Now Ben's agent wants his former team to pay for the procedure since he injured it late in September 2008 while leading the Brewers to the playoffs. Major League Baseball officials have also been brought into the discussion on who pays for the surgery.

"We're working our way through all of the details and we don't know the answer yet," Ash said. "Major League Baseball has regulations related to workers comp and there are procedures and protocols that have to be respected. We're working our way through those so I can't give you much insight other than that."

The Texas Rangers backed away from the deal with after it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery.

If the Rangers want to gamble, they could still sign him and hope that he'll return to form after possible surgery and rehabilitation.

"We've maintained contact but I'm not optimistic at this point," general manager Jon Daniels said Thursday morning.

Daniels declined to discuss Sheets' physical and health situations.

Sheets is a free agent who declined an arbitration offer from Milwaukee on Dec. 8, but he was injured while a Brewers employee. He worked much of the second half of the 2008 season with elbow pain and was left off Milwaukee's postseason roster, then revealed to reporters that he had torn the flexor tendon near his right elbow.

At the time, according to Brewers General Manager Gord Ash, the medical prognosis was that, "with rest and exercise and rehab, he should be fine."

Asked if there was any talk of surgery at that time, Ash replied simply, "None."

The Brewers, fully aware of his injury, felt comfortable enough to offer arbritration to Sheets. If he had agreed, it was almost certain he would have gotten more than the $11 million he got in 2008.

Sheets decided to roll the dice and entered the free agency market knowing that teams were interested, especially the Yankees. But the Yankees signed A.J. Burnett and re-signed Andy Pettitt and the Rangers emerged as Ben's suitor.

Sheets has a history of arm injuries going back to 2005 when he tore his right lat (upper back) muscle. He has been on the disable list 6 times since then and all seem to be related to the lat muscle tear in 2005.

Ash was not sure when the debate about possible surgery would be settled.

"When you're dealing with multiple parties, it always takes a little longer than you hoped," Ash said. "We're working our way through it."

Shamsky Denies Being "Switch-Hitter" With VD

According to the New York Post, the ex-wife of Art Shamsky claims the Mets legend gave her a sexually transmitted disease after repeatedly cheating on her with both men and women.

In a sordid lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Kim Shamsky says that during their 13-year marriage the famed outfielder and first baseman "engaged in acts of adultery with both men and women," without her knowledge. His romps included "acts of 'unprotected' sexual and deviate sexual intercourse," according to the suit.

The court papers state that Kim, suspecting her hubby was fooling around, submitted to a number of medical tests. After one examination, she was informed by her doctor she had contracted the human papilloma virus (HPV). Medical experts say HPV can cause problems such as genital warts and cervical cancer.

The suit claims Shamsky continued to have sex with her although he "knew that an individual or individuals with whom he had engaged in sexual relations had contracted HPV or that he had contracted HPV."

Kim, who says she suffered "serious physiological and emotional injury," is asking for $11 million in damages.

Art's lawyer, Pat Crispo, dismissed the entire lawsuit as "frivolous" and insisted Shamsky is free of sexual disease. "This is the act of a very angry ex-wife who has maligned him in the press," Crispo told Page Six. "He will be vindicated in the courts."

Shamsky, 67, was with the Mets from 1968 to 1971 and batted .300 during the team's 1969 world championship season. He also played with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's, and did play-by-play and color commentary for the Mets and hosted a talk show on WFAN. Last year, Shamsky was named manager of the Modi'in Miracle of the Israel Baseball League. The Shamskys, who married in 1994, were divorced last May.

Now, the ex-Met is fighting back the claims and denies that he infected his ex-wife with VD. Shamsky says if his wife is infected with vd, she didn’t get it from him. Shamsky also “denies doing any switch-hitting” and is disease free.

Looks like things are just starting to heat up between the ex-couple.