The Rangers should sue Bud Selig for gross stupidity.

If the Rangers end up losing the World Series tonight, they can thank Selig.  It was his inane idea to tie the home field advantage in the series to the winner of the all-star game.  If they had home field advantage like they would have had under the old system, the series would likely be over and they would be celebrating a title.

But like a lot in baseball, the home field has been “Seliged.”

Definition – (1) To screw up something that without intervention would have been much better.

(2) To do things just for the sake of change despite the lack of need for any alternation.

(3) Just being stupid.

It would be bad enough if the Cards were a division winner and got home field with a worse record than the Rangers.  But this team fell backwards across the line into the playoffs as a wild card team.
In no other sport does something as stupid as an exhibition game determine home field advantage.  What would baseball have done if the 2011 game had ended in a tie like it did several years ago?  Knowing Bud, they would have had the first 4.5 innings in St. Lewis … Read more at FryingPanSports

5 Reasons Why Everyone Hates the Yankees

Do you hate the Yankees? If you’re not a Yankees fan, then the answer is “yes.” Let’s take a look at five reasons why most people hate the Yankees.

Reason #5 – New Yorkers

People hate New Yorkers. If you’re not sure why people hate New Yorkers, it has everything to do with arrogance. Then again, perhaps it can be called overconfidence. Have you ever been to New York – The Empire State? Everyone has their head held high – too high. New York City might be the greatest city to visit, but this goes to New Yorker’s heads a little bit too much, especially Yankees fans, who have enjoyed more World Series titles than any other team.

Reason #4 – Legacy

Baseball fans might not want to admit it, but there is no chance that any other team will ever catch the Yankees in terms of success. That particular team would need to go on an incomparable run without the Yankees doing anything during that timeframe. This is highly unlikely considering the Yankees often have the most talented players in the league.

Reason #3 – Money

Whatever happened to winning fair and square? Okay, so the Yankees might play … Read more at FryingPanSports

Will this week be full of upsets in football?

football

College games:

Louisiana Tech 20 @ #3 Boise St 49 – Boise looked just OK against a very out manned LTk team. The play of LTk did not do Boise any good convincing the pollsters or the computers they deserve to be higher.

#1 Auburn @ Mississippi – The Tigers shouldn’t have any trouble with Ole Miss but they probably will struggle early. Auburn plays great against really good teams but tends to play down to the level of the lesser SEC opponents. Auburn wins.

#2 Oregon @ USC – The Ducks looked really good against an up and down UCLA team. But this is USC and it is the closest thing the Trojans will get to a bowl game this year. The key will be how does USC handle a fast and nasty Duck D? The Oregon D holds its own but the USC D is not nearly what it has been in previous years. Oregon passes the test and wins.

#5 Michigan State @ #18 Iowa – The Hawkeyes looked like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football after the 1 point loss home against Wisconsin. The loss took them to the back of the Big 10 1 … Read more at FryingPanSports

I'm ready for the baseball playoffs now.

MLB

Inter-league play is over. The All Star game has been played. Now, I have had enough baseball and am ready for the playoffs. Baseball has only another 3 weeks until football and the NFL steals the spot light and doesn’t give it back. Baseball has a following but it is losing ground against other sports particularly football.

Proof of how totally football overshadows baseball can been seen most clearly in the steady decline of the TV ratings for the World Series. It has fallen about 50% in the last 10 years while the ratings for the All Star game have held fairly steady. Why? Because no one plays football in the middle of July.

Baseball has to take maximum advantage of the period when it is the only major league sport in the docket. The schedulers seem dedicated to having all the games between the Boston and the Yankees in the first few weeks of the season. But that is when both the NBA and NHL has its playoffs. A good marketing guy would never put their best games and highest draws on opposite a tough competitor. They should have waited until the MLB was the only show on TV.… Read more at FryingPanSports

MLB All Star weekend troubles.

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What does everyone want to be named to but nobody wants to go to? Answer—the MLB All Star Game. Many players earn a bonus if they are named to the game only to find they are unable to participate because they are totally disabled by a potentially fatal case of hangnail.

The American League has no players entered in the home run derby. Even the HRD which has been the one shining star in MLB’s All Star Weekend has some serious rust on it. While every All Star game has challenges, MLB’s game seems to be the most endangered.

Who wouldn’t give up a weekend off at home with the family in the middle of July to spend a couple of days on the field at St. Louis in 100 degree 100% humidity? Evidently plenty of people wouldn’t. Even the NFL has decided that to get anyone to play in their post season game, they have to hold it in Hawaii. Baseball holds their game in the middle of the season. Maybe they should put a franchise in Hawaii too. At least the weather would be better.

Players are afraid of injury. Remember Pete Rose running over Cleveland’s Ray Fosse … Read more at FryingPanSports

Baseball needs to upgrade Umpires NOW!

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                       MLB Umpire Foster

MLB’s reputation has taken major hits from the steroid scandal, missing the playoffs because of a strike and leadership of the some times blind but always intellectually challenged Bud Selig. But there is a bigger problem with the game—the ineptness of some of its umpires.

Umpire Marty Foster covered 3rd base last night sort of. At least he was paid to do that. In the first inning he called Derek Jeter attempting to steal 3rd. The ball got there in time but Jeter was never tagged. Jeter complained to Foster and was reportedly told that he didn’t have to be tagged to be out. When Jeter told Yankee manager Joe Girardi what Foster had said, Girardi exploded and got thrown out of the game for arguing the call. Maybe someone should buy Foster a copy of the MLB rule book. Even if they did, I doubt he would read it.

The umpires were already under the gun for inaccurate ball and strike counts. New technology has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that umpires are not able to tell a strike from a ground hog. Baseball has always said that it can live … Read more at FryingPanSports