Hope springs eternal
Weather changing
Trees budding
Pop of the mitt, crack of the bat
Nothing quite like America’s Pastime
Weather changing
Trees budding
Pop of the mitt, crack of the bat
Nothing quite like America’s Pastime
OT: Happy Opening Day!
- Thread starter king_kong_
- Start date
I'm curious how popular baseball is with Americans...attendance, TV viewership, etc... and i've no idea the answer, but for me it's "meh" unless my Royals are looking good, and if they ain't, I watch zero pro baseball. I do catch a few innings of SEC ball every once and a while.
Football is a sport I can watch even if my team sucks, can't bring myself to do it with any other sport though, and since baseball is now dominated by a select few rich organizations, I just wonder if most fans are like me in that they don't tune in much anymore?
Football is a sport I can watch even if my team sucks, can't bring myself to do it with any other sport though, and since baseball is now dominated by a select few rich organizations, I just wonder if most fans are like me in that they don't tune in much anymore?
First time in 10+ years I haven't been in a fantasy league. I was getting kind of burnt out on it and my league folded. I think it will impact how much I'm in touch with what's going on. I doubt the Royals can match what they did last year but I'm anxious to watch!
Years ago fantasy baseball was like a drug for me and my friends. We would end the season with 4000 posts, just having fun, cracking jokes, ripping on each other.
It was this tool that we used to not only follow the sport but to keep in touch and create so many funny moments.
We stopped doing it years ago probably for a few different reasons but one of the main ones is just that we sort of all fell out of love with baseball. Not for any bad reason, not because of salaries or free agency or anything stupid like that, I hope everyone can make as much money as possible and I hope they all land their dream job.
But it was just like one season MLB just became less fun and I really don't even know why.
It was my second religion growing up...collecting cards, trading them with your buddies, had em all laid out on the floor in respect to their positions they played...it was awesome.
Yeah, same.
Looking back on it now I think fantasy baseball just prolonged what was going to happen for a few years. Like I said, I don't even know why I don't pay attention to it anymore but I just don't. I can't remember the last times I even checked the standings during the season.
For me, it's because my team simply cannot compete and as soon as a player shows promise he leaves for a variety of reasons so i don't even know who all is playing for the team I supposedly cheer for now and I know they stand zero chance to win anything.....but I can still name almost every starter from the Royals in the mid 80's and their staff, and remember specific quotes from Howser on guys like Balboni even....and quotes from players that were being interviewed. I was invested
I suppose if I grew up a Dodger fan there's a chance i'd still be into it but there is only so much love I can give to the lovable loser category...AKA, the team I cheer for now, if their good and on at a convenient time, and winning said game
I can see where people are coming from in losing interest or having fading interest in baseball. Long season, kind of always the usual contenders, big market teams.
For me, it still takes me back to when I was a kid. Playing little league, playing catch with my brother or dad, summer time, stopping for burgers at a Daisy Queen on the way home from a game. Baseball truly takes me back to a easier, happier time. I kind of feel like Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, when he gives his monolog People will come Ray (Which is one of my top 3 baseball movies Moneyball, Field of Dreams and Major League) it is the memories that baseball rekindles.
Here is to hoping the Indians make it one more step this year and get to the series. Granted I am an Indians fan, but I would have to say that the Indians Yanks games 3 of the ALCS last year was one of the most exciting sports games I have seen in a long time. Noel Home Run to Tie David Fry walk off to win
For me, it still takes me back to when I was a kid. Playing little league, playing catch with my brother or dad, summer time, stopping for burgers at a Daisy Queen on the way home from a game. Baseball truly takes me back to a easier, happier time. I kind of feel like Terence Mann in Field of Dreams, when he gives his monolog People will come Ray (Which is one of my top 3 baseball movies Moneyball, Field of Dreams and Major League) it is the memories that baseball rekindles.
Here is to hoping the Indians make it one more step this year and get to the series. Granted I am an Indians fan, but I would have to say that the Indians Yanks games 3 of the ALCS last year was one of the most exciting sports games I have seen in a long time. Noel Home Run to Tie David Fry walk off to win
This is why I could care less about MLB, you buy a championship you no longer really need to develop one.
MLB Teams With Highest Payrolls in 2025
| RANK | TEAM | TOTAL PAYROLL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodgers | $322,569,444 |
| 2 | Mets | $312,071,720 |
| 3 | Phillies | $278,584,284 |
| 4 | Yankees | $275,339,047 |
| 5 | Blue Jays | $234,828,694 |
| 6 | Rangers | $206,710,000 |
| 7 | Braves | $206,445,000 |
| 8 | Astros | $205,583,333 |
| 9 | Padres | $199,235,453 |
| 10 | Angels | $190,421,965 |
| 11 | Red Sox | $184,976,666 |
| 12 | Cubs | $183,635,000 |
| 13 | Diamondbacks | $180,698,333 |
| 14 | Giants | $159,084,523 |
| 15 | Orioles | $156,618,800 |
| 16 | Mariners | $138,764,048 |
| 17 | Twins | $138,286,190 |
| 18 | Tigers | $132,893,333 |
| 19 | Cardinals | $123,631,667 |
| 20 | Royals | $114,314,444 |
| 21 | Rockies | $110,439,285 |
| 22 | Reds | $104,315,833 |
| 23 | Nationals | $98,596,200 |
| 24 | Brewers | $96,541,136 |
| 25 | Guardians | $85,677,500 |
| 26 | Pirates | $78,158,500 |
| 27 | Rays | $73,316,545 |
| 28 | White Sox | $58,621,400 |
| 29 | Athletics | $57,928,571 |
| 30 | Marlins | $47,930,000 |
All the other professional sports franchises in Denver are pretty committed to winning, and then there's the Rockies. Ownership is lucky Denver is such a transient city that there are usually enough visiting teams fans living nearby to keep attendance up.
I loved baseball as a kid, could play it all day long. Moved to a small town in NE and not enough kids for a team but I still loved the game. Became a huge Red Sox fan in the 60’s with Saturday baseball. Yaz was a hero, Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Freddie Lynn, and more. I too collected cards which I just sold recently. For me, the fun went out of it with all the trades and free agency. Frankly, I couldn’t tell you who the starting rotation is or who is on the 40 man roster these days.
I am afraid this same dilemma will overtake college football where you have to carry an updated scorecard in your pocket to know who is on your team.
I am afraid this same dilemma will overtake college football where you have to carry an updated scorecard in your pocket to know who is on your team.
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I'm hoping that MLB will come to its senses and impose a salary cap that will bring parody and give smaller market teams a chance to compete. I may be in a minority but what those clubs that are spending ridiculous amounts of money are doing is driving away the common fan and many can't afford to go to games with family and the owners don't seem to care.
Playing little league was probably the most fun out of all the sports I played.
And I played before it got stupid with all your travel and select crap (sorry to all the parents that spend a fortune on that stuff only to sacrifice all your free time and then the grim realization that your kid hates playing by the time they are 16 years old)
But looking back on it, it was awesome. One or two practices a week...one or two games a week. I think 21 or 22 games was the most I ever played in a season.
The leagues were "small" enough back then that you actually knew kids on other teams. Parents did not freak the **** out at the umps. There were snacks after the game. Hell I can remember getting home from games, not even changing out of my uniform and just running around to go play with friends.
Now all these parents have their kids on teams with 3 different uniforms, 2-3 different bats, driving 300 miles to play a "wooden bat" tournament vs 4 other teams from their same home town.
I played Tee Ball for two years...then Farm...Minors. Majors and Pony League. From like 6 years old until 15 or so. I can't tell you the name of my coaches or the names of any of the guys on my teams anymore. But I know my parents have the dorky team pictures somewhere in their house and I know that thinking back on it now, I can't remember one bad time playing little league.
It was always hard to get games going with friends, you just needed so many people. That was the one downside.
Baseball a once simple fun sport has been reduced to the haves and have nots in our country. You look at Latin America and kids play the game in the streets with sticks and balls made of tape. The greedy U.S. companies are pricing out those that don't have the money from to play the grand old game and we are losing some kids who could have been stars if only they could have played. Kids from those Latin American countries don't care what they use to play the game, they only know they love to play with whatever they can find.
The Cardinals and Giants were my favorites growing up as a kid, back in the sixties those clubs were great.
I think for a lot of fans baseball has become background noise, you toss it on while you are doing a few other things and that is okay, there is nothing wrong with that.
The other "issue" is there are so many games that the game is not an event. There are 12 Husker FB games during the season and 6-7 home games. Those are literally an event. In college everyone makes plans for the game. Tailgating is such a big part of it all, girls start to get read for games 7 hours before kickoff.
It just isn't like that for MLB
The other "issue" is there are so many games that the game is not an event. There are 12 Husker FB games during the season and 6-7 home games. Those are literally an event. In college everyone makes plans for the game. Tailgating is such a big part of it all, girls start to get read for games 7 hours before kickoff.
It just isn't like that for MLB
Well, don't look now but the Royals have the best all-around player in baseball (not just my opinion) signed to a long term contract and he just said that he feels god put him on earth to play baseball in Kansas City! I wish god would have put Pete Alonso in the lineup batting cleanup behind him, but god works in mysterious ways.
Well, don't look now but the Royals have the best all-around player in baseball (not just my opinion) signed to a long term contract and he just said that he feels god put him on earth to play baseball in Kansas City! I wish god would have put Pete Alonso in the lineup batting cleanup behind him, but god works in mysterious ways.
He's literally the only player I can name on that team. Haha. Hope God sends him some help!!
I could give two hoots for baseball, but spring has sprung at my local ski hill. Last week we had great snow with a little new and cool temperatures. It was great skiing. This week the temps have soared; the snow has turned to sh*t and skiing isn't near as much fun. I don't see good skiing in April unless the weather changes. Will have to go to Bend, Oregon and Mt. Bachelor. I fertilized the lawn yesterday and that means our irrigation water (we have a canal behind the house) will soon be turned on. Hot weather, mowing the lawn and fixing sprinklers, Yuck! I am already looking forward to late November.
The lack of a salary cap always bothered me with baseball. Your bigger markets dominated. They still do. It’s why I not only hated the Yankees but just had issues with the league. But I just got over it. I do love my Royals and watch them a lot. Interestingly for me, I used to love the nba and had issues with mlb. Now I can’t stand the nba and am glued to mlb and the Royals.
Yes, but I believe it’s just home games. I had a college project I did about 35 years ago that involved sports announcers. He agreed to an interview with me. He’s a great guy.
If we could get at least three guys we played work up. Anything to hit and catch the ball.
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