Future of the MLB All Star Game

As another MLB All Star Break comes to a close, I cannot stop myself from thinking about the future of the game. No, this is not a post about how ridiculous it is that a meaningless game in the middle of the season decides home field advantage in the World Series (which I honestly don't have a big problem with). I find myself wondering where future All Star games will be played, specifically, when will it return to Philadelphia?

Personally, I have many fond memories of going to Philies games with my family growing up. My father was, and continues to be a huge fan, no matter if they are winning the World Series or 14 games out at the All Star Break. I remember going to the 1996 All Star Fanfest and all the excitement that surrounded the game coming to the city. Now that the Phillies continue to be a major draw, and lead the league in attendance, there is really no need to bring that to Philadelphia - for now. 

Major League Baseball has announced the New York Mets will host the 2013 game at Citi Field. This keeps the game alternating from AL to NL each year like MLB likes to do. Except in 2007, when the game was hosted by the Giants at SBC Park (now AT&T Park) after being played in Pittsburgh July of 2006. Back in 2005, this wasn't a huge deal to Bud Selig:

"We do love the All-Star Game as a showcase for our new venues...I'll try and alternate the game (between leagues) if I can, but this is a great way to show off our new (ballparks)." (Link) 

Doesn't seem like it would be that huge of a deal to play in back to back NL parks, until this year.

In this article about the 2013 All Star Game announcement from the Huffington Post:

'Because home-field advantage for the World Series goes to the All-Star winner, Selig said he would be reluctant to interrupt alternating All-Star sites between the leagues.'

What a far cry from his comments in 2005 about showing off the leagues new venues. And yes, home field advantage in the World Series from the All Star game was instituted in 2003. So those implications were still in effect when the Giants hosted the game right after the Pirates. Not a major surprise that Bud Selig flip-flopped on a decision.

This was really bound to happen with the influx of new stadiums, many of them coming in the National League. For example, the last time the Phillies hosted the game was 1996 at Veterans Stadium; new venues like Camden Yards (1993 ASG) Ballpark at Arlington (1995 ASG) and Jacobs Field (1997 ASG) were built and hosted/were scheduled to host the Midsummer Classic.

There are eight stadiums around the league that have never hosted an All Star Game, five of them reside in the National League. Great American Ballpark and Tropicana Field both opened before Citizen's Bank Park in 2004. I see no way Tampa gets it before getting a new stadium. The New Yankee Stadium opened in 2009, but they hosted the game in 2008 - the final year of Yankee Stadium. So two of the three AL venues are out for awhile. Target Field in Minnesota is the supposed favorite to land the 2014 game. In 2015, there are 3 NL teams that are bidding for the game -  Washington, Miami and Cincinnati. All of those teams could use the boost in interest & economy that the All Star Game will bring, so they could potentially get it before the Phillies.  The only other venue is PETCO Park and with the Padres getting sold, I'm sure the new owners will want to make a splash at some point and the game there.

Then, there are teams in old stadiums that haven't hosted in awhile: Dodgers last hosted in 1980, the Blue Jays in 1991, and the Cubs in 1990 to name a few. (Note: Cubs are bidding for 2014 since it will be the centennial of Wrigley Field). So, just looking at it quickly, at least the Mets, Twins, Reds, Nationals, Marlins and Padres will host the game before the Phillies. I wouldn't be surprised if Baltimore, Cleveland, LA Dodgers and Texas get put in there somewhere.

Taking all this into account, my best hypothesis is the Phillies will host the 2021 All Star Game. By that point, the team as we know it will be gone and who knows how successful they will be, possibly struggling for attendance like the mid-late 1990s.. It will have been 25 years since the Phillies hosted the game. Many of the other teams struggling for attendance and needing that spark will have gotten the game. This also takes into account Major League Baseball keeping the 'tradition' of alternating leagues for the All Star Game. Of course, the club & city will need to actually bid on the opportunity for the game. And as we saw in Kansas City this year, MLB is prone to help struggling teams, bringing fans out for the festivities. As a Philly fan, hopefully that doesn't happen for awhile, although it'd be nice to see everything in Philadelphia again.

NBA Fan Journal Part 1

This season, I’m officially delving into the “casual NBA fan” territory. I covered why in my last post, but to sum it up, the hype around the lockout, recent free agent madness and likeable superstars have sucked me in. All season, I’ll be posting an update here or there to explain my ups and downs in NBA fandom, all the while rooting for my hometown squad, the Philadelphia 76ers.

The keyword here is “casual”; I’m an uneducated, fair weathered, fickle fan just looking for entertainment. I’m going to be that guy missing all the role players and drooling at the slams all season. Sorry. I hate me in other sports. Baseball? I geek out. Hockey? Geek out. Football? I play a lot of Madden, which is kind of like geeking out. Basketball? I’m trying to have fun watching TV.

My “teams to watch” predictions from the last post were not that good at all. Celtics? Slow, old, kind of boring to watch. I’m sure Celtic fans are digging the team this season, although they did get puinished by the Heat, but me? A front running NBA casual? Not so much. Same with the Knicks; I really over valued them in my mind. Carmelo is outstanding and the Knicks are almost worth watching just for him, but as a unit they’re just not enjoyable. I’ll watch games where those teams play high caliber squads, but will I watch Knicks – Bobcats? No. That’s the point of being a casual NBA fan: I want to be able to turn on ESPN, see a marquee (or sub-marquee) matchup and enjoy it.

On the other hand, I got the Heat right. That offense is incredible. They run a fast-break offense, I don’t know how else to explain it. If you’re a struggling AAU coach desperate for an offense strategy, grab the fastest, biggest kid on your team, inbound him the ball and let him run end to end and lay it up. That’s what the Heat do, except they have four of those guys and they dunk it down in spectacular fashion. I’m one of those “Lebron Haters” and even I love watching the Heatles go to work. It’s also great to watch the media hate machine try to go full steam when the Heat are playing so well.

I can’t believe I didn’t have the Thunder on that list, a major oversight on my part, because honestly they ARE the team to watch so far (interesting side note: I turned off that buzzer beater game to watch a DVR of the third episode of 24/7. I blame this partially on Corey and partially on the Mavericks being sleep inducingly boring). Could Durant be the NBA’s next big star? I’d love to see him win a championship this season, and they should be able to last considering how young they are. Sure, we’re five games in, but a Miami – Oklahoma City finals looks like it is extremely possible and would be a hell of a series to watch.

As for the hometown squad, the Sixers have looked pretty solid so far. Five games on the road to start the season is brutal, especially when most of those games are on the west coast. Spencer Hawes has been the media darling so far this season, and honestly I’m pretty amped for the Sixers to have a good big man if things work out. He’s no David Robinson, but as long as he fills his spot well I won’t complain. The guy I’ve been most impressed with so far is Evan Turner. I want this guy to be great, and maybe he’s not ever going the be a superstar, but he’s progressed so well especially now in a starting role. Could you imagine if he just went off for 40-15-6 one game? Man, that would be sweet. It’s early, but I expect big things from the Sixers, at least more than a 5 game out in the first round (let’s hit six this year guys!).

So yeah. There’s a short glance into my first two weeks of NBA fandom. Here’s to hoping the next twenty five are just as fun.

Wildcard Weekend in the NFL

Another NFL season has flew by. 2011 should be remembered as one of the most prolific passing seasons in the history of the league. Drew Brees shattered Dan Marino's passing yard record and set a new standard at 5,476. Not only that, the Saints broke the 'Greatest Show on Turf' Rams record for most yards on offense with 7,474. We could be here all night with the records the Saints broke, honestly. Rob Gronkowski broke the touchdown record for tight ends, while Jimmy Graham and he fought till the end on the new tight end yardage record in one season. The Eagles' Lesean McCoy broke the team record for rushing touchdowns and overall touchdowns in a season. Both number one seeds (Packers & Patriots) have high powered offenses, with lacking defenses. 2011 proved the best defense is a dominant offense.

Bengals @ Texans
The Texans enjoyed Peyton Manning's neck injury more than any other team. As cynical as that sounds, Houston was the number one seed in the AFC for a while, before suffering injuries to Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub. After Schaub went down, the Texans played totally different offensively and Matt Leinart along with TJ Yates got hurt. The defense is very talented but injuries will kill a team. That said, the Bengals are a young team. Kudos to Marvin Lewis getting them in the playoffs once again. First playoff game ever for the Houston Texans, I think there's just too many injuries to over come. Bengals 23-17

Lions @ Saints
Since the Eagles are (disappointingly) out of the tournament this year, I have adopted the Lions as the team I will root for. After initially doubting Matthew Stafford, I started loving him after the NFL Films WIRED piece I saw with him during the game he broke his collarbone his rookie year. The guy is tough as nails and if you hadn't seen it, check it out. That said, the Saints are an offensive machine. Getting in a shootout is something they do best and I don't see the Lions stopping Brees and company. Saints 41-31

Falcons @ Giants
I've read on Twitter that this Giants team is set to make a run like the 2008 Eagles (one of my followers, don't recall who) but I just don't see it. They are a flawed 9-7 team that won the weak NFC East division. Yes, that have rolled on some opponents this year, but they have also lost games they should have won, like Giants teams seem to do every season. Eli can lead them down the field only so many times. The Falcons have quietly had a very good season. I think they have at least met expectations, especially after being in the same division as the Saints. This game could come down to the last possession of the game, and it will depend on which Eli shows up. My guess is the bad one. Falcons 31-27

Steelers @ Broncos
I enjoyed seeing Tebow be so successful during the middle of the season this year. No, I am not one of those Tebow-heads that will root for him no matter what. I always thought he was overrated in Florida, but his success in the NFL made me smile. Something about the coach and GM not having faith in him even though he lead them into the possibility to make the playoffs. I think the magic has run out for the Broncos though. Earlier this month, I thought the Steelers were primed for another Super Bowl run, but getting the 5 seed along with some injuries (Big Ben, Mendenhall) hurt those chances. That said, their defense is experienced enough to solve the Tebow puzzle. This could be ugly to watch. Steelers win 20-10

So there are my predictions for Wildcard Weekend in the NFL. Three of the four road teams will win and all should be very good games.

Welcome back, NBA

I’ll say it – I’ve never been an NBA fan. Except for about three weeks in June 2001, I’ve never cared about the NBA at all, and it never seemed wrong to me. I’ve always been a baseball fan – as a kid, Phillies games are all we ever went to. The NFL caught my attention as a teenager, because growing up in this area I got to see how rabid their fanbase was and it made me want to be a part of it. I’ve always “kind of” liked the NHL, but I never became a die-hard until my Freshman year of college when everyone on my dorm floor loved hockey and sucked me in. For those sports, I don’t really need to watch a Philadelphia team to be entertained. A good baseball or football matchup keeps me occupied, and I’ll watch pretty much any NHL game that makes it to TV (the other day I watched Blackhawks – Wild on Versus. Patty Kane dangled one home in a shootout. Totally worth it).

But the NBA? Basketball in general? Too boring, too dependent on one guy running the show, too showy, too long…it just brought nothing to the table for me. I always thought I could watch the last ten minutes, catch the rest of the highlights on Sportscenter and be somewhat up top date one what’s going on with the NBA.

In 2009, I had a roommate who always watched soccer, and I hated it. I thought soccer was the most boring sport under the sun – that year, I was much more receptive to watching curling than watching soccer (and I did. Anyone remember how much curling was on TV during the 2010 Winter Olympics? I probably watched curling more than everything else combined, and felt let down when the US didn’t win). But that summer, I got sucked into the World Cup hype, started playing FIFA regiously, and now I can watch and appreciate a soccer game. I watched more MLS this past season than any of my other 21 year combined. I even watched the WPS championship game for some reason. If I got into soccer, I feel like it shouldn’t be a stretch for me to get into basketball.

Last year, I watched the Finals just to see if Lebron would win. That’s the only reason I tuned in (and I’d wager I’m not the only one). You know what? It wasn’t bad. The Finals were dramatic, entertaining, exciting, and got me kind of interested in what was going on. Even though the Sixers were out in the first round, I still felt like it was time not wasted watching those games, which is really all you can ask for out of sports when you think about it. So this year, I’ve decided to really try my best to follow the full (short) NBA season. Why now? The way I see it, there are four major reasons.

1) The Sixers are looking good. Not to be a bandwagoner, but the Sixers, for the first time maybe in my life, have a solid, young core that should be able to win some games. Even in Iverson’s days, we had him and a pretty rough cast of characters – a past-his-prime Mutombo, an underwhelming Eric Snow and Raja Bell, and Todd MacCulloch. Now? Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, and Evan Turner are all exciting, Andre Iguodala is a star, and shit, Elton Brand might have something left in the tank, who knows.

2) There are a lot of teams to bandwagon. Even if the Sixers pull a 180 from last year and stink, there are plenty of interesting teams to watch. The NHL is kind of the same way for me – I’m a huge Flyers fan, but I can watch a non-Flyers game and be thoroughly entertained throughout. I figure the top five teams to watch this season are the…

Los Angeles Clippers – The Clip Show have sucked since I owned NBA Live 97 on the original Playstation, but these past couple seasons they’ve gotten better and better. Blake Griffin is the maybe the most exciting dunker in the western conference. This off season they made news by getting CP3 from under the nose of the Lakers.

New York Knicks – Sure, why not. Last year the only regular season NBA game I watched from start to finish was Melo’s debut game in the Big Apple. He posted a double double and the Knicks won. Amar’e is still good, and they added Tyson Chandler.

Boston Celtics – An older team who still might be able to do some magic. This short, intense season might destroy them.

Los Angeles Lakers – The Lake Show are worth watching if only to see if this is the year Kobe starts to age, and to see “World Peace” on the back of a jersey.

Miami Heat – Obviously. Love them or hate them, the big three put on a show every time they touch the court. They’re like the Patriots of the NBA – you hate to see them win, but when they do it is fun to watch.

Notable teams left off the list: Mavericks, Bulls, Magic (if they keep Dwight), Thunder (probably the sixth team on the list), Kings (for Jimmer), Spurs.
I know that’s like, the biggest bandwagon list ever, but at this point I’m a casual NBA fan at best.
3) There’s drama. Between The Decision, last year’s finals, the lockout, and the rapid fire free agent period this year, there are tons of interesting plots and sub-plots running through the NBA this year. Will Lebron finally overcome and win his first title with a dominating team in a short season? Will the Clippers be all hype? Will the Mavericks repeat even though they lost important pieces? Will Jimmer and that guy from Spain do anything? What’s up with Kobe’s trips to Europe for treatment? Is Dwight going anywhere?

4) It’s a short season. Think about it. This season is going to be intense. There are going to be meaningful games on every night. Every team has to fit 66 games in four months. There are going to be back to back games for every team, and some triples in there too. The lockout that was supposed to burn the NBA’s fan base actually got me more interested because of the season that is about to unfold. Do you understand how barren TV is these days? There are only so many NHL games to go around. At the very least, the NBA gives me a reason not to watch crap like “The Big Bang Theory” on a Thursday night.

Who knows? Maybe after a week of the NBA I’ll lose interest and go back to being a three sport guy (well, three and a half counting soccer). But with a season starting tomorrow, I’d like to introduce myself as the NBA’s newest fan.

5 TV Shows You Should Be Watching

In 2011, we spend a lot of time parked in front of our flat screen, LED, high definition TVs watching whatever we can find. Whether it be the intriguing Monday Night matchup or the latest Kardashian drama, many hours are spent weekly engulfed in our entertainment. Well, there are 5 current television shows that you should absolutely be watching.

5. The League
Surely not a family show, this raunchy comedy follows a group of high school buddies and their annual fantasy football league. Initially, many people thought how could a 30 minute show about a fantasy league catch on, but of course it is not just about the teams and their players. We follow the guys (played by a bunch of comedians) dealing with hilarious every day problems, like hooking up with an au pair, getting grey pubes or eating mystery meat that leads to a vicious bout of the runs while stuck in traffic. Definitely worth checking out, Thursdays at 10:30pm on FX.

4. Happy Endings
Yes, this show is in it's second season and is getting better every week. It began as a mid-season replacement last year coming on Wednesdays at 9:30pm on ABC, which gave it a good lead in with Modern Family in the 9pm slot. I started watching it for Elisha Cuthbert to be honest, but she is the weakest part of the show I'd say. The show follows a group of friends living in Chicago, an interracial married couple (featuring Damon Wayans Jr.), an previously engaged couple that has remained friends, and a couple that used to date until the dude realized he was gay. Yes, it is similar to Friends except this show is actually funny. The jokes highlight stereotypes but I find myself laughing (at least chuckling) for 17 of the 22 minute program.

3. Modern Family
The mockumentary style comedy show has been pretty big the last few years (The Office, Parks and Recreation, etc) but Modern Family is the best one. We are focused on a family with Ed O'Neil in the role as family patriarch and his two children with their respective families; a gay son with his partner and their adopted child, and a daughter with her goofy husband and their off the wall children. My love of this show was rounded during season 1, where I saw some of the funniest scenes I saw on TV in recent memory; Phil explaining to his kids what jagermeister actually is or Luke looking out at the plane they getting ready to board, pondering "what if we crash on an island like in LOST" while his mother has a nervous breakdown from his comments. Modern Family is still an excellent show now in season 3, and every episode now ends with some kind of lesson how family is such an important aspect to life. It can be sappy, yes, but the comedy just puts it over the top for me. Worth watching with everyone in the family, Wednesdays at 9pm on ABC.

2. The Walking Dead
I consider myself in the minority here, but The Walking Dead is one of the best shows on television. I feel like most people want this to be a bad ass, post-apocalyptic, shoot em up zombie show but the writers have taken this a different way and taken time to mold each character into what they are. It is based (loosely) on The Walking Dead graphic novel, but the characterization of the show makes me tune in every week. The biggest complaint is "nothing ever happens" so if you don't like deep, meaningful, character based shows I guess this isn't for you. The final scene of the last episode made all the developing worth it in my opinion. I find myself comparing it to LOST many weeks; good vs. evil, fate vs. freewill, etc. It is currently in mid-season hiatus, airing Sundays at 9pm on AMC. It is set to return February 12th for part 2 of season 2.


1. Boardwalk Empire
Best show on TV, no question about it. The only reason you don't watch this show is because you don't have HBO. It is another deep, character-driven show; you have to pay attention to everything that goes on. Set in Atlantic City in the 1920s during prohibition, Nucky Thompson (inspired by real life Atlantic County treasurer and racketeer Nucky Johnson) is played by Steve Buscemi who has been just utterly brilliant in the role. You see the horrible criminal side of him one scene, then the caring family man in the next; you cannot help yourself from feeling bad for him then realize something he did was a real asshole move. The final episode in season 2 proves the writers care capable of anything. Sundays on HBO at 9pm, season 2 just ended so you have 9 months to catch the 24 episodes that have aired.

December Update

Yeah, it's been a long while since the last post. I figured at least 3 posts for 2011 would be a good round number. Although, now I have a lot more time on my hands as I wait for the MLB season to begin again, so why not start writing. I need something to keep my office skills and WPM up while looking for a job/waiting for former employers to finally give me a call back.

The last post that was on this page was my prediction on the teams most likely to sign Albert Pujols after he played out his contract in St. Louis. I was really pulling for him to land in Washington, as he could fit right in that lineup, putting them in a good position with their young rotation and it would benefit any possible rivalry between the Phils and Nats. Alas, the Angels were on my list of potential landing spots and that's what happened. Doesn't hurt a team when they get a big boost in their television contract like that (just ask the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets...).

Should make for a good race in the AL West. This has been a good Hot Stove season for baseball, but we still have a number of days until pitchers and catchers report. Until then, there is NFL Playoffs, meaningless regular season NHL games, the start of the NBA and hopefully a number of blog posts from both me and my co-author (although I am making this post unbeknownst to him). Follow me on Twitter @cor820 and keep posted to the blog. I intend for more updates before the end of the year.

Now batting, number five...

It has been well documented as spring training begins that Cardinals firstbasemen Albert Pujols will not be negotiating a new contract during the season since he is in the last year of his deal. So, by the end of the 2011 season, the best player in baseball will be free to sign with any team he pleases. Here are a few team I believe have the best chance to sign him:

• Chicago Cubs

The Cubbies are in the market for a first basemen since Derrek Lee was traded to the Braves last season. Stealing Pujols from the division rival Cardinals would be a major addition for a team that has fallen off in recently after being considered a contender in the NL for so many years. Plus they have that whole, haven't won the World Series since 1908 thing going.

• Los Angeles Angels

The Angels have always shown an interest in signing big name free agents; they were the favorite to land Carl Crawford before he signed with the Red Sox. They have Kendry Morales at first for now; Pujols would be an upgrad in the field and Morales could play DH. Prince Albert would fit in perfectly with that lineup and the more I think about it, the more this seems like the best place he could land.

• Texas Rangers

After losing in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, the Rangers have some money to spend. Yeah, they are going to have to pay guys like Elivs Andrus and Hamilton long term and they just added Adrian Beltre at third. But adding Pujols to an already excellent lineup would make them a lethal team in the American League West.

• Washington Nationals

This is more of a hope of mine, but it would be awesome if the Nationals made a run at Albert Pujols. As a Phillies fan, I know how lowly this franchise has been for all of the past 25 years. This offseason, they gave Jayson Werth a 7 year, $126 million dollar deal. 2012 will see the return of phenom pitcher Steven Strasburg along with another year of development of the young talent on the squad. That could also be the year potentially we see Bryce Harper in the big leagues. As I said before, it is probably just a dream of mine to see Pujols surprise everyone and go to Washington and help turn around an awful Expos, I mean Nationals franchise.

• New York Mets

The Mets are known to spend big money, and free agents are quick to head to the Big Apple when given the chance so they can make extra money with endorsements. After this season the team will rid themselves the contracts of CF Carlos Beltran, SS Luis Castillo and CP Francisco Rodriguez, clearing up space to sign some players. The financial questions surrounding the Mets, along with the 23 year old Ike Davis could keep them from making a run at Pujols. Also, new GM Sandy Alderson is a "Moneyball" guy and will probably try to steer clear from dropping a huge contract for one guy.

• New York Yankees

You cannot have a big market free agent out there and not mention the Bombers. They have been known to throw around the big bucks at guys they consider to be top players in the game (Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, etc.), so Pujols would be no different in that regard. The only problem is, they are not in any big need of a first basemen. Teixeira is a fantastic defensive first basemen having won 4 gold gloves (including 2009 and 2010 with the Yankees). So, unless they wish to give Pujols $30 million a year for him to be a DH, because let's be honest, they have Posada in that spot going into this year, I'm not too sure how big of a player they will be in trying to sign him.

As I said, this is just mere speculation on my part looking at teams that could potentially be in the market for one of the all time greatest hitters of all time. Of course, Pujols could surprise us all and re-sign with the Cardinals before the season ends. It will be interesting to see how far it goes; reports from spring training are saying Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright has a significant elbow injury (Tommy John surgery?). If their season crumbles, is it possible Pujols could become a rental player by the trading deadline? We shall see.