The economy has taken a bite out of evey sports league this past year, but for Major League Baseball, they were able to actually see revenues increase in 2009. The league reports that gross revenues were $6.6 billion for 2009, a record figure for the league. The figure is a 1.5 percent increase the $6.5 billion pulled in for 2008. The increase of revenues comes against the backdrop of MLB seeing a decline in attendance this past year. While still the fifth highest on-record, MLB saw a total paid-attendance figure of 73,418,529 for 2009, a decrease of 6.58 percent from a total of 78,591,116 in 2008. - link
The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has voided the contract of infielder Khalil Greene.
Manuel wants his team to move on from last year’s disaster, starting with Thursday’s drills and batting practice as a stiff wind whipped through New York’s spring facility on an unseasonably cool day in South Florida. Santana threw his first bullpen session to new Mets catcher Rod Barajas, and Jason Bay shagged some balls in left. Francoeur also got in on the positive vibe when his surgically repaired left thumb held up well during a drill that requires hitters to swing at 40 consecutive curveballs. - link
Does anyone get the sense that things are changing around here? Does anyone get the sense that the head games are over, that this team is getting real serious. No longer do we see players coming into camp out-of-shape and overweight (Could you imagine having Bengie Molina…Yikes!). Our Mets this spring is looking like a team you do not want to pick a fight with, or irk the wrong way. Our stars such as David Wright, Jose Reyes, Johan Santana, and Jason Bay are all saying the right things in front of the camera, and clearly have a goal in mind to win, and win now. - link
A story I don't believe I've ever related ... Some years ago -- this would have been in the late 1980s or early '90s, I suppose -- I went to a baseball card show at which Mays was charging for his autograph, and I got in the long line with everyone else and paid my 14 bucks (or whatever) for a signature. I used to go to a fair number of those shows, and I (briefly) met Stan Musial and Bob Feller, two all-timers nearly on Willie's level. Both took the time to smile and exchange a few words, which at the time meant a lot to me. There was none of that with Mays. Someone handed him my baseball, he signed it without looking up, then handed it to someone else who handed it to me. More than just that, though, Mays seemed actively grumpy, a scowl on his face all the while. And apparently it wasn't just me; later, I heard someone refer to Mays "terrorizing" children at shows all over the country. I don't believe Mays owed me anything except his signature, which I got (granted, his signature was singularly unattractive, but that's another story). I did believe for many years that he was a bitter old man, but his recent appearances to promote your book suggest that he's not unhappy all the time; maybe he just didn't enjoy meeting strangers in convention halls. Sorry, there is a question in here somewhere ... How does Willie Mays feel about his fans? And if he's still doing the card shows, does he enjoy them more now? - link
No comments:
Post a Comment