OCB Takes Over MLB?

I think we all know that sports ticket sales have been hurting since the economy took a poop. But the MLB’s bright idea to increase sales in areas of seats that aren’t selling so well for the less popular teams? Charge $40 per ticket and include an all-you-can-eat buffet in the middle of their seating section. Wait, what? …and they think that this dynamic pairing is going to be the solution to increased ticket sales? God, I hope that is not what America's favorite pastime has come to.

Am I the only one who thinks that Old-Country-Buffet(OCB)-style food and sporting arenas should not mix? No, the $8 apiece beers are never fun, but an all-you-can-eat buffet? Get serious. Since when do athletics (i.e. working out) and 10,000 calorie meals have a common ground? Maybe it’s just me being a bitch, but is the demographic of people who enjoy sporting events even the same as that of your average buffet-frequenter? I sincerely hope not.

MLB Stepping Up Their Game

The MLB is doing something this year that, in my opinion, is pretty cool. Check out what they are now offering:


MLB.com is offering you the opportunity now to buy tickets at the face value price for your favorite team. Postseason Ticket Reservations is a new feature intended to broaden potential access to these valuable seats, ensuring you that if your team plays in a game you reserve, you get to buy a face-value ticket and go to the game.

Basically, what this means is that fans can reserve a ticket for a LDS, LCS or World Series game by purchasing it now at the same going rate as a regular game (plus a $1 processing fee). The only downfall is, if your team doesn’t make it into the playoffs, you don’t get your money back. Kind of a bummer, but that’s just part of the risk/potential amazing deal.

So far, most people have had some pretty strong opinions against this new feature, calling it “a blatant scam”, “shameful” and even, “a disgusting money grab”. Even though it’s catching a lot of crap from critics, I think it’s a great idea. I also think those haters can all stfu. If you seriously have a problem with it then A. don’t participate or B. buy nosebleed seats you cheap f**ks. If you think $20 for a playoff game is “shameful”, I highly doubt you would be one of the ones purchasing them full-price come playoffs, so it’s really no concern to you anyways.

I look at it a little like gambling or the lotto. Ok, you put down a little money, and you MAY lose it completely. But just think if you played your cards right. You just seriously lucked out, my friend. LDS, LCS, or World Series tickets for face value of a regular game? That’s pretty legit if you ask me.

Oh, and as a sidenote, you can’t purchase Yankees playoff tickets through this process. Kind of a bummer, but sticking to the gambling analogy, let’s be honest about why they aren’t available: the house always wins.

MLB Weekend Edition...

As interleague play kicked off this weekend, we reached around the 1/4 point of the baseball season. Some teams have been surprises (hello Cincinnati and San Diego) while others have disappointed (Seattle and the perennially-underachieving New York Mets come to mind). However, for the most part, the divisions have begun to sort themselves out. Here's the current situation, as well as what we can expect going forward:

AL East:
This was always going to be one of the toughest (if not the toughest) divisions in baseball with three stud teams in the Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox. The Rays and Yankees have the best two records in the AL right now, but the Red Sox dug themselves into a little hole to start the season and are only now slowly inching their way into contention. Not much room for error though boys. Even Toronto, while fading, is not an easy out. With the way the Rays are playing right now, I'd worry a little bit if I was a fan of the Yankees or Red Sox. Of course, if you're a Yankees fan, I'd worry about you anyways.

AL Central: The Central divisions always seem to be two of the worst divisions in baseball, and I think this year is really no different. The Royals and Indians have stunk it up for the past two years, and this year should be no different. When one of the other three teams isn't playing well, as is the current case for the White Sox, this division becomes a two team race. Like last year, the Twins and Tigers are duking it out. They are both well-rounded ball clubs, but the Twins always seem to play better down the stretch. There's usually not enough firepower out of this division though to make a deep October run.

AL West: For the past three years, the AL West might as well have been called the AL Los Angeles Angels. But slowly, teams such as the Texas Rangers and once-mighty Oakland Athletics have been able to develop the young talent needed to knock the Angels off their perk. This division might not have the top-level talent of the AL East, but all four teams can't be counted out on any given night (except the Mariners for some reason are making that statement false right now despite having the second best pitching staff in the AL). Right now, the Angels are sputtering a little bit with inconsistent play, but you know they will be right near the top come September. Their pitching staff is just too talented for them to continue struggling.

Now, to the National League...

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Home Runs of Various Sorts...

In case some of you sports fans have been living under a rock for the past week, Major League Baseball got under way this past week. There have been plenty of intriguing storylines, such as the Yankees-Red Sox opening up the season, Milwaukee pitcher Jeff Suppan going on the DL because of pillow problems, and my Oakland A's presently having the best record in the AL. For most Chicago White Sox fans, the week got off to a great start, with the White Sox shutting out the Indians 6-0 behind a ridiculous play from Mark Buerhrle and home runs from Paul Konerko and Alex Rios. However, Konerko and Rios weren't the only ones rounding the bases. Much to the dismay of a dad and his 6 year old son, two young adults decided to celebrate the White Sox's success in a more physical manner by having sex in a bathroom stall. Very Classy.

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MLB Clubhouses Now Officially? No-Gun Zones

Wow, I'm really glad they finally put these signs up. I mean, clearly after the Arenas episode, the no-guns-in-the-workplace rule was not common sense. In my opinion, the fact that these are even necessary is just pathetic.