It is a lonely Friday in the pastoral wind-blown beauty that is Champaign-Urbana this morning, so let?s take a look at the two biggest stories of our little sports world of the last couple days. First, media reports saying Greg Maddux had rejected an initial contract offer from the Cubs. Second, Andy Dolan deciding to start a battle between major media organizations as Desipio/NBC decided to take on Disney?s ESPN in terms of starting a web page almost nobody will read. I?ve decided to get my licks in as well on the ESPN network, but I also have a proposal for them to maybe improve their little empire.
Maddux: The one who got away?
Cubs fans know bringing Maddux back now won?t mean it will completely repair the huge mistake made in allowing Maddux to get away. He?s a shadow of his former self. Granted, that shadow is better than probably 85 percent of the people that will start baseball games next year, but it is indeed a shadow. But Greg needs to tell Scott Boras to get his butt on the A-Rod trade and let him do what he wants. And, if we all believe Maddux is the kind of person we thought he was, he will come to Wrigley in 2004.
Let?s face the facts. The two teams that could be most competitive with the Cubs this coming year are the Astros and the Phillies. Houston does have an improved rotation, but the key cogs in their lineup are getting older than Albert Pujols? Civil War medals or starting to get figured out (Berkman). Philadelphia has done a lot to solidify its bullpen, but their manager is Larry Bowa. I complain about Dusty Baker all the time right? Bowa puts stress on his players by his antics, he doesn?t foster any chemistry in the clubhouse, he ran out Scott Rolen, and his in-game moves are just as shaky, if not more, than Baker?s. And Baker was in the World Series two years ago and would have been last year if not for Bartman and Gonzalez. What I?m trying to say is, Bowa just isn?t that good a manager. I believe the Philly fans will see that when their team is in third place come August.
Now, let?s talk about ESPN. There is one way I think ESPN could make up for all their corporate mistakes and the Stuart Scott-ization of SportsCenter. Think about the major professional and college sports in this country. What is the one sport whose postseason is a major ratings and attendance success but its regular season doesn?t get any major television appearances? (And if you said soccer, well, first off you are wrong, and secondly you are more of a moron than this guy?)
So, what sport am I talking about? College baseball. Think about it? The NBA and the NFL practically get a semi-pro league feeding into it from the college ranks. We already know all the guys coming into these leagues, so the NBA and the NFL know whom to promote off the bat. Who was the last baseball super-prospect that got nation-wide attention like Eli Manning or LeBron James? Um, that would be nobody.
Here is what ESPN should do: Promote college baseball. They already have the rights to most of the College World Series. Why would you not show anything before the Regional Finals (Which ESPN only started showing this past season)? Try to promote the CWS, and by doing that you can drive up ratings for it because people would know the players and teams. ESPN or ESPN2 could show two or three games a week, and do a ?College GameDay?-esque show about college baseball before a featured game of the week and then have a ?College GameNight?-esque show 2 or 3 nights a week. You could start in early March, and schedule the games and shows at time where it wouldn?t compete with the NCAA basketball tournament, or Major League Baseball. Granted, ESPN would probably elect to show the games almost entirely on ESPN2 until it is proven the ratings and interest would be high enough. But I think it is worth the gamble. Could you imagine what kind of money ESPN could get if it is successful? You could market the players, and if some of them make it to the majors in 2-3 years people will remember them, getting more of a following for those players in Major League Baseball. This would generate more ad revenue during MLB broadcasts. Not to mention the money ESPN could make in making video games and other products. I think ESPN is missing a possible boon by not trying to make college baseball a more national TV product.
Before I go, reports are coming in that the Mars Rover is back on line.
You have to feel good about the fact that we can get signals from Mars again. Considering 95 percent of the stuff on our TV?s is just crap anyway.
Also, John Edwards doesn?t seem to know what spending limits are. Why in the world would anybody elect this guy?
Tomorrow Illinois plays at Wisconsin. I?ll be watching, so Go Illini!
Until next time, remember that if you say you are going to do something, you had better go through with it. Especially if you are Carlos Zambrano about killing the Cardinals.
Okay, we get it. The guy in the Cardinal shirt can’t spell.
Let’s start making fun of the little fat girl in front of him who has her belly sticking out. Making fun of overweight kids rules.
How come this picture doesn’t get more play?
"Desperado! Why don’t you come to your senses…you’ve been out riding fences, for so long now. Everybody!"
NEWS FLASH: Drudge is deceitful. And a liar. And, in general, pretty much an all-around bad person.
I don’t much care for him.
BC, I believe you are abusing the "Moran" picture privilege.
Second, Andy Dolan deciding to start a battle between major media organizations as Desipio/NBC decided to take on Disney’s ESPN in terms of starting a web page almost nobody will read.
Which one’s the page almost nobody will read, Page 3 or Desipio?
Confused, I think he meant that both are vying for that honor.
CT, that part of my story has two meanings. It’s not supposed to mean one or the other, you are supposed to choose which one it is. (By the way, the other is simply that Desipio is mad at ESPN for starting Page 3.)
Yes, I do enjoy the "Moran" picture. I’ll try not to use it so often if you so wish. Why? Because I’m trying to make these columns as enjoyable and reader-friendly as possible.
Finally, I guess Howard Dean is doing his best Chip Caray impression.
Why would anybody vote for John Edwards? Well, he speaks well and he has great hair. Works for the same type of shallow morans who voted for Clinton…
See? My Iowa speech doesn’t sound so bad when you play "Pinball Wizard" while I do it…
According to this story,
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040123&content_id=630320&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
Dave Veres is going to likely sign with Houston. I think I would take LaTroy Hawkins over Dave any day…
McAdoo
According to this story,
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news.jsp?ymd=20040123&content_id=630320&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp
Dave Veres is going to likely sign with Houston. I think I would take LaTroy Hawkins over Dave any day…
BC – I would love nothing more than to see College Baseball get more press, but there is one huge factor stopping it. That factor is that the Sun-Belt teams are far and away better than the "northern" teams. It’s almost like Division I and IAA. College football and basketball are sports that you can play all year round no matter what part of the country you’re from. That’s why we can see a Michigan football team in the BCS or see our Illini hoops in the same league (usually) as a Texas or North Carolina. Unless College Baseball becomes a revenue sport in cold weather parts of the country (won’t happen), and can afford domes for the baseball stadiums (definitely won’t happen),there will not be national interest.
TD, your argument does hold some credence. But, in college football, the only main schools right now in the Northeast are Boston College and Syracuse. In recent years, schools in the north have been gaining spots in the CWS. I know either last year or the year before Nebraska made it to the College World Series. Granted, the schools in the south and west are the power base of college baseball, but I think this sort of idea would truly make it a more national sport. But that is a matter of opinion.
Hey, dude, I should get paid for your using me. I wanna get new blocks for under the house.
Nothin’ like the Old Glory do-rag to reign in the fury of my mullet!
Livin near Omaha – I love the CWS, but until they get rid of the aluminum bats the purists will never accept it. And I don’t know that I would argue with them about it.
What, you don’t like me?
Hey, a Chicago White Sox fan! See, I told you there were lots of CWS fans out there. See you this weekend at Sox Fest!
I can’t wait until I can tell Chairman Reinsdorf that we get to use aluminum bats this year, man, that’ll save us a bundle of cash.
Dear Ping,
You belong on a golf ball.
Sincerely,
Louisville Slugger
In so far as a scientific statement speaks about reality, it must be falsifiable: and in so far as it is not falsifiable, it does not speak about reality. by texas hold’em