TheCrew

I go to plenty of games, thank you - debate really has nothing to do with my personal views. Comparing overall attendance numbers? Really makes absolutely no sense to do that - a far better barometer is % of the stadium filled and MLB struggles (putting it VERY mildly) to get people to come to baseball games. Even really bad teams in other sports - winless Lions a few years ago still had 85% - do a good job at getting fans in the seats. You may also want to check your facts, been well established in this debate that viewership numbers are no where close to what they used to be and certainly are not higher than ever before.

First I can't compare the TV ratings because baseball isn't built for TV, now I can't compare the attendance.......... is baseball so unique that it can't be compared to any other sport? Look, I have zero issues with the owners making money - you missed my point there - my concern is the sport isn't growing in popularity, the youth of the country has very little interest in baseball. FWIW, Bucks averaged over 80% last year - should really look into the numbers I've posted, I've been pretty fair in this comparison and it's why I've brought sports other than the NFL into this debate.

He's a poor defender and with his lack of experience, could make Prince look great........

Where is baseball today? The only growth anyone can show is financial success for owners and players. I'd take the commish of any other sports league over Selig - previously I would have said he's better than Bettman (NHL) by a hair......... but considering that Bettman's much criticized moved to Outdoor Life Network (OLN) has morphed into into NBC Sports Channel....... NHL is going in the right direction. 17 MLB teams had less than 65% attendance this past season - Not a single team in any of the other 3 major sports had below 65%. Still think it's wise to increase ticket prices at the rate they have?

It's why I also brought up increased NHL and NBA ratings - it's why I pointed out the finals ratings of all sports....... Heck the Women's Fifa World Cup finals (13.5 million viewers) had similar tv ratings to games 1-5 of this past world series!!!! Do you really think cherry picking the Monday Night Football game numbers is realistic? Let me ask you this, if it stays that way and numbers dip the next 2 years - do you think the NFL will sit back and let it continue to drop, or try out different things to give it a ratings boost? That's the difference. If you can't see that, then so be it. Some people need to take a step back and look at the big picture and stop making excuses for Baseball/Selig - Selig refuses to listen to fans, refuses to accept accountability for any of his mistakes and IMO is slowly letting the sport die in the US (I stress slowly - I know many of us are diehard baseball fans) while lining his own pocket and the pockets of the owners. Record profits for the owners..... but ticket prices are still going up in this economy.... even when the tax payers are paying for the damn stadium in some cases?!?!?!

At this time, the immediate changes I'd make: - World series home field advantage changed to team with best playoff record going into world series - Get rid of the 1 game playoff series for the expanded playoffs immediately. I'm not against expanding the playoffs but a 1 game playoff - after a 162 game season - is insanity. - Institute a better method of instant replay - Drop the WBC and push for the 2016 Olympics: do whatever you can to support it, skip the all star game that year and encourage the games best to participate. I think most casual fans would love to see the games best competing on an olympic level and would do a great deal to renew fan interest on a national level - not to mention, subjecting the games best to olympic testing may increase fan support/belief that baseball is clean.

In theory, wouldn't improved contact lead to more HR's in itself?

Again, what growth - all I see is more money in pockets of owners and players. That isn't growth - it's greed. The 8th rated shows in 2010 was not the world series - flat out incorrect: http://blog.nielsen.com/n...10s-and-trends-for-2010/ The 2010 world series was, however, tied for the lowest rated ever: http://sports.espn.go.com...10/news/story?id=5757137 As for the NFL - that's why I also brought the NBA and NHL into it in a previous post. I'll say it again, no other major sports finals has experienced the massive decline in TV ratings that the world series has - take a look here: http://tvbythenumbers.zap...d-series-ratings/107541/ 1971 looks a lot better.............

Solid write up on it here: http://baseball.derekmiller.us/miller.html Was a shady deal, especially when you consider tax payers were originally to pay $160 million and Selig was supposed to pay $90 but when it's all said and done, Selig pays a bit more than $100 million and the taxpayers pay $290 million...... and if you read the article above, you'll see that Selig really didn't even put his own money up, but even if he did I'm sure it would have been easy knowing he was going to make a cool profit after the stadium was built when he went and sold. I have zero problem with his ambition to make money - but he was extremely deceptive to the people of wisconsin and basically used them to pocket proceeds. If you want to believe he did that to keep the Brewers in WI, that's fine - I don't. I think he saw an opportunity to make a lot of money on a shady deal and get away with it.

NFL ratings - : http://content.usatoday.c...tings-juggernaut-rolls/1 From another article: According to The Nielsen Company, the 2011 regular season reached more than 200 million unique viewers. NFL games were watched by an average of 17.5 million viewers -- the NFL’s second highest viewership average since 1989 (17.9 million in 2010), before the explosion of viewer choice on television and online. NFL games accounted for 23 of the 25 most-watched TV shows among all programming and the 16 most-watched shows on cable last fall. In addition, a record 37 NFL game telecasts averaged at least 20 million viewers – topping the previous mark set last year (35) and up from 16 in 2006. NFL accounted for 92% of the top 25 watched shows in 2011 - damn impressive. People can watch the NFL online and on their phones as well - DirectTV offers packages for this as well; it isn't exclusive to MLB and that info can easily be tracked. I also don't buy the MLB isn't built for TV excuse - really reaching there - if that were the case, MLB would have never had success in the first place. Are the NHL and NBA more built for tv? I'll ask again, what growth?

Your correct on one aspect, attendance did end up slightly higher this year than last year - apologies there, everything I had read all season long anticipated that it would be a 4th consecutive year for an attendance drop (not sure where you are getting figures on 2010 - it had dropped that year). That said, the growth is poor when looked at over a decade: 2000 MLB attendance: 72,702,420 2011 MLB attendance: 73,451,522 Many teams with a long history - including ones with a long history such as Cleveland - have set new marks for the lowest attendance at a single game over the past 24 months. That's not a sign of growth - let's also not forget that a number of new stadiums have opened in the past decade and the attendance numbers have benefited from that. Good for MLB owners that they are making more on local cable deals....... but how are local cable deals a step forward from national network TV broadcasts? MLB LCS games were on network television - they aren't now, it's moving backwards. Whereas other sports are now getting nearly just as much network time if not more. Sports ratings are also not down across the board either - that is just flat our wrong on every level. NFL numbers are up massively and have been at historic levels over the past 2 years, heck Fox's NFL pregame show had a bigger overnight rating than any of TBS' MLB playoff games this past year. Not sure if you saw this past weekend, but that Broncos/Steelers game was the single most watched thing on TV since........... Super Bowl XLV, which by the way was the single most-watched program (not just sports event) in the history of US television. Want to get away from the NFL? While the season is early, NBA tv ratings are up from a quick google search and I know from prior research that NHL tv ratings are up as well. Bottom line is that none of these sports finals (nba finals, stanley cup or superbowl) have experienced the massive decline in ratings that the world series has from the mid 1990's to now, NBA is the only one that has actually declined and that's almost expected in the post-Jordan era. Also FWIW, I actually do not have an issue with the tax itself - the manner in which Selig conducted himself in obtaining the new stadium is what I have an issue with; and apparently a large number of people did as well since the first Senator in the states history was recalled over his support of the tax bill itself.

Busch Stadium was 12% taxpayer funded, Miller Park was 77.5% - Similar market size as well; main difference is Selig didn't have the money - even though he insisted for years upon years that the Brewers needed a new ballpark to SURVIVE in this era with the market size...... at the same time he was saying MLB expanded too quickly in the 90's (while he was commish) and 2 teams may have to up and fold...... was nothing more than a scare tactic. So he forced it on the taxpayers, then turned around and sold and took the profits. At the very least, it shows he's got some questionable morals and probably shouldn't be running a baseball team, let alone all of baseball. Heck, did people forget the Senator who promised to vote against the bill to force it onto the taxpayers - then changed his vote and supported Selig and co - was the first senator recalled in the states history? The taxpayers didn't want to pay $300 million for a new stadium and nearly 10 years later, with the financial mess of this state, the taxpayers shouldn't have had to. Selig, and his current $22 million dollar annual salary, should have paid for the damn stadium himself.

What growth? Outside of the owners, seriously: Overall attendance is very close to what it was a decade and has dropped 4 straight years. World series ratings are pathetic compared to what they were pre 2000 and the LCS ratings were terrible this past year - down 43% from 2 years prior - not to mention, they aren't even on network TV anymore. I just fail to see the growth you guys are talking about..... especially if you compare to the global growth of the other major sports, MLB has really dropped the ball there.

Fair enough - but at the same token, one could argue Selig really could care less about the athletes since he has let substances run rampant through the sport....... ironically, a current Brewer may prove that the current testing system is a complete farce and that Selig still has not properly addressed the issue, but we'll have to let that one play out yet.

The total construction cost is estimated at $400M (details inset), with a specific number of $392M referenced within the entry itself. What other tax payer money are you referring to beyond the 0.1% sales tax?Roughly 75% isn't enough? I believe I remember another $50 million being tacked on there simply because the Brewers didn't have the funds or assets to insure....... or something to that effect - but that figure could be included in the $290 million you posted.

Did people forget what a mess the financing was for Miller Park? The Brewers were a complete mess and Selig basically bullied taxpayers into paying for a new stadium (let's not forget his threats about how 2 teams might need to close up shop because baseball expanded too fast in the 90's, under his watch of course) then went and reaped the benefits of a team with a new stadium by selling. Let's just ignore the entire conflict of interest thing too. As for growth, one could even argue about that since the global growth has been pretty pathetic under Selig compared to the other major US sports - I honestly struggle to think of one single thing that he has done for the fans best interest or even for the long term health of baseball.

Alright, I know I said I wasn't going to get in a back and forth..... but seriously? He is so far behind the NFL it's not even remotely close. You want to give him full credit for 5 years of labor peace, but only place half the blame on him when it comes to other stuff........ and yes, he screwed over tax payers but he's done this before with other teams/owners. Look no further than the giant screw job in Montreal, I guess Milwaukee should be happy the Brewers stuck around at least. Also, the profability of the teams shouldn't matter in this discussion at all - that benefits the owners, not the fans....... fans seem to confuse profit for owners with success for the sport and really, an avg ticket price is $27 now, up from around $10 in the mid 1990's..... cripes, LCS games aren't even on network TV anymore. Only one group is benefiting and it's the owners. Selig has done nothing, I repeat NOTHING for the fans - he's 100% an owners commissioner. He's simply a puppet for the owners and runs the league like a used car salesman......... probably because he used to be one.

I look at him and don't see how anyone could even call his tenure anything close to remotely successful. He had FAR more failings than steriods/PED's (to try and pass that all on the players union is taking it far too easy on Selig - he has accepted zero responsibility, and it's a joke) - Astros sale, Brewers taxpayer screwjob, all star game, mlb strike/canx world series, the simple conflict of being commissioner and part owner of a team.........just to name a few........ could really put a long list together............. but I don't want to turn this into a Selig bashing thread. Let's just agree to disagree.

Caring and doing what's best for the game are 2 different things. Baseball has grown in spite of him - not because of him.

Loney had a pretty big second half - if memory serves - don't see the Dodgers just giving up on him. I think it's pretty much a given at this point that Prince isn't getting the deal he thought he would - which, makes me wonder if he'd do something like a 3 year deal........... I know it's a long shot..... and then some, but if he's willing to do a shorter deal I could see the Brewers getting back in the mix. Then again, wouldn't surprise me if Boras got a team to bid itself up.

Zobrist plays plus defense just about every where and will do whatever it takes to get playing time. Really has nothing to do with Hall - Hart simply isn't willing to play anywhere else and plays poor defense as it is...... If Hart were willing and committed it'd be a different story.

Not sure where you are getting your info; Tom H even wrote an article/blog a week or two ago about how Braun would be the first to win an appeal and detailed previous appeals. It's an appeal of his suspension - there is no hearing; your implying that there would still be some type of hearing if Braun didn't appeal........ which there would not be, he's just be gone 50 games - no other way to slice it. This isn't the justice system and really shouldn't be compared to it in anyway - sadly, if it was, Braun would have a much better chance of getting off.

You mean the test results that MLB refused to turn over to the government until they were federally seized with search warrants? Sorry, MLB wasn't your leak there either.

Never said Braun isn't a big name - but Manny, when he was busted the first time, was FAR bigger..... Mannywood was huge at the time - not to mention he had the legacy from Boston - and it was a big shock at the time.

It proves they go through their due process and do not leak info whether it's positive or not. Manny Ramirez is a far bigger name nationally than Braun and he had 2 failed tests - neither of which were leaked, to my knowledge, ahead of time.