Author: Christopher Glotfelty (Page 42 of 67)

      David Beckham wants to own an MLS franchise

      August 8, 2009 /

      Beckham

      After receiving harsh criticism from American fans and even teammates, David Beckham is expressing interest in owning an MLS franchise.

      “There’s a deal in place where I can purchase an MLS team or start a franchise. It’s something I am definitely interested in, or I wouldn’t have it in my contract.”

      Beckham’s option to buy a Major League Soccer franchise was reported last year, though he would not comment on the details. But now the international star, who will be 36 when his contract expires, is just two seasons away from the end of the five-year, $32.5 million deal he signed to leave Real Madrid and join the upstart American league.

      He pulled a bank job on the Galaxy ownership, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to buy that organization or any other he sees fit. Fans have been warming up to him since he’s actually playing matches, but he be should doing that without being forced into it. The Galaxy are paying him millions to win a championship and so far he hasn’t gotten close. If he were to do that, fans in California would warm up to the possibility of him buying a franchise. As of right now, most MLS fans in other cities can’t stand him. The last thing they want him to do is own their team.

      Soccer

      Is Jason Schmidt done?

      August 8, 2009 /

      Schmidt

      Here’s an example of what I’ve been reading from pretty much every sports publication that is reporting on Jason Schmidt’s recent injury:

      Los Angeles pitcher Jason Schmidt’s comeback was put on hold Friday after four starts. The Dodgers placed him on the 15-day DL because of problems with the surgically repaired shoulder that sidelined him for the entire 2008 season.

      The move is simply a nicer way of telling the public how bad he’s been. Schmidt originally signed for three years and $47 million. He is in the last year of his contract, though the Dodgers have been eating it since he was acquired from the Giants. Schmidt, who was once a Cy Young-contender, has been sidelined for the the last three years with a shoulder injury and has only pitched a handful of times for the Dodgers. His recent return to the rotation has proved unsuccessful and, as their roster is full of talent, Schmidt has been given the the boot.

      He is by far the worst signing in Dodgers history and I’m sure Giants fans are laughing their asses off. Still, I give the guy credit for coming back and giving it his best shot. Schmidt will be a free agent at the end of this season and, since no team will take the risk, this is likely the end of his career.

      MLB

      The 30th annual National Sports Collectors Convention

      August 6, 2009 /

      vintage

      Paul Lukas of ESPN recently spent some time at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland.

      So I’m speaking from experience when I say the key to a happy collecting life is the moment when you accept that you can never collect everything in a given category, because there will always be at least one thing out there that you can’t afford, can’t find or don’t know about. The feeling of completism will always be out of reach. Once you admit that to yourself, the world becomes a fun museum and you can cherry-pick some nice items that push your buttons without the pressure of having to acquire all of them.

      But most of the collectors at the National didn’t appear to have experienced that epiphany. This was especially true of the baseball card collectors (by far the largest contingent of attendees), a disturbing percentage of whom seemed to fit all the worst collector stereotypes: nerdy, overweight, socially awkward. As I watched these guys — and believe me, all of them were guys — feverishly flipping through bins and albums of cards, trying to cross out items on their want lists, it occurred to me that they seemed to take very little pleasure in the act of collecting. They were more like addicts trying to cop a fix, and I found their frantic, joyless movements from dealer to dealer rather depressing.

      Lukas has also put together a nice set of photos from the event. The piece is worth reading, if only to get a sense of the kind of ephemera that are sold at these things. For example, the 1999 Yankees championship trophy was on display along with a bunch of championship rings. Pretty cool.

      I used to collect cards for many years when I was younger. It’s easy to stop as you get older and need to conserve your money. These days, I’m more into seeking out rare LPs than sports memorabilia. Simply put, it’s just expensive to get into this stuff. I’d still love to go to a convention, but it won’t be a while until I’m buying Robin Ventura’s gold glove off some nerd.

      General Sports

      Check out the Marlins’ new digs

      August 6, 2009 /

      new stadium

      Earlier this year, the Miami-Dade County Commission approved construction of the Marlins’ new ballpark. The ballpark, which officially broke ground in July, will be located in the downtown area of “Little Havana,” on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl.

      It’s about making a statement. So Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria challenged veteran ballpark architecture firm Populous to design a modernist structure: a sleek white stucco, silver metal and glass venue. He wanted a pitcher’s park, but with an intimate 37,000 blue seats, a left-field beach with a swimming pool and a right-field porch where fans can catch home-run balls. And sliding glass panels behind left field to showcase Miami’s skyline.

      The team, after having spent years trying to gain political support and public dollars for the project, showed off new renderings and video of the ballpark, which combines white to mirror cruise ships and blue for the ocean, Biscayne Bay and Miami River. But Loria is keeping some details — such as a signature water feature in center field — under wraps.

      The venue, scheduled to open in 2012 when the team will be renamed Miami Marlins, is designed to be breezy and comfortable, with wide concourses and plenty of concession stands for fans to get food and drinks quickly, Loria said. The concourses will overlook the field, so fans won’t miss the action when they get up for a beer or hot dog.

      Wow. Check out some more artist renderings here.

      The organization has pushed heavily since 2003 for their own stadium. Since the Marlins debuted in 1993, they have played in Joe Robbie Stadium (now LandShark Stadium), which is also the home of the Miami Dolphins. It’s been painfully obvious for some time now that the Marlins draw as much as a high school graduation. However, that may even be generous, depending on the size of your class. Good news is ownership knows what’s going on. It’s hot, hot, hot in Florida and nothing says a ruined evening than a gloomy Marlins or Rays barnburner. As a result, the new ballpark will have a state of the art retractable roof, a nice grass field, and 37,000 seats, including 3,000 club seats and 60 suites.

      Though fans will have to wait till 2012 and have to get used to calling their team the “Miami Marlins,” those are small concessions for what looks to be a beautiful park. In left field, there are glass panels that can open up if the weather permits. How great would that be? I feel like the Marlins haven’t played a day game at home since they had Jeff Conine.

      While some teams shop for sponsors, officials from the Marlins, Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami have agreed to fund the $515 million stadium with tourist tax dollars. Hopefully the Tampa Bay Rays follow suit because Tropicana Field looks like a glorified putt-putt course some struggling architects thought up after using many illegal substances.

      MLB

      Jeff Passan’s 25 things you didn’t know about baseball

      August 5, 2009 /

      Skip

      Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports recently discovered FanGraphs, a great baseball website which uses complicated algorithms to determine attributes about players. Passan compiled 25 intriguing stats that the common fan would never realize unless they went to this site.

      1) The best fastball in baseball is 88.4 mph.

      And it belongs to Jarrod Washburn. He also throws a slider, cutter, curveball and changeup, but his average-velocity fastball is the dagger of the bunch. At 22.4 runs above average this year, it has been more effective than the fastest (Ubaldo Jimenez) and the slowest (Jamie Moyer). The most amazing part: Washburn’s fastball was actually 8.3 runs below average last year.

      6) The best pitch in baseball is a changeup, and you’ll never guess who throws it.

      Tim Lincecum came up heralded for his blazing fastball and hammer curveball, and neither is close to his best pitch. Lincecum’s changeup has been 27.5 runs above average this year, the highest total for any pitch and almost double the second-best change, Brian Tallet’s 14-runs-above special. It’s not like Lincecum piles up the runs above average by throwing the changeup egregiously. His 5.62 runs above per 100 changeups thrown is also the best for that pitch.

      15) One person has three pitches that are among the five best in runs above average.

      More evidence that Dan Haren is the business: He’s got the best splitter in baseball (7.2 runs above average), the fourth-best cutter (13.7 above average) and the fifth-best fastball (19.3 above average).

      25) Six players in baseball do not have a weakness on a specific pitch.

      As you know, Pujols isn’t one of them. Joe Mauer is an easy guess, and it would be correct. Same with Cabrera, who has the privilege of being the only player above average in all six categories – knuckleball included. Torii Hunter(notes) just makes it, one-one hundredth a run in the black on curveballs, and his center field peer Adam Jones(notes) joins him. The two National League representatives come from the Central Division. Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto(notes) is a monster. The other is not. He hits .292. He slugs .386. He is the epitome of utility. The final player without a weakness: Skip Schumaker(notes).

      If I’m a professional baseball player, I’m checking this site everyday, as it reports useable statistics scouts are even missing. The people they have contributing to the site are all very serious and spend days mapping out an athlete’s progression or regression in various areas. Be sure to check out Passan’s entire list as well as the FanGraphs page.

      And what about that Dan Haren? These stats show that he has the stuff of a Cy Young-worthy pitcher. It should either be he or Lincecum who ends up with the award in the NL. While the Diamonbacks have no chance of making the playoffs, at least Haren can accomplish this feat on his own. As for Lincecum, his team is looking better by the day.

      MLB

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