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      Which baseball fans are the most valuable?

      May 24, 2009 /

      The fans of the San Francisco Giants, apparently. Forbes.com has an interesting article up which ranks the MLB’s most valuable fans. To find the results, they divided the local revenue of each team (including such sources as local television and radio revenue, gate receipts and sponsorships) for the 2008 season by the population of its metropolitan area, according to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate. It’s an interesting piece worth checking out.

      A look at the top-ranked Giants’ $78 revenue per fan reflects just how juiced Bay Area fans are to see their team, regardless of its last few lackluster seasons. In comparison, the Dodgers, who made it to the National League Championship Series last season, only generated $38 in revenue per fan.

      Of the $166 million the Giants generated in local revenue last year, 71% came from gate receipts and from their local television deal. The Giants get better television ratings than most other teams in similar markets. In December 2007, the team smartly acquired a stake in FSN Bay Area, resulting in a station name change to CSN Bay Area and $30 million in rights fees, a 30% increase from the prior year (and more than double what the Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres get from their local deals).

      For an additional wow factor, the Giants introduced two new luxury suites: the Legends Club, a 120-person party space in left field, and McCovey Cove Loft, a 40-person patio space off the right field wall that creates the illusion fans are actually sitting on top of the grass.

      Not surprisingly, the Florida Marlins were ranked as having the least-valuable fans which bring in only $11 per person. You can’t blame it on the players since the Marlins have won two World Series championships and boasted winning records the last five seasons. Maybe if their stadium didn’t have the disposition of a cemetery a few more people might show up.

      As for the Giants, despite having one of the most gorgeous ballparks in the league, the experience at their games is great. I went to AT&T Park a bunch of times when I was in college and had a great time, even though I was decked out in Dodgers regalia. The stadium is clean, the views are perfect, and the concessions prices aren’t absolutely terrible. On top of that, the place looks beautiful at night and the whole experience is augmented by their loyal fans. I can’t stand the team, but I love where they play ball.

      MLB

      Murray and Ivanovic advance at French Open

      May 24, 2009 /

      The 2009 French Open at Roland Garros kicked off today with a slew of quality matches. Third-ranked Andy Murray and defending women’s champion Ana Ivanovic both got off to sluggish starts but managed to pull through. In other notable matches, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco, Marin Cilic, David Ferrer, Nadia Petrova, and Victoria Azarenka all advanced.

      Murray, who has reached only one clay-court semifinal in his career, was broken in the first game of the match, but he then dominated Chela with 55 winners and 10 aces to advance to the second round.

      “After that, I was very happy with the way I played,” Murray said of the early break. “I wasn’t expecting to play that well in the first match.”

      Defending champion Ana Ivanovic struggled on the important points in the opening match on center court before beating Sara Errani of Italy 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the women’s draw.

      The eighth-seeded Serb converted only five of the 20 break points she earned against her opponent. Errani broke three times and even served for the first set at 5-4.

      “I knew I had to work hard for my points today, and I’m very happy I did that,” Ivanovic said. “And I kept my composure.”

      Murray looked rusty early in his match, but he soon began to hit some hard groundstrokes and move Chela around the court. While Murray only had four fewer unforced errors — 19 to Chela’s 23 — the Briton had 41 more winners.

      I think people often forget about the dramatic weight in the women’s competition amidst all the Federer vs. Nadal speculation. Ana Ivanovic, who has taken a complete nosedive since winning this tournament last year, is going to have a rough road ahead of her if she wants regain her position as one of the best players in women’s tennis. Serena Williams and Dinara Safina have both been playing great tennis and I would put my money on either of them over Ivanovic.

      As for the men’s draw, don’t count on Murray making it to the finals. He’s not a great clay-court player and both Nadal and Federer know Roland Garros better than any player on the tour. Anything less than a Nadal/Federer final would be an injustice to all of tennis.

      Tennis

      Daly honors Mickelson’s ailing wife

      May 24, 2009 /

      John Daly wore bright pink trousers during the final round of the BMW PGA Championship in England on Sunday in a sign of support for Phil Mickelson’s wife after she was diagnosed with breast cancer last week.

      According to their management group, Amy Mickelson will have major surgery for removal of the cancer within the next two weeks.

      Daly on his decision to wear the pink trousers:

      “I had a pair, so I figured I’d do that for her today. I thought it would be a good gesture,” Daly said of his trousers. “I know Phil very well and I know Amy. I’ve known them for a long time — we’ve played the Tour together. She’s a great lady. She has always been a sweetheart to everybody.”

      Daly had not yet spoken to Phil Mickelson, but said he had been impacted personally by breast cancer.

      “I sent out a media message,” Daly said. “He’s probably surrounded by callers right now and I didn’t want to bother him. I’m sure everybody on Tour and everybody in the world is thinking about her.”

      Many in the golfing community have expressed their support and are eager to help in any way possible. Fellow golfer Darren Clarke has spoken to Mickelson recently, but wouldn’t reveal the details of their conversation. Clarke lost his wife to breast cancer in August 2006, and credits the Mickelsons in helping him through the tough times following her death.

      Mickelson has suspended his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely.

      Golf

      Wright withdraws name from Sixers coaching position

      May 24, 2009 /

      A day after Villanova head coach Jay Wright removed his name from consideration in becoming the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, add Chris Ford to the list.

      Philly.com is reporting Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski has interviewed six candidates for the team’s vacant coaching position.

      Wright said of his conversation with Stefanski:

      “He is a longtime friend of mine whom I have great respect for and is someone I talk to often,” Wright said in a statement. “We had a lively conversation about the vision Ed has for the Sixers organization. As a lifelong Sixers fan, I was honored to be part of the process.”

      Wright said he called Stefanski after the meeting and requested removal from consideration.

      “I love Villanova and it is where I want to be,” Wright said.

      Team sources have confirmed the five candidates in the mix are Eddie Jordan, Dwayne Casey, Kurt Rambis, Tom Thibodeau, with Ford’s interview being the last of the first phase in the selection process. Stefanski reiterated that there is no timetable for his selection, as he will continue conducting interviews, extensive research, and in-depth background checks before naming his choice.

      College Basketball, March Madness, NBA

      NFL investigating Redskins on tampering charges

      May 24, 2009 /


      According to Yahoo Sports, the NFL has begun an investigation on if the Washington Redskins tampered with defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth prior to the start of the free agent signing period.
      The Tennessee Titans filed charges with the league in late March stating they were interfered with their efforts in re-signing Haynesworth after the 2008 season.
      The Washington Post reported:

      Haynesworth is among the people expected to be interviewed by NFL officials possibly as early as this week regarding allegations that the Washington Redskins violated league tampering rules, according to league sources.
      NFL investigators have been reviewing information relating to the Redskins’ pursuit of Haynesworth, who formerly played for the Tennessee Titans, and whether his representative was improperly contacted before free agency officially began at midnight Feb. 27. The Redskins and Haynesworth agreed to terms of a deal by 5:30 a.m. Feb. 27.
      League investigators are interested in obtaining all communications between Haynesworth’s agent, Chad Speck, and Redskins officials in the weeks before free agency opened. Part of the difficulty, though, in determining the subject matter of the contact is that Speck also represents Redskins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly.

      If convicted, the Redskins could lose a pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Last year, the NFL stripped the San Francisco 49ers of a fifth-round draft pick after they ruled the team violated the league’s tampering rules by having an improper conversation with Drew Rosenhaus, agent for Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, about the player’s upcoming free agent status.

      Neither the NFL nor Speck commented on the report or the current investigation.

      NFL, NFL Draft

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