Is baseball becoming too formulaic?

I know exactly what you mean.

I was in Chicago last summer (college team mate of mine made a road trip) and we went to 2 Cubs / Diamondback games and 1 White Sox / Tigers game.

All three were awesome games - the 2 Cubs were pitching duels and the Sox game was a lot of offense. I enjoyed the Cubs game more (maybe because I am a long time fan) because it was just the game and nothing else.

The Sox game was all kinds of stuff and it got on my nerves. My buddy and I started talking to a guy next to us and we all agreed it was annoying to be at the Sox game.

I chalk it all up to Sesame Street for ruining attention spans. If you'll notice the segments on Sesame Street last about 45 seconds and now everything on TV changes every 45 seconds. Watch music videos and see how often they change to another shot on the screen or TV shows.

I hate to say it but Big Bird helped destroy the attention spans of America's youth.

yes, while....sadly/ironically Bill Veeck couldn't get a MLB gig these days.

I see it as a basic marketing strategy. While the smell of fresh cut grass excites you and the crack (or ping) of a bat is music to your ears --- and you see the real beauty in the well executed double play that can best described as “priceless” (borrowed that from MasterCard), the so called marketing strategist thinks the “general” public needs more to be lured into the ball parks where their attendance positively impacts their bottom line. At times I’m amused by their antics but for the most part I think it degrades the game.
To the majority of fans/parents/players/coaches, baseball is a pure and simple sport with emotional involvement providing that euphoric rush. We get caught up in our sport and tend to forget that MANY people see baseball as a business too. While the “extras” at the games are obvious business promotions and some may work for them --- many more events in baseball are influenced by the business side of the game. The most effective “baseball businessman” (the ones that successfully generates revenue from those emotionally involved) understands our emotional involvement, caters to it, attempts to increase it, and then he or she reaps the rewards. Many baseball business people love the game, promote the game, and are good for the game, but there are others that allow their business practices to damage the “simplicity” of the sport.
Fungo

Milb has two main purposes. One to provide a venue for MLB hopefuls to practice and another to make money for the owners. In Milb you might see more "entertainment", instead of high ticket prices they rely on volume and promote a family atmosphere, which includes contests, giveaways, birthday parties with the players present, visiting the dugout, raffles, civic and business booths, etc.

Beginning of season we saw an cute entertainment act that my husband is still raving about.

The Marlins, who spend only 14 million a year on salaries, put together a 10 million dollar marketing/entertainment program to bring fans to their games. The local public was in an outrage, why waste that money, spend it on salaries they all screamed. I am not sure if it increased attendance.

Turner Field had to be the most beautiful park that you really can't enjoy. We went to a Cub/Braves game on the 4th of July...WOW...I thought somehow I ended up in Vegas..Every inning it was loud, noisey and left you unable to do anything but wish you'd stayed home...just all up in your face. The park itself is really neat but the multi-media stuff just sucks the life out of ya (I wondered why they still had great seats available..we got an entire row..for a quarter of what Wrigley costs for similar seats, as late as June..HA! At Wrigley they are sold out in the pre-season except for oneseys and obstructed views). Now the Ball Yard in Jacksonville is another beautiful park but believe it or not the between innings show isn't so over the top as to distract from the game...actually a great time and tastefuly promoted...AND inexpensive..last time I went it was Nolan Ryan bobblehead night (He was a Sun..)..even gave him a tan , we made off with jugs of chocolate milk and loaves of bread (I know....a bizaar marketing deal...but hey it was free) ...AND pretty darn good baseball!!.

You think an American game is a bit overboard, ask Krak about the games in Korea. They even have cheerleaders.

Beezer, so do the Inland Empire 66ers. Hooters girls on the dugouts .

MiLB teams are independantly owned affiliates, often in small towns where they provide entertainment to fans and non-fans alike. (And sitting in some of those parks....I've been astonished how little the 'regulars' understand the game.) Hey, dollar beer and taco nights? Not just going for the baseball!

I suggested to my son that they could hold a promotion at The Diamond, keep the between-inning games, not play a game and take bets on how long it took for anybody to notice.

It's irritating to fans of the game....but the clubs, at whatever level, put more bums in seats when they lower the common denominator.

Not all movies appeal to film students, not all books are classics, not all music is written for the symphony. We've just got this one game; all are welcome.

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Not all movies appeal to film students, not all books are classics, not all music is written for the symphony. We've just got this one game; all are welcome.

That's a great way of putting it Orlando.

It's not so much the reindeer games between innings that irks me. Heck I'll probably always enjoy watching dizzy youngsters trying to run in a straight line.
It's the ridiculous inflections that stadium announcers are expected to use, the predictable sound effects after every foul ball out of the stadium, and the walkout songs that I hate. By the 5th inning we've heard five seconds of every home team batter's favorite tune 2 or 3 times, and it goes downhill rapidly from there. Either mix it up or drop the walk up song after the 1st AB. Why let 5 seconds of music define your personality?

Interesting topic. I broached the same last August after attending a game at Comiskey Park (no, I won't call it US Cellular Field). BTW, I got ripped for my opinion!

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Went to Comiskey Park yesterday for the first time in several years. Other than my beloved Red Sox spanking the Pale Hose for the third straight game, there we several things that bothered me.

1. There should be no minor league-type between inning "entertainment." No cuties throwing t-shirts, no drunks dancing on the dugouts.

2. No rock music blaring between pitches. This isn't hockey (which I love).

3. No roving photographer begging to take pictures of me and my family. I had to tell this clown to get the hell out of my way, I was trying to watch the game.

4. Fans are not allowed to talk to each other about anything but the game they are watching.

5. Fans should be limited to the amount of beers that doesn't make them act like complete fools.

6. Fans should only be allowed one trip to the concession stand. Sit the heck down and watch the **** game.

7. Fans should never boo their own team. Even if they pitch as poorly as the White Sox did yesterday. If you don't like your team, stay home. If you think you can do it better, go try out.

8. Fans should never leave early. That entire day cost me over $300 and I'm not leaving until the grounds crew is done with the field after the game. Just looking at the beautiful green grass and red dirt is entertainment enough for me.

9. No wedding proposals on the score board.

10. Women shouldn't dress like hookers to go to a ball game. (I'll probably get a lot of grief over this one!!)

11. The only food available should be hot dogs, peanuts and soda. Maybe beer (see #5)

12. The scoreboard should show replays of every good play regardless of what team made the play.

I guess my main point here is what percentage of people at a MLB game are truly baseball fans? My guess is it's less than half.

One of my baseball memories as a kid is the organ echoing through Fenway Park. It wasn't music I liked. I was a kid. It was just baseball the way it should be. The dumbest thing baseball ever came up with is any three objects in a race on the scoreboard screen.

They need to bring back the good old days of a trip to Shea.

A large beer - (2 parts beer and 9 parts water)

and

a 9 day old hot dog

Those were the good old days.


Next up - the Minaya Mimosa - you buy a 16 ouncer for $95.00 - take two sips - and then puke it out.

LOL

All of the non-game activity at a game should be entertaining the young kids. Baseball after all is a kid's game.

The Shea stadium reminder brought me back to the days when tickets could be had by saving milk carton coupons. We saved em and went as a school or a class or a day camp.

We practiced our "Let's Go Mets" on the subway and were ready for the climb to our near stratosphere seats in the upper deck.

As soon as the Mets came to bat the cheer started. "Let's Go Mets, Let's Go Mets" on and on until either the Mets did something or made out. One or the other met with either a rousing cheer or a moan that seemed to last a few minutes. Thousands and thousands of kids cheering as if chanting that deafening exhortation. Kids enjoying the thrill of being at a big league ball game and dreaming of one day being a star that kids like us rooted for. The players that kids like us would be talking about until the start of the next inning that always seemed to come before we all had our chance to praise our favorites.

Now that was baseball game entertainment.

You brought back a memory. I remember going to Fenway as a kid and banging the wood seats and screaming "We wanna hit! We wanna hit!" The seat banging made a racket. Today's cheers are generated by the scoreboard.

Obviously, with over a billion dollars in revenue, the FORMULA is working, don't you think??

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Originally posted by JT:
Obviously, with over a billion dollars in revenue, the FORMULA is working, don't you think??

From a revenue generation standpoint it's obvious the formula is working. From a purist's standpoint I'm not sure the game is the main attraction anymore. I think it's the venue and all the rings in the circus in a lot of cities.

I prefer minor-league baseball over major-league baseball. For starters, I'm out $200 to take the family to a MLB-game. Considering the parking hassles, the $7 hot dogs, and the fact I'm usually sitting in the third level past first base.. it's just not the same as a minor-league game. I've been to several Las Vegas AAA games. Cheap admission, dang good ball, I'm almost always at field level. For 20 bucks I've had a great experience. Maybe I'll feel differently if Bum, Jr. ever makes it big-time but seriously, I prefer minor-league baseball.