HBO, MLB WANT You to Care About 3,000 Again

While show prepping for the best edition of "The Exchange" yet, my editor asked me for a Yankees piece for the paper. Seemingly, everything has been said about the topic, but not necessarily for the purview to the New York Beacon's audience (we are a weekly, after all). Fortunately, when HBO sent its press release regarding production on a show that followed Derek Jeter towards the 3,000 hits mark, I didn't lack a topic; though certainly for internet-savvy baseball addicts, the reaction to this upcoming special may have been said elsewhere with no word count limit. It is published in this week's Beacon, but for you out-of-towners, here you go.

Building Up Jeter, 3,000 a Task Beyond Yankee Universe for MLB, HBO
By Jason Clinkscales

Earlier this week, HBO announced that it would follow Derek Jeter’s quest towards the magical 3,000 hits mark. Magical because in baseball, no matter the controversies that still pull the sport down, it’s a testament to a player’s consistency, health and diligence to the craft.

Only 27 other players in the history of baseball have ever crossed this plane and amazingly, Jeter – the Yankees’ franchise leader in hits – will be the first to have done so for the Bronx Bombers (former Yank Wade Boggs did so with Tampa Bay). He’ll pass other legends in the game such as Roberto Clemente and Lou Brock before the end of the month and might approach Rickey Henderson, Rod Carew and the underrated Craig Biggio before season’s end.

Unfortunately, because of the Yankees’ dominance in the sport’s narrative – even when they are not involved with the game you may be watching – Jeter’s eventual milestone doesn’t have the panache outside of New York that it would have before baseball had to defend itself from performance-enhancers and the worst financial system in sports. What it does have, however, is good timing as this season has lacked a defining moment thus far.

HBO has a history of telling amazing stories that you may have not expected; from making Floyd Mayweather Jr. boxing’s greatest villain on its acclaimed 24/7 platform to a humored reflection on the infamous Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s (NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers). Yet, those were unearthing personalities seeking an opportunity to shine or casting a larger spotlight where one previously dimmed years ago. With the in-production “Derek Jeter 3K”, this is different because there may not be a new look into an iconic player.

What can be said that hasn’t been said before about the most revered Yankee since Mickey Mantle? The local adulation may be a bit much for some, but considering that Major League Baseball is desperate for anything to take attention away from the financial struggles with the Mets & LA Dodgers, this would be a chance to recapture the national narrative. HBO helped make the New York Jets the most talked-about team in America in 2010 and made you briefly care about hockey before the 2011 Winter Classic, but they are now charged with reviving a seemingly faded brand.

Jeter’s a man that can actually get Boston Red Sox fans watching his inevitable climb to 3,000 out of sheer respect. He’ll have baseball fans throughout the NYC metro area stand and applaud, whether fans of the Yankees, Mets or other. Yet, it’ll be up to HBO to make this moment matter beyond the constellations in the Yankee Universe. They may gloss over the same reverence as many media have over the years, but with its unique brand of storytelling, the premium cable channel has a chance to refresh the story a bit as Jeter inches closer to 3,000.

Say What?!?!: So, it's been nearly three weeks since the last post, but you can blame the new fulltime job. However, as you may have picked up on quickly, the show don't stop! Catch up to the archives of The Exchange, including Tuesday's excellent special episode with Michael Tillery of SLAM Magazine & The Starting Five along with Paulsen of Sports Media Watch.

Basics (Again)

A few times in recent days, I've had people tell me, "Jay, I'd love to read your stuff if I knew what you were talking about."

You'd think that would upset me considering that so much time is spent watching, listening and analyzing the totality of sports; totality meaning the games, business, media and culture. Yet, that sort of feedback is just as important to me as thoughs from the obsessed.

Back in 2007, I came up with a list of links* that would help explain the basics of a few of the sports I talk about from time to time. As you take a gander, you'll see that there are plenty of other games that aren't mentioned on Scribe. For that reason, I ask that you please feel free to add a few sites of your own for all of us to learn about them.

Most of all, if you are truly willing to invest time to learn about sports, here are a few ideas:

1. May I suggest a book with one of the coolest covers you may ever see (or feel)?
   
   
2. When you begin watching games to understand them more, try to not watch pre-game shows. The lingo of those shows are speaking to the already converted, therefore, everything those anaylsts and commentators say won't make a lick of sense to you unless you've watched a good bit of contests. Instead...
   
   
3. As anything else in life, some learn through osmosis; taking all the information in like a sponge before performing the tasks. So, it may be a good idea to read those basics while or even before you watch games. Yet...
   
   
4. Others learn by doing. You might want to actually try to play these games or at least place the objects of the games in your hands and simulate the motions of the game. Play catch or properly hold as basketball in your hand and practice shooting. This seemingly silly and simple idea might help you understand how difficult it really is to be an elite performer.
   
   
5. The most important suggestion I have for you is something that seems blasphemous: for the initial period/quarter/half, mute the game. A lot of fans out here say that they mute the TV when an announcer they dislike is calling a game. While most of them actually don't, the truth is that the sounds of the game can color judgment rather unfairly.
   I am a firm believer in objectivity, even with personal favorites and professional interests. More often than not, the games you will view come from the home team and the biases will make you believe that one side (typically the home team) is naturally better than the other for a plethora of reasons that have little to do with the games themselves. One shouldn't believe that a different color of laundry automatically makes one player superior to the other when clearly the opponent may be the best in the business. Taking the blinders off from the outset should make it easier to hone in on the specifics of the games as you grow more comfortable watching sports.

While you can do what you will with the suggestions, do take the time to walk through the basics. I do the best I can to mix up topics on Scribe to make sure that people of varying levels of fandom (or non-fandom) can find something to their liking. Yet, even beyond this tiny portal of the world, understanding the fundamentals won't make sports so foreign.

* After 22 years of operation, the Arena Football League (as we knew it) folded in early August. This isn't lost on me, so for proper accuracy, this footnote and post acknowledges the fact. While seeking an article discussing the news, it turns out that there are talks for a reincarnation of the league. Good timing, perhaps?

Major

Two months ago, I went on a mini road trip to Washington, D.C. with friends to attend the Nationals' final home game at RFK Stadium. Though the team didn't have much of a history there - remember, they were the former Montreal Expos - they have brought a little bit of spirit in a town that wants something else to talk about besides government, government and... should Hall-of-Fame coach Joe Gibbs be fired after this season. It was great to come back to the nation's capital after nearly a decade since my last visit, but it was even better to be able to enjoy a baseball game outside of the hometown.

Besides the Presidential Race that Teddy Roosevelt has yet to win, what I enjoyed the most about being at RFK was the genuine happiness many fans felt to have the game in their city. Despite the political wrangling around the new ballpark being built along the Anacosta River, there's a definite excitement within Washington, D.C. as folks are starting to believe that the city is a major sports town again. Yes, this is always going to be a city that starves for another Super Bowl title, yet with a young star in the Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin, a strong fan base for DC United, the Wizards going for a third straight playoff appearance (though it'll be harder without Gilbert Arenas) and the new digs for the improving Nationals, our capital has returned to the big time.

Below is a link to some photos of that game against the Phillies. These aren't exactly going to be in any museums or even a high school photography class, but think of these as reminders that sports exist outside of where we live... and there's nothing wrong with that.

Phillies-Nationals

New Nationals Park

Oh, and happy holidays/days off from work.

Truth

News organizations that are supposed to report the news before editorializing - not saying that opinions are not to be shared - have made a mockery of not only the record-breaking home run from Barry Bonds, but of the front page. Historically, media begs for the buck, and it is hard to not try to sensationalize to sell a few papers or push for ratings. However, to point to this singular achievement as the greatest crime in sports is a bit much. How about barring non-whites to play for decades as a good start or game-fixing or better yet, public funding of stadiums that are underutilized? Maybe, just maybe Barry Bonds' record-breaking moment isn't the 9/11 of sports.

Bonds was not the first to be linked to performance-enhancers and most certainly won't be the last. However, what has only been mumbled by some and amplified by few is that owners and executives looked away from players who had been using. While saying that taking these enhancers is cheating is debateable - because it's easy for those of us who couldn't get beyond our own neighborhood little leagues to question those few who made these games a livelihood - one absolute truth is that the economic state of the game allowed for these 'travesties'.

This is a sport - God love the game, bury the business - that built itself upn the reserve clause that bounded a player's services to a team essentially for the duration of their careers unless a trade was agreed upon between owners. This is a sport that needed Branch Rickey to point out the economic windfall of integration and that in itself took twelve years to be fully accepted. This is a sport that didn't have a real playoff system until a strike knocked out the World Series and disillusioned many fans until the 1998 home run chase from Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. This is a sport that has managed to survive for decades with at least half of the teams out of contention for any form of the postseason by the end of April. Worst of all, this is a sport that believes that there is a problem with teams such as the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Angels and Dodgers opening their wallets to any player available while the Pirates, A's, Twins, Devil Rays, Marlins and until recently, the Brewers continue to cry about being unable to compete and unwilling to spend a little to make greater dividends in the long run - and feeding off of the revenue-sharing (read: welfare) of the spending teams while they're at it.

What does the economic structure of baseball have to do with a few syringes? Everything.

Owners, especially those who operated teams that had little to no chances to play in October, needed a reason to bring fans to the seats other than grooming their own players in the farm or making wise trades and free agent signings. Is there any way to explain how several teams had gone over a decade without playing meaningful games in August and September? Is there a way to explain how a team can win two championships and have firesales shortly after bringing home titles (Florida)? And has anyone decided to tell Billy Beane that Moneyball has lost its steam? You rarely hear of contending teams having players who have this controversy because winning has brought fans to the seats. Winning = more $, right? There is a cicrus-like admiration for the home run and since the days of one Babe Ruth all the way to today, it has been the game's most used marketing tool. Commercials aren't adorned with Edgar Renteria, Kevin Youklis and Russell Martin, but with Ryan Howard, David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez. The next time someone nominates Todd Helton for MVP will be the first.

If the business of the game can somehow be corrected - ideally, this would include new ownership in many locales - then the dependence on the longball can be mitigated, hence the dependence on bulging arms will be cut down significantly. Then again, how many of us actually use our complete physical and mental being to make a living? There will be some degree of use by players, but to believe that this is the biggest problem facing the sport is very short-sighted. Use of enhancers is the symptom to a larger problem that has continued to be ignored because there are still a few cheapskates willing to pull down the sport as a whole.

By the way, there's some pretty good baseball going on if you care to look around. Believe me, you'll like it.

Say What?!?!: It is August, which means that football season is around the bend from The Big House to the New Big Sombrero. If you need a primer on why this season is going to be one of the all-time best, take a look at the offseason movement after the Colts won Super Bowl XLI.

From the Locker Room to the Board Room: This is a new tidbit I hope to add to every post. The business student/future ad man in me finds what goes on within league offices and team operations fascinating and hopefully, you will in some way as well. Here is your first dose.