2024 MLB Postseason

The 2024 season featured 6 division winners that were all largely decided by August 1st, but the final two wild card spots in each league were thrilling to the very last pitch of the season - a season that was extended by an extra day with an epic Mets-Braves winner-take-all doubleheader.  All is right with the world as the huge-payroll Yankees, Padres, and Mets are all returning to the postseason this year.  Once again, the Brewers won the NL Central despite being written off by every baseball analyst in the country - just as they were last year - and this will be their 6th postseason in the last 7 years, including 4 division titles in that stretch.  The Crew has the 6th most wins in all of baseball since the start of their run of success in 2017, so it really makes me wonder when they'll start to be taken seriously.  Even I wrote them off in Spring Training this year, and I hope I can eat my own words as I watch them hoist the World Series trophy in a month.  With repeated success comes expectations, and the years of just being happy with making the postseason are long gone.  There's no reason to think this team can't make a deep run in a softer playoff field than I can remember in recent years.  Almost every team in the playoffs, especially in the American League, has either limped in, or has a ton of injuries, or some discernable flaw, and no team won 100 games.  The two possible exceptions to the "soft" playoff field are the Brewers' first round opponent of the Mets, and the Detroit Tigers.  Both teams came out of nowhere to snag the final wild card spots in their respective leagues, and the Tigers were even sellers at the trade deadline.  They overcame a 10-game deficit in the final 6 weeks of the season, becoming the first team in MLB history to overcome a double-digit deficit that late in the season.  This historic stretch can be greatly attributed to the embarrassing collapse of the Twins, who went an abysmal 13-27 in their final 40 games.  A similar collapse also occurred in the AL West, where the Astros started the year just 7-19 and were below .500 at the All-Star Break before erasing a 10-game deficit to surpass the Mariners in route to yet another division title.  You can't put a bow on the 2024 regular season without mentioning two things - Shohei Ohtani and the Chicago White Sox.  Shohei created his own category of player by achieving the first 50/50 season of all time, and might very well become the first full-time DH to win an MVP award.  Shockingly, in his 7th MLB season, this will be his first time in the playoffs.  And the lowly White Sox went 41-121, thus surpassing the 1962 Mets with the most losses in a season in the Modern Era.  I'm not sure why everyone in baseball is so shocked that the AL Central - widely considered the worst division in baseball - fielded 3 playoff teams when each of them got to play the White Sox 13 times.

I picked the Braves and Orioles to go to the World Series before the season, and while technically that's still a possibility, I'm not feeling super confident about either of those teams right now.  It took the O's sweeping the Twins over the weekend just for me to push on my preseason bet over 91 wins.  Here's hoping the Crew plays deep into October so that I can make it back for a playoff game.  There are a lot of really intriguing matchups in the Wild Card round, and I can't wait for it to start in just 3 short hours.

PLAYOFFS START 10/1/24
NL Wild Card Round - #3 Brewers host #6 Mets, #4 Padres host #5 Braves
NLDS - #1 Dodgers v. 4/5 Winner, #2 Phillies v. 3/6 Winner

AL Wild Card Round - #3 Astros host #6 Tigers, #4 Orioles host #5 Royals
ALDS - #1 Yankees v. 4/5 Winner, #2 Guardians v. 3/6 Winner

World Series Prediction: Phillies defeat Astros in 7
Rooting for: Brewers v. Orioles

Preseason Predictions:
#1 Braves
#2 Dodgers
#3 Cubs
#4 Phillies
#5 Padres
#6 Reds

#1 Orioles
#2 Astros
#3 Twins
#4 Yankees
#5 Blue Jays
#6 Rangers

Preseason World Series Prediction: Braves defeat Orioles

FINAL STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 10/1/24:
Brewers 93-69, +10.0, 1st NL Central; NL WC v. Mets
Twins 82-80, -10.5, 4th AL Central; eliminated
Orioles 91-71, -3.0, 2nd AL East; AL WC v. Royals

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 7
Peter - 32

Ranking the City Connect Uniforms

The Minnesota Twins became the final team to debut a City Connect uniform in June of this year (final, but not the 30th - more on that later).  I thought they were one of the better done ones, and I've had a lot of strong opinions and discussions with others on various teams' versions of this cool concept.  And so with that, I get to write something I've been excited about for a couple years now: my ranking of all the City Connect uniforms.  I quickly found that once I got past the top few obvious best ones, it got really difficult and nit-picky, so you'll see that I've broken my rankings down into tiers to make this task a little easier.

Tier 1: Best of the Best
1.  Los Angeles Angels
One of the few things this organization has done right recently.  These are honestly so good that they should be their regular uniforms, and in reality they are just a sprucing up of their current duds.  They're a bit more subtle than some (looking at you, Padres), but I am a sucker for a great font, cool patches, a differently colored front panel cap, and an off-white home uniform, and the Angels feature all four of these.

2.  Miami Marlins
These pay homage to the former AAA Havana Sugar Kings uniforms, and are perfectly Miami without being too loud or busy (again, looking at you, Padres).

3.  Colorado Rockies
If you're a fan of the green Colorado license plate, then these are for you.  Of course there are mountains, but also some cool small details like the the ski-inspired sleeve patch.  It's a crying shame that these are being replaced next season.  The Rockies should be spending their efforts on revamping the stalest uniforms in baseball that have been basically unchanged since their inception over 30 years ago, rather than get rid of one of the best City Connects in the game.

Tier 2: Nearly Perfect

4.  Washington Nationals
Sadly, these "Back in Bloom" jerseys are also stupidly being replaced at the end of the year.  The contrast of the gray patterned uniform with the pink cherry blossoms is stunning, and I love the DC flag patch - one of the best US flags.  I think the only thing missing for me is a reference to the Capitol or a famous DC monument/building somewhere.

5.  Seattle Mariners
The original 1977 look is represented in these City Connects, which is unmistakably the best era of Mariners uniforms.  Love the trident and the '70s style, I just can't get past the black pants.

6.  Houston Astros
These are on the more subtle side in the City Connect spectrum, but the "Space City" reference was an obvious choice.  Again, I love a good font, and I've always been nuts about that retro space font.  The orbiting planet on the cap is a nice touch.  But just too monotone for me.  If they required the high pants with the orange socks for every player they'd be fantastic, but the navy top with long navy pants is a bit too much.  UPDATE: It was announced on 9/22 that the Astros will also be replacing their City Connects next year.  What's with all the best ones going away?

7.  Los Angeles Dodgers
When I started compiling this list last year, the Dodgers had the worst City Connects by a mile, so I'm glad they got a new set this year.  These have a nice font as well, but the layout is what stands out on these.  I love the positioning of the number high on the front breast, and the name below the number on the back that ever-so-slightly cuts off the bottom of the numbers.  The theme of these is Hollywood, and the faint star pattern is a really nice touch.

8.  Kansas City Royals
Futuristic, faux-retro "KC" and "R" logos adorn the tops, which tie to the architecture and era of Kauffman Stadium, and the linework I'm guessing is a subtle reference to the fountains.  The striped banding on the sleeves is phenomenal.  A lot of teams teams use a baby blue throwback color, but the Royals have always been one of the best at it.

9.  Minnesota Twins
Maybe I'm being a bit of a homer here, but I like these.  I'm sure it was no easy task to debut an entirely new set of every-day uniforms and a City Connect in consecutive seasons.  The theme of lakes and the North Star is low hanging fruit, but it really pops with the bold color palette.  I appreciate the City Connects that successfully stray from their normal team colors.

10.  Texas Rangers
They have an Old West font and a boot spur on them.  All they're missing is a huge belt buckle, and that's actually my only legitimate gripe with them.  These could have been really gaudy and covered in Texas flags and guns and longhorns, so I appreciate that they're a little more understated.

Tier 3: Good Elements

11.  Milwaukee Brewers

I really struggled with where to rank the Brewers, obviously.  Ultimately I love the colors, I love that they say "Brew Crew," and the grill patch is the best individual element on any of the City Connects.  I just can't get past the caps.  They're way too busy and borderline ugly, and when you already have the best everyday logo in baseball, anything less than than perfection on the cap is a failure.

12.  Toronto Blue Jays
My only real problem with these is they're way too dark.  The dark-on-dark uniforms with dark font don't make any sense to me and are impossible to read.  If these were done in say, Canada Red, I think they'd be in my top 5.  The cap reference to the logo they had for like one season in the early 2000s is a nice touch.

13.  Detroit Tigers
I hated these ones at first, but that tire tread pattern grew on me, and I like the colors and the highway sign number patch.  Much like the Brewers ones, I can't get past the caps.  They just say "DETROIT" in all caps, it's like they forgot to do a cap and made one themselves on VistaPrint.  Even the promotional photos with Eminem depict him donning a regular Olde English 'D' cap with the top.

14.  Philadelphia Phillies
Historic teams with timeless iconic uniforms like the Phillies are really tough to pull off a good alternate for, and most people are probably going to hate them no matter what.  They've got a pretty good team, so I'm sure Phillies fans appreciate having something they can boo at again.  The font is awful, but I like the color scheme and the Liberty Bell cap was an obvious choice.

15.  Cleveland Guardians
These seem to be one of the more polarizing sets of City Connects out there.  I've seen these ranked in the top 5 and the bottom 5 and everywhere in between depending on which publication you read, so that might be part of the reason I have them directly in the middle of my list.  At the end of the day, they just look too much like their current jerseys.  I love the chunky Art Deco font and going all-in on the "Guardians of Traffic" motif, but a slightly different color scheme or a different cap logo would have gone a long way.

16.  Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were first out of the gate in early 2021, and appropriately they're racing themed - The Boston Marathon, to be exact.  These have a strong concept but could be executed better, if you look at these in grayscale they still feel too much like their regular uniforms.

Tier 4: Missed the Mark

17.  San Diego Padres
This is my "A for effort, D for execution" tier of uniforms.  The Padres wanting their uniforms to reflect the culture and artwork and playfulness of the region, I totally get that and respect that.  I just personally find them hideous and loud and hard to look at.

18.  Chicago White Sox
"Southside" on the front was absolutely the right call.  But it's all downhill from there.  The White Sox are really leaning into the crime of the area with the gangster font.  And can we try something besides black pinstriped?  Maybe the 1980s look complete with shorts?

19.  Tampa Bay Rays
Same comment as the dark-on-dark Toronto jerseys, but worse.  The cap logo is great and should be more prominent.  I was hoping for some iteration of their Joe Maddon-era "faux-backs" for this one.

20.  Chicago Cubs
Similar issues to their south side counterparts.  Embracing the neighborhood makes sense, but the dark-on-dark is tired, and they feel too much like their regular uniforms.

21.  New York Mets
They have a subway font, a bridge on the cap, they say NYC on the chest...I get what they're trying to do.  The dark gray is just a bad choice and makes these unpalatable.  Being a Mets fan is depressing enough, let's get some more of that pink in there.  There are some thoughtful details in this uniform that get almost entirely lost in the gray.

Tier 5:  Lazy

22.  Pittsburgh Pirates
Modifications made this year moved this one up to the top of this tier.  These originally had black pants with a yellow cap to go with a yellow shirt, but this year they switched to white pants and added a Willie Stargell-era black cap with yellow stars and stripes.  I'm sensing a theme here - the '70s had the best uniforms!  They also replaced a weird yellow helmet with their regular black one.  Featuring the airport abbreviation with no discernable flare keeps this one in the "lazy" category.

23.  Baltimore Orioles
A very boring font with nothing memorable in another black ensemble.  There is a very small pop of color on the collar and the sleeves that is barely visible.  Similar to the Pirates, they did change their black pants to white this year, which was a slight improvement.

24.  Cincinnati Reds
Again with the black-on-black.  Even more unreadable than the Jays and Rays versions.  The cap logo is about all they've got going for them.

25.  San Francisco Giants
Yup, the Bay Area is foggy, I get it.  You know what's hard to do in the fog?  Read.  The crisp white also feels weird on a team whose regular uniforms are cream.

26.  Arizona Diamondbacks
They took their regular uniforms, translated "snakes" to Spanish, and changed the color to sand.  I don't get why anyone likes these.

27.  Atlanta Braves
My complaint with these is not the actual uniform - I actually think they're sharp.  It's that these are nearly identical to their Hank Aaron-era uniforms.  Yes we've established that the '70s have the best style, but not a literal copy.  Nothing is new or creative about these in any way.

Tier 6: Why Even Bother?

28.  St. Louis Cardinals
It seems appropriate that the Cardinals should be in a category all by themselves, since that's how they view themselves.  The caps are of the homemade variety a la Tigers, and they took their regular tops and just changed "Cardinals" to "The Lou" in the same font.  Oh but wait, they're red now!  Wow!  "The Lou" is also just a horrible nickname.  Rely on a century of stubborn tradition and expect everyone to blindly get on board - The Cardinal Way.

Tier 7: They Didn't Bother.

29.  Oakland Athletics
Understandable that they would not create a jersey proclaiming their love of a city they are soon abandoning.  And don't expect them to create one anytime soon given their vagabond status.

30.  New York Yankees
What a surprise, the Yankees didn't want to sully their nearly unchanged look and stoop down to the level of the other 28 teams by actually making something fun.  We're talking about the only team in baseball that has only two primary uniforms - one home, one away, zero alternates.  The Yankees are actually going in the reverse direction and stripping down their existing uniforms to even more bare.  For the 2024 season, they removed the white trim from the numbers, letters, and sleeves of their road uniforms, thus reverting back to their pre-1973, Mickey Mantle-era style with just basic black numerals on a plain gray jersey.  Exciting.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/20/24:
Brewers 88-65, +10.0, clinched NL Central; 4 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Pirates, 3 v. Mets
Twins 80-73, -8.5, -- WC; 3 @ Red Sox, 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Orioles
Orioles 85-68, -4.0, +5.0 WC, magic number 4; 3 v. Tigers, 3 @ Yankees, 3 @ Twins

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 7
Peter - 31

MLB Ballpark Roulette

(rendering of proposed Las Vegas Ballpark courtesy of Oakland A's and MLB.com)

As the sun begins to set on another season, many MLB teams remain in the weeds on where their future homes will be or what they will look like.  Below is a list of teams that I've mentioned on this blog in some capacity over the last few years in terms of seeking a new ballpark, and the likelihood I've assigned to each of them either breaking ground on a new home, majorly renovating their current home, or moving somewhere else, before the expiration of Commissioner Manfred's current contract in January 2029.  I feel like this date is significant and not arbitrary for purposes of this list, because Manfred has repeatedly stated that he wants to see major ballpark "situations" resolved before expansion is considered and before he retires, particularly the Rays and A's.

1.  Tampa Bay Rays - 99%

See my post from last month.  Even if the anticipated groundbreaking of January 2025 gets delayed a bit, I still see this ballpark (or some iteration of it) as a near certainty to break ground next year.  And that's weird to say.

2.  Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas/"Insert City Here" Athletics - 95%

Let's move to the white elephant in the room - the A's.  If the question was about my confidence in their current ballpark plan, or even their move to Vegas in general, I'd have this under 50%.  But I have them at 95% simply because it is a fact that they have just 9 remaining regular season games scheduled at the Coliseum, so they will need to find a home somewhere.  They're currently slated to play in Sacramento from 2025-27 with an option for 2028, and I'm not entirely ruling out that the team will remain there long term in a new MLB-appropriate park.  I even think crawling back to Oakland with their tail between their legs begging to revive their new stadium talks is a possibility.  The government portion of the financing that was earmarked in June 2023 for the Vegas ballpark was contingent on the approval of a set of four agreements - community benefits, development, lease, and non-relocation, and so far only the first of those has been formally approved.  The Las Vegas Stadium Authority seems confident that the remaining agreements will all be approved by the end of this year (Chairman Steve Hill has even cancelled some additional workshop meetings as a signal of progress), but the biggest question mark that has always been out there still remains - how are the Athletics paying for their share?  Shockingly, there have not been any minority investors lining up for a chance to work with infamously shady owner John Fisher.  The team recently announced they would be co-hosting a Tropicana Hotel Implosion Ceremony on October 8th - a quintessential A's smoke-and-mirrors move that does not guarantee a new ballpark will rise from that crater anytime soon.

3.  Kansas City Royals - 75%

The Royals were dealt a huge blow back in the April election, when over 58% of voters rejected a referendum to continue an existing 3/8th-percent tax to help finance a new ballpark in the Crossroads District of downtown Kansas City.  The tax would have also helped finance major renovations to the NFL Chiefs' stadium which is next door to Kauffman Stadium.  Many saw it as a rush to get this on the ballot with no firm stadium plan, but the argument for the rush was likely to capitalize on the excitement surrounding the Royals recently extending Bobby Witt Jr., new ballpark renderings being released, and the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, all of which happened around the same time in early February.  As much as I would have loved to see this approved, kudos to KC voters for not shelling out tax dollars to a billionaire.  I do ultimately think the Royals will get a new stadium, as owner John Sherman seems very motivated to do so, but with their lease not expiring until the end of the 2030 season, as well as generational renovations being completed at Kauffman just 15 years ago, there is some time here.  The newest wrinkle is that the Kansas side of the river is making a huge play to steal the Royals in light of the tax rejection.  Back in June, some new renderings were circulated of what a new stadium could look like in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Kansas, which is just over the border in an industrial part of town.  And just this week, the governor of Kansas signed into law the authorization of STAR Bonds to help fund a hypothetical new stadium there.  The Royals have made it clear they are not involved with these Kansas plans in any way, but I'm sure they will have open ears now.  Rendering above courtesy of MANICA Architecture.

4.  Arizona Diamondbacks - 50%

The D-Backs are in a similar situation to the Rays, in that their original 30-year lease from when the team began in 1998 is nearing its end.  The situation is also very different, however, as the D-Backs had a sparkling new stadium on Day 1 of their franchise, and they have a great location in downtown Phoenix that would be hard to give up.  The team has been pretty quiet on negotiations since the beginning of the year.  There are the same veiled threats that all owners put out when they're looking for money, but I do think eventually the team decides on the renovation route and stays put.  And after visiting this park in November for the World Series, I can tell you that the park sorely needs the upgrades.  Many of the non-glamorous items like the sound system, lighting, HVAC, and roof apparatus are still original to the stadium - in fact, the Diamondbacks can no longer even safely open the roof while fans are inside.  I see the team signing a lease extension and working out the money situation at some point, but it might be a series of short-term leases after 2027 until it gets resolved.  As we've seen with the NHL Coyotes moving to Utah this season, and with all of the investment already occurring for Spring Training facilities, the Phoenix metro area has little appetite for building any more new stadiums.

5.  Chicago White Sox - 25%

See my post from last month.  The team and the city/state are very far apart on the dollars and nothing is urgent about this right now.  The lawmakers are going to want to get the NFL Bears sorted out first before a team that's about to break the modern era record for most losses in a season, and has to compete with the beloved Cubs for attention no less.

6.  Los Angeles Angels - 10%

The wild card of this situation is how long Arte Moreno will go on owning the team.  I can talk about stadium leases all I want as I have with the other teams (theirs ends after 2029), but if Moreno keeps the team, the Angels are just going to go on playing at decrepit Angel Stadium in perpetuity.  He's too cheap and closed-minded to do anything else, and already has one failed attempt at negotiating with Anaheim for a new ballpark 2 years ago, which ended so poorly that he did publicly consider selling the team for awhile.  But don't worry, he netted a huge settlement sum from that corruption ordeal recently.  However, he is 78 years old, so similar to Jerry Reinsdorf in Chicago, if he dies or sells the team, all bets are off.  Surely any new ownership group would make vacating Angel Stadium a priority, but there's just too much money in LA to ever leave that market.  They have a $3B television deal that doesn't expire until 2031, which is also not coincidentally around the time Mike Trout's huge contract ends, so I think that's the date to look at for some movement on this.  The NHL Ducks across the street will also have a $4B development completed by that time that the Angels can stew about and wonder "what if," so the end of the decade will be very interesting in Anaheim.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 9/5/24:

Brewers 81-59, +9.0, magic number 13; 3 v. Rockies, 3 @ Giants, 3 @ Diamondbacks, 3 v. Phillies

Twins 75-64, -4.5, -- WC, magic number 18; 3 @ Royals, 3 v. Angels, 3 v. Reds, 4 @ Guardians

Orioles 81-60, +0.5, magic number 12; 3 v. Rays, 3 @ Red Sox, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Giants

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 31

Rox Win Great Plains West, Lose in Division Championship

(photo courtesy of Rox website)

The St. Cloud Rox had a phenomenal season in our first as partial season ticket holders, coming on strong late in the season to win the second half of the Great Plains West division, with an overall record of 43-26.  They made it out of the first round of the 8-team playoff field with a victory in the best-of-3 series against nearby rival Willmar, and in doing so, became the first team in Northwoods League history to come back to win a 3-game playoff series after dropping the first game at home.  The magic would end in the second round, losing a winner-take-all game to the LaCrosse Loggers by a score of 8-1 in the Great Plains Championship.  This season was a continuation of a particularly prolific period in franchise history.  Since 2015 (ironically the year of my first St. Cloud game), the Rox have earned playoff births in 8 of the 9 non-COVID seasons, 4 division championships, the best overall league record in 2021, and one Northwoods League Championship back in 2017.  Ben Higdon, a Junior from Southern Miss, led the team in batting average, RBI, walks, and games played, was second in homeruns with 11, and was also named a mid-season All-Star.  Among pitchers with at least 1 start, Dallin Harrison (San Diego) led the team in ERA and wins, Piercen McElyea (Tarleton State) led the team with 52 strikeouts, and Kaden Pfeffer (SCSU) led the team with 52 innings pitched.

The Rox went 5-2 in the seven games of our ticket package and 26-9 overall at home this season, including a remarkable 18-3 home record in the second half.  They were such a fun team to watch, particularly offensively, and I cannot wait to return to Joe Faber Field next year!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/23/24:

Brewers 73-54, +10.0; 3 @ Athletics, 3 v. Giants, 4 @ Reds, 3 v. Cardinals

Twins 71-56, -2.0, -- WC; 3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Blue Jays, 4 @ Rays

Orioles 74-55, -1.5, +2.0 WC; 4 v. Astros, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Rockies, 3 v. White Sox

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 29

White Sox Enter the Conversation for New Ballpark

(rendering by proposed developer Related Midwest)

With the Rays' new ballpark seemingly close to a lock, and the Royals and A's ballpark situations sputtering, the Chicago White Sox now have their proverbial hand out to the State of Illinois as they enter the stadium sweepstakes.  With the end of their current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field looming after the 2029 season, the White Sox and owner Jerry Reinsdorf are being pro-active by circulating some sexy renderings for a new ballpark that could completely transform Chicago.  The proposed site is known as "The 78," which is a 62-acre vacant plot of land that was formerly home to a railyard for decades, and smack dab in the middle of downtown in the South Loop.  It has been coveted by developers for years, as it represents the largest undeveloped parcel of land in downtown Chicago with worlds of potential and tax revenue.  Billionaire Reinsdorf has "generously" offered to foot "some" of the bill for this project, but is largely hoping for a public subsidy of over $1.2B in the form of a 2% hotel tax.

There are several practical reasons why the White Sox would want a new park, so that in and of itself isn't a surprise.  The current location of Guaranteed Rate Field on the south side is horrible and very polarizing for both fans and visitors.  It's not a great or safe neighborhood, and it is surrounded by nothing but parking lots and the Dan Ryan Expressway.  Maintaining or building a new ballpark in its current location only benefits the residents and homes immediately west and walkable to the park, but is otherwise far from a destination for anyone else.  Moving to a downtown site would afford a surrounding development opportunity that just doesn't exist on the South Side; it's far more lucrative currently for the team to maximize all of the parking lot revenue.  The stadium itself was also completed in 1991 and had the misfortune of opening just before Camden Yards, which completely changed the game and started the retro ballpark craze.  This caused what was then known as Comiskey Park II to become obsolete almost immediately.  It also has some notable major design flaws that would be hard to remedy without a complete gut, such as the ridiculously steep upper bowl, and all of the vertical circulation being on the exterior outside the gates, which means that fans are restricted to only their ticketed level for the entire game.  With the stadium lease being up in 5 1/2 years and Reinsdorf being 88 years old, logistically now is the time to kick this conversation into high gear.

However, practical reasons aside, the timing and manner in which the team is pursuing this could not be any worse.  The Bears are also pursuing public financing for a new stadium at the same time and would surely be the preferred breadwinner if any public money is handed out at all, which is by no means a sure thing.  Guaranteed Rate Field was 100% publicly financed and is only a little more than 30 years old, so the appetite for funding another new park is just not there, especially when $50M in bonding still exists on the current ballpark that would have to somehow be managed.  Chicago might not even want to squander a major opportunity on this huge vacant parcel on another stadium, which have been proven in study after study to be a sinkhole for property taxes and do not spur desirable long-term development or growth.  It's also just not a great look for a billionaire to be asking for a handout in year when his team is vying to surpass the 1962 Mets as the worst in the history of the modern era.  It's a delicate balance to be sure, as these projects cost tons of time and capital, but the city could also be in a situation where the Bears, White Sox, and MLS Fire (who also play at Soldier Field) could all leave town, which Chicago would obviously like to avoid.

However inconceivable it might be for an octogenarian owner to threaten to move a team to another city or state, blackmail almost always works in these situations, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years.  After the Rays in 2028, it's far from certain what the next new MLB park will be to open, despite what the respective teams or the media tell you.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/9/24:

Brewers 65-49, +7.0; 3 v. Reds, 4 v. Dodgers, 3 v. Guardians, 3 @ Cardinals

Twins 63-50, -3.5, +0.5 WC; 4 v. Guardians, 3 v. Royals, 4 @ Rangers, 3 @ Padres

Orioles 68-48, --; 3 @ Rays, 2 v. Nationals, 4 v. Red Sox, 3 @ Mets

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 27

Rays New Stadium Deal Finally Official

(rendering courtesy of Tampa Bay Times)

Let the hyperbole and skepticism abound, Tampa Bay Rays fans.  You've been waiting for a new ballpark since pretty much Day 1 of your team's existence, and it appears the wait is almost over.  After decades of failed stadium efforts on multiple sites in multiple cities, and after many cockamamie schemes and threats to move the team, it appears that the Tampa Bay Rays will finally be getting a new home in downtown St. Petersburg.  In the past couple of weeks, the St. Petersburg City Council and the Pinellas County Commission both formally approved their shares of public subsidy for the estimated $1.3B ballpark, which will be one part of an overall $6.5B development of what is known locally as the Gas Plant District.  The ballpark and district will be sited next to and surrounding Tropicana Field, which is the current home of the Rays that will eventually be torn down.  Groundbreaking is expected in January 2025 with an anticipated completion in time for Opening Day 2028.  These dates coincide with the Rays' original 30-year lease on the Trop expiring after the 2027 season.

Some of the metrics of this historic project:

• St. Petersburg is contributing $429.5M to the total project, in the form of tax-exempt bonds that will be repaid through a TIF.  $287.5M of that money goes towards the ballpark, $12M for an on-site wastewater treatment facility, and the remainder towards infrastructure improvements for the overall district.  St. Petersburg is also selling 65 acres of public land to the Rays for this development for $105M.
• Pinellas County is contributing $312.5M to the total project, which will come from an existing hotel bed tax.  Only 40% of that tax is allowed by law to go towards stadium funding, so there will also be some debt incurred by the county to cover the gap.
• The Rays are contributing over $700M towards the ballpark, plus any cost overruns, as well as the development of the remainder of the site through debt, private equity, and outside investors.
• The Rays will have a 30-year lease with two 5-year optional extensions on the new ballpark, including a non-relocation agreement
• Ballpark will be the most intimate in the majors, with only 25,000-30,000 planned fixed seats on primarily 2 levels, and a capacity of around 34,000 for baseball games when factoring in social spaces and standing room areas, as well as a very minimal amount of foul territory.  It will feature a tiered pavilion-style fixed roof and artificial turf.
• Gas Plant District is planned to eventually include 5,400 residential units, 750 hotel rooms, 1.4M square feet of Class A office and medical space, 750K square feet of retail, a separate 4,000-seat concert venue, and 14 acres of green space.  A new African-American Museum will also be built - this site was an historically majority-black area of the city that was infamously displaced by the Trop in the 1980s.  It is unclear how much if any of the surrounding development will be built by the time the ballpark opens - hopefully it is closer to the Atlanta situation than DC.

Aside from the cash grab by a billionaire owner which I've repeated ad nauseum, the two most interesting parts of this ballpark to me are the roof and the site.  I cringed when I saw the renderings that depict the all-too-familiar low slung roof on trusses suspended over the field, as I immediately thought of all the troubles that Tropicana Field is notorious for with batted ball interference.  Many covered stadiums have successfully worked through this issue with extensive studies, but the roof just looks so short in the renderings that I really hope that some people smarter than me are not wasting all this effort just to recreate the same problem.  I also find it interesting that after years of trying to get out of downtown St. Petersburg because of the well-documented issues the site has with access from across the bay, that the Rays are just going all-in on building on the exact same site they are now.  It just goes to show that money cures all ills, and teams will follow anyone who is willing to cough it up.

It feels like I've been following the new Rays stadium process since this blog started over 17 years go, so in a way the end to this saga feels kind of anti-climatic.  I also am not entirely going to believe this is happening until I see pictures of shovels in the ground, but it sure seems to have a more solid foundation that the A's dumpster fire situation.  2028 has the potential to be just the beginning of a very exciting era of new major league ballparks, and Erik and I are ready for it.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/1/24:

Brewers 61-47, +5.0; 3 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves

Twins 59-48, -6.0, -- WC; 3 v. White Sox, 3 @ Cubs

Orioles 65-44, +0.5; 4 @ Guardians, 3 @ Blue Jays

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 27

Fr. Nicholas Donnay Park

All photos of Fr. Nicholas Donnay Park available on Flickr.

Back to reality from my wonderful time in the Pacific Northwest means back to watching town ball in the boonies.  On Sunday, I made it out to my 4th different Town Ball park of the year in the miniscule unincorporated community of St. Nicholas.  Remember what I said about Lake Henry - that there's always somewhere smaller and more remote you can go?  Well, St. Nick made Lake Henry look like Minneapolis.  It's so small that it hasn't even been visited by the Google Street View car.  This community literally consists of one intersection at County Roads 21 & 165, around which are situated a couple of farms, about a dozen houses, and - you guessed it - St. Nicholas Church.  Behind this church is School Lake, which features lovely St. Nik's Park along its southern shore.  This park consists of two playing fields, one of which hosts the St. Nicholas Nicks.  There was already a haphazard array of vehicles filling the grass and gravel parking lot when I arrived, and I managed to wedge my car precariously between two trucks at the top of a drainage ditch, just barely out of reach of any errant foul balls.  I had Molly in tow with me once again on this adventure, as well as a couple of lawn chairs and a bag full of snacks and water bottles per usual.

The MBA website tells me that the Nicks' playing field is named in memoriam of a former priest at the parish down the road, and whose support was instrumental in the construction and improvement of this park.  The parking lot for the most part is positioned directly behind home plate, and the ballpark is wide open to that parking lot with the exception of a puny 4-row bleacher section, so you get a very clear view of the field when you approach from your car.  Honestly, we probably could have seen more of the field from the parking lot than from where we sat inside.  It was so unencumbered that I was shocked people did not park their cars directly behind home plate and watch, as people are apt to do at town ball games.  Instead, select patrons chose the left field corner as the designated "watch ball from your truck" zone.  This left field area also contained a very odd hay wagon with a ladder that was either a sorry excuse for a party deck, or equally likely, somebody just towed it there themselves to watch from.  Moving around to the outfield is a hand-operated inning tally.  Like clockwork, at the end of every inning, a guy on an ATV would ride out to the scoreboard and post the top and bottom half numbers, and then disappear down a hill beyond, almost as if he was listening to the game somewhere else on some weirdly low-bandwidth radio station.  The two permanent structures for the ballpark flanked either side of home plate, next to the dugouts.  The building next to the 3rd base dugout was your typical storage/clubhouse building, and the building next to the 1st base dugout was the concession stand, which featured a very nice and much appreciated covered pavilion.  This is where almost every fan sat, minus the hay wagon folks and a few brave fans baking on the metal bleachers.  The mercury got close to 90°F on Sunday, so we gladly sacrificed a view of half of the field in order to sit in the shade and closer to the guy selling ice cold beer and 25-cent freeze pops.  This pavilion featured half a dozen picnic tables and a couple standing rails in lieu of traditional seating, and really reinforced that town ball experience that is more of a community gathering than actually caring what is happening in the game.  There was also a small playground area near the bullpen in right field which Molly obviously loved.  Between chasing after foul balls to exchange for free freeze pops, sliding down the slide, running around on the adjacent field, and talking to the players in the dugout five feet away from us, it felt like there was more to entertain her here than at most other games we've been to at a fraction of the cost, and I loved that.  I'll also add that Fr. Donnay Park sold the same delicious hot dogs and $25 twelve-packs of beer that still always surprises me, but at the same time, I'm also growing to expect at every town ball park.

St. Nicholas is a part of Luxemburg Township, and that's who they happened to play on this day, so it was kind of a rivalry game of sorts.  These teams play in the same league and there was actually a far larger contingent of Luxemburg fans there than St. Nick's fans.  Even the guy running the concession stand seemed to be friends with some of the Luxemburg players and ran into their dugout a few times for high fives.  This is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen Luxemburg play, and I've sort of adopted them as my favorite town ball team outside of Cold Spring since they are called the Brewers and very clearly ripped off Milwaukee's ball-and-glove logo.  Completely by accident, I always seem to be wearing a Brewers cap whenever I go to a game that they're playing, so people assume I'm a fan and I just go with it.  The final score was a 5-1 victory for the Nicks over the Brewers, and as usual I can't tell you many specifics I remember, nor do they exist on the internet.  It was hard enough to keep track of the number of outs let alone what was happening in the game.  There wasn't even a PA guy.  I do vividly recall the Luxemburg pitcher gutting out about 6 or 7 innings with a severe limp, and also had a hit in the game, and I will always remember seeing the St. Nick's first baseman that weighed at least 300 pounds and got "courtesy run" for every time he reached base.  Let's just say the tight horizontal striped uniform was not flattering on him.

The town ball regular season is wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, and this was likely my last new town ball park of the year.  It has been so fun exploring these surrounding towns, particularly with Molly, and it's been one of the highlights of my first full summer as a Minnesotan.

park rankings and statistics

(for purposes of amateur/town ball rankings, some categories are changed to just yes/no questions):
aesthetics - 2
views from park - 4 (would be nice if you could see the lake behind the trees)
view to field - 1 (could only see half the field from where I sat)
surrounding area - 1 (unincorporated community)
concessions - yes
nachos - no
beer - yes
vendor price - 10
ticket price - 9 ($5)
atmosphere - 8
walk to park - 5
parking price/proximity - 10
concourses - 3
team shop - no

kids area -  yes

best food - 25-cent freeze pops
most unique stadium feature - covered pavilion
scoreboard - yes (manual inning tally only)

lights - no

best between-inning feature - chasing down foul balls earns you a quarter

field dimensions - 305/358/338
teams - Luxemburg Brewers v. St. Nicholas Nicks
time of game - 2:10-ish
attendance - 40-ish
score - 5-1 W 
Brewers score that day - 9-3 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 7/19/24:

Brewers 55-42, +4.5; 2 @ Twins, 3 @ Cubs, 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Braves

Twins 54-42, -4.5, +0.5 WC; 2 v. Brewers, 3 v. Phillies, 3 @ Tigers, 3 @ Mets

Orioles 58-38, +1.0; 3 @ Rangers, 3 @ Marlins, 3 v. Padres, 4 v. Blue Jays

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 25