Revisiting the Extended Netting Debate

This past week, yet another fan was injured by a foul ball.  Chicago Cubs OF Albert Almora hit a young girl at Minute Maid Park and she was rushed to the hospital.  Thankfully she seems to be improving and escaped a more serious injury, but it has once again sparked a debate over extending netting around fields at MLB parks.  This all comes after a 79-year-old woman was actually killed by a foul ball at Dodger Stadium last summer.  Beyond a death and a child getting seriously injured, it's alarming to think what else it would take to get MLB's attention on the matter.

The age-old debate on this is that while extended netting is obviously a safety benefit, it detracts from the game experience.  More fans would have to sit behind netting and have a semi-obstructed view.  Those in the camp that is opposed to more netting would also say that if you just pay attention, this wouldn't happen.  Both of these things could not be more false.  An incident occurred at a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game in 2002 where a young fan was struck in the temple with a stray puck, and the NHL immediately implemented mandatory nets behind the goal at each end the following season.  To date this remains the only NHL fan fatality and there is no evidence to suggest that attendance or "game experience" has been affected the last 17 years in any way.  Whether or not that fan, or the fan or the Astros fan, or any fan, is paying attention, a small projectile flying at you at 100+ mph is really hard to get out of the way of, especially if you are holding a child or a beer or whatever.  Even me being the avid baseball fan that I am, I find it hard to focus 100% of my attention on every pitch.  Baseball is social game where fans talk and walk around and that is to be expected.  And as someone who has been hit by a foul ball recently, I can tell you that only having a second or two to react, I was very fortunate that I or my daughter were not seriously hurt.  Not to say I am athletic in any sense of the word, but a young child or an elderly woman certainly would not have been able to react as quickly as I did.

It's time for Major League Baseball to stop worrying about shifts and pitch clocks and focus on a serious issue that actually matters - more protective netting.  Minor League Baseball teams are doing it, the players want it, the owners want it, and most fans want it.  Trying to appease 150 years of tradition is no excuse for the safety and well-being of fans and it would behoove MLB to show it is quick to act on something for once.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/4/19:

Brewers 34-26, +1.0; 3 v. Marlins, 3 v. Pirates, 2 @ Astros, 3 @ Giants

Twins 40-18, +11.5; 3 v. Mariners, 3 v. Royals, 3 v. Red Sox, 4 @ Royals

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 6

MLB Ballpark Proposals Behind the Scenes

It's been no secret over the last decade-plus that the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays have been desperately trying to improve their current ballpark situations.  I had written last August about how it seemed like the proposal for a new ballpark in Tampa was finally moving forward while the A's were losing steam in their search for a site.  Less than a year later, it seems like those positions have completely flipped.  Due to a lack of a concrete financing model, the Rays abandoned their Ybor City proposal and let this 3-year window to explore ballpark options in the Tampa area expire at the end of 2018, which has effectively locked them into the remainder of their lease at the Trop through 2027.  Another grueling 9 seasons at a ballpark that recently announced they will no longer be selling upper deck seats due to lack of demand, which has lowered their ballpark capacity to about 25,000 (which they will still never fill).  Besides financing, serious doubts have been expressed by the Rays ownership if there is even a fanbase to sustain a franchise in the area longterm (in other news: water is wet).

On the other hand, the A's have cleared a few governmental hurdles in the last few weeks, gaining local and state approvals to acquire the controversial Howard Terminal site to conduct an environmental study that could take up to 3 years.  The earliest possible opening if everything goes perfectly would be 2023, but if history is any indication, this will take much longer than that.  Some new pretty renderings by the ballpark's latest architect - BIG - have gotten the local area's hopes up yet again (see rendering above from firm's website).

But it's not just Oakland and Tampa that have made rumblings of new ballpark proposals.  Cities that have long been considered options for moving a franchise or even creating an expansion team have had exciting press releases in the past few weeks.  A Montreal group led by Canadian investor Stephen Bronfman was granted permission to develop plans for a site in the Peel Basin area of town, near the port downtown.  A Portland, Oregon group including Russell Wilson, Nike executive Craig Cheek, and the owner of the Trail Blazers has already raised over a billion dollars to privately finance a stadium and surrounding neighborhood with some sexy renderings.  The Mayor of Nashville, although non-committal on municipal financing, even threw his hat into the ring saying he would be open to an MLB team.  Commissioner Manfred has openly stated many times that he will not consider a move or an expansion until Oakland and Tampa Bay have exhausted all options, but things are heating up behind the scenes as other cities are sensing blood in the water.

The Texas Rangers will be opening up their new ballpark next year (and Erik and I will surely be going), which will be the first new ballpark in the majors since Atlanta's SunTrust Park in 2017.  If not Oakland, Tampa, or any of the other cities mentioned above, what city/team will be getting a new ballpark next?  The Angels are the frontrunner in my opinion.  They have the clearest path and the most money going forward.  They opted out of their long-term lease last year and are now on a year-to-year lease in order to discuss another major renovation of Angel Stadium, or explore a new ballpark either on the same site or in Long Beach.  Angel Stadium is the 4th oldest ballpark in the majors, and unlike Fenway, Dodger Stadium, and now Wrigley following its renovations, Angel Stadium has not aged particularly well.  With Mike Trout now locked up long term, I would not be surprised if he was playing in a new home stadium by the end of his contract.  The Diamondbacks were in litigation with Maricopa County over possible renovations the team feels were owed by the county and stadium district, and are using that as leverage to possibly leave their home since the team's inception in 1998, Chase Field.  I think there is also always the faint possibility the Royals follow the downtown ballpark trend and build a new stadium.  The Braves have broken the mold and created a new model of how a park on the outskirts of the city can survive with a successful live/work community surrounding it, and with how gorgeous and iconic Kauffman Stadium is, especially given the recent renovation, I see them going more of the Braves' route instead and building up the area.

Needless to say, the next decade or so will be interesting for Erik and I on the new ballpark front and we will be keeping a close eye on all the developing situations.  It's not outside the realm of possibilities that we could be visiting 5 or 6 new MLB stadiums by our 50th birthdays.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/24/19:

Brewers 29-22, -1.5; 3 v. Phillies, 2 @ Twins, 4 @ Pirates

Twins 33-16, +8.0; 3 v. White Sox, 2 v. Brewers, 4 @ Rays

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 6

Historic Flooding at Modern Woodmen Park Continues

Thoughts and prayers go out to the Quad Cities community as they enter their 2nd week of history flooding in Scott and Muscatine Counties in Iowa, particularly Davenport.  The Mississippi River barrier broke once again on May 1st, sending water rushing into downtown Davenport.  This seems to happen every spring in this area, but as climate change continues to be more and more of an issue, it will surely only worsen over time.

How this relates to baseball and ballparks is the decimation of the Quad Cities River Bandits home season.  They have only played 2 of their 15 home games so far in their actual home stadium, Modern Woodmen Park, which is famous situated right along the Mississippi River shore under the scenic Centennial Bridge.  12 of those 15 were relocated to other ballparks, and a 13th game scheduled to be played in Davenport was rained out.  A crucial renovation to the ballpark in 2004 included a flood barrier system that protects the stadium and keeps the field dry even when the river crests (and as you can see from the above photo in which the ballpark appears as an island, it works).  As I mentioned, Davenport is no stranger to this flooding - this has been happening every year to some degree dating back to at least 2014 that I can find.  The photo above is actually from last year's flood, which looks horrible but still pales in comparison to this year's.  The biggest issue this year, other than the sheer magnitude of the flooding, is that the freight rail line running behind the ballpark that was once dormant is again operational.  So the past solution of building a temporary walkway over the tracks and flood waters into the ballpark is no longer an option (you can sort of make out the walkway in the photo).

Surely there are more important things than baseball at a time like this, but it shouldn't be lost in this tiny blog community how this impacts the lives of the minor league players that have to endure what has amounted to almost an entire season on the road so far.  When you factor in the criminally low wages these players make to be in an unfamiliar setting thousands of miles from home, the flooding certainly doesn't make their jobs any easier.  Modern Woodmen Park is surely one of my top 10 favorite minor league stadiums, if not stadiums in general, due to its beauty and all of its amenities, and it is part of a long history of baseball in the Quad Cities.  I hope they can find a more long-term solution to better protect it and its surrounding community in years to come, because at some point any owner, no matter how sentimental, is going to have to look for his or her best possible situation to make a profit.  Shutting down your entire ballpark every April and May certainly doesn't help the bottom line.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/13/19:

Brewers 24-18, -2.0; 4 @ Phillies, 3 @ Braves, 2 v. Reds

Twins 25-14, +4.0; 3 v. Angels, 4 @ Mariners, 3 @ Angels

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 5

Time Running Out on Beloit Ballpark Talks

Photo courtesy of BallparkReviews.com and quotations courtesy of the Beloit Daily News.

The Beloit Daily News reported just before the season started that the Snappers are supposedly nearing a deal that would keep the team in Beloit for the foreseeable future.  "We're to the point now where we are just pushing for the last five or 10 percent of the funding to push the thing through," said Snappers President Dennis Conerton.  "We've had some tremendous support from people in the community that a year ago weren't involved at all."  Midwest League President Dick Nussbaum has been outwardly supportive to the team staying, as anybody in his position would be, but also cautions that this is far from a slam dunk.  A decade-plus of my musings in this blog and false promises and zero progress by the team would also support that theory.  The current Professional Baseball Agreement with Minor League Baseball, which every team signs, ends following the 2020 season.  If the Snappers do not have some sort of concrete plan and funding strategy in place by then, Nussbaum's understanding will quickly turn to taking a new course of action; in other words, looking for the team to sell or move.  To quote Nussbaum: "It's not too late, but time is of the essence."

It's no secret that the Snappers are long overdue for a move or a new stadium.  Every biennium when parent clubs sign their minor league agreements, there is a reason that Beloit is left as the final default choice for whichever MLB team is left - my hometown Little League in South Milwaukee is a better facility than Pohlman Field.  And having one of the smallest markets of all 180 minor league teams in a city that is still experiencing double-digit unemployment only worsens the situation.  Quite frankly just about everything imaginable is working against the Snappers for a new stadium deal and I think at this point a move is the more likely scenario.  Janesville and Rockford would be interesting alternatives.  Janesville has a state university and a much larger metropolitan area (relative to Beloit),and Rockford has an underutilized existing facility in Loves Park that currently houses a failing Northwoods League franchise that is not really within the footprint of the league.  Both places are also not that far from Beloit and could retain that fan base.  We've also seen here in Milwaukee with the summer-collegiate Chinooks and indy league Milkmen that there is an appetite and support for more baseball in the area.  If the Chicago area can support the Kane County Cougars, I'm sure that the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area could support a minor league team as well.

Time will tell how and where the Snappers will end up, but I've said that many times before.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 5/3/19:

Brewers 17-16, -4.0; 3 v. Mets, 3 v. Nationals, 3 @ Cubs

Twins 19-10, +3.0; 3 @ Yankees, 3 @ Blue Jays, 4 v. Tigers

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 5

Milwaukee Milkmen Ballpark Opening Delayed

It was officially announced last week that Routine Field, the new ballpark opening for the new independent American Association's Milwaukee Milkmen, is behind schedule and is now targeting a June 24th home opener.  The Milkmen were supposed to open their home schedule on May 24th.  The team is still expected to participate in the league this season starting on May 16th, but will play all home games in Kokomo, Indiana for the foreseeable future (the Kokomo Jackrabbits of the Northwoods League are of the same ownership group).

This is just the latest in the shady saga of Mike Zimmerman, the CEO of the Milkmen and ROC Ventures, who is also developing Ballpark Commons surrounding the Franklin ballpark.  A development that was originally estimated at $100 million has now swelled to over $180 million due to seemingly arbitrary increases in scope and what Zimmerman is calling "unforeseen development expenses" and "the Foxconn Effect," which is in reference to the large southeastern Wisconsin project siphoning subcontractors, thus contributing to increasing construction costs in the area.  All of this led to Zimmerman requesting an additional $5.2 million from the city in December 2018 - this after already conning the city out of a TIF district, whose economic impact on a blighted exurban area can be are argued to be marginal at best.  Approvals for this project have been contentious from the beginning, with Franklin's own mayor speaking in opposition to certain aspects of the development, including but not limited to a senior housing complex that is also behind schedule.

My family does not live far from this complex, and I drove by it about a month ago only to find they were still setting steel on the ballpark.  I will go on record now that I would bet money the Milkmen will not play a game at Routine Field this year.  Everything that has gone wrong on this project has so far, including a brutal winter which no doubt impacted schedule.  This is yet another example of one of those projects where I struggle between my thoughts as a baseball fan and my thoughts as an architect/citizen.  It's hard not to be excited about a brand new professional baseball team right in my backyard, and for the UW-Milwaukee baseball program to finally have a respectable facility.  But this could also very well bankrupt the city of Franklin and go down as one of the worst examples of the so-called "economic impact" that ballparks can provide.  I won't go off on another diatribe on publicly financing stadiums under the guise of serving as a development anchor.  There are ways to do this successfully - we need not look any further than our own Milwaukee Bucks - but the way that Zimmerman and Franklin have been butting heads since the very beginning, I worry about the ROC's and the city's future.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 4/22/19:

Brewers 13-10; 3 @ Cardinals, 3 @ Mets, 4 v. Rockies

Twins 12-7; 3 @ Astros, 3 v. Orioles, 4 v. Astros

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 5

More MLB Rule Changes

Let's talk about the newest set of rule changes released by Major League Baseball about a month ago.  Baseball more than any other sport is steeped in tradition and thus is very polarizing when it comes to the slightest rule change, but for this very same reason, is in major need of modernizing.  Not everybody is going to agree with all of the new rules (myself included), but years from now, we will look back and the vast majority of these rules won't have adversely affected any baseball fan's enjoyment of the game.  Lowering the mound in the 1960s or adding the Designated Hitter in the American League in the 1970s were both very controversial at the time, but are now commonplace in the game.  And you can find this in any sport - mandatory helmets and nets behind the goals in the NHL, for example.  Just as I don't see these rule changes really affecting the hardcore base of MLB fans, I also don't see these measures drawing large amount of fans, which I feel is an unstated goal.  You either like baseball or you don't - reducing the game by 5 minutes or removing defensive shifts isn't going to all of a sudden make somebody love the game.  It's been well documented that NFL games are getting longer and longer every year due to commercials and play stoppages (the 2018 average was 3:12), but you never hear anything about wanting to reduce the length of a game because the NFL is so popular.  Now firmly off of my soapbox, here are the rule changes being implemented starting this season:

2019:

• Between-inning breaks reduce from 2:05 to 2:00.  Whoopee.
• The waiver trade period has been eliminated, which in effect makes July 31st the last day of the season that trades can be made other than those claimed off of outright waivers.  This is largely in response to the Astros picking up Justin Verlander on the last day of August in 2017, and dominating in his 5 starts with the team en route to their eventual World Series Championship.  I think this is a good rule that will force teams to commit to being "in or out" of playoff contention earlier in the year and will thus increase competition late in the year.
• All-Star Voting now culminates in an "Election Day" where fans pick the starters from the top 3 vote-getters at each position.  I like this as it will avoid runaway vote-getters and allows for players who get hot closer to the break to have an even chance.  It gets more fans involved.
• Home Run Derby now has massive payouts to encourage more participants.  There's no reason that Bryce Harper shouldn't be doing this every year, but perhaps after this past offseason even $1 million wouldn't be enough to sway him.
• Mound visits reduced from 6 to 5 per game.  I don't think I've been to or seen a game where all 6 visits were used so not a big deal.

2020:

• Roster provisions - active rosters increase to 26 and September rosters increase to 28.  This essentially eliminates mass September callups.  The goal is to create a level playing field, but really the advantage is to the large market teams that have all of their payroll invested in the 25-man roster.  The small market teams that generally have deeper farm systems will be hurt by this.  Increasing rosters to 26 just makes sense with how pitchers are used today.
• Limits on position players pitching.  Commissioner Manfred thinks this is embarrassing, there's really no other reason for it.
• Perhaps the most controversial of all the rules, there will be a 3-batter minimum on all pitchers starting next year.  Perhaps Wade Miley facing one batter to start a game of the NLCS last year was the final straw.  And somewhere, Tony LaRussa is laughing.
• Injured list moves back up to 15 games from 10.  This is largely in response to teams abusing the IL to cycle through fresh relievers, which I don't see a problem with.  Oh yeah, the DL is now called the "Injured List."  Way to take 150 years to realize that the word "disabled" is insensitive.

There are still way more crazy rules that I think are going to come down the pipeline by the 2021 CBA agreement.  For instance the commissioner seems hell-bent on banning the shift, which is extremely short-sighted.  But despite what you or I may think of any of these rules, they represent something much larger - they mean that the players, owners, and the league office are talking, and anything we can do to avoid a lockout - even if that means a DH in the National League - is a welcome compromise.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 4/10/19:

Brewers 8-4; 3 @ Dodgers, 3 v. Cardinals, 4 v. Dodgers

Twins 6-3; 3 v. Tigers, 4 v. Blue Jays, 3 @ Orioles

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 0

Peter - 4

Brewers Carry 2018 Magic into Start of 2019 Season

All photos of 2019 Brewers Home Opener available on Flickr.

Last week Thursday was my first regular season game attended in the month of March as the Brewers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4 in their home opener at Miller Park.  It was the first Brewers home opener victory in 5 years and brings my record up to 5-7 in openers attended.  A forecast in the 50s and a day off of work with no kids spelled an early start to tailgating for me, my wife, my brother, and sister-in-law.  Opening Day is always the best tailgating day to see how over the top some people get with their setups after a long winter of anticipation.  I did not see the usual truck hauling the pay-per-squat Port-a-John, but there was a couple next to us that literally bolted a tent into the ground and brought their own smoker.  With the elaborate smorgasboard they had and their eagerness to talk to all passersby, it was pretty clear they got stood up by some friends but were making the best of it.  Before we let things get too out of hand, we made sure to make it inside in time to see the starting lineups and what we assumed would be the unveiling of the 2018 NL Central Champion banner.  Much to our disappointment, the banner was already displayed and no mention was made about it in any announcement during the game.

After a few years of improvements ranging in scale, this year was more the status quo at Miller Park.  Mr. Attanasio clearly had spent enough money in the offseason renovating the spring training facility and fielding the highest opening day payroll in franchise history to make any substantial improvements to Miller Park, and I don't blame him.  There were a few token concessions additions this year, but the only one worth noting is a switch from Korbel Brandy to Central Standard, a local craft distillery.  Although Wisconsin has a national reputation for cleaning out entire metropolitan area's worth of Korbel for any major road sporting event, it was refreshing to see the switch to support the local distiller to keep up with the craft beer influx in the ballpark over the last few years.  With Double Old Fashioneds in hand, we made our way up to our usual club seats for the game.  We spent about 5 innings in our seats down the RF line, and the remainder of the game amongst the chaos that is the SKYY Lounge.

As I mentioned, the Brewers came away with a 5-4 win on Opening Day.  The Cards got the scoring started in the 2nd with back-to-back homers by two of the most quintessential Cardinals hitters, Kolten Wong and Harrison Bader.  Leave it to St. Louis to have their 7-8 hitters, who would most likely be utility players in 75% of the league, hit bombs.  Moose Tacos got a run back with a jack in the 2nd, and then Christian Yelich picked up right where he left off in the 3rd with a 3-run homer.  Thursday would be his first of 4 consecutive days homering to start the season, which set a franchise record and ties the all-time MLB record.  Pitcher Jhoulys Chacin, unquestionably the ace of the staff last year, pitched into the 6th and added a homerun to boot.  Speaking of players the picked up where they left off, Josh Hader through 21 consecutive fastballs over 2 innings of work to pick up his first dominant save of the season.

The Brewers would go on to take 3 of 4 from the team I think will take 2nd in the division and picked to win the 2nd wild card.  It was not an easy series, but the entire team (with the possible exception of Orlando Arcia) seems to have rekindled the magic they had in September and October last year and brought it into this season.  It was evident the effect that returning the entire starting lineup has on the chemistry and grit of this team.  The weekend left me with 3 major things to watch for the season:
1.  Will Jesus Aguilar approach anything even close to the season he had last year?  My money is on no but I hope he can prove me wrong.  With top prospect 2B Keston Hiura lurking in AAA and Shaw's ability to play 1st, Aguilar may be destined for a platoon role by mid-season.
2.  The young rotation.  I feel pretty good about Burnes and Woodruff in the rotation, I think they'll both take major strides this year.  But I am nervous about Peralta in the rotation.  I don't see how someone who throws 90% fastballs and barely has a usable 2nd pitch can survive in the rotation.  If and when Nelson rejoins the team, I would hope he returns to the bullpen where he is best suited.
3.  Ryan Braun (or whoever hits 3rd in the lineup) needs to step up and have a huge year.  It was already clear even from just these 4 games that Yelich will be getting the Barry Bonds/Bryce Harper treatment all season, so the guy who hits behind him will have to pick up a lot of slack.  Braun had a couple of clutch hits and 4 RBI over the weekend, and you could literally see his astonishment on TV when the Cardinals continually walked Yelich to get to him.  Still maintaining that trademark confidence in his age 35 season, combined with a launch-angle swing overhaul, might give the fans one more exciting vintage Braun season in the twilight of his career.

The 2019 Championship Campaign is off and running!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 4/1/19:
Brewers 3-1; 3 @ Reds, 3 v. Cubs, 3 @ Angels
Twins 2-1; 2 @ Royals, 3 @ Phillies, 2 @ Mets

2019 GAMES ATTENDED:
Erik - 0
Peter - 4