Keep supporting the Braves! Amazing farm system that is going to turn them around in another year or two to a similar run like they had in the 90s, just wait. Hop aboard now! I like basketball more than baseball, because I like the Blazers more than anything, but I really like baseball. The difficulty I see in things like this are comparing one sport to another. In basketball, if you have the best player, you can likely make the playoffs. Because that player plays a HUGE portion of every single game. In NFL, if you have a great QB, you'll likely make the playoffs, because it is such an integral portion of 50% of the game. And so promoting those stars obviously makes a ton of sense. In MLB, I think they should do more to promote their stars, but it's difficult to tune in to catch a star player. The example of Mike Trout, he gets 4 ABs a game, and might make 5 plays in the OF. Out of 54 total outs, he's maybe in a 10th of them? You can have the best pitcher in the game, but with nothing else to go on(Mariners, Felix), you're not going to be a winning team. He's only out there 1/5th of the time. I also think the lack of interest in college baseball, and the general set up of MLB with their minor leagues hurts slightly. In NBA and NFL, fans with a crappy team will start "scouting" the college ranks to see what star NCAA kid they can dream about on their team. For MLB, I feel like you have to be a pretty big fan to know the top minor leaguers coming up, and have a sense of excitement about what's to come. Rambling now, but I got 6 innings left in me...I just don't think it's fair to try to directly compare sports in a general sense. On top of that, in regards to the ratings, besides just the general way which they are gathered, you had the Chicago Cubs in the WS last year, with arguably the biggest fan base in all of baseball(sports?). It's natural they would have a huge WS rating.
Hmm... I think the minor league system actually HELPS the MLB.... but it's up to the fan to do the research - and they can. They do it for all the other sports, though, because it's talked about at great length. So yes, I'm saying it's a societal thing... but it's just as easy to do for the MLB as any other league. This is not directed at you - just my thoughts.
I like their minor league system way better. Just saying, die hards aren't the concern in any league, generally, it's the casual fans. And if I hear about, say, Adam Morrison a ton because he's lighting it up for Gonzaga, then I might get excited when my team picks him, or pissed when they pass on him. And it's an easier way to gain interest from say a Gonzaga fan then rooting for their star in NBA. In MLB, I love that the Braves signed top international prospect Kevin Maitan. I love the comparisons to Miguel Cabrera. I love his high rankings in whatever articles. And then I realize the kid is 16 years old, and a minimum of 3 years away. Minimum.
Cards fan checking in here. I love baseball, but don't really start getting into it until July. My uncle played for the Braves, Cards and Blue Jays. Pitched U of P, 3rd pick in the 81' draft behind Darryl Strawberry and some other dude.
Dude was Bo Jackson, before there was Bo Jackson. My dad played against him and said he jacked 3 bombs against them, he'd put jheri curl juice on the ball.
He holds the record for furthest hit HR at Grant! All the way across the street on the roof of a house!
I enjoy watching basketball, baseball and football when I have the time. I'm not much of a hockey fan, though I have enjoyed some playoff hockey and some Olympic hockey in my life. When I think of the appeal of baseball, Obi-wan Kenobi's (stay with me here) quote about the lightsaber comes to mind: "An elegant weapon for a more civilized age." It seems to me that when baseball was king, people respected and enjoyed the elegance of a Joe DiMaggio in center or a Cal Ripken Jr. gliding at short. It's a slower-paced game that rewards appreciation of little nuances here and there. I think most sports fans these days enjoy the "violent" explosiveness more. I don't necessarily mean literal violence (though in football, there's plenty of that) but someone like LeBron James or Russell Westbrook certainly have a violence to their game--their explosion and ability aren't "elegant" and while there are nuances that experts can notice and appreciate, you don't have to understand any of those to enjoy what they can do. By comparison, baseball might as well be golf--enjoyable if you can pick up the subtle differences in the swings. (I don't enjoy watching golf.) I'm not saying they literally are the same--seeing Andrelton Simmons or Kevin Kiermaier making a spectacular play in the field has no analogue in golf. But such plays are also rare. If you don't appreciate the pitch-to-pitch small things about pitch selection, defensive positioning, batter approach, you probably won't enjoy the game.
It's funny..... I don't watch much baseball but I LOVE baseball movies. Major League Bull Durham Moneyball Trouble With the Curve Rookie of the Year I'm probably forgetting some. I love baseball movies.
That's another great one. I think movies inject a lot of the personality that we miss out on. The trash talk. The different personas on the field. We don't get any of that. In the movies it's front and center. Oh! Another great one is The Rookie with Dennis Quaid.
I'm a movie junkie, so if it has a great story I'll love it. Sports movies in general are great if done right.
Eight men out with Charlie Sheen and Tom Berringer and the Babe Ruth story the one where John Goodman played Babe Ruth...also the one where Tommy Lee Jones played Ty Cobb with Albert Brooks as the guy writing his memoirs....the one with Tom Hanks coaching Madonna and Geena Davis....I forget the titles
