The MLB Experience

[Mikey]

Anybody here attend MLB games with any regularity? I probably see half a dozen (or fewer) Padre games per season at Petco Park. It's a beautiful ballpark in a great location, downtown near the waterfront. Pretty easy access for parking. Lots of great food choices from a wide array of local vendors. Dozens of craft brews available if you don't mind paying $16.00 for a 16 oz cup of beer. When I go with my buddy, we usually stop and get some deli sandos and a six pack on the way down and just eat in the parking lot. I still find myself spending $50 or more on crap while I'm there.



But the actual game time experience has gotten to be a total sensory overload and is becoming very hard to bear. A constant barrage of extremely loud music, exhortations to MAKE NOISE!!, flashing lights, color strobes trailing around the stadium, stupid guessing games on the video screen where you're supposed to follow the ball under some little ducky dolls, fan cams, people on the field throwing souvenirs into the stands. It's gotten so loud that you can't hold a conversation with the person sitting next to you except the time between the pitcher getting the ball and delivering it to the plate.

Speaking of the video screen, it's huge and high tech. But it's hard to actually locate the pertinent information. Stuff like count, batting average, etc. Every player now has a "walk up song." Every relief pitcher has a song to play while the come in from the bullpen.





At the risk of sounding like an old wolfie, I miss the old days where you could go out to the ballpark and relax. Talk to your friend, keep a scorecard. The stadium announcer would introduce each batter, or pitching change. A little organ music, sometimes the Ta-da-ta-da-ta-da CHARGE!! meme. Now it's just a constant barrage of bullshit.

Are the other MLB parks going this route as well?

As pops would say...

NOT IN!!

[Sudden Sam]

I quit going to the beautiful AA ballpark near me for that very reason. Something has to be blaring every second. Games and “entertainment” between every half inning. Noise to the max all the time.

Baseball is a beautiful game. It has a natural pace and doesn’t need all the superfluous garbage.

[Diego in Seattle]

But the actual game time experience has gotten to be a total sensory overload and is becoming very hard to bear. A constant barrage of extremely loud music, exhortations to MAKE NOISE!!, flashing lights, color strobes trailing around the stadium, stupid guessing games on the video screen where you're supposed to follow the ball under some little ducky dolls, fan cams, people on the field throwing souvenirs into the stands. It's gotten so loud that you can't hold a conversation with the person sitting next to you except the time between the pitcher getting the ball and delivering it to the plate.

That sounds like a baseball game in Japan.

Every relief pitcher has a song to play while the come in from the bullpen.

Well Hell's Bells!!

[Softball Bat]

Great post, Mikey!
Rack!

In the smartphone era, people have the attention span of a caffeine-addled gerbil, so without constant stimulus, they don't know what to do with themselves.

So you went to a carnival with a baseball game as a minor diversion.

When I was back in the states about 7 or 8 years ago, I went to a Brooklyn Nets game.
It was brain damage -- for all the reasons you cited.

Thee is an old saying...

Less is more

I am sure you understand.


We are too old.

[kcdave]

My last Royals game was in 2016 due to many factors.

1. I am a fair weather fan. I don't expect the team to be great,
but when they are out of contention in April, you have lost my
interest.

2. Besides at least being somewhat competitive, the other
huge factor that gets me interested in going to a game,
is watching the team on tv. I do not see the team on tv anymore.
Virtually ever. Not even on the news. Losing teams aren't allotted
much time on local news that has basically wiped out their entire
sports coverage anyways. Oh, and forget about trying actually
watch a real game for a local team. You have to buy expensive tiered
packages typically to be able to get the games. We cord cut years
ago. I guess there are ways to steam them, but once again by paying
outrageous prices. I have been saying this for a while now-
every fucking local game needs to be available- for free- and easily
viewable right on your phone. Just as we were able to tune in games
back in the day on a handheld transistor radio, kids and adults should
be able to enjoy the games in live, living color on our phones.

3. The cost of going to games is outrageous. I don't give a shit about going
to one game a year. I would like to be able go to a handful or more in at least
a decent seat, for less than $1500.

[Softball Bat]

Some great points, dave.

Baseball is meant to be a yearly saga. It is a winding story that unfolds from spring until early autumn.
It is not meant to be a 12 seconds Sportscenter highlight.
It is not meant to be gadgetry (see the unwatchable superimposed TV strike zone).
It is not a computer game.
It is not cotton candy.

So yes, local fans should be fed on the exploits of the local team on a daily basis, so they keep connected to... the story.
This is the charm of baseball.

Well, it used to be.


The price they gouge you for when you park your rig should be the price of a ticket.
That shows you how far out of wack it now is.

Take out a loan so you can bring your family to a ballgame.

[Roach]

Great post, Mikey!
Rack!

In the smartphone era, people have the attention span of a caffeine-addled gerbil, so without constant stimulus, they don't know what to do with themselves.

So you went to a carnival with a baseball game as a minor diversion.

When I was back in the states about 7 or 8 years ago, I went to a Brooklyn Nets game.
It was brain damage -- for all the reasons you cited.

Thee is an old saying...

Less is more

I am sure you understand.

We are too old.

And whoever screams loudest, or dangles the most flashy bead wins. An addiction to new stronger stimulus and it is For Sale. The gerbils need to be entertained.

Plus, one of my special piss offs:

Audio space. Dynamic range of current music is almost zero, it must be loud all the time. And not just loud but dense like Rammstein vs. The Chain. Whoever bangs the eardrum hardest wins.

And linear TV, broadcast, and a lot of streaming services make No attempt to balance or equalize program vs. commercial loudness. Strain to hear a quiet dialog vs. Rammstein ads. The FCC passed some rules a while back to prevent it, but they were ignored. Local stations use processors to "enhance the spacial elements" which make it unlistenable.

End of rant.

Back to baseball if you can find it in the carnival.

[Innocent Bystander]

And linear TV, broadcast, and a lot of streaming services make No attempt to balance or equalize program vs. commercial loudness. Strain to hear a quiet dialog vs. Rammstein ads. The FCC passed some rules a while back to prevent it, but they were ignored. Local stations use processors to "enhance the spacial elements" which make it unlistenable.

A lot of people use TV as background noise to fill in space. I don't think advertisers pay to be drowned out by silence.

Use the closed caption option, if your TV/monitor supports it. I use closed caption for everything, now. I used to just use it for the quiet parts. It's too handy, even when the transcription is wrong or censored.

[Mikey]

We pay about $220 per month for Spectrum cable TV plus internet. About $140 of that is for TV. That package includes HBO and coverage of all Padres games, except any that are on national TV. I keep thinking about canceling the TV package but the baseball coverage isn’t available on any streaming package. Maybe MLB? Something to think about because about 99% of everything else we watch is streamed. Can’t drop the internet service because it’s the only high speed service available here.

[Innocent Bystander]

Some great points, dave.

Baseball is meant to be a yearly saga. It is a winding story that unfolds from spring until early autumn.
It is not meant to be a 12 seconds Sportscenter highlight.
It is not meant to be gadgetry (see the unwatchable superimposed TV strike zone).
It is not a computer game.
It is not cotton candy.

So yes, local fans should be fed on the exploits of the local team on a daily basis, so they keep connected to... the story.
This is the charm of baseball.

Well, it used to be.


The price they gouge you for when you park your rig should be the price of a ticket.
That shows you how far out of wack it now is.

Take out a loan so you can bring your family to a ballgame.

This is really well-written. This is also outdated thinking.

When there were only three network channels and no competition from cable, the internet or game consols, you could do all of that. When the players actually have a hometown connection, instead of being transient foreigners with foreign names, you can do that. When the team is rooted in the community, win or lose, instead of the owner's financial portfolio, you can do it.

When you have a Cold War -- where supporting the local team is the equivalent of a profession of patriotism -- you can force the networks to lose money showing games no one may really want to watch, because the money to make up those loses is diverted from a much more lucrative source, you can do that.

When you have a major league Title IX situation, ditto. But not if none of these conditions are met.

It's still really well-written, and I love it. It's just those times are not coming back; and if they do come back, something disastrous politically has happened.

Continue to support the local teams -- the real local teams, the triple As and off-brand minor leagues -- with your dollars and sponsorship and attendance and season ticket sales.

[Innocent Bystander]

.

[Innocent Bystander]

.

[Kierland]

We pay about $220 per month for Spectrum cable TV plus internet. About $140 of that is for TV. That package includes HBO and coverage of all Padres games, except any that are on national TV. I keep thinking about canceling the TV package but the baseball coverage isn’t available on any streaming package. Maybe MLB? Something to think about because about 99% of everything else we watch is streamed. Can’t drop the internet service because it’s the only high speed service available here.

Cut the cord many years ago. $80 for me and my kids phones which is most of our screen time. Stayed in a bunch of nice hotels in the last couple of years traveling, neither of us turn on the TV much, especially if it isn’t not football season. I’m watching the Tour de France this time of year so add $4.99 for Peacock for the month and I bought a few seasons of Better Call Saul on DVD for like $30.

Went to a Game at the Jake when we were in Cleveland it was pretty fun, they even had fireworks after the win. Also hit Williamsport for a little league game, great venue much more “old school” and also fun.

[Innocent Bystander]

Can't you buy a seat off of stubhub a few minutes before a game for a good price? That's what I do to attend LSU games.

LSU and the college programs are a different beast from the privatized major leagues.

Dave just wants to enjoy a game. He doesn't want the alienating experience of stimuli without context which major league baseball has become. It sounds like he doesn't feel that the current experience is worth being scalped good money for.

[BSmack]

The last game I saw was a Braves game at their new stadium. It was meh but had a great time treating my dad to the game. Got a Braves t-shirt courtesy of the t-shirt cannon. Gave that to dad. The stupid attempts to get the crowd yelling were annoying but no worse than an NFL game.

[Mikey]

Well Hell's Bells!!

Hell's Bells was cool. But that was a different era, pretty unique at the time, and was bringing in probably the best closer in MLB history. I guess that kind of started this whole stupid thing, though.

[Diego in Seattle]

Well Hell's Bells!!

Hell's Bells was cool. But that was a different era, pretty unique at the time, and was bringing in probably the best closer in MLB history. I guess that kind of started this whole stupid thing, though.

Agreed.

And initially I didn't like that song but TH brought me around.

[Left Seater]

All the crap Mikey mentions is for the casual fan and younger generation.

The old guard and season ticket holders generally don’t like the crap. But teams are doing it for a reason.

I am not much of a MLB fan. I enjoy college baseball and Mrs Seater and I went the the Olmsted World Series last year and will go again. That said the pitch clock is the best thing to happen to baseball in a couple of generations. I went to a Red Sox Angels game in April that I keyed in less than 2 hours. That was awesome. Well except for the fact a pole blocked my view of first and second base.

[Mikey]

All the crap Mikey mentions is for the casual fan and younger generation.

The old guard and season ticket holders generally don’t like the crap. But teams are doing it for a reason.

I am not much of a MLB fan. I enjoy college baseball and Mrs Seater and I went the the Olmsted World Series last year and will go again. That said the pitch clock is the best thing to happen to baseball in a couple of generations. I went to a Red Sox Angels game in April that I keyed in less than 2 hours. That was awesome. Well except for the fact a pole blocked my view of first and second base.

You must have been at Fenway.

[Smackie Chan]

Take out a loan so you can bring your family to a ballgame.

Borrow a few hundred thousand won & take the fam to see the Padres & Dodgers open the 2024 season in Seoul.

[Softball Bat]

Thank you for the kind suggestion, sir, but I will instead opt for a sharp stick in the eye.

[Smackie Chan]

Thank you for the kind suggestion, sir, but I will instead opt for a sharp stick in the eye.

The Padres likely will, too.

[Diego in Seattle]

Take out a loan so you can bring your family to a ballgame.

Borrow a few hundred thousand won & take the fam to see the Padres & Dodgers open the 2024 season in Seoul.

There's always the Squid Game...

[Mikey]

Thank you for the kind suggestion, sir, but I will instead opt for a sharp stick in the eye.

The Padres likely will, too.

Ha-Seong Kim!
Ha-Seong Kim!
Ha-Seong Kim!
Ha-Seong Kim!

[d-townmike]

My last Royals game was in 2016 due to many factors.

Would that be the game you and I went to when we visited KC? I actually enjoyed Kaufman. Nice stadium.

1. I am a fair weather fan. I don't expect the team to be great,
but when they are out of contention in April, you have lost my
interest.

Good, I'm not the only one. I get so much shit for being "bandwagon" or "fairweathered."

Here's how I look at it. Where is the contract someone needs to sign to be a fan? Where's the legal obligation? Does the team even know who their fans are personally? Do they know you personally? Basically, fans pay hard-earned dollars and also time, effort, and energy to go see a bunch of millionaire athletes do what their vocation is.

It's pretty sad when fans of a team treat their teams better than their own families or spouses and even friends despite never even having anything resembling a personal relationship with any of those millionaires.

2. Besides at least being somewhat competitive, the other
huge factor that gets me interested in going to a game,
is watching the team on tv. I do not see the team on tv anymore.
Virtually ever. Not even on the news. Losing teams aren't allotted
much time on local news that has basically wiped out their entire
sports coverage anyways. Oh, and forget about trying actually
watch a real game for a local team. You have to buy expensive tiered
packages typically to be able to get the games. We cord cut years
ago. I guess there are ways to steam them, but once again by paying
outrageous prices. I have been saying this for a while now-
every fucking local game needs to be available- for free- and easily
viewable right on your phone. Just as we were able to tune in games
back in the day on a handheld transistor radio, kids and adults should
be able to enjoy the games in live, living color on our phones.

100% agree. But here in St. Louis, the local news still has complete coverage of the Cardinals win or lose. Obviously this team is doing far more losing than winning. But you wouldn't think that with the way our local TV stations have coverage.

I have a very basic streaming package through Charter/Spectrum that includes not only local channels but Bally Sports Midwest and up to 10 other networks of my choice. It's $30/month. I figure it's worth it because it's far more customizable than their 200+ channel packages and you don't even watch 198 of them.

We do get MLBTV free from T-Mobile. But, whoopdedoo. Cardinals games are on local blackout restrictions which is another thing the major sports leagues need to get rid of right fuggin yesterday.

3. The cost of going to games is outrageous. I don't give a shit about going
to one game a year. I would like to be able go to a handful or more in at least
a decent seat, for less than $1500.

Again, agreed. I just don't see how most stadiums either fully sell out or mostly sell their seats! And this isn't just baseball. It's all the major professional sports. There is just no value in seeing games in person anymore unless you're really into all the glitz, glamor, flashing lights, and cheesy scoreboard games.

We will not be attending any games this season as well. We got to 4 of them last season due to 50% off tickets we got from Phillips 66. People say parking is a huge issue and they're not wrong. But, not for us. From our house we live 32 miles from Busch Stadium. We drive 20 miles to the closest Metrolink Light Rail transit station and take the train directly to Busch Stadium where there is a station literally right outside the 3rd base entrance. It's just $15 round trip for all 5 of us and parking is free in their secured multi-level covered garage. This is the only way to go for games and large events downtown.

But, cutting corners on parking and avoiding the post-game traffic chaos, is about the only real upside on attending games especially if you have a mediocre team on the field and the fan base is not used to mediocrity like what we are seeing this season.

And it's sad because Busch Stadium is one of the best stadiums in MLB to watch games.

[d-townmike]

We pay about $220 per month for Spectrum cable TV plus internet. About $140 of that is for TV. That package includes HBO and coverage of all Padres games, except any that are on national TV. I keep thinking about canceling the TV package but the baseball coverage isn’t available on any streaming package. Maybe MLB? Something to think about because about 99% of everything else we watch is streamed. Can’t drop the internet service because it’s the only high speed service available here.

We have Spectrum also, but we're at $150/month and about $80 of that is internet. We have a few other options for high speed internet but Spectrum is the best. We do have home phone through them as well as a very basic streaming TV package. We use the Spectrum app on Roku and have local channels plus 10 or so networks of our choice for $30/month. That does include Bally Sports Midwest for Cardinals and Blues games. We can also watch from anywhere via smart phone or bringing our Roku stick with us.

[Mikey]

Funny, I can stream the Padre games my phone (or desktop) using the Spectrum app, but I have to be connected to my wifi so I can’t do it away from home.

The Padres have (officially) sold out most of their games this season, though you can usually get a ticket right up to game time. Not sure how they define a sellout anymore because you can almost always see some empty seats. I guess maybe season ticket holders who aren’t attending all their games and not selling on the secondary market. The Padres were *supposed to be” like the best team in MLB this season because all the $$$ they dropped on free agents, so there was a lot of excitement. Still a lot of fans going to the games but what a disappointing performance so far. Bunch of overpaid fucking losers. Or course my opinion could change if they start winning with some regularity.

[Kierland]

You old crusty fucks would have an aneurysm at a Savannah Banana’s game.

https://sports.yahoo.com/baseball-stilt ... 38041.html

[Rootbeer]

This is an MLB thread, not a thread about Banana Ball. The title should have been your first clue but I guess it takes some people longer than others.

[Kierland]

That is why I compared the two. It’s a very useful word and concept. You should look it up sometime.

[Mikey]

Compared to what?





(sorry Rootbeer but it’s already deteriorated beyond hope)

[Dr_Phibes]

Are the other MLB parks going this route as well?

Rogers Centre in Toronto is eerily quiet during games, outside of the fans. It's 'old school' as described by you. It might be the oppressive atmosphere of the place, it looks more like Tiergarten Zoo flak tower than a stadium.

Been to a few Tigers games, Comerica Park seems like the happy medium to me. A liquid 'fireworks' fountain when someone scores is about it. Brilliant place!