HOMETOWN HEROES
POSTED: SEPTEMBER 14,
2006
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HAS STARTED ITS HOMETOWN HEROES CONTEST (LATE SUMMER 2006), ASKING FANS TO PICK THE "MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER IN CLUB HISTORY". A GOOD IDEA, WITH A NICE COMMERCIAL (THE BABE ASKING FOR AN "AMEN" FROM THE BOBBLEHEADS IS CLASSIC); HOWEVER, IT POSES SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE WHO WERE INCLUDED OR EXCLUDED.
FANS CAN VOTE FOR ONE OF FIVE PLAYERS LISTED FOR EACH TEAM. IT IS NOT CLEAR HOW EACH OF THESE FIVE WERE CHOSEN. THERE SEEMS TO BE A MIX OF OLD TIMERS AND RECENT PLAYERS FOR MOST TEAMS. HERE'S THE RUB, THERE ARE NOMINEES THAT NEVER PLAYED IN THAT "HOMETOWN".
WARREN SPAHN, ONE OF THE GREAT PITCHERS IN THE BRAVES FRANCHISE HISTORY, NEVER PITCHED FOR THEM IN ATLANTA. OTHER PLAYERS IN THE SAME SITUATION ARE JACKIE ROBINSON AND ROY CAMPANELLA OF THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS, LEFTY GROVE OF THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS AND MEL OTT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. IT GETS EVEN STRANGER WITH THE WASHINGTON NATIONALS NOMINEES, WHICH INCLUDE GARY CARTER AND RUSTY STAUB WHO NEVER WORE A UNIFORM WITH NATIONALS WRITTEN ACROSS THE CHEST.
SO IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE CONTEST IS REALLY ONE TO PICK THE "FRANCHISE HEROES". FAIR ENOUGH, UNTIL YOU LOOK AT THE NOMINEES FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
WHERE IS WALTER JOHNSON? CERTAINLY, ONE OF THE GREATEST PITCHERS OF ALL TIME WOULD RATE AS A NOMINEE FOR THE TWINS, BUT HE FALLS BEHIND THE LIKES OF KENT HRBEK, A GOOD BALLPLAYER, BUT NOT A HALL OF FAMER. THE SAME ARGUMENT COULD BE RAISED FOR THE EXCLUSION OF FRANK HOWARD OF THE 2ND INCARNATION OF THE WASHINGTON SENATORS TO RUSTY GREER OF THE TEXAS RANGERS, OR GEORGE SISLER OF THE SAINT LOUIS BROWNS / BALTIMORE ORIOLES.
SO WE ARE BACK TO "HOMETOWN HEROES", THE FAN FAVORITES FROM EACH CITY. FANS MAY HAVE MEMORIES OF PLAYERS FROM TEAMS THAT HAVE DEPARTED, LEAVING THEM IN LIMBO. SHOULD A MILWAUKEE BASEBALL FAN WISH TO VOTE FOR THE PLAYER WHO HIT THE MOST HOME RUNS IN THE HISTORY OF COUNTY STADIUM- EDDIE MATHEWS, THEY CAN NOT, SINCE HE NEVER PLAYED FOR THE BREWERS AND SEEMINGLY RANKS BEHIND CHIPPER JONES ON THE ATLANTA BRAVES LIST OF NOMINEES.
IF IT SEEMS THAT WE ARE GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES, WE ARE. SOMETIMES FRANCHISE, SOMETIMES NOT, SOMETIMES HOMETOWN, SOMETIMES NOT. IT SEEMS THAT BASEBALL ALWAYS HAS A WAY OF CREATING CONTROVERSY, EVEN WHERE NONE SHOULD EXIST. SOME MAY DECRY THAT FACT, BUT IF CREATING A BIT OF CONTROVERSY KEEPS FANS DISCUSSING SOME OF THE ALL TIME GREATS THAT HAVE BEEN OVERLOOKED, THEN WE ARE GLAD FOR THE DEBATE TO CONTINUE.
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
POSTED: MARCH 9, 2006
AS I WAS UPDATING THE SITE TODAY, CHANGING BANK ONE BALLPARK TO CHASE FIELD, SBC PARK TO AT&T PARK, I WONDERED IF THE CORPORATE SPONSORS REALLY BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE CREATING NAME RECOGNITION FOR THEIR PRODUCT.
I ONLY RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MONSTER PARK (CANDLESTICK TO YOU AND ME) WAS NOT NAMED BY THE INTERNET JOB FINDING SITE- MONSTER.COM. THE NAMING RIGHTS WERE PURCHASED BY THE FIRM THAT PRODUCES MONSTER CABLES THAT HOOK UP YOUR AUDIO AND VIDEO SYSTEMS. I DID NOT RUSH OUT TO BUY THEIR CABLES, (NOR, TO BE FAIR, DID I LOOK AT THE JOB SEARCH SITE).
I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF NAMING RIGHTS IN 1987, WHEN THE SUGAR BOWL WAS CALLED THE USF&G SUGAR BOWL. IT SEEMED SO WRONG, BUT THERE IT WAS, AN INSURANCE COMPANY, WHICH BY THE WAY, NO LONGER EXISTS, (IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY ST. PAUL'S INSURANCE IN 1996), STARTED THE TREND. THE FIRST ARENA THAT I RECALL THAT SOLD THEIR NAMING RIGHTS WAS THE CAP CENTER IN WASHINGTON. I WAS WATCHING A BASKETBALL GAME AND THOUGHT THAT THE MCI CENTER WAS A NEW FACILITY.
FANS WILL CALL A BALLPARK WHAT THEY WISH. WHEN A FIRE BROKE OUT AT THE OLD WOODEN POLO GROUNDS, THE BALLPARK WAS REBUILT IN CONCRETE AND STEEL. THE OWNER OF HE GIANTS DECIDED TO NAME THE NEW BALLPARK AFTER HIMSELF, AFTER ALL HE PAID FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION. THE NAME BRUSH STADIUM WAS PRINTED ON PROGRAMS, AND ALL OFFICIAL CLUB AND LEAGUE RELEASES, BUT THE FANS NEVER TOOK TO IT. EVENTUALLY, THE GIANTS RELENTED AND THE POLO GROUNDS REMAINED AS SUCH.
WELL, WHAT IS OLD IS NEW AGAIN, BUT WITH A TWIST. THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO HAS DECIDED THAT ONCE THE TERM OF THE CURRENT CONTRACT WITH MONSTER CABLES EXPIRES, THE NAME OF THE BALLPARK WILL REVERT BACK TO CANDLESTICK PARK. THE NAME CHOSEN BY THE GIANTS AS THE ORIGINAL TENANT OF THE BALLPARK. THOUGH THEY DO NOT PLAY MLB GAMES HERE ANYMORE, IT IS NICE TO SEE THAT SHE WILL GET BACK SOME OF HER DIGNITY.