All things Baseball

[ObiDongKenobi]

People support teams for any number of reasons, all of which are valid. You have every right to root for (or against) the Dodgers.

I don't know who Todd Boehly is so I can't give you any feedback about him. 

Not long after posting I realised a reason for not supporting the Dodgers and it's really UK specific.  We just don't understand how American sports supporters can put up with a franchise system that uproots your team and transports it nearly 3000 miles away.   We had a famous case where a loophole in the Football League rules and regulations allowed a team to be uprooted and moved, only about 60 miles in this case, but they might have well relocated to the moon as far as fan travel was concerned. That loophole has now been closed, but the rancour remains.

[Pornhubby]

We just don't understand how American sports supporters can put up with a franchise system that uproots your team and transports it nearly 3000 miles away.   We had a famous case where a loophole in the Football League rules and regulations allowed a team to be uprooted and moved, only about 60 miles in this case, but they might have well relocated to the moon as far as fan travel was concerned. That loophole has now been closed, but the rancour remains.

On May 28, 1957, National League owners vote unanimously to allow the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers to move to San Francisco and Los Angeles, respectively, at the mid-season owner's meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

It’s a big country. And it’s been a long time. Only the old timers remember the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[ObiDongKenobi]

It’s a big country. And it’s been a long time. Only the old timers remember the Brooklyn Dodgers.

I have a long memory. 

[MissBarbara]

People support teams for any number of reasons, all of which are valid. You have every right to root for (or against) the Dodgers.

I don't know who Todd Boehly is so I can't give you any feedback about him. 

Not long after posting I realised a reason for not supporting the Dodgers and it's really UK specific.  We just don't understand how American sports supporters can put up with a franchise system that uproots your team and transports it nearly 3000 miles away.   We had a famous case where a loophole in the Football League rules and regulations allowed a team to be uprooted and moved, only about 60 miles in this case, but they might have well relocated to the moon as far as fan travel was concerned. That loophole has now been closed, but the rancour remains.

If Chelsea were to move 3,000 miles away, they'd be located in Tehran, or Boston.

From the book "The Power Broker," I learned that the Dodgers' move from Brooklyn to Los Angles was guided by necessity. The Dodgers began playing in Brooklyn in 1883, when Brooklyn was still an independent city and not part of New York City. They were originally known as the Brooklyn Atlantics, and then the Brooklyn Bridegrooms. They changed their name to the Dodgers in 1932 (the name derived from the fact that to cross busy Brooklyn streets, you had to dodge the passing trolleys.

Their famous stadium, Ebbetts Field, was built in 1913, and by the early 1950s, the place was a dump and falling apart. Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley sought to purchase land to build a new stadium somewhere in the same area. O'Malley found an ideal site that was part of an abandoned train yard only a couple of miles from Ebbetts Field, but Robert Moses, refused the Dodgers the authority to use eminent domain to start construction. Moses, who was so powerful that even the NYC Mayor and City Council bowed to his wishes, won out, and the Dodgers were denied the right to build on the site (about 60 years later, the Barclay Center would be built on the exact same site).

Two other factors weighed into O'Malley's decion to move his team across the country. By the early 1950s, commercial air travel had developed to the point where long-distance flights were more frequent and comparatively inexpensive. Add to that, the west coast had been undergoing explosive growth, and the two main west coast cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, had become major U.S. Cities. In the space of 30 years, Los Angeles had grown from a city of about 600,000 people to a metropolis of 2.3 million by the early 1950s.

Los Angeles city officials aggressively courted O'Malley, and offered a stadium for temporary use and land for constructing a new stadium. That was enough to convince O'Malley, and the Dodgers played their last game in Brooklyn in September 1957. They opened the 1958 season playing in the massive Los Angeles Coliseum. Their new stadium, Dodger Stadium, opened in April 1962, and it remains their home stadium today.

Meanwhile, the New York Giants followed the Dodgers' lead, and they played their last game in NYC in September 1957, before packing up and moving to San Francisco. In the spring of 1957, New York City had three baseball teams: The Yankees, the Dodgers, and the Giants. In the spring of 1958, the Yankees were the only team left. The New York Mets would begin play in April 1962.

Okay, somewhere here on KB some guy mentioned that when he was having sex and beginning to reach an orgasm, he would start thinking about baseball, to distract himself in order to last longer. That's not exactly what I'm doing here, but over the past few days I've been erotically obsessed over two recent KB pictures, and this has helped keep my mind focused.

[ObiDongKenobi]

 

I noticed your volume of posts, MissB, (and thanks for the info)

[Pornhubby]

Okay, somewhere here on KB some guy mentioned that when he was having sex and beginning to reach an orgasm, he would start thinking about baseball, to distract himself in order to last longer.

Baseball or Margaret Thatcher.  Best ways to keep the wolf from the door.

[MintJulie]

Woo to Barb for the NYC baseball history lesson.  Very interesting thing I never knew. 

Okay, somewhere here on KB some guy mentioned that when he was having sex and beginning to reach an orgasm, he would start thinking about baseball, to distract himself in order to last longer.

Baseball or Margaret Thatcher.  Best ways to keep the wolf from the door.

And Dan says he thinks about rebuilding an engine.  I've even said to him before "pretend you just looked at the cabin filter and how dirty it is, yuck", just to make sure I got to the finish line before he does.  #trueStory

[ObiDongKenobi]

Okay, somewhere here on KB some guy mentioned that when he was having sex and beginning to reach an orgasm, he would start thinking about baseball, to distract himself in order to last longer.

Baseball or Margaret Thatcher.  Best ways to keep the wolf from the door.

A well knowm MP and lothario once admitted he fancied Mrs Thatcher.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Their famous stadium, Ebbetts Field, was built in 1913, and by the early 1950s, the place was a dump and falling apart. Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley sought to purchase land to build a new stadium somewhere in the same area. O'Malley found an ideal site that was part of an abandoned train yard only a couple of miles from Ebbetts Field, but Robert Moses, refused the Dodgers the authority to use eminent domain to start construction. Moses, who was so powerful that even the NYC Mayor and City Council bowed to his wishes, won out, and the Dodgers were denied the right to build on the site (about 60 years later, the Barclay Center would be built on the exact same site).

Stadium rebuilding was at the heart of the abomination I referred to earlier. I hazard a guess that it is the most common problem affecting major sports teams in the UK.

[purpleshoes]

There are a lot of interesting stories about sports franchises moving. One of my favorites involves St. Louis. In 1960 the Chicago Cardinals moved to St. Louis, giving the city two teams called the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 1987 the football team moved to Phoenix and became the Arizona Cardinals, leaving St. Louis without an NFL team.

St. Louis wooed the Los Angeles Rams and in 1995 that team moved and became the St. Louis Rams.

In 2015, the Rams moved back to California and are now back to being the Los Angeles Rams, once again leaving St. Louis without an NFL team.

There is at least one other team that abandoned a city, only to return some years later (Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders).

Then there are pro teams that have moved to a different city and retained their mascot name, which no longer made any sense (Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers) but that's a story for another day. 

[Pornhubby]

Green Bay, Wisconsin, is the smallest market to have a NFL team because of a population of around 105,100.

San Antonio is the seventh-biggest city in the country in terms of population (1.529 million) and one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. The city is the largest in the country without a NFL team, and one of three cities in the top ten to not have a NFL franchise (San Diego and San Jose).

Why does San Antonio not have a NFL franchise? Two words. Jerry Jones. The greedy owner of the Dallas Cowboys is on the NFL steering committee, and basically has veto power over any team moving into his market. Which he views as basically… America. A lot of folks in San Antonio like the Cowboys. And Jerry wants to keep it that way.

[purpleshoes]

Of the ten largest cities without an NFL team, there are two others in Texas--Austin and El Paso.

Austin is the largest city without any major league professional sports team (11th largest city overall).

Since this is a baseball thread, I will add that San Antonio, Austin and El Paso are all on the list of 10 largest cities without major league baseball as well.

[Pornhubby]

Austin is the largest city without any major league professional sports team (11th largest city overall).

Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin.

[MissBarbara]

Austin is the largest city without any major league professional sports team (11th largest city overall).

Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin.

They're also in 2nd place in their conference, and on their way to the playoffs.

[Pornhubby]

Austin is the largest city without any major league professional sports team (11th largest city overall).

Austin FC is an American professional soccer club based in Austin, Texas. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 2018, the club began play in the 2021 season. Their home stadium is Q2 Stadium in north Austin.

They're also in 2nd place in their conference, and on their way to the playoffs.

Austin has gone soccer crazy.  The FC are getting more attention than the Longhorns.

[purpleshoes]

My apologies to Austin. Turns out the list I was looking at was compiled in 2017. Mea culpa. 

[JohnTheVoyeur]

Well, Pujols joined the 700 HR club last night. First non-American to do so.

[ObiDongKenobi]

I'm paying more attention to the Standings table this year than ever before.  Can someone enlighten me as to how a team's Games Behind entry can be a half?

[Pornhubby]

I'm paying more attention to the Standings table this year than ever before.  Can someone enlighten me as to how a team's Games Behind entry can be a half?

What does a half game mean? A half game in the standings is caused when one team has played more games than another. For example, Team A is scheduled for a day game, while Team B is scheduled for a game at night, and both teams have the same record.

[ObiDongKenobi]

Thanks PH.