Comments on: BASEBALL IN JAPAN, NOT A FAN http://www.thebaseballzealot.com/general-mlb/baseball-in-japan-not-a-fan Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:15:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The Baseball Zealot http://www.thebaseballzealot.com/general-mlb/baseball-in-japan-not-a-fan/comment-page-1#comment-1076 The Baseball Zealot Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:57:35 +0000 http://www.thebaseballzealot.com/uncategorized/baseball-in-japan-not-a-fan/#comment-1076 you're not the only one that feels this way, Teddy http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_088172038.html you’re not the only one that feels this way, Teddy

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_088172038.html

]]> By: sprtfrk http://www.thebaseballzealot.com/general-mlb/baseball-in-japan-not-a-fan/comment-page-1#comment-1074 sprtfrk Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:00:32 +0000 http://www.thebaseballzealot.com/uncategorized/baseball-in-japan-not-a-fan/#comment-1074 You are right. The commercialization is rampant. Somehow seeing ads all over ballparks in pictures and movies from the '40's and earlier never seemed to bother me but seeing them everywhere in today's games is somewhat nauseating. They are passed off as creating revenue to purchase better player's. Well then, why are pretty much the same teams in the playoffs year after year? Add in the fact that every pitcher change, pinch hitter, big play and even the most trivial stat "is sponsored by" is going way overboard in my humble opinion. Even all the jazz that goes on between innings at a game just lends to this circus type atmosphere that they seem to be trying to achieve. There was a tranquility about attending a ballgame in the past that is long gone now. I call this the "MTV effect". Instant and constant gratification. Between innings was when you could talk baseball with the fans sitting nearby, get some different opinions and viewpoints, make some new friends maybe. Possibly this is cynical or pessimistic, but it seems to me that todays' fan is more interested in bragging to his cohorts that he was at the game or getting drunk at the game than he is in just witnessing the game itself. Teddy Ballgames' feeling about today's Opening Day is just an outgrowth of this misdirection. I am sure Teddy would agree with me when I say, if I wanted to attend a circus I would go to the circus, not the ballpark. You are right. The commercialization is rampant. Somehow seeing ads all over ballparks in pictures and movies from the ’40′s and earlier never seemed to bother me but seeing them everywhere in today’s games is somewhat nauseating. They are passed off as creating revenue to purchase better player’s. Well then, why are pretty much the same teams in the playoffs year after year? Add in the fact that every pitcher change, pinch hitter, big play and even the most trivial stat “is sponsored by” is going way overboard in my humble opinion. Even all the jazz that goes on between innings at a game just lends to this circus type atmosphere that they seem to be trying to achieve. There was a tranquility about attending a ballgame in the past that is long gone now. I call this the “MTV effect”. Instant and constant gratification. Between innings was when you could talk baseball with the fans sitting nearby, get some different opinions and viewpoints, make some new friends maybe. Possibly this is cynical or pessimistic, but it seems to me that todays’ fan is more interested in bragging to his cohorts that he was at the game or getting drunk at the game than he is in just witnessing the game itself. Teddy Ballgames’ feeling about today’s Opening Day is just an outgrowth of this misdirection. I am sure Teddy would agree with me when I say, if I wanted to attend a circus I would go to the circus, not the ballpark.

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