The so-called "people in charge" of baseball are asking for help. They're trying to find ways to win back their fans and get people in the seats. The answers seem obvious, but the owners have ignored the obvious before. Let's spell it out for them. Here's what baseball needs to do.
First of all, how about broadcasting some games? We're about one-third of the way through the schedule, and how many games have been shown on national broadcast television? Zero. Sure, ESPN has shown games weekly to those with cable, and the super- stations have already overdosed us with Mets, Braves, and Cubs games. But a lot of people in this country do not have cable television and have been left in the cold. So much for the "Baseball Network", that partnership of networks that was supposed to show us a lot of games. What a joke.
Secondly, how about playing a full-schedule. When the players returned, they had to revise the schedules anyway. Why not add some double-headers and play an extra week to get in a full 162 game set? One hundred forty-four games is a strike-shortened season. It's bogus and we don't accept it as the real thing.
Third, how about a commissioner? That way there would at least be the illusion that someone was in charge who knew what he was doing. A sensible person would not have testified before congress about how many teams were on the brink of bankrupcy and then announced two new expansion teams the following week. Last week, the owners announced that they wanted ten new stadiums to replace existing structures. Sure, new stadiums have provided a boost in some cities, but its not a panacea. Has the 12 year old Metrodome in Minneapolis really outlived its usefulness?
Fourth, deal with the finanical problems. If teams can't make it in the cities where they are, you've got two choices: either share revenue among all clubs or move those teams to better markets. That's what happened in the fifties, when no less than five teams moved. From 1953-1972, ten teams moved from one city to another, but now there is the idea of "preserving tradition" to keep teams like the Pirates in cities where they've been losing their fan base for years. This sense of tradition didn't keep the Braves in Boston, the Dodgers in Brooklyn, or the Senators in Washington. You can't have it both ways.
It's going to be very tough for baseball to try to win back
fans. The absence of stars like Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Jose
Canseco, and Juan Gonzalez hurt attendance early this year.
Injuries to stars like Ken Griffey, Matt Williams, and Gary
Sheffield are even more devestating. The time for action is now.
If the owners can't get their business organized, it's going to
continue to fall apart.
