There are many dynamic things about the game of baseball.
There is the dynamic between a pitcher hurling a ball towards a batter close enough to look tempting to hit but not too close to end up over the wall for a home run.
There is the dynamic of the outfielder timing his jump just right to rob the opposing batter of an extra base hit.
There is the dynamic of a manager trying to decide when to apply an infield shift or make a pitching change based on certain factors or match ups.
There is even the dynamic in the stands of trying to decide how soon is too soon to start the wave and whether it really is wise to eat those chilli cheese fries that look so good but always end with you in pain.
There is also a recent trend of calling things dynamic when in reality they are anything but.
The Houston Astros recently announced plans to adjust their home ticket price in relation to how popular the team coming to town is. Photo R. Anderson
The Houston Astros recently announced plans to join this group of dynamic blunders when they announced that this season will include dynamic pricing for all seats at all of the games.
The team tried a small roll out of dynamic pricing in certain sections of the ballpark last season with some seats costing more on some days than others.
In the simplest form, dynamic pricing is a way for teams to charge more for games that people want to see.
The formula has been used by teams for years whenever the Yankees and Red Sox would come to town since it was felt that there was a higher demand for those tickets and in turn more money could be charged.
The Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs have some of the largest fan bases in the nation. So, the dynamic pricing says that those fans will flock to see their team and pay more in the process regardless of where they are playing.
While ballparks across Florida and Arizona are coming to life with the sounds of Spring Training baseball, there is another tradition of the season that has arrived a little closer to my Texas home.
It is rodeo time and all throughout town the sights, smells and sounds of barbecue, bucking broncos and music abound as the annual salute to all things country and western rolls into town.
Rodeo time has come to Houston and everyone is getting into the spirit. Photo R. Anderson
For several weeks the days and nights will be filled with livestock auctions, skills competitions and nightly concerts. As part of this rodeo bonanza television ads for everything from trucks to mattresses focus on stampedes, herds and other buzz words of the season.
Another tradition of the season is the unexplainable need of the local television reporters to dress up in rodeo gear while they are covering the various activities. Some of the reporters look the part, but most of them definitely look like they are all hat and no cattle.
I have always said that you either are something, or you are not. So the dressing up as a cow poke, when you are a obvious city slicker, really is not fooling anybody. Still, I am sure when rodeo rolls around next year there will still be the pretenders that dust off those once a year duds or go to the Western wear store to get something new.
In the decade plus that I have lived here I have yet to attend a rodeo. When people ask me if I am going to the rodeo, and I reply that I am not, often times it is like I have stomped their balloon animal into tiny little pieces.
It is not that I am anti rodeo per se, I just don’t feel the need to battle the crowds to see the events and concerts. Plus, growing up I was not really exposed to the cow and horse events where it became something that I am drawn to.
Don’t get me wrong, I have much respect for the rodeo performers and I know that they each have spent years honing their craft on horse and bull. I can also respect the people who raise livestock for the various judging.
Countless hours and sleepless nights go into any effort to become the best at anything. While there are always the exceptions and phenoms that seem to have everything come easy to them, for the rest of us we get where we are through hard work and practice.
The same can be said for the baseball players kicking up dirt on those various Spring Training ballparks. Each of them has spent years honing their skills and making countless sacrifices to reach the pinnacle of their field.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Ben Zobrist was a popular target of hecklers at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington. Photo R. Anderson
While not working with temperamental bulls or raising sheep with the best looking wool, they have nonetheless paid their dues and earned their place in the spotlight.
This is why I have never understood the activity of heckling players when someone attends a sporting event.
Even if someone does not necessarily like the other team or certain players it seems like one could respect the amount of time and effort they took to get there without the need to resort to name calling and other tactics.
To be clear, I am not talking about the “little league” heckling about “belly itchers” which is started as a way to focus wandering minds in the dugout and create team chemistry.
I am talking about the heckling that amounts to personal attacks and other areas that seem to go beyond the line of good taste. And yes the players can usually tune out the stands but there have been a few times when I was sitting in the outfield that I could see a physical reaction from the player who was the target of the heckling.
Proponents of heckling, when confronted on the issue, will usually quote the First Amendment or say that buying the ticket gives them the right to shout down at the players. While I am a huge believer in freedom of speech
