Last night, the 2013 Major League Baseball season kicked off with all of the ceremonial pomp, circumstance, and hot dogs that one would expect from the National Pastime’s opener.
The Astros and Rangers observe the Opening Day tradition of being introduced on the field. Photo R. Anderson
As part of Opening Day, all of the eyes of baseball were focused firmly on Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas thanks in part to a scheduling matter with ESPN that made the game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros the only one in town.
Even pre game rain, that forced the roof to stay closed, couldn’t dampen the spirits of the over 41,000 fans in attendance.
As is normally the case when the Rangers come to town, the stands were full of supporters for both squads. Unlike in previous years though, where the lack of vocal Astros fans made it seem like a Rangers’ home game, the chants of Let’s go Rangers were enthusiastically drowned out by chants for the Astros.
Astros 8, Rangers 2 Photo R. Anderson
When the Rangers and Astros took to the field at Minute Maid Park, it was more than a ball game between two in state and in division rivals. It was the continuation of a tradition as old as the game itself.
It marked the beginning of the season where anything is possible and everyone is tied for first place until that final out is tallied.
Before last night I had never watched Opening Day in person. I had attended the first home game of the Astros several times but it was never considered the Opening Night game for the entire league.
Former Astro Lance Berkman, now with the Rangers, received a mix of cheers and jeers when he came to the plate. Photo R. Anderson
Of course aside from being the first game of the year, it was a statistician’s dream as the Astros took the field as an American League team for the first time in their 51-year history.
This fact leads to the inevitable list of firsts that will forever be in the record books.
Let us consider just a few of them.
First pitch by an Astro pitcher in the American League? Thrown by Bud Norris.
First member of the Astros to get an American League hit?
Early last year I decided to add an additional team to my stable of baseball teams that I follow.
The addition of a new team into the stable is not something that is taken lightly and a variety of factors are involved in the process in order for a team to be determined worthy.
At the time of the decision to expand, my stable included the Baltimore Orioles (added in 1980), the Tampa Bay Rays (added in 1998), the Houston Astros (added in 2000), and the Washington Nationals (added in 2005). Each of the teams represented areas where I had either previously lived or had a history with following.
While the logo has changed, thirty three years later the Bird is still the word and the Baltimore Orioles still are the longest tenured team in the Stable of teams I follow. Photo R. Anderson
I still follow the Atlanta Braves and Florida (Miami) Marlins for sentimental reasons but they were considered on the outside of the core four teams.
Despite their two World Series titles, and the history of me following them since their first year in 1993, the Marlins fell from prime stable positioning a few years ago after years of inept decisions by ownership that led to repeatedly fielding a non-competitive team.
That is not to say that winning is everything, I just want to know that ownership is making an effort to field a competitive ball club year after year. Astros you have been put on notice as well.
As I mentioned, one of the criteria for selecting a team to admit into the stable is historical attachment to the team through living or traveling frequently to their home base.
While once Devilish, The Tampa Bay Rays are the second longest tenured team in my stable of baseball teams. Photo R. Anderson
Over the past few years I have traveled extensively in and around the Dallas area; including Arlington and Frisco. For those who may not be familiar with those areas they are home to the Texas Rangers and the Frisco Rough Riders, the Rangers
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.
A few days ago, the Houston Astros continued their fire sale and traded last year’s starting short stop for five minor leaguers, or “prospects.” This is far from the first time that this has occurred, but the Astros are definitely cutting into the marrow at this point since they stopped having meat on the bone a long time ago.
As with the previous salary dumping trades, the Astros tried to spin it as part of their multi-year rebuilding program. As part of the process, the Astros are on pace to have the worst record in baseball for the third year in a row. The team is trying to say all the right things about how the trades make them more competitive in a few years while allowing them to keep salaries in check as they try to build a competitive product. Time will tell if their efforts are shown to be worth the sacrifice though.
The team’s activities of shedding more payroll than they are turning around and spending reminds me of a scene from the holiday classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. In the movie Clark W. Griswald is upset to learn that his boss, in an effort to save money, has eliminated the long standing Christmas bonus program and replaced it with a Jelly of the Month Club.
Although, in Cousin Eddie’s words, the Jelly of the Month Club is the gift that keeps giving the whole year long, it is not what Clark was expecting. To make a long story short, Clark blows his top, Cousin Eddie kidnaps the penny pinching boss and the police bust the doors and windows down to try and recuse him. In true movie fashion the boss learns the folly of his ways and reinstates the bonus program since sometimes things look better on paper than they do in the real world.
So, on paper the Astros have this grand plan to build cheap and trade players that make too much money and lather, rinse, repeat, turn around and get more cheap players that can be traded for more prospects. Now, on paper it seems like a winning formula. However, the reality is very few prospects will ever make it to the majors and there is something to be said for not turning over the full roster every year. Further trades are bound to happen in the next few weeks and months as the Astros seem determined to field the best Minor League team that plays against Major League opponents.
The Astros will have a new league, new uniforms and the same commitment to fielding the cheapest team they can when the 2013 season starts. Photo R. Anderson
I have followed the Astros for around 10 years and have to admit that all of the roster moves have left me scratching my head trying to figure out who is and who is not on the team any more. It has turned into some sort of comedy routine like the famous, “Who’s on First” Laurel and Hardy skit.
Unlike the skit, this is as real as it gets. I am not a fair weather fan by any means and I still support the team, but even my loyalty is being tested by the management’s cavalier approach to sacrificing the present completely in the name of team building. I am sure it is difficult for the players as well to not know when they will be traded or when their next victory will occur. There really seem to be more losers than winners in the short term of this plan to go young and cheap.
This season will mark the first season in the American League for the Astros. Instead of fielding a team of stars, they are fielding a team of could be stars and may never will be stars. Major League Baseball seems perfectly fine with the salary saving measures. Contrast MLB’s lack of response to the Astros fielding what could be called a non competitive team for the third straight season with how things are handled in the NBA.
A few months back, the coach of the San Antonio Spurs decided that most of his star players could use a night off. Unfortunately the team had a game scheduled with the Miami Heat instead of an off day. Still, the coach stuck to his guns and sent the star players home early and played against the Heat with a roster of bench players.
Fans who had payed to see the superstars of the Spurs were livid. Some even sued for damages because they didn’t see the people that they paid to see. The bench warmers actually played a competitive game, but in the end the Heat won and the coach of the Spurs was fined by the league and reprimanded for not putting his best team on the court.
The Miami Marlins recently traded most of their stars away in a similar salary dump and were put on notice by the league as well. Yet, the Astros who are moving into one of the more competitive divisions in baseball are not receiving any warnings from the league for the quality product they are putting on the field. Granted, the Marlins are repeat offenders at dumping salaries at the end of each season but still they seem to field a way more competitive product than the Astros.
Another example of lousy ways to save a buck comes to us from the federal government and in particular a certain division of the government that shall not be named. Yes, I know it is hard to believe that the government would try to save money since most of the news always covers the spending overages, but there are always exceptions to every rule.
The failed centralized trash idea. Some times an idea can stink in more ways than one. Photo R. Anderson
Around the first of the year, it was decided by this particular government agency that in an effort to save money from purchasing individual trash can liners the custodial engineers would no longer pick up trash at individual desks.
Instead, several large trash cans were placed strategically around the building and people were responsible for taking their own trash to these collection points. It was believed that this process could be done with fewer people as well which would lead to additional cost savings. On paper it seemed like a sound idea. In reality it was one very smelly issue. The cans were only emptied twice a week so the halls became littered with overflowing trash and a stench that one should really not encounter in an office building.
After a month of centralized trash, logic prevailed and the desk side trash pick up was resumed. It seemed that the powers that be decided that saving a buck that way was not worth the stench that it caused.
Here’s to hoping that the Astros realize the same thing and do not put a stinker of a team on the field. Although, the past two seasons do not leave a warm and fuzzy feeling that it will happen.
Now if you’ll excuse me, all of this talk about trash has reminded me that it is time to take out the garbage.
Copyright 2013 R. Anderson
Observations from the cheap seats, the beach seats and everywhere in between
