11/05/24
March 30, 2004
Maybe the D-Rays should move to Japan.: Tampa ripped Mike Mussina and the Yankees to win MLB's season opener. My question — does anyone care? Is it a good idea to have baseball open its season at 4 a.m. CST? Did anyone actually watch this?
yeah, i watched the first half before my dr.'s appointment. listened to most of the rest on the radio. and i'll probably wake up early again tomorrow. i'm not too sure it's a good idea. it seems to have fucked with the whole opening day aura. especially since, as the second link pointed out, both teams will play exhibition games when they get back. it won't feel like opening day until april 8, when i'm sitting in the nosebleeds with the pigeons and the snipers.
posted by goddam at 11:42 AM on March 30, 2004
Yeah, it screws up Opening Day as an event. The only time I ever caught one of the games I had a serious cold and woke up around 5, couldn't get back to sleep and realized there was live baseball to be watched. Unless the MLB is trying to attact viewers who fit that exact demographic, give it up. Or turn it loose.
posted by yerfatma at 11:48 AM on March 30, 2004
I saw it this morning. Its interesting to me seeing the differences between baseball in japan compared to the US. And the yankees lost. What a great way to open the season. Still, I'd rather have a traditional opening to the season, and the advertising on the caps is a little scary to me.
posted by justgary at 12:19 PM on March 30, 2004
I care. It's a good idea. And the Yankees lost. An excellent trifecta from my perspective.
posted by jeffmshaw at 12:21 PM on March 30, 2004
How did my Giants Dodgers do? Have they played yet? How's dePodesta doin'? Huh? Wha? I care, too!
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:27 PM on March 30, 2004
Advertising on the uniforms is scary.
posted by dusted at 12:34 PM on March 30, 2004
Perhaps they're saying that it's not just the U.S/Canada market that matters to MLB?
posted by dfleming at 12:36 PM on March 30, 2004
Let me chime in on the atmosphere. It was cool. They were psyched about baseball and they had cool music. I felt like I was watching a Jetsons version of baseball somehow. The uniform adverts were odd. And, also, the Yankees lost.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:38 PM on March 30, 2004
worldcup: Opening Day for the Dodgers is on April 5th. On topic: I would love to see a Japanese baseball game in Japan. I wonder if they are going to have a Japanese game in the states. That would be something I would go to see.
posted by jasonspaceman at 12:49 PM on March 30, 2004
hmmmm... why do i get the idea that wfrazerjr posted this just start a "yankees lost" love-in?
posted by goddam at 01:04 PM on March 30, 2004
When I go to Japan (hopefully within the next two years), I'm definitely going to see a game. Can anyone give me equivalents? For example, I think the Yomiuri Giants are on par with the Yankees (20 titles, huge popularity...), but are there equivalents to the Red Sox, the Brewers, the Mets and the A's?
posted by dusted at 01:09 PM on March 30, 2004
The Seibu Lions used to be like the Texas Rangers -- one great player, lots of not-so-great talent surrounding him. Now that Kazuo Matsui's in the states, tho, they'll likely be the Eastern Motor City Kitties.
posted by jeffmshaw at 01:56 PM on March 30, 2004
The thing that got me was reading that the Yankess will play the Tigers in a preseason match on April 3rd. After, you know, playing two games that already count in the standings.
posted by gspm at 02:02 PM on March 30, 2004
Yeah, but they're playing the Tigers, so it would be a meaningless game even if it did count in the standings. (he said after they lost to the Devil Rays)
posted by Jugwine at 03:07 PM on March 30, 2004
...sitting in the nosebleeds with the pigeons and the snipers. Man, if laughing with this bit o' humor is wrong, I don't want to be right. I believe somebody owes me a new keyboard. On topic: Opening day in any city not named Cincinnati is just weird. I'm not saying it's wrong or an injustice or a slap in the face of tradition, rather, it's just...weird.
posted by NoMich at 03:30 PM on March 30, 2004
I got up to watch this game. You gotta hand it to Bud Selig; it wasn't easy to fuck up Opening Day, one of the greatest dates in the sports year, but Chinflab managed to do it. The game had none of the spectacle or celebratory excitement that's supposed to be part of the day. The sound was terrible, the audience was barely miked if at all, and the play was lackluster. And where was the red-white-and-blue bunting? Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, announcers Peter Gammons, Harold Reynolds, and Some Other Guy even dogged the event during the event. Gammons and Reynolds were both against it. When Mike Mussina was getting shellacked with four successive hits, including two doubles, the announcing team said he would've been pulled from the game sooner in a normal game -- but they needed to get more work in. Doesn't that scream Opening Day to you folks? Pitchers staying in the game just to put in more work, with complete disregard for the outcome, and getting their ass handed to them? No, wait ... that screams Spring Training. How do you say "money-grubbing tradition-violating fuckwad" in Japanese?
posted by rcade at 03:49 PM on March 30, 2004
thanks babelfish!
posted by jerseygirl at 03:57 PM on March 30, 2004
and the reverse translation because it was too good to ignore...
posted by jerseygirl at 03:57 PM on March 30, 2004
It brings a tear to the eye. Such a work of mystique and beauty. by the way, the yankees lost :)
posted by lilnemo at 04:18 PM on March 30, 2004
The tradition where the money which violates to fuckwad digs up That sounds about right. By the way, try WorldLingo next time. It seems more accurate than Babelfish.
posted by dusted at 04:24 PM on March 30, 2004
Just to give you an idea of how bad it was, announcers Peter Gammons, Harold Reynolds, and Some Other Guy even dogged the event during the event. Gammons and Reynolds were both against it. Not only did they dog the event....they didn't even bother to go! I heard they were broadcasting it from Bristol while watching it on video. I agree - it f***s up the beauty of OPENING DAY. And if they're gonna do this, they could at least give us a better matchup, like the Yanks/Sox or Dodgers/Giants. Throwing the D-Rays in there all but ensured that only the diehard fans in the states would drag their asses out of bed to see it. Oh, and I was up in time to see the last three innings. No way I was gonna wake up at 5AM. (2 on the west coast!) And at least the Yankees lost.
posted by brewdudepa at 04:40 PM on March 30, 2004
Unless the MLB is trying to attact viewers who fit that exact demographic, give it up. Or turn it loose. Give it up turn it loose? Thought that sounded familiar. yerfatma's posts will forever sound like Chuck D. in my internal dialogue.
posted by lilnemo at 04:45 PM on March 30, 2004
hmmmm... why do i get the idea that wfrazerjr posted this just start a "yankees lost" love-in? Me? Hate on the Yankees? What on Earth would give you that idea? Actually, I started the thread because I knew I'd be busy putting the paper together all day and I wanted to come back and see what sort of response we had. Twenty-three I can live with. I plan to write a column about this, so I'll save my thoughts for now. ;)
posted by wfrazerjr at 05:53 PM on March 30, 2004
You're right, brewdude -- they called the game from Connecticut! No wonder they sounded so distant calling the game. They were.
posted by rcade at 06:15 PM on March 30, 2004
Opening day in any city not named Cincinnati is just weird. I'm not saying it's wrong or an injustice or a slap in the face of tradition, rather, it's just...weird. Here, here! Baseball was the sport with the richest traditions, but they have turned their back on it for short-term gains. Bring on the work stopage!
posted by mick at 06:23 PM on March 30, 2004
they called the game from Connecticut! That's weak. ESPN is looking more crassly corporate every day. Next they'll start a show hawking the seats in front of the cameras... oh, wait.
posted by dusted at 06:32 PM on March 30, 2004
Thanks for noticing 'nemo, but the lyrics go back further than that. I'm cool with either voice in your internal dialogue.
posted by yerfatma at 07:14 PM on March 30, 2004
That's weak. ESPN is looking more crassly corporate every day. Next they'll start a show hawking the seats in front of the cameras... oh, wait. Yeah, plus the picked the suit Mike Hall instead of the more talented Zach on Dream Job.
posted by corpse at 06:36 AM on March 31, 2004
geez, i was just kidding about the sitting with the snipers thing, but there they were.
posted by goddam at 09:10 AM on April 16, 2004
I caught the last half of the 9th before i left for work. I care!