Jim McIsaac - Getty Images
Is that Old Spice?
Bud Selig is on the record saying that MLB has the best competitive balance of any professional sport. There's so much randomness in the game that Bud is almost right. If the Yankees played the Pirates 100 times, the Pirates might win 20 or 25 times. If the Chargers played the Lions 100 times, the Lions might win once or twice. That's just the way baseball is. Otherwise the Yankees would never get away with what they get away with, namely, making and spending so much more money than everyone else. If economics were as horribly broken in the NFL or the NBA as they are in MLB, the one financial behemoth would win just about every single game every single year.
Bud Selig is classified as an invertebrate, which means only randomness saves us from the iron boot of oppression. The division series is our best hope because it's easier to luck out three times instead of four. Unfortunately, the Twins drew the short straw three times in a row. Ron Darling's jockspeak about "heart" and "tenacity" fills the airwaves, but it's not nearly so complicated. The Yankees are good. The Twins are good. The Twins just lost. Now who will deliver us from Evil?
Will it be the Rays? It's possible, though unlikely. They're still better than the Rangers, but they have two more opportunities to come up short. Game 3 was still great to watch, especially to hear Buck Martinez, who has been bagging on the Rays' "lack of intensity" all series, finally reverse himself. The Rays were "fired up," their hitters got "comfortable at the plate," and their dugout became "loose and relaxed." Why the sudden change in temperament? Who knows! It just sounds more satisfying than saying "the Rays are pretty good at putting runners on base, and if you put runners on base often enough, sooner or later you are going to score some runs." I think Buck may be coming around to my point of view, though. He did say that Joaquin Benoit is hard to score on because he gives up so few base runners. That's absolutely true. It's very hard to score without a base runner.
My real reason for jumping on the Bill James soapbox here is to offer some consolation to the Twins. We're going to hear a lot in the next few days about the Yankees having "hearts of champions," while the Twins are presumably spineless cowards. Angels fans know the agony of listening to a partisan broadcast crew dumping on their team's "losing attitude" in the postseason. It's garbage. Pretty much the same bunch of guys who "choked" in the 2008 ALDS against the Red Sox came back in 2009 and swept them. Then they lost their "drive" at some point in the next few days and rolled over for the Yankees. Somehow this is supposed to make us inferior fans, or something. Whatever. Ron Darling and Jon Smoltz may believe in the Yankees' "power of positive thinking, " but the converse of that statement is pretty demeaning of the Twins and their fans. The Twins are professional baseball players, they just wear different jerseys than the Yankees.
0 recs | 43 comments
Seriously?
More players on the Rays subscribe to Grit than on any other team?
Some kid in Tampa is rocking a totally awesome bike right now.
George Kaplan - October 10, 2010
Ticket revenues 2009: Yankees $397 million
Angels $112 million
Television households: Yankees 328,217
Angels 69,608
As Joe Queenan has noted, rooting for the Yankees is like “rooting for a pack of ravenous pit bulls in a showdown with a blind, one-legged bunny rabbit.”
VPBOB - October 10, 2010
Where did you come by the data on TV households?
George Kaplan - October 10, 2010
Red Sox lose RSN ratings lead
Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal
VPBOB - October 10, 2010
PS Guess which of the two teams was exempt from revenue sharing in 2009
Clue: It was not the Angels
VPBOB - October 10, 2010
We need someone to build us a new stadium.
AlanFalcon - October 10, 2010
Something doesn't smell right about the data analysis
Somehow, the Angels, which average 40K per night in the stands, have 2/3 the television audience as measured by households as the Rays, which averaged about half as many fans in the stands.
The math, as reported, is correct: Neilsen counts 5.67M households in the LA metro area (but this doesn’t count the southern Nevada and central California markets which feature FSW), and just under 70K households would be a rating of 1.23.
But the story also reports that the Angels had an increase in ratings of almost 12% over 2009, during a season in which they were non-contenders for at least one-third of the season, compared to last year when they were AL Champs and went on to the post-season.
Somehow, 70K households in a metro market of 5.67M just seems too low. Likewise, it doesn’t follow that the Tampa/St Pete market of 1/3 the size of LA’s would provide a 50% greater audience on TV for the Rays. That is tremendous market penetration for a team which can’t sell out pennant race games.
George Kaplan - October 10, 2010
2009 was the year...
that Fox got into a contract dispute with Cox or Time Warner, I believe, so a lot of people COULDN’T watch the games.
firebird81 - October 10, 2010
That was an event measured in days, at most
Juxtapose that against a 162-game schedule and it won’t make a nickel’s worth of difference in the ratings for a season.
The assertion of the numbers posted is that the ratings for the Angels were so bad in 2009 that they suck in 2010 and are still 12% better than before. I don’t believe that is possible.
George Kaplan - October 10, 2010
TB fans don't have to listen to Gubi.
Stirrups - October 10, 2010
Yes, but Angels fans had Hud and Phys the year before
Remember, ratings are UP 12% this year. Why? It can’t possibly be due to Gubicza being more of a fan favorite than Physioc and Hudler.
And Tampa fans get Kevin Kennedy. He can match Gubi cliché for cliché. The only difference is that he turns into Chuck Norris on plane flights.
George Kaplan - October 10, 2010
But does Kevin Kennedy stay within his mechanics?
Gubi does. You can bet on it.
Angelsfan015 - October 11, 2010
RE: Kennedy.
That is just in case there turn out to be snakes.
Stirrups - October 11, 2010
Compare the internet traffic for the SB Nation sites
HalosHeaven.com Alexa US rank 170887
DRaysbay.com 75086
VPBOB - October 10, 2010
Would you like
some cheese with that whine? Seriously, do you guys ever stop whining about the Yanks?
Reconn - October 10, 2010
It only took you 349 days to post your first comment.
So you’re not with the IRS.
XYZ123 - October 10, 2010
Your point...
Is what exactly? I’m not here to troll, just to ask a simple question. Why exactly do you guys whine and complain so much?
Reconn - October 10, 2010
Why exactly are you lurking on an Angels' blog?
XYZ123 - October 10, 2010
Not here to troll?
Your introductory comment:
“Would you like some cheese with that whine?”
XYZ123 - October 10, 2010
If your asking why a fanbase is complaining about the skanks
Then your
A- Mentally retarded
B-Mentally retarded
C- A football fan
Halos2011champs - October 10, 2010 via mobile
Or D. A Skanks fan
But then, that would be repeating A and B.
red floyd - October 10, 2010
"Why doy you complain about the Yankees?"
It’s called rivalry, junior. The last few years have pitted the Angels and Yankees against each other in pivotal games. Why don’t you go ask the Red Sox’ fans why they hate the Yankees too, or what’s up with San Francisco and Los Angeles bitching about one another?. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that, outside of the Jersey Shore, most people not on the orange tanned band wagon loathe the Yankees and their “history.”
Teixeira Who? - October 10, 2010
Red Sox and Yankees fan hate each other that’s normal. Although most Yankee fans just scoff at their whining, they way an older brother would at his red-headed step brother. But sheesh you guys complain and whine more than Sox fans. Which is why I came over here to ask you guys. It’s certainly not about rivalry. I don’t see Sox or Yanks fans accusing each other of paying off umpires, using spit balls. Not everyone is out to get you, Angels fans, fear not.
Reconn - October 11, 2010
Your question has been answered, junior.
We “whine” due to the rivalry, as I said before. Damn Jersey school system, I’m guessing reading comprehension wasn’t your thing. I’ll try again. If the Royals spent more on one player than other clubs spent on an entire roster, received an unusual amount of coverage due to the convenient geographical location of ESPN and seemed to have a number of questionable calls your way (Napoli tagging two people out yet get only getting one out. Cuzzi calling a Mauer double a foul ball, Berkman getting a strike three call go his way that was right down the middle, etc.) all while meeting the Angels in nearly every post season of the decade, you can bet your wife beater undershirt that we would rant and rave against Kansas City. Don’t feel too special junior, it’s circumstances that have driven our fair teams against one another. That is your answer.
Also, I see you do your share of whining yourself. So much so, in fact, that you had to create an account just to log onto a website to continue to whine under the guise of inquisitiveness. I answered your question once before, we “whine” because of repeated meetings in the post season. That is your answer. You can either accept the answer and go back to freezing your ass off in that lovely New England weather or continue running around this website with (what I imagine) is a confused look on your face asking people thousands of miles away “why do you whine? I can’t possibly comprehend why anyone would complain about the Yankees?” all while you Jersey Shore fist pump with your orange buddies and claim a championship that took place before your grandfather was in diapers and chant “27 baby!”
Teixeira Who? - October 11, 2010
Lurking? Hardly.
I am here because I have but one question to ask. It is a question that can only be answered by the good people at Halos Heaven. I have not insulted anyone nor have I cursed. Not only that, but I have used proper English. I have but one question, once you answer my question, I will leave.
My question:
Since you are in fact an LAA Angels blog, do tell me, kind sir, why do you good fellows insist on whining and complaining about the NY Yankees?
Reconn - October 10, 2010
My apologies
This was meant to be a reply to XYZ123.
Reconn - October 10, 2010
because it's free?
eyespy - October 10, 2010
That's not an answer.
I need an answer. Answers that do not count include, but not limited to:
Because it’s free
Because we can
Because I want to
Reconn - October 10, 2010
So why did you create an account just to whine?
XYZ123 - October 11, 2010
Whining?
Who is whining? Not I. I just asked a simple, straightforward question. Although no one seems to be answering it.
Reconn - October 11, 2010
Ok. A simple, straightforward answer: we don't whine.
People don’t like our attitude here. Internet pansies, mostly. But what we are doing is not whining.
No, people who wander in here in complete denial of the inequities that the Pittsburgh Pirates of the AL East created out of all of baseball once they found a way to tap into the economic motherload that was uniquely theirs by accidental happenstance of geography…and then complain that the rest of us fail to grovel…well, there is some serious whining.
Stirrups - October 11, 2010
Answer?
Because the Yankees are to baseball as Justin Bieber is to music.
XYZ123 - October 10, 2010
Oh I see...
So you mean they are:
Good at what they do, talented, and have a lot of money? Good to see we’re on the same page here.
Reconn - October 11, 2010
Both fan bases share the same characteristics.
XYZ123 - October 11, 2010
If you consider Justin Beiber talented, then I'm afraid we can't give you answers you'll understand
You may want to go ask the Dodgers, though – I hear metro Canadian tweens are a big part of their marketing campaign.
Commander_Nate - October 11, 2010
Well...
I don’t like his music, but he certainly has talent. Either that or he is a Jedi.
Reconn - October 11, 2010
Alright......I gots me a question
Why do you guys hate on the yankees?
lol JK
How’s everyone doing, long time no post. After graduating and getting a new job I just jump on hear and read on my free time but have not really posted anything in a while. One thing I did want to ask is what car alarm should I get?? jk again, no really, the question is does anyone have time (f-in) warner cable. I have been at work for most of the post season games so I DVR them. Time warner and freaking TBS say the game is going to start at a certain time but it does not. When I start the game, for example today, It was already 5-0 Rays an hour or so into the game. I got freakin pissed and its happened on every game!
What time was the game suppose to start today? It said 1:30 ET for the Rays so that would be 10:30 here right? Well turns out the freakin game started around 8am our time but according to time warner and TBS lethal weapon was on till 10AM. I should sue their asses for making me mis part of the Angels 2.0 ish Joe Maddon game.
N E Ways that was my rant / first offseason post, now you can all continue bashing that Skank fan…….BTW I could not choose between A and B!
acuda27 - October 10, 2010
Welcome back and congrats on the success!
Your signature always pops in my head when I watch S Rod take the plate in the ALDS. Depressing.
Teixeira Who? - October 10, 2010
Also.
I have Dish (but not for long). No more Fox Sports West and therefore no more Angels or Kings games until I switch. My buddy was complaining about Time Warner as well, he just started DVRing (if that’s a verb) about an hour or two before the game. Seems to work okay if you don’t mind fast forwarding through a ton of extra bullshit that you inevitably recorded.
Teixeira Who? - October 10, 2010
Thats what I have done for the next couple of days, I started on fresh prince and added
1 1/2 Hours to it, so it will record for 2 hrs before the game. Hope that works out. And thanks for the Congrats. And Sean Rodriguez, as I wrote when we traded him, would not have gotten the chance here. So I’m glad for him and am rooting for him and his team for the playoffs. My second team would have to be the Giants for the playoffs. Hope the Giants and Rays make it to the Championship Series and beat the living daylights out of the Skanks and Phills.
acuda27 - October 11, 2010
Hola Acuda, very long time since you been around these parts.
I bet you feel vindicated regarding your unabashed Kendry love, too bad your hopes for Sean Rodriguez won’t come to pass (at least in a Halos uni), I had high hopes for him as well. Keep on keepin’ on Acuda! Go Halos in 2011!!
halofolife - October 11, 2010
Hey, Acuda, longtime nosee!
I just figured you went into mourning back in May, and are just now in recovery.
red floyd - October 11, 2010
lol thanks red! Your not that far off lol, I was bummed big time but
Still managed to watch all the games without losing hope until there was none left. Trust me I have been here along side all of you through this long season. My favorite read would have to be the father that didn’t love me! Even my brother that’s a dodgers fan got a kick out of it! I gotta work my way in slowly but surly for the upcoming season, cuz I got some high expectations for them!
acuda27 - October 11, 2010
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