The Hardball Times

BOB:  Marlins stadium update

by Brian Borawski
October 27, 2010

Marlins stadium rehash

It wasn’t that long ago that the whole financial statement leak happened and since then, there hasn’t been a whole lot of noise about the numbers. That still doesn’t mean people aren’t thinking about it because there are still some Miami-Dade County commissioners who want to reopen the Marlins' stadium deal to make sure what the Florida Marlins were selling were actually the facts. Two commissioners have sponsored a resolution to have the county mayor initiate dialogue with the Marlins to see if the stadium contract can now be amended to reduce the public’s contribution to the ballpark.

Sarah Talalay has done a fantastic job of covering this issue and if you want to catch up on what’s been happening with the Marlins and their stadium, I highly recommend you go through her blog archives. At this point she thinks any amendments to the stadium deal would be unlikely.

MLB explores new seven-day disabled list for concussions

There’s been some noise about the potential for a new seven-day disabled list that would apply just to players with concussions. This would be in addition to the 15- and 60-disabled lists that are already in place. A baseball subcommittee is looking at it now and if they approve, then it would have to be approved by Bud Selig then finally the players' union.

I’d say this is a little tricky. While you definitely want to take care of your player’s with concussions, having a separate disabled list for a specific injury may be opening a door to some big time abuse. It’ll also be interesting to see how it’s monitored and what checks they put in place to make sure teams aren’t abusing it to their benefit.

Fox-Cablevision dispute could threaten World Series viewership

I haven’t talked too much about this but News Corporation and Cablevision have now been in an extended feud . Now with baseball’s postseason heading into their crown jewel, the World Series, many New York residents are going to be left without an immediate way to watch the game because of this disagreement. At odds is News Corporations price and at this point, Cablevision is hoping for some government intervention to resolve the dispute. This could also be precursor to another possible blackout because News Corporation and Dish Network have also been at odds.

It’d be interesting to see how baseball fans react. Some may have already covered themselves by changing cable providers. Others might just go to a friend’s house while you might also see a gradual increase in bar attendance during the series. My guess is, if someone wants to watch the game, they’ll figure out a way with or without Cablevision.

LCS most watched since 2007

Both the NLCS and the ALCS were the most watched in the last few years with some interesting match-ups. The NLCS on FOX was the most watched since 2006 with an average of 9.05 million viewers. The ALCS on TBS was the most watched since TBS began airing the round in 2007 with 8.22 million viewers. Game six of the ALCS was the second most viewed game on cable television with only the 2008 game seven ALCS beating it out.

Wrigleyville Magazine

Whether you’re a Chicago area resident and a Cubs fan or you plan on visiting the area and want some ideas on what to do before or after you attend a Cubs game, I highly recommend you check out the inaugural issue of Wrigleyville Magazine. In the first issue, you can read about the River North Rockit Ranch restaurant, Murphy’s Bleachers, the Underground Lounge, Wrigleyville Sports as well as a nice status report on the local real estate market. You get a really nice flavor for how these local establishments not only cater to Cubs fans, but are Cubs fans themselves.

The first issue ends with a heart warming story about a young girl, Kattarina, who got her Cubs wish and how Wrigleyville Magazine went above and beyond the call of duty to help out. Wrigley Field is definitely on my list of parks to visit and having a resource like this definitely can make the experience a more fulfilling one.

Brian Borawski is a member of SABR's Business of Baseball Committee and writes about the Detroit Tigers at his own website, TigerBlog. He welcomes comments, questions and suggestions via e-mail.

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