b-b-b-But... It's Baseball!

[KBCraig]

I'm a lifelong Cardinals fan, married to a raving loony Cubs fan(atic). (Don't ask. We make it work.)

Despite our NL bias, we're both willing to root for the BoSox in the AL, especially against the damnYankees. Loving Baseball more than my Cards, I was prepared to be happy for Boston should they win the '04 Series. But even Boston fans were saying, "... man, the Cards could have at least tried!"

Anyhooo... I've nothing against the BoSox. Great team, great park, great history, great fans. Everything Baseball should be.

Except for some of their "stars" and how they treat devoted fans who happen to be working stiffs or children.

I think I want to retch. I'm 100% capitalist, but the episode described below wasn't even about money. It sure wasn't about baseball. It was about people who favor cash and prestige more than baseball, and who had the cash to buy a photo op.

Ten year old kids leaving in tears because their parents couldn't afford to get them in the door, much less buy a souvenir or an autograph?

"Big Papi", my ass. Mame la penga, puto grande.

Kevin

http://www.unionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=58483
Big Papi lights up the mall, cash registers
By KEVIN GRAY
Staff Sports Writer

MANCHESTER ? Big Papi lit up the Mall of New Hampshire and its cash registers yesterday.

It?s not often you get a chance to meet David Ortiz on game day, never mind inside an air-conditioned sports emporium right here in the Queen City. Fans could buy an authentic Red Sox jersey ($169.99) and have the slugger sign it for another $140.

For those carrying a fistful of hundreds, the sky was the limit.

A ticket for the event at BC Sports Collectibles fetched an immediate $100, which included an autograph on a ball or photo. Want Ortiz to inscribe ?ALCS MVP? or something else? That cost another $50.

Yet diehards couldn?t wait to flash their credit cards, proving Ortiz is giving Johnny Damon and Jason Varitek a run for their money as Boston?s most popular player these days.

Rich Shadan of Pelham and his 11-year-old son, Ryan, arrived at 7 a.m. and eventually took their place in line behind about 20 others. The building contractor waited more than four hours to meet Ortiz and spent $267 on the outing.

?If you have it, you may as well spend it,? he said. ?Right now, I seem to have it.?

Plenty of fans didn?t.

A boy about 10 years old left the mall in tears after his mother saw the price board and explained they couldn?t stay. Many others got in line thinking the autograph would be free, only to leave disappointed.

Josh Dodge of Derry, 28, arrived with a Wheaties box featuring a fist-in-the-air picture of Ortiz. Soon he left without a signature, choosing to drive to Foxboro, Mass., for Patriots training camp.

?It?s not like I?m going to sell this (Wheaties box) on eBay. It?s for my game room,? Dodge said. ?Right now I?m thinking about going to the ATM, but I don?t think so.?

Ortiz and his entourage arrived a half-hour late, driving up in a black Cadillac Escalade at 11:30 a.m. As security escorted the 6-foot-4 slugger, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and G-Unit hat, fans began chanting ?Papi, Papi.?

He tipped his cap and ducked into the store, which sold about 300 tickets for the event. Some fans expected the money would be going to charity, but Larry Goodman, director of merchandising for BC Sports Collectibles, wasn?t so sure.

?Every situation with every athlete is a little different. In most cases, we really don?t know where the compensation is going,? said Goodman. ?We?re doing this through another company. For all I know, 50 percent is going to the other company and 50 percent is going to (Ortiz?s) agent, and all he?s getting is a hearty thank you.?

That?s doubtful for an event like this.

Players of Big Papi?s stature can command up to $25,000 for two hours of work, according to baseball dinner organizer David McCarthy, who?s brought several Red Sox players and coaches to the Manchester area for charity dinners. Earlier this month, a benefit for the Ted Williams Museum featured Red Sox newcomer Adam Stern and coaches Ron Jackson and Dale Sveum.

?I?ve been on both sides of the business, and once you start doing the math, there?s not a lot of money left over if you?re paying a player 20 grand,? McCarthy said. ?I?ve been fortunate because we?ve had guys like (Bronson) Arroyo and (Kevin) Millar do ones on the house because I?m doing this for charity.?

Ortiz, who criticized Red Sox fans for their treatment of Manny Ramirez on Friday night, ignored an interview request following the event in Manchester yesterday. Goodman of BC Sports Collectibles had warned their wouldn?t be any time for chit-chat.

?It?s amazing in this day and age that someone of his stature can pull himself away to do this in the middle of the season,? he said.

Fans came all the way from Ohio and New York, according to Goodman, whose company also sold tickets for the event on-line. Other store owners inside the mall had to be pleased with yesterday?s turnout.

The line for Ortiz started near a jewelry display and went past several clothing stores, ending near the Sunglass Hut. Amid all the action was Boston?s mascot, Wally the Green Monster, who effectively signed autographs for $5 after kids signed up for the mall?s Kidgits Club.

Cash registers kept ringing until Ortiz left at 1:30 p.m., leaving behind a wave of happy fans.

Five-year-old Blake Murray of Bedford, who can recite the Red Sox? starting lineup, got a signature. He wore an Ortiz jersey, while his younger brother, Peyton, donned a Varitek jersey.

?I do think it?s too expensive, but we did it for a birthday present. That?s how we justified it,? said the boys? father, Mark Murray.

One passerby, Hamid Mohamed of Sudan, couldn?t believe his eyes when he saw the line of people.

?I thought it was (President) Bush or someone from the government coming,? the 29-year-old said.

Nope, it?s Big Papi, a baseball player.

?The game when they use a stick?? asked Mohamed, making a baseball swing motion. ?I?ve never heard of (Ortiz) . . . but that guy is getting rich.?

[Dreepa]

Dude that does suck.
Suck bad.

[Ron Helwig]

Dude that does suck.
Suck bad.

You're being redundant. Any time you are talking about baseball, you are talking about something that sucks 

Baseball was designed for the era of mass production and bureaucratic control( i.e. it is a statist tool). Lots of rules that make no sense, and one guy that is in charge (the ump). Teams are picked for no reason, and people rally behind "their team" for no valid reason other than geography. A sense of false pride is engendered in the audience, teaching them to ignore actions that generate real pride, like being productive.

[AlanM]

Dude that does suck.
Suck bad.

You're being redundant. Any time you are talking about baseball, you are talking about something that sucks?

Baseball was designed for the era of mass production and bureaucratic control( i.e. it is a statist tool). Lots of rules that make no sense, and one guy that is in charge (the ump). Teams are picked for no reason, and people rally behind "their team" for no valid reason other than geography. A sense of false pride is engendered in the audience, teaching them to ignore actions that generate real pride, like being productive.

So, Ron, does this mean you don't watch the Sox? 

[Ron Helwig]

So, Ron, does this mean you don't watch the Sox? 

I hate socks - you have to wash them often, and they wear out too soon. 

[AlanM]

So, Ron, does this mean you don't watch the Sox??

I hate socks - you have to wash them often, and they wear out too soon.?

You're supposed to wash them? Um............ Why am I the last to know? *throws socks in washer in disgust*