When I played Little League baseball the teams were referred to by the names of the sponsors. I didn’t play for the Mets, Dodgers, Astros, or Pirates, I played for Greenfield’s Department Stores, V.F.W., Lion’s Club. There was also Sun Glo Bakery, Parlin Auto Body, Sayreville Hardware, and Olympic Exterminators. The league on the other side of town did, in fact, have their teams known as Phillies, Yanks, Royals, Reds, etc. But, the sponsors were still on the front of the jerseys so that the sponsors’ names would be front and center, and understandably so, in the team photo. And those more familiar MLB nicknames were, at some point, not even put on the uniforms at all.
And, yes, it still says “Mets” on the front of the New Yorkers’ jerseys and “Marlins” on the front of the Miamians’ jerseys. But, wait, it’s only a matter of time. Because just like the recreation leagues need the sponsorships, the multiple revenue streams, to pad the bottom line, obviously, so do Major League Baseball teams. Team jerseys are already sporting the Nike swoosh on the front of their jerseys.
New York-Presbyterian is reportedly forking over about $20 million for a multi-year deal with the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, while ADT is reportedly paying the Miami professional baseball team $5 million annually for the next three seasons.
Pretty soon there will be ushers going up and down the aisles with plastic buckets selling 50-50 tickets. They will wait until after the beer sales are a ways up and then sell “arm’s length” of tickets and raffle off a few thousand dollars each game.
We love going to the New York-Presbyterian games, except for when it’s cold. And it’s always colder, and windier, at Citifield. Thankfully we were prepared and layered up. Because MLB gave us the courtesy of cancelling the game the day before because of the inclement weather that never happened, only to have it 20 degrees colder, and the winds blowing 100 MPH harder (OK, OK…but it sure SEEMED THAT WAY) the next day.
We always make our way up the New Jersey Turnpike and park at the Secaucus Junction station and take New Jersey Transit into New York Penn Station. Once there, we take the 1 train up to 42nd Street and it’s there that we hop on the famous 7 train that goes straight to the front entrance of Citifield. And, if we’re lucky, we just might get the express.
We drive back and forth to Secaucus because the trains going in and out to New York Penn Station and stopping in Secaucus Junction are plenty, even at the later hours if a night game runs late. Otherwise, a long extra-inning game could leave us unable to get back to the station where we would normally park closer to home.
With the new rules, specifically, the new pitch clock, the games, so far, have been a lot shorter. Not the home opener. It was still a three-hour deal, mainly because of the many walks issued by ADT pitching. Of course the game was going to be long…because we were in the FREEZING COLD. It felt more like a Notre Dame football game than a spring baseball game.
Yes…I’m complaining. Usually, Melissa prefers the cold. But she, too, was complaining. And not just about the cold. “Hey, what’s with the walk-up music?” She didn’t like that Brandon Nimmo hasn’t changed his walk-up music in at least two years.
“And why does there have to be a MRS. Met?” she demanded to know. “Why can’t she be MS. Met? Is it impossible to think that she is happy being single?”
Put me in coach…I’m ready to play…today…(insert sponsor’s name here).
Don't forget to check out our other adventures at Karmel Knocking Around.
