Author: Shannon Shark @metspolice

This nice fellow stopped by the Mets store today.  If MLB marketed their stars I could tell you who he is!  Maybe he’s @mediagoon?

This is a big loss.  Wayne was the second best baseball play by play announcer in New York, behind only Howie Rose who is currently the best baseball announcer in all of baseball (following the death of Vin Scully).

Wayne is rumored to be taking the Angels TV job.

The guy who filled in last summer took the Royals job.

As radio is dead to me thanks to the malfeasance of WOR during their tenure (the loud metallic headache-inducing wah-wah noise) and the MLB App during that same time (LOUD COMMERCIALS) I no longer listen to games on the radio, so this does not affect me at all.

Looks like Mike Piazza has joined Fox, Anthony Scaramucci and some others for  Special Forces, a new TV show.

From what I can gather, on Special Forces you hang out with people from Trump’s White House….

..And you drive around in weaponized vehicles…

..and you sometimes use tear gas containers.

What is Mike training for?

Interesting!  I went to the Fox website to learn about the show, and they recommended these other shows.

I see…so the target audience is fans of Mike Piazza, Anthony Scaramucci,  the things Mike Piazza likes, Fox News…and it debuts in January.    The 4th. Wednesday January 4th.  Did you think it was on a Friday? Why would Fox air this on a Friday?  No.  It airs on January 4th.

The New York Post has a full on snow-job of Steve Cohen this morning.  While curing cancer, solving global warming and fixing twitter, Steve is also keeping his promise to Mets fans.

“I made a commitment to the fans. If it means I have to spend money to fulfill that commitment, so be it.”

So OK cool…appreciate that Steve…but here’s the bad news for Steve.  I am not sure this isn’t diminishing returns.

I chat with a lot of Mets fans and the reaction this winter seems to be…

There was a little bit of activity when deGrom left, but most people were sane and realized the guy barely pitches and he didn’t want to be here.

Then Verlander came in and the buzz lasted maybe 4 minutes.

Then they signed Best Japanese Player Ever and the buzz lasted 41 seconds, with most of the discussion being around the fake beat reporter trolling people that Best Japanese Player Ever will wear #41 which is obviously not true but (a) many Mets fans aren’t smart – not YOU of course, the other Mets fans and (b) the Mets are such a funked up organization that it does seem possible.   Also, Best Japanese Player Ever, probably has a name but I can’t remember it now, and that’s kind of the point.

This isn’t Steve’s fault.   He bought a hamburger stand that gave us botulism for 30 years, but he also bought it at a time where a lot of us are kinda bored with hamburgers that take 4 hours to cook.  Take today for examine, a nice tight two hour world class soccer game and then 7 hours of NFL ADD and then the New York Football Giants at 8pm if you have any sports left in you.   Fun.

Baseball has shot itself in the head with these expanded playoffs.  There is NO reason to set your calendar around watching a Mets game now unless you’re bored.  Verlander has no buzz….and if there is buzz it tops out at Scherzer buzz, and I am not sure how much of that there was. Best Japanese Player Ever is kind of interesting but again he’s going to have to be Fernando Valenzuela for that to be fun for more than two starts.  If he is Chris Bassitt Good, well hey what’s on Netflix.

So I am sure I will be told I am cranky and negative.  It’s that time of year.  We do this every year, and then come the end of the season most of you have checked out.  Even the die-hardiest t-shirt army couldn’t be bothered to stay until the end of the elimination playoff game (HEY, it was cold, and we had to work the next day, and the buzz was off once Atlanta won the division….) so maybe look at someone else this time.

So Steve, appreciate you.  Maybe Verlander is “deGrom good” and maybe Best Japanese Player Ever is Bassitt Good, and maybe you signed someone else, I can’t even remember.  Thanks for doing all that.  But what’s gonna happen – you guys win 101 games?  Yay?   If you do, and I’m bored, maybe I will put it on in October.

In the meantime, enjoy 4 hour games, and home run chases with suspect baseballs, and Openers, and sitting around so Pete Alonso can either strike out or hit a home run once an hour.

Baseball was fun once.  I wish you had bought the team in 1977 Steve.  But now….hey appreciate it, but I have to go watch football now.

….

I haven’t yet had time to write about this study of Gen-Z’s lack of sports consumption, something Steve would need to be concerned about, except baseball is his toy not his livelihood, so why should he care?  But one line made me laugh…

“This isn’t a three-year game that we’re playing,” said MLB’s Marinak. “This is a 60- to 70-year game. We have a lot of time to get it right.” By then, though, who knows what the youngest consumers will be into. (via Morning Consult)

Yes, Mr. Marinak but I have bad news for you.  You’re in year 30 of that 60 year game.  All that screaming the Mushnicks of the world did about late post-season starts?  The bill game due, and they are called Gen-Z (and the younger millennials) and they grew up with no attachment to your game.  Us Gen Xers are closer to the end than the beginning, as is your sport.

Don’t even get me started on these contracts that teams are handing out as the RSN model dies.  Whats going to pay for rosters in 2030, with 41 year old shortstops making $40,000,000 eating up the payroll?

Anyway…enjoy the soccer game this morning!