Anyone else watching the Yankees....

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Wait a few hours, though.

EDIT: Although, um, were you dreaming? When did he hit a triple recently? He hit two homers today, his only two hits, but he may yet have strained himself with those. Going 2 for 3 raised his batting average to a towering .208!

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Now you have me dreaming. Did he hit a triple and steal home whereupon a generous scorekeeper decided to award him a home run? You're talking CEI for that guy!

The triple was overturned on crew chief reviews because it actually hit the foul pole. He legged it to third base at first, though!

[knightdreamer2k]

I have been away for a bit mainly due to a new job that is more demanding of my time, but also more rewarding.

Turning to the state of the Yankees this year has been hard. First I can't say I was in love with their off-season as they brought back a team that was similar to the opening day roster of the prior year. Yes Rodon is an upgrade over Tallion even with the recent head to head battle, but Tallion went 14-5 with us and if Rodon had replicated those numbers we would have been fine with that. Of course injuries happened and here we are.

The offense is pretty awful especially when you consider how expensive this team is. DJ is not going to be that player we remember competing for a batting title. JD is not worth talking about. The decent players are IKF, Torres, Rizzo even though he is in a slump,and Bader. I am okay with Volpe, and our catchers are okay. Stanton as this point seems one dimensional as he just wants to be a pure home run hitter so who cares about batting average. We just need more players that can hit 280 or above.

The rotation is in state of flux with Cole holding it down with mediocre starters such as Schmidt and Herman. Rodon being back is a lift, and Sevy should be back in the pen as he has been awful.

Our main strength is the bullpen, which has been great. Is it enough for a playoff push? Probably not

We are two pieces on offense from being a contender this season. 1. Judge needs to get healthy and make a comeback. 2. Stanton needs to be a hitter again. 3. Some trade is going to have to bring a big bat. 4. Rizzo has to get out of his slump. 5. IS there anything left from DJ?

The current trend is not sustainable because we just don't have enough offense to compete day in and out.

[Déjà Bru]

It is sad but also inevitable. You know what? I am not going to waste any time or virtual breath whining about it because it's not going to change. Money is the basis for all human activity, and all the tradition and class that you can muster will ultimately not deflect its insidious effects. Better to enjoy the ride as much as one can.

[Amazin69]

Why not just draw a mustache on the Mona Lisa and have done with it?

I guess anybody who prides himself on "wearing the same uniform the Babe did" is just kidding himself now.

(Yes, for the road unis it would be Reggie, as the font was changed in 1971. But still.)

Can't wait to see whom the Mets sell their souls to. Pfizer, Raytheon, ExxonMobil? So much corporate sleaze, so little space.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Can't wait to see whom the Mets sell their souls to. Pfizer, Raytheon, ExxonMobil? So much corporate sleaze, so little space.

The Mets sold their souls AND bones to New York Presbyterian months ago. It was the infamous scandal where the patch also was in Phillies colors initially.

You *really* aren't following 2023 baseball very closely, aren't you?

[Amazin69]

Haven't seen a single pitch, he said proudly.

(I had a weak moment when the Mets were playing a Tuesday night TBS game and I was amused at the idea of watching Ron Darling explain the train wreck to a national audience. But they were playing the Braves, so I was blacked out because I'm "local" for Atlanta, despite being 300+ km away [I went metric for y'all, Westie!] And I certainly was not going to reverse the boycott for Chip Caray. So, no.)

And shame, shame on the Mets. There is a case that this means I know I will never come back and clarity has its benefits, blah blah blah. But still.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

so I was blacked out because I'm "local" for Atlanta, despite being 300+ km away [I went metric for y'all, Westie!]

My, isn't that sweet of you! ...when, normally:

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

It is sad but also inevitable. You know what? I am not going to waste any time or virtual breath whining about it because it's not going to change. Money is the basis for all human activity, and all the tradition and class that you can muster will ultimately not deflect its insidious effects. Better to enjoy the ride as much as one can.

Wow, get used to it for another reason! I just heard that this is an exclusive agreement with Starr Insurance that will extend through the 2031 season. (By that time, may the logo pass unnoticed to casual observers as just part of the uniform. Look, it could have been Taco Bell or something.)

[Westheim]

As I like to point out from time to time, this is such a non-topic for me.

The uniforms still have the team (or town) name in font size "huge" on the front, and the small ad thing on the sleeve.

For comparison, below; no, Jude does not play for the "1&1's". He plays for "BVB".

Well, played.

[Amazin69]

And it looks ridiculous. Always has. The slippery slope in action.

Advertising on the uniform or the playing field is something that smells of desperate money-grubbing. It takes us out of enjoying the action. The part where you almost literally can't see the team indicator because it's been crowded off of the shirt for money the team doesn't even need is just insane.

The entire point of sport is that it is a respite from work and commerce. Advertising belongs in the ad breaks. Nowhere else. JMO.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Wow, get used to it for another reason! I just heard that this is an exclusive agreement with Starr Insurance that will extend through the 2031 season. (By that time, may the logo pass unnoticed to casual observers as just part of the uniform. Look, it could have been Taco Bell or something.)

And in 2032, it well may be.

Imagine the pinstripers in uniforms with a giant Taco Bell logo on the chest, a smaller one on the cap, and a teeeeeeeeeeny-tiny interlocked N-Y on the shoulder blade or the belt-buckle or in the armpit.

And Westheim will still be telling us that he doesn't see the big deal, I suppose.

[Gruber_Tagged_Him]

The Blue Jays followed the Yankees down the slope, becoming the 14th team with a corporate logo. In this case it is Toronto Dominion bank, their logo is a bright green solid square with with letters TD inside. Admittedly TD advertising is all over the stadium anyway, but the logo looks purely stupid mixed with the other colours on various BLUE Jays uniforms.

If you decide to buy a jersey, does it come with these logos?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

And in 2032, it well may be.

Imagine the pinstripers in uniforms with a giant Taco Bell logo on the chest, a smaller one on the cap, and a teeeeeeeeeeny-tiny interlocked N-Y on the shoulder blade or the belt-buckle or in the armpit.

And Westheim will still be telling us that he doesn't see the big deal, I suppose.

At this very moment (I will soon change my mind or, better yet, stop thinking about it), I plan to be DEAD by then!

Originally Posted by Gruber_Tagged_Him

The Blue Jays followed the Yankees down the slope, becoming the 14th team with a corporate logo. In this case it is Toronto Dominion bank, their logo is a bright green solid square with with letters TD inside. Admittedly TD advertising is all over the stadium anyway, but the logo looks purely stupid mixed with the other colours on various BLUE Jays uniforms.

If you decide to buy a jersey, does it come with these logos?

Yes, at least the Starr Insurance logo has the right background color and thus blends in a bit. Plus, it contains the word "Star" (how's that for a reach? )

That is a good question about commercially sold jerseys. What a coup that would be for advertisers but would the buying public accept the practice? My guess would be, yes.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

At this very moment (I will soon change my mind or, better yet, stop thinking about it), I plan to be DEAD by then!

Ssshh. Come, let's see whether Vanda Pharmaceuticals or any other drughouse of your choice has something for that attitude and then...

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That is a good question about commercially sold jerseys. What a coup that would be for advertisers but would the buying public accept the practice? My guess would be, yes.

...as of right now, the store on MLB.com doesn't seem to have jerseys with the ad patches on, but I only checked the Yanks and Mets.

Again, in Soccerball Europe, that's not even a question, you want the real thing, with the contraceptive ads on them.

In 1988, the DFB prohibited the team from wearing the sponsorship logo of a condom manufacturer on ethical and moral grounds.

Except that the courts sided with Homburg.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

As I like to point out from time to time, this is such a non-topic for me.

The uniforms still have the team (or town) name in font size "huge" on the front, and the small ad thing on the sleeve.

For comparison, below; no, Jude does not play for the "1&1's". He plays for "BVB".

Well, played.

And, well played. Get the comma movement?

I was reminded of your post when I read a column by a local guy this morning (Neil Best, Newsday). He pointed out that hardly anybody batted an eyelash when this was added to MLB uniforms in 2020:



What reminded me of your post was what he said next:

Compared to the walking billboards that European soccer players and race car drivers are, the Yankees — and other base-ball teams — are beacons of modesty. And the Yankees continue to show respect for tradition, from not having players’ names on their shirts to avoiding alternate jerseys. And do not forget that they are leaving tens of millions of dollars on the table by not selling naming rights to Yankee Stadium. Now that would be blasphemy.

None of the above should be taken as an apology for the Yankees. But they are in business to do business, and this is a relatively modest way to drop a few extra dimes into the piggy-bank. Save your venom for more relevant consumer-unfriendly matters such as prices for tickets, concessions and parking, and the jigsaw puzzle of live streaming services that carry Yankees games.

Amen on that last part, which I bolded.

[Amazin69]

Well, the swoosh is too big. That said, I allow a (petite) exemption for the uniform manufacturers putting their trademark on the kit. It was generally on the back of the neck, IIRC.

But players have been wearing branded gloves (notice the big Rawlings R on Cole's) for at least 50 years now. OTOH, Starr Insurance (whom I had literally never heard of) didn't make the shirt. So keep your graffiti away, tyvm.

[Westheim]

Don't forget swooshes on shoes, the New Era cap marks, and the Louisville Slugger on the Louisville Slugger, and whatever else there is. Yeah, baseball players haven't been an ad-free zone for at least 50 years and likely longer.

[Amazin69]

Again, for me, manufacturer's trademarks on equipment fall within the "necessary to the game" exemption. Once I can see a reason for Pfizer ("It worked like a charm! Thanks, suckers! Er, everyone!") or Viagra or whomever to have been so necessary as to excuse their corporate putrescence intruding on the game, I may reevaluate my stance.

But I wouldn't wager on it. Not even at any of the betting shops advertised across the EPL's chests.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Once I can see a reason for Pfizer ("It worked like a charm! Thanks, suckers! Er, everyone!") or Viagra or whomever to have been so necessary as to excuse their corporate putrescence intruding on the game, I may reevaluate my stance.

"...and now Wilson goes to first base. He seems fine after all. And you what that means, Steve." - "Yes, Carl. This is our 'he was hit by the pitch, but now he stands again' moment, brought to you by Viagra!"

No?

Penalty bench's over there? No no, I'll find the way.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Westheim

As I like to point out from time to time, this is such a non-topic for me.

The uniforms still have the team (or town) name in font size "huge" on the front, and the small ad thing on the sleeve.

For comparison, below; no, Jude does not play for the "1&1's". He plays for "BVB".

Well, played.

Actually, he plays for Real Madrid now