Starting the MLB season in neutral parks may give Rockies hitters serious problems | Forbes
“Oye, why are you starting us off with a negative article, Eric? We need good news these days...”
Think again! I am an optimist and thus, believe this article presents a positive opportunity for the Rockies rather than some negative prediction! The headline has it all wrong.
Sure the Rockies hitters struggled on the road immensely last year compared to Coors Field, but maybe a season in all neutral parks would actually give the team a chance to brush off the Coors Field arguments a little bit.
If Nolan Arenado could put up Nolan like numbers while playing in non-Coors Field stadiums, he would help build on an already strong reputation as one of the best players in the game. And Trevor Story would continue to cement his status as an elite shortstop if he continued to mash at non-Denver altitudes. This article reminded me that Rockies’ hitters hit .300 at Coors Field and .230 everywhere else — and I chose to completely ignore that statistic and dream of the team tearing it up over in Arizona.
Minor League Baseball might agree to drop teams, but many issues remain in talks | The Athletic ($)
Okay so it’s a bit harder to be optimistic here but I’m going to try...
Following up on yesterday’s Rockpile which highlighted the likelihood that the minors will be losing 40 teams, this article talks about some of the issues that remain in talks to make this a reality. Maybe this means the fate of many minor league clubs isn’t as dismal as it may seem?
While the minors no longer have Congress rallying around them due to the more pressing issues currently present, it’s possible minor league owners can use these talks to highlight the fact that the MLB is using COVID-19 as an excuse to take even more from the minor league system, something that would be a PR nightmare for the MLB. If we’re lucky, this restructuring — which looks likely to happen — will at least happen in a way that doesn’t wipe out the minor leagues as we know them.
ESPN - KBO broadcasting deal in jeopardy after ESPN tried to acquire rights for free | NBC Sports
And now, one of the stranger stories you’ll hear regarding baseball today (I hope, otherwise something very weird is going on) — ESPN has been looking to broadcast the Korean Baseball League given the lack of American sports going on these days.
Seems like a good idea, right? Anything to give people something to do during the day and take their mind off of things, right?
Wrong.
The reporting here is that the deal is in jeopardy because ESPN offered zero dollars — yes zero — to acquire the rights. They expected to be able to broadcast the games for free, because what, they’re ESPN? The level of disrespect here seems pretty high. Hopefully they find a way to save face, offer a fair deal to the Korean League, and give us all a chance to take in some baseball.