MLB '12
 

Okay, so another group drops out of the bidding for the Dodgers (the Torre/Caruso group) and with it comes an interesting revelation: that the parking lot does not come as part of the deal (McCourt long ago spun off the lot as a separate corporation and it is not part of the bankruptcyl. Turns out we can't seem to get rid of him.

ARGH!!!

I wish every bidder would pull out until Frank agrees to include the parking lots. He still has to pay his wife by April 30th.

Should he not change his mind, and should someone be stupid enough to buy the Dodgers while letting him retain the parking lot, I think you are going to see far lower attendance than last year. From the many responses I've seen from fans, there is no way they are giving Frank their money to park at Dodger Stadium.

With baseball starting today (even I'm ignoring the A's games in Japan) I refreshed a spreadsheet I've been keeping for the last couple of years.

On June 10, 2010 I went to an A's game and that day I saw 14 players actually play them.

The spreadsheet tracks the fates of each of those players day-by-day since. What team they were on, whether there was a game that day, if there was did they play, if they played did they start or sub, what position.

Less than 2 years later only 5 of those 14 players are still with the team Only 11 of them are playing major league ball on opening day. Such is fandom for a small market team (though I really have no sense of whether it would be much different for other teams)

Here is the colorful representation of that fate when I zoom Excel out to the last setting.

Color represents the team they were on. White means they're not in the majors but are still trying to be (minor leagues/free agents), black is done.

Well, this is going to be a huge disappointment when it eventually comes to an end.

What will?

The Dodgers winning.

Yeah, wasn't expecting a 7-1 start, but I'll take it.

Still, we need a little more in the relief department. Guerra and Jansen can't pitch every night. And Loney is still driving me crazy.

Wow. Now ain't this a rare sight. Dodgers and Nat's leading the way...

Tomorrow could be a test for the Dodgers. So far they've only played the Padres and the Pirates, both sub-500 teams last season. The Brewers were a real team last season.

Of course, they're off to a slow start this season, and are hardly the same team without Fielder and Braun under scrutiny for his PED near-miss. So perhaps they will be another weak team to take advantage of afterall.

But at least they are actually taking advantage of those weak teams so far this year. They may be "cheap" wins, but they are the kind of wins they need to end up with a good season overall, and the kind of wins they haven't been getting over the last several seasons.

Dodgers v Nats is turning out to be a great game. Harper is looking good in his majors debute. His getting booed was funny.

Nice try attempting to swat the ball away while sliding into home.