Yesterday I moved back to New York permanently. After spending the last two years in the Bay Area, it's great to be back on the East Coast and my timing couldn't be better - I arrived in the Big Apple just in time for the Braves' visit to Yankee Stadium, and I've already secured tickets to see Wednesday afternoon's game. While I loved my time in Northern California and had a number of memorable sports experiences over the past couple of years (in fact, most of this blog has been written from Palo Alto), moving back to my home town is extremely exciting. In addition to being a lot closer to family and friends and starting a new job that I'm really fired up about, I once again get to take advantage of all of the perks of being a New York-based sports fan.
Before we go into those perks, though, I have to acknowledge the good things about West Coast sports. As I've written about before, I loved the early start times for NFL and NCAA football games - being able to get up and immediately turn on a New York Giants game at 10 AM local time is a beautiful thing, and having most of Sunday's action over by 4 PM Pacific still gives you the rest of the afternoon to relax. The Bay Area specifically offers some fantastic sports venues - AT&T Park is one of the best ballparks I've been to, and HP Pavilion is a well-run and fun hockey facility. I've really enjoyed following the Pac-12, particularly during football season, and I've appreciated the opportunity to take part in a legitimate college sports rivalry between Stanford and Cal. Overall, there's a lot to like about Bay Area sports.
All of that being said, the Bay Area can't hold a candle to the Big Apple as far as sports are concerned. Yes, I'll be losing morning football and big time college sports, but the list of what I'll be getting is long and impressive. Starting Wednesday at Yankee Stadium I'll get to regularly enjoy New York's many brand new venues for baseball (Yankee Stadium and Citi Field), football (MetLife Stadium) and basketball / hockey (the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and, soon, a renovated Madison Square Garden). I get solid regional sports networks in the YES Network, MSG Network and SNY, rather than Comcast Sports Net and Fox Sports (both of which are pretty terrible). New York has a local ESPN site (ESPN New York), while the Bay Area (shockingly) still doesn't. Perhaps best of all, I get to be in the same city as my fellow Giants, Knicks and (sometimes) Islander fans, and eavesdrop on people talking about Carmelo and Eli instead of about Zynga and Foursquare.
In short, I'm excited about spending the summer and beyond in New York and becoming a full-fledged New York sports fan again. The fun will start with a Yankees game, move on to the Mets later this summer, and then transition over to a winter full of Knicks, Giants and Islander games. For once Sportscenter will lead with the local teams - there will be no more flipping over to the local six o'clock news to check in on the A's, Warriors or Sharks. While my time in Northern California was great - New York can't offer the same great weather, the beautiful surroundings or the great Mexican food as the Bay Area - it's good to be back where I belong.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
A Uniform Renaissance
Since I finished classes a week ago, I've been watching a moderately insane amount of MLB content including games, highlights and commentary. We're also in the middle of another week of Interleague Play; normally I pay much closer attention to the NL teams, but this week I've been glued to the action coming out of the AL, too. While watching so much baseball, I came to realize that we are at a high point for MLB uniforms (at least in my lifetime). Between the teams that have always had great duds and the teams that recently made massive upgrades, the number of sharp-looking uniforms far outnumbers the ugly ones. As someone obsessed with team merchandise, I appreciate this more than you could possibly imagine.
First, we have the teams who have always had - and, hopefully, will always have - classic uniforms. While I guess we have to start with the New York Yankees and their trademark pinstripes, we shouldn't forget about teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers. All of these clubs have maintained a traditional look for most (if not all) of their existences, which I really appreciate during this era of companies like Nike and Under Armour doing everything they can to "modernize" sports apparel. Although I admit I'm biased, my Braves have always had a cool, unique look, and the throwback-style jerseys they've been sporting this season are particularly cool (see below). Throw in the Cubs, Cardinals and others, and baseball has arguably the most stable crop of classic jerseys of any professional sport.
In addition to these teams, there have been a number of teams that have made significant upgrades to their uniforms. This is particular true in the American League, where the Blue Jays and the Orioles returned to more classic looks this year - a particularly huge improvement for Toronto, who went from having one of the the worst uniforms in baseball to one of the best (see below). While less pronounced, other teams have recently made some solid improvements, too. The Mets got rid of all the black and went back to a 1960's-style cream-colored look that suits them well. The Rays have finally found a color scheme that works (compare those to these or, perhaps even worse, these). The Pirates realized that sleeveless jerseys were an awful idea and went back to something more mature, and I love how Washington ditched the "Nationals" jerseys for the script "W" ones. As I watch baseball this season, I'm really liking the uniforms that I'm seeing from most of the clubs.
This isn't to say that there aren't some bad ones out there. I write this post even in spite of the fact that the Marlins are wearing perhaps the worst set of jerseys I've ever been alive to see - the alternate orange ones are particularly offensive (see below). I don't mind Arizona's red-and-black color palette, but the giant "D-backs" across the chest looks terrible. The Padres jerseys are pretty uninspired in my opinion, and Houston is (as always) a disaster. In spite of these duds, though, I still love what I'm seeing on MLB diamonds these days. If only I could say the same of the NBA hardwood and NHL ice.
First, we have the teams who have always had - and, hopefully, will always have - classic uniforms. While I guess we have to start with the New York Yankees and their trademark pinstripes, we shouldn't forget about teams like the Giants, Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers. All of these clubs have maintained a traditional look for most (if not all) of their existences, which I really appreciate during this era of companies like Nike and Under Armour doing everything they can to "modernize" sports apparel. Although I admit I'm biased, my Braves have always had a cool, unique look, and the throwback-style jerseys they've been sporting this season are particularly cool (see below). Throw in the Cubs, Cardinals and others, and baseball has arguably the most stable crop of classic jerseys of any professional sport.
Jason Heyward rocking the awesome new Braves alternate jerseys.
In addition to these teams, there have been a number of teams that have made significant upgrades to their uniforms. This is particular true in the American League, where the Blue Jays and the Orioles returned to more classic looks this year - a particularly huge improvement for Toronto, who went from having one of the the worst uniforms in baseball to one of the best (see below). While less pronounced, other teams have recently made some solid improvements, too. The Mets got rid of all the black and went back to a 1960's-style cream-colored look that suits them well. The Rays have finally found a color scheme that works (compare those to these or, perhaps even worse, these). The Pirates realized that sleeveless jerseys were an awful idea and went back to something more mature, and I love how Washington ditched the "Nationals" jerseys for the script "W" ones. As I watch baseball this season, I'm really liking the uniforms that I'm seeing from most of the clubs.
Toronto made MLB's biggest uniform upgrade that I can ever remember.
This isn't to say that there aren't some bad ones out there. I write this post even in spite of the fact that the Marlins are wearing perhaps the worst set of jerseys I've ever been alive to see - the alternate orange ones are particularly offensive (see below). I don't mind Arizona's red-and-black color palette, but the giant "D-backs" across the chest looks terrible. The Padres jerseys are pretty uninspired in my opinion, and Houston is (as always) a disaster. In spite of these duds, though, I still love what I'm seeing on MLB diamonds these days. If only I could say the same of the NBA hardwood and NHL ice.
Miami Marlins: worst uniforms in sports?
Friday, June 8, 2012
Give Boston Some Credit
As a New Yorker, I really don't like anything about Boston. As public transportation systems go, the T pales in comparison to the New York City subways. The sites are pretty much all academic and remind me of my fifth grade overnight trip (which, admittedly, was a huge deal at the time). Things close too early at night, the weather's too harsh and cold and, perhaps worst of all, you constantly run the risk of bumping into kids from Harvard or MIT. Combine all of these factors with the fact that you're always surrounded by Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics fans, and it's pretty much the most miserable place on Earth for a New Yorker. I mean, if you ask someone in Boston where to get a good bagel they'll send you to some place called Finagle a Bagel. Seriously.
Every once in a while, though, I have to give the city of Boston credit where credit is due. While Boston sports fans might be annoying, overconfident and speak with a ridiculous accent, they do love their teams. On Thursday night, with the Celtics getting crushed by 20+ by Miami, the Boston home crowd got a thunderous "Let's Go Celtics" chant going, energizing the team in preparation for Game 7 in Miami on Saturday night. As much as I love the Knicks and their fans, I can admit that Madison Square Garden would have been empty by this point in the game had New York been down 21 to LeBron & Co. Watch the video below and tell me it's not one of the more impressive fan-related things you've seen in a while.
Part of what makes the MLB, NBA and NHL playoffs great (as opposed to the NFL or NCAA basketball) is the series structure. While the one-and-done nature of the NFL playoffs and March Madness is incredibly exciting, you don't get the opportunity for stuff like this in those sports. In the NBA, one loss (usually) doesn't mean the end of the season, and it's up to the players to shake off an ugly loss (and Boston's Game 6 was certainly ugly) and get ready to win the next one. Had I not seen the video above and only heard the final score, I would have said with confidence that the Celtics would get smacked around by the Heat in Game 7. Now after seeing this? I'm not so sure.
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about what players "owe" their fans. At the end of the day, we all know sports is a business and that most of the athletes are playing more for the paycheck and the popularity than for their city or their fans. The relationship between player and fan is one of employee and customer, and rarely much more. But I think if I were sitting on the Celtics bench listening to this chant at the end of an utterly terrible game, I'd be really fired up for a chance at redemption in Game 7. I don't know if the Celtics players will show up in force on Saturday night, but after seeing this video I'm pretty confident that the Celtics fans will.
Every once in a while, though, I have to give the city of Boston credit where credit is due. While Boston sports fans might be annoying, overconfident and speak with a ridiculous accent, they do love their teams. On Thursday night, with the Celtics getting crushed by 20+ by Miami, the Boston home crowd got a thunderous "Let's Go Celtics" chant going, energizing the team in preparation for Game 7 in Miami on Saturday night. As much as I love the Knicks and their fans, I can admit that Madison Square Garden would have been empty by this point in the game had New York been down 21 to LeBron & Co. Watch the video below and tell me it's not one of the more impressive fan-related things you've seen in a while.
Part of what makes the MLB, NBA and NHL playoffs great (as opposed to the NFL or NCAA basketball) is the series structure. While the one-and-done nature of the NFL playoffs and March Madness is incredibly exciting, you don't get the opportunity for stuff like this in those sports. In the NBA, one loss (usually) doesn't mean the end of the season, and it's up to the players to shake off an ugly loss (and Boston's Game 6 was certainly ugly) and get ready to win the next one. Had I not seen the video above and only heard the final score, I would have said with confidence that the Celtics would get smacked around by the Heat in Game 7. Now after seeing this? I'm not so sure.
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about what players "owe" their fans. At the end of the day, we all know sports is a business and that most of the athletes are playing more for the paycheck and the popularity than for their city or their fans. The relationship between player and fan is one of employee and customer, and rarely much more. But I think if I were sitting on the Celtics bench listening to this chant at the end of an utterly terrible game, I'd be really fired up for a chance at redemption in Game 7. I don't know if the Celtics players will show up in force on Saturday night, but after seeing this video I'm pretty confident that the Celtics fans will.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Early Bird Baseball
As one of the top college baseball teams in the country, Stanford had the opportunity to host an NCAA regional this weekend. Fresno State, Pepperdine and Michigan State joined the Cardinal in Palo Alto to determine which school would head to the College World Series. After missing Stanford's rout of Fresno State on Friday night, I made sure to head to Klein Field on Saturday for the game against Pepperdine (which defeated MSU in its first game). Though I did think that the evening game start time of 6 PM was a little odd (as opposed to 7 PM, a much more traditional start time), I didn't think much of it until I got to the stadium a few minutes before the first pitch. Once I found a seat and looked around, however, the early game time made much more sense.
Never before had a seen so many elderly people at a sporting event in my life, and I've been to professional tennis tournaments and Princeton football games. Everywhere I looked I saw groups of 65+ year old men filling the stands, clearly appreciating the 6 PM start and the opportunity to be home and in bed well before 10 PM. While I had been to Stanford baseball games before, the crowds at the regular season games are relatively sparse and I hadn't noticed the drastic demographic split. For the NCAA regional, however, it was clear that college baseball (at least in Palo Alto) skews heavily towards the elderly.
Why might this be? I hypothesize that there are a lot of older people in the Bay Area who love baseball, but don't have the energy (or maybe the disposable income) to go to AT&T Park or O.co Coliseum and catch an MLB game. For older people, those games involve all of the things the elderly hate: battling crowds, climbing stairs and spending money. For less than $10, on the other hand, you can drive to Klein Field, park just feet from the stadium, and watch some high-quality college baseball. They also don't sell beer at the Stanford games, so that means no rowdy youths around to ruin a good time. Combine that with the 6 PM start - the Early Bird Special of first pitch times, if you will - and the perfect Palo Alto weather, and you've got a stadium full of retirees.
For comparison, I took a long look at the crowd today at the San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park, where I saw the home team beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in a crisp, quick, well-played game. Even though it was a day game on a gorgeous afternoon (see below), virtually everyone I saw was under sixty and most of the fans were probably in their 20s, 30s or 40s; the elderly demographic was nowhere to be found. If you ever lose an elderly male relative in the greater Palo Alto area, I'd start by looking at Stanford's Klein Field. Chances are they're out there sitting in the stands, waiting for the Cardinal baseball team to take the field.
Never before had a seen so many elderly people at a sporting event in my life, and I've been to professional tennis tournaments and Princeton football games. Everywhere I looked I saw groups of 65+ year old men filling the stands, clearly appreciating the 6 PM start and the opportunity to be home and in bed well before 10 PM. While I had been to Stanford baseball games before, the crowds at the regular season games are relatively sparse and I hadn't noticed the drastic demographic split. For the NCAA regional, however, it was clear that college baseball (at least in Palo Alto) skews heavily towards the elderly.
Why might this be? I hypothesize that there are a lot of older people in the Bay Area who love baseball, but don't have the energy (or maybe the disposable income) to go to AT&T Park or O.co Coliseum and catch an MLB game. For older people, those games involve all of the things the elderly hate: battling crowds, climbing stairs and spending money. For less than $10, on the other hand, you can drive to Klein Field, park just feet from the stadium, and watch some high-quality college baseball. They also don't sell beer at the Stanford games, so that means no rowdy youths around to ruin a good time. Combine that with the 6 PM start - the Early Bird Special of first pitch times, if you will - and the perfect Palo Alto weather, and you've got a stadium full of retirees.
Beautiful view of Stanford's Hoover Tower beyond the Klein Field fence.
For comparison, I took a long look at the crowd today at the San Francisco Giants game at AT&T Park, where I saw the home team beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in a crisp, quick, well-played game. Even though it was a day game on a gorgeous afternoon (see below), virtually everyone I saw was under sixty and most of the fans were probably in their 20s, 30s or 40s; the elderly demographic was nowhere to be found. If you ever lose an elderly male relative in the greater Palo Alto area, I'd start by looking at Stanford's Klein Field. Chances are they're out there sitting in the stands, waiting for the Cardinal baseball team to take the field.
The weather and the views at AT&T Park were absolutely perfect on Sunday.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Show Combs the Money
Earlier this week, ESPN reported that UCLA was defending the $54,000 athletic scholarship it awarded to Justin Combs, son of rap mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. After many had suggested that, because of his father's wealth, Combs should pass on the scholarship and pay his UCLA tution himself, the school released a statement explaining its decision. According to the statement,
Asking Combs to pass on the scholarship makes no sense. If anything, it would be nice if Combs took the scholarship and then went on to donate $54,000 to UCLA's general scholarship fund, ensuring that a well-qualified but financial-unstable candidate could attend UCLA for strictly academic purposes. People should respect UCLA's choice to award these non-need-based scholarships to any student athletes that meet the school's athletic and academic requirements. I think it would be awesome if Combs donates money to the school to help make it easier for other kids to attend UCLA, but I see that gesture as entirely separate from the school's decision to give his son a football scholarship.
When his son was awarded his scholarship last fall, Diddy was quoted as saying "This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about. Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream." And you know what? He's absolutely right. Justin Combs should be proud of the fact that he earned his college tuition through his accomplishments on and off the football field, and he shouldn't be made to feel undeserving just because of who his father is. If his dad wants to give some money to his school independently of his scholarship, that would be a wonderful gesture. But at the end of the day, Justin Combs should be treated like any other UCLA student athlete and deserves the scholarship he worked hard throughout high school to earn.
"Unlike need-based scholarships, athletic scholarships are awarded to students strictly on the basis of their athletic and academic ability -- not their financial need. Athletic scholarships, such as those awarded to football or basketball players, do not rely on state funds. Instead, these scholarships are entirely funded through UCLA Athletics ticket sales, corporate partnerships, media contracts and private donations from supporters."As the debate rages on through sports talk shows, blogs and other forms of sports media, I figured it was time for Caught Looking to weigh in. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with Combs earning a football scholarship to UCLA. The school has the right to use its self-funded 285 athletic scholarships however it wants, and should be able to award them to whomever it wants, regardless of that athlete's financial situation. I'm sure there are other players getting football scholarships at UCLA whose parents can afford the tuition, and no one will be complaining when they attend school for free this fall. Justin Combs should be proud of his athletic and academic accomplishments, and the right to earn a football scholarship to a school as prestigious as UCLA should not be taken from him just because his father is extremely rich.
Asking Combs to pass on the scholarship makes no sense. If anything, it would be nice if Combs took the scholarship and then went on to donate $54,000 to UCLA's general scholarship fund, ensuring that a well-qualified but financial-unstable candidate could attend UCLA for strictly academic purposes. People should respect UCLA's choice to award these non-need-based scholarships to any student athletes that meet the school's athletic and academic requirements. I think it would be awesome if Combs donates money to the school to help make it easier for other kids to attend UCLA, but I see that gesture as entirely separate from the school's decision to give his son a football scholarship.
When his son was awarded his scholarship last fall, Diddy was quoted as saying "This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about. Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream." And you know what? He's absolutely right. Justin Combs should be proud of the fact that he earned his college tuition through his accomplishments on and off the football field, and he shouldn't be made to feel undeserving just because of who his father is. If his dad wants to give some money to his school independently of his scholarship, that would be a wonderful gesture. But at the end of the day, Justin Combs should be treated like any other UCLA student athlete and deserves the scholarship he worked hard throughout high school to earn.
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