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Indiana Selig and the Whimper of Doom

© Bryan Walker

Here’s a quote from Joe Sheehan at Baseball Prospectus that was particularly well put: “Commissioner Bud Selig should be pointing to the Twins as a shining example of how success in baseball isn't solely determined by payroll. He should be talking about how great it is that fans anywhere will support a team that's exciting and entertaining and successful, even if they don't play in a $350-million gift from the public.

Selig should be capitalizing on this to promote the game. That's what the nominal leader of the sport should do: help feed excitement over the product and help it be successful.”

Sheehan points out the primary weakness in Selig’s leadership. This is a time when he should be promoting the sport of baseball and the great story of an underdog.

According to Jason Stark, there’s a joke going around in Chicago: Q: Who bats after Frank Thomas? A: The other team.

I have been thinking about baseball and home field advantage. I believe that home field advantage is more important in baseball than in other sports, mainly because field dimensions are somewhat negotiable in baseball. Teams can adjust their park to fit the team, as Cleveland tried to do with Alex Cole in the 80’s, or they can adjust their team to the ballpark, as Dan O’Dowd with Colorado is trying to do now. Either way, here are my reasons why homefield advantage is most important in baseball:

1. Hometown fans (applies to all sports). 2. Familiarity with the nooks and crannies of the park affect defense. For example, tall fences, large foul territory, ivy walls, outfield corners, etc. 3. Teams can be built around the particulars of a park, unlike football and basketball where field dimensions are dictated by rules. 4. Players are more comfortable staying at home with families. 5. Players get tired toward the end of a long roadtrip. Other sports do not have as lengthy road trips.

If you can add to my list, e-mail me with your reasons at bnwalker@suite101.com.

I was going to write about how teams with great April records fare over the course of a season, but a couple of other writers have already written articles on the topic.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/docs/...

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/stark_jay...

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