The Wild Card for MLB has been around since 1995. A second one was added roughly eight years ago to show incentive on wanting to win your division. Now, a proposal is made to have seven teams in each league make the playoffs. Another idea to go with it is the top winner picking their opponent for the divisional series. It has been met with varying opinions.
In theory, I don't have too big of an issue with it. But I don't think it's top on a list of priorities. If there is a problem with baseball, it's getting a newer generation into the sport. You still have the old farts that experienced the 50s and 60s and are accustomed to the old ways. Look at the other major sports. They don't have to worry about younger people getting into them because of the huge highlights, and the showcasing of the players you want to buy a jersey or sweater from. Baseball doesn't have that in the same capacity. It's a lose-lose situation where alienating one group would be fatal.
With the proposal, it could give a few other teams who did really well a chance to show their prowess. If it was around, the 04 Mariners or the 93 Giants for example, would have had their impact on the postseason. Doesn't mean they would win a World Series, but still. It would draw audiences and maybe boost ratings for a slumping sport. That high from the 2016 and 17 World Series is dying off and a big shot is needed. You have to wonder what Rob Manfred is thinking because he's desperate. Not to mention trying to have something else occur and forget about the whole Astros cheating scandal, which will be a new blog this week.
Do people want more games? Do players want more? It's already a long year as it is with a 162 game season. And games take forever now. There has to be some cuts, whether its cutting games (which would never happen) or cutting the length. No reason for a game to be four hours. That's what the last few World Series have been like. The clock is ticking for Manfred. It may be a last ditch attempt to appease everyone and his latest attempt could be the last gasping to make MLB look better.
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Will Bryce Harper Grow Up?
It's interesting to see people my age enter many things. This includes Bryce Harper and his baseball career. He was the first overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Washington Nationals. He makes the big leagues in April 2012 and has continued to play heading into this year. His numbers are respectable, though he could be a little better. The stat line for career numbers is over 700 hits, over 130 home runs, over 130 doubles, four All-Star appearances, Rookie of the Year, and the 2015 NL MVP. Yet, he still finds himself getting suspended.
Eventually, this is going to be tiring. Against the San Francisco Giants on Memorial Day, Harper gets hit by reliever Hunter Strickland. Harper throws his helmet, starts throwing punches and instigates a brawl. Now, there is some bad blood supposedly as Strickland gave up a home run to him back in 2014 when the Nats and Giants met in the playoffs. Harper hit some home runs off of him and just looking at the videos, I didn't notice anything that would be a reason to hit him three years later. Reading SB Nation's article, they didn't face each other last year, or in 2015.
I find that a little strange, but not strange in how Harper reacted. He is still known for a short fuse and people in the Nationals organization have to realize he needs to grow up. Both him and Strickland have been suspended for their actions. Looking at the video of it, it looked intentional. I don't think Strickland lost control. However, it doesn't make any sense. San Francisco won a World Series in 2014, their third in five years. They got the last laugh. You would think it would just be it. This makes Jose Bautista and the Texas Rangers look like freakin saints compared to this.
That being said, Harper needs to control his emotions. Although I don't get Nationals games on TV unless they are on ESPN or Fox, he is still a big deal with sports news outlets. That's to expect for the first overall pick. He and others have led to the Nationals back to relevancy. For 2012, they were in the playoffs for the first time since 1981 when they were the Montreal Expos. They weren't putrid in the from that time until 1994, but the strike hurt them really badly. Back to Harper, he isn't 20 anymore. Fans are going to expect more out of him and hope that he can calm down. That's what I look at with guys like him and NFL player Odell Beckham. Manager Dusty Baker has seen his share of players and bad outbursts, but I'm not sure if he'll have a lot more patience with him.
Harper could be one of the all time greats if he continues to play like he is right now. He is having a phenomenal 2017, something that is a bit surprising. If he can curb his behavior and calm himself, he could be a name you think of down the road as one of the greatest to have played the game. If he can't keep his emotions in check, the question of when and if he matures will be in the minds of many fans and critics.
Eventually, this is going to be tiring. Against the San Francisco Giants on Memorial Day, Harper gets hit by reliever Hunter Strickland. Harper throws his helmet, starts throwing punches and instigates a brawl. Now, there is some bad blood supposedly as Strickland gave up a home run to him back in 2014 when the Nats and Giants met in the playoffs. Harper hit some home runs off of him and just looking at the videos, I didn't notice anything that would be a reason to hit him three years later. Reading SB Nation's article, they didn't face each other last year, or in 2015.
I find that a little strange, but not strange in how Harper reacted. He is still known for a short fuse and people in the Nationals organization have to realize he needs to grow up. Both him and Strickland have been suspended for their actions. Looking at the video of it, it looked intentional. I don't think Strickland lost control. However, it doesn't make any sense. San Francisco won a World Series in 2014, their third in five years. They got the last laugh. You would think it would just be it. This makes Jose Bautista and the Texas Rangers look like freakin saints compared to this.
That being said, Harper needs to control his emotions. Although I don't get Nationals games on TV unless they are on ESPN or Fox, he is still a big deal with sports news outlets. That's to expect for the first overall pick. He and others have led to the Nationals back to relevancy. For 2012, they were in the playoffs for the first time since 1981 when they were the Montreal Expos. They weren't putrid in the from that time until 1994, but the strike hurt them really badly. Back to Harper, he isn't 20 anymore. Fans are going to expect more out of him and hope that he can calm down. That's what I look at with guys like him and NFL player Odell Beckham. Manager Dusty Baker has seen his share of players and bad outbursts, but I'm not sure if he'll have a lot more patience with him.
Harper could be one of the all time greats if he continues to play like he is right now. He is having a phenomenal 2017, something that is a bit surprising. If he can curb his behavior and calm himself, he could be a name you think of down the road as one of the greatest to have played the game. If he can't keep his emotions in check, the question of when and if he matures will be in the minds of many fans and critics.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Legacies: Derek Jeter
On Sunday night, the New York Yankees will retire the last single digit number in their uniform numbers. Even though this coincides with Mother's Day this year, it will also bring another thing. That is a new monument for its Monument Park in center field beyond the bleachers. This honor belongs to probably the best modern Yankee, Derek Jeter.
Jeter was a sixth overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At first, he struggled, but improved throughout the four years of working in the Yankees farm system. Though he would make his debut in the spring of 1995, he was only there for a couple handfuls of games. With an injury to Tony Fernandez before the 1996 season began, there wasn't much of a choice but for the first rounder to be the opening day starter. The worry was gone when Jeter hit a home run against the Cleveland Indians. Final numbers that year included a .314 average with 10 home runs and 78 runs batted in en route to a World Series championship.
Jeter's career is one of the great ones in a very controversial era. Although he and Yankee owner George Steinbrenner made fun of it years later in a Visa commercial, the biggest trouble he ever had was being one that wanted to enjoy the New York nightlife. With that anger from the owner himself, the focus on baseball was bigger and he built that on a number of all star appearances, 200 hit seasons, and making some of the biggest plays in baseball history. He followed the game the right way when others were using steroids, especially as his career took off when the 1998 home run race was becoming a heated one. A lot of people might forget the Yankees were one of the most dominant teams that year and got another World Series win.
There shouldn't be any doubt that Jeter will be in the Hall of Fame. The crowds will be very huge in Cooperstown come 2019 if he doesn't get snubbed. It will probably be big next year if his teammate, Mariano Rivera, gets in. These two, along with others like Andy Pettite, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and a few others helped define a big era of baseball in the Bronx. Although Williams was the only one in the names mentioned that played when the Yankees got back to having winning seasons in 1993, they were part of the influx of young players and mixed with veterans like Wade Boggs, Jimmy Key, and Paul O'Neill, That's what started the late 90s dynasty, one that won't ever be replicated. Hell, I'm not sure if you can repeat now these days in baseball.
Years from now, a lot of people will be proud to see Jeter as the great model player who others should inspire to be today. A great baseball mind, he will stick to the sport he grew up playing in for over 30 years, especially as he looks to potentially own the Miami Marlins. A shining star that will still be bright, even after when he is gone from the world.
Jeter was a sixth overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At first, he struggled, but improved throughout the four years of working in the Yankees farm system. Though he would make his debut in the spring of 1995, he was only there for a couple handfuls of games. With an injury to Tony Fernandez before the 1996 season began, there wasn't much of a choice but for the first rounder to be the opening day starter. The worry was gone when Jeter hit a home run against the Cleveland Indians. Final numbers that year included a .314 average with 10 home runs and 78 runs batted in en route to a World Series championship.
Jeter's career is one of the great ones in a very controversial era. Although he and Yankee owner George Steinbrenner made fun of it years later in a Visa commercial, the biggest trouble he ever had was being one that wanted to enjoy the New York nightlife. With that anger from the owner himself, the focus on baseball was bigger and he built that on a number of all star appearances, 200 hit seasons, and making some of the biggest plays in baseball history. He followed the game the right way when others were using steroids, especially as his career took off when the 1998 home run race was becoming a heated one. A lot of people might forget the Yankees were one of the most dominant teams that year and got another World Series win.
There shouldn't be any doubt that Jeter will be in the Hall of Fame. The crowds will be very huge in Cooperstown come 2019 if he doesn't get snubbed. It will probably be big next year if his teammate, Mariano Rivera, gets in. These two, along with others like Andy Pettite, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and a few others helped define a big era of baseball in the Bronx. Although Williams was the only one in the names mentioned that played when the Yankees got back to having winning seasons in 1993, they were part of the influx of young players and mixed with veterans like Wade Boggs, Jimmy Key, and Paul O'Neill, That's what started the late 90s dynasty, one that won't ever be replicated. Hell, I'm not sure if you can repeat now these days in baseball.
Years from now, a lot of people will be proud to see Jeter as the great model player who others should inspire to be today. A great baseball mind, he will stick to the sport he grew up playing in for over 30 years, especially as he looks to potentially own the Miami Marlins. A shining star that will still be bright, even after when he is gone from the world.
Friday, April 7, 2017
Who is the Face of Major League Baseball?
ESPN did a poll on people's top 50 favorite athletes. Within it, it was a mix of current and past players from various sports. Out of a number of unrepresented, baseball was at the bottom. The best one was out of the top 10, and that was Derek Jeter, who hasn't played a game in two and a half years. Out of the rest, only Babe Ruth and Pete Rose made the list. It has caused the big question and the title of this blog. Who exactly is the face of Major League Baseball?
There are a lot of players to consider that are in their prime, young faces that can last a very long time in the league. You can pick a lot of them. One example mentioned on ESPN was Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. He is essentially a five tool player. There's a reason he is a two time MVP. He's got power and speed. There is patience at the plate and averages less than three errors a season since coming into the league in 2011. Unfortunately, one problem persists. Trout is with the Angels. They haven't been putrid during his career, but only one playoff appearance hurts him being one of the premier faces. The American League is a tough one. This year, everybody in the East has a chance. The Cleveland Indians in the Central have a good chance to make it back to the World Series. Detroit might have a chance just to get in the postseason. The West has the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, two teams that could really make an impact on the season if there isn't any big setbacks. Trout seems like the easy choice, no doubt, but on a team that has been mostly average or mediocre, it's hard to know. The article on ESPN did mention he's not looking to be a face to the sport, but it could change at some point in his career.
As far as American League players go, there's not too many I can think of right off the bat. There's a few Detroit Tiger players. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are guys you could possibly think as a face of baseball. The downside is that they may have another four to six years left in their careers before they decide to call it quits. One of the Baby Bombers of the Yankees could be one. Boston has Jackie Bradley Jr and Mookie Betts that could last a long time in the MLB. Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros could be one if he stays consistent in his career and has no off years. There's a few other players on that team like Jose Altuve, George Springer and a couple others that could really show off the new generation of ball players and give sports a reason to show them as the face of baseball.
The National League has it a little easier, but it's still a difficult task. Instantly, two players come to mind. That is the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper and the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant. Harper has been a very energetic player who can provide enough pop at the bat. However, he has issues that has lead to ejections. Hopefully, he matures to where he can be a little more disciplined and improve on his average a little bit. Bryant has lit up the MLB in his first two years, and winning the World Series is icing on the cake. He has that offensive power despite the high number of strikeouts. His defense could be a little better, and cutting out the errors would help in the long run. He's got an MVP, and Rookie of the Year. This star will keep shining and so will the Cubs for the next five to six years. Bryant might be the guy who can lead baseball into the new generation.
With the rest of the NL, there are some players that I could see as face of baseball. The West has the pitchers in the LA Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner, and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Grienke. These guys are tough as nails players that will strike you out looking over and over. Someone on the Mets starting rotation could potentially be one. Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins could be one if he could stay healthy. Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates is one of the veterans that reeks of being the face of baseball. There is quite a bit of young players and seasoned veterans that could really shape the sport and be the one that people can think of when they think Major League Baseball.
This may seem fine and dandy, but one of the problems I see is MLB Advanced Media and the MLB website. Depending on where you live, you are stuck with whichever local team or teams you can get on cable unless you watch ESPN and Fox telecasts or pay for a subscription on MLB's website. My personal thoughts is that baseball does not have a strong presence on social media. When it comes to YouTube, Advanced Media is one of the most strict and almost dictator like companies. They take this stuff extremely seriously. Even when they have tried on their own uploading games or clips, it's a mess. Good luck finding anything that hasn't been uploaded, (and probably never will) or isn't a week or so old. You know how the NFL honored the late Dennis Green? Through fan voting, they put up for free the entire Thanksgiving 1998 game of Green's Vikings against the Dallas Cowboys as an effort to show each team's best three games. Major League Baseball will never do that.
The NHL and NBA put up a better presence of YouTube than MLB. There's a channel that has all sorts of hockey fights and they have been on that site since the early days. You can probably find short clips of some great games like Kobe Bryant and his 81 point performance back in the mid 2000s. With MLB, good luck finding a short clip that isn't someone from the fucking stands recording on their cell phone. You really have to weed through the site to find games, and it's not even if I had to guess, two percent of all the games that have telecast since at least the 1940s. Unfortunately, MLB Advanced Media controls everything. They're not putting up an effort for people to watch baseball clips. Nobody is biting to subscribe on YouTube. As of now, MLB only has over 700 thousand subscribers on their channel. The highest for any individual team is the New York Yankees at 12 thousand. That's embarrassingly sad. The lowest is the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at one point four thousand. People balk at the sport and don't buy into what they are trying to do. They are trying, but very, very barely.
For the NBA, they have a huge presence with a subscriber base that is ten times more than MLB as of 2017. And that could rise more in the future. The Golden State Warriors YouTube channel has nearly 400 thousand, a few hundred thousand away from what MLB has. The NBA knows how big social media is. They are probably one of the more looser sports leagues and allow people to upload clips of stuff like Tracy McGrady and his 2005 comeback against San Antonio. Seeing some of the great dunks can easily be found. This is a league that knows its audience and wants to keep that and make it grow to high levels. Even the NFL has put up a better effort in two years than MLB has in five, six years. They are a little strict, but they don't hate the Internet.
Moving on to the MLB website, it's a convoluted mess. Odds are you're not going to find anything unless it's less than 24 hours old. Even finding older stuff is next to impossible. The thing is Advanced Media wants you to go to that site. Without anywhere else to go to, you really have no choice. Regarding players being the face of baseball, you don't hear much from them unless you watch SportsCenter highlights of stuff that is older than a day. You don't see commercials of baseball players often unless you're on the local cable channel that covers the specific team. You can easily see NBA players on TV all time promoting the latest footwear or food. There's NFL players with stuff like State Farm Insurance. Even NASCAR has drivers like Kevin Harvick promoting products on channels when a race isn't going on. MLB has none of that. There might be a commercial here and there, but there's nothing major. I've seen pretzels at grocery stores with Mike Trout's face on it and that's it outside of baseball cards and video games.
Unless you follow MLB overall or a specific team and/or player, you're not going to find much on Twitter or other sites unless they did something good or blew a game. If baseball wants to get recognized again, it's going to have to do a lot of things. The front offices need to realize social media is a big deal. They really need to figure this out quick. MLB Advanced needs to really put an effort to show that they care on YouTube, but I doubt they ever will. They got to let people be confident in showing clips of great plays over the years and get used to the idea of people wanting that form of media. There can't be any laziness, which can easily be seen the last six to seven years.
MLB needs to get out of the early to mid 2000s. Their archaic approach is not a good one, and they really need a new generation of followers considering a lot of the baby boomers are going to pass away in the next year to 20 years. I know it means they have to get out of their comfort zone, but in today's world, it means more than just money and ratings. If they can't do that combined with the overpaid salaries of players and executives, MLB might not exist in another lifetime or generation, depending on how their luck runs. Perhaps they should look at how the NBA does things. It could set up a blueprint for how to be a top sports league on the Internet.
There are a lot of players to consider that are in their prime, young faces that can last a very long time in the league. You can pick a lot of them. One example mentioned on ESPN was Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. He is essentially a five tool player. There's a reason he is a two time MVP. He's got power and speed. There is patience at the plate and averages less than three errors a season since coming into the league in 2011. Unfortunately, one problem persists. Trout is with the Angels. They haven't been putrid during his career, but only one playoff appearance hurts him being one of the premier faces. The American League is a tough one. This year, everybody in the East has a chance. The Cleveland Indians in the Central have a good chance to make it back to the World Series. Detroit might have a chance just to get in the postseason. The West has the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, two teams that could really make an impact on the season if there isn't any big setbacks. Trout seems like the easy choice, no doubt, but on a team that has been mostly average or mediocre, it's hard to know. The article on ESPN did mention he's not looking to be a face to the sport, but it could change at some point in his career.
As far as American League players go, there's not too many I can think of right off the bat. There's a few Detroit Tiger players. Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander are guys you could possibly think as a face of baseball. The downside is that they may have another four to six years left in their careers before they decide to call it quits. One of the Baby Bombers of the Yankees could be one. Boston has Jackie Bradley Jr and Mookie Betts that could last a long time in the MLB. Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros could be one if he stays consistent in his career and has no off years. There's a few other players on that team like Jose Altuve, George Springer and a couple others that could really show off the new generation of ball players and give sports a reason to show them as the face of baseball.
The National League has it a little easier, but it's still a difficult task. Instantly, two players come to mind. That is the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper and the Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant. Harper has been a very energetic player who can provide enough pop at the bat. However, he has issues that has lead to ejections. Hopefully, he matures to where he can be a little more disciplined and improve on his average a little bit. Bryant has lit up the MLB in his first two years, and winning the World Series is icing on the cake. He has that offensive power despite the high number of strikeouts. His defense could be a little better, and cutting out the errors would help in the long run. He's got an MVP, and Rookie of the Year. This star will keep shining and so will the Cubs for the next five to six years. Bryant might be the guy who can lead baseball into the new generation.
With the rest of the NL, there are some players that I could see as face of baseball. The West has the pitchers in the LA Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner, and the Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Grienke. These guys are tough as nails players that will strike you out looking over and over. Someone on the Mets starting rotation could potentially be one. Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins could be one if he could stay healthy. Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates is one of the veterans that reeks of being the face of baseball. There is quite a bit of young players and seasoned veterans that could really shape the sport and be the one that people can think of when they think Major League Baseball.
This may seem fine and dandy, but one of the problems I see is MLB Advanced Media and the MLB website. Depending on where you live, you are stuck with whichever local team or teams you can get on cable unless you watch ESPN and Fox telecasts or pay for a subscription on MLB's website. My personal thoughts is that baseball does not have a strong presence on social media. When it comes to YouTube, Advanced Media is one of the most strict and almost dictator like companies. They take this stuff extremely seriously. Even when they have tried on their own uploading games or clips, it's a mess. Good luck finding anything that hasn't been uploaded, (and probably never will) or isn't a week or so old. You know how the NFL honored the late Dennis Green? Through fan voting, they put up for free the entire Thanksgiving 1998 game of Green's Vikings against the Dallas Cowboys as an effort to show each team's best three games. Major League Baseball will never do that.
The NHL and NBA put up a better presence of YouTube than MLB. There's a channel that has all sorts of hockey fights and they have been on that site since the early days. You can probably find short clips of some great games like Kobe Bryant and his 81 point performance back in the mid 2000s. With MLB, good luck finding a short clip that isn't someone from the fucking stands recording on their cell phone. You really have to weed through the site to find games, and it's not even if I had to guess, two percent of all the games that have telecast since at least the 1940s. Unfortunately, MLB Advanced Media controls everything. They're not putting up an effort for people to watch baseball clips. Nobody is biting to subscribe on YouTube. As of now, MLB only has over 700 thousand subscribers on their channel. The highest for any individual team is the New York Yankees at 12 thousand. That's embarrassingly sad. The lowest is the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at one point four thousand. People balk at the sport and don't buy into what they are trying to do. They are trying, but very, very barely.
For the NBA, they have a huge presence with a subscriber base that is ten times more than MLB as of 2017. And that could rise more in the future. The Golden State Warriors YouTube channel has nearly 400 thousand, a few hundred thousand away from what MLB has. The NBA knows how big social media is. They are probably one of the more looser sports leagues and allow people to upload clips of stuff like Tracy McGrady and his 2005 comeback against San Antonio. Seeing some of the great dunks can easily be found. This is a league that knows its audience and wants to keep that and make it grow to high levels. Even the NFL has put up a better effort in two years than MLB has in five, six years. They are a little strict, but they don't hate the Internet.
Moving on to the MLB website, it's a convoluted mess. Odds are you're not going to find anything unless it's less than 24 hours old. Even finding older stuff is next to impossible. The thing is Advanced Media wants you to go to that site. Without anywhere else to go to, you really have no choice. Regarding players being the face of baseball, you don't hear much from them unless you watch SportsCenter highlights of stuff that is older than a day. You don't see commercials of baseball players often unless you're on the local cable channel that covers the specific team. You can easily see NBA players on TV all time promoting the latest footwear or food. There's NFL players with stuff like State Farm Insurance. Even NASCAR has drivers like Kevin Harvick promoting products on channels when a race isn't going on. MLB has none of that. There might be a commercial here and there, but there's nothing major. I've seen pretzels at grocery stores with Mike Trout's face on it and that's it outside of baseball cards and video games.
Unless you follow MLB overall or a specific team and/or player, you're not going to find much on Twitter or other sites unless they did something good or blew a game. If baseball wants to get recognized again, it's going to have to do a lot of things. The front offices need to realize social media is a big deal. They really need to figure this out quick. MLB Advanced needs to really put an effort to show that they care on YouTube, but I doubt they ever will. They got to let people be confident in showing clips of great plays over the years and get used to the idea of people wanting that form of media. There can't be any laziness, which can easily be seen the last six to seven years.
MLB needs to get out of the early to mid 2000s. Their archaic approach is not a good one, and they really need a new generation of followers considering a lot of the baby boomers are going to pass away in the next year to 20 years. I know it means they have to get out of their comfort zone, but in today's world, it means more than just money and ratings. If they can't do that combined with the overpaid salaries of players and executives, MLB might not exist in another lifetime or generation, depending on how their luck runs. Perhaps they should look at how the NBA does things. It could set up a blueprint for how to be a top sports league on the Internet.
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
The shock of death, Part 1
When I mean by the title of this blog, I don't mean something like an electric chair or being electrocuted. I'm talking about when someone dies suddenly and you're left in utter disbelief that it actually happened. So what is the deal? This past Saturday, Hollywood actor Bill Paxton passed away from complications following heart surgery at the age of 61. It's weird noticing that a few days prior, I saw a scene of him on the CBS show, Training Day, and then seeing he died a few days later.
While 61 is not young, it's not really old, either. The thing is Paxton's passing is similar to what happened to comedian Rodney Dangerfield in 2004. Although much older at 82, Dangerfield went for heart surgery and died from complications. I'm no expert on medical knowledge, but the impression I get is this. As you get older, your heart starts to get weaker. There are certain things that you can't do compared to 30 to 50 years earlier. I think surgery is a lot more harder for someone at the ages of people like Paxton and Dangerfield. You don't know how that body is going to react.
That being said, people grow up watching certain films and have that big shock of finding out someone died. It's not just them. It's also people who worked with the person that passed. Considering the work Paxton did for over 30 years, there was a love for this guy throughout the people that worked for him. Was it shocking? Yes. This actor should have lasted another 15 to 25 years.
With that in mind, there are some people who should have stayed alive today. In Hollywood, I think Phil Hartman, who was murdered in May 1998, would have lasted another 30 to 35 years. That was during a dark period for Saturday Night Live, losing alumni Chris Farley six months earlier and then Hartman. Still, it's one of those things that is shocking to this day. A lot of people talk about musicians as well. There's that group that make it to the age of 27 and something bad happens to where they wind up on a coroners' table. You look at some of the names like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse and you are just bewildered by the fact they are gone. They were on top of the world with their songs and bands, it makes no sense to go off to a different path and resort to taking drugs or committing suicide.
With sports, I don't think anything will ever top the death of baseball player Thurman Munson in a plane crash in 1979. When you think dark moments for any sports, this takes the cake. Munson was one of the biggest names for not only Major League Baseball, but also the New York Yankees. He and a handful of others were bringing success back to a team that struggled for a decade before making it to three straight World Series appearances, winning two of them. He was a tough cookie and he was capable of getting hits and playing well behind the plate as a catcher. When it comes to shocking deaths in a sport, it comes mostly when the player is currently playing or in the early stages of retirement.
Sticking with baseball, this past September saw the death of Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. He was on a boat that crashed and ultimately killed him and two others. It was something that you couldn't believe would happen. Those tears were real when Don Mattingly spoke at the press conference discussing Fernandez. I wish it was the only time this ever happened, but it happened in 1993 with Steve Olin and Tim Crews. The Cleveland Indians were hopeful on bringing in some good pitching to help out their starters. One night, they were on a boat along with former Met Bobby Ojeda. They crashed into a pier and died from their injuries. Ojeda survived, but didn't do much in the very late stages of his career. These were guys in these two examples that were a big deal to the sport and put in the effort to play well as anybody else in the league.
Still, it can happen to anybody. A prime example is Nick Adenhart. A young prospect for the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, he started his first game of the year in decent fashion following a lackluster 2008 season where he only appeared in a few games and was in the minors for most of the year. After that game, he never pitched again as he was killed by a drunk driver when it hit the car he was in. It took not only his life, but two others. The drunk driver had prior incidents involving alcohol, and today serves a 50 plus year sentence on six felonies including murder and drunk driving. Ultimately, the guy got what he deserved and, personally, should rot in prison. But that doesn't dampen the shock and pain that happened to Adenhart. It was a life gone too soon. Who knows what could have happened. The Angels could have had a great pitcher for a good seven to ten years.
This blog has got me thinking about some of the stuff that happened in other sports, it would be too much for one blog itself. Stop by Thursday for part 2 where I look at some shocking deaths in other sports like basketball.
While 61 is not young, it's not really old, either. The thing is Paxton's passing is similar to what happened to comedian Rodney Dangerfield in 2004. Although much older at 82, Dangerfield went for heart surgery and died from complications. I'm no expert on medical knowledge, but the impression I get is this. As you get older, your heart starts to get weaker. There are certain things that you can't do compared to 30 to 50 years earlier. I think surgery is a lot more harder for someone at the ages of people like Paxton and Dangerfield. You don't know how that body is going to react.
That being said, people grow up watching certain films and have that big shock of finding out someone died. It's not just them. It's also people who worked with the person that passed. Considering the work Paxton did for over 30 years, there was a love for this guy throughout the people that worked for him. Was it shocking? Yes. This actor should have lasted another 15 to 25 years.
With that in mind, there are some people who should have stayed alive today. In Hollywood, I think Phil Hartman, who was murdered in May 1998, would have lasted another 30 to 35 years. That was during a dark period for Saturday Night Live, losing alumni Chris Farley six months earlier and then Hartman. Still, it's one of those things that is shocking to this day. A lot of people talk about musicians as well. There's that group that make it to the age of 27 and something bad happens to where they wind up on a coroners' table. You look at some of the names like Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse and you are just bewildered by the fact they are gone. They were on top of the world with their songs and bands, it makes no sense to go off to a different path and resort to taking drugs or committing suicide.
With sports, I don't think anything will ever top the death of baseball player Thurman Munson in a plane crash in 1979. When you think dark moments for any sports, this takes the cake. Munson was one of the biggest names for not only Major League Baseball, but also the New York Yankees. He and a handful of others were bringing success back to a team that struggled for a decade before making it to three straight World Series appearances, winning two of them. He was a tough cookie and he was capable of getting hits and playing well behind the plate as a catcher. When it comes to shocking deaths in a sport, it comes mostly when the player is currently playing or in the early stages of retirement.
Sticking with baseball, this past September saw the death of Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. He was on a boat that crashed and ultimately killed him and two others. It was something that you couldn't believe would happen. Those tears were real when Don Mattingly spoke at the press conference discussing Fernandez. I wish it was the only time this ever happened, but it happened in 1993 with Steve Olin and Tim Crews. The Cleveland Indians were hopeful on bringing in some good pitching to help out their starters. One night, they were on a boat along with former Met Bobby Ojeda. They crashed into a pier and died from their injuries. Ojeda survived, but didn't do much in the very late stages of his career. These were guys in these two examples that were a big deal to the sport and put in the effort to play well as anybody else in the league.
Still, it can happen to anybody. A prime example is Nick Adenhart. A young prospect for the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, he started his first game of the year in decent fashion following a lackluster 2008 season where he only appeared in a few games and was in the minors for most of the year. After that game, he never pitched again as he was killed by a drunk driver when it hit the car he was in. It took not only his life, but two others. The drunk driver had prior incidents involving alcohol, and today serves a 50 plus year sentence on six felonies including murder and drunk driving. Ultimately, the guy got what he deserved and, personally, should rot in prison. But that doesn't dampen the shock and pain that happened to Adenhart. It was a life gone too soon. Who knows what could have happened. The Angels could have had a great pitcher for a good seven to ten years.
This blog has got me thinking about some of the stuff that happened in other sports, it would be too much for one blog itself. Stop by Thursday for part 2 where I look at some shocking deaths in other sports like basketball.
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