Baseball

The mighty are not only falling…they’re dropping. quickly.  Honestly, what is going on over at The Upper Deck company?

The problems all begin in 2008 when Upper Deck when Konami discovered that counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh! trading cards were being sold in stores by an Upper Deck sub-distributor.  After taking action against the sub-distributor, the sub-distributor dropped the dime; “the cards were supplied by Upper Deck”.  Lovely.

via MLB

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) and The Scotts Company LLC announced today a multi-year relationship encompassing sponsorship, licensing, national MLB-themed advertising, and local Club partnerships, that designates Scotts as the “Official Lawn Care Company of Major League Baseball.” The relationship is the first of its kind for MLBP and the largest sports relationship for Scotts, the market leader in lawn and garden care products.

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about how Topps Inc. had been dropped by the NFLPA regarding football trading card licensing.  How does Topps bounce back?  By becoming the exclusive trading card licensor for Major League Baseball,

Now that the LCS has been set for Major League Baseball, its a good time to look back at the season that was and see what we can learn.

And here I thought the new iPhone app that would let me watch live streaming games in other markets was awesome…

Never to be out done in terms of spending money on players or apparently cutting edge technology, the New York Yankees TV network, YES, and the Major League Baseball Advanced Media Arm (known as “BAM”) have signed a deal to start live streaming Yankees games locally starting July 8th.  More from Sports Business Daily,

It’s the summer of 1998.  Chicago Cubs Outfielder Sammy Sosa and St.

This is still not your father’s Major League Baseball.

If there has been a more impressive media arm than Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media (MLBAM, or “BAM” for short) in the last few years, you would be hard pressed to find it.  Whenever BAM isn’t working on targeted online advertising, or just streaming major league baseball games in general, they’re revolutionizing their amateur draft.

Just say “NO” to drugs.  If you’re around my age (28) you probably heard that a lot growing up.  Drugs are bad, they make you dumb, they kill you…”If you take drugs, you aren’t going anywhere in life.”  Clearly many athletes were absent during those school days when the D.A.R.E. program came to visit.

For as long as sports have existed, athletes have been looking for an edge; a way to get a leg up on the competition.  In years past, its been weight-training, or wind-sprints, or eating right.  As sport evolved, that training was coupled with vitamin supplements and protein shakes.  When that wasn’t enough, people began looking to the various drugs you hear about today; the various steroids, other PED’s, HGH, etc.

Last week, Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) and Gillette, part of The Proctor & Gamble Company, announced a renewal of their 80+ year sponsorship agreement, which will extend the already record breaking agreement into a ninth decade.  More from Major League Baseball,

Gillette -an MLB sponsor since 1939 - will continue to have exclusive rights in several brand categories, including men’s and women’s pre and post wet/dry shaving products, antiperspirants/deodorants and men’s skin care products.

Anyone know if Edgar Martinez is available?  Maybe Jay Buhner?

As many of you probably heard, “Junior” is back in Seattle.  After an eight year absence, Griffey, who last played for the Mariners in 2000,  re-signed with the team with a 1-yr, $2 million dollar contract,  with another possible $2.5 million in incentives for a potential 2009 salary of $4.5 million.  As Darren Rovell points out though, one of the more interesting incentive clauses in Griffey’s contract has to do with the Mariners attendance,

You’re overwhelmed with excitement, aren’t you? You might remember Jeff Moorad as the CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks [Ed: You do? What is wrong with you?].  Well, no longer.  He resigned from that job to set his sights on greener warmer other climates.  The San Diego Union-Tribune has the info,

Moorad said Friday he heads a “small but significant” group of investors that has an exclusive right to complete the specifics of negotiations with Padres owner John Moores. Moorad said he hopes the transaction can be completed in the next three months…

I came across this list in both the sporting news and The Sports Business Journal. At first glance it is a pretty good list, but several things about it really intrigued me.

First and foremost the Commissioners of the five big sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and NASCAR) varied widely in the rankings. Respectively these commissioners were ranked 4th, 3rd, 13th, 6th, and 9th. In my mind that seems out of order. When I think about sports business I always think of the NFL first, then MLB, NBA and the NHL seem to me to be on the same level, and then NASCAR.

Since I started writing here at SBD I have had a constant argument not only with myself but with many of you about the importance of Sports to the local economy. Since there are not any real hard numbers to look we have to guess and estimate how much money a full Sports Stadium generates for their local economy.

Well this week I came across some numbers in the Detroit News that may help us better define the argument.

First and foremost I want to extend my good wishes to all of you in this holiday season. I hope all of you had a good time with your friends and families wherever they gathered for Thanksgiving. My family and I gathered in Chicago and had a wonderful time, including my first trip to the top of the Sears Tower since I was 6.

Here in the North East, we’re greeted with daily early morning temperatures in the upper 30’s which can only mean one thing…World Series Baseball!  If you had the Rays versus the Phillies in your preseason pick em’ pool…well, you’re probably omniscient.  Well Mr. Smarty Pants, since you were able to pick those two teams from the beginning, can you tell me who’s going to win?  Let’s see what Vegas thinks…