Author Archives: chuckbooth3023
Pittsburgh Pirates State Of The Union For 2016: All Hands On Deck To At Least Start 2016!
Pittsburgh had the 2nd best record in the Majors with 98 wins, yet were samarily dismissed in the Wild Card Game by the Cubs – and a lightning hot Jake Arrieta at the time It may actually get worse for the Bucs in coming years with the emergence of the young NL Chicago squad and the continued dominance of the St. Louis franchise. My idea is to spend some money this offseason, but if you are 5 or 6 games behind the playoff bar near the Trade Deadline, to deal all guys on the remainder year of their contracts and to retool for 2017.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I start this blog by praising Neil Huntington and his management for how they assembled this team over the last 6 – 7 years.
It follows the Royals and Twins before them as smaller market clubs that finally used the draft to their advantage after struggling for years.
Here is the thing though..You have a team that needs the final pieces now to compete for a championship!
Heading into 2016 the teams core nucleus comes back, and the club will attempt for a 4th straight playoff appearance.
There are 8 players on the last year of their deals, and you have several other players that will become increasingly more difficult to keep as their Arbitration Dollars exponentially grow over the coming years. Read the rest of this entry
The Oakland A’s State Of The Union For 2016: Beane Counting Or Picking?
Billy Beane saw his A’s have their worst record in 18 years in 2015 – and worst in his GM tenure. It was a rebuilding effort that included him trading away the AL MVP caliber player in Josh Donaldson for a list of 4 players. It will take a couple of seasons to see how bad this may have been. After that deal, it was business as usual, with the man acquiring 4 decent Starting Pitching prospects for players on the last year of their contract. The team doesn’t have any real money committed, and there is a ton of flexibility. Whether they spend it is another matter.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
It used to be that Billy Beane would wait until a player was about to hit Free Agency until he would trade that player for the next round of guys. Now he doesn’t even like his ALL – Stars to hit higher levels of Arbitration.
After last years all in effort to make a run at the postseason, Beane started the dismantle process of his squad. Perhaps the most controversial move was to flip Josh Donaldson for a package of four players.
A lot of people are still upset about that deal considering Donaldson is going to be a perennial MVP candidate, however he was that already for the A’s, and it failed to result in a placement beyond the 1st round. Read the rest of this entry
Do It Cashman/Rizzo: Strasburg For Andrew Miller And Brett Gardner!
As good as Stephen Strasburg was in the 2nd half of the 2015 year, ( 6 – 2 with a 1.90 ERA post ALL – Star), he will be a Free Agent after 2016. The Nats need a leadoff man, and a lockdown Closer- after they potentially trade attitude problem Jonathan Papelbon. It makes for both clubs to pull the deal off. There will also not be any recourse action as they are all set to switch leagues. The trade would see the Yankees flip leadoff OF man Brett Gardner and Closer Andrew Miller in return. Both of those 2 Yankees have 3 years left on their current deals.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
After seeing the trade go down for Alex Hicks, I then saw the trade proposal of Andrew Miller and Brett Gardner for Stephen Strasburg. This was inferred by MLB.com columnist Richard Justice. Here are my thoughts on it.
This would be a phenomenal deal for both clubs. The Yankees can clear some salary to sign another Starting Pitcher in addition to Strasburg coming in, and the Nats would get their new leadoff man and shutdown Closer.
Although there are some things to consider….It looks like the club will go forward with Bryce Harper at CF then. This would mean that Gardner and Jayson Werth would round out the Outfield.
I also think the Nationals should include Jonathan Papelbon in this deal – or flip him in another deal to clear a spot for Miller to Close.
Straburg will make from $11 – $13 MIL for the 2016 season in his last year of Arbitration before hitting Free Agency – which would equal out Gardner’s salary. Andrew Miller is set to make $9 MIL a year for the next 3 seasons.
New York will need to replace Miller in some capacity for sure. Whether that is another late inning arm to set up Dellin Betances – or even sign another Closer would have to be the idea. Miller and Betances were the two best pitchers for the club in 2015.
The team would be well served to land the services of Joakim Soria.
For the record, Papelbon only makes $11 MIL in 2016 before becoming an outright Free Agent in 2017. Read the rest of this entry
2015 Final MLB Attendances + Analysis
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Attendance was up 162, 221 fans over the 2014 total, or 0.2%. The same five teams topped over 3 Million fans in 2015 as did in 2014. Dodgers, Cards, Giants, Yankees and Angels.
Philadelphia lost almost 600K fans year over year – and were the MLB’s club with the worst fall.
Oakland had that distinction the AL – taking a hit of 235K – amongst their 1st non playoff year in 4 seasons.
The World Series Royals set an all time franchise record for attendance in 2015, and had the biggest climb at the turnstiles at +752K. The club rounded out the top 10 for the MLB as well.
The Mets had the best jump in attendance at 420K in the NL. The other teams to eclipse a 400K jump were the Toronto Blue Jays (419K) Houston Astros (401K). All 3 teams made the postseason. Read the rest of this entry
Mastering the 48 Hour Weekend/Week Long Road MLB Trips
For people that work a Monday to Friday job, and are looking to see 3 games for the price of 2 for a weekend,, this blog gives a quick lesson on how to do that.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The whole travel industry works on the 24 hour clock. This actually works to the MLB road trip world out there. During my year long trip, I mastered the art of the 24 hour clock.
My favorite move was to rent a car for Friday – Sunday, that would only cost two rental days at a car company. Most of the time it would include leaving for a Friday game at 5:30 – and the car was due at a 5:30 on Sunday.
This is great for jamming at least 3 games in the 48 hours, and sometimes you can do a doubleheader on the Saturday.
I told my buddy Scott of breaking down the cost of watching baseball games into individual innings – kind of like bowling frames. Read the rest of this entry
Travel Tuesdays: Picking Off Gift Cards A Great Way To Go + Accumulate Freebies!
In buying $600 worth of Subway Cards (12 x $50 each) I earned 12 free premium foot long subs on my journey. The power of spending should always be investigated for what rewards may come.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
On my year-long road trip I vowed not to spend much money on the food at the Ballparks. I ended up only spending around $250 for 224 Games on the road. So where did I eat?
If I wasn’t at a home base somewhere, or at a free breakfast from a hotel, it was usually Subway, Wendy’s, Walmart (yep, they have food too), McDonalds, Burger King or Little Caesars Pizza.
Since I didn’t want to enter the USA with a wad of cash the several times I took entrance at the borders, my wallet was stacked with Gift cards from these establishments.
I also downloaded all of their apps on my mobile phone to look for deals.
Subway was the clubhouse leader for meals eaten. I bought 12 – $50 gift cards from this restaurant for this journey. Check with your local chain, but every time I did this I was able to secure a free foot long premium sandwich.
My food bill was saved a great deal by eating 12 meals on Subway just for buying $50 gift card on a dozen different occasions. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Scheduling 2016: Sept And Oct Of 2016
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
All 2430 MLB Games In 2016 On One Page Post
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
MLB Season Opening Series
New York Yankees Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward
With almost $100 MIL tied up in contracts for Sabathia, A-Rod, Teixeira and a potential Tommy John Surgery candidate in Masahiro Tanaka, this New York squad is in some deep trouble for next season. It may take a small miracle for them to make a playoff spot next campaign again without spending some cash.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Brian Cashman can finally see some relief from some exorbitant contracts plaguing him from the last several years.
2016 sees the last year on deals for C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran. Alex Rodriguez is still on the book for one more year after this.
Sabathia does have a Vesting Option for $25 MIL if salary guaranteed if he 1) does not end 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury, 2) does not spend more than 45 days in 2016 on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury or 3) does not make more than six relief appearances in 2016 because of a left shoulder injury.
The Yankees can’t guarantee this will happen. Therefore the club must treat this contract as part of their deal for 2017 as well. The Buyout would be $5 MIL.
Sabathia’s drinking aside, they are paying for the good years right now, and he is no better than a 5th Starter – and at 36 years of age with 3000+ IP logged for his career, there may be not much left in the tank. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Scheduling: Month Of August 2016
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling: July Of 2016
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling 2015
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
MLB Season Opening Series
MLB Baseball Clubs Should Make Single Game Tickets Available Before Christmas
The home site of the 2016 MLB ALL – Star Game, Petco Park..Baseball owners, and the MLB alike, should really think about having tickets made available for purchase prior to the Christmas season every year. Both of the NBA and NHL have free reign on this concept, with their season’s barely being midway yet in each calendar year at the end of December. The supply and demand for NFL tickets only reaches 8 games, and is never in question whether most stadiums will have good turnouts. You would think that kids especially, with love to receive game tickets as gifts on Christmas morning Instead, all that is available are gift certificates at this point in the year.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
First off, the MLB has done a great job in posting their following year schedules earlier each consecutive year over the last half-dozen or so.
I give these guys full marks for that. It also looks like they are improving their coverage of each team, to include more splits in each of the 30 squad’s itineraries.
I still wish they would follow the NHL (god did I just say that), in providing better splits for their 2430 Games Master Schedule, to include 7 day splits (you can go to ESPN.com for those), monthly splits and finally one year-long page on a post.
In 2014, I did all of the schedules I just mentioned, and even added an Interleague Master Schedule. In 2016, I have already put out the American League vs National League schedule here.
It has been quite the undertaking, but I am doing all facets of it again – going forward in 2016 after just putting out the Interleague Master Schedule in 2015 because I was on the road the whole year. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Scheduling: June 2016
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling 2015
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
MLB Season Opening Series
How To Fix The Nats For 2016: Washington Nationals State Of The Union
In 2012, the Nationals won the NL East and then followed up with a disappointing 2013 year. The same pattern happened in 2014 and 2015. The Nats window is closing as the club only has one more of team control on Stephen Strasburg – and the total salary for the club escalates with Bryce Harper being Arbitration Eligible starting next year. The team has solid Starting Pitching and a lineup that is coming back for the most part. A key acquisition for both the offense and defense may suffice.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So having been back from my 224 MLB Game all year trip in 2015 – I was happy to have put in such a great season of witnessing games. My real disappointment was the Nationals not making the playoffs in 2015.
I am guilty as charged for having a National League favorite team in Washington, and also be a Yankees fan for the American League.
I am a Nats fan because they used to be the Montreal Expos before 2005. It was a tough negotiation to have been a fan when they moved to D.C., but I followed the team. I saw some bad baseball via MLB.TV for about 6 or 7 years. Read the rest of this entry
All 30 MLB Park Home Openers In 2016
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
The 2015 season is over and it is time to start planning for attending games in the 2016 year. This is our third straight year of posting all of the Season Openers for all of the parks.
I have been fortunate enough to see home openers in 8 different parks already in the last 4 years.
We will update this post at the end of January when all of the times will be posted.
As of right now, there is no teams listed for the MLB Season Opener on Sunday Apr.3, 2016, so one of the 30 home opener dates posted right now will change.
We have also provided 30 links to all of the best chaser guides for the stadiums. This will aid you in making your travel plans for the 2016 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward
The Dodgers have not won or appeared in the World Series since 1988. With the spending the ownership will do in the next decade, I would be surprised if the team doesn’t rake in multiple championships. But it will take diligent finagling on the brass – to skate around the Luxury Tax with the pending CBA of 2017 coming in. Yes the ownership is willing to spend boatloads of money, but they have to be smarter than they were in 2015.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst) Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
This article deals with sensitive material that will self destruct in a few years. Whether the current regime wants to be saddled with blame or not, or put most of it during the Ned Colletti days, last year’s fiscal budget was a dumpster fire.
Not only did the franchise exceed the Luxury Tax Threshold again at (over $189 MIL), they put it to shame – reeling in a lofty mark of $314 MIL in total Cap Spending.
For folks scoring at home, that is $125 MIL over the limit, and with a third year penalty at 40% now, the squad will take down a historic levy hovering around $50 MIL.
We wrote a blog back in April stating the disregard the brass took in approaching this year’s salary structure. The worst part about it was that it didn’t culminate into a World Series Birth. Read the rest of this entry
MLB Scheduling: May 2016
Best Source of Information for all 30 MLB Ballparks – and network of stadium afficionado’s
Ballpark Chaser Guides Links Courtesy of http://www.ballparkchasers.com:
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
Before You read the Month Schedule, here are 30 Links to Ballpark Chaser Guides, that will aid you in your road trip quests.
American League
AL EAST
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY (New York Yankees)
Fenway Park, Boston, MA (Boston Red Sox)
Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON (Toronto Blue Jays)
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL (Tampa Bay Rays)
Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Orioles)
AL CENTRAL
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI (Detroit Tigers)
U.S. Cellular, Chicago, IL (Chicago White Sox)
Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Indians)
Target Field, Minneapolis, MN (Minnesota Twins)
Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Kansas City Royals)
AL WEST
Angel Stadium of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA (Los Angeles Angels)
Rangers Ballpark, Arlington, TX (Texas Rangers)
Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX (Houston Astros)
Safeco Field, Seattle, WA (Seattle Mariners)
O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA (Oakland Athletics)
National League
NL EAST
Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA (Philadelphia Phillies)
Nationals Park, Washington, DC (Washington Nationals)
Marlins Park, Miami, FL (Miami Marlins)
Citi Field, Flushing, NY (New York Mets)
Turner Field, Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Braves)
NL CENTRAL
Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH (Cincinnati Reds)
Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI (Milwaukee Brewers)
Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL (Chicago Cubs)
PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Cardinals)
NL WEST
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA (San Francisco Giants)
Petco Park, San Diego, CA (San Diego Padres)
Chase Field, Phoenix, AR (Arizona Diamondbacks)
Coors Field, Denver, CO (Colorado Rockies)
Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA (LA Dodgers)
Also do yourself a favor and read this blog on the 30 MLB Park Pass-Port here
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
New York Mets Payroll In 2016 + Contracts Going Forward
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So you are the New York Mets, and you have just lost the World Series, what is next? First off, you have several Free Agents walking out the door that you may not be able to re-sign. Most notably Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy.
Forget about the postseason in which the man was banged up, Cespedes was one of the biggest reasons you even made it to the playoffs to begin with. The Mets should try to sign him.
Daniel Murphy carried you through two rounds of the postseason – but looked horrible in the field during the World Series. So what is the prognosis on his status with the club? Let him walk… His playoff numbers, coupled with a high need for second baseman in the Majors may well skyrocket his next deal.
At first glance though, this is not the end of the world for the Wilpon led New York franchise. The entire Starting Staff could be composed of team controllable salaries. Bartolo Colon is a Free Agent now too, but maybe he would sign a small guaranteed contract with incentives. Read the rest of this entry
Travel Tuesdays: National Car Rental ‘Rent Rent Reward’ Program An Absolute Good Move
The competition can be fierce for Car Rental Companies, but the best reward companies for cars are National/Alamo/Enterprise followed by Thrifty/Budget and Hertz. Avis doesn’t have a great rewards program, but you can get good deals on them for weekend rentals anywhere in the world. When it all boils down to value created overall for the programs, National Car Rental is the best by far!
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
So you are looking to rent cars over several weekends – or weekdays from the end of Aug till the end of January. You would be crazy not to set up a profile on the National Car Rental Rewards Program “Emerald Club” and then partake in this current deal .
A couple of months ago, after signing up for the latest promotion of rent, rent = reward, I cashed in one of my free rental days at National Car Rental, and made a reservation under the umbrella of this deal.
I gained 300 PTS for the rental (1/2 way to a free car rental – as you only need 600 PTS for a free rental day, which is a free car rental for every two rentals.). I also gained 250 PTS for buying the prepaid fuel option as a selection (another 250 PTS).
I then took their survey for another 50 PTS, then voila – I earned enough points to qualify for another free day! Read the rest of this entry
Tommy John Surgery Thursdays: Player Profile – Brent Strom: 2nd Guy To Have TJ Surgery
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Welcome to the new feature we will be doing every week called TJ Surgery Thursdays. For the next several years I plan to write a weekly feature on a guy that went under the procedure.
This should only take about 10 years to be caught up with the epidemic growing exponentially over the last decade.
Today’s write-up is the 2nd ever player to go under the knife for the procedure. That guy is named Brent Strom, and he followed Tommy John‘s lead to take the UCL surgery repair in 1977. Read the rest of this entry
My 224 MLB Game Journey Was Fast ‘N’ Loud – Gas Monkey Garage Style!!
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
For those of you who may not know even by now, I am a huge Gas Monkey Garage Fan (aka the TV Show Fast “N” Loud) on Discovery Channel. I liked the logo so much that I decided to buy three hats to take with me across the country to see my 224 MLB Games in all 30 MLB Parks trip.
88000 Miles later, 35 States and all 30 MLB Parks saw the lid.
The hat made its way onto several TV interviews, newspaper articles and I also made it to the Gas Money Garage and Gas Monkey Bar and Grill near Dallas TX.
Travel Tuesdays: The Megabus Tutorial To The $1 Fares
Megabus allows you to switch all itineraries (whether it is one journey or 20, for a $1 fee to trade in for other fares.) I traded 20 trips – not to be used for $20 credit towards a new fare that was a peak trip. It cost me just $3.50 to pull off the maneuver after a small booking fee was added. These guys also don’t require paper tickets (although you can use a computer printout of your reservation).
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
I owe a lot of my PR campaigning during my entire year long MLB Trip to a man named Kelly Van De Walle. Kelly’s marketing company works for Megabus – and he sought out a partnership for the odyssey after he read a glowing article I wrote towards the Bus Line back in March.
I will continue to promote this entity for my entire life now. This is the way to travel on a tight budget. During my 200 or so journeys with Megabus this season I had many people ask me how I was able to snag the $1 fares – since they don’t seem to ever have them.
So pay attention for the next few sentences because I am going to tell you how I did it. Read the rest of this entry
An Open Invitation For MLB To Hire Me
Chuck Booth and Larry Lucchino talk baseball in the RF reserved seats at Fenway.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Okay. Lets start this blog by coming clean about my intentions. I want for the MLB to hire me as a travel ‘host/public speaker/blogger – or whatever they want me to do for a salary to work out of New York.
I bring a vast amount of travel knowledge when it comes to the 30 MLB cities that are in the Majors. I have visited all of them five times or more in the last 7 years alone.
Just call me in for an interview and present me geography challenges involving a few ballparks, and see what I come with. Read the rest of this entry
Interleague 2016 Master Schedule
MLB Scheduling 2016
Day + Date Away and Home, Times Start In EST
APR
WEEK 1 (Includes Season Opener Sunday Apr.3, 2016)
Sunday, Apr 3
TBD
Monday, Apr 4 (1 Game)
Mets @ Royals TBD
Tuesday Apr 5 (2 Games)
Cubs @ Angels TBD (Angel Stadium Season Opener)
Tigers @ Marlins TBD (Marlins Park Season Opener)
Read the rest of this entry
224 Games In 183 Days MLB Trip in 2015 Wrap Up: Historical Trip Ends With A Tripleheader!
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (224 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
So I ended up at 224 Games after a flurry of maneuvers and last second scheduling.
Here is how I arrived at that mark.
I went to 15 Doubleheaders in 30 days during September (5 natural doubles occurred in parks with certain rainouts causing them. Philly, Detroit, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Baltimore all had twinbills at their parks in this month.)
Making every game on my schedule was always a goal, and for the year, there was only 3 missed games and all were made up at the park in which I witnessed.
On Oct.2, 2015 I witnessed a contest at my 30th MLB park of the season, marking the 4th time in 7 years I had seen all of the stadiums. Read the rest of this entry
223 Games In 183 Days MLB Trip For 2015: Hoodini Act Part 2 + Just 10 Days Left!
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (223 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
I am right in the middle of the most torrid stretch of games I have ever gone to. Since 15 days ago on Friday night (Sept.10) – I have attended 9 doubleheaders in 15 days. I have 2 more twinbills to plow through on Sunday, Sept.27/2015 and Monday Sept.28/2015. This will make 27 Games in 16 total days.
Among the games were a doubleheader I witnessed in Detroit on Monday Sept.21/2015. Even more significant is that I was originally scheduled for Nats Park that night for the 1st 5 months of my journey, only changing it in early Sept. Read the rest of this entry
223 Games In 183 Days MLB Trip in 2015: I keep Upping The Ante While Pulling ‘Hoodini Acts’
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (221 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
It was a week in which I had many scares for weather causing me to miss a game I had on the schedule.
Lets go to the Thursday Sept 10th in Philly, that did become a postponed affair. Luckily for yours truly – they rescheduled the game for the next night at Citizens Bank Park. It did cause me to take a game off the list in Baltimore at Camden, but was a no-brainer considering CBP is the closest park to home base in Sicklerville, N.J.
I then drove to Baltimore on Saturday. This was met with a 3 hour and 2 minute rain delay, even though it never started really raining until 90 minutes into this stoppage. It is one of my pet peeves about the MLB right now. Preemptive delays are bogus…and happening at an alarming rate. I can even understand if the month weren’t September. But really, with 40 man rosters, and ample pitchers, you delay the start of the game because you think it is going to start pouring. Play the damn game until the rain persists fellas. Read the rest of this entry
221 Games In 183 MLB Days Year Long Road Trip – *Mental Toughness Is The Key*
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (221 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
There is 29 days left of the regular season. This is starting to hit home with me. Luckily, I still have 39 Games left.
221 MLB Games In 183 Days Year Long Road Trip – 1st No Hitter + I Get Creative To Add More Games
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port.
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (221 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
So it finally happened after 174 Games into the trip, and 148 Days overall. I saw a no-hitter tossed by Jake Arrieta in my only game at Dodger Stadium this year.
It was one day after my birthday party in Phoenix yesterday.
It also marked the 375th game I have been to in the MLB ever.
My buddy Ken Lee had to wait 1198 games to make his 1st no hitter count (Although he is also one of 18 crowds to ever see a 4 HR game in 2002, when Mike Cameron blasted 4 bolts at US Cellular Field.)
My pal Tike Narry has now seen 4 no-hitters or perfect games in his last 360 contests after waiting almost 600 matchups to witness his 1st 9 frames without any hits allowed. Read the rest of this entry
219 Games In 183 MLB Days Year Long Road Trip – Upping The Bar In Seattle
2015 MLB Trip Sponsors: Man Fish Brewery, Megabus.com, MLB Reports, National Car Rental, MLB Ball Park Pass-Port
Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead Analyst): Follow @chuckbooth3024
Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports
Chuck Booth’s 2015 MLB Park Historical Road Trip
The GOAL: 183 Straight Days (every single day at least 1 gm) Of ALL 30 MLB Parks Trip In 2015 (217 Games) view full year schedule.
The CAUSE: To Raise Money for Concussion Awareness (via Sports Legacy Institute. donate money here) Through Inspiring Others.
So there are ups and downs in this trip as I have ventured out on this journey. It is not just the baseball games that I am going to….I am trying to fully heal my body and brain after having a bad accident years ago where I was hit and run by a guy.
I have come back 97% to what I need to be, but every once in a while that 3% seeps into the foray. I had one of those events yesterday.
Over the weekend, we hosted 35 ballpark chasers at my friend Ken Lee’s house in Renton. This is virtually every extreme ballpark guru in the group across the nation, with the exception of a few omissions. Ken and I sponsored a barbeque at his house in Renton, WA, USA (Home of Manfish Brewing) – and because of my free car rental days, I was able to secure transportation for all who needed shuttling around Saturday, Aug.22/2015. I also drove for 7 hours around the city picking up the top ‘ballpark chasers’ of the country.
It was a grand old-time, and all of us had the time of our lives, however I probably kicked up the adrenaline too much, and Monday was a big let down. I am feeling much better again at today. The 2nd Annual Ballpark Chasers Meetup in Seattle was a resounding success, and we set the bar high for future venue’s hosting the event in future years.
The following people had a big impact on my weekend: Ken Lee, Scott Bultman JR, Gary Herman. Mike Casiano, Paul Nieuwland, Craig Landgren, Doug Miller, Josh Robbins, Mark Chesna, Tike and Dawn Narry – and of course the rest of the 35 people at the barbeque and 60 or so people at the actual games this weekend
MLB Reports 
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