Blog Archives

Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June 17th) – Updated Yearly WOB Totals For 2014

Photo: Ross D. Franklin - AP

Photo: Ross D. Franklin – AP

Jonathan Lucroy had the final word in the beanball war in Arizona. He followed a hit by pitch with his second homer of the game, a grand slam, that gave him 5 RBI and put the Brewers up for good in their 7-5 embarrassment of the Diamondbacks.

Mike Trout got three extra base hits, including a pair of homers, drove in 4 runs and sparked the Angels 9-3 victory in Cleveland.

Matt Shoemaker pitched 8 strong innings, letting up 2 runs and struck out 10 Indians, earning the 9-3 decision for the Angels.

Michael Wacha pitched 6 innings, striking out 7, giving up just 5 hits and 1 run on a solo homer. He and the Cardinals beat the Mets, 5-2.

They owned baseball on June 17, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June 16th) – Updated Yearly WOB Totals For 2014

Photo: Todd Kirkland - AP

Photo: Todd Kirkland – AP

Cole Hamels pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up just 5 hits and 2 walks. The bullpen blew his lead but the Phillies wound up topping the Braves in 13 innings, 6-1.

Dee Gordon sparked the Dodgers offense by getting on base 5 times, including a triple, and scored twice in the 6-1 win against Colorado.

Rubby De La Rosa pitched 7 innings of 1 hit shutout ball, striking out 3 Twins batters and earned the tight 1-0 victory in Boston.

Donnie Murphy slammed a pair of homers, driving in 3 runs, in the 14-8 slugfest won by the Rangers in Oakland.

They owned baseball on June 16, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.15) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

ASON O. WATSON/GETTY IMAGES

ASON O. WATSON/GETTY IMAGES

Derek Norris crushed a 3 run homer in the first inning and finished the game going 3-5 as the A’s pounded the Yankees, 10-5.

Troy Tulowitzki got on base 4 times, homered and drove in 2, helping the Rockies come from behind and stun the Giants 8-7.

Hisashi Iwakuma threw 8 strong innings, letting up only 6 hits, 1 run and walking no Rangers, earning the 5-1 victory for the Mariners.

Travis Wood held the Phillies hitless into the 6th inning and finished with 8 innings of 3 hit shutout ball for the Cubs 3-0 win.

They owned baseball on June 15, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.14) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Nam Y. Huh/ Associated Press

Nam Y. Huh/ Associated Press

Danny Duffy pitched 7 innings of 5 hit shutout ball, getting the decision as Kansas City thrashed the White Sox, 9-1.

Eugenio Suarez missed the cycle by a single, got on base 4 times and led the Tigers to a wild 12-9 victory against the Twins.

Jesse Hahn pitched 6 innings of 1 hit, shutout ball for the Padres, beating the Mets, 5-0.

Andrew McCutchen got on base 3 times, including a homer, and drove in 3, helping the Pirates hold on to an 8-6 win in Miami.

They owned baseball on June 14, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.13) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

J. Pat Carter

J. Pat Carter

Gregory Polanco capped off a 5 hit, 3 run scored game with a 2 run, go ahead 13th inning homer that gave the Pirates a wild 8-6 victory in Miami.

Lance Lynn was perfect into the 6th inning and finished with 8 innings of 2 hit shutout ball, walking nobody and striking out 8 Nationals as St. Louis hung on, 1-0.

Ben Zobrist singled, doubled and tripled, driving in a pair and scoring one, helping Tampa Bay to a much needed 6-1 win over Houston.

David Phelps pitched shutout ball into the 7th inning, finishing with 6 2/3, no runs, 2 hits and kept the A’s from rallying and earning the 7-0 decision for the Yankees.

They owned baseball on June 13, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.12) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

TED S. WARREN/AP

TED S. WARREN/AP

Derek Jeter got on base 4 times, scored a pair and drove in a pair as the Yankees topped Seattle, 6-3.

Max Scherzer threw a complete game 3 hit shutout, striking out 8 White Sox and earning the 4-0 win for Detroit.

John Mayberry Jr hit a pair of doubles and broke the game open with a 3 run homer in the 7th inning, contributing to the Phillies 7-3 victory against the Padres.

Jhoulys Chacin threw 7 innings of 2 hit shutout ball in Coors Field, getting the decision as the Rockies thrashed the Braves 10-3.

They owned baseball on June 12, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.11) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Jim Cowsert, USA TODAY Sports

Jim Cowsert, USA TODAY Sports

Yu Darvish tossed a complete game, 6 hit shutout, striking out 10 Marlins and getting the 6-0 victory.

Jose Abreu got on base 4 times and launched a homer, helping the White Sox beat the Tigers in an AL Central showdown, 8-2

Cole Hamels threw 8 dominating shutout innings. He let up just 5 hits, 1 walk and struck out 11 Padres. He did not get the decision but the Phillies won, 3-0.

Andrew McCutchen reached base 4 times, including a homer, a double and he stole a base for good measure, leading the Pirates to a 4-2 win over the Cubs,

They owned baseball on June 11, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.10) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Anthony Rizzo went 3-4 with a homer and a pair of doubles, driving in 3 and scoring 3 as the Cubs took the game 7-3 in Pittsburgh.

Collin Cowgill went 3-6 including a 2 out, 2 strike walk off homer in the bottom of the 14th inning that gave the Angels a 2-1 triumph over the A’s.

A. J. Burnett went 7 1/3 innings letting up just 3 hits and 2 runs, earning the Phillies 5-2 victory over San Diego.

Brandon Workman retired the first 13 batters he faced and took a no hitter into the 6th. He finished with 6 2/3 innings of 1 hit shutout ball, winning the 1-0 game for the Red Sox in Baltimore.

They owned baseball on June 10, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.09) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

LM Otero/AP

LM Otero/AP

Lonnie Chisenhall had a historic night at the plate. He went 5-5, missing the cycle by a triple, clubbing three homers and driving in 9 runs in the Indians’ 17-7 thrashing of Texas.

Scott Van Slyke got on base 5 times, homered twice and drove in 4 while scoring 3, helping the Dodgers top Cincinnati 6-2.

Bud Norris threw 8 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits, earning the 4-0 Baltimore victory over Boston.

Charlie Morton went 7 innings, letting just one Cub run and walked none leading the Pirates to a 6-2 win.

They owned baseball on June 09, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.08) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports

Jordan Zimmermann pitched perfect ball into the 6th and finished with a 2 hit 6-0 shutout of the Padres that put the Nationals into a first place tie.

Felix Hernandez threw 7 dominating shutout innings, letting up just 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 15 Rays, a career high. He did not get the decision but helped set up Seattle’s 5-0 victory.

Paul Goldschmidt got on base 3 times, stole a base and crushed a towering 2 run homer to centerfield, helping the Diamondbacks come from behind against Atlanta, 6-5.

Brock Holt got 4 hits including a triple and a single that started the 9th inning comeback rally as the Red Sox stunned the Tigers, 5-3.

They owned baseball on June 08, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.07) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn

Shelby Miller pitched a complete game 3 hit shutout, earning the 5-0 St. Louis win in Toronto,

Kyle Gibson threw 7 shutout innings, letting up just 3 hits, as the Twins blanked the Astros, 8-0.

Hunter Pence got on base 4 times, tied the game with a 9th inning double and scored the walk off run for the Giants wild 5-4 victory against the Mets.

Salvador Perez went 3-4, missing the cycle by a triple and driving in 3 key runs for the Royals as they topped the Yankees, 8-4.

They owned baseball on June 07, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.06) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Justin Edmonds / Getty Images

Justin Edmonds / Getty Images

Dee Gordon got on base 4 times with a pair of triples, a stolen base, two runs scored and three runs batted in, leading the Dodgers to a much needed 7-2 win in Colorado.

Torii Hunter went 3-4 with a homer and a pair of runs scored, stopping Detroit’s slide as they beat Boston 6-2.

Tanner Roark threw 8 innings of 3 hit, no walk shutout ball, striking out 11 Padres. The Nationals inched closer to first place with the 6-0 victory.

Dallas Keuchel tossed 6 innings of shutout ball in Minnesota. The bullpen nearly blew it but he got the decision for the Astros, 5-4.

They owned baseball on June 06, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.05) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Al Behrman, Associated Press

Al Behrman, Associated Press

Madison Bumgarner pitched 8 innings of 3 hit ball, letting up a single run and walking no Reds batters. He earned his 8th victory for the Giants, 6-1.

Masahiro Tanaka cooled the hot Oakland bats with 6 innings of solid pitching, letting up a single run, as the Yankees held on to win, 2-1.

Casey McGehee went 4-5, including a double, and scored 4 runs helping the Marlins tie for first place while topping the Rays, 11-6.

Dexter Fowler got on base 4 times, scoring a pair and driving in a run, helping the Astros take a 8-5 game against the Angels.

They owned baseball on June 05, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.04) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

Photo: JACK DEMPSEY, AP

Photo: JACK DEMPSEY, AP

Miguel Montero went 3-4, drove in 6 and helped the Diamondbacks score 11 unanswered runs in the final 2 innings in a wild 16-8 victory in Colorado.

Adam Wainwright threw a shutout into the 9th inning. The bullpen would lose the lead for him but his 8 plus innings of 4 hit, 2 walk 8 strikeout ball set up the extra inning 5-2 win for the Cardinals in Kansas City,

Asdrubal Cabrera got on base 3 times including a bottom of the 12th walk off 3 run homer that sunk Boston and continued Cleveland’s winning streak, 7-4.

Hisashi Iwakuma  threw 7 shutout innings, walking no Atlanta batters and helped the Mariners continue their hot streak, 2-0.

They owned baseball on June 04, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.03) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Henderson Alvarez pitching a complete game shutout where he walked no batters and threw only 88 pitches. The Marlins beat the Rays by the slimmest of margins, 1-0.

Drew Hutchison engaged in one of the best pitchers duels of the year. He threw 7 shutout innings against the mighty Tigers. He didn’t get the decision but he helped the Blue Jays win, 5-3.

Brandon Moss homered twice including a tie breaking shot in the 10th innings, leading the A’s to a 5-2 victory in the Bronx.

Chris Owings missed the cycle by a single, driving in a pair as the Diamondbacks topped the Rockies, 4-2.

They owned baseball on June 03, 2014.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.02) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

USATSI

USATSI

Kyle Seager missed the cycle by a single. He doubled, tripled twice and launched a back breaking homer as the Mariners blew out the Yankees, 10-2.

Justin Masterson dominated his former team, throwing 7 innings of 3 hit shutout ball, striking out 10 and ending the Red Sox winning streak with a 3-2 win in Cleveland.

Jordy Mercer got on base 5 times, including a homer, drove in a pair and scored 4 times in the Pirates 10-3 romp in San Diego.

Clayton Kershaw threw 8 strong innings, striking out 9 and walking none, allowing the Dodgers to come from behind and beat the White Sox, 5-2.

They owned baseball on June 02, 2014.

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Who Owned Baseball Yesterday (June.01) – Updated MLB Yearly ‘WOB’ Standings

ED S. WARREN/AP

ED S. WARREN/AP

In a day full of remarkable pitching performances, Roenis Elias stood out with a masterful 3 hit shutout of the mighty Detroit Tigers. The Mariners won 4-0.

Brock Holt got on base 5 times with 4 doubles and a stolen base helping the Red Sox sweep the Rays with a 4-0 win and extend their winning streak to 7 games.

Kyle Lohse threw a complete game 3 hit shutout against the Cubs, 9-0, and padded the Brewers divisional lead.

Andrew McCutchen homered, smacked a pair of doubles and made a sliding catch, starring in the nationally broadcast 5-3 Pirates victory in Los Angeles.

They owned baseball on June 01, 2014.

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While I like Granderson Signing With The Mets, I Hate The Chris Young Deal

Granderson had back to back 40 HR years in 2011 and 2012 with the Yankees - after struggling to hit with the PInstripers his 1st year there in 2010.   Last year was an injury filled year.  This smells of a classic NYM overpay.  I would have liked the move if the club didn't sign Chris Young already.

Granderson had back to back 40 HR years in 2011 and 2012 with the Yankees – after struggling to hit with New York in 2010. Last year was an injury filled campaign for the 32 Year Old from Blue Island, IL. This 4 YRs/$60 MIL deals smells of a classic NYM overpay. I would have liked the move if the club didn’t sign Chris Young already.  Granderson has the ability to walk, has hit for decent home and road splits in his career, despite the thought of him being Yankee Stadium ‘centric’.  The Mets hav to hope the 10 Year Veteran can hit close to his Career 3 Slash Line of  .261/.340/.828.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer): 

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I wrote an article about the Mets about 6 weeks ago.  In the piece, I illustrated that I thought Curtis Granderson was a good fit for the New York NL franchise.

I still like that they acquired the guy, even though I think they paid him too much cash.

The week before this, the franchise also inked Chris Young to a one year/$7.25 MIL.

So essentially, you have signed 2 guys for $22.25 on the books for the 2014 season.  Why didn’t you just sign Shin-Soo Choo fellas?

Curtis Granderson 2011 Highlights

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The New York Mets Payroll In 2014, Organizational Affiliates, Prospects, Depth Charts, (MLB + MiLB)

 

Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and was the host to the 2013 ALL - Star Game.  It is light years ahead of where Shea Stadium was.  Despite having a great young core of players - including a dynamic young Starting Rotation, the team is 12th in Home Attendance.  A lot of the problems stem from poor ownership over the last few seasons.  The Wilpons are lucky enough to have a plethora of young controllable Infielders and Pitchers, the big need is for the OF going forward.  The club should definitely invest some money in this area for 2014.  Lucas Duda, Kirk Niewenhuis, Eric Young Jr, are simply not starting OF at the present time.  Their best patrolling player beyond the grass this campaign has been Marlon Byrd - and he is a Free Agent in 2014.

Citi Field is one of the newest Ball Parks in the Majors and was the host to the 2013 ALL – Star Game. Despite having a great young core of players – including a dynamic young Starting Rotation, the team is 12th in Home Attendance. A lot of the problems stem from poor ownership over the last several seasons. The Wilpons are lucky enough to have a plethora of young controllable Infielders and Pitchers, the big need is for the OF going forward. The club should definitely invest some money in this area for 2014. Lucas Duda, Kirk Niewenhuis, Eric Young Jr, are simply not starting OF at the present time. Their best patrolling player beyond the grass this campaign has been Marlon Byrd – and he is a Free Agent in 2014.  Juan Lagares, Andrew Brown, Mike Baxter have also seen time out there in 2013.  None of them have had resounding success – that would translate into a playoff contender.  While some of them could improve, spending some $$ on proven OF talent, could be the right elixir to contend even in 2014.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

You guys are all in for a treat.  Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website.  He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs. 

We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams. 

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective. 

If you can’t wait for all of my assessments for each club, go and visit Jeff’s website over at http://www.prosportsrosters.com.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball.  He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job. 

So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis.  After you click on it….Bookmark it.  There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page.  Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Mets Organization click here.

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New York Mets Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward

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Monday, July.15, 2013

The Mets have arguably the best young right-handed pitcher in baseball. He is the ace of their starting rotation, and has a chance to be their best pitcher for a long time. Harvey has seven wins on the season with a 2.35 ERA with 147 strike outs in 130 innings pitched and a WHIP of 0.91. He has a SO/9 of 10.2 and has only surrendered seven Home runs.

The Mets have arguably the best young right-handed pitcher in baseball. He is the ace of their starting rotation, and has a chance to be their best pitcher for a long time. Harvey has seven wins on the season with a 2.35 ERA with 147 strike outs in 130 innings pitched and a WHIP of 0.91. He has a SO/9 of 10.2 and has only surrendered seven Home runs. He is holding the opposition to a .196 average, while holding left-handed batters to a .175 average. He is especially good with runners in scoring position, as teams just hit .231 in this situation.

By Chris Lacey (Lead Baseball Columnist/Minority Website Owner)

The New York Mets are fourth in the National League East division going into the All-Star break and that won’t change in the second half of the season for this club.

The teams that are ahead of them in their division are more adept at scoring runs, and have better starting rotations. The second part could change with two young arms already in the rotation with Harvey and Wheeler.

The 2013 New York Mets 

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PSA About Bullying From The MLB Reports Via Lori Martini: I’m Not Perfect Video Featuring Dance Moms Miami Cast

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Wednesday December 19, 2012

Lyrics to Lori Martini's Anti-Bullying Video "I am Not Perfect"

Lyrics to Lori Martini’s Anti-Bullying Video “I am Not Perfect.”

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer/Website Owner): & Lori Martini (Senior Reporter and Baseball Writer):

Earlier this year, I had the great honor of meeting Lori Martini.  She was instrumental in helping me set the ‘World Record for Fastest To See All 30 MLB Parks’ in April, by attending 10 Games with me.  We had a nice little media blitz around the whole trip.  I even interviewed  Lori as our Citi Field Expert.  The next week, she wrote a great review about the New Marlins Ball Park, that is one of the highest viewed on the internet and has also written a few other articles. Later on in the summer, Lori interviewed Yankees Prospect Tyler Austin for the MLB Reports.  Before any of this all happened, I was already a fan of Lori’s music prior to meeting her in person. Her songwriting is incredible and she is finally receiving some recognition for it.  Lori has now used that recognition for a greater cause….

In April of this year, Lori Martini’s song “I’m Not Perfect” was placed on Dance Moms Miami and subsequently Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition on Lifetime.  Since then, the song has exploded and has inspired many young girls and boys.  It has become their anthem as it deals with accepting yourself for who you are and champions anti-bullying.  There are hundreds of fan made videos that combined have over 1 Million hits and counting.  These kids are doing covers of the song; they use it for their dance recitals; for their school projects; for anti-bullying videos; they score it to their favorite shows, dancers, singers and artists etc. Read the rest of this entry

Tyler Austin – Yankees Prospect: A Baseball Story of Courage; Feature Interview by Lori Martini

Friday August 10th, 2012

Lori Martini (Baseball Writer- and @LoriMartini on Twitter):  Baseball is my life.  Heck, if I could get paid for playing softball- I would have the greatest, happiest job in the world!  I’m sure anyone who has played the game feels the same way.  So many players go through the system and either get overlooked, marred by injuries or simply can’t perform up to major league standards.  Aside from all of that, there are the politics and life in general that can get in the way of success.

So when we see athletes like Lance Armstrong and Mike Lowell, not only overcoming testicular cancer, but rising to the top of their respective sport, one cannot help but feel completely inspired.  These guys did NOT give up and in fact, they fought harder than anyone. Given the success they have experienced, the hard work certainly paid off. Which brings me to a very special ballplayer and today’s feature subject, Tyler Austin.  

Tyler was born in Macon, GA to Kim and Chris Austin and has two younger brothers, Dylan and Kyle who also play ball.  At age 17, Tyler was diagnosed with testicular cancer during the MLB Draft. Read the rest of this entry

Baseball and Music are Synonymous with Our Timeline

Sunday May 6, 2012

The NY Mets Tribute to the Recent Passing of MCA from The Beastie Boys

Lori Martini(Baseball Writer and @lorimartini on Twitter)– We don’t always remember exactly when certain events have happened in our lives and at what ages, but baseball and music gives us a pretty good reference and timeline as to when certain occurrences took place.  It’s no wonder music plays such an integral part in baseball and throughout sports.  Being a songwriter myself and having been honored that Justin Turner chose my song “Believe” as his walk-up song all last summer, I can only hope some day more players will walk up to more songs that I continue to write.  I remember Derek Bell walked up to “Big Pimpin’” by Jay-Z.  I can automatically tell you that the song was released in 2000 and that is when Bell played for the Mets.  In fact, I’m such a huge Mets fan that I don’t even have to look at the scoreboard or the plate- I’ll instantly know which player is up to bat or who came in for a pitching change just based on their music choice.

When I started my ballpark chasing in 2000, I followed the Mets to most of the stadiums.  I would meet new friends on the road including one of my best friends, Gabriel Lee who not only shares the same birthday (month/day AND year), but he also has a passion for music and manages a band called Ceasefire in LA.  I met Gabriel through Rachel (Roa) Apodaca who inadvertently met my friend Indira who I’ve know from Midwood High School and is a fellow lunatic Mets fan like myself in a baseball chat room.  I’d go to games with friends and start singing the Mets walk-up songs when they were on the road.  I had Rachel and her sister Kristen involved in the whole ordeal when my team was playing against theirs!  Gabriel also had a friend, Ted who joined us at Mets vs. Dodger games in LA.  Being that I was older I quickly noticed that Ted liked Rachel and I told her that.  She didn’t believe me at first, but shortly after they started dating and now they’re married and have a daughter Brianna who is now as big a fan as us (and has a HUGE crush on Matt Kemp….ssshhh).  Brianna met him so often that he knows who she is.  She even plays softball and wants to be a catcher like Mike Piazza.

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Dynamic Scalping – A Fan Manifesto

Monday April.23, 2012

Lori Martini at Citizens Bank Park at the April.9th game on Opening Day 2012. The Phillies are at a 102% sellout rate capacity and don’t need dynamic pricing like some of the other clubs that are featured in this article.

Lori Martini (Baseball Writer and @lorimartini on twitter)- Kenneth J. Silver (Special Guest Contributor):

Imagine you’re standing on line to purchase film tickets on its premiere day.The film has just received very good reviews. When you initially passed by the box office you saw that each ticket was the standard local price of $12. After your long wait, when finally came your time to purchase admission, the ticket seller said that your $12 was no longer a valid admission price, that due to the laws of “supply and demand,” the theater was now at 70% capacity, which was a signal that the owner of the theater that s/he could raise his price up to $15. Too shocked to argue, you pay for your ticket and take your seat. You strike a conversation with the patron next to you, who tells you that s/he blindly paid for an advance ticket for the film months ago at $10 per ticket. Same film, same time, same place—but three different price tiers, manipulated by the owner’s need to raise quick cash for investment before the product is rolled out, a “bargain” that is only a bargain if one has absolute blind faith in the proposed product and/or unlimited funds to invest in an iffy proposition. Read the rest of this entry

A Review of the New Marlins Ball Park By Lori Martini

Wednesday, April.04/2012,

Lori Martini (Guest Baseball Writer- and @lorimartini on twitter)- I touched down in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Not only was it a little cheaper and more cost-effective to simply rent a car, but I did have a place to stay with friends which always makes a trip more enjoyable.  Hotels in Miami are outrageous and I couldn’t find a reasonably priced hotel that didn’t give me anxiety of potentially having bed bugs, my biggest nightmare (at least in hotels).  Driving is most certainly interesting here.  I’m from NYC and I can drive anywhere, but these people are ridiculous.  They either drive way too slow or excessively fast and erratic.  The highways are 4 to 5 lanes of traffic and your exits sneak up on you.  People don’t signal and cut across several lanes of traffic without looking, which somewhat reminds me of driving in LA.  Miami during rush hour is highly congested and you can’t park anywhere.  Everything is a parking garage.  It’s cluttered and populated like NYC, yet spread out like LA to get anywhere. Read the rest of this entry

An Interview with Citi Field ‘Expert’ Lori Martini

Friday, March.30/2012

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Writer) Last year when I applied for the MLB FanCave, I did so with mixed emotions.  While the job looked like an awesome experience, it also would never be as exciting as going to the baseball games live.  Due to my waiting around for MLB’s decision on the chosen winners, I failed to plan for any extensive road trips last year.  I am not disappointed that I didn’t win.  Mike O’ Hara and Ryan Wagner did a fantastic job and were completely qualified.  What the verdict left me was a desire to prove a point that I have been trying to establish for the last 4 years.  MLB’s 30 Baseball Parks provide the best marketing tool that this entity may ever want.  It is my ultimate goal to show that people would rather go to the games live.  Chasing down the Guinness Book of World Record for visiting all parks in the least amount of days has a plethora of emotions that run through ones body.  It is both an adrenaline rush and a hyper vigilant anxiety clashing for every day I am on the road. 

In my 2 minute video that I sent for the FanCave,  I told them that “you either hire me or I am going to end up doing this on my own anyway!” So I intend to go on a 30 MLB Park journey every year from now until MLB decides to pay me a salary.  To give our readers the kind of insight and information that make these ballparks the best fan experiences in Major League Sports, I have sought out some of the greatest experts in the field of ballpark chasing.  Every park will have a Park Preview, an Expert Interview and a Post Game/Streak Synopsis.  Our first expert interview is Lori Martini.

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