SPORTS-(PIRATES)
Archive
Free Crap
April 5-There are few words in American culture that
create more excitement than "Free crap". When you go to a trade
show, you prowl the aisles looking for FREE CRAP.
When you visit the grocery stores on Saturday, it's great to
get samples of FREE CRAP. For years, one of the most popular phrases on
the Internet has been FREE PORN (okay, close enough).
For the second consecutive year, Major League Baseball
tried to sell premium RealAudio broadcasts. For the second consecutive year, their
server failed and they were forced to give it away for free... again.
Why is this a big deal? After all, RealAudio/RealVideo has been flopping
on its "live" event coverage for years now. Victoria's Secret ran a heavily promoted
campaign for a RealVideo broadcast in 1999, that also bombed. (Besides, why pay
14.95 for a pixelated video feed when you can order their catalog for free? The catalog
can also be ...ahem, "re-used".). It's only a big deal because baseball's Opening Day(s)
(all 30 of them) is/are still one of the most revered events in sports. Opening the season
on a weekday afternoon is a great appeal. Opening Day Hooky ranks up there with "Girls Gone
Wild" as one of the great guilty pleasures still available to adults.
Now, I didn't pay the 14.95 for the "premium" RealAudio feed. Baseball only
runs day games at the beginning of the year. By May, everything is relegated to
a 7:05 pm start. (although ESPN2 is promising a day game every Wednesday this year...)
East Coast games start at 5:05 MST, but that's usually when I'm leaving the office
and partaking in Denver's nightly Parade of (Brake) Lights.
The only day I actually WANT to listen to a day game is on Opening Day. For the past two years
it's been free...so I'm saving my 14.95 for that "Girls Gone Wild" DVD.
This year also included a bonus helping of FREE CRAP. Digital cable subscribers
were given a free week of MLB's "Extra Innings" package. The same promo ran last
year, on Opening Day and around the All-Star Break. These two weeks are
probably the most euphoric for a baseball fan and could be considered "peak"
times for your baseball jones. Why dish out $249 for a full-season, when you can mooch?
Even if I had paid $249, by June I'd be back to watching Survivor, NYPD Blue and
wrestling for my prime time TV fun.
By my count, I've now saved $263.95. Screw the "Girls Gone Wild" DVD. That's enough
cash to actually fly to Panama City and film my own damn video.
So How'd the Bucs Do?
Well, I'm glad you asked. One year ago, Ron Villone was the fifth starter for the
Colorado Rockies.
He rarely started, notched about a 8.50 ERA, and was shipped off to Houston in June.
Good enough for the Pirates, as he became their 2002 Opening Day starter.
Villone pitched a decent game, but the Bucs defense allowed two bloop singles down the first
base line, obscuring his performance. He struck out about
6 Mets, but ended up with an unimpressive stat line for
five+ innings of work. Take way those two hits and it would have been a 3-2 game
going into the ninth. Brian Giles hurt his tummy during BP, so it was
somewhat encouraging that the Pirates actually had a chance going into the late innings.
Final result was still the same as any 2001 game- Bucs lose, 2-6.
They rebounded on Wednesday and won 5-3. Pokey Reese must have adjusted his cap
about 4 degrees clockwise to the "locked" position. He went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI's, making him
the first successful Pirates free agent acquisition since.... umm... give me a second.
The Pirates have had a downright shitty record with free-agents, so even though it's
just ONE game, Reese's performance appears significant.
The Pirates appear to be heading towards 70-80 wins. If guys like Villone and Kip Wells
can give them 175+ innings a piece, they will have survived the season and allowed
the young guys in Nashville and Altoona another year to develop. Nashville has
Salomon Torres, who could be called on to eat more innings at Pittsburgh.
Comment about this article. Hit the Message Board, or
Contact My Ass!
Back to baseball index
