That funky motion

Whats funny is I am on 3 hockey teams, and very few of my teammates watch Hockey. If people who play the sport, don't watch it, thats a problem.

TV ratings going south It keeps getting worse in big U.S. markets Tony Gallagher, The Province Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006 The NHL governors got a rude awakening at their board meeting this week at the beautiful Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., when they had the U.S. television ratings plunked in front of them. Talk about devastating. And unless there is a rapid recovery, it's very difficult to understand what will become of this sport in the U.S. Keep in mind this has nothing to do with the league's appearance on Versus network, or the old Outdoor Living Network as it was known last year. This is virtually every U.S. city in the league as viewers seem to be turing away from the game at a remarkable pace. Coming on the heels of ESPN's refusal to carry paid NHL advertising on its station because they apparently didn't want to trumpet a sport they don't carry on their own network, the numbers showed a downward spiral that failed the league's or network's estimations in all but two markets. It's important before getting into some of the specifics to point out that seemingly all sports ratings are down these days, so the NHL is hardly alone. People just seem to be watching things other than sports on television and all marketing people in all sports other than the NFL need to be concerned. While Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby were lifting the Fox Sports News Pittsburgh ratings 40 per cent higher than expectations and the highest they've been since 2000-01, the rest of the U.S. cities were headed straight to the dumper. If these results don't raise some eyebrows among the owners, it's hard to know what will get their attention. Strangely enough, the other city that topped expectations was Chicago, where the Blackhawks have had such little television exposure and their teams have been so bad over the years that the quick start authored by Martin Havlat and crew and now sustained since the team has overcome that onslaught of early injuries has really helped. And any good news out of such a major market as Chicago is certainly good news for the league, so with luck that will keep improving. It's some of the other cities where the news is exceptionally disturbing. Take Florida, for example, where there was the expectation of a 1.0 share for the Panthers on FSN Florida and it came in down a whopping 77 per cent. If that wasn't bad enough, along came the numbers from SportSouth in Atlanta, where the Thrashers have an excellent team this year and one would think the numbers would be significantly higher simply because of where the team is in the standings. Not so. The numbers were down a 10th of a rating point and fully 70 per cent below expectations. In New York it's so bad the Islanders, who appear on Fox New York, are virtually to the point where the viewership does not even rate a number, although this was before coach Ted Nolan got the troops going and one would expect this to improve. But the whole city was down as both the Devils and the Rangers suffered pretty significant decreases as well. Detroit was another sore spot. Traditionally one of the strongest hockey markets for obvious reasons, the Wings got hammered early this season. Obviously some of the downturn can be attributed to the success of another Mike Ilitch-owned franchise, the Tigers, who made the World Series, and the Wings haven't been as entertaining in the regular season as they were under previous coach Dave Lewis. But even considering last season's first-round playoff ouster, this was a massacre, the numbers down almost 50 per cent over last year's figures. And last year's figures were a far cry from when the sport was going strongest in 2001. The only good news is that these numbers are so discouraging, it appears there's nowhere to go but up

Freddy you will be missed!

QUOTE(ChiSox9 @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:53 PM) I take it you have full seasons? Yes. I give a lot of tickets away on this site, cause I live in the north subs and can't make it out all the time.

QUOTE(Guillen @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:54 PM) Why is everyone so pessimistic? It's the hot stove season in baseball, take the rumor and run with it. Furthermore, Kenny's proven over the years that he's capable of everything and anything. I wouldn't put anything past him. Just b/c Uribe has a better arm than Crede, doesn't necessarily make him a better 3b. Crede makes some incredible plays on the hot corner. Playing 3b is all about seeing the ball come off the bat and reacting, something Joe does better than the majority of major leaguers. In regards to AROD though, Crede would be traded to the Yanks and J. Fields brought up. I have a lot of trust in Uribe's glove. Its also a lot less ground to cover.

QUOTE(philadelphia sox fan @ Dec 7, 2006 -> 04:50 PM) Did you get that for season tickets? Phillies season tickets you get a calender. Whoopty Doo Yes. It says on the box "Thank You Premium seat ticket holders"

I received a MP3 player from the Sox today. Its a Shuffle with the Sox logo on it. The package has all the buildings downtown from the WS. Pretty cool. Its ok that they trade Garland now!

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Dec 6, 2006 -> 11:26 PM) I don't think you made a positive post about Freddy since October 26th, 2005. You wanted him off the team all year, well you got it.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 02:33 PM) It took Freddy 5 months to make adjustments and I still don't trust him at all. He had like 3 or 4 starts in September that saved his season from looking like a total disaster. Mark absolutely stunk the 2nd half of last season but I see no reason why he wont bounce back. He's easily the better long term commitment imo. I think Freddy made ajustments all year, thats why he hung around games and got some wins. MB didnt do anything and got rocked a lot of the time. As for Freddy Sept, they will still in it and that proved even more to me.

Why was the Pods thread stuck on top,but this one isnt. Ozuna for president!

Roids.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 01:59 PM) Appearantly Levine snuck into the White Sox sweet by hiding under a room service cart, he was rolled up in the fetal position for a good 6 hours listening in on Williams and Cashman playing a very heated game of BURGERKING CART Fixed.

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Dec 5, 2006 -> 12:36 PM) I think it's just Buehrle. I really don't see Garcia pitching for the Sox in '07. I think it the other way around. Garcia found a way to pitch without his fastball and even added a splitfinger. He also managed to give a lot of inning and seems to be happy here. MB was leaving everything up and not pitching inside and seemed to lose his confidence. All we hear is that he wants to pitch for the Cards. The only thing that makes me think otherwise is that MB is the only Lefty on our staff.

QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Dec 4, 2006 -> 04:51 PM) Too busy riding the Tea Cups at Magic Kingdom and flying under the radar. Will get back to you in January. - Kenny

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Dec 2, 2006 -> 06:54 AM) Sign Ray King! Was thinking the same thing.

I sure hope whoever comes in, changes the winner of the all star game has home field advantage.

QUOTE(knightni @ Nov 27, 2006 -> 02:35 PM) • Bert Blyleven • Andre Dawson • Tony Gwynn • Tommy John • Cal Ripken Jr. Ditto!

Wht does everyone want Patterson to lead off? He was BAD as a lead off for the Cubs and hate the pressure. No thanks!!

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals locked up the dean of their roster and one of their core players on Friday, agreeing to a two-year contract extension with center fielder Jim Edmonds. The deal ensures that Edmonds will be a Cardinal through the 2008 season. The announcement comes one day before the club's deadline to exercise or decline a 2007 option on the eight-time Gold Glove winner. Edmonds has been a Cardinal since 2000, when he was acquired from the Angels for Adam Kennedy and Kent Bottenfield. He won Gold Gloves in each of his first six seasons in St. Louis, and his 229 home runs in a Cardinals uniform rank fourth on the franchise's all-time list. "We couldn't be more pleased to have this extension worked out with Jim," general manager Walt Jocketty said in a press release issued by the team. "Jim is one of the true leaders for our team both on and off the field, and it's not just coincidence that he has been such a big part in creating and maintaining a winning attitude ever since his arrival in 2000. We hope that today's announcement will serve as the first step in assuring that Jim Edmonds finishes his great career as a St. Louis Cardinal." The Cardinals held a $10 million option on Edmonds for 2007, the end of the first contract he signed with St. Louis before the 2001 season. Instead, however, the deal will keep him in place for two more seasons. At the end of the new deal, Edmonds will be 38. According to The Associated Press, Edmonds will make $8 million in 2007, $8 million in 2008 and receive an additional $3 million in deferred money, spread out from 2010-2019. The two-year duration turned out to be a good fit for both parties. "We made a proposal," Jocketty said, "they countered, we accepted and that was the end of it." "In that regard, it was amazing," said Paul Cohen, Edmonds' agent. "We obviously didn't speak until after the World Series, because Jimmy's and the team's focus was in another place. And then once we started speaking, we tried to say, 'OK, where are we going to be able to have a middle ground, where it can be win-win for everybody?' And it looked like it wasn't going to be at one year. "So once we got to the point where we both wanted two years, then we were able to build momentum and make something happen." It was a difficult year for Edmonds, who battled shoulder and foot injuries as well as post-concussion syndrome. He was limited to 110 games in 2006, his lowest total since 1999, and his offensive numbers suffered across the board. The lefty-swinging outfielder batted .257/.350/.471 (average/on-base/slugging) with 19 homers, 70 RBIs and 52 runs scored -- his lowest figures since 1999. Still, even those numbers rated him among the more productive center fielders in the league, and Edmonds was a significant contributor in the playoffs. He went 4-for-13 in the National League Division Series, hit two home runs in the National League Championship Series and totaled 10 RBIs in the '06 postseason. He has 13 career postseason home runs. Edmonds is expected to undergo a relatively minor "cleanup" surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder next week. According to Cohen, the foot condition is expected to clear up with rest, though it was extremely painful and required constant maintenance throughout the postseason. "We got a chance to see him play for a month, and he played well," Jocketty said. "With Jim, we don't worry about, I guess, the best way to phrase it, is that Jim works very hard in the offseason and during the season to keep himself in top shape and to put himself in the best position to be available to play each night. So we have no concerns about that. We did have concerns about the post-concussion syndrome, because you just don't know what to expect. It has varying effects on guys." And the two-year deal works well for Edmonds, who may decide to hang it up after this contract. "There's always that chance," said Cohen, "because he's going to be playing at 37 and 38, and the nature of pro sports, it is what it is. But I don't think it's definitive. If he feels good in two years and he wants to play, then he will. "It wasn't a case of, 'This is my final, retirement song, here it is.' It was, 'Hey, I love St. Louis. I've been thrilled here the last seven years. We have a great team. I love the community. Why would I want to mess with something that's been the happiest time of my life?'" "He knows what to expect from us, his manager and coaches," Jocketty said. "It's everything -- the clubhouse guys, the trainers, the doctors, everything. It's so much easier. We're very happy and we hope that he ends up his career as a Cardinal." Meanwhile, the duration may be a perfect fit for the Cardinals as well. Although they lack a reasonable replacement for Edmonds in the upper levels of the farm system, the organization's best prospect is center fielder Colby Rasmus. The 2005 first-round pick ended this year at high Class A Palm Beach, which may put him right on track for a 2009 arrival in the big leagues.

Anyone else he the rumor on the Score, that the Sox were looking to get Rowand back, in a three way trade?

QUOTE(The Critic @ Nov 9, 2006 -> 05:09 PM) I remember folks around here saying that they were told by their reps that the renewal rate was running at 97% or so. Yep, I just talked to mine and thats what he said.

I know that I tried to move my seats, and my rep said no one is really droping out. I just have 2 seats,so it sounds like everyone is staying.

QUOTE(Steff @ Nov 8, 2006 -> 02:56 PM) If they keep growing... they better build more bathrooms. Thats why I got Club level and thats the only reason. Oh and the bar!

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Nov 2, 2006 -> 05:18 PM) FWIW, I think the posting fee doesn't come out of the direct payroll money. I thought I remember reading that when Seattle bid for Ichiro, the posting fee money came from money used for the scoreboard (or something of the sort). Just saying that if Kenny really felt that Matsuzaka is/was the real deal, and if he could find reasonable deals for two of the Sox current starters not named McCarthy, he could win this bid, IMO. More or less, I'd guess that a big portion of the initial posting bid might come from US Cellular and Reinsdorf & Co. Not with Boras as his agent.

No way! Let the Cubs have him!