h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

For the first time in many years I will be rooting for the American League team in the World Series. I feel sort of like a traitor, which is silly since my team isn't playing. I'm a National League gal, born and bred. But this year the combination of not liking the Giants and being really happy for Rangers fans is causing me to switch sides.

When I lived in Tyler, Texas -- way back in the 70s -- we used to drive over to Arlington to Rangers games. They were pretty lousy in those days. But baseball is baseball and they were close. I've had sort of a soft spot for them ever since. I'd like to see the new stadium. Must do that. I had tickets a couple of years ago when Syn aNd I did our trip to San Antonio and Dallas. But I was sick and we went straight to our hotel. One of my food problems. It was bad timing in the extreme.

Go Rangers!

It's at times like this that I wish I had a television... but the urge passes after the last game.

Does anyone know how I can hear Vin Scully in Austin, btw? When I used to listen to baseball in London on the American Forces Network I got to hear him whenever they broadcast a Dodgers game, and he was the commentator for every World Series. But for the past few years I've tried listening to WS coverage and either been unsuccessful because there wasn't a local station carrying it, or they were but Vin wasn't the commentator. I think AFN used to take the CBS feed of the series, but I wasn't able to find a webcast of either the CBS or AFN commentaries, and I don't know if Vin even commentates any more. I've a feeling I heard a piece a few months ago that said he still was.

As far as I know he is still with the Dodgers. If he retired, then I missed the announcement. But I don't think he does World series broadcasts for Fox. Hummmmm. Now you have me wondering.

You can surely get the Rangers games on radio in Austin, as close as you are. I love listening to baseball on the radio. It's a toss-up whether I'd rather watch a game on TV or just listen to it.

Cricket has always been better with the television sound turned down and the radio commentary on

I'm so oblivious I didn't know the Rangers were still in the running, much less going to the W.S.

I had to be reminded that the Astros actually made it to the big game a few years back.

Yep. Rangers beat the Yankees to win the ALCS. I'm all for any team that beats the Yankees. This is the first WS in franchise history. Pretty sweet for the fans, after all these years.

Vin Scully is still the commentator for the Dodgers, at least through 2011. Here's a link to a story about him from my local NPR station --
http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/08/22/vin-scully-continue-call-dodger-games-2011/

I'm so happy for the Rangers , and (excuse the snark) so glad the Yankees aren't in the WS for once...

Nor the Red Sox, nor the Braves. It does get boring seeing the same teams year after year.

This year's series is good for baseball. I'm sick of the attitude that the best teams and ballparks are all on the east coast.

Any one who has ever played the game knows that the best ball park is exactly where a dozen or more friends decide to give stuff a go. Gloves or not, a pasture or behind a school, or where-ever, ...

That is true, Nick. The joy of the game itself is what is truly important. I love watching kids play, from farm club age on up. It's a great sport for both players and spectators. I hate it that pro ball is all about greed these days.

Small boys in the park, jumpers for goalposts. Isn't it? Rush goalie, two at the back, three in the middle, four at the front, one's gone home for his tea... beans on toast? Mmmmm. Marvellous.

Yep. It's when any sport becomes more about winning than about playing and then becomes a career decision with all the money involved that the spirit of sport erodes. Just my opinion.

Cricket's going the same way, unfortunately. It's doubtful that it'd ever reach the same levels of stupidity that football, baseball, basketball, American football etc have achieved, and it's good to see that far fewer cricketers these days have to resort to doing things like selling Christmas trees during the off-season to make ends meet. Not so long ago, a lot of professional cricketers would be lucky to make £20,000 a year from the game. That must be pretty galling when you see football players making more in a week than they'll make in a decade.

But commercialism and crowd-pleasing gimmicks are worming their way into cricket. I don't think I could bear to go to a one day international now with the constant musical interruptions every time someone scores a boundary or gets out, and I've little interest in Twenty20. Or is it 20Twenty?

I don't know how much you follow baseball, but I'll assume you know who Albert Pujols is. Some people think he is the best player to ever play the game. He has played his entire major league career so far with the Cardinals. They have an option for him for one more season, then he becomes a free agent. They are already negotiating with him.

Now I've heard Albert give interviews where he clearly states that he wants to stay in St. Louis, wants to be a career one team player. And Cardinals management and fans all want that to happen, too. But the bottom line is that salaries have gotten so ridiculous that coming up with enough money for him is not a given. Let's face it, if he is accepted as the best player in baseball, then he deserves to make more money than anyone else, right? And who has enough money to pay him that? Not the Cardinals.

The Cardinals will offer him more money than they have ever paid anyone else in the history of the franchise.And it will likely be more money than he could possibly ever spend. But we know a richer team will offer him more. So it is going to be up to Albert to decide whether his ego and greed are larger than his desire to stay in St. Louis where he is genuinely loved and an important member of the community in general. I personally think we need to start looking for another first baseman. Why? Because it's all about money, not sport.

I hate it when cities are basically extorted by the team owners to build new stadiums... at taxpayer expense. Houston is a grand example. We have the Astrodome, the world's first fully enclosed dome stadium and "eighth wonder of the world" as it was known in the 70's. Both the Oilers and the Astros called it home for decades. Then Bud(head) Adams decides other cities have prettier stadiums and gets jealous. He starts complaining about the field and how it's not just bad but is a hazard (few agreed with him)... Long story short, he gets the city to first sink a ton of money into renovations (George, the Elder helped when he held his Republican National Convention there around that same time and added to the renovation a new P.A. system for all the hot air). Anyway, renovations complete and it's still not good enough so Bud(head) continues to threaten to move the team unless the city ponies up a brand new stadium. He moves the team to Tennessee and THEN the city builds a new stadium anyway for the new expansion team. Similar things happened with both the Astros and the Rockets, although the Rockets may have gotten their arena first... Anyway, The old arena, The Summit (great concert venue when I was younger) has been sold to a megachurch and the Astrodome is still sitting empty while the county decides to a) tear it down, b) make a convention center and hotel out of it, c) make some other public work out of it or d) sell it. Houston now has Reliant Stadium, the Toyota Center and Minute Maid (formerly Enron) park.

Sport teams make tons of money, why should municipalities subsidize their facilities? Seriously, why?

The argument is that the stadiums bring in more people who spend more money, and the city/state collect more sales tax. I'm with you, though. It's extortion, pure and simple.

That's always the argument, but I don't agree. Say you own a large manufacturing company and you're trying to decide where to build. Cities often try to entice companies to move to their location with tax breaks and such anticipating the increase in jobs for local workers and economic growth that would result. I'm OK with that. But would you ever expect a city give them the property and to BUILD their factory for them? And then to build ANOTHER when they get tired of the original one?

At the very least it should be put on the ballot in a general election, when people actually turn out to vote.

Oh, and speaking of public extortion and sports, I just read about Fox demanding bags of cash from Cablevision (east coast) and their viewers on the first night of the World Series. Fox has so far turned down Cablevision's offers as not being massive enough or for a long enough contract.