SOTS Holiday Wish List 2004

[Crash Course]

Just in case there is a Santa, I've been a good boy all year......and, for payback, here's my wish list for "The Big S":

Dear Original Big Poppy:

1. With the Expos/Nationals move to Washington, we have only three parks left in baseball without grass. The Twins and Devil Rays cannot help it. But, the Blue Jays have no excuse. Give us grass in the Sky Dome as soon as possible.

2. I want to go to a ballpark sometime in 2005 and see someone wearing a NetShrine Shirt (http://www.cafepress.com/netshrine.11496061).

3. A slice of humble pie each for Curt Schilling, Jose Guillen, and Josh Beckett.

4. A 9-month supply of Tums for Willie Randolph.

5. A 9-month silence observing stay at a monastery for Larry Lucchino.

6. Answers to the questions that have come out of the BALCO case.

7. First pitch times of 7:28 PM for all post-season games played on the East Coast.

8. A baseball-celebrity week on Jeopardy! featuring Manny Ramirez, David Wells, Milton Bradley, Kevin Millar, and Frank Francisco.

9. Teams to pitch to Barry Bonds - just to see what would happen.

10. An end to "Intro" music played in ballparks before each Plate Appearnce.

12. Pedro Martinez to leave the Boston Red Sox and place a Mango Tree Curse on them as he exits.

13. ESPN.com to add more free "column oriented" features to their baseball page.

14. A Triple Crown season for Hideki Matsui in 2005.

15. Someone to write a book about how the Minnesota Twins keep putting winning teams on the field the last 4 seasons.

16. A return to the balanced schedule where everyone play everyone else an equal number of times.

17. For all teams to revert back to having just two uniform styles - one for home and the other for the road.

18. A guarentee that we'll hear Rickey Henderson's Hall of Fame induction speech in 2009.

19. Some way to get us back to the level of play where 100 RBI in a season was considered a lot.

20. A cable station who plays "classic" baseball games 24/7.

[Crash Course]

Just to make sure that there's a chance for #2 above to come true - we're going to give away a NetShrine shirt in this SOTS blog entry.

Anyone who replies to this entry with 5 or more of their "Baseball Related Wish Items" (in one post) will be entered into a raffle to win the shirt. One entry per NDF member. One winner. We'll have the raffle on 12/22/04.

And, please, remember that this is a moderated forum. Your post will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. It could take several hours. Please be patient. And, good luck to all on this.

[TimmyB]

Dear Santa,

I have been reasonably well-behaved this year. Since Boston won the World Series and stunned NY in the process, I really can't ask for too much. I will keep my wishes simple:

1) Would the owners and players please come together and agree on a meaningful ban on Vitamin S. I still don't buy baseball players who look like linebackers and nose-tackles.
2) Could we please, please, please keep it under 86 years next time?
3) May I please have my e-mail address picked again for the Monster Seat lottery?
4) Would you please let Cubs' fans know what it feels like, too?
5) Lose the body armor.

Thanks,
TimmyB

[llewdor]

Sure. I can get in on this. I want:

1. An end to taxpayer funded stadia. Baseball teams are not a public trust - let's stop acting as if they are.

2. Uniform enforcement of off the field rules. Transactions, rosters, debt. You know what I mean, Bud.

3. Umpires to stop giving the batter his base when he makes no effort to avoid the pitch. Only award the base if he either makes a visible effort to avoid the pitch, or clearly had no chance to do so (like crazy wild breaking pitches). Those players who visibly lean into the ball to take a glancing blow should be awarded a ball, not a base. Or a strike for those players who lean into the strike zone (Alfonso Soriano - this means you).

4. A clarification of the interference rule. Why can a catcher impede a runner, but a shortstop can't? And since when is impeding the runner's view impeding the runner?

5. Acceptance that behaviour that does not violate the rules does not require sanction. Specifically, previous steroid use. If there wasn't a rule about steroids (and there wasn't before 2003), then players were allowed to use steroids. Get over it.

6. A return for Rickey Henderson. The man still takes a walk every 5 or 6 trips to the plate - still the highest walk rate this side of Barry Bonds.

7. The end of the luxury tax. It's clearly creating competitive imbalance that wasn't there before.

8. Opposing teams to keep playing their infields in aganst Ichiro. This is the primary cause of his 262 hit season - he hit more balls to the outfield because teams played him in.

9. An end to baseball's anti-trust exemption.

10. The Montréal Expos back.

[Makofan]

The Sky's the limit with Santa

Dear Santa. For 2005 I would like

1) A real commisioner
2) The Giants to sign Carlos Beltran
3) Pedro to go sign somewhere else and have a Rocket-like resurgence
4) Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell in the Hall of Fame
5) A deadened baseball that goes 5% less distance

[JamesI]

Dear Santa

1) Please ban all of the body armor.
2) Please let all baseball owners sit back and allow their baseball experts do their jobs without interference (Steinbrenner may be exempted from this as what else would we talk about then?)
3) Let Mike Mussina finally win that 20th game, or finish a no hitter. He deserves it.
4) Force pitchers to pitch to Bonds. Let's find out how good he really is.
5) A pitching staff for the Orioles I can feel good about. It doesn't need to compare to the early 70's staff, just something that makes me wish Jim Palmer wouldn't try a comeback again, he couldn't be worse...

[Jim Rice]

I would like the following pet peeves eliminated:

1. The practice of certain ballplayers, upon seeing ball four, of dropping the bat on home plate (sometimes even ostentatiously, like it was a hot potato - yes, I mean you, Kenny Lofton) instead of handing it to the bat boy.

2. Tony Pena's insistence that David DeJesus continue to attempt steals. He's a wonderful young player, both with the bat and in the field, but just because he bats leadoff doesn't mean he's a good base stealer. So please, Tony, stop giving away outs your team can't afford.

3. Allard Baird's refusal to use Jed Hansen as a bench player. What is the logic behind acquiring the likes of Chris Clapinski, Damian Jackson, Wilton Guerrero, Desi Relaford, Luis Ordaz, et al, when you already have Hansen doing yeoman work at six positions in Omaha for less money?

4. Dusty Baker's refusal to recognize that, just because many of those who argue that he is abusing his starters never played in the big leagues, doesn’t mean that they are wrong.

5. Dan Shaughnessy.

[guerinto]

1. Real grass in the Skydome! If the Jake can have grass, why not Toronto? We get the same weather!

2. A $70,000,000 payroll for J.P. Ricciardi

3. A return to Cy Young form for Doc

4. An MVP style season for Vernon Wells

5. Adios to Carlos Delgado the ultimate matador!

6. A "good as new" ankle for Curt Schilling

7. Some 2 hour ball games

8. My dream of a road trip to Wrigley Field coming true in 2005

9. The Cubs end their curse

10. Montreal, er Washington finally gets ONE owner...

[hmrsf]

Dear Big S,

I have been really good this year. All I want for Christmas is:

1. To go another WS game in my lifetime.

2. An autograph WS Manny ball. :eek:

3. The chance to one day bring my daughter (in our matching NetShrine baseball T's) to Yankee stadium.

4. For Manny Ramirez to win a gold glove.

5. To see Dwight Evans enshrined in the HOF.

[pwdennis]

Wish List

1) The NL to adopt the DH
2) Baseball to maintain the unbalanced schedule & eliminate interleague play
3) Elimination of the balk rule
4) World Series to simply alternate home field advantage as was the case before the recent innovation
5) A wild card team to be able to get home field advantage in the second round of the playoffs IF sporting a BETTER record than their "divisional champion" opponent
6) catchers be required to be behind home plate at the start of each pitch for an intentional walk - violation advances each base runner one base
7) batters be required to attempt to avoid being hit by the pitch
8) a hard salary cap
9) meaningful steroid testing
T) beer sales cut off after the 5th inning at ballgames

[nyy26wc]

Santa,

I have not behaved this year, just like all of those other ones. But, in case your computer database has erroneous information about me, here's my list--

1) Barry Bonds hits #756.

2) Randy Johnson stays with the Diamondbacks, has a 70 RSAA season, but gets absolutely no run support and goes 5-25, to make a huge mockery of "W-L"

3) A constitutional amendment is passed prohibiting any mention of "wins", "losses", "saves" and batting average.

4) Two sub .500 division champions, one in each league, that meet in the World Series, thus making a complete mockery out of the postseason.

5) Things are very good on the labor front, thus setting the stage for a new contract, without a work stoppage, in 2006.

[agotlieb]

1. That a few folks in Philly realize that Bobby Abreu is pretty good.
2. Another year's supply of Tums for Lou Piniella.
3. No whining from New England.
4. No increased whining from Chicago.
5. A muzzle for Curt Schilling.

[guidry49]

OK- I'm down for anything free:

Dear Santa...for the 2005 baseball season I would like the following:

1) Pete Rose reinstated

2) Every stadium to eliminate radar and pitch count numbers from the ballpark

3) more complete games

4) umpires to stop allowing hitters to call time, and stop allowing pitchers to go
through a 15 minute ritual between pitches (and batters too for that matter)

5) A world series between The Brewers and the Mariners

6) send all player body armor to Iraq for the troops

7) just like in little league- when you strike out- you must jog back to the bench. no arguing, no staring down the pitcher, no strutting and muttering to yourself

8) same for pitchers- stop pointing to the sky, kissing your chain and pumping your first everytime you get someone out. just do your job- and shut up

9) stepping off the mound and chasing the runner at first back without throwing the ball over should be an automatic balk

10) a perfect game, an unassisted triple play and the cycle in the same game.

is this too much to ask????

[mgoettsche]

If these 5 things happened, I would be a happy boy.

1) Barry Bonds getting pitched to
2) The Dodgers winning the World Series
3) Clemens-Johnson H2H masterpiece (<2 hits/piece)
4) Johan Santana B2B CY
5) Continued chuckles whenever my niece says Pujols (her favorite player just for the name)

[Gosfgiants]

My list:

1) The Giants sign a power hitter to protect bonds
2) Less stories about the Yankees and the Red Sox
3) The umps should call the strike zone as written in the rule book
4) People should stop whining about inter-league play and the wildcard
5) Another Bay Bridge Series in 2005

[guidry49]

20. A cable station who plays "classic" baseball games 24/7.

That may be coming sooner than you think.....I'm hearing talks of an MLB-owned cable station (similar to the NFL network)

[RedSeat]

Just seems greedy to be asking for anything this year. So here are my wishes other than those for my team's success.

For 2005, I wish...

...to never have to give thought to who today's umpires are.
...to get to at least as many games as I did last year.
...to add at least one more ballpark to my "collection."
...to just once see runners awarded something other than 2 bases on fan interferance.
...to have really good seats somewhere.
...to ask anyone who complains about the 2002 ASG to tell me who won in '01.

[hopbitters]

Dear Santa,

As you know I haven't been particularly good this year, but I didn't leave any evidence, which is pretty much the same thing as being good, right? Since you haven't brought me the 1946 Series 62 Caddy I keep asking for, I'll assume you're still working on the restoration. In lieu of said Caddy, I have a few minor, easily filled requests for the baseball season :

1. I wish for the rules to be applied evenly, consistently, and sensibly to all teams and players. This includes the same peeve everybody else has about calling strikes on HBP in the strike zone.

2. I wish for all baseball writers, announcers, and analysts to be struck by a lightning bolt epiphany of baseball knowledge, common sense, logic, and at least a rudimentary command of the English language. For Fox and ESPN broadcasters, the regular kind of lightning bolt will suffice.

3. I wish for fans of all sports to realize that their role in their favorite sports is one of support, in spirit, ambassadorship, and finance, and not one of embarassing, criminal, drunken, disruptive, or otherwise detrimental behavior.

4. I wish for the players' union to be struck with the realization that damaging the integrity of their business to protect the greed, sloth, and other vices of their players is ultimately going to kill them.

5. I wish for my fantasy position players to not all simultaneously injure themselves like every other year and maybe perform a little while they're at it. I'm good with the pitching where it has been.

6. I wish MLB would make serious attempts at : the Expos, steroid testing, the All Star Game, and an intelligent marketing campaign. (I know they are capable of the last one, at least - they show signs of life on that end now and then)

7. I wish the BBWAA would institute drug and alcohol testing prior to any voting. Or writing.

8. I wish I was a catfish, swimmin' in Loord the de--er, no, sorry. Got carried away there. I wish one of the 350 ESPN channels would show nothing but scrolling scores, maybe three different bars across the bottom half of the screen without interruption. They can use the rest of the screen for non-audio commercials. Music or silence.

9. I wish for Roger Clemens to retire. Again.

10. I wish for teams to win in the East divisions other than New York, Boston, and Atlanta.

11. I wish the volume knob on my amp went up to 11.

[JamesI]

Dear Santa

1) Please ban all of the body armor.
2) Please let all baseball owners sit back and allow their baseball experts do their jobs without interference (Steinbrenner may be exempted from this as what else would we talk about then?)
3) Let Mike Mussina finally win that 20th game, or finish a no hitter. He deserves it.
4) Force pitchers to pitch to Bonds. Let's find out how good he really is.
5) A pitching staff for the Orioles I can feel good about. It doesn't need to compare to the early 70's staff, just something that makes me wish Jim Palmer wouldn't try a comeback again, he couldn't be worse...

I want to add
6) Real drug testing and real punishments. No player who took steroids should be allowed in the HOF (and that includes Bonds and Sosa and McGwire if they are guilty)

[PianoMonkey]

I promise only one of this wishes is self-serving:

1. Please let Barry hit #756 this year, and please let him stay healthy enough to give 800 a run in a few years. He may not want to do this, I know, but it's important. Only 800 will make us forget about the juice.
2. Please let Berroa get his feel back, and Sweeney's back heal up, and Greinke win 18. Or even one of three.
3. Please let the twins beat the Yankees/Sox in the playoffs this time. They've earned it.
4. Please give the Nationals a better run than the Expos had.
5. Please give Beltran a 40/40. Give him his 180 mil. And please, just once, let Affeldt make him look like an idiot on a 12-to-6 curve.
6. Please give White Sox fans either brains AND something to cheer about, or nothing but misery for five years.

[Crash Course]

Anyone who replies to this entry with 5 or more of their "Baseball Related Wish Items" (in one post) will be entered into a raffle to win the shirt. One entry per NDF member. One winner. We'll have the raffle on 12/22/04.

And the winner is...........agotlieb.
Congrats.
And, thanks to all.
agotlieb - please e-mail me with your size and address.
thanks
curator@netshrine.com