Not every team wants to sell the naming right to an entire stadium—sometimes you end up looking like an idiot when the company screws it’s employees, is convicted of fraud, and goes bankrupt (it’s a shame that Minute Maid Park just doesn’t have the same ring as Enron Field).
To circumvent this problem the Braves have come up with a solution. Sell the naming rights to part of your stadium.
Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank has reached a deal to put its name on a new Turner Field seating section designed to appeal to the Braves’ more affluent fans.
The new section, scheduled to be completed by the start of next season, will include 158 seats closer to the action than any others at Turner Field. The seats will come with such amenities as unlimited food and beverage, valet parking, a private stadium entrance and access to a 5,000-square-foot lounge being built adjacent to the Braves’ clubhouse. The seats also will come with a steep price tag: as much as $300 per game or $24,900 per season.
As always, the justification from the sponsor is downright hilarious.
The Braves’ “high level of performance on the field and their service to the community is consistent with our philosophy of serving our clients’ financial needs and supporting the communities where we live and do business,” Jenner Wood, chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank’s Central Group, said in a statement e-mailed to the Journal-Constitution.
Translation: We think the really rich people who sit in those seats will subconsciously begin to associate our brand with posh opulence and having a lot of fun.
Overall, the whole arrangement sounds like a win-win situation. The Braves make money, Suntrust markets themselves, and rich people get to talk on their cellphones without being interrupted by the normal riff-raff at the stadium who cheer during the game. I’m already looking forward to seeing some affluent Atlantans spill their imported beer as Jeff Francouer airmails throws from the warning track into the backstop.
Ravens linebacker Bart Scott finally revealed why he went bonkers and threw an official’s flag into the stands after the Patriots scored the go-ahead touchdown.
He was just standing over Samari in an imposing fashion and was just going off on him,” Scott said. “At this point, the game was over with. … He was talking a lot of stuff about being a man. What does that mean? I said, ‘Have some integrity.’ … He’s the figure of justice out there. So why wouldn’t he be the bigger man and walk away?
The part to focus on here is “At this point, the game was over with.”
Oh really Bart? Was it? The Ravens got the ball back at their own 20 with 43 seconds left and one timeout. Sure, the offense had their work cut of for them, but just over 30 hours earlier the Bills had the ball at their own 27 with 35 seconds left and no timeouts. Their situation was much more dire than the Ravens’, but Trent Edwards still managed to lead the Bills into field goal range (even without the coaching clinic put on by Joe Gibbs).
Now let’s pretend Scott didn’t commit the penalties. A good kickoff return would have given the Ravens the ball at the 35, and then they would have needed only two or three 10-15 yard completions to give Matt Stover a chance. Thirty-five seconds and one timeout was plenty enough time to get that done.
I don’t blame Scott for what he did—if I was on a 4-8 team that just let one of the biggest upsets in NFL history slip away I might have picked up the actual official and thrown him into the stands. I also know Scott isn’t used to Kyle Boller putting points on the board (none of us are and I don’t think any of us ever will be). Still, he’s wrong to even imply his penalties didn’t hinder the Ravens comeback efforts.
The Dodgers just made a lazy fatty who hit .222 last season the 5th highest paid player in baseball. At least now Rafael Furcal doesn’t have to be self conscious about being the most overpaid player on the roster.
The “Jewish Jordan” (not me, the one officially recognized by the national media) is returning to American soil. Tamir Goodman has agreed to join the Maryland Nighthawks of the Premier Basketball League, and he will make his U.S. professional basketball debut when their season opens in January. Goodman’s excitement about the new job is prototypical of a man who’s been is the spotlight for too long.
“I loved living and playing in Israel, but I’m thrilled to come home to Maryland and join the Nighthawks,” Goodman said.
It’s nice Goodman’s so thrilled to be home—for six long years his adoring fans have been eagerly waiting for him to lead some kind of Maryland basketball team to the promised land (figuratively speaking of course).
Goodman’s shooting should help take away the sting of the Nighthawks losing 7″9 center Sun Ming Ming to Mexico’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional. However, the team shouldn’t expect much else from their new new guard. I saw Goodman play in high school once and he couldn’t even cover the point guard for the Yeshiva of Greater Washington. Then again, this is a league that has a rule allowing celebrities to suit up and play, so perhaps Goodman is MVP material.
Miguel Gets Cabrera Traded, Decides Not to Be a Fatty
The Tigers pulled off the blockbuster move of the day, acquiring Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis for Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, and a slew of minor leaguers.
I like the move for the Tigers because people still don’t realize how good Cabrera is. He’s had four seasons in which he’s averaged about 31 home runs, 115 RBIs, and a .320 batting avg.—-and he’s only 24 (and losing weight!!!).
Scouts love Maybin and Miller, but that’s exactly the problem. They’re both toolsy guys and the drool coming from the mouths of scouts has prevented them for seeing that both are far from sure things. Entering 2008 Maybin has only played 30 games above class A, Miller has played 28, and both players struggled in the majors last year.
Still, the key to the deal will be Willis. Over the last three years his BB/9 IP have gone from 2.1 to 3.4 to 3.8. A move to the American League will only make things more difficult, but if Willis can win 15 games and keep his ERA under 4.00 it will be a great deal for the Tigers. If he keeps pitching like he did last season the Marlins will have themselves quite a haul for just one good player.
The Blue Jays Need to Pull the Trigger
One deal that has to be made (if you’re Toronto) is the rumored Alex Rios for Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum swap. The Giants are reportedly willing to part with Lincecum for Rios, but would want an additional player in return for Cain. Regardless of which pitcher they acquire, this is a deal the Blue Jays have to make. Rios is a nice outfielder, but both Cain and Lincecum have the chance to be aces. The Blue Jays glut of outfielders means they’ll basically be adding a front-of-the-rotation starter with little drop off in their lineup.
Bedard to Stay Put?
My one winter meeting prediction: Erik Bedard will remain an Oriole
So far teams haven’t met the steep pricethe Orioles are asking for, and once Johan Santana is dealt that price could get even steeper. Last year Bedard had a better year than Santana, and he’s signed through 2009. Based on that the O’s could make a reasonable case that Bedard is more valuable than Santana.
New White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin doesn’t just have all five conventional baseball tools, he has a 6th tool—perspective.
The above video aside, I love the deal for the White Sox. Anytime you can trade a guy in single A for a legitimate major league-ready outfield prospect, it’s a good deal.
America’s milk producers have finally gotten over their intense longstanding hatred of Canada. Proud Canadian Steve Nash is the latest athlete to sport a white ’stache in milk ads. We’ll have to see if they’re as successful as Nash’s “Got Blood” ads.
Some other things that piqued my interest…
–Penguins winger Maxime Talbot pulled a fast one on Toronto residents when he put on a Sidney Crosby sweater for Saturday’s open-to-the-public pre-game skate. Crosby never even took the ice, but fans thought they got to see him in action. As for Talbot, last night he returned from an injury and scored the Pens first goal. It’s gotta be the “87″ jersey.
–Sorry Orlando sports fans, sports station 740 AM (the home of Central Florida Football!!) is switching its format over to any and all things Spanish. Viva los Caballeros!!!
The key moment in the Cowboys’ victory over the Packers was the questionable 42-yard pass interference penalty on Tramon Williams. It was play involving minimal contact, a tangle of feet, and an offensive player falling to the ground. Basically, it was the kind of play where a defensive player should not be penalized 40 yards. Unfortunately, there is no middle ground for officials. On that play the back judge was forced to make an all or nothing call, and the call he made was “all.”
The solution is to let officials call illegal contact even after the ball is in the air. The league thinks it’s making it easier for officials with distinct illegal contact and pass interference rules, but in reality that just takes away an official’s ability to use his judgment. If a defensive back’s actions are not severe or intentional, let the officials penalize him accordingly with a 5 or 10 yard automatic first down penalty. Game changing 50-yard pass interference calls are the bane of NFL offciating, and Roger Goodell and Mike Pereira need to do something about them.
Now let’s move on to the rest of the week 13 deliciousness…
Don’t Miss…
…Jason Taylor not thinking too highly of the Jets. Said a sarcastically bitter Taylor, “They stink, too. They beat us, and they’ll go home happy and their fans will be happy. They’ve got three wins this year. Good for them.”
…Albert Haynesworth’s thoughts on the Texans’ quarterbacks. It’s safe to say he’s a Sage Rosenfels man who thinks Matt Schaub might be a little overpaid.
…The Redskins sticking by their coach despite his gaffe. Well, most of them anyway. The feelings of one anonymous veteran were “Come on man, this is the NFL. What coach don’t know the rules?”
…The Jaguars’ Paul Spicer expressing his displeasure with the officiating in the Colts-Jaguars game. The money quote: “We are in Indianapolis and Polian gave (the referees) a little extra in the check.”
…The big boo-boo Mike Holmgren made at the end of his team’s win. At least he didn’t pull a Gibbs.
…All the talk about Bobby Petrino’s fiery halftime speech. Apparently it was a real humdinger.
…The Panthers first quarter hook-and-ladder play (:45). Nice move from Jon Fox to use something like that early in a game.
NFL coaches will almost always blindly accept five yard penalties, even on incomplete passes or short running plays. Yeah, penalties on the offense sound good for a defense, but a lot of the time accepting them is an idiotic way to give the offense one more play. Declining these kinds of penalties might cost a defense a two or three yards, but it also means the offense has one less chance to get a first down, one less chance to get a big play, and even one less chance to score a touchdown. The key to not giving up points is to keep an offense off the field. Not giving them extra plays is a good way to do that.
Panthers coach Jon Fox gets the gold star this week for showing he knows how to decline a penalty. Early in the third quarter the 49ers were called for illegal motion on a 3-yard run by Frank Gore on 2nd and 10. Fox wisely chose to take the 3rd and 7 instead of the 2nd and 15. Sounds crazy, right? The idea putting a team in 3rd and long instead of giving them two plays to get a 1st down is foreign to most NFL coaches. Not to Fox, the new penalty declining master.
Why Bobby Petrino Did the Right Thing
In the aftermath of the Falcons loss Bobby Petrino has gotten a lot of criticism for deciding to go for two when the Falcons scored to make it 21-9 with 12 minutes left in the game. Those people are idiots. It was the right move.
Down 21-3, the Falcons knew they had to get to 21 points (with two touchdowns, a two pointer, and a field goal) to tie and win the game. Since Petrino knew he needed a two point conversion, why not go for it early. Far too often coaches who know they need a two-pointer wait until the last minute to go for it. Then when they miss the conversion with 20 seconds left in the game, there’s nothing they can do. The game is over. By going for it early Petrino left himself enough time to execute an alternate plan to get to 21 points (more downfield throws, agressive blizting, onside kicks) if the Falcons didn’t convert the two point attempt. It’s amazing that people will criticize Petrino, but when a coach lets the clock run down and leaves himself with an all-or-nothing two point conversion in the final 30 seconds, he’s never criticized for ignoring the consequences of missing the conversion.
That’s Why You Bring it Out
Aundrae Allison fielded a 2nd quarter kickoff three yards deep in his endzone. The fear of getting stopped at the 18-yard line would induce most players to just take a knee. Not Allison. He decided to take his chances and bring it out. Fifteen seconds later he was in the other endzone.
It’s inexplicable that any player (or coach) would give up the chance to make a big play by taking a touchback. Just bring it out. Getting stopped shy of the 20 is not the end of the world.
So Long David Akers
It’s always a little sad when a player who’s been a constant fixture in the NFL undergoes a rapid decline that quickly leaves him jobless. The next man to fit this description could be David Akers. In his first five years as the Eagles starter Akers made 86% of his kicks. Over the last three seasons he has made just 76%, and the 48-yarder Akers missed on Sunday was the 5th straight he’s missed from over 40 yards. So before Akers disappears from fantasy football rosters around the world, take a moment and remember the things that made him one of the seven most memorable kickers of the decade.
Stat O’ the Week
22. Consecutive games in which the Bills did not commit a defensive pass interference penalty until they got flagged for one against the Redskins.
