Perspectives: 12/20/24

by Paul Semendinger

December 20, 2024

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I'm catching up on some final thoughts and such regarding a host of baseball happenings here, along with some new thoughts.

• I think we have finally gotten to the point where so many of the Hall of Fame arguments no longer make sense nor are valid.  (That being said, I do have two Hall of Fame articles coming in January, but...)  The bottom line is, there are no standards that are logically followed.  60 WAR was an accepted threshold. Now players way below that mark, way way way below, get in. Dave Parker is in.  Harold Baines is in.  Jack Morris is in.  Ted Simmons is in.  I could go on and on with this, but of those four, only Parker, and maybe maybe maybe Jack Morris (for a brief minute or two) were ever thought of as future Hall of Famers when they played.  The standards are now very watered down.  Very very much so.  With those players being in, there really is no good argument against Graig Nettles and Thurman Munson and Tommy John and so many others.  Don Mattingly seems a certain Hall of Famer now. The standards have been lessened too many times now to use the excuse, "So a mistake was made..."  It's now mistakes, plural, and many were made.  The old standards are gone.  If a player was very good, or great, even for a short time, he now has a strong Hall of Fame case. There is now a much lesser standard than there was.  It's now clearly unfair and not right that other players, equally good, or many much better than those just let in are not enshrined. The standards are different. Players are getting in who no one believed had a chance before. In a way, it's silly, and even boring to read th aqrticles that take deep dives into a player's case. The logic they use isn't valid any longer in so many cases. It is what it is. (Again I have two (not boring) articles coming in the weeks ahead on this, but, in short, the doors should now be swung wide open. Any other approach isn't fair, at all, to the great (or very good) players who are out and we better than the guys who are in.

  
  

• I'm eager for the Yankees to solve the issues of second (or third) base and first base.  I understand the Carlos Santana argument for first base.  He's a good enough bat.  He can play good defense.  He'll be inexpensive.  He'd be signed for only one year.  That all makes a lot of sense.  He doesn't thrill me, but if the Yankees get a quality third baseman and then Santana, I get it.

  
  

• I'm getting very close to buying the Yankees 9-game Season Ticket package.  Since I used to be a ticket holder of small plans like this, will the Yankees allow me to throw out the first pitch in a game as a way to welcome me back?  They really should.  When I retired as a principal, I threw out the first pitch at a New Jersey Jackals game.  I went from the pitching rubber and threw a strike.  (I usually throw strikes.)  If they have me throw out the first pitch, I have to then wonder how soon after a contract to pitch for them will come.  I could give the Yankees innings, lots of innings.  (They might not be good innings, but they'd be innings nonetheless.)

  
  

• The other night I dreaming about baseball. What was I dreaming about?  Opening Day.  No, not the Yankees' Opening Day... mine!  I am itching to get back out on a pitcher's mound.  I can't wait to pitch.  I'll turn 57-years-old this summer and I really think I'm going to have my best season yet.  

  
  

• For the first time in a very long time, I think the Yankees are going all-in. I expect a few more big moves. It should be exciting. Right now I am optimistic. I hope the Yankees don't let me down.

  
  

• On Juan Soto (and yes, I am ready to move on).  I saw the following report the other day on FrontOfficeSports.com:

  
  

  In the nine days since Soto’s signing first became public, the club has seen across-the-board boosts in both single-game and season-ticket sales. Among the key results:

  • A club record for the opening day of single-game ticket sales on Dec. 9. The revenue total, though not disclosed, surpassed the comparable day last year within the first 45 minutes of availability and ultimately tripled the 2023 figure 

  • A doubling in single-game ticket sales for the 2025 regular season for the Dec. 9–15 period compared to the opening week of single-game sales for 2024 

  • A doubling in 2025 spring training ticket sales for the Dec. 9–15 period compared to the prior week 

  • A sellout of Delta Sky360° Club at Citi Field, with the club moving in recent days to create a waiting list 

  • The Mets have not disclosed the boost in season-ticket sales for next season, but the year-over-year increase is poised to rank among the top-performing clubs in MLB 

  • Single-game tickets for the 2025 home opener, April 4 against the Blue Jays, are now limited to partial-view and standing-room access

  (from: https://frontofficesports.com/soto-sells-mets-signing-spurs-record-ticket-sales-surge-in-fan-demand/)

  
  

  All this confirms what I have stated all along.  Steve Cohen signed Juan Soto because he knew he'd make money on that deal.  To us the deal sounds like a ton of money that might never be recouped.  For Cohen, it was a sound business decision.  Remember, in addition to the tickets, the Mets will be selling that many more hot dogs, pretzels, ice cream, soda, and beer along with merchandise and lots more.    

  
  

• I'm not mad at Juan Soto for leaving. I'm not mad at the Mets for paying huge money to get him. It's the way the game is played. I love it when the Yankees get players from other tems by spending the most. It is what it is.

  
  

• Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. It's a wonderful time of year! (The best!)