My Thoughts on MLB Players Weekend

Major League Baseball has drastically changed while under new Commissioner Rob Manfred but as redundant and contradictory as this sounds you probably can’t notice it too much unless you’re really looking for the change. Instant replay has been expanded, nets have been put down the first and third base lines, pace of play has been implemented, you can’t mow down the catcher at home plate as a runner anymore, spending restrictions have been implemented on teams who exceed the new international spending cap on free agents, draft pick compensation is now being bounced around for spending too much on your overall team payroll and a plethora of other changes we could talk about. Not all have been impeding though, some have been fun. Youth has been put back into the game and the game seems fun again and that will only continue later on this month when Major League Baseball has “MLB Players Weekend.” Here are my thoughts on the weekend.

From Friday, August 25 to Sunday, August 27 MLB will let the player’s personalities and passions shine like never before during MLB Players Weekend. We have already seen the new jerseys and hats being released this week as well as jerseys that will have nicknames on the back. Sonny Gray will sport the name “pickles” on his back during that weekend while Aaron Judge will be “All Rise” above his number 99 jersey number. All clubs will wear nicknames across their backs including the Yankees who haven’t had names on the backs of their jerseys in over 100 years which should be an odd change of pace, but a fun one nonetheless.

Also throughout the weekend players will be allowed to wear uniquely colored and designed shoes (which would normally violate some teams rules like the New York Yankees who only allow black spikes to match their uniforms), batting gloves, wristbands, compression sleeves, catcher’s masks and of course baseball bats. Players can also wear t-shirts and clothing to support their charities of choice during pregame workouts and postgame interviews, something else that is general frowned upon by the league any other time throughout the season.

The best part about the weekend for me, well besides bringing in new and younger fans to the game, is the patch on the right sleeve that all player’s jerseys will have on it giving the players the opportunity to write the name of a person or organization that helped in their development as a person and towards the game. I absolutely love everything about this idea and everything about this event and I truly think you should too. It gives back to the game, to the fans and to the communities in such a way that no other sport is doing right now which makes me extremely excited and proud to be a fan of not only the New York Yankees but of Major League Baseball as well. Check out MLB Players Weekend here in two weeks!

Quick Hit: Derek Jeter’s One Regret in MLB

"Yo, I should have started this blogging stuff YEARS ago"

The YES Network recently had an interview with former Yankees captain and shortstop Derek Jeter before his number is retired with the team and before a ceremony goes down on Mother’s Day in the Bronx. In the interview, which can be seen on the YESNetwork.com Jeter spoke about numerous things but one topic in particular caught my eye when I read it, Jeter talked about his one and only regret during his 20-years in Major League Baseball.

Keeping a journal. Derek Jeter’s one and only mistake from his entire 20-year tenure in Major League Baseball and with the Yankees is that he did not keep a journal for the first 19-years of his career. Jeter said in the interview that he did keep a journal during his final season and wished he had done so during his entire career.

How cool would it be to be the child of Derek and Hannah Jeter and to read that journal? How awesome would it have been to read a journal from his entire 20-year tenure with the Yankees? I don’t think you could put a price on that but if you could I would pay it without blinking an eye.

Name your price Jete. Name it. 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day everyone! Whether you are a dad, a step dad, a mom being both, a grandmother taking on far too much, a grandfather that's always there for the child or someone who just came into a young person's life when they needed you most... thank you. This is your day. Happy Father's Day!

MiLB Press Release: Top 25 MiLB Merchandise Sales Includes One Yankees Affiliate

Minor League Baseball Announces its Top 25 Teams in Licensed Merchandise Sales

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Minor League Baseball today announced its list of Top 25 teams in licensed merchandise sales for 2015, with the combined totals of all 160 teams setting a Minor League Baseball record with more than $65.1 million in retail sales.

The $65.1 million total marks a 7.9 percent increase over 2014’s total of $60.3 million, which had been the highest total recorded since Minor League Baseball’s licensing program began in 1992. The numbers are based on total licensed merchandise sales from January 1 – December 31, 2015, and include the 160 teams in the domestic-based leagues that charge admission to their games.

Alphabetically, the Top 25 list includes: the Albuquerque Isotopes, Biloxi Shuckers, Charlotte Knights, Columbus Clippers, Dayton Dragons, Durham Bulls, El Paso Chihuahuas, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Frisco RoughRiders, Indianapolis Indians, Lake Elsinore Storm, Lakewood BlueClaws, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Louisville Bats, Nashville Sounds, Oklahoma City Dodgers, Pawtucket Red Sox, Reno Aces, Sacramento River Cats, Salt Lake Bees, San Antonio Missions, South Bend Cubs, Tacoma Rainiers, Toledo Mud Hens and Trenton Thunder.

“Minor League Baseball team names and logos are quirky, fun and contemporary, but they are also incredible marketing tools for the clubs they represent,” said Sandie Hebert, Minor League Baseball’s Director of Licensing. “Each year, we see familiar logos on the Top 25 list, and some newcomers, showing both the longevity and modern appeal of our trademarks. It’s interesting to see how clubs choose to brand their identities, and how that translates into merchandise sales.”

Online sales have also played a significant role in the steady growth of merchandise sales, as Minor League Baseball experienced a 9.4 percent increase over 2014. Of the Top 25 teams, 23 have online stores using the MiLBStore.com platform.

“Our clubs continue to record online sales from around the world in addition to strong sales at their ballparks,” added Hebert. “The increasing popularity of Minor League Baseball, combined with the ease of online ordering, has created a tremendous amount of growth for our merchandise.”

How Badly Do the Yankees Want Bryce Harper?

It’s a simple question, how badly do the New York Yankees want Bryce Harper when he becomes a free agent after the 2018 season. In life it seems like the most simplest of questions turn out to be the hardest to answer for whatever reason and this one definitely falls into that category. This is so hard to answer mainly because we still have parts of three MLB seasons to go before the question really needs to be answered and a whole lot can happen between now and then but let’s pretend the Nationals All-Star is set to become a free agent now, today, how badly do the Yankees want him and how far would they be willing to go?

I’m not talking about money here ladies and gentleman because let’s face it. The Yankees have the money and the Yankees aren’t afraid to spend the money if it means making the money. Bryce Harper is a draw to any stadium whether you want to boo him or you want to cheer him and the Yankees could give him a billion dollar contract and he’d probably double their investment in the first five years. He’s that special. It’s the other aspects of the organization that make the Yankees unique, borderline archaic but unique nonetheless, that I am discussing here.

Would the Yankees relax on their “no facial hair policy” for Harper and would they change their uniform policy to allow Harper to leave his top button or three undone as long as he mashes home runs and tracks down everything that is hit his way in center field? You have to think they would, no?

I mean I get it and I appreciate the fact that this is a storied franchise with an absolute ton of history behind it but you also have to keep us with the Joneses. At one point the team had to stop throwing money at every free agent while sacrificing the farm system year in and year out. At one point they couldn’t make up for their losses in the draft by simply throwing money at international market and at some point they had to stop letting all their big money free agents hit the free agent market because the team refuses to negotiate a contract while the current contract was up.

If Harper wants to wear a beard let the man wear a beard. If the man wants to leave a button or two undone and look like a complete slob you let the boy look like a complete slob. That’s how bad I want Bryce Harper on the Yankees but the question is how bad do the Yankees want Bryce Harper? We have three years to talk about it. 

MLB Unveils 300+ New Jersey/Hat Designs for 2016

Major League Baseball, at least from the fans perspective, can be anything from a traditional game where nothing should ever change or be different to a progressive game that should and can be changed at will as long as it's being changed for the better. This debate started with the inception of instant replay around the league and it continues with the emergence of sabermetrics. One thing I think most people can agree upon though is the fact that it's pretty awesome to see new jerseys and hats around the league on special occassions. Major League Baseball has released 300+ new designs for said special events and they can be seen on Sports Logos.net seen HERE. 

Here are the Yankees related jerseys and hats:

Mothers Day - May 8th

Memorial Day - May 30th

Fathers Day - June 19th

Independence Day - July 4th

MLB All-Star Game & Home Run Derby in San Diego