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New York Times
16-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Bay Bridge Series is gone, and it's only going to get worse: Brisbee
In 1999, then-MLB commissioner Bud Selig tweaked the format of interleague play to give the world more Giants-A's games every season. For several years, it put both teams at a competitive disadvantage, as they were often contending teams at the same time, but few complained. There were two Major League Baseball teams separated by a small body of water. On a clear day, you could see one ballpark from the upper deck of the other ballpark, and everyone had at least one friend who cared more about the other team, which made it a perfect low-stakes rivalry. Let them play. Let their fans have some fun. Advertisement In order for MLB to get the regional rivalry series, other teams had to pretend they had a rivalry — Brewers-Twins being a personal favorite — to balance out the schedule. Again, few people minded. The Padres and Mariners learned to have fun with their forced rivalry, eventually leaning into the idea of the Vedder Cup, but even before that, the pseudo-rivalries were worth it to get to the best regional rivalries. The Subway Series. The North Side vs. the South Side. The Freeway Series. The Bay Bridge Series. These games were never going to mean as much as, say, Yankees-Red Sox or Giants-Dodgers, but they were going to mean more than the average game. And in this context, 'meaning more' was synonymous for everyone having more fun while watching baseball games. Which should be the whole point of the sport. Should be. Used to be. Is no longer. The Athletics — one word, no city or region before the team name, an entire franchise doomed to wander the Earth like Caine from 'Kung Fu' — are coming to San Francisco, and it's far less fun. There you have it, went from Battle of the Bay to the 'Highway 80 Series'. Brought to you by #FJF. #LastDiveBar 📸: @gamer_athletics [image or embed] — Last Dive Bar (@ May 16, 2025 at 10:58 AM Instead of thinking about a bridge that you can see from your arcade seats, you're thinking about sitting in traffic on a Sunday afternoon, behind approximately 100,000 people who went to Lake Tahoe. All of them had more fun than you did over the weekend. They make the lines at In-N-Out even longer, too. Still, it's not not cool for the Giants to play a team in Sacramento, so some of the novelty remains. You might have friends or family in the Sacramento area, and you can still razz each other. It's still a local team for now, and the A's are still playing a car ride away, which isn't a geographical feature that a lot baseball teams can offer. It'll take you about nine hours to get from Coors Field to Kauffman Stadium, even though that's the Rockies' closest geographical rival. Advertisement Eventually, even this might be taken away from us. Because while I still have the hope — still quite reasonable — that A's owner John Fisher will somehow screw everything up and the team will never move to Las Vegas, the momentum is definitely suggesting there will be only one team for the 12 million or so people in Northern California. The Giants are excited about that idea, and they've worked hard to facilitate it. Almost everyone else knows it stinks. The A's playing the Giants used to be a reminder that you lived in one of the great baseball hubs in the world, which happened to be in the best part of the world. Now it's yet another reminder that everything is getting worse for almost everyone, at all times, for the benefit of a few people. This isn't a controversial or political statement. It only gets political when you define who 'the few' are, but the idea that everything is getting worse has entered into the English language. Nobody asked for Lift 'n' Peel tops, which make millions of people reach for a butter knife every day, but the pennies saved are helping a few people make more pennies, so it's your problem now. (They were invented by the Selig Group, by the way. No relation, but it doesn't hurt the thesis here.) Google used to be a great search engine. But it's not for you anymore. It's only for the people whose lives get better because of … whatever this is. Larry Bonds, we hardly knew ye. We'll always remember your oddly specific rookie season in 1979. You can get these kinds of results all day long, and they're making things better for someone, somewhere. Not you, though. Not you. The reason the Oakland A's are now the Redacted A's and will eventually be the Las Vegas A's is because of one man and his family fortune. He didn't create anything, didn't add value to our lives. All he did was not put that fortune into something stupid like inflatable belts or edible pants. With that hard work out of the way, he now plans to stand astride the Mojave Desert and say, 'My name is John Fisher, Owner of Owners. Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!', before it all crumbles. The Giants might end up with more eyeballs with the A's in Nevada, but the world will lose generations of potential baseball fans. It's not like the smallest market in the major leagues is going to make that up, so it'll eventually come back around to hurt the Giants, albeit in an abstract way. Advertisement There's someone reading this right now who grew up in the shadow of the Polo Grounds, and they're thinking it's pretty rich that Bay Area baseball people get to whine about this. Fair enough. But there's a substantial difference between baseball's version of Manifest Destiny, made possible by advances in air travel, and the whims of a couple goobers always looking to extract more. The profit motive has always been around, and a big part of the Haas family handing over South Bay territorial rights to the Giants was almost certainly tied to the idea of the A's having a bigger slice of the San Francisco market. At least part of the motivation, though, was Walter Haas believing two teams in the Bay Area improved more lives than not. That sort of calculation doesn't exist anymore, not even in the abstract. When the A's and Giants played against each other in the past, it was a reminder that we deserve nice things. Now that they're moving toward the phantom rivalry of the Phillies and Blue Jays, Tigers and Pirates, it's a reminder that everything is getting worse all around you, at all times, for no good reason. A's-Giants games used to be something to look forward to. In their place, you get three more years of watered-down fun, and then you'll get an annual weekend of remembrance. 'Here's a toast to when things didn't suck quite as much,' you might say as you hoist a glass. 'Shhhh,' the person next you at the 2029 Giants-A's game will say. 'My company comped me these tickets while I'm in town for the convention, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't whine so much. Actually, forget it, it's too hot, so I'm leaving after the third inning.' How can you not be romantic about baseball? Quiet, you. (Top photo from the final Bay Bridge Series: Darren Yamashita/ USA Today)
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Pete Rose situation explained: What lifting his ban means for his Hall of Fame case
Pete Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hits leader, is now eligible for enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but his place in Cooperstown is far from certain. On Tuesday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred effectively lifted Rose's lifetime ban by announcing a new policy that permanent ineligibility 'ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual.' Rose accepted a lifetime ban in 1989 and the Hall of Fame instituted a rule in 1991, before Rose's first year of eligibility on the ballot, stating that players on the ineligible list would be ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Rose died on Sept. 30, 2024, at age 83. Shortly after, his family petitioned Manfred to lift the ban. Advertisement Rose's first shot at making the Hall of Fame wouldn't come until December of 2027, for induction in the summer of 2028. Manfred met with Rose's daughter, Fawn, and his former lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov in December. A formal petition, Rose's third, was submitted on January 8. Rose applied for reinstatement in 1997 and 2015, but was denied by Bud Selig and Manfred, respectively. 'Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,' Manfred wrote in a letter to Rose's lawyer. 'Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore, I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr. Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.' Baseball writers, who usually have the first shot at electing players to the Hall of Fame, will not get a chance to vote for Rose's spot in Cooperstown. Instead, Rose's case will be subject to the voting process of the Era Committee, formerly and more colloquially known as the Veterans Committee. In March, the Hall of Fame issued a statement saying, 'Voting rules require that candidates on the BBWAA ballot must have played in the Major Leagues no more than 15 years prior to each election.' Since Rose's candidacy with the BBWAA has expired, his removal from MLB's permanently ineligible list would then make him eligible for consideration by the Hall of Fame's Era Committee. After Manfred's announcement Tuesday, Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark made it clear that the Hall now considers Rose a viable candidate to go through that process — and will examine the cases of other deceased players, as well. Advertisement 'The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball's permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,' Forbes Clark said in a statement. 'Major League Baseball's decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered. The Historical Overview Committee will develop the ballot of eight names for the Classic Baseball Era Committee – which evaluates candidates who made their greatest impact on the game prior to 1980 – to vote on when it meets next in December 2027.' Rose's greatest contributions to the game — the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1963, the NL Most Valuable Player in 1973, three batting titles, two World Series titles and two more NL pennants, the bulk of his 4,256 hits — came before 1980, making him a candidate for the Classic Baseball Era Committee, rather than the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee. Rose did win another World Series with the Phillies in 1980, appeared in the World Series with Philadelphia in 1983 and broke Ty Cobb's all-time hit record in 1985, however. The Classic Baseball Era committee meets every three years. Last December, the Classic Baseball Era committee elected Dick Allen and Dave Parker. Parker received 14 of 16 votes and Allen received 13, one more than the 12 needed for election. Tommy John received seven votes, while Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris and Luis Tiant each received fewer than five votes. Parker, like Rose, is a Cincinnati native and played for Rose with the Reds. He and Allen, who died in 2020, will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner this July. The Era Committee consists of 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members. As with the BBWAA ballot, a candidate must receive 75 percent of the votes from the committee to be elected to the Hall. The members of the committee are selected by the Hall of Fame board. Last year, the committee was made up of Hall of Fame members Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Tony Pérez, Lee Smith, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre; major league executives Sandy Alderson, Terry McGuirk, Dayton Moore, Arte Moreno and Brian Sabean; and veteran media members/historians Bob Elliott, Leslie Heaphy, Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel and Larry Lester. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark served as the non-voting chairman of the Classic Baseball Era Committee. That group would not necessarily be the same in 2026 when Rose could be considered. Advertisement The group meets in early December and the results are announced at the Winter Meetings shortly after. In the aftermath of the accusations that the Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Major League Baseball instituted an official rule against gambling. MLB Rule 21(d) states: 'Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.' An investigation into Rose showed that he bet on baseball both as a player and a manager while with the Cincinnati Reds late in his career. Rose served as the Reds' player-manager from August 1984 until 1986. He continued to manage the Reds after he stopped playing. Rose denied gambling on baseball at the time. He later claimed he had an understanding that he could apply for reinstatement a year after agreeing to the punishment. The commissioner at the time, A. Bartlett Giamatti, died eight days after Rose's banishment. His successor, Fay Vincent, never heard Rose's appeal. 'While it is my preference not to disturb decisions made by prior Commissioners,' Manfred wrote, 'Mr. Rose was not placed on the permanently ineligible list by Commissioner action but rather as the result of a 1989 settlement of potential litigation with the Commissioner's Office. My decision today is consistent with Commissioner Giamatti's expectations of that agreement.' In 1991, in what would've been Rose's first year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers Association of America Hall of Fame ballot, the Hall of Fame instituted a rule barring anyone on the permanently ineligible list from being eligible for the Hall of Fame. After denying that he bet on baseball for nearly 15 years, Rose admitted to betting on baseball in his 2004 book, 'My Prison Without Bars.' Later, he would sign and sell baseballs with the inscription, 'Sorry I bet on baseball.' Advertisement Rose continued to deny betting against the Reds. Not directly. Any presidential pardon would be entirely unrelated to MLB's disciplinary process, which is what was keeping Rose out of the Hall of Fame. Trump didn't specify what a pardon would be for, but Rose was sentenced to five months in prison for submitting falsified tax returns in 1990. (Rose also faced allegations of sex with a minor stemming from testimony that surfaced in a 2017 defamation lawsuit; he was never charged with a crime in that instance). However, Manfred and Trump did meet at the White House at the end of April, and Manfred said that they discussed Rose's eligibility. Rose sent a letter to Manfred in 2022 asking for forgiveness. In November of that season, Manfred told The Athletic's Evan Drellich that he believed the punishment was just. 'I believe that when you bet on baseball, from Major League Baseball's perspective, you belong on the permanently ineligible list,' Manfred said in 2022. 'When I dealt with the issue, the last time he applied for reinstatement, I made clear that I didn't think that the function of that baseball list was the same as the eligibility criteria for the Hall of Fame. That remains my position. I think it's a conversation that really belongs in the Hall of Fame board. I'm on that board, and it's just not appropriate for me to get in front of that conversation.' When Manfred denied Rose's petition for reinstatement in 2015, he said Rose's conduct was among the reasons he denied the request, writing: 'In short, Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.' (Photo of Rose: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: ‘Svengoolie' goes national
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 2, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 82 degrees (1963) Low temperature: 18 degrees (1899) Precipitation: 1.64 inches (1983) Snowfall: 9.4 inches (1975) 1995: After a 4 ½-hour meeting with Major League Baseball owners at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago, acting commissioner Bud Selig said a nearly eight-month baseball strike was over. A 144-game season was scheduled to begin April 26. 2009: A federal grand jury indicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 16 counts, including racketeering, fraud and extortion. Also indicted were his brother, Robert (his charges were later dropped); a close friend and fundraiser, Chris Kelly; his chief of staff, John Harris; and a former chief of staff, Alonzo Monk. Also in 2009: The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Kyle Orton, plus a first-round pick and a third-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and a first-round pick in the 2010 draft to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler. 2011: 'Svengoolie' went national. The show was broadcast across the country on Weigel Broadcasting's Me-TV network for the first time. 2019: Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and first openly gay person elected mayor of Chicago. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: ‘Svengoolie' goes national
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on April 2, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 82 degrees (1963) Low temperature: 18 degrees (1899) Precipitation: 1.64 inches (1983) Snowfall: 9.4 inches (1975) 1995: After a 4 ½-hour meeting with Major League Baseball owners at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago, acting commissioner Bud Selig said a nearly eight-month baseball strike was over. A 144-game season was scheduled to begin April 26. 2009: A federal grand jury indicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on 16 counts, including racketeering, fraud and extortion. Also indicted were his brother, Robert (his charges were later dropped); a close friend and fundraiser, Chris Kelly; his chief of staff, John Harris; and a former chief of staff, Alonzo Monk. Also in 2009: The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Kyle Orton, plus a first-round pick and a third-round pick in the 2009 NFL draft and a first-round pick in the 2010 draft to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Jay Cutler. 2011: 'Svengoolie' went national. The show was broadcast across the country on Weigel Broadcasting's Me-TV network for the first time. 2019: Lori Lightfoot became the first Black woman and first openly gay person elected mayor of Chicago. Want more vintage Chicago?
