A couple years ago, we wrote about the excellent customer service the Washington Nationals provided to a fan who was unable to get a hot dog. We’re sad to say that such responsiveness and concern do not extend north to Baltimore’s Camden Yards, where we suffered our own tale of hot dog woe this past weekend.
baseball
Roku Steps Up To The Plate, Becomes Major League Baseball Periscope
By 8.12.09
Roku has swung and seemingly connected a hard technological line drive that’s headed out of the ballpark, having forged a deal with Major League Ball that allows those with an MLB.tv subscription to stream games through the set-top box — previously a Netflix-streaming machine — to Tvs.
Baseball Tickets Become Affordable Again As Recession Hits Scalpers
By 5.29.09
Following up on yesterday’s roundup of recession-related deals, here is an article from Forbes on how scalpers, season ticket holders, and teams themselves are cutting deals on baseball tickets, with below-cost tickets, BOGO deals, and cheap food.
Consumerist And Consumer Reports Will Crap All Over Your Holiday Weekend
By 5.22.09
It’s Memorial Day weekend, the weather is looking nice, and people are leaving work early to hit the pool, fire up the grill, play golf, or enjoy our national pastime. We’re doing none of those things, so we thought we’d ruin it for everyone else.
Yankees Cut Premium Ticket Prices From "Exorbitant" To "Expensive"
By 4.30.09
For some reason, the New York Yankees are having trouble selling the most expensive seats in the new Yankee Stadium. Especially the ones in the front rows that are noticeably empty on TV. The New York Times has a rundown of the pricing changes.
Fans Beg The Cubs To Stop Playing Annoying Commercial Jingle At Wrigley
By 4.29.09
If one had a few hours free to try to list all the of the annoying commercial jingles from Chicagoland, one would be remiss not to include the locally-infamous “Luna” tune. If you’re not from Chicago, you do not understand the pain, but after the jump you will. Yes, you will.
Pepsi Yankees Promotion Leads To Fans Chanting "Pepsi Sucks!"
By 4.20.09
It’s probably never a good idea to offer Yankees fans free tickets for showing up and forming a crowd, because then you’ve got a crowd of Yankees fans with nothing to do, and that’s not going to end well. In this case, after the fans found out that Pepsi over-promised the number of free tickets it was giving out, they turned hostile.
New Baseball Season, Same Bad Service From MLB.TV
By 4.8.09
For fans who don’t live in the same area as their favorite team, the glorious beginning of a new baseball season is tarnished by the flawed methods for keeping up with games. And once again MLB.TV, the official package from Major League Baseball, is making its case for the worst option.
Baseball Team Offers Flatulence Filters To Go With All You Can Eat Games
By 3.27.09
We love Minor League Baseball. Cheap tickets, sloppy play, and fun stadiums (our New Orleans Zephyrs boast a pool, a levee, and a “party shack”) make for a great spring or summer day. Minor League games are also known for their ridiculous promos and giveaways, and the Lake Elsinore Storm have made a natural pairing: fans who come to their all-you-can-eat Fat Tuesday games will also receive Subtle Butt, a “flatulence filter” that attaches to one’s underpants.
The 4489 Calorie, 1.66 lb Burger
By 3.24.09
The West Michigan Whitecaps recently unveiled their new stadium menu and gloating at the top of it is the 4489 Calorie “Fifth Third Burger.” This 1.66 pound piece of gastrointestinal wunder, named after team sponsor 5/3 Bank, costs $20 and feeds 1-4 people. If you eat it by yourself and finish it in one sitting, you get a free 5/3 tshirt. Said the team’s marketing director, “It’s something fun that people can understand.”
8 Banks Took $153.4 Billion In Tax Payer Money, Spent $845 Million On Naming Rights
By 2.6.09
Should bailout out banks be buying naming rights? Dennis Kucinich doesn’t think so, and last week he urged the Treasury department to cancel one such deal between Citibank and the New York Mets. Now Bloomberg says that seven more bailed out banks are spending money on stadium rights.
Kevin Bacon, Sandy Koufax, Mets Owners All Got Screwed By Madoff
By 2.5.09
A court filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan made public a 162-page document listing his various clients, which include Hall of Fame Pitcher Sandy Koufax, actor Kevin Bacon, and the Wilpon family, owners of the New York Mets.
Taco Bell: Dude Steals Base In World Series, So Enjoy Your Free Taco
By 10.23.08
A base was stolen last night in Game 1 of the World Series (yes, it seems that they do still bother to televise baseball after the Red Sox are eliminated,) meaning that everyone in America is eligible to receive a free taco. You have the Tampa Bay Rays and shortstop Jason Bartlett to thank this year. Be sure to send him a note.
Wrigley Field Unloads WaMu Swag On Fans Before Its Too Late
By 9.18.08
My husband and I were at the Cubs/Brewers game at Wrigley Field last night. At the door we were surprised to be given WaMu promotional string backpack/bags. This was in addition to the announced promotion, Carlos Zambrano bobbleheads.
San Diego Padres' "Loaded Tickets" Are Actually Just A Load
By 5.12.08
Jonathan purchased the heavily promoted Padres’ “loaded tickets” for his family, each costing $40 which includes a $20 credit toward concessions at the park. The family arrived at Petco Park where confused employees told them to wait in several different lines because nobody knew how to process their tickets…strike 1. During the game, Jonathan thought he would go and redeem the concession money on his tickets by getting some food for his family. However, the food-stand employee balked at Jonathan’s loaded ticket, so Jonathan spent $40 out-of-pocket for food…strike 2. After a month of phone tag and a half-dozen calls, park officials refused to compensate him for the money he spent on food at the park…strike 3, yer out. His letter, inside…
MLB.TV: The Premium Content You Paid Extra For Is A Bonus That We Don't Have To Provide
By 5.6.08
According to the customer service at Major League Baseball, the MLB.TV Premium package, which lets customers watch baseball games on their computers at higher bandwidths than the basic package and allows users to watch up to six games at once, is a “bonus.” The rep also claims that the difference between 800k and 1.2Mb video speeds, both of which are available to Premium subscribers, is negligible, and in any case, their product info pages says they’re not obligated to provide the 1.2Mb package. Inside, read why all of this is completely wrong.
Jose Canseco Makes "Mathematical Decision" To Let Mansion Go Into Foreclosure
By 5.6.08
Was ex-American League MVP and admitted steroid abuser Jose Canseco too busy counting the money from his Major League Baseball tell-all books to remember to pay his mortgage? Nope. When the California market tanked, Canseco made “a mathematical decision” to walk away from his mortgage, says the Wall Street Journal.
Midwest Airlines: The Milwaukee Brewers Are More Important Than You
By 4.21.08
Midwest Airlines flies the Milwaukee Brewers on their planes through a “charter service” says the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, but the Brewers weren’t grounded like the over 100,000 other passengers who were booked on MD-80s.
