Offseason Begins

Even Ted had hobbies

I know I am a baseball fan, a bit of an oddity in the area in that has college football as its predominant religion. And while talking to Biscuit players after the final home game, even they asked me what I would do without baseball....

 こんにちはオフシーズン means Konichiwa, Offseason!

Postseason blues dont kick in until after the World Series, though thanks to the internet we can now find enough of the game to avoid the withdrawls of the pre-digital age. Japanese leagues chug along at the same pace as MLB, and then have winter series against other Asian teams. The winter leagues pick up in November in the southern hemisphere and a variety of professional leagues across the country.

Its also a time for me to corral all the fun stuff I picked up at the games over the summer. Its a fun thing to collect, though not something I would have guessed would become my thing. Ive always managed to meet players and have stuff signed from it, but I didn't consider it a collection - more its a keepsake from having a good time.

 I decided to take it a little more seriously when watching Joey Votto and Prince Fielder break into the big leagues with success. I realized I probably should have gotten them to sign a baseball when they were here, just arms length from my seat near the visitors dugout. At that point I started giving a little more effort into scooping up foul balls to have signed.

Got Skywalker last year, just made his mlb debut!

In the first season I won a contest for seats in the Owners Box and a team signed baseball. It became an annual thing to get all the players to sign a baseball during Meet the Team and Autograph day events.

Its never lucrative, but always fun!


SOUTHERN LEAGUE NEWS
So far the BayBears have chugged easily thru the season and now into the postseason. If they should coast to another title it would be three in a row, the first team to equal the Montgomery Rebels three-peat of the 1970's.

If they do, it will lend credence to the old adage "nice guy finish last" as they are pretty much one of the top teams in the Jerk category. While Jacksonville leads the league in that stat, the Mobile team has never worked to build a fan-friendly image. Its probably why the Mobile ballpark is designed to keep the fans as far away from the team as possible.


BISCUITS NEWS
The team plans to re-sod the field, infield and outfield, during the offseason. This is likely due to the impending announcement of the Rays-Biscuits exhibition game to take place in the spring. Updating the field was done with an eye towards the same type of match when Durham took on the parent club.

Promotional schedules come out in January or February. The season calendar has already been released by the league, though the Biscuits haven't yet released their own version.

I hope they confirm the big game vs the Rays soon, it will take the sting out of finishing in last place - from first to worst in just twelve months. The low finishes really do take their toll at the gate as fans say "oh them, arent they always in last place?" Nobody comes out to watch bad baseball, and regardless of how the totals are counted last place teams wont draw fans.