Time for Hall to acknowledge steroids era

No matter whether he took PEDs or not, Barry Bonds was hardly the same player (or person) by the end of his career.

For the first time since 1996, the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to elect a single new member to the Hall of Fame. With names like Bonds, Clemens, and Sosa on the ballot, it’s not shocking that the writers shied away from the stench of performance enhancing drugs. Baseball fans knew it was going to be a controversial year. Bonds and Clemens represent two of the greatest players at their positions of all time and had PEDs not been an issue, both would’ve likely been elected to the Hall with well over the 75 percent of the vote necessary for induction. However, that’s not the case and Astros’ legend Craig Biggio was the only player that came close to the 75 percent bar.

Fans are outraged, spewing venom at the writers, calling the voting system antiquated, and the writers clueless. This humble blogger feels differently from the angry fans, who of course were all going to flock en masse to Cooperstown over the summer for the induction ceremony (yeah right…). I don’t blame the writers for failing to elect a single member to the Hall, in fact, I applaud them. The Hall of Fame should be a place for players that truly made an incredible, game-altering contribution to the game. Oh, and they must also represent the highest character possible. I know, I know, we have some terrible human beings like Ty Cobb in the Hall and Babe Ruth wasn’t exactly a saint, but now’s the time to change what’s been done. 

World Baseball Classic: is it worth it?

To play in the WBC is an easy decision for future HOFer Derek Jeter, but the game’s younger stars are more wary of the tournament.

In March, a significant chunk of MLB players will abandon the comfy confines of their spring training homes in either Florida or Arizona to represent their country in the World Baseball Classic. This  year will be the tournament’s third iteration after tournaments in 2006 and 2009. On paper, the WBC is a great concept. It’s a way for ballplayers to represent their country, pitting teammates from one MLB team against each other as they don the colors of their country rather than their employer. While the intent of the WBC is clear, the timing is rather inconvenient. While established and in some cases future Hall of Famers like Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter want to leave spring ball behind for the WBC, no one bats an eye. As long as they were healthy, Jones and Jeter were going to be fine if they missed a few days of spring training in order to represent the United States. It’s the younger stars that remain the issue.

Those final few weeks of spring training are a key part of baseball season, where you can work out kinks in your swing and make the minor adjustments that make a major difference during the regular season. Many Braves fans are quick to blame the World Baseball Classic of 2006 on Jeff Francoeur’s quick decline. The Braves’ latest superstar outfielder–Jason Heyward–has already turned down an invite to the WBC in order to focus on the regular season. It’s a difficult decision for young MLB stars, who obviously want to represent their countries on an international stage, but at the same time want to adequately prepare for the MLB regular season.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from RFTHT!

A very Happy New Year from Root for the Home Team to all of those that stop by our humble little blog and follow us as we discover baseball in America. We are very thankful for the parks we visited in 2012 and we’re looking forward to a productive year during the 2013 baseball season as we continue to visit new ballparks, revisit our favorites, and continue to discover why baseball has endured since the American Civil War. Millions flock to ballparks across the country each and every year, creating memories with family and friends as they root on their home team. I can’t wait to meet more of the wonderful people that keep this sport America’s pastime, even as some are ready to declare football number one. We’ll be starting to look at 2013 schedules in the coming weeks, and we’ll be putting together a tentative schedule that we hope will include multiple Major League parks as well as several MiLB parks. Washington and Baltimore are close to the top of the list for MLB teams and we’ll certainly focus on visiting with the Nashville Sounds, Savannah Sand Gnats, Asheville Tourists, and Charleston RiverDogs.

We of course always love the support we get from readers who love the RFTHT concept, follow us, tweet with us, and meet up with us at games. If you keep reading, we’ll keep going to ballgames and even if you stop, our love for baseball won’t. In 2013 we pledge to continue to cover baseball games and also focus on the issues affecting the game of baseball, big and small, to provide a different and unique perspective on the beautiful game.

Other views on Braves’ BP caps

At the very popular SportsLogos.net (which is a great site to check out the history of logos and uniforms for sports of all kinds), a writer has taken the critics of the new Braves’ BP caps to task, making some very valid points in the process. Since we posted a critical take on the caps earlier today, and since we’re trying to just be good baseball fans at Root for the Home Team, we’re posting a link to the Sports Logos article. While you’re reading it, I highly recommend clicking on the link to the Jason Heyward bobblehead doll available for sale. It certainly brings up the possibility that the ‘screaming Indian’ is hardly the only racist Braves merchandise for sale.

http://news.sportslogos.net/2012/12/29/braves-bp-cap-is-perfectly-fine-settle-down/

Let’s not forget what this logo is, or why it is there; It is an almost exact implementation of a logo the team first used 58 years ago when they were located in Milwaukee. This isn’t a team breaking new ground into imagry that might possibly offend, this is a team paying tribute to their logos past, to an image many, many Braves fans have seen their whole lives, who associate it with good times of watching baseball. And who buy massive quantities of throwback merchandise with this logo and its variations.

This is not some old logo, relegated to the dustbin for lack of interest. It is one of the prime identifying marks of the team, and it is popular. It is available as a FatHead  everywhere on hundreds of different tshirts, and fills the Atlanta Braves Team Store in the CNN Center, and inside the stadium. During the season, thousands wear gear with this logo.

The Braves made an off-season splash with their signing of centerfielder B.J. Upton and are making it again…with a hat…

Guest column: Braves’ BP caps are offensive, plain and simple

By: Ryan Hill

Sometimes it’s not easy to root for the home team. I’d imagine many baseball fans in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Houston fully understand that sentiment. Even in tough seasons, though, little things can make it easier, whether it’s a great ballpark, cheap tickets, family traditions, or the home team pulling off a surprising victory.

I never had that problem. Growing up in Georgia through the 1990’s, it was as easy as it could be to root for the home team. Every single member of my family, women included, adored the Braves from the minute the team moved from Milwaukee to this day. My father took me to my first game in 1988 at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, and I’ve easily been to over a hundred games since.  As it happens, the Braves managed to win 14 straight division titles, beginning when I was age six and ending when I was 21. It’s hard not to be a lifelong fan under those conditions.

UPDATE: Sneak peek at new BP caps; Braves getting slammed for caps

The Screaming Indian makes a return to Atlanta.

UPDATE: The Atlanta Braves are getting battered in the press for their decision to bring back the “screaming Indian”.  I wonder if this hat will actually see the light of day?

Well, it’s the offseason and generally, outside of a few free agents signings and the occasional trade, baseball news is hard to come by. It’s why the baseball world will pay attention to something as inconsequential as the announcement of new BP/spring training caps. If you hadn’t noticed, every three years or so, MLB puts all 30 teams through a spring training redesign, giving the teams new uniforms and mesh caps they sport during spring training and batting practice with pretty much the sole intent of selling a ton of new merchandise before the season starts. In 2013, this redesign is happening again and it’s going to be a radical departure from previous iterations of the spring training uniform. Our friends at Uni-Watch has all the details and even rates the new caps. After years of selling oddly designed stretch-fit caps, MLB is returning to a standard cap shape that of course is still going to be made of a mesh-like material that MLB and New Era will market as revolutionary.

However, upon first glance, it seems that at least one design is hardly revolutionary but rather devolutionary. The Atlanta Braves, which have long shunned their once oft-used “Screaming Indian” logo in favor of more culturally sensitive designs like tomahawks, are bringing him back in full force in 2013. What makes this design change so odd, is that the Braves created a new logo for their retro alternate jerseys last year to replace what was deemed the insensitive “Screaming Indian”. Not that this has stopped cap-maker New Era from making oodles of custom Braves hats featuring the Screaming Indian, nor has it prevented the production of other throwback merch over the years. Just seems kind of odd…

Upon additional pondering over the Braves’ decision to put the “screaming Indian” back on the hat, I can conclude only one thing: if you collect baseball hats, snatch this one up fast, because I don’t think the Braves will keep the hat beyond spring training in 2013.

Anyways, considering many of the new caps have a throwback design, I’m sure oodles of new caps will be on the heads of baseball fans across the country in 2013 and perhaps MLB and New Era will stick to the design for more than three years this time, however that seems like wishful thinking.

If you pick up one of the new caps, feel free to send us a pick via Twitter and we’ll get it up on the blog.

As 2013 quickly approaches (and with the announcement of new BP gear, we can’t be far from Spring Training), Root for the Home Team is looking for a few stadiums to visit. Before we start building a schedule for next season, we want to hear a few recommendations about where we should head during what will be a great year for baseball.

Send us your recommendations to werootforthehometeam@gmail.com or leave us a comment!

Check out designs for Brewers’ YOUniform contest

Yes, someone actually wants the Brewers to wear this uniform during a spring training game…

There are points, especially during the offseason when you start looking for baseball news just about anywhere. Sure, there have been some major developments on the free agent market, but why focus on that when you can scroll through the more than 500 fan uniform designs submitted to the Milwaukee Brewers?!? As a baseball fan who admires and is sometimes horrified by the on-field apparel donned by our favorite baseball teams, this is an intriguing contest. To provide a little background, the Brewers are holding a fan-designed uniform contest, and the winning design will be used as a one time spring training uniform next year. It’s a fascinating concept that allows the world of fan-designed uniforms to finally get some respect.

As the designs poured in, the Brewers posted pictures of the 500 + uniforms on their website for all to enjoy. There are throwbacks to the Milwaukee Braves days, plenty of inspired looks, and a few completely outrageous ones. No matter what you think of the designs, you have to give the Brewers credit for keeping their artistic fan base occupied during the long winter months.

The Brewers are no strangers to unusual uniform designs. Over the years, they’ve sported a beer-colored Spanish-language alternate jersey and Italian jerseys and hats last season, featuring with the colors of the Italian flag. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see what uniform ultimately wins the top prize.

Finalists will be announced on January 13 and the winning design may be worn in a spring training game. There’s also no word on whether the winning design will be available for purchase, but something tells me that if they wear them in a game, the Brewers, Majestic, and New Era will find a way to get the jerseys and hats into the hands of Brewers fans and collectors of unusual baseball merchandise. If the contest is successful, it would be nice to see the uniforms make it into a regular season game, if only for the shock value.

I would love to link you to all the wonderful designs, but you’re going to have to head over to the website and take a look yourself.

We’ll post the winning design on RFTHT in January and keep tabs on any other interesting ways for fans to stay involved with their favorite home team throughout the off season.