tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post7906187175730439808..comments2023-06-17T08:53:42.643-04:00Comments on ShysterBall: The Clemente and Miller Awards Are Really ConfusingCraig Calcaterrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00190345915954808542noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-35422809584089166042007-09-06T13:27:00.000-04:002007-09-06T13:27:00.000-04:00I love ya, 64C, but it looks like today is the day...I love ya, 64C, but it looks like today is the day I have to disagree with you on everything.:-)<BR/><BR/>For starters, the award is one given to players, and you admit, players have benefited tremendously thanks to Miller. You can bet your bippy that there isn't a player around who doesn't have tremendous respect for Marvin Miller, and an award in his name is eminently appropriate in my mind.<BR/><BR/>As for his larger influence, it's impossible to dispute that since the signing of the first collective bargaining agreement and the advent of free agency, attendance has risen dramatically. Cause and effect? Oh, probably not because there are so many other factors, but it's impossible to say that Miller's work has diminished the appeal of baseball for the average fan.<BR/><BR/>As for ticket prices, simple economics and the willingness of people to pay a set price is what determined how much a ticket costs. If an owner sets his prices too high in some misguided effort to "cover" player salaries, people will stop showing up. If they continue to show up despite a rise in prices it either means (a) the price was too low before; or (b) the signings that arguably necessitated the increase in price raised the attractiveness of the product to a point where people would gladly pay more.<BR/><BR/>All of that aside, the pre-Miller system of teams dictating the terms of players' tenure and preventing player movement was simply archaic and unfair. Injecting competition into the system was, dare I say it, the American thing to do.Craig Calcaterrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00190345915954808542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9131289420618991795.post-80039926805497601512007-09-06T09:45:00.000-04:002007-09-06T09:45:00.000-04:00Isn't a better topic "why does Miller have any awa...Isn't a better topic "why does Miller have any award named after him?"<BR/><BR/>He didn't do anything to make the game of baseball better. He made the players rich, sure. <BR/><BR/>And since free agency (which I don't have a problem with) how much have ticket prices risen? And parking? And concessions? And everything the fan has to spend money on. <BR/><BR/>The players are doing great. The average fan can't afford to take his family to a game.<BR/><BR/>So, again, what has Miller done for baseball that allows him to have this award named after him?Ron Rollinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16852012772573977515noreply@blogger.com