Interesting point on ESPN

First the people on the waiting list got it, then season ticket holders, then the general public.

47% of high school graduates cannot read their own diplomas. Their problems run deeper than the economy, I’m afraid.

I wonder if that was also offered to Aurilia as well.

Here is a sobering statistic.

Every month the US Labor Statistics releases job loss estimates 2 months later it is revised up——an average of 80,000 per month since August 2008 and every month throughout 2008. This is not the UE rate since that is those on UE benefits but the underemployment is now 21M and add that to the 5M on UE or 25M are either underemployed—-part time or not looking or entering the black market——

Now 598,000 (a curious number since Wall Street had a 600,000 lost alarm for January) so if the revised average was applied to January it is 680,000 lost. December recorded 570,000 add another 80,000 actually might be 650,000. Now November was increased from 524,000 to 577,000 in the latest report.

I read a non published economic outlook from a FED Reserve Bank economist that held they expected an additional 5M job losses in 2009 with the majority in the first 9 months of this year. That is a run rate of about 500,000 through September ( 4.5M) where then they hope because of the expected stimulus will slow down the job loss to about 100,000 per month.

You tell me what industry is recession or depression proof with a job loss exceeding 8M in 24 months? Well maybe foreclosure and eviction service firms.

and no one really cares about the Cardinals, even in Arizona

… they have reneged on a contractual agreement, and are being sued. That’s a bit different from “pulling out of their sponsorship agreement”

Labor issues are not players versus owners. Labor issues are about large market owners vs small market owners.

salary “sill”, or minimum. The NFL has had it for a long time and after the NHL came back from missing a year, they too have it; albeit the magnitude of those numbers are smaller.

A Cap would only hold down the Yankees, BoSox, Dodgers, Angels, Mets and Cubs. It does nothing to push up the Pirates, Reds, Royals, A’s, Nats, Marlins and Rays.

All depends on what teams perform poorly on the field and at the gate.

They’d move Peralta first and his contract is reasonable, too. Miguel Tejada has a shot of needing to be unloaded. Don’t know if we’d want him.

Some ticket prices went up a bit, but they froze the prices in many sections and they actually cut day-of-game bleacher seat prices from $18 to $10. Parking fees will also stay at 2008 levels. It doesn’t hurt that they had some of the lowest prices in the league to begin with.

Part of the sales bump is also due to the playoff appearance last year, as the Brewers guaranteed 2008 playoff tickets to those who bought season ticket packages for 2009 during the last weeks of the 2008 season. That gave them a head start on the 2009 season before the depth of the economic crisis really became apparent, and before it had resulted in the kind of widespread job losses we’ve seen lately. They’re unlikely to sell the 3 million seats they sold last year, but I think they’ll be alright. Of course, they actually need the ticket holders to show up in order to get the complete benefit of seat sales through parking and concessions. Despite an offseason filled with bad news, I think there will be enough carry over from 2008 to make attendance solid the first two months of the season. What happens after that will probably depend on how they fair on the field through the end of June.

… though I think their bats will keep them at about 80 wins or so.

The rotation won’t include Capuano. At least not out of the box, anyway. He doesn’t figure to be ready until May. I like Gallardo and Parra, but given their youth and low inning totals last year, I’d like them a lot better as a #2 and #3 than a #1 and #2. Bush eats innings and pitches above replacement, which would make him an excellent #5 and a decent #4, but as a #3 he’s sub-par. Suppan’s a train wreck at this point and if this team had any starting depth I seriously doubt he’d be in the rotation at all. McClung, who looks like (at this early date) to have the inside track as the #5 starter, will probably out perform Suppan, but that isn’t saying much.

I actually like the BP, but even if they’re as good as I think it’s hard to see them holding up past July with the amount of innings they’ll have to throw.

The Brewers have done a poor job of drafting pitching talent and getting it to the majors over the years, and it’s really taking its toll this year. It’s pretty much impossible for a mid-market team to make up for poor drafting/development by throwing money at the problem in baseball’s current economic structure, and the fact that Suppan’s eating as much of the payroll as he is makes it even harder.