RIP Ralph Boston

Ralph Boston died earlier this week.  Back when track and field was a much bigger deal in US sports than it is today, Ralph Boston was a dominant figure in the long jump.  He broke the world record held by Jesse Owens for more than two decades.  He won the Gold Medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome and also earned medals in 1964 and 1968.  He was the first person to jump beyond 27 feet.

Rest in peace, Ralph Boston…

Last year, there were reports that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred hoped to see MLB expand from 30 teams to 32 teams.  That would make sense from the standpoint of organizing divisions and determining playoff teams.  I do not think it makes a lot of sense in terms of the existence of sufficient pitching talent to add two more teams – – meaning about 24 current minor league pitchers – – to the major leagues.  However, reports say that MLB would target a franchise fee of $2.0 – 2.5B and that is a level of motivation for owners that they will have difficulty resisting.

Frontofficesports.com now reports that several cities are getting their ducks in order in anticipation of a solicitation by MLB for bids to acquire two new franchises.  Here they are in alphabetical order lest anyone think I have prioritized them in any way:

1. Charlotte:  Atlanta is about 250 miles away so there is a natural rivalry situation there but would a team in Charlotte cost Atlanta attendance?  I have thought for several years now that MLB should consider a franchise in North Carolina – – but in the Raleigh/Durham area closer to halfway between Washington and Atlanta.
2. Las Vegas:  Obviously, Las Vegas comes off this list if the A’s move there.
3. Montreal:  The city supported the Expos for years even though they had to play in the stadium built for the Olympics there and that stadium would politely be described as a White Elephant.  With teams in NY, Boston and Toronto, adding Montreal would make for a nice regional set.
4. Nashville:  The city fathers there just approved plans to bankroll a new stadium for the Tennessee Titans to the tune of about $2B.  Is there room in the exchequer to build a baseball stadium too?
5. Portland:  This city is always on any list when it comes to expanding any US sport or as a potential site for a franchise in a newly forming league.  The geography makes sense, but no one ever seems to pick Portland as a final destination – – save for the Blazers in the NBA.
6. Salt Lake City:  This is the newest entry on the list.  It would fill in a geographic slot where there are no MLB teams assuming that Las Vegas does not get a team either by expansion or by the A’s moving there.

MLB showed over this winter that it is willing to tinker with parts of the game that were considered to be sacrosanct in the past.  It seems as if the pitching clock and the larger bases and banning the shift are producing a better entertainment product.  So — might the folks running MLB be willing to consider radical change such as …

• Do an expansion of 2 teams ALONG WITH significant franchise relocations and divisional alignments?

Maybe this is an opportunity to fish or cut bait with the folks in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area when it comes down to getting attendance where it ought to be for a team that has been as successful as the Rays have been for the last 10 years or so.  As of this morning, the Rays rank 23^rd in attendance in MLB at 16,200 fans per game.   Is it finally time for the folks there to decide if they want the team to stay there or not?  As a yardstick, the Rockies – a team that has not been nearly as successful as the Rays over the past decade – are averaging 27,097 fans per game this year.  That is 67% greater than the Rays’ attendance and that makes no sense.

Maybe this is an opportunity for MLB to rectify the mistake it made in putting a franchise in Miami in the first place.  The Marlins – whether you list them as the “Miami Marlins” or the “Florida Marlins” – have never been successful at the gate.  This year, the Marlins average 12,942 fans per game.  Hold your breath, but that attendance is UP from last year at this time when the Marlins only drew 11,919 fans per game.  The Miami franchise has churned through ownerships and team presidents and GMs over the last 30 years; it has won the World Series twice in that time; and yet, there is not significant support for the team.

• [Aside:  Remember back in 2000 when young Elian Gonzales was ruled to be too young to be granted asylum in the US and that he had to be returned to his parent in Cuba.  There were demonstrations of 20,000 –  25,000 people in the streets protesting this act and Federal authorities broke into a residence and took custody of young Gonzalez at gun point.  At the time, I suggested that the Miami Marlins should bring Gonzalez to their stadium every night because it would give them their largest crowds ever.  Obviously, the team did not take that advice…]

If MLB were to think about moving existing franchises along with expansion, then maybe they would also be willing to shake up longstanding division and league affiliations.  With 32 teams, eight divisions of four teams makes a lot of sense.  So does the organization of geographically tight divisions that can foster rivalries.  For example, why not a division of:

• Mets, Nationals, Orioles and Phillies – – and – –
• Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Montreal – – and – –
• Pirates, Guardians, Reds and Tigers – – you get the idea.

Finally, I realize that what I have suggested here represents radical change for MLB.  So, let me close here with these words from economist Milton Friedman about why proposals for radical change are important:

“It is worth discussing radical changes, not in the expectation that they will be adopted promptly but for two other reasons. One is to construct an ideal goal so that incremental changes can be judged by whether they move the institutional structure toward or away from that ideal.

“The other reason is very different. It is so that if a crisis requiring or facilitating radical change does arise, alternatives will be available that have been carefully developed and fully explored.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………