by Eddie Mayrose

Ya gotta love social networking.  As if athletes didn’t already have enough opportunities to reveal themselves as arrogant, insensitive and selfish, any dolt with a Twitter account can now make a fool of himself at all hours of the day and night.  The latest genius to fall down the rabbit hole is Tampa Bay Rays’ lefty, David Price, who criticized Rays’ fans for not turning out to fawn over his team as they closed in on a playoff berth Monday night. “Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands….embarassing” was Price’s Tweet after the contest, as the Tampa ace gave himself a mouthful of shoe leather.

Now, I can understand the disappointment of any competitor deprived of the thrill that comes from a performance in front of a full house.  I’ll even cut Price a little slack in that he’s only 25 and makes enough money to insure his ignorance to the current economic state of the country.  But, to call fans on the carpet for no better reason than their failure to shower their praise upon you is more than a little sad. Let’s see if we can educate Mr. Price as to the sacrifice required of Tampa residents to attend a game at Tropicana Field.

Suppose I wanted to take my eight year old son to that game on Monday.  As it was designated a “Silver” game by Tampa brass, an Upper Box ticket was priced at $13 plus a $3 handling fee.  Tack on the $15 parking charge and I’m already $47 in the hole before the first pitch; and I’m not sitting in great seats, either.  Then after two $5 hot dogs, a $5 soda, an $8 beer a $4 bag of peanuts, (prices quoted by Tampa Bay Rays’ customer service department), gas and tolls, I’ve forked over $80 for just two people to watch a game whose outcome is of very little consequence in Bud Selig’s wacky, Wild Card world.

Twenty years ago, baseball fans everywhere would’ve been gripped by pennant fever if the best two teams in the game were locked in a divisional race as tight as the AL East in the season’s final week.   First thing every morning, people would reach for the newspaper to find the box scores and standings. Now, however, with both the Yankees and Rays assured of a post-season berth, the drama and excitement are virtually non-existent; an obvious fact to all but Price, whose ego seems to be even bigger than his mouth.

Here’s the straight scoop, David.  The absence of butts in your seats is a statement by the fans’ about the product being presented to them, not a condemnation of their support.  You make the money you do because the carpetbaggers that run your sport are dedicated to a never-ending search for ways to bilk fans of more money. They price their tickets on a sliding scale based on the quality of opponent, even though their own manager will instruct his staff to pitch around the very opponents whose All Star performances were the criteria for the price hike in the first place.  They raise the prices in the parking lot based on the same standard, as if I’m getting better pavement for a Twins’ game than I am for the Orioles.  Games that are “sold out” actually have some tickets still available as part of multi-game packages. My youngest son has never seen the conclusion of a World Series game because MLB has sold its soul to the television networks that demand 8:40 start times.  Tickets purchased for a summer Sunday afternoon carry no guarantee as they may turn out to be for a night game at the behest of ESPN; with no refund policy in place.  It is the compilation of all of these money grabbing tactics that has put those millions in your very young pocket, Mr. Price.  Maybe you should just shut up and be grateful you’re on the right side of the scam.

Fantasy Baseball League

Streaking- Your biggest concern here is making sure you have players that will actually be in the lineup.  As insane as it might sound to waive/bench Alex Rodriguez for Minnesota’s Matt Tolbert, it makes sense when you realize that ARod will probably rest this weekend while Tolbert and the Twins desperately strive for the post season.  Other teams that will still be playing for something are the Braves, Rockies, Cardinals, Phillies and Dodgers.  St. Louis and Philadelphia are battling for the second seed in the NL while the Braves and rockies contend for the Wild Card.  Even Los Angeles has a vested interest this weekend as they’re head to head matchup with Colorado will determine the Wild Card.  Make no mistake, Joe Torre’s boys absolutely care about that as they look to avoid seeing the Cards’ deep rotation in the first round.  You’ll also want to use players approaching milestones as well as rookies being auditioned by bad teams; Washington’s Mike Morse for example.  One other piece of advice:  Pick up as many free agents from the Twins and Tigers as you can.  If they finish in a tie, their one game playoff is a regular season game and the stats count.  Right now it looks like Nate Robertson and Carl Pavano would be the starters.

Stalling- Veteran players and starting pitchers on the Angels, Red Sox and Yankees will likely be no help to you this weekend as they will be rested by managers fine-tuning their lineups for the post season.  You’ll get a game from each, probably, but that won’t do you any good if you need a few R or RBI.  You’ll also want to rid yourself of young pitchers whose teams are looking to limit their IP.  No matter what’s listed, the possibility exists they won’t go.  Stay on top of that.  Continue, also, to keep away from veterans like Miguel Tejada who are losing playing time while the organization auditions rookies at their positions.

It’s always sad to see the season come to an end.  Congratulations to the winners and good luck to those less fortunate as they prepare their rosters for a big 2010.  We’ll be back next week with a playoff preview and follow that up with out Fantasy Awards.