Baseball promos a long series of strikeouts

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 05 August 2008 14:38

There are numerous trends in baseball, most of which have little to do with the game.

Bobbleheads are everywhere. That’s OK. That’s one of the better promotions really. But they don’t make bobbleheads like they used to.

A couple of years ago, my cousin sent a Jim Kleinsasser bobblehead doll to me as a present. It was part of a “Got Milk” promotion using Minnesota Vikings football players. What made the gift special, though, was the typo on the box, which said Joe Kleinsasser.

My bobblehead didn’t stay intact long though. My son Ryan grabbed the doll by the head, the head came off and the doll lost its bobble. However, it still makes for an interesting topic of conversation.

I have an idea—hold a bobblehead night in late...

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TC found no outside ADs lining up to come

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 22 July 2008 14:53

Tabor College President Jules Glanzer faced a bit of a dilemma. A nationwide search for a new athletic director came up empty. He resolved it by turning to familiar faces and expanding the leadership role of the athletic department.

As far as the failed search goes, it turns out that finding someone with the desired skill set wasn’t as easy as Tabor leadership must have thought. Either that or the school was victimized by bad timing.

Here’s what we know. Rusty Allen is the new vice president for athletics. And, unless there’s a change in plans, it sounds like Karol Hunt will be named half-time athletic director and Dave Kroeker will be a part-time associate athletic director. That’s a substantial increase in athletic...

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Gimmicks to draw fans detract from the actual game

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 08 July 2008 15:19

Back in the day when baseball really was America’s pastime, you went to a game to see a game. Nowadays, the game almost is a sideshow to all of the marketing gimmicks and promotions used to draw fans to the ballpark.

Americans love free stuff and they love fireworks. In fact, there are more than 140 fireworks displays across Major League Baseball this season. The Royals have one after every home game played on Friday. The good news is it’s a pretty good show. The bad news is it’s usually better than the game.

Not easily deterred, the White Sox tried a seat-cushion promotion. My cousin attended the game in which a home run wasn’t a home run in old Comiskey Park. In that case the fans put the issue to a vote, casting their...

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Rules make baseball a most unusual sport

Written by Joe Kleinsasser Tuesday, 24 June 2008 15:25

With all due respect to former pro baseball player and broadcaster Joe Garagiola, baseball isn’t just a funny game. It’s also an unusual game.

Name another sport where the dimensions vary from stadium to stadium. Football fields, soccer fields, basketball courts all use standard dimensions. Not so baseball.

Some dimensions are consistent, i.e., the distance between bases and the distance from the home plate to the pitching rubber. But ballparks are not created equal.

For instance, there’s Fenway Park, with its short left-field fence and famous Green Monster, and Wrigley Field, with all of its nooks and crannies along an outfield wall covered with ivy. Baseballs have been known to get lost in that ivy.

And what used to be easy...

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