Diane M. Grassi attempts to shine new light on issues centered on professional and amateur sports through her writing, by going beyond the headlines and sound-bites and to present sports fans with the back-story. In that effort, she seeks out those issues that rarely become headlines and elicits discussion as to why that is case.
Grassi’s goal is to not only provide content, but to offer an outlet for sports fans of all types, of various backgrounds and life experiences, to engage in topical issues with candor, good humor and provocative thought. Yet, to Grassi, it is the issues that are paramount, as opposed to the messenger, while maintaining intellectually honest and original fact-based reporting and research without an agenda.
By Diane M. Grassi
It is the age-old argument that will never go away amongst baseball aficionados a/k/a baseball fans. And that is, the comparison of individual players from different eras in which they played, as opposed to those who compete presently. What fascinates fans is that there is no right or wrong answer, thus the perpetuation of the argument and the historic relevance of players in Major League Baseball, unlike any other professional or amateur sport.
By Diane M. Grassi
“See the USA in your Chevrolet…,” was once as much a theme song for the American leisure lifestyle as it was an advertisement for one of General Motor’s (GM) most celebrated automobiles. And not to be overlooked is the relationship that the auto industry, and more specifically GM, has forged with Major League Baseball (MLB) over the past many decades.
It was 30 years ago when baseball legend, Willie Mays, was banned from Major League Baseball (MLB). Four years later, NY Yankee great, Mickey Mantle, met with the same fate as did Willie. And what was their supposed fall from grace? They each became promotional spokesmen for two Atlantic City casino hotels.
Willie Mays had a deal with the Park Place Casino – now Bally’s Park Place – and Mantle contracted with Del Webb’s Claridge Casino Hotel. The roles both played were as pitchmen for the resorts as they appeared in television and print ads for the respective properties.
By Diane M. Grassi
Upon the release of new and unprecedented regulations and mandates prescribed for all Major League Baseball (MLB) certified bat manufacturers on December 15, 2008, no attention was garnered by the mainstream media at the time. As such, a disservice was done to these unheralded craftsmen who largely for the past decade have been trying to compete with the behemoth Hillerich & Bradsby Company, the manufacturer of the renowned Louisville Slugger.
By Diane M. Grassi
Super Bowl XLIII was no better a reminder as to why so many Americans have made the National Football League (NFL) the king when it comes to the most watched professional sports league in the United States. And it is no coincidence that it continually is rated the favorite of sports fans in poll after poll. Additionally, the NFL also has bragging rights when it comes to yearly revenue, expected to be about $8 billion for the 2008 season as compared to Major League Baseball’s nearly $7 billion annually.
And there is perhaps no better time to remember those who made it possible for the NFL’s owners and players today to be able to revel in its continued success, by virtue of the players who helped to build the league.
For the past couple of years, it has become public knowledge that a select group of retired NFL players have been struggling physically and economically since putting their playing days behind them. It is a serious matter, covering a complex and vast number of interrelated issues, rife with conflicts of interest.
By Diane M. Grassi
On January 1, 2009, Major League Baseball (MLB) launched its long awaited Major League Baseball Network (MLBN) on major cable broadcast providers throughout U.S. television markets.
Hailed by MLB itself as a boon to its continued growth, the MLBN hopes to garner $150–$200 million in additional revenue in just its first year of distribution.
And to that end, the MLBN starts right off the bat with a built-in cushion of an instant 50 million television household subscribers or about one third of the cable market share.
The Pittsburgh Pirates now have the sole distinction of signing two non-drafted free agents from India. Not only are the players the first Indian-born signed players from that country by MLB, but also for any other major league sport outside of India.
What MLB did not foresee, much like its compatriots on Wall Street who bought up valueless mortgages, and pimped them off as viable commodities, was that such actions would have such a deleterious impact on their baseball revenues come next season, just a few months from now.
Questions remain regarding the current MLB bat manufacturing process and after-market tampering of bats which may be responsible for the present epidemic of broken and exploding bats, as players look for that extra edge, no longer satisfied by PED’s.
At a time when NYC and NY state are both eliminating important public services due to budget shortfalls, as are many states across the country, it is incumbent for taxpayers to know far more comprehensively the machinations of the public financing of its stadiums.