|
CAPTIONS
Starting rotation
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (pictured) was on his way to his second strong performance in a row when he grabbed at his side and exited Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. That's very bad news for a team that already has called on four Triple-A starters to fill in the fifth slot in the rotation and replace injured Miguel Gonzalez. It was a tough week already, after so-so outings by Jason Hammel, Freddy Garcia and Steve Johnson, and that was reflected in the combined numbers. The rotation posted a 2-2 record with a 6.03 ERA and averaged just five innings per start. Even though the team managed to go 4-2 in those games, this is starting to get scary.
Grade: D (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images /May 12, 2013)
Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (pictured) was on his way to his second strong performance in a row when he grabbed at his side and exited Sunday's game with a right oblique strain. That's very bad news for a team that already has called on four Triple-A starters to fill in the fifth slot in the rotation and replace injured Miguel Gonzalez. It was a tough week already, after so-so outings by Jason Hammel, Freddy Garcia and Steve Johnson, and that was reflected in the combined numbers. The rotation posted a 2-2 record with a 6.03 ERA and averaged just five innings per start. Even though the team managed to go 4-2 in those games, this is starting to get scary.
Grade: D (Hannah Foslien / Getty Images /May 12, 2013)
Major League Baseball has delivered on its pledge to formulate a policy for players’ social media use, as Craig Calcaterra of NBC Sports points out.
I’m not going to delve into all the details of the policy (Calcaterra does a nice job outlining them in his post), but much of what you’d expect to be in it is there. A lot of it as common sense — don’t condone steroid use in a tweet, for example — but as we’ve seen all too many times, common sense takes a back seat when some athletes get their hands on a smartphone.
That said, while I felt that MLB needed a social media policy, I was worried that it would drop the ball and try to tamp down players’ use of Twitter and other platforms. That would have been more fuel for those who view MLB as an antiquated, stodgy, behind-the-times organization — which, at times, it has been — that ignores what’s good for it, and for fans.
Fortunately, MLB’s policy appears to be refreshingly progressive. Far from trying to quell social media use among players, it actually encourages them “to connect with fans through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Along with MLB’s extensive social media activities, we hope that your efforts on social media will help bring fans closer to the game and have them engaged with baseball, your club and you in a meaningful way.”
This is absolutely the right move. Baseball, as “individual” as major team sports get, has thrived on having a colorful cast of characters long before social media became a part of everyday life. Encouraging those characters to use social media as a platform to directly engage their fans can only build interest and brand loyalty — and inject more fun into a game that could desperately use it.
By essentially telling noted tweeters like Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, “We like what you’re doing here; don’t ever change,” MLB is not only helping those players build their fan base, it’s also helping improve its overall product.
Sure, some players are still going to tweet regrettable things from time to time, but that’s a small price to pay for what baseball stands to gain from social media.
I’ll gladly hit the “Like” button on this one.
I’m not going to delve into all the details of the policy (Calcaterra does a nice job outlining them in his post), but much of what you’d expect to be in it is there. A lot of it as common sense — don’t condone steroid use in a tweet, for example — but as we’ve seen all too many times, common sense takes a back seat when some athletes get their hands on a smartphone.
Fortunately, MLB’s policy appears to be refreshingly progressive. Far from trying to quell social media use among players, it actually encourages them “to connect with fans through Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Along with MLB’s extensive social media activities, we hope that your efforts on social media will help bring fans closer to the game and have them engaged with baseball, your club and you in a meaningful way.”
This is absolutely the right move. Baseball, as “individual” as major team sports get, has thrived on having a colorful cast of characters long before social media became a part of everyday life. Encouraging those characters to use social media as a platform to directly engage their fans can only build interest and brand loyalty — and inject more fun into a game that could desperately use it.
By essentially telling noted tweeters like Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, “We like what you’re doing here; don’t ever change,” MLB is not only helping those players build their fan base, it’s also helping improve its overall product.
Sure, some players are still going to tweet regrettable things from time to time, but that’s a small price to pay for what baseball stands to gain from social media.
I’ll gladly hit the “Like” button on this one.
