Opening Day..... Topic

MikeT23
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.....has already happened.

Who knew?   MLB should fire everyone in marketing(and whoever came up with the bright idea to play a 2 game set down under) and just start over. 
3/24/2014 10:25 PM
Jtpsops
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Opening Day isn't when the first game is played. It's a celebratory thing when the majority of teams play their first games, to kick off the season. You know, a MARKETING thing. Kind of like when a restaurant opens and their "Grand Opening" is a week later.

This would explain why you're a trucker and not a marketing executive.
3/24/2014 11:41 PM
bronxcheer
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What a friggin joke! Then they go back to playing srimmage games for 10 days?

Selig is a creep.
3/25/2014 5:56 AM
MikeT23
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Yeah but my bigger problem is virtually nothing stating that the games count.   I knew they were playing a series over there.   I thought they were exhibiition games.  I've yet to find someone who knew they were regular season games.     Has another sport opened their season in a country that doesn't have a team?
3/25/2014 8:15 AM
tecwrg
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I knew they were regular season games.  They'd been talking about this for weeks.  And it's not the first time MLB has opened the season in another country.  I think they opened in Japan twice.
3/25/2014 8:24 AM
MikeT23
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I recall the games in Japan.   Started at like 4 in the morning.   Which was kind of dumb but at least there was talk of them.
3/25/2014 8:37 AM
The Taint
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I knew they were regular season games.  Stupid ******* idea though.
3/25/2014 9:20 AM
MikeT23
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Starting right in the middle of the NCAA tourney.   I listen to ESPN radio all day during the week.    If they mentioned it, I missed it completely.   It never occurred to me that A) baseball would open on 3/22  B) baseball would open in Austrailia.    Brutal idea and marketing by MLB. 

3/25/2014 9:53 AM
bronxcheer
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o
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3/25/2014 9:54 AM
AlCheez
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Posted by MikeT23 on 3/25/2014 9:53:00 AM (view original):

Starting right in the middle of the NCAA tourney.   I listen to ESPN radio all day during the week.    If they mentioned it, I missed it completely.   It never occurred to me that A) baseball would open on 3/22  B) baseball would open in Austrailia.    Brutal idea and marketing by MLB. 

Well, the purpose of the games is to help grow baseball in Australia, where it is taking off.  Whether they should do that or not that with games that count is one question.  I'm not sure you get more than you would from an exhibition series there.

But to call the marketing brutal assumes they wanted these games to get attention in the US, and I honestly doubt that's the case.  I think they probably prefer these games to be a footnote and the focus being on the normal Opening day.

3/25/2014 10:13 AM
MikeT23
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If the focus was to make the game "international", I can certainly see the logic.   But, right now, the consumer base is in North America.   To not have NA paying attention to the start of the season seems ludicrous.   Honestly, I remember the Japan series.   Got up at 4 and watched.  Because it was "unique" and MLB put it out there for the NA consumer.   That wasn't the case this time.   If not for Puig/Mattingly, I still might not know about this series.   I just don't see how someone like me could possibly not know.   And, if I didn't know, any somewhat casual baseball fan still has no idea.
3/25/2014 10:18 AM
tecwrg
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Part of the problem also was that the games were broadcast on the MLB network, which not everybody has.  ESPN would have given the games more exposure and probably more promotion (even though the first game was at 4am on Saturday). 
3/25/2014 10:24 AM
AlCheez
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Posted by MikeT23 on 3/25/2014 10:18:00 AM (view original):
If the focus was to make the game "international", I can certainly see the logic.   But, right now, the consumer base is in North America.   To not have NA paying attention to the start of the season seems ludicrous.   Honestly, I remember the Japan series.   Got up at 4 and watched.  Because it was "unique" and MLB put it out there for the NA consumer.   That wasn't the case this time.   If not for Puig/Mattingly, I still might not know about this series.   I just don't see how someone like me could possibly not know.   And, if I didn't know, any somewhat casual baseball fan still has no idea.
There have been 4.  Which one do you remember?
3/25/2014 10:26 AM
MikeT23
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The first one, I assume.   Were the others on 3/22(more or less)? 
3/25/2014 10:32 AM
AlCheez
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It's been every 4 years since 2000.  The Yankees did it in the 2nd one, '04, so I'm guessing that's the one you remember.  I'm pretty sure the Japan games have always been about a week before the start of the regular season, so probably not as early as 3/22, but the same time line relative to the start of the season.
3/25/2014 10:38 AM
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