Scoreboards

If you lived in Philadelphia during the 60’s and 70’s you had to be a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies and the Philadelphia Eagles. This isn’t a choice or an option, it’s a requirement. If you attended any of the games (and everyone did) then you would have found yourself at the Philadelphia Veterans Stadium, known as “The Vet” by the locals. The name was chosen to represent and honor all of the U.S. Veterans from all of the wars and was a proud moment when TheVet opened in 1971.

From 1915 through 1952 the Braves Field was known for hosting the then Boston Braves of the National League franchise. The original owners made a little known name change to the team, calling it the Boston Bees, and the field picked up the name of “The Bee Hive”.

The intended purpose of the field was to offer the ability to have more inside home runs. So, a stadium was constructed in the then ‘outskirt area’ of Boston. Sadly, the fans had to sit in stand areas that were literally outside of the foul marked areas. There were also strong breezes that entered into the field. Fences that were originally 400 feet away were often relocated based on the interests of the owners. This on again, off again relocation was much to the chagrin of both fans and players alike. It would be ten years before someone hit a home run to go up and over the outer wall. Other than that, it would always be referred to as a “pitchers park”.

Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado was originally constructed in 1948 with a capacity seating of 17,000. It’s hard to believe in today’s stadium comparisons that so much was invested in such a small venue. The initial concept was that this would be the stadium for the Denver Bears and so when it was completed it was called Bears Stadium.

In 1922 a local Baltimore sports fan would not recognize the name Memorial Stadium. At the time of its opening, it was called Baltimore Stadium. Later it would also carry the names Venable Stadium, Babe Ruth Stadium and Municipal Stadium. It was lovingly referred to as “The Old Grey Lady of 33rd Street” and also not so lovingly as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Insane Asylum.”

If you have never heard of, you must have been living under a rock. Even if you aren’t a New Yorker, everyone in the world knows of Shea Stadium, home at one point of the famed New York Mets, New York Jets, New York Yankees and the New York Giants.

The King County Multipurpose Domed Stadium might not be a name that you are familiar with, but you will know simply The Kingdome. This multipurpose stadium in Seattle Washington was home of some of Seattle’s best teams, covering the sports of baseball, football and basketball: Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Sounders, Seattle Mariners, Seattle SuperSonics.

Opening in 1976, the Kingdome was actually visualized as far back as 1959. The existing stadiums in Seattle were simply not large enough to support any of the major leagues. The citizens of King County finally voted in approval for the Kingdome in 1968 and previewed around 100 different sites in the King County and Seattle areas for the project. Without a confirmed major league franchise, the stadium broke ground on King Street. It wasn’t until 1974 when the new stadium was awarded the NFL franchise of what would eventually be the Seattle Seahawks.

Is there anyone in the world that hasn’t heard of Yankee Stadium? To say that this arena was iconic is a pure understatement. To this day, when someone says ‘Yankee Stadium’ – visions of hot dog vendors, sports music played on that famous Hammond organ, crowds filled with excitement and the electricity of the games fills the senses. When it opened in 1923, it was destined to be associated with everything good and wholesome about America and New York.

The Major League Baseball season is almost half way through, and the race for the MVP award has already started. It is not a given that the MVP award winner has to be from a successful team, because it is purely an individual award which recognizes a player’s outstanding and performance throughout the season. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have selected the players who have stood out so far, no matter who they play for. These are the ones whom, in my view, have the best chance of winning the MVP award this year!

5. Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira was regarded as one of the slowest starters in the game, however things have changed. He is having an incredible season, is leading in home runs and the baseball scoreboards show that he is on his way to scoring 50 home runs for the first time ever in his career. Teixeira has a history of producing exhilarating performances in the second half of the season, and if this happens this season then he will surely be a strong contender for the MVP.

In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at MLB, and asked, which players are offering the best value for money for their teams? All of the players below have been having a great season with their respective teams, and whilst they are (like everyone in MLB!) paid large sums for their efforts, their salaries aren’t as sky high as many of the other players in the league, yet their performances this season are more than justifying what they receive.

5. David DeJesus
The Oakland Athletics have made a good deal by acquiring Dejesus for $6 million. He has been scoring at an average of .232. Though his performances have been good it hasn’t helped the team this season – they continue to struggle.

Almost every player gets injured at some point during their career, but the most hungry players fight the injury, work super hard, and get back into the team with a bang! On the other hand, there are players who either don’t have the fight, or have suffered from a truly debilitating injury, are they unable to gain their previous form after their comeback. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at 4 players who were brilliant prior to getting injured, but who have lost their momentum after an injury. Sad but true.

There are times when a player truly deserves a MVP award but for one reason or another does not get it (Matt Holliday in 2007 anyone?!). On the other hand, there are times when a player (according to the fans consensus) does not deserve a MVP award but somehow gets it anyway. In this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the players who deserved the biggest award in baseball least of all..

5. Maury Wills
Maury Wills received the MVP award in 1962 for no reason. Yes, his statistics showed 104 stolen bases but this alone was surely not sufficient to get an MVP award. MVPs are selected through voting and this statistic clearly influenced the voters as they thought that he was the best of that year. In that particular season a truly deserving candidate for the MVP was Millie Ways. Ways was way ahead of Wills according to the statistics. He was leading the league in home runs as well as in wins above replacement (WAR). Other statistics like walks, runs, batting average etc also indicated that Wills should have been the MVP for 1962.

There are a few players in Major League Baseball who have hit the big 40. These players have played in the league for an entire generation, and they have such a passion for the game that they are continuing to defy the odds and make their team’s roster every year. Fans love it when these golden oldies get on the park and show the youngsters how it’s done (at least, the older fans love it anyway!), and in this baseball scoreboards feature, I have taken a look at the four oldest MLB players in the league today.