Opening Day Tokyo series: Red Sox/A's

[Bill Burgess]

I don't know if this issue has been covered in this Forum or not. Please forgive me if this issue has been covered here and I missed it.

I have been told my my friend, Jackie, that on Opening Day, the Red Sox/A's will open their seasons' in Tokyo, Japan! Excuse me if I am amazed at this.

I am also told that a few seasons ago, Opening Day was opened with a series in Mexico City. I didn't know that either. So, I am sadly ignorant of these intriguing developments.

Does anyone else besides me wonder if MLB is conducting exploratory operations to ascertain the level of fan support in Japan/Mexico, in anticipation of installing a ML franchise in one of these areas?

If not, what other explanations could be forwarded in these things.

Personally, I believe that MLB, in the expression of the Commissioner Bud Selig's Office, is conducting exploratory expeditions to measure the level of fan support in these countries, in anticipation of installing ML franchises in these respective countries.

And to that end, I'd like to conduct a survey/poll, to ascertain the degree of support on Fever, towards installing MLB franchises in foreign lands, in the effort to internationalize MLB.

[George H Ruth]

I support another franchise in Canada, I lived in Canada for two years, and the people there are so nice. I believe they should have another team in Montreal, but they would need a new stadium since Olympic stadium is old, and not worthy of having players there. I believe if they get a good owner, like George Gillette or someone with lots of money that it can work again, and the fans would come out and watch this team play.

Sorry I just have a soft spot for another team in Montreal since I lived there for around two years when I was younger, and kept following them and the Blue Jays ever since.

[Bill Burgess]

I anticipate some fan conflict with the suggestion that a ML franchise might be installed in Cuba. Cuba is to MLB, what Traynor, J.Jackson, Sisler is to Fever. It is a lightning rod.

I also realize the political complications. With the assumption of power by Cuban Presidente, Raul Castro (Fidel's brother), some progress might be negotiatied. The US State Dept. might negotiate some reforms for the former Cuban refugees, who lost their property rights, land, and social freedoms, in exchange for the US supporting Cuba's regaining their 'most-favored nation trading status.

This happened with Vietnam, a former enemy. We presently support China's 'most-favorable trading status, and they have brutal human rights violations too.

But please, let's not get 100% bogged down with a debate on the political aspects of the discussion.

[SouthwestAmAZins]

I have been told my my friend, Jackie, that on Opening Day, the Red Sox/A's will open their seasons' in Tokyo, Japan! Excuse me if I am amazed at this.

I am also told that a few seasons ago, Opening Day was opened with a series in Mexico City. I didn't know that either. So, I am sadly ignorant of these intriguing developments.

Welcome to the International side of BBF. By the way the Dodgers and Padres have a two game set at Wukesong Baseball Field on March 15 & 16. The same venue for the Beijing games.
Source:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

And to that end, I'd like to conduct a survey/poll, to ascertain the degree of support on Fever, towards installing MLB franchises in foreign lands, in the effort to internationalize MLB.

At this moment I wouldn't like to see MLB expand domestically and much less internationally. However, I am more open to the idea of MLB launching leagues in other countries or regions. For example:

MLB Canada
MLB Asia-Pacific
MLB Europe
MLB Latin America

All of the respective Champions could play in a tournament annually. Just a crazy idea, but it could make the transition to international expansion smoother for MLB.

[Westlake]

Where is the "I do not support a MLB franchise in any of these countries" option?


Venezuela and Japan would be ridiculous. Way too far.

Cuba won't work for obvious reasons.

And for the rest -- well, it's just too many differences with languages and culture. Maybe Canada, but I dont really care if there is one or not. I think there are already too many teams as it is.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Where is the "I do not support a MLB franchise in any of these countries" option?


Venezuela and Japan would be ridiculous. Way too far.

Cuba won't work for obvious reasons.

And for the rest -- well, it's just too many differences with languages and culture. Maybe Canada, but I dont really care if there is one or not. I think there are already too many teams as it is.

Perhaps one day when there is a supersonic airliner Japan may be an option but not now.

[Bill Burgess]

Where is the "I do not support a MLB franchise in any of these countries" option?

I just fixed that.

[Westlake]

I just fixed that.

Good stuff. Thanks Bill.

[Shootmaster_44]

The only two places I have a problem with are Cuba and Japan. Cuba I'm not crazy about because of the unknown of games there. I fear that they could be used as a pawns in some greater fight. I see it as possibly the same as the '72 Series between Canada and USSR in hockey. The games in Russia were marred with KGB interference at the hotel, corrupt officiating and political interference at the games. One vivid scene from I believe it was Game 8 is Alan Eagleson (the Canadian organizer) running onto the ice to confront the Russian official. Canada still managed to pull out the win in that series but still fell victim to politicking.

The only reason I am against a team in Japan is the travel involved. It would be a logistical nightmare for a team on the East Coast to go on a road trip to Japan. I realize I don't have a baseball example to back this up, but in hockey the NHL opened its season in Japan (I think it was in 1998). Both teams that played in the series came back and suffered long losing streaks attributed to the jet lag and poor scheduling the NHL had. Basically, the only way I see a Japanese club participating in anything with MLB is if they held a playoff series over a few weeks between the NPB and MLB champs.

I did vote for Venezuela, not realizing the distance, so that might fall into the above category too.

The rest of the places I don't see a problem with a team there. However, I feel MLB has grown to as big as it should be. So any future teams would have to be added by an existing club moving there.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

We all know that at the moment, a MLB team in Cuba will not be possible. I don't think that Raul Castro will leave the chosen political path that much.

It will only work if the Commies will be gone.

I like the idea of NewEnglandAmazins. Teams in the stated parts of the world play their own competition and the winners (maybe runners up too) advance to the international play offs.

But then the sport really has to grow in Europe. I mean, even though the Dutch team is not to be overlooked nowadays, the sport is still relatively small. About 250,000 people play baseball or softball on a population of 17 million.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

I have been told my my friend, Jackie, that on Opening Day, the Red Sox/A's will open their seasons' in Tokyo, Japan! Excuse me if I am amazed at this.

I am also told that a few seasons ago, Opening Day was opened with a series in Mexico City. I didn't know that either. So, I am sadly ignorant of these intriguing developments.

No offense William, but I am really surprised that you didn't know this. I admire you because of your knowlegde about the history of baseball. But don't you follow modern baseball at all? I think that if you followed modern baseball, you would have known this. What can be better than attending a good game now and then?

[Pere]

For the near future, the only option here that makes sense to me is the addition of an MLB franchise in Mexico.

I think international expansion should be undertaken gradually, and Mexico makes the most sense because of its relationship with the US and the Mexican League's existing status within NAPBL. Japan has its own well-established high-level league, and with the great distances involved, it makes more sense to incorporate that league and MLB, and others, together in a larger international umbrella, than to simply place an MLB team in Japan. Cubans and Dominicans don't have enough money.

I think MLB could easily expand to 32 organizations, comparable to the NFL. I would favor adding an AL franchise in Mexico and another in the southeastern USA. It would be best if this took place in conjunction with a comprehensive renegotiation of broadcast revenue agreements, so that all 32 teams would be competing on a more fair basis, again comparably to the NFL.

[Pere]

Oh, but I should say that I think MLB is also just interested in selling broadcasts and merchandise in all these countries; that is, making people in other countries fans of MLB as it already exists, without necessarily setting up new teams there. I expect that we will see one or two regular season series played in other countries every year from now on. It may become customary to see a series in each of these markets, with rotating teams from year to year.

[Bill Burgess]

Does anyone have any suggestions for which area in Mexico that would support the most MLB fan interest? Or in any other country for that matter?

I appreciate the respect that we're not getting bogged down with a fight with respect to Cuba. I realize that the Castro regime was brutal and has cultivated a lot of justified contempt in the US by the Cuban political refugees.

I'm hoping that with the transition of control to the next generation, a trade-off might become possible. For a normalization of trade, and acceptance into the World Bank, International Monetery Fund, most-favored trading status, a possible MLB franchise, they might be willing to give back lands to former property owners, lighten up on social freedoms, etc.

The word 'capitalism' is still discredited there, and the word 'communisim' would still be used, but what is a name, anyway? It's the real world reality that is the more relevant.

An idealist can still dream, can I? Barak Obama promises to negotiate without pre-conditions, so anything is possilbe.

[Yankeebiscuitfan]

What I have heard, the Monterrey area is supporting baseball most.