BASEBALL IS SUMMER

Now that hockey season is over, it's time to turn my full attention to baseball. I say full attention because it starts during hockey season and I do follow both. Baseball is summer! A hot day, a good game and a cold beer makes for a great day or night out.

Our family follows baseball on several levels. Both kids play and you can find me taking pictures of them and their teammates. I also have become the bullpen catcher for my youngest son's team. When we're not at the kid's games we still have lots of options. We can go to see the Orioles and Nationals or several of their farm teams without driving to far. We are also lucky enough to have a great college summer league nearby. We can be found at most Bethesda Big Train home games. They play in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. This is a summer wood bat league for players from all over the country. It's a great night out for the family. You can't get much closer unless you're out on the field. The players are great and take time to talk to the kids. Try that at a MLB game!

We've been following this team for about 5 years now and have purchased a season ticket for the family this year and last year. These games provide a fan and family fun experience. There's a nightly raffle with some great prizes. The money this team raises is used to improve youth baseball fields in the area. I highly recommend taking the family out for a great night of amateur baseball.

So, just remember, we all have our heroes but they don't all have to be paid to play. Take the kids out to a game and let them say hello to a player and be thrilled when the player says hello back. So go to a game and you just might make some new friends.

P.S. If you live in other parts of the country, check the following website for listings of other college summer leagues:

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/summer?summer.aspx

END OF HOCKEY SEASON

It's about time I add something before I forget. It's been a long spring of watching baseball and hockey. Am I the only one who thinks the NHL is getting boring? It's high time to get a new man running the show. Gary has turned my favorite sport into a major snooze-fest. Here's some ideas to bring the NHL back to glory:

1) Let's bag the ugly futuristic uniforms and go retro. When half the teams are wearing black, who needs color television?

2) Let's have more fights! Every real fan likes fights but detests the cheap stick slinging that goes on. Gary's ideas to reduce fighting have only created more cheap shots for retalliation.

3) Let's quit promoting games on television because some bum from Pittsburgh is playing. Everybody knows Sidney couldn't carry Alex's jock strap! (Note to Don Cherry: It seems that some of the flightless birds have now copied some of Ovie's goal celebration moves!)

4) Let's base suspensions on real actions, not the fact that the player got hurt. Maybe some guys from New York should look where they're headed and not where they just passed the puck. One of the first thing's he should've learned as a kid was "Keep your head up!"

5) Let's get back to REASONABLE ticket prices! I can't take great pictures from the nose bleeds or at home from the television.

6) Television? How about not showing the same 4 or 5 teams all the time?

7) Bag the trapezoid. If the goalie comes out he's just like everybody else. If he's a wizard with the puck on his stick, let him play it!

8) If you're gonna have a rule for goaltender interference, make sure it gets called the same for every team by every referee! If you can't do that then just let the goalies take care of it the old school way, with a good wack on the back of the leg!

Thanks to the Hershey Bears for giving me something to cheer about after the second round!

Old time hockey rules!

Enough hockey, I'm now 100% in baseball mode.

I'll be back soon with some baseball rants and raves,

Marshall

Welome To Fan Union

Welcome to FAN UNION, the blog for real sports fans. My goal is to promote what we as sports fans really want! By now we should all be tired of the endless scandals and high prices. We keep spending more money to go to games, but do we get more back for our money? I don't think so! It's time for fans to unionize just like the players and demand our rights. I want to hear from the real fans. Let's forget about most of the season tickets holders, too many of them only have tickets for a tax write-off anyway.

What about those of us who sit in the cheap seats? We're the ones who love the team and stick with them during bad times as well as good. I proudly admit that was (and still am) a Washington Capitals fan the first season when they only won 8 games. I still love my Orioles even when the owner spends wads of cash on worthless free-agents and then stops spending to rebuild.

Going to a game should be an experience for everyone. I still would rather go to a game than watch it on television. There's something special about sitting in the stands and cheering for your team. Yelling from the lounge chair at the flat screen just isn't the same. Over the years I have been asked to pipe down by some guy in a suit so he could conduct business. Come on now, I paid for my ticket! I'm gonna yell for my team. If you have work to do, STAY LATE!

I have the same feeling about sports as social events. Over the last 15-20 years it's become fashionable to attend "sporting events." It's a bloody game! The real fans get locked out because the snobs got all the tickets. Think "All-Star Game" and good luck getting tickets and taking the kids unless your rich. We vote the players into the game but have to watch at home.

I won't keep ranting today because I need to save some for later posts. But I will tell you now, I am working on a "Fans Bill Of Rights" to be an on-going feature. We just need to spread the word to the owners, players and league presidents. We will be heard, so spread the word!

It's FAN UNION time, because we're FED-UP!

Now sit back, have a cold beer and enjoy the game!

Marshall