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Sports Bloggers: Respect Us or Suffer the Consequences

Whether you like it or not, the practice of sports blogging has grown into a powerful force in the world of sports and entertainment and is being recognized, more and more, as a respected and legitimate form of media.

Because the digital platform offers anybody - regardless of age, sex, background, education - the opportunity to write about sports in their own unique style, sports blogs are quickly becoming a main source for sports news.

The sports blogging community came together for a special industry event on Saturday (June 13) and this rookie blogger was treated to an absolutely incredible day of panel discussions featuring some of the most prominent sports bloggers and personalities in the country.

Hosted by HHR Media Group, “Blogs with Balls” took place in the large basement of Stout NYC, a New York City pub and restaurant located less than a block from Madison Square Garden.

The program was divided up into eight separate panel discussions covering the following topics:

• The Future of Sports Media

• Confirm or Ignore: Leveraging Social Media

• Hi Mom! Claiming That Earned Media

• Making it Big: The Secret of My Success

• Power in Numbers: Content Networks

• Make the Leap, Make It Your Job

• Show Me The Money: Advertising

• Why We Hate You: The Media’s Take

After a video greeting from Sports Illustrated senior writer (and senior blogger) Peter King, the eight 45-minute panel discussions began and, except for a lunch break, ran virtually back-to-back throughout the entire event (more than seven hours).

Each of the panels dove into many interesting discussions about sports bloggers and their place in the media climate. Perhaps the most discussed topic was how sports bloggers compare to traditional journalists and whether they now garner equal respect in the sports industry.

Up until a few years ago, sports blogging was considered by most to counter the media culture and serve more as just baseless renegade rants – maybe something like pirate radio.
But the evolution of sports blogging has forced the medium into the mainstream and has been rapidly earning industry respect.

Sarah Spain, a panelist and nationally-known sports blogger (MouthPieceSports.com) discussed how when she first began blogging about the Chicago sports scene she needed to use her credential from her primary job (associate producer at Fox Sports Net) to get access to locker rooms, clubhouses and athletes. A few years ago, no one would ever have granted a credential to a sports blogger. But bloggers are no longer outcasts in the sports media world.

Now a days, bloggers are contacted by sports teams and organizations and invited to cover games and interview athletes.

A landmark incident in the sports blogosphere may have contributed to the acceptance of sports blogging.

Michael Tunison (KissingSuzyKolber.com) discussed his termination by the Washington Post because in a blog post he had mentioned being intoxicated in a sports bar.

At the time his sports blog wasn’t nearly as well known as it is today. So the Post easily discarded him to avoid any further embarrassment it claimed to have suffered as a result of the blog post.

The incident had a strong ripple effect throughout the sports blogging community because the news initially hurt the medium, perpetuating the stereotype that most sports bloggers are talentless drunks.

Tunison made an interesting point during his panel discussion, pointing out the double standard of the attacks on sports bloggers. “The New York Times doesn’t have to apologize for something the New York Daily News writes.”

But the media buzz surrounding the incident ended up benefiting Tunison as his blog took off in popularity and allowed him the time to write and promote his book, “The Football Fan’s Manifesto”.

Social networking was certainly a major topic during the event as the historic rise of Twitter has made the micro blog a major force in sports marketing and public relations.

Panelist Kathleen Hessert, president of Sports Media Challenge and industry blogger, has led the charge of athletes promoting themselves via Twitter. Her company setup Shaquille O’Neal, a client, with a Twitter account and instructed him on how to issue tweets.

Shaq, of course, is widely regarded as the most active and popular sports personality (maybe overall entertainer) on Twitter and has trail blazed the social media platform for all other athletes.

Although Shaq’s outgoing and wild persona is a perfect fit for Twitter, Hessert warned about the importance of understanding what works best for each individual client. Where Shaq is obviously a great fit for Twitter other clients like Peyton Manning, a much less socialable and gregarious personality, would not translate well on the Twitter platform.

Panelist and podcaster Dan Levy (On the DL) also praised Twitter’s impact on the sports media world, and mentioned that a great way to cut through the sometimes endless and generic posts and stand out is to be creative with your profile image. People may not remember your name on Twitter, but a clever or interesting image will resonate with your audience.

Twitter, and all social media, has changed the way athletes are connecting with fans, said panelist Richard Ting (VP & Executive Creative Director of R/GA Media Group). In the past, Ting explained, there were numerous barriers and hurdles separating athletes and their fans (agents, teams, PR reps, etc.). But today, athletes on their own can reach out and personally communicate with their fan base.

Probably the most fascinating statistic about social media in sports is the fact that Shaq has about 1.3 million followers on Twitter. That’s more than the daily circulation of the New York Times. So Shaq reaches more people than the most respected newspaper in the country – that’s powerful stuff.

Panelist Jim Bankoff (CEO of SB Nation) boasted that his roster of bloggers exceeded more than 25,000 posts for the month of May. That’s more content then the Associated Press, the country’s largest news wire service, produced during the same block of time.

So with thousands and thousands of bloggers out in cyberspace writing about sports, is the medium overexposed and diluted? No way, said panelist Adam Best (senior editor, FanSided.com). Best firmly believes the more sports bloggers, the better. There’s no such thing as competition in the sports blogosphere.

Sports blogging should be interactive, panelist and blogger Dan Shanoff (DanShanoff.com) said. There’s value in feedback from your readers. So encourage them to post comments, Shanoff said, respond as best you can and pay close attention to what they’re saying.

However, it’s very important not to let the inevitable criticism affect your writing and over all approach. Panelist and sports blogger Matt Ufford (WithLeather.com) contends that when it comes to negative feedback and harsh criticism you have to be thick skinned as a sports blogger.

In her sports blogging career, Spain has had to endure 10 times the criticism and nasty remarks that most sports bloggers will ever face.

Spain, you might remember, became a national story when she posted an ad on eBay asking for help with acquiring Super Bowl tickets. Super Bowl XLI was between the Bears and Indianapolis Colts, so as a lark Spain asked if anyone could help her financially to get a ticket to the big game via an eBay post.

Because she’s an attractive and aggressive sports reporter, apparently some people misinterpreted the zany promotion and saw Spain as something besides a reputable sports media personality. Ever since, she’s been a victim of rude and insulting comments.

When working in social media it’s imperative to manage your digital tools, said panelist and blogger Julia Roy (Undercrrent.com, JuliaRoy.com). Roy recommends utilizing such tools as RSS Reader and Tweet Deck to better organize and arrange the specific content you seek.

Although not a sports-specific blogger, she cited the Web site 12Seconds.tv as another great way to promote a client. The video-sharing site is similar to Flickr and Photobucket, where you can create your own video albums (each video just 12 seconds) and share with friends or a specific community.

Panelist Matt Sebek (JoeSportsFan.com) stressed the importance of Google Analytics as a digital tool to help bloggers gain insight into specific information regarding your Web site traffic. This could be a very powerful tool, especially if your blog is at the level of generating advertising revenue.

The recent economic downturn has severely hurt just about every industry in America. But according to panelist Dan Kelly (CEO of the Bleacher Report), the sports blogosphere wasn’t hit nearly as hard as expected.

Kelly said his industry’s economic rebound is already underway as ad dollars are continuing to move towards digital media.

Pete Vlastelica, panelist and CEO of YardBarker.com, agreed with Kelly and said he sees ad dollars now being spent disproportionally in the sports blogger’s favor.

The best discussion was saved for last when panelists Jeff Pearlman (noted author and SI.com contributor) and Amy Nelson (ESPN’s First Take) broached the issue of accountability for sports bloggers.

Newspaper and television reporters are frequently in the locker rooms and clubhouses. So if they make critical statements regarding a particular athlete they’ll have to face that athlete the next day and continue to work with him/her.

Pearlman was the Sports Illustrated writer responsible for the John Rocker media storm in early 2000 when his feature story about the Atlanta Braves pitcher included some racially insensitive and mean spirited quotes spewed by his subject.

Pearlman said following the media blow up, his editor made him go into the Braves clubhouse the next time Rocker was playing in New York because a reporter must be available and accountable in case an athlete has a problem with something he/she wrote.

It turned out Rocker went nuts when he saw Pearlman and immediately went after him. But Pearlman had to show his face out of fairness to Rocker and Sports Illustrated.

The event concluded with a 15-minute address by featured speaker Gary Vaynerchuk (author, entrepreneur and video blogger). An unusual choice, perhaps, to close out a sports blogging conference, Vaynerchuk delivered a speech that was part Donald Trump and part Tony Robbins.

Vaynerchuk has made millions of dollars promoting wine through his creation of Wine Library TV. Successfully leveraging social media, his Webisodes carry an estimated audience of one hundred thousand people - making him a powerful voice in the wine industry.

Along with his brother, Vaynerchuk has recently launched a media company and intends to dominate the world of sports.

The value of attending the “Blogs with Balls” event was immeasurable.

The collection of talented and experiences bloggers, reporters and media executives under one roof, discussing the emerging sports blogging medium for more than seven hours, was an intense and incredible experience.

I encourage anyone interested in sports blogs to visit the various Web sites I’ve linked throughout this post and read what these folks have to say.

Their voices are here to stay.

Twitter’s Great, But Let’s Slow Down Just a Little Bit

I admit it. I’m one of the millions of sports industry professionals who’s jumped on the Twitter bandwagon with both feet. In a previous blog post, I gushed over the unique reach Twitter offers sports PR and marketing pros and went on about the fabulous new ways athletes and sports organizations can connect with fans thanks to the new micro blog.

Not that I still don’t recognize and appreciate the immense impact of Twitter, but a couple of recent events in the world of sports, involving Twitter, has made me step back and reevaluate some things.

What makes Twitter such a powerful tool is its easy use and access coupled with its tremendous reach – a public relations practitioner’s dream.

But it can just as easily become a nightmare if Twitter falls into the wrong hands.

Two recent examples of this involve St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and new University of Tennessee football head coach Lane Kiffin.

You may have read about La Russa and his recent lawsuit with Twitter. The case stems from a Twitter account setup impersonating the manager with the sole purpose of embarrassing him. The imposter made inappropriate posts on the account and passed them off as La Russa’s opinions and thoughts.

One of the malicious Tweets was: “Lost 2 out of 3, but we made it out of Chicago without one drunk driving incident or dead pitcher.” (referring to La Russa’s previous drunk driving arrest and the death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, who died in a drunk driving accident in 2007).

La Russa is not the first sports celebrity victimized by a phony Twitter account. Shaquille O’Neal also had an unauthorized account setup in his name before he countered the bogus Tweets by setting up his own account and then openly promoting himself on Twitter.

Ironically, Shaq is now praised as one of the first sports personalities to embrace Twitter.

The second example of “Twitter Gone Wrong” is a case where the powerful PR tool fell into the hands of a person who has no business operating a communications instrument of any kind.

Lane Kiffin, an outspoken and controversial character, took over the Vols’ football program in December and has been taking verbal swings at everyone within a 500-mile radius of Knoxville ever since.

Kiffin’s already committed numerous NCAA (minor) violations with his brash style, one them resulting from Kiffin bragging via Twitter.

A few weeks ago Kiffin tweeted about a recruit who had verbally committed to his program. It turns out college coaches are prohibited from publicly discussing, in any fashion, a recruit that hasn’t officially signed a letter-of-intent. So, as a result, UT violated an NCAA rule and the program will now face the consequences.

I’m sure the repercussions from the NCAA and the subsequent negative PR won’t matter much to Kiffin, but it does hurt the University and its athletic department.

UT’s sports information office most likely media trains its coaches and athletes and keeps strong tabs on all media communications involving its sports programs. But Twitter is a whole different animal to control, and SID offices and PR departments have to recognize this and adjust accordingly.

With La Russa’s situation, it might not be fair to say he or the Cardinals should of prevented the phony Twitter account. But a big part of PR is the continuous research and pursuit of knowledge of emerging media technologies and preparing accordingly.

Basically, you have to know your industry and be prepared.

The PR people with the Cardinals and UT athletics were not, and it hurt them.

Twitter is absolutely a fantastic PR tool and, when leveraged properly, can really bolster your PR efforts. But at the same time, because of the very same reasons that makes it so great, Twitter can sneak up and bite you when you’re not prepared.

Where’s the Media Love for College Baseball

For the first time in a longtime, maybe ever, there was quite a bit of media buzz surrounding this year’s MLB Draft.

The story, of course, centered on San Diego State RHP Stephen Strasburg who recently completed one of the most dominating college seasons ever.

His 100 MPH fastball, 13-1 record (in 15 starts), 1.32 ERA and 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings this season made the 6-foot-4, 200-pound pitcher the most highly anticipated MLB prospect since Ken Griffey Jr. was drafted in 1987.

What makes the story so much more interesting is “The Angel of Death” to MLB owners, agent Scott Boras, has been serving as a consultant to Strasburg the last few months and will represent him in negotiations with the Washington Nationals, who picked the pitcher first overall on Wednesday.

Strasburg and the 2009 MLB Draft has been a media story, really, since April 2008 when the right-hander struck out an unbelievable 23 batters in a complete-game one-hit shutout against conference foe University of Utah.

So the buzz leading up to this year’s MLB draft was understandably large. Strasburg’s pre-draft hype is reminiscent of other college superstar athletes like Greg Oden, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Bush, Peyton Manning and John Elway.

But what separates Strasburg’s pre draft hype from all the others is that the featured athlete is a baseball player. Amateur basketball and football players are routinely hyped and scrutinized by the media leading up to their respective drafts. But you rarely hear a peep from the media during the MLB Draft.

Why is that?

Professional baseball in America is certainly as big and popular as the NBA and NFL. So how come the collective media world offers little coverage every June when the top high school and college baseball players are drafted by Major League teams?

The answer: Exposure

Major college basketball and football in America draw as big an audience as the pros. When you turn on any Saturday football game from September – November you’re likely to see a stadium packed with more than one hundred thousand people.

College hoop games, especially during March Madness, are overrun with screaming maniacs numbering in the 12-20 thousand range, similar to NBA games.

But have you ever turned on a college baseball game? Probably not.

But if you have, the handful of college baseball games aired nationally every season are usually aired in the afternoons (drawing a very small TV audience) with only a few thousand fans in attendance – nothing close to an average MLB game.

Also, the top draft picks from college basketball and football go right to the big club and many crack the starting lineups their rookie years.

College baseball players who are drafted, even in the first round, are assigned to lower-level minor league teams and take anywhere from 2-5 years to advance to the Majors – if they even make it that far, which, statistically, most don’t.

So, essentially, the NCAA is a “minor league” system for the NBA and NFL. By the time elite players from college basketball and football are ready to be drafted they’re already established household names with big fan followings and a tremendous media presence.

College hockey players draw even less media attention than their baseball counterparts and follow a similar path in the minors once they’re drafted.

Perhaps the fourth of the “Big Four” of American sports, the NHL is a very popular game that draws solid TV ratings and large arena crowds.

College hockey games, however, are never on national television except for the Frozen Four, which earns very little media attention.

As a result, most fans have no idea who the top amateur American hockey players are.

Strasburg’s draft attention by the media is certainly an aberration.

The kid only had to post arguably the greatest collegiate season-ever for a pitcher to get any publicity. While every year, 10-20 college basketball and football players, with nowhere near the accomplishments of Strasburg, are drooled over by every sports media outlet in the country.

Hopefully Strasburg's success and subsequent media attention will jumpstart a push to start slicing off some of the publicity hype, so easily dished out to college basketball and football players, to some of the deserving amateur baseball and hockey athletes.

A Refreshing Voice in Sportscasting Analysis

Over the last 20-25 years, as many media conglomerates have bought-up television and cable networks that carry sportscasts, it seems like game analysts have gotten more watered-down and vanilla with their commentary.

Not that they, for the most part, can’t accurately explain the hit and run, the pick and roll or the 4-3 defense - but today’s sports analysts, as a whole, stay far away from statements that could be construed as negative or critical and spin everything into positives…really boring stuff.

Nobody turns on a game to listen to an analyst degrade or embarrass an athlete or coach, but from time to time a play or certain action on the playing field needs to be called-out and (to paraphrase from one of the all-time best) “Tell it Like it Is”.

When a player doesn’t run out a ground ball, get back on defense, or try to make a tackle instead of just pushing an opponent out of bounds, you rarely hear an analyst appropriately reprimand that player.

A big reason for this “censorship”, I believe, is the trend of media conglomerates owning both the team and network, or being heavily invested into a particular sports league – thus driving the conglomerates to extreme concern about brand and image.

When an ownership group has that type of control its good business sense to pressure your sports analysts into making only positive statements about players, athletes, coaches and the overall game. It’s good PR for your product.

But, as a result, the broadcast suffers because the game analysis is not true to the fans and viewers.

So when a voice comes along that pays no attention to the inside corporate b.s. that restricts most analysts - you have to stand up, take notice and appreciate it.

While watching Game 2 of the NBA Finals Sunday night, I realized how great ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy is – not only for his detailed commentary as a former NBA head coach but because, frankly, he pulls no punches.

Because most analysts could be deemed “non-threatening” and continually towing the company line in the manor they announce games, Van Gundy jumps right out and smacks you with his brutal honesty and tough insight.

I’m guessing he coaches the same way he announces; tough but fair.

During the aforementioned Game 2, play-by-play man Mike Breen was discussing the return of Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. Nelson had been injured since February but had rehabilitated his right shoulder in time to play in the Finals.

Breen went on to say that upon his return to practice leading up to the Finals, Nelson approached teammates Rafer Alston and Anthony Johnson, also both point guards, to seek their permission to rejoin the team and take up the bulk of the minutes the two backups had been sharing while he was out.

The point of the story was that Nelson, an all-star, is such a great teammate and swell guy, he was considerate enough to “ask permission” to return to action - clearly a public relations story planted by the Magic.

Van Gundy immediately ripped the ridiculous tale Breen was spinning.

Perhaps Nelson did discuss his return and the effect it would have with Alston’s and Johnson’s playing time. But it’s absurd to believe that an athlete playing at the level Nelson is would “ask permission” from the two backups for anything - let alone to return to the floor in the NBA Finals.

It was so refreshing to listen to Van Gundy completely shred and denounce, in his satirical style, the fable while hammering the Magic’s PR fairytale.

Van Gundy reminds me of Bill Walton, another basketball analyst who respects the game enough to “Tell it Like it Is”.

For baseball, Fox analyst Tim McCarver and SNY-Mets analyst Keith Hernandez are also blunt but fair with their commentary (who can ever forget Deion Sanders’ cowardly water cooler attack on McCarver following the Atlanta Braves 1992 NLCS win, "You know, Deion, you're a real man.”).

The best NFL analyst, I believe, is Phil Simms of CBS Sports. His commentary and insight also stands true to the game and the fans.

I encourage readers to reply with their thoughts on the best and worst analysts. I’ll post the responses in a few days.

Another Head-Scratcher By the Yankees

Well, the Yankees went ahead and did it again. You may remember a posting on this blog a few weeks ago (May 16) where I examined the Yankees public relations efforts regarding criticisms and negative feedback from fans and the media about some of the team’s new stadium policies.

The overall point of the blog was that the Yankees need to wrangle in their front office staff members who had been speaking with the media in a reckless fashion, hurting the organization’s public image.

I recommended, strongly, that the Yankees leave the media statements to just one or two appropriate staff members who are trained and skilled in public relations. This way, the organization can better avoid making inappropriate and contradicting statements.

This past week saw a completely new representative, speaking on behalf of the Yankees, quoted in the media regarding an important issue and hurting the team with an ill advised statement.

The issue revolves around the new players’ parking lot and loss of autograph opportunities for fans.

Up until this season the players’ parking lot was outside the stadium, so players had to walk from the lot into the players’ entrance. As a result, fans were able to wait outside the players’ entrance and try to meet players and get autographs.

It was a wonderful experience for fans who got to the ballpark a little early for the chance of seeing your favorite players up close and saying hello and trying to snag an autograph. It was truly a thrill (I’m writing from personal experience).

But now, with the new stadium, this opportunity has been eliminated because the players’ parking lot was built underneath the ballpark and players can now get inside the stadium without walking by a single fan.

So with so many unhappy fans voicing complaints and their disappointment over this, the Yankees responded with a statement from AJ Romeo, the director of Yankees-Steiner Collectibles (part of Steiner Sports Memorabilia), encouraging fans to visit their store inside Yankee Stadium to satisfy their autograph requests. “We still give the fans an opportunity to get an autographed baseball,” Romeo said.

Wow…is Mr. Romeo really that out of touch? Does he not understand that the joy of getting an autograph for most fans is not just the possession of an inanimate object with a signature but the thrill of the chase and then the actual face-to-face interaction with the players?

Incidentally, on a recent trip to Yankee Stadium, I surveyed the prices at Yankees-Steiner Collectibles and found, while accompanied by a store staff member, that the least expensive autograph offered is a $150 framed Yogi Berra picture. The least expensive Derek Jeter autographed-item is a $600 framed picture.

Oh, and just for fun, the most overall expensive item in the store is an autographed Mariano Rivera mitt used in a 2007 regular season game (not any special or historic game, just an ordinary regular season game). The price: $22,000.

So it’s clear that Mr. Romeo either has absolutely no idea why fans seek autographs or he just severely underestimates the intelligence of the fans. To imply that fans can appease their desire for autographs by visiting his store and paying hundreds of dollars for autographs is absurd.

But the bigger issue, public relations-wise, is why the Yankees allowed Mr. Romeo to speak to the media on the organization’s behalf in the first place?

Steiner Sports has an exclusive contract with the Yankees for game-used memorabilia, so they are a business partner of the New York Yankees. But does that qualify a director from the company to address important issues involving the new stadium and fan complaints in the media?

In my earlier post I suggested the Yankees should leave their media statements to both the team’s director of media relations, Jason Zillo, and its general manager, Brian Cashman – and nobody else.

Zillo did offer a quote regarding the autograph situation that was safe, although carrying little substance, by stating that players and fans were still adjusting to the new ballpark and the organization was making efforts to better connect player and fans.

If I had to guess, I’d say Romeo was not cleared by the Yankees to speak to the media on the team’s behalf or address any of its issues. I think the New York Times reporter, A.G. Sulzberger, who wrote a story on this topic (click here to read), picked up the phone, called Steiner Sports and got his quote.

When Mr. Sulzberger’s call came in, Steiner Sports should have either referred the reporter to the Yankees P.R. department or asked for some time to draw up a statement, get the Yankees to approve the statement, and then offer it to the reporter and The New York Times. Which I don’t believe was done.

This is another clear indication that the Yankees continue to struggle with their public relations.

Ballpark Review: A Look into a Night with the Long Island Ducks

Click Here To View an Image Slide Show of a L.I. Ducks Game Experience

I have to preface this blog post with the fact that I’ve worked, on and off, for minor league and college baseball teams for more than nine years. So I feel very strongly about the importance of minor league baseball in America and the community’s responsibility to support its teams.

So…when I realized that my parents lived less than four miles from the Long Island Ducks in Central Islip, NY, I bought some tickets a few weeks ago and insisted we attend a game.

Because the Ducks play in the Atlantic League, an independent minor league, I wasn’t sure what to expect. With affiliated teams, generally the higher the level of baseball (Double-A, Triple-A, etc.) the bigger and better the stadiums and overall game-operations are.

But after now attending two games during the month of May, I can report that the experience of a game at the Ducks’ Citibank Park is a terrific way to enjoy a professional baseball game.

Aesthetically, Citibank Park is a terrific minor league baseball stadium. I’d say it ranks at the level of your better Double-A parks. Opening in 2000, the stadium is a 6,000-seat state-of-the-art facility that includes 20 luxury suites, a picnic area for pre game parties, and plenty of concession stands that offer anything you’d expect to find at a baseball game.

One of the more important features of any sports or music venue is the facility’s parking operation, and the Ducks make driving to the game easy for their fans.

What’s impressive is not only are there numerous parking attendants directing fans to the closest spots before the game, but after, when most places offer no staff to help and it’s chaos leaving the lot, there’s plenty of attendants directing traffic on your way out.

Oh, and the parking’s free at Ducks games.

Walking around the concourse before the game, it’s obvious that the stadium is very “kid and family-friendly”, a must at any minor league park. One end of the stadium offers a “bounce house” for the younger kids while the other end offers a “speed pitch” where older kids can test their fastball on a speed gun.

Right before the game's first pitch, when the hometown players are announced and run out to their respective positions, little kids from local little leagues also run out and join the Ducks at their corresponding positions while their names are announced – it’s really cute.

The National Anthem at Citibank Park is usually performed by a local kids group or school groups while a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop stands at attention in front of the dugouts. And in-between innings, fans are treated to the obligatory games and promotions like “Race the Mascot” or “Dance for your Dinner”.

The baseball action itself is also high quality. Again, as an independent league game you’re not quite sure what to expect. But the Ducks offer a roster of former Major Leaguers and high-level Minor Leaguers.

Among the Ducks players is the former New York Mets first-round draft pick - Preston Wilson (1992). Wilson, Mookie’s stepson, played 10 Major League seasons and was a 2003 All-Star with the Colorado Rockies.

The Ducks are also managed and coached by two former NY Mets. Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter (“The Kid”) is in his first season as Ducks manager while team co-owner and first base coach is former Mets manager, coach and player Buddy Harrelson.

If you’re not a big baseball fan and just enjoy the ambiance of a minor league game, then there’s absolutely no difference between an independent league game and an affiliated game. Both types offer the same ballpark features and entertainment while providing solid baseball between the lines.

But if you’re a serious baseball fan and like to follow player careers, then affiliated ball is your cup of tea.

The difference between the two types of ball, essentially, is that guys on affiliated clubs are younger and still considered prospects for a Major League team.

While ballplayers on an independent league team are usually a little older (mid to late 20’s or even mid to late 30’s) who, maybe once considered an MLB prospect while playing in an affiliated organization, no longer has a realistic shot at the big leagues. They just like to play ball and are still able to perform at a high level.

When one follows an affiliated team, there’s always the excitement that a player or two will, one day, make the big leagues.

I’ll never forget my first season working in minor league baseball during the summer of 1996. I was a media relations assistant for the West Palm Beach Expos when there was some buzz about a new player being added to the team in late April. He was tearing up rookie ball and was promoted to the Expos, a High-A level club.

Well, in the fewer than six-weeks with the Expos this player also tore up the Florida State League and, before the end of the season, had advanced all the way to the big club in Montreal. That player’s name, Ted Leshinski…just kidding, it was Vladimir Guerrero. So to this day, I feel a special connection and rooting interest with Vladdy. You’ll never get that with a player from an independent league team.

The Ducks won both games I attended in May, and following their 4-0 victory over the York Revolution last Saturday night - the fans were treated to a post game fireworks show.

Not bad for an $11 ticket for a second-row seat.

Click Here to View an Image Slide Show of a L.I. Ducks Game Experience

Click Here to Visit the Long Island Ducks Web Site

Serena Williams is on a Path to Image Destruction

The American sports world was taken by storm when Serena Williams exploded onto the professional tennis scene in 1999.

With an unusual geographical and cultural background for an American tennis player, Williams, along with her older sister Venus, consistently made national sports news with big tournament wins.

After winning a few smaller tournaments, Williams solidified her position as one of the world’s best when, as a seventh-seed, she upset #4 Monica Seles, #2 Lindsay Davenport and #1 Martina Hingis to win the 1999 U.S. Open Women’s Singles title, becoming just the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Throughout the next 10 years Williams would be a staple at the top of the women’s world tennis rankings (reaching No. 1 on four separate occasions), winning a total of 20 Grand Slam titles (10 in singles, eight in doubles, two in mixed doubles), two Olympic gold medals and posting an incredible 420-88 record in match play.

Off the court, Williams has also made a big name in the fashion and entertainment world, along with earning millions in endorsements, and has become a larger-than-life sports celebrity superstar.

But after years of building her public image into an enormously successful and popular brand, Williams has been slowly chipping away at that brand with repeated ill advised quotes in the media.

The most recent of Williams’ inappropriate statements occurred this weekend in Paris during and after her third-round match win over Martinez Sanchez at the French Open.

A controversial play in which a ball hit by Williams apparently nicked Sanchez’s arm before bouncing off her racket for a return past Williams, giving Sanchez the point and game (an incorrect call if the ball hit Sanchez), ignited a series of ugly verbal fire between the two players.

Obviously unhappy with the call, Williams tried to say something to Sanchez during the changeover, but the player just kept walking. Williams then directed her anger at the chair umpire, facetiously saying, “I felt so bad. I didn’t mean to hit her.”

Williams continued her poor display of sportsmanship by uttering, “I don’t know why you gave her the game. That’s totally not cool...She better not come to the net again...Well, you know, I am from Compton, so, you know . . .”

Even after the match, which she won, Williams had a chance to compose herself but continued the petty bickering.

“I didn’t ‘think’ the ball touched her, the ball did touch here – 100 percent – on her arm,” Williams complained. "So the ball hit her body, and therefore, she should have lost the point – instead of cheating.”

If this was the first example of a poor display of class I believe most fans and sponsors would let it slide. It’s understandable when an athlete makes an inappropriate statement in the heat of the moment.

Understandable...but not acceptable.

However, Williams has been developing a new public persona over the last few years where she’s apparently not concerned as to how she comes across to her fans, sponsors and media, image-wise, and feels she can arrogantly boast whatever thoughts or emotions she’s experiencing without care of what anybody thinks.

If she continues this trend she’s really going to damage her public image and severely hurt all of the good-will she’s developed with the American sports fan.

Take Williams’ response to a media question a few weeks ago about Dinara Safina replacing her as the No. 1 ranked-player. “We all know who the real number one is,” Williams said. “Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”

How is someone supposed to root for, or even like, a player who makes that statement?

(Incidentally, Williams lost the very next match she played in the Italian Open after uttering that awful quote.)

The beginning of Williams’ arrogant outbursts and displays of poor sportsmanship can probably be traced back to her quarterfinal loss to Justine Henin in the 2007 U.S. Open.

Bringing a nasty disposition into the media room following the match, Williams initially refused to discuss her defeat (again, she’s in the media room). Williams finally offered this explanation for losing, “I just think she made a lot of lucky shots, and I made a lot of errors.”

That’s a statement a 5-year old would make.

Americans want to root for Williams and want to love her for her ferocious play on the court and unique style off it. But it’s tough to do so when she’s portrayed in the media as an arrogant whiner who disrespects her opponents.

Perhaps that’s not a fair assessment of the real Serena Williams. But that’s the image she’s presenting to the media.

Although America loves winners, winning doesn’t give you a free pass to act and say whatever you please.

Most fans and sponsors will eventually get tired of this act and disconnect with Williams if she continues it.