Dodger Stadium. (Credit: Jean Martineau on LinkedIn)
LOS ANGELES - At Dodger Stadium this week, there was one promotion that played every night. Two in-ballpark hosts were encouraging fans to use Uber Eats to order their food and drinks.
My initial reaction was that this was the most California thing ever, but then I learned that this is the third season that they've done this at Dodger Stadium and that this isn't the only place that does this.
During the live commercial in the ballpark, the hosts talked about not missing the action, as you can order from your seat, get an alert from your phone when it's ready, and then run back to the concession stand to pick it up, meaning you can skip the line and just grab your food.
What they didn't tell you though, is there are convenience fees associated with this.
As if ballpark food wasn't expensive enough (A Dodger dog was $9.50), now add in convenience charges. But, what really is the convenience? Not having to stand in line to order? Great. You still have to get up from your seat to go get your food.
You want to charge me for a convenience, have an Uber Eats delivery person run my food to my seat. That way I'm CERTAIN not to miss a minute of the game.
Otherwise, I am a smart enough consumer that I know when to go stand in line and when not to go stand in line, ensuring that I'm in my seat for every strikeout and every home run.
The way it is set up now, is pretty much a sham. But people are using it. They think it's a good deal. Sigh. Be smarter, people.
Since the last edition of this column, the Milwaukee Brewers became the first team in baseball to clinch a playoff berth. The Phillies were the first to win a division, but the Brew Crew actually beat them to the playoff punch by two days.
After their walk-off win against St. Louis that allowed them to punch their ticket on Saturday, the team was having a toast in the clubhouse.
That's when things got weird.
Owner Mark Attanasio handed manager Pat Murphy a letter. Murphy read the letter aloud. It was purportedly from late broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died in January.
It started off sounding genuine, with a self-deprecating joke that would have been classic Uecker.
But then the note made reference to the Brewers having the best road record in baseball.
It was clear to me at that point, that this wasn't actually from Uecker. But here's the thing, the Brewers didn't admit it right away. In fact, they kind of left it vague in the video and the social media team didn't help by passively insinuating it was actually from the legendary broadcaster.
Sadly, almost all of the Brewers fans who initially responded to the posting online bought it hook, line, and sinker.
But some intelligent people started to question if it was real. Brewers reporters started sniffing around, and the team finally admitted it wasn't.
The Brewers clarified that this wasn’t an *actual* letter from Ueck. Pat Murphy wrote it as a way to include Bob Uecker in the clinch celebration, the team said.
(Not from the Brewers but my understanding is the “road record” comments, etc. were included to make that evident) https://t.co/bGalFZqwWc
Making matters worse, it wasn't even partially written by Uecker with details added posthumously. Instead, it was written by Murphy himself, which made the hand-off from Attanasio in front of the team even more perplexing and absurd. Like, why not just pull it out of your pocket? Why make it dramatic and theatrical? Were they trying to dupe their own players?
Murphy told a Milwaukee radio station that he did it as a tribute to Uecker and to connect his players to Brewers history. Except, it didn't come across that way,
Look, it was well-intentioned, I'm certain of that. But someone in the organization should have made sure there were some guardrails put in place for this thing to make sure everyone was aware that, you know, this wasn't actually written by the deceased Mr. Baseball.
Instead, the whole thing was cringey and ended up being an awkwardly bad look for a team that has been one of baseball's best stories this season. Shame.
Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw announced he will retire at the end of the 2025 season on Thursday. He will make his last regular season start at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the Giants.
How much he pitches after that game - possibly one more start on the road or in the postseason - is unknown at this time.
The surefire Hall-of-Famer has been a joy to watch. He pitched against the Phillies in both the 2008 and 2009 NLCS, that's how long he's been around.
But the thing I appreciated the most about him during his 18-year career is the fact that he did it all with one team.
That is a concept nearing extinction in professional sports. I appreciate free agency and I fully support players having the option, at some point, to choose the best place to work for themselves and their family, and whether that decision is professional, personal, or financial doesn't matter.
But there is something special about those players who choose to remain committed to an organization, when they could have easily gone elsewhere. Some people criticize players for that - think about how many people have called Mike Trout soft for choosing to re-sign with the L.A. Angels a few years back. But I see something different there. I understand the drive to want to see something through to the end, even if it remains unfinished. We all strive for perfection, although we never attain it. But the pursuit of it is what makes the experience great.
Hats off to Clayton Kershaw! 2⃣2⃣ pic.twitter.com/Kmg6ucAPmN
Kershaw had chances to leave L.A. during several seasons in which the Dodgers didn't win the World Series. Ultimately, he won two titles there that he may not have won if he chose to go elsewhere. Yeah, the 2020 World Championship is a bit fugazi considering it was the Covid-shortened season and played in front of cardboard cutout fans. But, the 2024 championship had to feel worth the wait, even if Kershaw was barely part of it due to injuries and ineffectiveness.
He likely came back in 2025 so he could go out his own terms, and fittingly he's had a bit of a renaissance season. It is a good way to cap off a tremendous career, even if the Dodgers do not repeat in October.
Kudos.
Major League Baseball announced on Thursday that they are banning teams from scouting amateur players or even collecting data on them between Oct. 15 and Jan. 15 for high school juniors and seniors and Nov. 15 and Jan. 15 for collegiate athletes.
They say the reason for this is to curb injuries - mostly to pitchers - who they feel aren't using those months for recovery but are, instead, still going with maximum effort in showcase tournaments and other winter leagues in warm weather locales.
That's nice. Glad the league cares. Or... does it?
See, the league isn't stopping agents from going to these events to scout potential clients. And they aren't just looking at high school juniors and seniors. Oh, no. They start scouting kids in eighth grade.
Does the league really think kids are going to stop participating in these events because teams won't see them in person? Does it think video won't exist to be shared after the recovery period concludes?
Also, there was no mention here about international players. Why are they any different? Does the human body develop differently in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela than it does in Texas?
This whole thing doesn't pass my smell test. Instead, it comes across as the league trying to appear more benevolent while being able to have plausible deniability if future injury numbers are still the same, or worse, than those it released last December as part of a yearlong study. See, it won't be MLB's fault anymore because it took proactive steps to curb what its teams were doing as far as scouting these kids. Come on, man.
Hey, MLB...
Get off my lawn.
