April 22, 2005 [LINK]

Sheff cleared

I was pleased to learn that Gary Sheffield did not receive any fines or disciplinary action for the incident involving the interfering fan in Fenway Park last week. Bud Selig said, "I am pleased that Gary Sheffield showed restraint in not overreacting to the improper and clearly aggressive action of the fan in question." See MLB.com The guilty fan, Christoper House, "had his season tickets revoked for the remainder of the season, while a second fan who poured a beer on Sheffield is not permitted to buy Red Sox tickets for the rest of 2005." I hope that such interference doesn't lead to more gaps being built between outfield fences and the stands, as they did in Yankee Stadium. Fans should be part of the game, up to a point. And no, I am not talking about Steve Bartman.

Minor leagues

Howard Corday sent me some fine pics of McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox. I've had a few other inquiries about whether I plan to include more minor league ballparks, since I recently added the diagram for The Diamond in Richmond. Possibily so, but only after I've finished revamping all the major league stadium pages. In any case, I would be very selective. That reminds me, on the way to the Nationals-Phillies game on April 4 I passed by Ripken Stadium, home of the Aberdeen Ironbirds, located along I-95 in northeastern Maryland.

50 K and climbing

The hit counter for the baseball page just crossed the 50,000 threshhold since this site "went semi-pro" last June. It's nice to get recognition, and I always enjoy hearing from appreciative fans, especially the ones (regrettably few) who have had the nerve to click on that PayPal donation button. "Bloggers increasingly rely on cybertips to finance posts" writes Beth Gillen of Knight Ridder News Service. So how's this: You plunk down a few bucks, and you get first consideration for suggested additions or improvements to this site. ball It's better than those hideous YOU ARE A WINNER! banners or sleazy pop-up ads for low-mortgage loans...