Posted in Baseball Cards, Uncategorized

I wonder…

Posted on by Paul
Casey Stengel's 1965 Topps card, a recent addition to my collection

…just how do you think Casey Stengel would fare if he had to contend with 21st Century baseball players, media, and fans. Would he still be able to craft a “lovable” image for a perpetually losing team?

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9 thoughts on “I wonder…”

  1. Its very difficult to compare time periods- in any sport.

    As for Stengel, it would have been interesting to see how he would have handled things. The same could be said about McGraw and Mack. There was no such thing as free agency and salary arbitration during their era. The price of going to a game was considerably cheaper in that time as well.

    Mack always had $$$ problems in Philly. He was forced to disband TWO great teams of the early teens and late 20s/early 30s- similar to the current A’s. Free agency might have put the Philadelphia A’s out of business altogether. Unless the Oakland A’s get that new stadium- it would be a shame to contract a charter member of the AL.

    Its asking a lot for fans to pay these 21st century prices to see a second division team.
    I’m sure Stengel would have had comments about high prices and empty seats. There’s one thing I’m sure Stengel never saw- more fans in cheap seats and fewer fans in the more expensive seats.

    Perhaps he would have signed an exclusive deal with Steiner Sports- of course we will never know

    The guy who I wonder about the most if he were working during this century- Branch Rickey
    He arguably had the best eye for talent; however, he never dealt with free agency.

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    1. I think it’s asking a lot for fans to pay 21st Century prices to see major league baseball in the New York area, period — $40 & $28 upper deck tickets wouldn’t be much more appealing if the Mets were expected to contend.

      As for Branch Rickey, I think the amateur draft may have presented more challenges than free agency if he was trying to operate in the modern era.

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      1. Great point I missed on Paul.

        Rickey also loved baseball players and money- he just hated to see the two come together.

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  2. I’m taking a tangent off of Freddy’s 3rd paragraph, but I’ve read whispers—very faint whispers—that if Oakland is forced to move, then Montreal might be a candidate. But many things have to fall into place, including the continued strength of the Canadian dollar to the US dollar; funding for a new stadium in Montreal; and the departure of Bud Selig from the Commissioner’s office. Just sayin’.

    As for Stengel, Mack, and Rickey, the biggest change for them to face would be the mindsets of today’s modern player. They don’t seem to listen to authority as much as young men once did, anymore.

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    1. I’m sure Oakland will have to move eventually – just building a new stadium in the same area isn’t going to increase the size of the ticket-buying fanbase… not past the first year, anyway. But I certainly wouldn’t want to be a politician proposing a publicly-funded ballpark anywhere right now.

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  4. $28 per seat for my season tickets in the grandstand in Yankee Stadium.

    I remember the equivalent in the old stadium (Tier Reserved) being under $10 a ticket.

    Here’s another perspective- the field box seats in the last year of Veterans stadium in Philly were around $29. The terrace deck seats in CBP go for that now.

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    1. Yep, the new stadiums are pretty and offer more activities for fans, but they aren’t very wallet-friendly.

      (The Citi Field prices I quoted were for summer weekend games for the Promenade Outfield and Promenade Reserved/Infield sections, in case anyone is curious.)

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