We’re ALWAYS” MOVING DOWN THE ROAD” during our life. Things naturally change. Same is true in sports.

……With the A’s already MOVING DOWN THE ROAD as they bolt from Oakland,  apparently to Las Vegas. Isn’t it time for the MLB to REALLY MOVE DOWN THE ROAD to have a closer touch with a entirely new fanbase?  With the many Latino stars in the MLB right now (Ronald Acuna, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Francisco Lindor, Manny Machado and many more, isn’t it time for the MLB to move on to THEIR “neck of the woods”?

…First of all, 15 teams in a league is an ususual number. It’s forced 3 divisions. By adding 2 teams, 1 to each league, 16 team leagues have a much easier time to “balance” out things in a couple different settings. When you consider that 28.5% of the players are Latino, 2 new teams in S. America makes sense for the growth of the sport. Remember when the moves to the West Coast by the NY Giants & Brooklyn Dodgers was thought to really be a wild idea in 1958. The Dodgers played their first 4 seasons in the LA Memorial Coliseum. The Coliseum was built to host the Olympics.It’s already hosted the Olympics in 1932, 1984 and is scheduled for the 2028 Olympics.

…more on MOVING DOWN THE ROAD TO LA…an unknown, vital (at least to me) figure in the move to LA by the Dodgers was Robert Moses. Walter O’Malley (Dodgers owner) had a design for a 55,000 seat stadium in Brooklyn. Everyone seemed happy except Robert Moses. Moses, now considered the “father” of suburban growth vs inner city transportation was an urban planner for the NY City. Not just an urban planner but one with an incredible amount of power, Moses never held elected office but controlled millions of dollars in public funds. Moses wanted the new stadium in Flushing Meadows in Queens (where the Mets play currently). New parkways were being constructed there..in the county. He never approved of the new Dodger stadium plans in the city. They could find no compromise despite months of negotiations. Hence, the project came to a sudden halt. It drove O’Malley to look around for a new site. He eventually came to like  the idea of moving to LA.

… The MLB should be ready for MOVING DOWN THE ROAD along those same lines. Consider moving to S. America , specifically Caracas Venezuela! Make this move the start of world-wide MLB ball. They already have a beautiful stadium called La Rinconada Stadium–a 36,500-seat stadium. It has a bit of a different look to than a USA stadium. The décor draws on brighter colors, weave of steel and extends into the surrounding landscape with a public park—more of a South American “look”. Isn’t it time for the MLB to extend into their boundaries? Plenty of Latino players  (and stars currently) dot the rosters of most MLB teams. So… why not really EXPAND? Of course, in time (or right away), you’d need a 2^nd team in South America. But, that doesn’t seem to be a problem.  The Mexico City pre-season series this year was so supported so well that talks are already “on way” for another next year.

…In addition, maybe a couple other MLB teams SHOULD MOVE DOWN THE ROAD. Clearly the move by Oakland was a no-brainer. Oakland’s fans/ownership/ coverage just didn’t click for the last couple years. It doesn’t mean that Oakland is a bad city…it just means that it isn’t a baseball city under this ownership. I’m not so sure that Vegas is the right spot. Will there be a huge season-ticket base?  There are only 645,000+ residents in Vegas. I’m sure that the casinos will purchase many tickets to provide to their clients/visitors. But…is that enough—fans who come to games on a “get-away”?

…MOVING DOWN THE ROAD  is a constant. Like it or not…we MOVE DOWN THE ROAD. Nashville, Charlotte, New Orleans badly want MLB teams.  Some teams continually have a difficult time “drawing” fans. Having some of the biggest challenges in drawing fans are the Florida teams. Miami has been 30^th in attendance (smallest) 3 of the last 4 seasons (excluding 2020-covid season). Tampa Bay has turned into a very competitive team. In the past 5 years, a top contender for the division. But the attendance has stumbled along—In 2022 and 2021, they were 28^th in attendance; in 2018 & 2019 TB was 29^th and 2017^th they had the lowest attendance in the league. Many Florida residents live in 2 places—Florida in the winter, elsewhere in the summer.  If Tampa Bay can’t get strong support with the team that they now have….I’d sure be looking to MOVE DOWN THE ROAD!

…seeming NOT READY TO MOVING ON (Thank Goodness) but dropping into 2nd place standing is City SC. Still astonishing most soccer observers by “coming on so strong” in their very 1^st year, City just fell into 2^nd place after their loss to LAFC this week.  After 23 games, City is just a single point behind LA after their loss to them this week. City SC has really ignited (again) the soccer fever in St. Louis.

…MOVING DOWN THE ROAD to the All-Star game. A couple factors struck me. One was the fact that Nolan Arenado was the ONLY Cardinal rep @ the All-Star game. The last time that the Cards had just 1 rep was in 2019. Who was that Player?  Sit back—hold onto your hat…it was Paul DeJong! That’s amazing when one considers that Mark McGwire, who revitalized baseball spirit in the Lou, was only chosen for 1 All-Star game as a Cardinal. It makes me wonder if the approach of selecting All-Stars needs to be revised.

…I started to wonder, since the MLB has expanded many times since the beginning of the 1^st All-Star game, that the requirement that each team has about having a player on the team doesn’t seem relevant any longer. We can watch most teams (if we want) at some point in our own houses through streaming (the new direction), cable, whatever.  Hence, the All-Star game doesn’t seem to carry the “excitement” of years ago when fans were unable to see the players of the “other” league throughout the season.

… As the HR Derby MOVES DOWN THE ROAD, it needs to be revised. The current MLB batters knock out HR like they were hitting fungoes. The current batters in the HR Derby may be taking away the thrill of a home run. Instead of a time limit, give the batter 3 outs (any ball NOT hit out of the stadium).

…Well….it’s time for me to MOVE DOWN THE ROAD.  Many other readers would enjoy YOUR individual thoughts. I’m thinking that my proposed S. American move by MLB teams may elicit some response. There’s no right or wrong.  It’s easy…just post directly on my FB page or my website-www.bobryansportsblog.com  or send to me & I’ll post for you (with your name or initials-whichever you prefer) Have a great week!  Bob