Major League Greed

[Bleujayone]

Sooner or later, you?ll be charged a few bucks, here and there, for talking about your favorite team by name.

According to the Cape Cod Times, Major League Baseball has threatened to pull the $100,000 grant it annually awards the Cape Cod League if teams that borrow their name from a professional franchise do not ?purchase all future uniforms and souvenir merchandise from more expensive MLB-licensed vendors.? You know, names that it could only take the genius of MLB to come up with, like Cardinals.

Staff writer Rob Duca writes, ?MLB is also requesting an 11 percent royalty on sales next summer of existing inventory from the six affected Cape League teams. Non-clothing items such as coffee mugs and teddy bears that are not available through MLB vendors could no longer be sold.?

Six of the ten Cape League teams use MLB names, including the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Hyannis Mets, Bourne Braves, Orleans Cardinals, Harwich Mariners and Chatham A?s. According to Duca, ?All six teams are considering changing their nicknames rather than shutting out local merchants", according to sources, "But it is too late to adorn uniforms and merchandise with new logos before the June opening of the 2008 season.?

Under any new deal with MLB, the local merchants that the league now depends upon would be cut out. Deplorable.

The Cape League runs on an annual budget of between $1.5 and $2 million, so a $100,000 grant is a pretty significant portion of that. Part of the allure of a Cape League game is that is costs nothing to attend. Plunk down a chair and enjoy. It?s an original in today?s landscape of the bottom line. Of course MLB would need a piece of that. I imagine Bud Selig the type to always have a metal detector with him seeking spare change on an Orleans beach. There may be a few straggling dollars to be had.

Major League Baseball likes to tout the billions of dollars it made last year. ?Baseball is more popular than ever.? Great. If you want to play that line, then let us suggest that $100,000 is an embarrassing amount to reward the Cape League, which does nothing but help your major league product. Duca points out there are more than 200 Cape League veterans playing in the majors right now. The Cape League runs on a volunteer staff, for the love of the game. How naïve.

It?s obvious that they owe their soul to Major League Baseball. Don?t we all sooner or later?

Major League Greed- Boston Globe

Cape Cod League on Wiki

[Mac the Knife]

They're already doing this with Little Leagues that opt to use MLB names.

[gingerbreadmann]

This pisses me off. I went to the Chatham A's baseball camp this summer. If you've ever been to a game, there's nothing like it. Not even close. It's amazing stuff. The communities' relations with the team, everything. Pure baseball.

F*** MLB. Don't they have enough money?

[FiddySicks]

One of my dreams has always been to volunteer with the Cape League for the summer. Good thing I got my Chatham A's cap when I did I guess.

[infrared41]

They're already doing this with Little Leagues that opt to use MLB names.

I heard that MLB has backed off the Little League teams because of all the negative publicity it caused for them.

[CC97]

I guess this is bad news for our Oshawa Dodgers

[Magnus]

Yeah. Holy crap, talk about greedy bastards. Get a salary cap, for God's sakes.

[Brian in Boston]

The Cape Cod Baseball League should tell MLB to get bent.

Bourne Buzzards

Brewster Whitecaps

Chatham Lights or Lightkeepers (aka Chatham 'Keepers)

Cotuit Kettleers

Falmouth Commodores

Harwich CranBarons or Bog Sox

Hyannis Presidents

Orleans Dukes

Wareham Gatemen

Yarmouth-Dennis Redlegs

Hire a quality branding/design professional to create logos, uniforms and promotional materials to accompany these names (or, others like them) and the problem is solved.

[kewp80]

It just wouldn't be the same Cap League with no Chatham A's or Orleans Cardinals.

Seriously, you don't see the NFL going out and suing the many semi-pro and high school teams that use NFL team names and logos.

If Major League Baseball wants to do this then fine, but they're gonna look like a bunch of greedy, slimy bastards in the process. I would hate to see one of the last surviving forms of pure baseball be done away with by a bunch of greedy MLB execs.

Anyway, a little off topic, but has anyone ever heard of the book "The Last Best League"? It's a very good read for anyone interested in the Cape League or the whole scouting/signing process in MLB.

[smzimbabwe]

It just wouldn't be the same Cap League with no Chatham A's or Orleans Cardinals.

Seriously, you don't see the NFL going out and suing the many semi-pro and high school teams that use NFL team names and logos.

If Major League Baseball wants to do this then fine, but they're gonna look like a bunch of greedy, slimy bastards in the process. I would hate to see one of the last surviving forms of pure baseball be done away with by a bunch of greedy MLB execs.

Anyway, a little off topic, but has anyone ever heard of the book "The Last Best League"? It's a very good read for anyone interested in the Cape League or the whole scouting/signing process in MLB.

Or watch the DVD "Touching The Game". It's a good documentary on the Cape Cod League. They're currently finishing up production on their second DVD which follows the Alaska League (the league I grew up watching)...

[zig]

They're already doing this with Little Leagues that opt to use MLB names.

Seriously? That's just crazy. I mean it's little league...the kids kind of like looking like pros...don't they? If that's true then that is terrible.

[gingerbreadmann]

It just wouldn't be the same Cap League with no Chatham A's or Orleans Cardinals.

Seriously, you don't see the NFL going out and suing the many semi-pro and high school teams that use NFL team names and logos.

If Major League Baseball wants to do this then fine, but they're gonna look like a bunch of greedy, slimy bastards in the process. I would hate to see one of the last surviving forms of pure baseball be done away with by a bunch of greedy MLB execs.

Anyway, a little off topic, but has anyone ever heard of the book "The Last Best League"? It's a very good read for anyone interested in the Cape League or the whole scouting/signing process in MLB.

That's possibly my favorite book. And the documentary mentioned my smzimbabwe... it really is like that, what is shown in those works. The Cape League.. is pure joy for everyone involved.

[Mac the Knife]

They're already doing this with Little Leagues that opt to use MLB names.

I heard that MLB has backed off the Little League teams because of all the negative publicity it caused for them.

Well, if you call lowering the fees they were trying to get backing off, yeah. But they still get a cut.