Comments on: Brian Sabean: “the game is East Coast-centric”

By: yankeesgameday

yankeesgameday — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:06:48 +0000

I have two baseball sites up now, a yankee specific one and a general baseball one. On the general baseball one I do these stories about all of the teams in spring training and by far, the people who come to the sites are from the east coast. I can do a story on the orioles and get a ton of hit but I did one on the Giants and no one shows up. It’s not just that there is an East Coast bias… it’s that by sheer volume there are more people passionate about their teams willing to seek out information about them there than here on the West Coast. And I am starting to actually see the numbers to prove it.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:01:38 +0000

Totally, brah.

By: lbehrendt

lbehrendt — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:06:40 +0000

Dude. Surfing has a west coast bias. I’m totally serious.

By: markus124

markus124 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:02:46 +0000

Perhaps the focus is on east coast teams because the west coast teams play 3/4 of their games when most of the country is asleep. Play some 5PM starts and you’ll be amazed at the increased attention.

By: ta192

ta192 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:20:50 +0000

I hope Gator reads Cur’s post…he’ll love it more than I did…

By: ta192

ta192 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:16:48 +0000

There’s an “east coast” bias, then again there’s a “New York” bias as well as a specific “Yankee” bias. Mercyflush pretty much nailed it, it’s about the money and business decisions, but you gotta expect the Mega Market to take a wee bit bigger bite of the apple…

By: clydeserra

clydeserra — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:45:44 +0000

I believe Sabean is an idiot and he got very lucky last year.

That being said, he answered a local reporters question, he may believe what he said, but its not like he is going out to bash ESPN (who until recently employed as their #1 PXP guy, the Giants PXP guy)

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:14:08 +0000

I beg your pardon (et moi); c’est francais, not l’anglais. As such, you are abâtardir the word ‘cheque’ to ‘check’, not moi. Aussi, it’s not “Ameringlish” je parlez; c’est “Franglish”. So there.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:00:47 +0000

Did you just spell that “cheque?” Sheesh. Damn Canadians and their bastardization of Ameringlish.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:54:38 +0000

You might be slightly off on your financial expenditure number there, but otherwise, you’re right. I think Simon might just want some of the heat taken off, what with the immense and far reaching suckitude of the Wilpons and Minaya.

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:47:32 +0000

Sabean wants more press? Well I have a thought (I got lots, so this one’s gratis); have Tiny Tim appear on camera with Louis the Cab Driver and give him a a big $1 million cheque (one of those giant novelty jobs so we can appreciate how little Timmy is; you know? For the pathos). This way everybody wins; Louis gets to “land on his feets”, the Giants have somewhere to stay in Brazil, Sabean gets press, Timmy is off the hook for those “clove cigarettes” and we all get to see that a) the Mets are not alone in wasting dough so as to get the Wilpon’s mugs on HBT and b)Timmy & Louis are really 2 separate people.
Thank you. I’ll be here all week, folks. Meanwhile, check out Louis;

By: macjacmccoy

macjacmccoy — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:15:49 +0000

Agree, The Phillies didnt get any extra attention from the national media at the beggining of 09. It was basically all about the Yankees that year getting Sabathia and Teixiera. You didnt hear anyone in Philly complaining about New York bias. Thats just the way it goes once a new season begins all that matters is whats going to happen not whats already happened. By then whoever won the world series, no matter what geographical location there team players in, is old news and the media is looking for the next big story they can cling on to. This year it happened to be the Phillies rotation for the 1st month or so, then Albert Pujos’ no contract, contract deadline, and then Adam Wainwrights injury, till now. And its going to continue to go from story to story like that until the first pitch of the season. People on the west coast need to stop being so sensitive about the coverage they get. It has nothing to do with bias it has to do with numbers. Theres just more people and more baseball teams on the east coast, and the more there are the more reporters are needed to get everyone the news, and the more reporters there are reporting something the more chance there is that that thing will get coverage.

By: BC

BC — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:56:30 +0000

Half of that is due to Craig hating on the Mets and poking fun. The other half is that the Mets spent $100,000,000,000,000,000 on payroll and an new ballpark, they stink on ice, and their owners are financially inept and only slightly more incompetent (and perhaps incontinent) than Donald Sterling.
As far as East Coast bias…. is it a coincidence that ESPN is within 2 or 3 miles of being geographically equidistant from Boston and New York? Then throw in the Phillies being a serious contender, and OF COURSE they’re East Coast biased. I mean, when was the last time that all three of those teams stunk at the same time, 1965-1966? They didn’t even have cable TV then. (How did people survive???!?)

By: Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward

Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:40:28 +0000

The east coast is three hours in the future compared to the west coast. The news, is therefore, newest in the east. Case closed!

By: stealofhome

stealofhome — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:15:30 +0000

Brian Sabean payed over-market prices for that Motorola RAZR because it brings a veteran presence to his ears.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:58:11 +0000

I think it’s important to differentiate between saying the GAME is East-Coast-Centric and saying that the MEDIA is East-Cost-Centric. You could make an argument for both (and both together: the East Coast has more fans and money and wins more often, therefore not only gets but maybe DESERVES more media attention), but what Sabean said is that the GAME is East-Coast-Centric while providing a poor argument for the MEDIA being East-Coast-Centric.

More importantly: stop whining that your championship team from last year isn’t getting as much attention as what looks like a championship team for this year. It’s a short news cycle, you got your moment in the sun. Whether you’re in the news or not has NOTHING to do with the games played, which should be your focus. And it’s not just losers that are sore.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:51:49 +0000

There are a lot of posts about the Mets because of the drama around their finances. There was a similar amount of posts about the Dodgers’ McCourts divorce.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:50:29 +0000

They haven’t won anything recently? The Phillies, Sox, and Yankees were the three winners before the Giants…

By: sayheykidwschamp

sayheykidwschamp — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:38:50 +0000

So it’s about winning right? So the Giants win the WS…that’s winning. The Giants have the best record in the Cactus League, and I think for all of ST? That’s winning right? But the Phillies and Yankees and RedSox get it for just being…they haven’t won anything recently, but they get all the press. And none of the Giants success had to do with Sabean the GM, who was focused on making his team better. Not sure what bugs you about Sabean because he seems to be doing what you said a good GM should be doing. That’s what bugs me.

By: lardin

lardin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:27:11 +0000

Year in and year out the best teams are from the East coast. Occasionally A team out west wins. Sabean is right. The game is East Coast centric. But than again, Grass is green, the sky is blue and water is wet.

By: kellyb9

kellyb9 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:24:45 +0000

Thats funny because basketball seems to have a west coast bias, hockey seems to have a north coast bias. The sport is more popular in New York, Boston, and Philly right now than it is just about anywhere on the West Coast… so theres going to be a bias towards those areas.

By: sdelmonte

sdelmonte — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:23:45 +0000

I will note this, though, re: East Coast bias. There are a lot of posts about the Mets here. A lot more than a team that might struggle to reach .500 should have, I would say (even if I am a fan). Is that East Coast bias?

Not saying I am sure it is. Just wondering about how much coverage some teams get and others – the Mariners would come to mind if they got coverage – don’t.

By: oldnumero7

oldnumero7 — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:42:07 +0000

What bugs me about this whine is that it’s not about the performance of the team. Sabean thinks the Giants (and specifically Sabean) ought to be getting more love from the press, which has nothing to do with winning. A good GM focuses on making his team better, you don’t see Daniels/Friedman/O’Dowd bitching about press.

By: banksatdixie

banksatdixie — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:35:33 +0000

The Giants were successful in spite of Brian Sabean, and he finds something to complain about? If I had his string of recent luck I’d be playing the lotto.

By: mercyflush

mercyflush — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:51:59 +0000

i’m tired of the east coast bias thing. LA doesn’t get press?? give me a break.

King Felix won the Cy Young last year, beating out a NY, Boston and Tampa pitcher in the process. Lincecum won the two previous seasons. Posey won ROY, beating out an Atlanta player.

The only place that the east coast seems to get favored is in who ESPN picks for their Sunday Night baseball games, but that’s not “east coast bias,” it’s based on simple facts: they get better ratings for NY and Boston games, and ratings=money.

Other than that though, I think it’s crap.

By: shaggylocks

shaggylocks — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:49:49 +0000

This is especially funny considering the Giants picked up and moved out of New York to tap the West Coast market.

By: writtenbyross

writtenbyross — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:37:17 +0000

They really stuck it to the East coast with that vicory parade in NY.