Blog post

August 22, 2006 [LINK]

Stadium page updates: complete!

All of the major league baseball stadium pages now have interactive thumbnail diagrams for easy comparisons with stadiums that are particularly relevant or similar. The text on some of those pages has been updated as well. The (previously obscure) link to the baseball site map page at the upper right of each stadium pages is now separate from the link that scrolls down to the photos (if any), which is indicated by the camera icon. Pages without sponsors (hint!) now have commercial ads -- just like on the outfield fences of old ballparks! Note also that the "Coming attractions" list now includes all stadiums yet to be revised, including major revisions (e.g., adding new dynamic diagrams), minor revisions (e.g., additional diagram versions), and future stadiums. As always, the precise sequence is anyone's guess. The various stadium comparison pages and franchise history pages will be the next to be revised.

Yankees win all five in Boston

For only the third time in history, the Yankees swept the Red Sox in a five-game series at Fenway Park. On the two previous occasions (1927 and 1943) they went on to win the World Series. Hmmmm... In the final game last night, the two players recently acquired from the Phillies -- Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle -- played key roles. See MLB.com. The Yanks are now 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox, whereas one month ago they were 2.5 games behind. I had been wondering how long the revamped Red Sox team with all those unfamiliar faces could stay on top in the AL East. The fact that the wild card spot will probably go to the AL Central runner up this year means that the divisional race in the AL East is higher stakes than usual -- an all-or-nothing proposition.

Doldrums in D.C.

Meanwhile, the Nationals lost to the Marlins last night, 3-1, their third straight loss. As most people know, almost everyone in Washington leaves town in the late summer, so it is hard to maintain fan interest even in a good year. Given their mediocre play of late, the Nats need to do something good fast, or the attention of Washington area fans will quickly be diverted to the Redskins. Speaking of which, isn't it annoying how much attention the television sports reporters are paying to the football preseason? Since when did practice football games become more important than real baseball games??

The mail bag

Mike Zurawski drew my attention to some new, more detailed artists' renderings of the Washington Nationals' future home. They are posted at jdland.com.

Bruce Orser did likewise for several photos of Petco Park while it was under construction; see Cameron Stotz. I have a few more e-mail messages to get to, so please be patient...