yankees

They’re clubbing the creativity of their fan base

Nobody likes a bandwagon jumper. They’re an insult to every loyal fan who keeps on cheering no matter what the standings say. Like the crowd in San Francisco the other night—31,000 strong—who showed up to watch their woeful Giants battle the Colorado Rockies in a game that meant absolutely nothing. San Fran is 15 games under .500 and nowhere near a playoff spot, yet AT&T Park was nearly full. And it has been the entire season, averaging 35,641 paying customers per game.

No disrespect to all you hockey folk whose favourite summer sport is watching Darcy Tucker sign on the dotted line, but have you checked the agate pages today? The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are leading the American League East by three-and-a-half games after sweeping the Boston Red Sox for the second time this season. The best team in baseball (52-32) is no fluke. Their starting rotation is stellar, their defence is spectacular, and everyone in the line-up seems to slap a base hit when it matters most. Imagine the October possibility: an AL East champion that doesn’t live in Beantown or the Bronx. Kevin Costner, the Rays’ biggest fan, hasn’t been this excited since his dead dad dropped by for a game of catch.

La première étoile: Daryl Katz. After several failed bids, the billionaire finally received approval from the NHL board of governors yesterday to buy his hometown Edmonton Oilers for a cool $200 million. That’s chump change for a guy who is worth $2.4 billion and runs his family’s pharmaceutical empire. He has indicated that he will spend any amount of money to ensure that the team wins, and has already pledged $100 million for the construction of a new arena. Katz is primed to bring the Oilers back to their glory days. Thank God.

Just thought I’d point out that if the baseball playoffs started today, the four american League teams would be: Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland A’s.