Any time Ralph Nader comes out in opposition of something, I immediately take the other side, even before I know what he's coming out against. Well this whole Spiderman-advertising-on-the-bases thing is absurd and you would think someone running for president would find better uses for his time. In addition to Nader, baseball purists decry the fact that this is one more black mark against the game and this will further sully the sanctity of baseball. Let me ask you something -- who are these purists and where were they when MLB was facing real problems like rampant steroid abuse and out-of-control salaries?
To paraphrase Allen Iverson, "We're talking about Spiderman."
Who gives a crap. If no one had mentioned that there would be four-inch spider-webs on the bases, no one would have made a peep (except for perhaps those annoying veiwers who think it's their right to call the t.v. producer of every PGA tour event and rat out some player who may or may not have broken some arcane rule). Nader was so outraged that he sent an incendiary letter to Bud Selig. In it he makes the following suggestion:
It's gotten beyond grotesque," Nader said. "The fans have to revolt here. Otherwise, they'll be looking at advertisements between advertisements."Revolt? Is he crazy? Look, there are bigger issues in MLB than spider-webs. In fact, I'm all for in-game advertising if it limits (or even does away with) commercials.
Unless the advertisers actually want Spiderman to play 2nd base, I don't care what they do. Soccer shows advertising in the upper corners of the t.v. during each uninterrupted half. The European PGA superimposes advertising on the fairways and golfers are plastered in advertisements. I'd think that golf may be more steeped in 'tradition' and 'purism' than baseball, but most of the controversy concerns advancement in techonology, not over-advertising.
I think Dusty Baker gets right to the point, and it's a good one:
"I don't care," he said. "You've still got to touch base, whether they got spiders, scorpions or snakes on them."If you really want to get my attention, but Nader out there at 2nd base -- maybe in a Spiderman costume.
