Fehr stepping down

Breaking news:

Don Fehr is stepping down as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a position he's held since the mid-1980s, a source tells ESPN.

Fehr will be replaced by general counsel Michael Weiner, pending board approval, the source said.

The announcement is expected to be made later on Monday afternoon.

This is a huge move by Fehr.

What will you most remember him for? The labor issues? The stonewalling of PED testing? Something else?

I'll have more to come on this later (work's in the way right now, sorry).


UPDATE: Shysterball was able to put fingers to keyboard on this topic:

Love him or hate him -- and as the reaction starts to come out about this, be assured that it will run about 10% love, 90% hate -- you can't say the guy didn't generally do a good job. In terms of working conditions and pay, baseball players are amazingly better off now than they were when he took over in 1985, and it was largely through Fehr's leadership that the union was able to fend off ownership tactics which bordered on criminal at times, and which could have meant the end of the union if not successfully combatted. Here I'm talking about Collusions I, II and III and the 1994 lockout. If you want an example of how these episodes could have gone without better leadership, you need look no further than the NFL, whose union has repeatedly rolled over for ownership, and the umpires, who were absolutely destroyed by Selig and his friends.

The big exception here is PEDs, where Fehr's instincts to fight tooth-and-nail against ownership ultimately did the union's membership a disservice in my view. Yes, many were responsible for that mess, but it strikes me that it took Fehr too long to recognize that, unlike the often boring minutiae of the usual collective bargaining fodder, there were (a) competing interests within union membership on this issue; and (b) a strong public interest in its resolution. Fehr misread both of those things, and because of it, the players remain stuck in something of a P.R. nightmare and will for some time. I think that angle will be overplayed in the Fehr commentary that will follow in the coming days, but it's not something that can be ignored either.

Shall we nominate Craig to the soon-to-be-vacant General Counsel role?

Cubs fans love "gritty" players, too

The Cubs fans are showing some Brosius-like love towards the departed Mark DeRosa. Rick Morrissey's tongue-in-cheek account is a fun read:

On days of exceptional mourning and sadness over DeRosa's absence, the Cubs could simply draw a chalk outline of him near third base. DeRo, as we all know, should be there filling in for the injured Aramis Ramirez.

But let's try to be celebratory: What a career DeRosa had with the Cubs!

Sure, if you want to get all technical about it, he was with the team for only two seasons. But what a sublime two seasons! He averaged about 16 home runs and 80 runs batted in while hitting .289. He played six positions in each season and had a total of 22 "unfortunate events" -- a designation many of us prefer over the word "errors" when it comes to DeRosa.

And, as we all know, the Cubs won the World Series both years.

As Morrissey rightly notes, if Soto, Soriano and Lee had performed to expectation and had Milton Bradley been anything but a huge, whopping, oxygen-sucking bust, it would be the issue it's become.

Can you NOT do that right now?

Just a quick open note to ARod:

Dearest Alex:

It's been quite a 2009 for you, hasn't it? You admitted using PED's back in your Texas days. You had a tell-all some book come out as well, though it clearly flopped due to a lack of interest (or facts). You returned to your team only to hit a dramatic home run in your first at-bat. Since then, your presence in the lineup has been a boon for Mark Teixeira but your struggles have only gotten worse.

I'm OK with you not being your typical "ARod self" on the field; heck, you are still recovering from hip surgery. I have enjoyed the fact that you have been here so far and there has been no news about you. You got back to playing and that's great. Just as you promised.

You've been struggling the last few weeks and recently ended an 0-16 slide. It happens. Your manager gave you two days off so you could rest up from fatigue. This is totally reasonable as you have played every game since your return. Here's my problem, Alex: If you are given a few days off to rest, please rest. Partying like a rock star with actresses in South Beach*, while fun (just a guess), only serves to highlight your narcissistic ways. Focus on the team and only the team. Please. There's an off-season to party your tail off.

This team needs you to be a reasonable facsimile of your previous self if it's going to contend for the post-season. When your manager gives you a few days off, rest up. Your team will thank you. So will Yanks fans.

Best wishes,
Jason

* Here's the lowdown on ARod's night out:

It's not surprising that A-Rod is feeling a bit sluggish -- the wilting all-star was caught partying in South Beach with [Kate] Hudson, his main squeeze, in the wee hours yesterday morning.

The third baseman was seen leaving an exclusive party with the actress at around 2:30 a.m.

An update can be found here: Following up on ARod and his "fatigue"

Happy Father's Day

Thanks, Pop, for all the good stuff over the years. You know. The games, lessons, laughs. And all that other stuff, too: from The Eagles, to Old Timer's Day games, to the "Engineers", to Caddyshack, to sledding, to the Stones, to History of The World Part I, to Springsteen, to the Jeep ride home from the Bronx in the rain, to The Hunt For Red October, to CSN (you can still have Y to yourself).

Hope you get to enjoy Father's Day and Grandfather's Day with Marc and the kids. We'll be toasting you from this coast.

To Marc: Keep doin' what you're doin'. Wish I could see it more often.

To Matt: Happy 1st Father's Day. You've learned well and it's fun to watch.

And to my father-in-law, who's done nothing but made me feel like a member of the family since Day 1: thank you. You are a wonderful role model and a great friend.


For the rest of ya: Make sure you call or visit your Dad if you can.

Reader mail: A Father's Day tribute

This one came, unsolicited, from joeorange31.

It's 1988 (summer). I am 18 years old. Dad is 45. It's Friday afternoon, and the girlfriend will be coming to visit shortly for dinner tonight. Dad has some steak on the grill...grilling them slowly in the front yard.

I run into the garage and grab the whiffle ball and bat and run out to the front yard.

"Dad? Can you pitch a few to me before Tracey gets here?" Begrudgingly he obliges. It may not be HIS favorite activity, but it sure is mine. Little do I know.

The first ten pitches were uneventful; three weak grounders, two popups, three balls, two HBP.

Then...it happened.

swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss

Girlfriend arrives: We stop momentarily for cordial greeting. I offer for her to go inside, I'll be inside in a couple of minutes....just one more hit.

swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss

I've now struck out four times in a row...and starting to choke even more, and sweat. I am swinging at stuff I couldn't hit with a tennis racket. My father is silently giggling.

swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss

I've now struck out five consecutive times on fifteen consecutive pitches...ALL that I've
swung and missed at. Oh the horror. When's this gonna end?

swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss

My girlfriend comes outside after the sixth consecutive strikeout..."What's taking you so long?"

I snap back: "I SAID I'LL BE IN IN A MINUTE!!!!"

swing, miss
swing, miss
swing, miss

I've now struck out for the seventh consecutive time.

Dad: "Joey, aren't you ashamed? ... Can't we be done, now?"
Me: "Just throw the ball!"

The very next pitch, I swung with all I had....BAM! I'd love to say that Neil Armstrong caught it....but alas, this was almost as good: If my father hadn't ducked, it'd have hit him square in the forehead. It DID part his hair.

The sweat stops and I offer the following: "Okay...Now we can be done."

Him: "No...YOU hit the ball, now YOU go get it."

Somewhere...up there....my father is retelling this story to HIS father and the two of them are having a good laugh at my expense. Meanwhile, down here...you all can have the laugh at my expense. I do remember it fondly as my father was an unrelenting ball buster and this was no exception.

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's who let your kid(s) have the final word.

To my Father: I miss you, Dad. Today and every day.

Friday video fun: Whiffleball skills

It's Friday and that means afternoon video fun! And today, it notes the end of my week as I am leaving the office early.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Yanks fan relations gets one right

Sure was nice to see this sort of thing done yesterday at Yankee Stadium, following a 5+ hour rain delay:

The New York Yankees announced that they are rewarding all fans with tickets for today's game vs. the Washington Nationals for their patience and support with a free ticket offer. Please note that the Yankees will only accept tickets with valid barcodes for the June 18, 2009, game.

Fans may redeem their valid June 18, 2009, ticket -- regardless of whether it was used to attend the game or not -- for a free Bleachers, Grandstand or Terrace ticket at Yankee Stadium to a non-Premium game this season or a non-Premium game in the 2010 season.

I also heard that they invited all fans in the upper levels to come and sit in the lower level --nooo, not in the moat-- but lower level, since there were only about 10,000 fans at gametime.

That's getting it right.

I'd like to see the team randomly pulling families from the upper to the lower when there are seats available during every game. Might be tough logistically (to say the least), but it'd be a huge PR win, something the Yanks haven't had a lot of this season so far.

In unrelated news, the fine USGA folks at Bethpage State Park gave the middle finger to fans yesterday.

The rain that washed out play at Bethpage Black on Thursday left more than a few people scrambling for Plan B, including the 42,500 fans who had tickets for the day’s action.

Late Thursday, United States Golf Association officials decided to stick with their policy of not refunding or exchanging tickets that were designated for days when rain washed out play. On the event’s Web site, a small notice was posted saying, “Thursday tickets will not be refunded or exchanged.”

Because rain halted the event so early Thursday, and because more rain is expected, association officials met to consider whether to allow people with Thursday tickets to attend another day of the tournament, not unlike what baseball teams do when some games are rained out.

And because there is more rain scheduled, it seems that plus the stupid no-refund policy is having a negative impact on ticket resales for Sunday:

According to FanSnap.com, a Web site that monitors nearly five dozen ticket resellers, the average price of a ticket being offered for sale to Sunday’s play, which for now is the final round, had fallen by 40 percent.

Of the roughly 400 Sunday tickets for sale online Thursday, the average price had fallen to $128.15. Prices have fallen steadily since early April, when the average price hit a high of $220.

Click here to see the NY Times slideshow from the Open. Picture #7 is pretty telling how bad the conditions were for all. Screw the fans, though.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jay at FackYouk for forwarding this update:

The U.S. Golf Association was obviously concerned that ticket-holders Thursday believed they had been left high and dry, and announced this morning that anyone with a Thursday ticket will be allowed to watch whatever golf will be played on Monday.

There is a strong possibility that regulation play will not be finished as scheduled on Sunday because of the delays caused by Thursday's suspension and the likelihood of rain again on Saturday. So the Thursday ticket holders could get to see the finish of the Open. If there is a playoff Monday, they also would be allowed to use Thursday tickets to attend that.

Papelbon: If not in Boston, then NY?

Heard yesterday on MLB on XM:

Jody McDonald: “If you couldn’t work out a contract with the Red Sox before free agency comes up and you eventually become a free agent (after the 2011 season), is the Bronx ever a possibility?”

Jonathan Papelbon: “Oh, of course. I mean, I think if we can’t come to an agreement on terms here in a Red Sox uniform, I mean, I think that’s pretty much the writing on the wall. If they can’t come to terms with you they’re letting you know that, ‘Hey you know what? We can go somewhere else.’ And I think it’s the same way on the other side, ‘Hey if ya’ll can’t come to an agreement with me then I can go somewhere else.’ Not only in the Bronx, but anywhere. I think anywhere is a possibility. You always have to keep that in the back of your mind because you can’t just be one-sided and think that, ‘Oh I’m going to be in a Red Sox uniform my entire career.’ Because nowadays that is very, very rare and hopefully we can because there’s no question I would love to stay in a Boston Red Sox uniform but I have to do what’s best for me and play in an atmosphere where I’m wanted and play on a team where I’m wanted and that’s all I can really say about that, you know?”

Sounds like a "I'll play for whoever pays me the money I want", but who knows... I still can't see Papelbon joining the Yanks. Then again...

Thanks to the good guys at XM for getting me that quote. Sorry, no audio, however.

Nats embarrass the Yanks

I know it's one of the reasons why I love the game: because any team can beat the other on any given night. But for the Nationals to come into the Bronx with just 16 wins this season and take two of three is just embarrassing. Credit the Nats pitching. They came in threw strikes, got ahead and silenced the Yanks bats. Rough.

I only hope Gardner's doing OK. His head hit that plexiglass pretty darn hard.

Moving onto Florida.

When does this rain stop? Seriously?

Lunchtime viewing: 1972 All Star Game

Things I am seeing while watching the 1972 All Star Game (in Atlanta) on the MLB Network during lunch, in no particular order:

• Stirrups, lots and lots of stirrups
• Incredible Astros unis (not the rainbow ones, though)
• Bullpen carts
• Hank Aaron hitting a HR off Gaylord Perry
• An OF fence that looked shakier than one of those flimsy pressure fences you can install at home to keep pets out of a room
• Expos
• Cookie Rojas
• A rookie Carlton Fisk wearing a Brewers helmet
• Joe Torre's lambchops
• Tug McGraw
• Chicago WhiteSox' uniforms with red
• Jim Palmer's leg kick
• Jars of Andro and sacks of greenies (kidding)
• Gawdawful SD mustard unis
• Joe Morgan's arm flap before knocking in the winning run in extra innings

Here's the lineups, in case you are wondering.

And ya know what? The players played hard. And the game was only an exhibition.

Oh my, the 1978 game is about to begin....

Canseco to sue MLB: It's about the money

The slow, sad downward spiral of Jose Canseco continues:

"A lot of these players have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Mark McGwire and so forth. They're losing salaries, because obviously when you're inducted into the Hall of Fame, you get asked to do certain, you know, appearances and shows and so forth, which incorporates income. So there is a major income loss.

"Not even that, baseball blackballs you from their family, meaning you can't have a future proper reference from them, a job, no managerial jobs, no coaching jobs, nothing. They completely sever you."

Canseco "intends to enlist Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro to join in the suit". Yeah, good luck with that. Those guys have made their money and (likely) not pissed away as recklessly as you have, Jose. Palmiero has chosen to fade into the ether. Sosa's in the forefront due to recent events, but will likely fade as well, enjoying his stature in his homeland (and his megamillions). [Canseco earned $45m over his career; Palmiero $89m; Sosa $124m]

Time to look in the mirror, Jose. You did this. You brought this upon yourself. You chose to write the book. You knew what it would mean to you. Just because you're broke and forced to "fight" 7' Japanese dudes to make rent doesn't mean MLB owes you one more red cent than you already have taken from them. Nobody owes you $%^&, Jose.

Want some money from baseball? Go crusade against PEDs. Go do something good for the game instead of constantly trying to tear it down.

Knucklehead.

Buster wags the finger at his MSM brethren

This was a surprising passage to read from Buster. I'm thrilled he wrote this. Really. It's about time someone from the MSM is saying this, particularly the parentheticals:

Morris did nothing to erode the credibility of Ibanez. He only posed questions that are reasonable, because we've all seen aged star after aged star insist that they were innocent, only to be proven that they are liars. Like Charlie Brown, fans like Morris have had the proverbial football yanked out from in front of them time after time.

Only now, instead of Bonds and Sosa and Palmeiro and McGwire, it is Ibanez who is propping up some big numbers in front of them -- and is anybody surprised when there is skepticism?

(As a note: Some of the mainstream media outrage to the Jrod column was fascinating, because some of the same writers who have said they will never vote for a player they suspect of using steroids are saying it's wrong for others to blog about their own suspicions of players' steroid use. Think about the laughable inconsistency there.)

Ibanez insists he's clean, and we have no reason to doubt his word. Assuming he is clean, the circumstances are wildly unfair to him. But those elements were not put in place by Morris, who just happens to be part of a generation that does its communicating via e-mail and Twitter and blogs -- rather than through word of mouth, as a lot of writers did in the late '90s and the earlier part of this decade, as they stood alongside batting cages and speculated on who did steroids and who didn't.

My own standard as a journalist is that I won't speculate, in print, on who does steroids and who doesn't, at least without proof. I don't think any news organization should.

But if Morris and others do so, after being lied to time after time after time, you really can't blame them.

Bravo, Buster.

Lunchtime video fun: Things you can't do

Please, I beg you: Try this at home. But do it near a big glass window and have the video running.

More beer for your money

I just love that someone did this analysis to answer this question: Should I get a Plastic Beer Bottle or the Souvenir Cup? I'll give you the conclusion here, but there's a also "volume analysis" (see picture to the right).

Based on the assumption of a average of 20 ounces in the Souvenir cup (taking head and spillage into account) and the fact you keep the cup, the Yankees Souvenir Cup is the better buy for your money as it costs $1.00 extra and provides a possible 4 - 8 extra ounces of beer.

From a convenience point of view the plastic beer bottle is the better buy. You do not need to leave your seat or run a risk of spilling any beer in transit. You do not need to carry a cup around when you are done or take gamble as to the actual amount of beer you are paying for.

Brilliant!!!!

There's also a wonderful list of "Things You'll Need", which includes:

1. Ticket to Yankee Stadium
2. 21 + Years Alive
3. Money
4. Want For Beer

I think I can satisfy all of the above, minus the ticket. Anyone got tickets?

Say it ain't so, Sosa (subtitle: Not Sosa-prised)

Yet another one bites the dust.

Sammy Sosa, who joined with Mark McGwire in 1998 in a celebrated pursuit of baseball’s single-season home run record, is among the players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003, according to lawyers with knowledge of the drug-testing results from that year.

The disclosure that Sosa tested positive makes him the latest baseball star of the last two decades to be linked to performance enhancers, a group that now includes McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Rafael Palmeiro.

Sosa, who is sixth on Major League Baseball’s career home run list and last played in 2007, had long been suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs, but until now had never been publicly linked to a positive test.

What more can we say? Surprised? Of course not.

And now we're going to have to continue to bleed out the balance of the 104, 103 102 names not currently known. Which is equal parts dumb, sad and painful. I'm still torn on this. Should the 102 left in anonymity be kept there until someone outs them, or should MLB and the MLBPA agree to release the list and just get it over with? There's a poll to the upper left; please vote.

Sing it with me: One hundred and four dirty ballplayers on the wall, one hundred and four dirty players. Take one down, write a book about it...one hundred and three dirty ballplayers on the wall...

(shrugs)

If you wear eyeblack like this...

...you might be a pompous a$$hole. Or worse.

I'm all for this kid doing whatever it takes to get to the majors as soon as he's able. I'm not going to chastise his parents for having him skip his last 2 years of high school if someone wants to pay him major loot. It's no different than having an exceptionally gifted student; let'em be Doogie Howser. What's so marvelous about high school anyways?

The Prom is overrated anyways. Unless you like fake tans (I love me some Oompa Loompas), renting someone else's clothes, overpaying for a limo....

But wearing your eyeblack like you're some badass WWE wrestler tells me you just might be a giant d-bag. I reserve the right to change my mind if proven wrong.

Moving on...

Satire, I think

Sara K., a FOTB, has a great posting at her place. I think it's satire. Not sure. Here's part of it:

In a statement read by his agent, Scott Boras, Rodriguez said, "I am shocked at Palin's assumption that her daughter would be an unwilling participant in sexual activity with me. I am far better looking than Levi Johnston. Besides, she doesn't have the musculature that I normally crave when I am on the road. Levi is as cute as Jetes, though. Not as cute as me, but cute like that guy on American Idol." When reminded by a reporter in a post-game press conference that the daughter who actually attended the game was Palin's 14-year-old Willow, the Dominican-born former love interest of Madonna replied, "Age is nothing but a number. Hey, we're all dumb and stupid when we're young. Right, Yuri?"

Happy to contribute any time, Sara!

Juuuuust a bit outside

"Harry Doyle", aka Bob Uecker, was in Cleveland to toss out the first pitch in the game between the Brewers and the Indians. As a way to honor the 20th anniversary of "Major League", Uecker threw out the opening ball and Rick Vaughn bobbleheads were given out.

Yes, Monday night's schedule says "Interleague," but the game will also be about "Major League" -- a flick still near and dear to the hearts of Tribe fans, 20 years after its initial release.
[...]
But in true Hollywood fashion, the Tribe's home games in the movie weren't, of course, shot in Cleveland Municipal Stadium. That honor went to Milwauke County Stadium, which makes the Brewers tie-in for Monday's promotion all the more appropriate.
[...]
At least a real baseball stadium was used. The actors playing Tribe players certainly weren't real ballplayers. (And please spare us the obvious punchline that the real Indians players of the 1980s might have been better off pursuing acting careers.)

But the makers of the movie wanted a cast capable of playing ball on camera and making it look realistic. Charlie Sheen (Rick Vaughn), Tom Berenger (Jake Taylor), Corbin Bernsen (Roger Dorn), Dennis Haysbert (Pedro Cerrano) and Wesley Snipes (Willie Mays Hayes) all held their own.

"I had heard Charlie was a good player in high school and Berenger could play pretty well, and he hit well, but he couldn't throw," Ward said. "Corbin was a very good player, and Dennis was a really good player who actually hit a few real home runs while we were filming. The one person who really wasn't a player was Wesley, but he was such an amazing athlete that he learned to play baseball in about three weeks."

When it came to finding an actor to handle the role of the Tribe's acerbic broadcaster, Harry Doyle, Ward had a natural fit in Bob Uecker, the longtime Brewers play-by-play man who also had a starring role in the TV sitcom hit "Mr. Belvedere."

Feel free to relive all the quotes here. Or just enjoy some here:

• Jake Taylor: [to Rexman] Hell of a situation we got here. Two on, two out, your team down a run and you've got the chance to be the hero on national television... if you don't blow it. Saw your wife last night. Great little dancer. That guy she was with? I'm sure he's a close personal friend, but tell me, what was he doing with her panties on his head?
  [Rexman pops the ball straight up]
  Jake Taylor: Uh-oh, Rexie, I don't think this one's got the distance.
  
  
• Harry Doyle: That's all we got, one goddamn hit?
  Assistant: You can't say goddamn on the air.
  Harry Doyle: Don't worry, nobody is listening anyway.
  
  
• Harry Doyle: Heywood leads the league in most offensive categories, including nose hair. When this guy sneezes, he looks like a party favor.
  


• Eddie Harris: Yo, bartender, Jobu needs a refill.
  


• Willie Mays Hayes: What the hell league you been playing in?
  Rick Vaughn: California Penal...
  Willie Mays Hayes: Never heard of it. How'd you end up playing there?
  Rick Vaughn: Stole a car

Yeah, I could go on all day. {And yes, the name of my long-running fantasy baseball team is the "California Penal League" with that picture as my logo}

IF ANYONE FROM CLEVELAND GOT THE VAUGHN BOBBLEHEAD, I WANT IT. I AM SERIOUS!

Bloggers becoming MSM

Not exactly a "blogger gets a major MSM gig, quits his job" story, but I thought this was at least worth a mention. Wrong sport and not quite a "blogger", but huge congrats to Mike Florio of profootballtalk.com:

I think the next interesting football-related journalistic battle line might be how many clicks NBCSports.com can take away from the field by acquiring profootballtalk.com. Today, NBC will announce it has reached a deal with PFT that will allow the site to exclusively license its content to NBCSports.com. Mike Florio, the dogged founder and writer for the site, is giving up his day job (lawyering) to devote more time to PFT, so NBC could be getting even more valuable content than PFT has been publishing. The move is effective July 1. PFT's best month had 1.7 million unique visitors to the site; that's going to skyrocket now.

1.7 million visitors in a month? Wow. I've heard/read that it takes roughly 1M hits/month to generate enough ad revenue to quit your day job.

Guessing I will be here for some time.

IIATMS Interview: "The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live"

Over the last nearly 18 months, I've been lucky enough to conduct interviews with some insiders within the game. From an agent (Matt Sosnick), players (Darryl Rasner, Eric Hacker), a former manager/player (Mike Hargrove), a professional writer (Jeff Pearlman), to a current assistant GM (Paul DePodesta). My goal is to bring you interesting perspectives from those in and around the game, people who you might not hear from every day. As always, I hope to continue to be so lucky to do more of these types of interviews.

My latest interview is with Robert Tuchman, founder and president of New York-based TSE Sports & Entertainment, a global leader in sports and entertainment promotion. He's also the Executive VP of the corporate division. In addition to being the leader of an organization responsible for corporate sponsorships and outings, Robert somehow found the time to write the book "The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live". Click here for the website.

I choose Robert not merely because he wrote a book about the best sporting events to see live, but also because of his story about making it in the sports and entertainment industry.

About Robert Tuchman:

When Robert Tuchman graduated from college, Tuchman was quickly forced to abandon his dream of becoming a sports reporter. Applications to sports programs across the country were ignored and eventually he accepted a position as an investment advisor at Lehman Brothers in New York, followed by a stint Paine Webber.

Still wanting to break into the sports industry, he joined Sports Profiles after reading about them in Entrepreneur, working out of his apartment selling sports magazine advertisements. Quickly realizing that everyone to whom he sold ads wanted the perks (tickets to games or luxury trips to events) more then the ads, he decided to start a business that catered to this niche called Tuchman Sports Enterprises (TSE).

Within two years of working out of that tiny one-bedroom Upper East Side apartment, with one phone and a fax machine, his company was named to the annual Inc. 500 list of America's fastest growing privately held companies and as one of the top 100 promotion agencies by Promo Magazine.

He started TSE with no money and no investors and ended up selling it for millions of dollars to Premiere Global Sports. Last year PGS earned over $70 million dollars in sales. Robert Tuchman now serves as President of that division, still guiding his company in its new form.

So if you are curious about getting started in the sports & entertainment industry, which baseball game is the best event to see live, whether Wrigley is a better experience than Fenway, and dog owners who buy books, please read on and enjoy:

Background questions

• It's About The Money, Stupid: Tell us how you got started in the corporate events business?
  
  Robert Tuchman: I always wanted to work in sports. I left Lehman Brothers after six months on the job after graduating school to follow my passion. Funny enough at the time this move was considered renegade and Lehman was the safe route. Well we all know what happened there!
  


• IIATMS: How did you handle the fears and risks of starting your own business?
  
  RT: I tried to use the energy from those emotions to feed my desire to continue going even when things got very tough. I also realized that I had to get over those fears if I wanted to go after my dreams.
  


• IIATMS: What’s the best lesson you can share?
  
  RT: Persistence is extremely important when starting a business. It’s a marathon so try and take a step forward each day. When you get knocked down, pick yourself off the mat and start again.
  


• IIATMS: What advice could you offer for anyone interested in getting into your line of work?
  
  RT: Try and get in the door anywhere you can in the industry. Even if that means starting as an intern. We have hired many interns over the years. You will also get to see what is going on from the inside and determine where you want to be.
  


• IIATMS: What sort of background would someone ideally like/need to have in order to be successful at your company?
  
  RT: Anyone who brings good energy and a can-do attitude is 95% there.
  


• IIATMS: What’s the greatest misconception about your job?
  
  RT: That I get to hang out at the Super Bowl and the Final Four and have a blast. It's more work then fun, but I do get to have at least a little fun, so I can't really complain.
  


• IIATMS: How many days a year are you on the road? More or less than prior years?
  
  RT: About the same. I would say a week out of the month is on the road.
  


• IIATMS: Has the economy had a major impact on companies’ desires to use frontline sporting events as major schmoozing/relationship-building opportunities?
  
  RT: Certainly. We were hit pretty hard for a few months, but the business is starting to come back, which is nice to see.

Book-related questions

• IIATMS: Have you personally attended every one of the events listed in “The 100 Sporting Events You Must See Live”? How long did it take for you to see them all?
  
  RT: I wish. I am only at about 38. The most I have heard was Lesley Visser and her husband Dick Stockton with around 50. Also Harvey Schiller had close to 50.
  


• IIATMS: If you haven't been to them all, how did you get to your final ranking?
  
  RT: A lot of research and speaking with people who have been to the events. Really just talking with those who have been or worked the events.
  


• IIATMS: It’s difficult not to be a spoiler, but the Masters are your #1 event to see live in our lifetime. What if I am not into golf, watching golf, being around golfing fans wearing visors, etc.?
  
  RT: Funny thing is I am not a big golfer myself. This one is strictly about the venue and its beauty. Its really a magical place.
  
  [IIATMS edit: If anyone from Augusta National happens to wander on by, I'd love to come to the Masters. I just need tickets and access and I'll write up the whole thing. I'm serious. Hootie, email me!]
  


• IIATMS: Number 9 on your list is Redsox/Yanks, at Yankee Stadium. As a Yankee fan, I understand this, but why “at Yankee Stadium”? Why not “at Fenway”? Would this change now given there’s a new Yankee Stadium? [As a parallel, the same goes for #30 Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs at Toronto , but not “at Montreal"]
  
  RT: Yankee fans [IIATMS edit: Don't blame me, Sox fans.]
  


• IIATMS: Number 14 is any Cubs game at Wrigley. Is that really better than the Final Four or The Daytona 500? I haven’t been to all three of these, but it seems the drama of the other two would outweigh “any game” at Wrigley.
  
  RT: Without a doubt there is more energy and excitement at those events but a game at Wrigley sends you back in time. It's an incredible experience.
  


• IIATMS: Speaking of both Fenway and Wrigley, is seeing a game at Wrigley (#14 overall) that much better than seeing a game at Fenway (#55)? Even as a Yankee fan, I love the Fenway experience. And if you have seats on the Monster (which I have had before), that’s about as good an experience as you can get.
  
  RT: Fenway is special. I actually worked there as a security guard one summer so I have been around the park many times. I have not had a chance to sit on the Monster, that seems like an awesome experience.
  
  The Wrigley experience though is more of a time machine event. You really feel like your back at the turn of the century watching baseball. It's as pure to the roots of the sport that I have gotten at the major league level.
  


• IIATMS: Getting back to golf, the US Open sits at #64 on your list. I would have expected it to be higher, given that there tends to be a rowdiness factor that you don’t get at the British Open.
  
  RT: That is true but the British Open, especially when it is played on some of the older European courses is pretty cool. Plus, I had the Masters as number one so I had to give the Europeans something.
  


• IIATMS: Could #1 overall be “Any golf event with Tiger in the Top 5 on Sunday”?
  
  RT: Funny enough, with out a doubt. Tiger has elevated golf and interest in the sport, especially at the Masters, more then anyone. In fact, without Tiger, I don’t think I would have selected the Masters number one.
  


• IIATMS: Westminster Dog Show? At #93? Ahead of Men’s Lacrosse Championship (#95), the College Baseball World Series (#96)? Really?
  
  RT: It's amazing how many people love dogs, and they like to buy books.

About attending any of these events

• IIATMS: What are the best tricks to landing tickets to any of these events if you a) aren’t flush with money, b) not getting tickets from your employer, c) not well connected?
  
  RT: Box office day of is always a possibility. Tickets get held back sometimes or released late so you never know. Companies like gotickets.com are good to buy market value tickets.
  


• IIATMS: What’s the best event to attend if you are: a) looking for rowdiness, b) not looking for rowdiness, c) looking for a unique experience, d) looking to impress a client/partner?
  
  RT:
  a) Hong Kong Sevens
  b) Little League World Series
  c) Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest
  d) Super Bowl
  


• IIATMS: What are the most accessible events in the US ? Meaning: ease of getting there, ease of getting a ticket, etc.? (Perhaps by region of the US : NorthEast, SouthEast, West, South)
  
  RT:
  NorthEast: Head of the Charles Regatta
  SouthEast: Bayou Classic
  West: UCLA/USC @ Pauley Pavilion
  Midwest: Little 500

Bonus Question:

• IIATMS: Are you hiring? How can someone break into the business with your Company?
  
  RT: Not right now with the downturn, but we will be I am sure pretty soon. Internships are a great way to get your foot in the door.

Please visit Amazon if you are interested in buy the book. It's not merely a ranking; it's also a great travel guide for each of the events. {Disclaimer: I do not make any commission off any sales of the book}

Each Ranked Event contains the following sub-sections: Where, When, Significance, Who attends, History, Notable Athletes/MVPs, Records, Things to know before you go, How to get there, Tickets, Accomodations, On-Site hospitality, Travel packages, Dining.

Thanks again to Robert Tuchman for his time.