No Rally Towel: Worst News Ever

[Shelton]

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/UPDATE/610180440

[west-side]

I can't get the link to work, please post the content.

[Flame 103]

maybe mlb will hand out thundersticks.

[slim pickens]

So why cant MLB do thier giveaway, and comerica still gaive away the Towels?

[DetroitFolly]

Here I thought someone got injured or something. I don't give a crap about rally towels.

[estrepe1]

maybe mlb will hand out thundersticks.

That would be the worst thing possible.

[chasfh]

It's about the fact that no one will be allowed to distribute those towels to fans coming into the stadium. MLB reserves the right to distribute whatever premiums they see fit.

This is actually great news, since they served to block my view of the games (and consequent pictures I took during them) the past couple of Saturdays. It will be even greater if they also do not hand out that stupid rally sticks (or whatever those damn things are called).

I hope they give away something as cool as they did when I went to Game 1 at Comiskey last year, which was a free XM radio. Owning that nice piece of equipment certainly enhanced my Tiger experience this year.

[The G Man]

This is the worst news ever?
I have a couple of those towels...they're great for wiping my...ears.

[Domino]

I saw "worst news ever" and thought ... "Zumaya and Casey are out for the World Series"! Not getting a rally towel is hardly worst news ever.

I don't know what MLB is doing but I was wondering why there were no fireworks for game 4 of the ALDS which I was at, and also game 3 and 4 of the ALCS that I was at.... thinking it was a stupid MLB thing. But then I watched the NLCS game last night and THEY HAD FIREWORKS FOR EVER HOME RUN! What the ???

[ouperkins1]

If anyone feels like they don't want to attend Game 1 on saturday because of the lack of hankies...please pm me and Id be more than happy to take any tickets off of your hands:)

[BiggieG]

Here I thought someone got injured or something. I don't give a crap about rally towels.Possibly you would want one if there was no toidy paper left in the house! They would seem quite valuable then.

[Corky]

It's about the fact that no one will be allowed to distribute those towels to fans coming into the stadium. MLB reserves the right to distribute whatever premiums they see fit.

This is actually great news, since they served to block my view of the games (and consequent pictures I took during them) the past couple of Saturdays. It will be even greater if they also do not hand out that stupid rally sticks (or whatever those damn things are called).

I hope they give away something as cool as they did when I went to Game 1 at Comiskey last year, which was a free XM radio. Owning that nice piece of equipment certainly enhanced my Tiger experience this year.


I went to an Arena Football game in Spokane last spring and it was Thunderstick night. !0,000+ people indoors and banging those really hurt. They are not a good invention.

However, the "Borg" Selig strikes again. Must have control over all other lifeforms. This brings back memories of how all MLB team websites were assimilated a few years ago. the Mariners, in particular, had a very cool and interesting one. Now they are all the same and lack distinctive personalities. Funny how Selig is so intent on controlling the brand to the point that he will suck the personality out of the product.

[Shelton]

You guys are wrong. Thw towels are the only reason I am going to these games.

[west-side]

It's about the fact that no one will be allowed to distribute those towels to fans coming into the stadium. MLB reserves the right to distribute whatever premiums they see fit.

This is actually great news, since they served to block my view of the games (and consequent pictures I took during them) the past couple of Saturdays. It will be even greater if they also do not hand out that stupid rally sticks (or whatever those damn things are called).

I hope they give away something as cool as they did when I went to Game 1 at Comiskey last year, which was a free XM radio. Owning that nice piece of equipment certainly enhanced my Tiger experience this year.

Thank you-when I saw the thread title, I also figured that Zumaya was out for the Series.

[tiger337]

This might be one of the ten reasons you know somebody is a bandwagon fan.

[Domino]

You guys are wrong. Thw towels are the only reason I am going to these games.

I'll sell you one of mine for $20.

[ypsieast]

"They (league officials) have items that were going to be distributed ..."

Great. That means MLB was planning on passing out these towels. (http://image.shopzilla.com/resize?sq=160&uid=338277504&mid=111477)

[MelissaG915]

I love the rally towel and I'm not a bandwagon fan: got the orange one and the white one. But if MLB is handing out a nice premium, why in the world would you complain?

[Domino]

Great. That means MLB was planning on passing out these towels. (http://image.shopzilla.com/resize?sq=160&uid=338277504&mid=111477)

LOL

[Tigercub33]

I love the rally towel and I'm not a bandwagon fan: got the orange one and the white one. But if MLB is handing out a nice premium, why in the world would you complain?


Because people complain here.....

Hmmm....towel vs XM radio...that is a TOUGH call.

[chasfh]

I love the rally towel and I'm not a bandwagon fan: got the orange one and the white one. But if MLB is handing out a nice premium, why in the world would you complain?

I would complain only if the premium serves to block access to viewing the game. XM radios don't do that. Rally towels and thundersticks do.

[tiger337]

I would complain only if the premium serves to block access to viewing the game. XM radios don't do that. Rally towels and thundersticks do.

I dislike all of this rally stuff for the same reason. Imagine if you were at movie theatre and everyone starting spinning their rally towels. Would that be appropriate?

[Tigercub33]

I dislike all of this rally stuff for the same reason. Imagine if you were at movie theatre and everyone starting spinning their rally towels. Would that be appropriate?

If they started selling certain seats for specific prices and you could choose to have a seat where nobody was in front of you, maybe.

However, At baseball games, people are encouraged to be loud (example - half of Domino's posts the last month) at a movie theater proper decorum dictates as much silence as possible, with certain exceptions given for laughter and occasional applause and startled utterances.

[Sparks4Ever]

I dislike all of this rally stuff for the same reason. Imagine if you were at movie theatre and everyone starting spinning their rally towels. Would that be appropriate?

It would be about as appropriate if people started standing up and clapping and cheering in the middle of a movie.

[chasfh]

If they started selling certain seats for specific prices and you could choose to have a seat where nobody was in front of you, maybe.

However, At baseball games, people are encouraged to be loud (example - half of Domino's posts the last month) at a movie theater proper decorum dictates as much silence as possible, with certain exceptions given for laughter and occasional applause and startled utterances.

I'm totally fine with fans at the game being loud, cheering, people jumping up and down, spontaneously pumping their fists into the air and high-fiving each other -- that stuff is totally fine. What I find objectionable is MLB and their corporate partners encouraging the contrived use of paraphernalia as a way to "show team spirit", and as a bonus, controlling the crowd's actions and enforcing conformity of behavior. Maybe this is in part because MLB fears the very spontaneity I mentioned -- who knows?

And of course, I hate how these things blocks my view of the action, and with the damn thundersticks, it's like standing next to a roaring jet on the tarmac without ear protection.

[Domino]

BRING ON THE THUNDERSTICKS! ;-)

[Tigercub33]

I'm totally fine with fans at the game being loud, cheering, people jumping up and down, spontaneously pumping their fists into the air and high-fiving each other -- that stuff is totally fine.

I am too, I was referring to 337's post about movie theatres in my post you quoted.

Energy is a ballpark is good, but I, like you, prefer the sponateous kind.

[rhino]

What I find objectionable is MLB and their corporate partners encouraging the contrived use of paraphernalia as a way to "show team spirit", and as a bonus, controlling the crowd's actions and enforcing conformity of behavior. Maybe this is in part because MLB fears the very spontaneity I mentioned -- who knows?



Hmmmm... Interesting point. I wonder if this is MLB way of stopping streaking at baseball games.:classic:

[Shinma]

Why cant the fans bring thousands of rubber mice and... oh wait never mind.. =P

[tiger337]

It would be about as appropriate if people started standing up and clapping and cheering in the middle of a movie.

Well, sometimes they do stand up and cheer at the end. My analogy was probably not a very good one though. Cheering and clapping are not a problem at games but anything that gets in my way of watching the game (my main reason for being there) such as thundersticks and rally towels is not a good thing.

I also agree with Chuck's point about spontaneity. It's just a personal preference but i think contrived behavior is very annoying. I hate it when people are told how to act as a group and then they all follow like a bunch of robots. Why can't people cheer and clap? Why do they need this other stuff?

[Johnny Mac]

who cares, its just a towel

at least we dont have those annoying thundersticks

[pfife]

I hope they give away something as cool as they did when I went to Game 1 at Comiskey last year, which was a free XM radio. Owning that nice piece of equipment certainly enhanced my Tiger experience this year.

:shocked:

Damn.... XM radio? that's pretty cool.

[Shelton]

Contrived cheering is indeed annoying. At the game on Saturday, the scoreboard prompted every to wave their towel during the "Jason Grilli Incident." And some people actually did. I guess there is nothing like cheering your pitcher into getting that 3-0 strike over the plate.

[Biff Mayhem]

If you want a rally towel, buy one on ebay.

[chasfh]

:shocked:

Damn.... XM radio? that's pretty cool.

It was, but in actuality, satellite radio is like cellular phones: they'll almost give you the equipment to sign you up for a guaranteed-revenue-producing year-or-more contract.

The software is where the money's made -- not the hardware.

[Zakk_Wylde]

It was, but in actuality, satellite radio is like cellular phones: they'll almost give you the equipment to sign you up for a guaranteed-revenue-producing year-or-more contract.

The software is where the money's made -- not the hardware.

Maybe it works differently in Canada than in the US, but pbrt here you buy a radio at a big box retailer (ie Best Buy), starting around $70 usually, but unlike Cell phone providers, there is no contract whatsoever.. and the monthly rates are like $12/month. The only real contract to speak of I suppose it getting addicted to actually getting to hear good music, instead of the crap thats repeated on FM 24/7.

Cell Phone providers on the other hand, lare just like you said. They literally give their equipment away, as long as they can lock you into a 3 year contract. 2 years later you have an obsolete phone thats falling apart, yet your locked into a contract for another year.

[slim pickens]

If you want a rally towel, buy one on ebay.
Or go to K-Mart and buy a .99 cent kitchen towel, take a sharpie and draw a D on it, and bring that.

[Mr.MelissaG915]

XM sucks. Sirius is much better.

Thundersticks suck. Hand clapping is much better.

Corporate greed sucks. (but I like the paychecks)

[estrepe1]

XM sucks. Sirius is much better.

XM has baseball = better.

[Shelton]

XM has baseball = better.

truth

[Euphdude]

You guys are wrong. Thw towels are the only reason I am going to these games.

*Bravo*. You deserve a gold star on your forehead.

[ghettodan]

XM has baseball = better.

heh Sirius has:

Pro Football
College Football
Basketball
Hockey

oh and ESPN radio (on sirius) carries all the national baseball games (ie sunday night baseball and playoff baseball)

Sirius > XM

[Casimir]

Real fans know when to clap. Anyone over 12 years of age using thundersticks screams "beat me to a pulp, for I am an idiot".

[berneree]

Didn't the towel thing essentially start in 1987 in the Metrodome with the "Homer Hankies"?

For that reason I hated seeing the rally towels in Comerica. Combine that with only 50% of the fans actually had them....so it didn't look as good as other teams have done.

Lets come up with our own Celebration thing.....like 44,000 popping Champagne bottles in the stands.

[The G Man]

Didn't the towel thing essentially start in 1987 in the Metrodome with the "Homer Hankies"?

For that reason I hated seeing the rally towels in Comerica. Combine that with only 50% of the fans actually had them....so it didn't look as good as other teams have done.

Lets come up with our own Celebration thing.....like 44,000 popping Champagne bottles in the stands.

I kinda feel the same way. It looks good on TV but I refused to wave mine around at either of the playoff games I was at. Those things ticked me off enough in the past to leave me with a strong aversion to them.

[Adams Brush St]

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/HPM/SM1105~Don-t-Forget-To-Bring-A-Towel-Posters.jpg

[kpking3032]

XM has college sports too, and I'll take 6 straight months of baseball on the radio every day over 17 total days of NFL games (at twice the rights fees of baseball) when I'm usually watching the NFL on TV on Sundays anyways....OH YEAH, and that minor detail that XM has nearly twice as many music channels


XM destroys Sirius, just look at the subscriber #'s, even post-Howie. And don't even get into how the XM technology and XM units blow away Sirius technically

[lesgoblu02]

Would someone please throw an octopus onto the field for one of the games. I'll send you a check for elenty billion dollars if you do it.

[mtdman]

Rally towels remind me of Minniesota and 1987. And that makes me mad.

[BigCec]

I wouldn't be complaining about any giveaway I got at a World Series game.

I'll even accept the crappy towel and/or thunderstick if someone doesn't want their ticket and would like to give it to me so they won't have an obstructed view of the game or not be able to hear the next morning.

[pfife]

heh Sirius has:

Pro Football
College Football
Basketball
Hockey

oh and ESPN radio (on sirius) carries all the national baseball games (ie sunday night baseball and playoff baseball)

Sirius > XM

They kept saying on ESPN radio on sirius that they were broadcasting the games, but when I turned it on, they were not broadcasting the games.

[Oblong]

I like the towels because the next morning after the games, the first thing my son would ask is "Did you bring me one of those towels?"

[tiger337]

heh Sirius has:

Pro Football
College Football
Basketball
Hockey

oh and ESPN radio (on sirius) carries all the national baseball games (ie sunday night baseball and playoff baseball)

Sirius > XM

Baseball is #1. Period.