With CMath's departure (like the Geek and Ubelmann before him) I'd like to see a discussion of Chris Anderson's "Free" model for digital information.  For those out of the loop, Anderson argues “In the digital realm you can try to keep Free at bay with laws and locks, but eventually the force of economic gravity will win.”  In essence, news outlets should give their information away for nothing, much like this site, and hope to make money in other ways. 

(more after jump)

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The New York Times is reporting that David Ortiz tested positive for steroids in 2003.  This is shocking!  David Ortiz?  The guy who the Twins cut in 2002?  The player, as the Twins Geek used to say, who the Twins could not trade for a warm bucket of spit? (gross visual)  The man who was constantly hurt, 30 pounds lighter, and looked to be finished?  I thought he blossomed, as he claimed, because he was finally away from those mean old coaches in Minnesota who wanted him to hit the other way?   

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Much has been made of the way the "new media" (blogs, internet sites, etc.) is covering sports.  In a somewhat ironic turn, new media mavens often argue that they are doing a better job of covering teams because they LACK access; arguing that the old media (newspapers, broadcasters, cable outlets) was so close to teams and leagues that their journalism was compromised.

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Thanks be to God for the decline of the newspaper industry and the rise of the blogosphere.  As the guy who plays Mose Schrute said on the recent Costas Now, our democracy is much better off with many voices contributing.  And Balls Deep is right; access is so overrated when we now have the internet.  After all, it usually just corrupts the journalist.

I appreciate the fact that I have learned so much more about the war in Iraq with AaronGleeman.com’s embedded reporting from the Green Zone.  And it is admirable that Deadspin too time out from gossiping about journalists and athletes to allocate resources to reporting on Tibet and the Beijing Olympics. 

Even the Huffington Post interrupted its fact-checking to send a reporter to an otherwise mundane zoning meeting to break the news that agri-business received clearance to install more Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations close to groundwater, rivers and lakes in rural Minnesota.  

Newspapers are a thing of the past.  Access is important, but only when it is taking cell-phone pictures of Matt Leinart chugging beers with co-eds.  Other than that I want my journalists to be regular guys like me: sitting on the couch eating nachos and making snarky comments.  Our democracy depends on this “gut feeling” rather than expertise (or travel budgets).  Look at our current commander-in-chief.  There’s a guy who goes with his gut.         

Yesterday I made the annual trip to Peoria to catch the "prospects" for our Beloit Snappers, low-A team for the Minnesota Twins.

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Did TR wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

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This may not be the appropriate forum for this, but I need some advice from TwinsNation.  I will be in NYC on June 8 and I was hoping to take in the Yankee/Pirates game that evening.  Much to my chagrin, the tickets are already sold out.  What should my next move be?  Try to buy them on the street that evening?  Go through ticket brokers?  Ebay?

Help a brother out.  Anybody have any experience with this type situation?  I am looking for two moderately priced tickets in a section that allows for the consumption of beer.

If nothing else, this gets your mind off the punchless wonders for a minute or two.

Maybe I'm late to the party and everyone has already seen this, but if not this website has some interesting takes on the state of the game.

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=534&Itemid=41

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This article in the NY Times on the amenities at Turner Field was an interesting inside look at the business of stadium revenue.  It might be a good preview of what is to come at the Twins new venue (Best Buy Stadium?).  Here's hoping that the Twins remember that baseball is still one of the last big-time sports events that a working-class family can afford.  Even at a new stadium there still should be a good amount of seats that are around $10, especially since it is a taxpayer-financed public works project.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/business/yourmoney/22stadium.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=al l

Terry Ryan was on the Chad Hartman Show on KFAN yesterday.  Ryan was blunt about things as usual.  These are my impressions from the segment, although if you think you have a different take feel free to add.  

1.  TR gave the distinct impression that he was going to spend ZERO dollars on offense this winter on the free agent market.  He said he was happy with the offense this year and sounded a bit gun-shy over the Batista experiment and not landing Frank Thomas, which he characterized as "my fault."  He said something to the effect of "we finally got to 800 runs and that's where we need to be."
2.  When Hartman pressed him on this, saying that he thought that the Twins still needed to add a #3 hitter, Ryan reminded him that Mauer is only 23 and is expected to grow into that role.  Interesting that Mauer won a batting title this year and both Ryan and Hartman sounded somewhat disappointed in his production.  The impression that I got is that Ryan expects Mauer to be the "big bat" that many are looking for.
3. It sounded like Ryan would bring back Silva, saying that Carlos is "someone that Rick Anderson can work with."
4.  Ryan said all loose change would be spent on starting pitching.  He did not sound very confident in the young starters being ready, and stressed that the Twins identity is pitching and defense.  He also stated that many of his moves will hinge on whether Liriano shows progress this fall.
5.  He was unsure on bringing back Rondell White.