I might have a line on a ticket for myself for tonight's Brewers/Cubs game at Wrigley.

Refreshing everybody's memory, the Brewers are now 4-3 at Wrigley, and I have been to two of the Brewers losses there in April.  Also, I have been to four Brewers/Cubs games this season, and the Brewers are 0-4 in those four games.

Anyone want to pay me NOT to go to the game tonight?

Including Wednesday night's debacle, I went to five Brewers games in April, and they were 1-4 in those five games (including the only two games that the Brewers lost at Wrigley this season).

Therefore, I pledge this to my eleven readers...

I will not go to another Brewers game in April 2008.

Peace.

I joined my first Fantasy Football League in 1993 (while I was working at the now-evil USBC, then called the American Bowling Congress).  One guy in the league had a wife who owned a business, and his team was named for his wife's business.  Seeing that, when asked what name I wanted, I said that I didn't have a corporate sponsor, yet, so I would take (Sponsor's Name Here).  Nobody much got it then.

Fast forward 15 years, and for a few days last winter, as a gag, I had asked the editor of the MyCommunityNOWs to change my blog name to Tomassino Italia' Presents Michael James' Blog.  It was cute and got a few comments for me, but I don't know if my blog reaches enough people for the full message to sink in.  Now, nobody notices it.

In the span of 15 years, we have gone from a society in which product placement and corporate sponsorship's happened and were a big deal, to a society that doesn't even notice that most school cafeterias get money from Coca-Cola or Pepsi to install a vending machine.

Years ago, TV shows had the corporate sponsors in the name of the show, for example, the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports.  In the '70s, TV movies were often preceded with "Hallmark Hall of Fame Presents:...". 

Remember in 1992, when the Milwaukee Brewers (along with the Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers) put rotating advertising boards behind home plate in their stadiums?  Such was the outcry!  People were horrified because these stadiums were desecrated with this advertising.  Now, such teams with licenses to print money like the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees also have this type of advertising.  It is so commonplace that the FOX network superimposes advertising in the studio.  At the games, you see a green screen.  On TV, however, might be an advertisement for the all-new Simpsons this weekend.  It is now expected.  Neilson even monitors that.

And stadium naming rights, don't get me started.

When will it end?  At what point will people wake up and see that the world is being overrun by advertising?  Now don't get me wrong... I am all Mr. Free Market, and I wouldn't stop MLB from selling advertising on baseball bats and home plate.  But part of that free market is the possibility of going too far and screwing up a good thing.  Americans (without the help of government) can start fighting back, if they choose, and start boycotting the companies with the offending advertising.

In researching the links, I came across this.  I don't even know what to say, but if this happened four years ago...

Until that point, my blog name - as always - is for sale to the highest bidder.

I will hold my comments to a later post.  I am curious what y'alls think of this (from the Cape Cod Times).

Major League Baseball plays hardball with Cape League

var isoPubDate = 'March 07, 2008'

By Rob Duca

STAFF WRITER

March 07, 2008 6:00 AM

The annual operating budget for the Cape Cod Baseball League is between $1.5 million and $2 million — not much more than the yearly salary of a backup infielder in Major League Baseball.

Yet the volunteer-staffed Cape League and the multimillion dollar MLB are locked in a struggle over money in what could be labeled a David vs. Goliath battle, with the Cape League's $100,000 annual grant from MLB hanging in the balance.

According to Cape League sources, the six teams in the 10-team Cape League that share nicknames with major league franchises are facing a choice: Purchase all future uniforms and souvenir merchandise from more expensive MLB-licensed vendors or lose the annual grant.

MLB is also requesting an 11 percent royalty on sales next summer of existing inventory from the six affected Cape League teams. Non-clothing items such as coffee mugs and teddy bears that are not available through MLB vendors could no longer be sold.

The affected teams are the Chatham A's, Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, Harwich Mariners, Bourne Braves, Orleans Cardinals and Hyannis Mets.

All six teams are considering changing their nicknames rather than shutting out local merchants, according to sources. But it is too late to adorn uniforms and merchandise with new logos before the June opening of the 2008 season.

Cape League Commissioner Paul Galop and league president Judy Walden Scarafile refused to comment on the trademark dispute.

Currently, the Cape League purchases a portion of its merchandise and uniforms from local vendors, some of whom also provide sponsorship. Those merchants would be cut out of the new arrangement.

Originally, the Cape League had until 5 p.m. today to sign the agreement. The deadline was extended to March 21, allowing Cape League officials more time to research the issue.

The Cape League hopes to reach a compromise with MLB that will allow local merchants to remain involved in sales of uniforms and other merchandise. The league is also seeking to delay a new agreement until Sept. 1, thus avoiding losing revenue in the 2008 season.

The league also would no longer be allowed to use the MLB logo on its programs and yearbooks. Recently, MLB granted approval for usage of its logo, but that could prove temporary. Originally, the Cape League paid a token $1 fee for use of the logo. That agreement ended more than five years ago.

Negotiations are ongoing. But a source, while hopeful a compromise will be reached, said the league was not going to "roll over" or be "strong-armed" by MLB.

Cape League officials have been told that failure to comply with the terms of the new agreement would place their MLB funding in jeopardy.

MLB has provided an annual grant to the Cape League since the late 1960s, originally contributing $10,000.

Loss of the $100,000 grant would constitute a major hit to a league that relies largely on volunteers, sponsorships and the generosity of local communities. A source said expenses would need to be reduced, and the league could be forced to cut its budget for umpires.

The Cape League has long been a breeding ground for future major league players. There are currently more than 1,000 former Cape Leaguers in pro baseball, including more than 200 playing at the major league level.

MLB has made the same demands to eight other summer baseball leagues to which it has been providing grants. But none of those leagues includes more than two teams with nicknames of major league clubs.

Staff writer Rob Duca can be reached at rduca@capecodonline.com.