By John Sparks “To err is human, to forgive divine.” -Alexander Pope A whopping 73% of baseball fans have told the Marist Poll that they like the idea of expanding the use of instant replay in baseball. For all of its shortcomings, television coverage of the baseball games has given the armchair fans the best […]
7/14: Baseball Strikes Back
July 14, 2010
By John Sparks The other day I criticized television’s coverage of Major League Baseball — specifically television’s pre-occupation with taking shots and talking about things that have little to do with the strategies and nuances of the game being played on the field. The dramatic close-up shots of the players, the shots of celebrities in […]
7/12: Baseball’s Demise at the Hands of the Networks?
July 12, 2010
By John Sparks “God, I just love baseball.” –Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in “The Natural,” 1984 So, in the latest Marist Poll, 54% of the American public tells us they do not follow baseball at all. Clearly, Roy Hobbs and I are in the minority. I’m writing this column in Texas as I watch […]
4/1: Big Apple Baseball, Past and Present
April 1, 2010
By John Sparks Sports journalist Len Berman has been a fan of New York baseball since the 1950’s, when the city boasted three teams. He talks with the Marist Poll’s John Sparks about what Yankees’ and Mets’ fans can expect from the 2010 season. John Sparks Len, baseball season’s just around the corner. The Marist […]
4/1: A Personal Encounter with Mickey Mantle
By John Sparks Len Berman tells the story of Mickey Mantle saying Len writes like a girl. My encounter with Mantle was probably not so pleasant. First of all, let me state, that I liked Mickey, but he was not my favorite. Yogi was. There was no one better in the clutch, and as a […]
4/1: For the Love of the Game
By Stephanie Calvano Rogers Hornsby said, “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” I share this sentiment with the legendary second baseman. The Yankees take top honors among baseball fans nationally with 11% of those […]
10/9: Baseball’s Bond
October 9, 2009
By John Sparks These are the best of times and the worst of times. The best of times is the excitement as we go down to the wire of the 2009 baseball season where more is riding on each pitch and every at bat. For those of us whose passion is the National Pastime, the […]
9/2: Is This the Year?
September 2, 2009
By Dr. Lee M. Miringoff If this fall’s re-election campaigns of NYC Mayor Bloomberg and NJ Governor Corzine don’t provide sufficient distraction for the staff at The Marist Poll, you can count on the intense rivalry of baseball’s “Three Hundred Club” to test the statistical savvy of Poughkeepsie’s pollsters. Dating back to 1949, two Boston […]
6/2: Dugout Chatter — Baseball in NYC
June 2, 2009
By John Sparks Baseball season is in full swing! From Major League Baseball’s ticket prices to new stadiums’ impact on the game, there’s a lot of chatter surrounding the sport. In an interview with The Marist Poll’s John Sparks, sports journalist Len Berman weighs in. Check out their conversation below. John Sparks Len, we conducted […]
6/2: You Call That a Record?!
By Stephanie Calvano I wait all winter for it to be baseball season again. I make an annual trip to Tampa in March to visit friends and go to Yankees’ Spring Training. I feel like a little kid every time I go to a Major League game. Then, every once in a while, I step back and […]