Brian Ross at The MAJOR BLOGS of Minor League News (MLN Sports)Editor's Raves (Brian Ross)http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009-07-04T08:22:05ZSquarespaceManny Ramirez 'Rehab' Road Reeks of Rotting Righteousness of Frivolous Fanshttp://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/6/28/manny-ramirez-rehab-road-reeks-of-rotting-righteousness-of-f.htmlBrian Ross2009-06-28T11:08:47Z2009-06-28T11:08:47ZMAJOR BLOGS - 06.28.09 - OPINION - I really do not want to hear ANYONE from the cushy private boxes to the bleachers complain about steroid use in the professional game of baseball anymore.

Minor league fans have just affirmed what the owners of baseball know: You run your mouths about steroids, but the minute that a fallen major league superstar shows up in your town, your principles go out the window, the ticket window to be exact, in the form of a loud "Ka-CHING" of the club's cash registers.

The "rebab" tour of steroid cheat Manny Ramirez continued

]]>Honoring the Living in Baseballhttp://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/5/25/honoring-the-living-in-baseball.htmlBrian Ross2009-05-25T01:25:00Z2009-05-25T01:25:00ZMAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - 05.24.09 - I was editing the terrific piece on Friday about the passing of Nick Adenhart (See: "The Guy Everyone Wanted to Be Around," SZ, 05.24.09), when it occurred to me that while we mourn the dead, we are not not nearly as kind to the living, or concerned about how they live.]]>Bakersfield Jam Shuttering is Black Eye for Commissioner Stern and NBAhttp://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/5/2/bakersfield-jam-shuttering-is-black-eye-for-commissioner-ste.htmlBrian Ross2009-05-02T12:31:11Z2009-05-02T12:31:11Z

MAJORBLOGS.net - 05.02.09 -Minor league teams come and go, but for NBA D-League, back-stopped by the full-faith and credibility of the National Basketball Association, the news Thursday from the Bakersfield Jam, affiliate of the Golden State Warriors and the Orlando Magic, that they would cease operations, is a particularly big blow to the D-League program because these owners had something to say on their way out.

The release, carried by MLN - The Raw Feed yesterday, stated:

]]>La Mort du MLB (The Death of Major League Baseball): Is MiLB the Heir-Apparent?http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/4/26/la-mort-du-mlb-the-death-of-major-league-baseball-is-milb-th.htmlBrian Ross2009-04-26T12:02:58Z2009-04-26T12:02:58ZMAJORBLOGS.net - OPINION - 04.26.09 - The unthinkable has happened. Major League Baseball fans have actually said "Enough!" with the one voice that truly can put the fear of God into MLB Owners: Their wallets.

As the New York Times reported

]]>World Baseball Classic 2009: Is the WBC a World Showcase or Steroids Whitewash?http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/3/18/world-baseball-classic-2009-is-the-wbc-a-world-showcase-or-s.htmlBrian Ross2009-03-18T19:56:31Z2009-03-18T19:56:31ZMAJORBLOGS.NET - 03.18.09 -  The pseudo-Olympic baseball competition of the World Baseball Class (WBC) is under way. We do not cover it. Here is why.

The WBC is a big coat of whitewash over the disgrace of

]]>The McSorley Rule - Does Fighting Have a Place in Minor League Hockey?http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2009/2/8/the-mcsorley-rule-does-fighting-have-a-place-in-minor-league.htmlBrian Ross2009-02-08T17:08:28Z2009-02-08T17:08:28ZMAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - Last month, we had a pair of incidents, a death in the amateur senior ranks, and a convulsive fit in the American Hockey League (AHL) after fights broke out, which have prompted us to yet again revisit the McSorley Rule.

Named after the OJ of the NHL, Marty McSorley, the McSorley Rule is

]]>BIRCO - Find Out What It Means to Me (Opinion)http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2008/12/21/birco-find-out-what-it-means-to-me-opinion.htmlBrian Ross2008-12-21T15:14:15Z2008-12-21T15:14:15ZMAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - 12.19.08 - OPINION - I was asked several times at the Baseball Winter Meetings what I thought about BIRCO, the Baseball Internet Rights Company, which I did a story about earlier this year for SZ ("Keep Your Ball on the I", SZ. 09.04.08).

Since MiLB announced that the deal to create BIRCO is done today, and my shiny two aren't going to cast any undue influence on the proceedings, or give the President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (the NA), Pat O'Conner, yet another reason to stick a pin in the voodoo doll of me that he keeps on his desk, I will tell all.

]]>If the AFL doesn't go out of business but ESPN says that it will, should it happen?http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2008/12/15/if-the-afl-doesnt-go-out-of-business-but-espn-says-that-it-w.htmlBrian Ross2008-12-15T03:41:20Z2008-12-15T03:41:20ZMAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - OPINION - When MLB shut down in 1994, that was a lockout. The NHL strike shut the doors of the league for a season. Niether were the death knell of their league.

When the AFL regroups and forces both its players association and its less stellar ownership groups to the table for a reality check, though, the mainstream media seems to think that it is time to start shoveling dirt into the Arena Football League's grave.

The move to weed out the league and adjust its salary structure is reminiscent of

]]>NBA D-League: Can the NBA Man-Up and Deal with the NCAA?http://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2008/11/17/nba-d-league-can-the-nba-man-up-and-deal-with-the-ncaa.htmlBrian Ross2008-11-17T19:57:51Z2008-11-17T19:57:51Z

MAJOR BLOGS - www.majorblogs.net - Boca Raton, FLA. - OPINION - The NBA D-League concluded its draft last week and, for much of America, the burning question was:

The NBA still has a minor league?

Sadly that is the point-of-view of

]]>Vive Base-ball Canadien! Why Canada Should Have MLB Sanctioned Minor League Baseballhttp://www.majorblogs.net/editorsraves/2008/8/31/vive-base-ball-canadien-why-canada-should-have-mlb-sanctione.htmlBrian Ross2008-08-31T10:49:37Z2008-08-31T10:49:37Z

MAJOR BLOGS of MLN Sports - www.majorblogs.net - OPINION - Montreal, CANADA - If you want to know the health of a professional sports franchise in any city, you have to visit a few bars and diners.

When I hit the ground in Nashville, the Sounds have their colors repped at the airport bar.

Drive around town and hit a 'cue joint or a sports bar in Memphis, or Albuquerue, or Round Rock/Austin or Pawtucket or Brooklyn and you will find the minor league team gets its props.

Logos, photos, jerseys, memorabilia and even in-season promotions can be found in healthy baseball towns, and even the ones that are struggling. 

The Florida Marlins, whose stadium pigeon population exceeds their paid gate, get their strokes from the area elbow-bending establishments and eateries, which keeps them in the public consciousness in ways that advertising, whining, begging and pleading simply do not.

On the bar and beanery count, Expos baseball here in Montreal is not dead, but in hibernation. The

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