By the time sports leagues are somehow able to be forced into restricting air travel it will already be way too late.

Easy PR win and cost cutting measure for MLB - radical realignment where you make divisions far smaller geographically. Using this map one can see quickly obvious groupings and issues. We have Seattle floating out on its own, same for Colorado. 6 teams close on the west coast (SF/A's/LAD/LAA/SD/Arizona) and in the north east (NYY, NYM, Red Sox, Phillies, O's, Washington). 11 reasonably tight (Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, ChiSox, Cubs, Brewers, Twins, KC, StL), and 5 south teams (Miami, TB, Atlanta, Texas, Houston). 6 team divisions probably make the most sense but what to do with Seattle and Colorado? Put one in the 'south' division (Colorado) and stick Seattle in the group of 11 to create 2 6 team divisions?

WHat about 6 5 team divisions? More difficult. Arizona could shift to a 'mess' division with Seattle, Colorado, and the 2 Texas teams. Royals/Cards/Cubs/ChiSox/and either Milwaukee or the Twins, other going with Detroit/Toronto/Cleveland/Reds, poor Pittsburgh put into division of death with NYY/NYM/Red Sox/Phillies, then Washington/Baltimore/Tampa/Atlanta/Miami for the final division. I guess you could put the Jays in that division instead of the Pirates as they actually can compete with the Yankees & Red Sox but as a Jays fan I'd much rather put them in a division with the Tigers.

Still, regardless of how you do it, radical realignment (6 or 5 team divisions) I think is inevitable and would be good for reducing travel thus better for GHG and for expenses for teams and make for better rivalries. I miss the old Jays/Tigers battles of the 80's.

Wouldn’t turning up the thermostat a couple of degrees at the BDC Dome have more impact? I was under the impression the Rangers climate control effort was equivalent to air-conditioning a significant part of Hell.

Or…. And hear me out. We utilize stadia for meaningful solar generation when not otherwise in use. Create very comfortable EV team buses.

If Teams promote climate responsibility to their customers, and require their corporate sponsors to accelerate their carbon-zero plans in order to sponsor, it would make a much bigger difference.

Time to go back to train travel like Babe Ruth?

I was under the impression the Rangers climate control effort was equivalent to air-conditioning a significant part of Hell.

That has more to do with Globe Life Field being located in the state of Texas than anything else.

So is “climate change” these days defined as getting colder or getting hotter? I can’t keep track because the science seems to turn on a dime every ten or twenty years depending on the political requirements.

. o is “climate change” these days defined as getting colder or getting hotter? I can’t keep track because the science seems to turn on a dime every ten or twenty years depending on the political requirements.

And did you ever notice there’s no stars in those pictures of Neil Armstrong on “the moon”?

shoelesjoe - I'm guessing the movie "don't look up" would fit you quite nicely. FYI: you would be one of those who refuse to look up because your favorite politicians told you not to.

It really doesn't matter and it's silly to use that as an excuse to do nothing. Quite clearly what we're doing is bad for the planet, both now and in the future.

No Lights at Wrigley Field!!!

How many people travel with an MLB team? Twenty-six player, 5-10 trainers and coaches, a few executives….so 40-45 or so?

No Lights at Wrigley Field!!!

there were none the first couple of years I visited, and it was great.
buddy made all of us swear that we'll never attend a game at Wrigley under the lights - and I haven't.

Just 3D print the players at the road stadium.

Or play the games on a spreadsheet.

How many people travel with an MLB team? Twenty-six player, 5-10 trainers and coaches, a few executives….so 40-45 or so?

That feels light to me. There always seem to be a bunch of hangers on. The Red Sox website lists 13 coaches for example;

26 players
13 coaches; Manager, hitting coach, asst hitting coach (eye roll), other asst hitting coach (other eye roll), pitching coach, bullpen coach, 1B and 3B coach, bench coach, game planning coordinator, bullpen catcher, staff assistant, major league field coordinator
3 trainers; head trainer, 2 assistant trainers
Strength and conditioning coach
Masseuse (2)
Physical therapist

That’s 46 people who are running around the clubhouse and dugout on any given day. Batboys don’t travel I don’t think, I assume there are a couple of clubhouse guys that go along to lug equipment to and fro (I assume no one is expecting Chris Sale to carry his own bags). I assume there are a couple of traveling secretary/assistant to the traveling secretary types to make sure there are rooms and food and presumably someone is paying a bunch of bills for the team.

Even assuming no FO bigwigs (e.g. GM, owner) I’d bet it’s 65-70 easy.

Now I’m curious though as to what the right answer is. Someone around here must know.

Add in at least one media relations type, probably now more like 2-4. Are we counting broadcast personnel (in the booth, not camera operators or such) as part of the team?

The impression that I have is that when a team flies to a destination they are the only people on the plane, right? Whether it's a team-owned plane or a charter, it's just people who are traveling because they are connected to the game in some way. Removing all of those long single-purpose flights seems like it could make some kind of meaningful dent.
This is the first reason for restructuring MLB that I didn't dislike.

I don’t think MLB would realign to lower their carbon emissions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they switched to a low carbon/zero carbon jet fuel sometime in the next 10 years.

There’s always cap and trade arrangements if they care (they don’t).

I shouldn't feed the troll by trying to explain how an overall rise in temperature can cause both warmer and colder temperatures, huh?

I forget what the right answer is but it's a lot of people traveling with the team. I've worked at hotels where baseball teams have stayed at and I want to say the room blocks are for like 80.

Scouts, FO people, and PR people as well

@21: Nope, just put it on ignore.

radical realignment (6 or 5 team divisions) I think is inevitable

What would reactionary realignment be? All the teams in one division, with no playoffs?

The first sign of a hoax religion is when you need to change your religions name after 20 years because the Al Gore’s gospels aren’t coming true. Climate change is much better because you can rope anything that happens into “see, that’s climate change for you”.

And as 21 points out there are always the sage head nodders who tut-tut that they need to explain to you that cooling, warming, no change at all are all signs of the same phenomenon. Anything that happens is proof of my theory!

I’m old enough to remember when the special section in our Sunday newspaper was devoted to the coming Ice Age. The glaciers will be here soon and the last time they came all the way to the United States!!! At least we don’t have to worry about glaciers for 50-60 more years.

. The first sign of a hoax religion is when you need to change your religions name after 20 years because the Al Gore’s gospels aren’t coming true. Climate change is much better because you can rope anything that happens into “see, that’s climate change for you”.

And as 21 points out there are always the sage head nodders who tut-tut that they need to explain to you that cooling, warming, no change at all are all signs of the same phenomenon. Anything that happens is proof of my theory!

I’m old enough to remember when the special section in our Sunday newspaper was devoted to the coming Ice Age. The glaciers will be here soon and the last time they came all the way to the United States!!! At least we don’t have to worry about glaciers for 50-60 more years.

And why is the flag rippling, hmmm??? There’s no air on the moon!

The Duke Posted: January 03, 2022 at 09:31 PM (#6059514)
The first sign of a hoax religion is when you need to change your religions name after 20 years because the Al Gore’s gospels aren’t coming true. Climate change is much better because you can rope anything that happens into “see, that’s climate change for you”.

The term climate change was brought to the fore and then into the vernacular based on the recommendation of longtime Republican strategist Frank Luntz. In 2001 he advised its usage to George W. Bush, and then Republicans in general, because, as he wrote to Bush, "climate change suggests a more controllable and less emotional challenge." You can read more about the memo here.

You can also read about his statement in 2019 to a Senate committee that "I’m here before you to say that I was wrong in 2001."