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October means its World Series time again
It's October, and for fans of Major League Baseball that means just one thing -- it's World Series time. My beloved Cincinnati Reds haven't been a serious contender since the All-Star break. Now that the American and National Leagues have crowned their pennant champs, it's time not just for a very special World Series -- for the first time in 44 years, we'll have a "subway series." Both competing teams -- the American League's New York Yankees and the National League's New York Mets -- are within the borders of New York City, which means players and fans alike could attend the games by riding the subway system. There have been 14 such subway series, including the 2000 World Series. The New York Yankees have won 10 of these series. The Giants won twice and the old Brooklyn Dodgers won once. This marks the first time the Yankees and the Mets have met in a "subway series." There's a lot of baseball history packed into the history of the "subway series," and the Web has plenty of places to read about it. • • About.com is a great resource for hundreds of topics, and its Major League Baseball coverage is excellent. To check out their "Subway Series" info, visit http://baseball.about.com/sports/baseball/. • One of the best fan sites about the phenomenon is Michael Rudolf, whose Web site lists a history of the "Subway Series" and box scores from each game of each series. He's got a great group of links to additional baseball resources too. Visit his site at http://mrudolf.tripod.com/subway/ • Of course, as you might expect, the hard core fan already has ordered his or her "Subway Series" logo wear! There's nothing better to watch the games at home than an official cap or T-shirt. You'll find authentic Major League Baseball caps and jerseys, for kids of all ages. Much of their inventory is only available while supplies last, so grab your piece of history while it's available. Visit the official "Subway Series" Web site at www.subwayseries.com. NOSCALPERS.COM. Amazon.com announced last week it would cancel all auctions of World Series tickets on its Web site because of New York's anti-scalping laws. EBay.com also canceled auctions of World Series tickets on its Web site. The bidding had reached $1,000 in one ticket auction before it was canceled. Yahoo's auction site still had World Series tickets listed as of press time. New York's state law prohibits the sale of tickets for $5 or 10 percent more than face value, whichever is greater, according to a CNet story. TOP DOGS. While dot-com companies are finding financial success elusive in some cases, the most popular Web destinations continue to bring in the hits. AOL.com was the top-rated Web site in September, with 61 million unique visitors recorded by Jupiter Media Metrix. Yahoo.com and Microsoft were neck-and-neck for second and third, with 52.7 and 51.4 million unique visitors recorded respectively. Google, the search engine that formed a partnership with Yahoo! some months ago, broke into the Top 50 ranked Web sites for the first time in September, reporting 5.7 million unique visitors. WEB RUMBLINGS. Once the darlings of Wall Street, the euphoria that floated around dot-com companies has evaporated. The wildly optimistic investment practices and soaring IPOs have been deflated. Investors now want companies to show practical business models that will create a return on their investment. Here's a list of some of the latest cuts and reorganization among dot-com companies. • News Corp.'s online division, News Digital Media, laid off 15 percent of its news staff recently. The division runs the Foxnews.com and Foxsports.com Web sites. News Digital Media employs 475 people, according to a Reuters report. • RedHerring.com announced it laid off 7 percent of its staff. Red Herring Communications runs a business and technology print and online magazine. •iBelieve.com, a Christian online retailer, has suspended operations of its Web site. The site, launched in January, was drawing members and visitors but failed to attract investors, according to a story by the Associated Press. • Drugstore.com announced it was eliminating 10 percent of its workforce as a step to reduce costs and streamline their staffing to conserve operating cash. Drugstore.com isn't in danger of closing up shop, according to the Reuters report. The move is a result of tighter reigns on investment capital, an official said. • Eve.com, a beauty e-tail Web site, recently suspended its operations. Its plans for an initial public stock offering were postponed recently. The Web site was launched in June 1999. Comments and questions about this column may be sent to jbrooks@myoldkentuckyhome.com, or visit www.myoldkentuckyhome.com on the World Wide Web. | HOME | |