# Baseball-Reference humor? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 29, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337 "2012-04-29T17:45:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/1 "2012-04-29T17:45:45Z")
I was just farting around the internet, looking at baseball stats, and noticed this solicitation for advertising at the bottom of Barry Bonds’ entry at [baseball-reference.com](http://baseball-reference.com) (link to screencap, in case it’s been changed) : [http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/hrhomer/bbrhumor.jpg](http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn210/hrhomer/bbrhumor.jpg) I thought it was funny. Joe ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/2 "2012-04-29T18:47:19Z")
That must be intentional. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/3 "2012-04-29T19:17:04Z")
It could have been worse, they could have priced it as $762\*. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/4 "2012-04-30T03:09:57Z")
It’s interesting, but I don’t know how funny it is. [b-r.com](http://b-r.com) solicits sponsors for every single player in their database, and the higher profile of a player, the higher they get to price the sponsorship level to meet the demand. I’m sure they decided that $755 was enough of a meaningful number to justify pricing the sponsorship price above what they’d normally charge. Probably the funniest part of it is that no one has jumped up to pay the sponsorship fee. There are waiting lists for some players. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/5 "2012-04-30T17:58:33Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It’s interesting, but I don’t know how funny it is. [b-r.com](http://b-r.com) solicits sponsors for every single player in their database, and the higher profile of a player, the higher they get to price the sponsorship level to meet the demand. I’m sure they decided that $755 was enough of a meaningful number to justify pricing the sponsorship price above what they’d normally charge. Probably the funniest part of it is that no one has jumped up to pay the sponsorship fee. There are waiting lists for some players. I sponsor a page on b-r’s sister site, [pro-football-reference.com](http://pro-football-reference.com), for my favorite player from my childhood / adolescence (former Packer tight end [Paul Coffman](http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CoffPa00.htm)). For a player of that caliber (several Pro Bowls, but by no means a Hall-of Famer), it’s pretty inexpensive (around $30 for a year, IIRC). Coffman’s son, [Chase](http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CoffCh00.htm), is a tight end for the Bengals, but has all of three career receptions in the NFL (and has only played in 6 games in 3 seasons). Sponsoring Chase’s page would cost you $10; I suspect that’s at or near the bottom-of-the barrel on their sponsorship packages. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/6 "2012-04-30T18:06:03Z")
Wow - I never dug into this before. Check out the [index of sponsorship pages](http://www.baseball-reference.com/my/available.shtml), particularly the [high rollers](http://www.baseball-reference.com/my/HighRollers.shtml)! ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/7 "2012-04-30T18:16:15Z")
How are they deriving these prices? Cuz having Raul Ibanez or Edwin Jackson more expensive than Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays is a great big WTF? for me… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/8 "2012-04-30T18:20:02Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#): > > How are they deriving these prices? Cuz having Raul Ibanez or Edwin Jackson more expensive than Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays is a great big WTF? for me… I’d guess that it is, at least in part, based at least in part on number of hits to the page in question, since you’re essentially buying a banner ad on that page. Modern players may well get more page views than older players, just because fans are looking for current stats. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/9 "2012-04-30T18:49:49Z")
Incidentally, Willie Mays - $410 Stan Musial - $295 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/10 "2012-04-30T19:29:10Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’d guess that it is, at least in part, based at least in part on number of hits to the page in question, since you’re essentially buying a banner ad on that page. Modern players may well get more page views than older players, just because fans are looking for current stats. And current Yankees probably set the bar at it’s highest. The biggest head scratchers for me are Carlos Pena at 5th overall ahead of Jeter and Bonds? And Anthony Rizzo at 25. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/11 "2012-04-30T20:48:05Z")
I can see a whole new fantasy league emerging. Each person gets $X to spend, and whoever gets the most total hits on their “roster” wins. Do you concentrate on a couple of high-value names, or load up on $2 picks? ---
**Author:** ![Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambihelical_Hexnut)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-reference-humor/620337/12 "2012-04-30T21:21:53Z")
Page sponsorship has become ridiculously expensive over the last year or so. I paid $85 to sponsor Manny Ramirez’ page in September 2010. When that sponsorship ended, the price for renewal was $475! I don’t see how BR can justify such a collosal price hike - especially as Manny’s page is still unsold. Even Albert Pujols’ page has remained unsold for months - and they still refuse to drop the prices!