Baseball The Way It Used to Be? A Candid Conversation With Jamie Siragusa - Federal Baseball League

As a boy I remember Montreal and of course the Montreal Expos, I even saw them play at Jarry Park, it was a night game. Eventually the team found a new home at Olympic Stadium now known as Stade Olympique. In 2004 the team left and became the Washington Nationals. That left one team Toronto, but that is about to change with the creation of a new league known as the Federal Baseball League.

Jamie Siragusa is the commissioner of the league and I am very pleased to be able to have him join me in a Candid Conversation about the league. Which by the way is expected to launch in 2023. Mr. Commissioner welcome thanks for taking time out to speak to me and my audience here on Candid Conversations.

Jamie S.: Thank you, Cliff, I appreciate the opportunity to discuss our new league with your audience.

Cliff T.: Mention the word baseball in the professional sense and automatically one thins of the MLB format with it's American and National leagues. How close to the level of skill will the Federal Baseball League be to the MLB?

Jamie S.: Quite candidly, although we intend to make this league compete at the highest level possible, there is no way that we can claim that we would expect to be on par with Major League Baseball. What we our striving to achieve, however, is to create a level of baseball that is somewhere in between Triple-A and the big leagues.

Cliff T.: One of the interesting things that caught my eye, besides the Montreal angle was that you intended to be different from the MLB, how do you intend to do that?

Jamie S.: We are going to differentiate ourselves from Major League Baseball in a variety of ways, but, the most important way will be in how we treat the fans. Right now, MLB takes its fans for granted, mostly because they have no direct competition. That, of course, will change when Federal League Baseball begins play.

Another important difference is that Federal League will treat its players are partners. The relationship between the players and management will be cooperative rather than belligerent.

Cliff T.: From what I read you find that the game has a slow pace, can you explain what you mean by that and how the FBL will differ?

Jamie S.: MLB games take far too long and there are too many periods of inaction. We believe that, despite their assertions to the contrary, MLB wants it to be this way. Somehow, their research tells them that it is more profitable to do things that way.

Federal League’s brand of baseball will have games that average two hours and 30 minutes, or less, by design. We will have shorter in between inning breaks. We will keep the batters in the box in between pitches, and, we will instruct our umpires to keep the game moving, just like MLB used to do, a long, long time ago.

Cliff T.: Will the rules of the game be similar to that of the MLB and would that also include a different size of the playing field?

Jamie S.: Federal League Baseball will utilize traditional baseball rules. By that, I mean that we will not employ any of the newer gimmicks introduced in professional baseball recently. We will not have “automatic” runners in extra innings. We will not schedule seven inning doubleheaders. We will not mandate that pitchers have to face any more than one batter, or anything similar to that. Essentially, if you took a Major League rule book from, oh, let’s say, 1971, that would be the style of baseball we will be playing.

We will use the tradition size baseball diamond. There is no need to tamper with perfection.

Cliff T.: Your looking at 18 cities for teams that will number 12 players, besides Montreal what cities are you hoping to put teams into?

Jamie S.: To clarify, the league is designed to have 12 teams (teams will have 25 players on their rosters), with six in each of two divisions. We have at least 18 cities in major markets under consideration. From that list, we will pick the final 12 teams.

New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are, of course the biggest TV markets and we fully expect to pursue those cities. We also have our eye on cities like Vancouver and New Orleans that are underserved by professional baseball.

Cliff T.: Another interesting thing caught my eye Jamie. Your release indicates that you are going to look at getting players from foreign leagues and even former MLB players, that is interesting, any thoughts on whom you might like to have sign to a team?

Jamie S.: With our first pitch still almost two years away, it would be difficult to forecast who we might be able to sign, but, by way of example, look at someone like Felix Hernandez, the former Mariners’ pitcher. He was offered a minor league contract by the Baltimore Orioles this spring and then he opted out of that contract and he is currently a free agent. Someone like that, a former big leaguer looking to resurrect their career, that kind of player would definitely draw our interest.

Cliff T.: Jamie what prompted you and the other founders of the Federal Baseball League to create the league and how long has this process been in the works?

Jamie S.: Quite honestly, the current path of Major League Baseball, its poor and unimaginative leadership, its callous disregard for its fans and its own traditions, its overt politicism, has been the biggest impetus for us. We want baseball to be how it used to be, and we realized that it was never going to happen unless we did it ourselves.

Cliff T.: I have to ask, have you played and when did you and the other founders decide to bring the idea of a new league into the sportsphere?

Jamie S.: All of the founders have playing backgrounds of varying levels.

The idea has been rolling around in my head since the Major League strike in 1994, but, recently, I had noticed that there were a lot of baseball fans, hardcore, lifelong, baseball fans that felt similar to how I feel-that Major League Baseball, while it has the best talent in the world, is poorly run, poorly played, and poorly presented.

Cliff T.: From what I see there already is a Federal Baseball League in Florida, so are you basically expanding this league in hopes of competing with the MLB or offering an alternative to the MLB?

Jamie S.: The league we currently operate in Florida is something that I developed in 1993 for former college and pro players to continue playing the game. Back then, there were few alternatives, other than softball or golf, for accomplished players that loved the game. I started the Florida league to have a place for those players, as well as myself, to keep playing baseball.

However, that league really has nothing to do with our professional league that we are currently organizing. Maybe someday we will use it as a developmental league, but, right now, they are connected in name, and spirit, only.

Cliff T.: As I mentioned earlier I am from Montreal and this release really grabbed my attention. Many in the city and outside of Montreal would love to see baseball come back to the city. What kind of reaction are you getting from the cities you have suggested putting teams into and have other cities reached out with an interest in being part of the league?

Jamie S.: We are just beginning to get a positive reaction from the civic leaders and business communities in our target cities. Naturally, we are initially met with some skepticism, people find it hard to accept that anyone can successfully challenge Major League Baseball for its audience, but when those people hear the details of our plan, they start to see the possibilities.

Cliff T.: Jamie I bet you are working night and day to get ready for 2023, for you what has been like to see this idea through to where you are now and what are you hoping the league will accomplish post launch?

Jamie S.: Like anything else worth doing, it has been a grind. Mostly, right now, the challenge is getting the word out and getting people to believe. Once we are able to complete a broadcast deal for the league, things will begin to happen rapidly.

We have a timeline for getting things accomplished that lead to a season opening in April 2023 and, so far, we are on target.

Cliff T.: Awesome I really do appreciate your taking time out to talk about this league and I wish you tons of success.

Jamie S.: Thank you, Cliff. I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss Federal League Baseball with you. Let’s make it a point to meet at the new Montreal team’s home opener in 2023.

Jamie Siragusa is the CEO and Commissioner of the Federal Baseball League. They are planning to launch a new more innovative approach to baseball in 2023 with a game that is faster and more fan friendly. You can follow the progress at https://www.federalleague.com/quadA.htm

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Jamie wrote to us from Fort Lauderdale FL.

Dating Gone To The Dogs Cats and Birdies Via FetchaDate - A Candid Conversation With Sheryl Matthys

Love me love my dog, ever here that expression? Well, there is a rather interesting app that has been developed that has a focus on dogs, though cat and bird owners are also welcome as well. Okay, any animal lover is welcome. I kid not dear animal lover who is looking for love. Or just likes hanging around people with dogs, cats, turtles, horses etc etc, this platform may be the ticket to romance.

I have to say I like the name of this app, check this out it's called FetchaDate. LOL, I think this is really interesting, so I reached out to the founder Sheryl Matthys to share and guide us through this platform.

Sheryl, nice to meet you. Thanks for doing a Candid Conversations chat today.

Sheryl M.: Hi Cliff, I can’t wait to stir up Candid Conversations on pets!

Cliff T.: I am a cat person just an FYI here, married quite some time now 24 years, but let’s say I wanted to meet someone, and I had a big fluffy cat - would you say that FetchaDate is or should be one of the first apps to look at?

Sheryl M.: Definitely! Especially because you know everyone at FetchaDate™ is an animal lover – you’re preaching to the choir. Single pet lovers never have to worry about whether a potential date gets their love of animals. 

And, in the FetchaDate app, the pet introduces you. We “get it” when pet people pull out their phone to show others their pets’ antics photos so it makes perfect sense that in the dating app their pet is the icebreaker.

A close-up pic of a gorgeous big fluffy cat would get more people swiping right and that means more opportunities to chat with pet people. I mean, come on – who could swipe left – unless they’re just not into cats or that much fur or are allergic.

Cliff T.: Off the top we know the attraction of pets, you say in your press release that people want to meet the pet, then the human. How true is that? What kind of science told you that this kind of app would garner an audience?

Sheryl M.: Well, statistics show that 55% of singles are pet owners. In creating the FetchaDate format, it was my experience of interviewing hundreds of dog owners at my dog events, writing my book, Leashes and Lovers along with intuition to showcase their pet first in the app. Walking down the street, people easily strike up conversations with others who have pets as they’re hard to resist! People tend to check out the dog first, then the person. Pets help people appear friendlier, outgoing, and even more attractive. Attendees at my parties made their way around the room asking questions about each other’s pets without asking about their jobs. It was refreshing and people were connecting on a different level.

Featuring pets first in a profile draws people in. Science has shown that staring into animals’ eyes can release oxytocin—that feel-good tingling feeling. Medical News Today reports oxytocin is associated with empathy, trust, and relationships. I call it the “love hormone”. And, looking into a pet’s eyes can make you feel that way.

Also, a 2020 Studyfind.org survey of 2,000 American online dating users finds that about two in five have “swiped right,” or showed interest in another user solely because they wanted to hang out with the dog featured in one of their pictures.

Of the 2,000 participants, 63% of dog owners in the survey said that including their pet in their profile photo helped them find success matching with others online.

The numbers are growing of millennials having pets too, especially guys! According to a 2017 survey, Millennial males in the United States are more likely to be cat and/or dog owners than their female counterparts.
MALES:  48% owned a cat and 71% owned a dog
FEMALES: 35% cat, 62% dog

Cliff T.: And the 64,000-dollar question, how’s it going? What’s the response to FetchaDate?

Sheryl M.: We launched on Valentine’s Day and it’s fun to see it grow. We have people from around the country and around the world creating profiles. We’ve expanded on several platforms @fetchadate on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. We’re at @fetchadateapp on twitter. We love for pet lovers to submit photos of themselves and their pet for us to share in our newsletter and social media.

Cliff T.: Sheryl, there are lots of dating apps and sadly lots of profiles do get set up with regents, for those not in the know these are fake profiles with pictures of models. How are ensuring that this does not happen, or shall I say how do you lessen those profiles impact or presence on the app?

Sheryl M.: Thankfully, modern technology is making it harder to be a fake. At FetchaDate, users sign up with their mobile number and verify it with a code much like when you login to your bank, so there are no fake email signups on the platform. We believe that is a step in preventing illegitimate signups.

We believe ‘pet people’ in general are more truthful in their photos and truly want to show off their pets, and photos of them together.

Also, because you see the pet first (real or virtual) there isn’t the same appeal to post fake photos. Users can report to us what they believe are inappropriate and fake images. We monitor the app as well in efforts to prevent and/or stop quickly any such action.

The good news is especially since the pandemic; online dating apps have seen a rise in new users. The stigma of online dating has worn off and people have become comfortable saying they met on an online dating site or app.Stanford

Sociologist Michael Rosenfeld, who’s studied dating for more than 20 years, says meeting someone through family/friends has been declining while online dating increases. People are trusting new dating technology, and dating apps make it easier to find singles with like-minded interests. Users want to start in a place they’re more likely to find someone with common ground.

Well, that works perfectly for FetchaDate!

Cliff T.: This concept is unique, positively brilliant. How did you come up with FetchaDate?

Sheryl M.: The idea of connecting pet lovers came about because of my first Greyhound, Shiraz. Being a transplant from the Midwest to NYC, at first, it was a little rough making friends. Because we lived in a 4^th floor walkup, Shiraz needed to be walked several times a day. With my dog, the city became a kumbaya moment as if around a campfire. People stopped to talk with me and pet her. They smiled, made eye contact and it felt like the heavens parted. That usually didn’t happen before having her. That’s when I realized this could be the perfect way to help people meet others and build quality relationships.

As a former TV news reporter and then in NYC an actress – I had an idea. This could make a fun TV show. When someone has a pet, meeting other people is easier – it’s the icebreaker.

So, I created a reality-show pilot called, Heads or Tails and pitched it at NYTVF and a TV Pilot competition. Meanwhile, I wanted to take immediate action and started holding single dog lover events called, Leashes and Lovers.

Leashes and Lovers events connected dog lovers – some found dates, some made everlasting friends. At the events, I’d interview dog lovers about their dating dilemmas and other issues that arose like, “Does your dog sleep in your bed?” And “Would there be a 2^nd date if someone didn’t like your dog?”

This became such useful research and information that I wrote a book, “Leashes and Lovers: What Your Dog Can Teach You About Love, Life, and Happiness”

I discovered first-hand how important it is to dog lovers to connect with a date and potential partner who is fond of dogs. Especially for women, it’s at the top of their list. I created the name ‘FetchaDate’ early on and decided the ‘dating app’ aspect would be most clear with that name and to include other pets as well, so the slogan is, Where Pet Lovers Meet!

Cliff T.: How long did it take to develop it and besides pet owners who are you looking to attract with this app?

Sheryl M.: After many late nights and decisions, FetchaDate app launched in the App Store and Google Play in 2021 after a few years in the making. It’s geared to single pet lovers looking to date and find their perfect match in a partner. The person doesn’t have to currently have a pet, but a desire to meet others who have an affinity to a pet household lifestyle. Sometimes it’s easier if only one of the daters have a pet – fewer things to go wrong such as one pet not liking the other.

One doesn’t have to be “Must love dogs” to be in the app, but users may attest to the idea to at least be ‘Like My Pet’ for there to be a 2^nd date.

Cliff T.: Sheryl, you mention that subscribers don’t have to have a pet and can instead use a WingPet. Okay, what’s a WingPet?

Sheryl M.: In FetchaDate, your WingPet™ is your trusted adviser, front person to represent you. It showcases your personality, and even leaves clues about your interests, character, and values. It can be one of your real pets or one of our several virtual pets you pick from within the FetchaDate app. The virtual pets are animated so you recognize when someone has a virtual pet versus confusing it with a photo of a real pet.

A virtual pet simply says this person may not currently own a pet but is a pet lover. At FetchaDate, we understand some people may be in between pets for a myriad of reasons. In that case, “No Pet, No Problem™”. Choose a virtual pet!

The virtual pet could signify a type of pet they’ve had or plan to have; or simply represent an extension of the person’s personality. They could have a virtual horse, cat, parrot, snake, dog, pig, turtle… yet never intend to own one. For instance, they may feel connected to a virtual horse’s beauty, speed, grace to represent their own personality. Most of all it’s that the people in FetchaDate are animal lovers, accepting of other animal lovers.

Here's how it works in “fetch Who’s Behind” search area. First, you see the pet (real or virtual). Then you have a few choices. A. You can scroll up to see clues on the person behind that pet. B. Swipe right on their WingPet for a potential match. Or C. tap the blurred image with the ?-mark leash over it, to instantly see the person and then decide yes or no.

Cliff T.: So hypothetically I could use a WingPet like a cat, since I am a cat guy to showcase my profile, but is that being tricky? If I do not have a pet, how would the person on the other side know if that I really do not have a pet?

Sheryl M.:To be most clear that you don’t currently have a cat, you pick one of our several “virtual” cats. Virtual cats include Bengal, American Curl (it’s fully), Canadian Sphynx, Grumpy Cat, Japanese Bobtail, Maine Coon (very fluffy), Munchkin, Persian, and Siamese.

Or you could upload a photo of a previous real cat you had or one you desire. In the ‘About’ section is a good place to describe your pet situation. You may have a wonderful story to share about your previous pets.

Cliff T.: Besides dogs and cats, can subscribers showcase other animals and what kinds of animals are not permitted on the site? Let me guess monkeys and elephants, and other exotic animals, correct?

Sheryl M.: Pet lovers can show any animal as their WingPet™ they feel may represent their personality, values, interests. It doesn’t mean they have that pet. If they don’t though, it’d be good of them to explain in their ‘About’ section why they have that pet as their WingPet and if it’s for real or a virtual pet.

Showcasing exotic animals on FetchaDate does not mean we endorse it. If we feel an image is inappropriate, we may remove it, or others can report an image, and we’ll evaluate it.

In FetchaDate, we match people through their values and personality. The human’s profile consists of name, age, location, motto, work, about.  And they ‘fetch 5’ predetermined interests from our list, and personality attributes which are included in their profile. 

Pets (real or virtual) also get a profile which include name, breed, and ‘fetch 3’ personality attributes.

Cliff T.: FetchaDate offers free subscription, and paid what is the difference between the two or should I say what do you get with a paid vs free account?

Sheryl M.: Creating a profile and chatting with matches on FetchaDate is free! This includes the human and one pet profile (real or virtual pet). While FetchaDate offers a free version to all users, subscribers can unlock enhanced features like Profile Boost, message your favorites (who may not have matched with you yet), and the ability to add up to 4 pets (real or virtual) for $1.99/week, $2.99/month, or just $15.99/year.

Cliff T.: I know that managing a business like this is hard work, but I bet it's lots of fun to see this platform grow as well. What are you enjoying most about it and has creating this app given you some insights you’ve not had before regarding people and relationships?

Sheryl M.: I LOVE connecting with pet people! They are the best people I know, and we can share stories all day long. I’m excited to assist single pet people to connect for dates and potentially love. I offer private and group coaching programs too.

I’m learning more about posting on social media like TikTok. I can see how that platform is addictive as I catch myself scrolling through hilarious pet people’s videos. We’re holding social media contests too.

Regarding insights, I’ve been adding many relationship topics to the FetchaDate blog. I’m loving it and it’s my mission to help others find love and create healthy relationships and boundaries while inspiring more people to have pets as part of their pack. I couldn’t ever imagine my life without pets (particularly dogs) and I hope to share that love with others.

Cliff T.: I have to say this has been one of the more fun conversations I have had. Sheryl Matthys, thanks so much for taking time out to talk about FetchaDate.

Sheryl M.: Thank you, Cliff!

Sheryl Matthys, Founder of FetchaDate, the dating app for single pet lovers. She’s a former TV news reporter, NYC actress, Amazon best-selling author of Leashes and Lovers, and is a certified dog trainer/sitter who’s gained national media talking about dogs and how they impact our human relationships.  She's been featured on Animal Planet, E!, Bravo, ABC News Now, Fox & Friends, Sirius/XM, and The New York Times.

For more info, visit https://fetchadate.com. The FetchaDate app is available in the Apple Store or on Google Play.

She wrote to us from Indianapolis, IN