In addition, after the Yanks spend all that money on signing young prospects to huge signing bonuses, they know damn well that if/when they become stars (a la Jeter, posada, Rivera), that they can sign them and not have to trade them and start over with young prospects
Bud is to blame because He saw that fans weren't coming out. It doesn't help either when we see these baseball players talk about the fans bad. As with Barry Bonds. He thinks that the fans will come out to see entertainment next year regardless of what happens this year. APPARENTLY NOT BARRY. The fans pay the team, the team pays YOU. AND WE"RE GOING ON STRIKE BECAUSE of the $$$$. he's a dip SH**. But then again you're already rich. BASEBALL SUCKS, except for the METS.
but it's also why the yankees win. if spending money guaranteed success, why haven't the rangers, orioles or dodgers won recently? that's because baseball does not regulate its draft the same way the nfl and, especially, the nba does. if you want to play in either of the later leagues, you have to be drafted. and yeah, money does play a role in the yankees' ability to scout foreign territories and sign the players it finds; but they're also high profile because of their storied history and located in one of the world's biggest and most famous cities, so even with revenue sharing, they'd still hold some distinct advantages over other teams. i think people focus too much on NYs payroll, and assume it's the only reason they're successful. far from it. it helps, sure, but that's a well-run organization that recognizes and values talent. my guess is that if you capped baseball later today, the NYY would still figure prominently in the WS race.
Personally, I think the 2 teams have to be Arizona and Tampa Bay... It can't be Cleveland b/c they've just made WAY TOO much money over the last 8 years... all those sell outs at Jacobs Field, it just doesn't add up... I think if TB folds this year, it would be the best thing for baseball... Finally, the owners and players would have to sit down and hammer out a deal b/c we'd all know that the owners were no longer crying wolf about losing money... plus TB wasn't on the list for contraction b/c of their ironclad deal with Tropicana Field, but if they go belly up, that deal is negated and MLB can't be sued. Thus they only have to contract one team, be it the Expos, Twins, or whatever.
The Yankees DO have the best players...but they are able to PAY them and KEEP them.....your point about the Dodgers, O's and Rangers is valid (even though the Dodgers are on top of their division and have won several world series' in the past) The bottom line is that 6-8 teams have the payroll to compete these days...I know going into the season that the Yanks, Red Sox, Mariners, Cardinals, Braves and Diamondbacks are almost certainly going to make up 6 of the 8 spots in the playoffs. Its not like that in hoops or football (granted the lakers will probably keep winning as long as Shaq and Kobe are there but not because they are the only team that can afford them)
Another point on the Lakers...in the NBA there are only about 5-8 DOMINANT players....the Lakers have 2 of them. It tkaes only 1 rally dominant player to win in the NBA (like Jordan) and the fact that the Lakers have 2 is the reason why they win.
The Indians just fired their manager. Hmm... That's nice. We're gonna gut the team, and when they not -surprisingly suck, we'll fire you. Smooooth.
hold on a second... the Ms have the 8th highest payroll in baseball, yes, but it's nearly $15M behind the seventh highest (ATL). and the 5 team payrolls ranked directly behind SEA's ($80M) all fall between $79M-$74M. and don't forget, since 1998, SEA has traded johnson and griffey and were unable to resign arod, so they're more of a middle market team than they are a big market team. further, the cardinals have the 13th highest payroll in baseball, just one slot ahead of the astros. teams with higher payrolls include CHC, TOR, CLE, NYM and TEX, all of whom have worse records. meanwhile, MON, OAK, MIN, CIN, and ANA are all among the bottom half of baseball's salary structure (all but ANA are actually among the bottom 10), and all are in second place or higher in their division this year. so it's not about who spends the most, but who spends the wisest money. since 1991, nba championships have been won by four teams (CHI, HOU, SA and LA). over the same time span, MLB has had 6 different WS champions maybe comparing the leagues directly isn't fair, and i'm certainly not arguing baseball's finances are in a row. yet... baseball fans cry about there being no parity... and it seems like there's just as much, if not more, than the financially sound, well-run NBA. to me, the problem isn't with the NYY, its with the lower-tiered teams who cry poverty yet make bone-headed and stupid decisions year after year.
but, like the yankees, the laker mystique lured those guys as much as big money (certainly the case in acquiring kobe -- remember his pre-draft warning that he only wanted to play in LA?) and that was done under the cap. thus, it's my contention the yanks would still be big players in free agency, etc., even if there was a cap, because people want to play for them. so the best talent would still likely be headed to NY.
Compare that to the Astros: Our OF was developed by us (Ward, Berkman, Hidalgo-we got Ward as a minor league). The right side of the infield have been groomed as Astros. On opening day, the left side (Everett/Ensberg) was as well. The pitching staff is nearly all guys who came through the system: Wagner Stone Linebrink Oswalt Miller Hernandez Redding Reynolds etc. Who are the best players on the team that weren't developed by us? Geoff Blum? Jose Vizcaino? Dave Mlicki? Brad Ausmus? We picked up Dotel before he became good. The Yankees have been able to buy players at positions they wanted. They brought Clemens in, and kept him. Bought El Duque. Ditto Giambi. Ditto Mondesi. Ditto Ventura. Mussina. Weaver. Hitchcock. Karsay. Stanton. I'd say any one of these guys is a more substantial pick up than the major players we've gotten/kept in free agency/trade on our roster. The Yankees HAVE been able to develop a few players. But look at a guy like Pettite-because they were able to "buy" others, he's basically their #4 starter-behind Clemens, Mussina, Weaver, and even for #4 he's competing with Wells, Hitchcock, and El Duque. Drayton doesn't have bottomless pockets, and I understand that. But this past offseason was pretty miserable IMO. We let Astacio, Williams, Castilla, and Alou go, and picked up nothing. If we had even tendered offers to these guys, we would have gotten additional first round picks to put back into the team, but we didn't even do that. We chose to walk into the season with a rookie left side of the infield, no speed in the OF, and a bullpen relying on such names that strike fear into hitters' hearts like "Mann", "Linebrink", "Stone", and almost "Nitkowski". Were we truly expecting everything to go rosy, get hit with no injuries, and waltz to the playoffs losing so many guys, and replacing them with unproven nothings.
so it's not about who spends the most, but who spends the wisest money. It's also about who has the money to spend wisely. The problem isn't that money is all that matters. It's that money is a requirement along with good management. You put Gerry Hunsicker & Houston management in Cleveland or Texas or Seattle and he can do more than he can at Houston. *That* is the problem. Ideally, the system should reward good management as much as possible instead of the the city you're located in. baseball fans cry about there being no parity... and it seems like there's just as much, if not more, than the financially sound, well-run NBA. However, the lack of parity in the NBA is due to bad management. There's no team in the NBA or NFL that really sucks because of the city they are in - every team has a very real chance to succeed (even moreso in the NFL than the NBA). The lack of parity in the MLB is due to the city certain teams are located in and the ballparks they have. Bad management can be fired. Teams can't as easily be moved and ballparks built (although MLB tried that route). to me, the problem isn't with the NYY, its with the lower-tiered teams who cry poverty yet make bone-headed and stupid decisions year after year. Keep in mind that, sometimes, these teams have no choices in many instances. No *star* player is going to sign in Tampa Bay unless they are old and just looking to make money or don't care about winning a ring anymore. To get a middle of the road player, they are going to have to outbid a Houston or St. Louis or New York because at those places, a player can get his money AND win. Basically, you can't draw fans without winning. Can't win without getting good players. Can't get good players onto a bad team unless you overpay them. To make it worse, the draft is messed up too since it's basically a free market. The worst teams don't get the top prospects because they can't pay them. Can't get top draft picks without money. Can't get money without fans. Can't get fans without winning, etc. (see above)
then why are OAK, MIN, MON, CIN and ANA all competiting for a playoff spot? even STL is ranked just 13th in payroll, and you could argue, as i did above, that while large, SEA's $80M is not really comparable, to, say, ATL's, which is $94M, yet ranked one slot ahead. but it has rewarded good management -- four division titles in five years. how much better could he have done in CLE, TEX, or SEA? i'm not sure you could expect much more... again, i don't want to be sucked into some pro-MLB stance, but you're ignoring facts: 5 of the 13 competiting teams this year have payrolls ranked among the bottom half, and a sixth, STL, is only 13th. and therein lies the crux of my arguement -- they do have a choice: financial responsibility. you can't tell me a franchise is better off signing wade boggs, vinny castilla, greg vaughn, wilson alvarez, et al, than they would be investing that money in scouting and developing minor league talent. and it doesn't take a baseball genius like hunsicker to know that. i certainly could have advised TB not do that; i'm sure you could have as well. so if TB wants to cry about baseball's disparity, they may want to take a look at their own horrible mismanagement before trying to cast blame elsehwere, and that goes for a lot of teams. the twins and expos are proof you can build a decent team without blowing your payroll on broken down crap.
Actually, the Texas Rangers (and Stars) have a huge cable TV deal since FOX was afraid of Hicks' Channel 39 venture and overpaid for the teams' broadcast rights. From a D Magazine article: In his office last month, Hicks elaborated. “Two things happened to make me look at sports long-term,” Hicks says. “I fell in love with hockey. Then I started seeing what the sports business is all about, and I started doing the buy-and-build thing because I couldn’t help myself. Having the two teams [he bought the Rangers for $250 million in 1998] changed the whole dynamic. We had leverage over Fox because we could create our own network or let Fox pay what it was really worth.” What it was worth to Fox was $550 million over 15 years, one of the most lucrative media deals in sports. It was a deal that also placed the Stars and Rangers among the top revenue producers in their leagues. Of course, Hicks also claims he's going to lose $40 million this season on the Rangers and lost $31.2 million last season. Perhaps the Rangers are a team on the bubble financially, especially with Hicks' other money woes. While I don't believe the Rangers are losing anywhere near what Hicks' says they are, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that they're losing money. And the Rangers have reportedly been trying to shop plenty of their high prices players including Pudge (who they are saying they won't be resigning).
Crap, crap, crap ,crap, crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not the biggest Drayton McLane fan on earth, but I can tell you something. Anybody who suffered through the credit unions operating the Astros in the early 1980s and then John McMullen from the mid 1980s until 1992, would NEVER b**** and moan about Drayton. Good God!
Ric...the Yankees spend a LOT of stupid money...but they can afford to take those chances. For God sakes, they are still paying Gerald Williams and Drew Henson a ton of money. In fact, they spend as much money on players that dont even play than other teams do on guys who are starters. Name me one other team that pays its 7th pitcher 12 million dollars. Thats what the Yankees are paying Hitchcock. They are still paying gerald Williams 2 million to do absolutely nothing. And when they DO trade away a good player, more often than not, the Yankees facilitate the deal by picking up most of the guys salary. They are still paying Charlie Hayes for goodness sakes.
I disagree...yes, that would be the perhaps the 1st choice of many free agents, but they arent going to take a 10 million dollar paycut to platoon in RF when they could be an everyday starter and make a ton more money in , say KC or Houston. You dont see guys flocking to LA or NY now in basketball do you? And FYI...Shaq took less money to go to LA so he could make movies and rap albums...FACT
Do you really think that any of those teams (Oak, Min, Mon, Cin or ANA) have a chance to win the WS??? Cmon...you cant be serious. They are nice teams that can get hot but they aren't winning the pennant anytime soon.
There are some very, very biased people posting in this thread. First off, I know which team wouldn't have been able to make payroll. The Yankees announced it by mistake on their pregame show on YES. Its the Detroit Tigers. I guess the stupid ass spent all of his money for the Wings. But thats how my beloved Yankees have Weaver, so I'm not complaining.--Bud doesn't think it'll surprise people because of their longevity in the game, but because they have a shiny new stadium and after that they are the "model" baseball team. OK Now on to some quotes, I'm not going to bother to find out who these are from, but most are from the same person, who keeps dishing out gem after gem: "Oswalt is a Top-10 pitcher" LOL! He can become a top 10 pitcher, but he's not there yet. "and they dont have give away prospects" Actually, the Yankees do give away prospects. D'Angelo Jiminez for Gerald Alfonse "Jay" Witasick is one example. Its just that they don't NEED these prospects. Remember when the Yankees traded Henson to the Reds? The only reason he was playing in the minor leagues is because he wanted to play for the Yankees. So what happened? The Yankees get him back, at a rebate. "Its so frustrating that 7 or 8 teams have a chance to win the WS every year" Unfortunately, these aren't the top 7 or 8 teams payroll wise. "yes, the yankees benefit greatly from their money, but look at their roster: posada, soriano, jeter, williams, pettitte, rivera...ff the top of my head, are all in-house prospects. so, it's likely, even with revenue sharing and/or a salary cap, the yanks would still be a contender -- their organization is well-run." Soriano isn't a home grown talent, he's basically Made In Japan, but you can add NJ, Mendoza, and Choate. Thats the difference between the Orioles and the Yankees, the Dodgers or the Yankees, etc. They know which players will be good, and they keep them, while the others go out and sign Albert Belle (who the Yankees were TERRIBLY close to signing instead of Bern), Kevin Brown, Andy Ashby, etc. "the Yankees spend a LOT of stupid money...but they can afford to take those chances. For God sakes, they are still paying Gerald Williams and Drew Henson a ton of money." They didn't sign Williams, and he's not making "a ton" of money. Drew Henson isn't exactly a "chance", you see what Eric Hinske is doing? Just wait until him with more power on the Yankees. "since 1991, nba championships have been won by four teams (CHI, HOU, SA and LA). over the same time span, MLB has had 6 different WS champions to me, the problem isn't with the NYY, its with the lower-tiered teams who cry poverty yet make bone-headed and stupid decisions year after year." A baseball great once said: "The Super-stars getting the money is not the problem, it is the high price of mediocrity that is destroying baseball" "Ditto Ventura. " OH GIVE ME A ****IN BREAK! No one would TOUCH him when he was on the Mets. Everyone ignored him as an overpaid FA because he didn't produce, but now he's OUT of Shea Stadium, but NOT out of New York, and people are b****ing. Just stop it. "Weaver." They certainly got him because the A's nor the Tigers could afford him, but they didn't "buy" him. They gave up a little too much IMO. "Do you really think that any of those teams (Oak, Min, Mon, Cin or ANA) have a chance to win the WS??? Cmon...you cant be serious. They are nice teams that can get hot but they aren't winning the pennant anytime soon." OAKLAND was one slide away from sweeping the Yankees, and winning the pennant (that series was the real ALCS, the Mariners aren't built for the postseason) last year, but alas "That was the most unbelievable play I have ever seen" happened. And to say they have no shot, especially with the addition of Lilly is completely stupid.
NYK...they Yankees give away prospects because they know that they can fully replace them with an all star free agent if necessary. As for Drew Henson...first off, practically EVERY major league team could have drafted him but none could afford to pay him millions of dollars to sign ...and when they traded him, they picked up most of his remaining contract Do you think that NO ONE IN THE MAJORS KNEW ABOUT SORIANO????? Everyone knew of his talents....no one could afford the signing bonus They still owe Gerald Williams 2 million dollars...nice to know anything about your "beloved" team...Drew Henson, again, made it clear to all the teams that it was going to take HUGE signing bonus to get him The A's have no shot to win the WS...they lost their best player to the...who was it...oh, the Yankees. Understand something NYK....I don;t blame the Yankees one bit. I blame the system that baseball has. The Yankees simply have the money to take advantage of it. The do not cheat, they do not circumvent anything...they are a well managed organization...HOWEVER, it is because of all the money they can spend on signing bonuses and 7th string starting pitchers etc that enables them to win. Joe Torre is a good manager....but he never won ANYTHING before he came to NY. They are spending more money on guys who are not even on the roster than some teams spend on roster players. Steinbrenner doesn't want to revenue share because he says that the small market owners will pocket the 4 or 5 million per team instead of spend it on players.....well George, what the hell can 4 or 5 million get you these days??? A middle reliever??? Please.
