i actually like the Red Sox, so i'm with you there... but do you honestly believe this statement about Shaq and Kobe...the most dominant players in the history of basketball?? #1 and #2 of all time??? are you serious??? how long have you been watching basketball???
Don't you think he would be more of a legend if he were to win it all with LESS money rather than MORE? Seems to me like he has really taken the road less traveled. I think taking the Boston job would be more p***y. Max, notice that the list of things Nomar put up are all things that TheCat hates one way or another. Whether Nomar really thinks Shaq and Kobe are the most dominant or not, he was doing it primarily to piss Cat off.
The media isn't used to the annual Red Sox collapse yet? Seriously, I think a person tries to take the better situation for themselves. Oakland is a better situation simply because of talent, not media scrutiny.
i'm not disagreeing with you...i'm just wondering if media scrutiny played a factor at all...i'm wondering if coaches and gm's are turned off by that when they have other alternatives...but i'm not saying that's necessarily the primary reason..just speculating.
Well, they will inevitably lose theri young talent. They do have their young pitchers locked up for a few years though.
Let's see: City A: A better team that I built with financial restrictions but no restrictive contracts and a great farm system City B: A mediocre team that someone else built with less financial contraints but an array of bad, overpaid, old players and weak farm system Which would I want to try to take to the next level?
Hmm... what would make him more legendary...? Winning a World Series with the A's? Or being credited with finally winning a world series with the Red Sox. I'm pretty sure the latter. Lets see: A team that I've already built to the top of its potential considering the money the owner is willing to spend. or A new challenge of taking a team that needs lots of work, and a team with tons of prestige and history, and a great baseball city. What exactly is the farm system of the A's anyway Major? **** the haters.
Try this link on for size... And no, it's not from bottom to top. http://www.topprospectalert.com/top10/2002teams.shtm The A's HAD a great system, before all the players made it up to the MLB-level.
Wait a second, you state that he has already built up the A's as high as he potentially can...so if he managed to win a world series with this team, wouldn't that mean he beat the odds? When I say legendary status, I mean that he did something that was amazing and hasn't been done before, or at least not as well as him. The Red Sox haven't won in 84 years, true, but I don't believe the silly curse stuff for a minute. Teams that have payrolls and revenue similar to the Red Sox have won the world series in the past. It doesn't happen often (if at all) with teams similar to the A's in team market and revenue. THAT'S what makes him legendary to me, not some silly notion of breaking some non-existent "curse." Why would Beane need to have a "new challenge" when he can continue to beat the challenge that he has almost beaten with the A's? It's not as if he fell into that situation. He made that team what it is.
That list is from the beginning of 2002 and is not very accurate. At least four of the guys on the A's list are no longer with the organization and it doesn't include their trades in the season (Arnold, Ford-Griffin) and the emergence of Bonderman as a top prospect(looks like Bonderman went to the Tigers in that Weaver deal, my bad there). Plus, on the Sox list Blanco is listed #1 even though he missed half the year and stunk it up when he came back. I don't think there's any question the A's system has been a lot better than Boston's and the record bears that out pretty strongly. It's probably more important to follow the track record of drafting, scouting, and trading than whatever talent level is perceived to be in a system right now which can change dramatically with the emergence of one or two prospects.
So, then give me a new updated ranking then. Also, the ranking doesn't have Hanley Ramirez (I think that's his name), the young SS in the BoSox farm system, who is supposed to be one of the top 10 or so prospects in the MLB.
I haven't seen one but I would say the A's are middle of the pack and the Sox are a little behind but to the point, even if the Sox system had a little more talent it's not the talent it's the system. It would take Beane a few years to turn over Boston's whole minor league system so unless the Sox were brimming with stud prospects like the Cubs then I don't think the talent level would really make much of a difference in his decision because he'd have a lot of work to do to build it "his way". He'd probably be more interested in all of the resources the Red Sox would be able to provide that maybe he doesn't have in Oakland.
