2009 World Series Deserves an Asterisk
Written by Sadler on November 5, 2009 – 9:41 am -ED NOTE- I promise to write something like this only once a year.
The Yankees won the title. They had the best players. They deserved to win. Yes, they played by the rules, BUT DON’T EVER TELL ME THEY DID IT FAIRLY.
While Major League Baseball continues moan and groan over the effect steroids had on the sport and its records, there is still an unfair advantage when it comes to salaries. The New York Yankees spent $201,000,000 in player payroll this year. The next closest team was the other New York Team, the Mets, at $149,000,000. Then you can start lining the others up: Cubs, Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, Phillies, etc. All of their payrolls range from 135 mil to 113 mil.
So yes, it is no surprise to me that the Yankees and their extra 88 million dollars, beat the Phillies.
So go gaga for A-Rod, Tex, CC, AJ, etc. Be proud of yourself that you live in the largest media market in the world and you can make a profit after spending 200 million dollars. You deserve to be the best because you have a rich owner and all the resources at your finger tips.
And don’t give me that BS that if everyone wanted to spend $200 mil, there is nothing stopping them. You are right in that the rules don’t prohibit them, but you are an idiot for saying that. For most of these teams, if they had salaries of $200 million, they would go out of business and major league baseball would die. And who is to say that the Yankees would stop spending at $200 million. They would just be able to spend more and more.
And yes, spending money doesn’t guarantee winning. Poor decision making can trump spending habits. That being said, extra money still provides a significant advantage. Teams are able to take on bigger risks. The Yanks lost all that money on Carl Pavano and yet they still had 90 win seasons.
Look at the most successful sport in this country by far, FOOTBALL. There is equity. There is a hard cap. Teams have the ability to compete more regularly. Do some teams continue to suck? Sure, but generally it is the case of bad team management. Do some teams have an advantage? Sure, teams like the Jets and Giants get more exposure because they are in NY, but that has really never translated into more wins. The most popular teams in football right now are the medium-sized markets of Pittsburgh and Dallas.
I am not saying this because I am a Baltimore fan. With MASN under control, the Orioles management could probably afford to increase their payroll $30-$40 mil. I am saying this because the disparity between teams is so great that it isn’t fun for the other 30 teams in the league. This type of injustice is what hurts the game.
So congratulations NY. Take your tainted trophy. Enjoy!
Tags: New York Yankees, Payroll, Salary Cap
Posted in Random |
November 5th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Until there is a salary cap in baseball, the Yankees winning the World Series is like an 8th grade team playing 6th graders. Go 8th Graders!!!!
November 5th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Teams like the Red Sox and Yankees will always hold the advantage because of their piles o’ money. Players developed in smaller market teams’ farm systems will continue to leave those teams for teams like the Yankees because they will make astronomical amounts of dough. It’s a win-lose in almost every category including the ‘Series. The Yankees payroll is nearly $130,000,000 more than our team here in Colorado. We home-grow our talent, and then the best leave when we don’t have dough to sign ‘em long-term. A salary cap would be interesting for sure. Also, the DH rule is dumb. The end.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I’m telling dad.
November 5th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Dad listens to Rush Limbaugh. I am not worried about what he has to say.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Your thoughts sum up exactly how I feel about this world series and the state of baseball in general.
The actual World Series may have been exciting, but the 2009 season as a whole was lackluster at best. The team with the most money (and of course the most talent) won their 27th championship.
Shocked? Yeah…me neither.
The Yankees win rings a quarter of the time. And while they do obey the rules of baseball they are a shining example of what’s wrong with the game.
I’m disappointed and continue to feel disconnected from the game.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Zach’s disconnection is what will harm baseball in the long run. Fans of small market tams will continue to walk away from teams that have no hope of winning. Look at what has happened as a result of 11 years of losing in Baltimore. The fans are staying away in record numbers. Some of that is a result of the fans showing their frustration over the current regime’s management.
As teams in the small markets lag further behind in payroll and on field winning, the gap will widen because there will be fewer fans to buy tickets and team memorabilia. All the while more people jump on the winners bandwagon to make them more profitable.
Baseball needs to re-work their salary rules and also take a look at the first year player draft and the way international talent enters the league. Fixing all of those thigs will start to level the playing field. Makes no sense that the other 3 major sports leagues are trying their best to have a level playing field from a team salary stand point, yet baseball remains in the dark ages. Let’s hope the economic collapse of some smaller market teams is not what it takes to open the eyes of the powers that be.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
I would just like to point out how many home grown great players the Yankees have.
Compare that to what the Orioles have produced over the last twenty years and it’s embarrassing.
Money is certainly a big factor for the Yankees win but it’s not the only thing.
While they were producing Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada etc.. who exactly were the Orioles producing?
Don’t bother looking because it’s a joke.
The reasons the Orioles suck is far deeper than money.
Take a look at the past ten seasons and who has won championships in the NFL and MLB. It might surprise you.
I think ownership and scouting gets overlooked. The NFL has all these rules in place yet many teams are always good and many are always bad. Why? Because of morons at the top.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Mark, I don’t disagree with you. I was very clear to not make this about the Orioles. I will leave my criticisms of Angelos and the gang for another day.
I will say that while there was some home-grown talent on the Yankees. They were able to retain that talent with huge contracts. I mean really, who is going to steal players away from the Yankees?
I also wanna make it clear that Philly and Boston and LA and Chicago are not innocent here. They are contributing to the problem also. I would argue they just don’t have deep enough pockets to be as problemsome as the Yankees are.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I don’t view anyone as being guilty.
The Yankees haven’t won the WS since 2000. They spent ALOT of money between 2001 and 2008 that didn’t result in any championships.
I won’t argue that MLB needs to address some things but IMO there are many other issues that cause teams to stink and be great other than money.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:12 pm
It is not just about what causes teams to stink. It is about the small markets serving as farm systems for the large markets and how disheartening that is for the small market fan bases. At some point those fans are going to give up and walk away from being fans of their teams. They will either latch onto another team, or more likely wak away from baseball all together. Do you think MLB wants that, or that is at all good?
And look at a club like the Twins, who are consistently good despite being in a small market. Yes they manage their club well with scouting and player development, but how frustrating must it be for the fans who watch them trade away guys like Johann Santana because the club will have no shot to match the offers from the large market teams when he hits free agency.
At least in football, basketball and hockey it is unlikely that any team will have cap space to bring in the top 3 free agents in a given off season. And while there are dynasties and teams that work the system better than others, there are far more perrenial losers that make the play-offs once in a while. I just do not see that as much in baseball.
November 6th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I’ve been a Yankee fan for 60 years and regardless of who is on the team and how much they are paid, they always have an exciting team to watch and cheer for. The Yankees are the team that everyone wants to beat. There are lots of teams that have excellent players but there is not the same enthusiasm that the Yankees have. Even when they lose they are an exciting team. Plus they are from “NEW YORK” my home state! GO BILLS!!!