Comments on: 11.5.09 Link-El

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:11:09 +0000

I stopped rooting against the Yankees when they managed to put the encroachment of the Red Sox Nation on hold several times over the past 15 years. They couldn’t hold the Sox off forever but they did a good job for a long time. I almost always cheer for the National League but I can’t find a voice for the Phillies, Padres or Astros.

By: The Crapture

The Crapture — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:56:10 +0000

since i don’t care about baseball, i’m just going to comment on how ridiculously hot Kim Kardashian’s Halloween costume is…

BEST
DISNEY-INSPIRED COSTUME
…EVER!

dressed like that, she could almost make me give up being an atheist for Lent.

By: Quaker in a Basement

Quaker in a Basement — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:33:41 +0000

I hate the Yankees. But you gotta admit they had an awesome team this year and played excellent baseball.

By: Indeed

Indeed — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:27 +0000

A direct comparison to the NFL is misleading (I admit I made a mistake!), because of the national contracts for the NFL, but splitting the TV gate would be a good first step. Bill James covered this a while back.

By: SaveFarris

SaveFarris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:05:28 +0000

The NFL has national contracts. MLB has market-by-market contracts. And if one team (say the Cardinals) is able to haggle for better deals while the Pirates and Royals just take the first offer, why should the Cardinals be penalized for improving their situation?

The best idea I’ve seen is to implement a market tax. Teams that play in NYC, LA, & Chicago have to pay premiums to play in those larger markets (and have access to the larger fanbases). The money is then funnelled to teams who play in smaller areas like Milwaulkee and Kansas City. It would also disincentivize franchise relocation, because you’d have to pay a higher market tax if you moved away from smaller cities.

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:38:49 +0000

I’m not a Yankees fan either but I agree with you. Matsui’s work a bat was nice to watch. So was Chase Utley’s and I don’t like the Phillies at all.

By: jr

jr — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:11:47 +0000

I’m not a Yankees fan but Matsui was awesome last night

By: Indeed

Indeed — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:45:43 +0000

Baseball needs to split the gate from TV revenue as they do in the NFL. Big market teams would still have an advantage (as one could argue they should), but it wouldn’t be so pronounced.

By: Parthenon

Parthenon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:38:58 +0000

Baseball needs a cap. If you’re a baseball fan of a small market team (other than the occasional outlier like Tampa Bay last year), honestly, what’s the point?

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:36:09 +0000

Well, what do you want to know?

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:34:54 +0000

There is no amount of money that would induce me to live in or around Houston either. In fact, any portion of Texas.

By: Indeed

Indeed — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:26:40 +0000

How wonderful for you. Thanks for sharing. What else can you tell us about yourself?

By: Indeed

Indeed — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:25:56 +0000

And how do the total payrolls compare?

By: SaveFarris

SaveFarris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:23:39 +0000

The Yankees spent $15 million on Mariano Rivera.

The Cincinnati Reds spent $14 on Aaron Harang.
The Houston Astros spent $19 on Carlos Lee.
The Kansas City Royals spent $12 on Jose Guillen.

It’s not what you spend: it’s how you spend it.

By: I'm a Hick

I'm a Hick — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:19:11 +0000

Good point. And some of it’s beyond money. There’s probably no amount of money that would have kept Andy Pettite in Houston.

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:12:47 +0000

Well, I don’t know of any baseball team owners who are poor. Some are more willing to spend money than others. If the owners of the Pirates or Athletics, for example, don’t want to spend money to put a better team on the field then they should sell their teams.

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:09:30 +0000

Tell it to Bobbi Flekman.

BTW, Flekman’s line about money talks and bullshit walks was already old when I was in high school and that was during the mid-1960s.

By: I'm a Hick

I'm a Hick — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:08:38 +0000

Having the money for a large payroll doesn’t necessarily mean you’re assured of success. But not having it means you’re probably going to struggle.

By: mrak

mrak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:03:03 +0000

Well, you know, the unemployed can probably be more easily persuaded to get their kit off for the camera for a few quid.

By: PTCruiser

PTCruiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:59:15 +0000

The fact that the yankees don’t win the series every year is proof of how crappy their organization is.

No, this is actually proof of how difficult it is to emerge triumphant from the regular season and playoffs every year. The Yankees are probably never, ever going to win four pennants in a row as they did, say, from 1955 to 1958 or eight pennants in 10 years as they did in the same decade but they are not a crappy baseball organization no matter how much we think Steinbrenner is a jerk.