Major League Baseball 2009

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Only thing worse than a meltdown is a copycat.

seriously though, bigdaddy...even though I seriously don't know why I freaked last night, and can barely remember actually doing it (who knows, maybe I *am* going crazy, although I suspect it's just the caffeine), can't we just let it drop? I did apologize, after all.

Now that was some good Yankee baseball. Our pitching actually worked this time. And we finally got our hitting back too, although I am concerned about A-Rod and Cano.

I think Pettitte (the only person I've seen who smiles less often than I do, BTW ) can handle Hamels. The way I figure is, if the Phils can trounce us at home in Game 1, we've got a good shot at doing the same to them in Philly. This will be a close series, I can smell it.

 

[bigdaddy]

Phillies have, on occasion, lost, but we're not supposed to lose like this. That's just not what they do. And not in the World Series of all times!

I'm paying tribute to your insane ignorant assholic meltdown.

Not only was it a meltdown you said "we"as if you were part of the Yankees, you aren't. You thought the Yankees were suppose to just go "we win" and get the ring, because losing "isn't what WE do".

But damn I wanted the Philles to take a 2-0 lead, more so because I want Bones on Thursday!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Not only was it a meltdown you said "we"as if you were part of the Yankees, you aren't. You thought the Yankees were suppose to just go "we win" and get the ring, because losing "isn't what WE do".

I hardly think I'm the only person to talk about their favorite team that way (and FWIW, I didn't say losing isn't what the Yankees do, just not losing as bad as they did in Game 1 - not just the score, the quality of play as well). But I concede the point, I'll dial back the "we".

But damn I wanted the Philles to take a 2-0 lead, more so because I want Bones on Thursday!

Uh-huh. And waiting a week is too much to handle, is it?

 

[bigdaddy]

But damn I wanted the Philles to take a 2-0 lead, more so because I want Bones on Thursday!

Uh-huh. And waiting a week is too much to handle, is it?

Not if the Phillies win.

 

[sidious618]

Kinda a mixed bag, though. One of his biggest "douchebag" moments was throwing Zimmer to the ground, yes? In the replay of that fight, from every angle, Zimmer was running straight for Pedro with his right fist cocked back to punch him. What would anyone else have done, in that situation? Isn't that one kinda on Zimmer?

Zimmer shouldn't have charged him but Pedro grabbed the man by his head and threw him to the ground. That could've killed the poor bastard. He could've easily just shoved him back.

 

[T'Bonz]

I've never understood that argument. They have a lot of fans who buy tickets and thus have a lot of money and can afford the big players

HA HA HA HA...you're killing me here. Fan revenue = peanuts. It's all about the large market TV revenues.

If the smaller market teams don't have the money to woo the big players, then, well, tough shit.

It's attitudes like this that make me hate the Yankees more. They're arrogant douchebags, as are *some* of their fans. Then again, they have to live in NYC, I don't. I guess I can take comfort in that.

The problem is, things are very unequal, and it ain't the fans coming through the turnstiles, it's TV and other revenues. Small market teams haven't a chance of competing against that. So they consistently lose their talent to the big cities.

From where I'm sitting, might as well make two Major Leagues. One for NY, LA and such, the other for the rest of the teams.

I jinxed the Phillies by posting here though. I'll have to refrain from doing so, but I'll be rooting for them, even though they're from the *wrong* side of the state.

 

[RAMA]

I've never understood that argument. They have a lot of fans who buy tickets and thus have a lot of money and can afford the big players

HA HA HA HA...you're killing me here. Fan revenue = peanuts. It's all about the large market TV revenues.

If the smaller market teams don't have the money to woo the big players, then, well, tough shit.

It's attitudes like this that make me hate the Yankees more. They're arrogant douchebags, as are *some* of their fans. Then again, they have to live in NYC, I don't. I guess I can take comfort in that.

The problem is, things are very unequal, and it ain't the fans coming through the turnstiles, it's TV and other revenues. Small market teams haven't a chance of competing against that. So they consistently lose their talent to the big cities.

From where I'm sitting, might as well make two Major Leagues. One for NY, LA and such, the other for the rest of the teams.

I jinxed the Phillies by posting here though. I'll have to refrain from doing so, but I'll be rooting for them, even though they're from the *wrong* side of the state.

Eh you're barking up the wrong tree...first of all baseball has the needless revenue sharing plan, taking from the team what they have rightfully earned in a free market commercial system. Second, Philadelphia isn't a small market team..its one of the largest metro areas in the country. If any team doesn't invest in itself like the Yankees wisely do then its their own fault. Its always the fans who complain their team's owners are not providing the product on the field and support to win, but when a team actually DOES it--like the Yankees--they cry foul. Thirdly lets not forget in the current Yankee dynasty since 1995, they have used their farm system to bring in players like Cano, Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Joba Chamberlain, Mariano Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, Pettitte and others. Still there is no law against aquiring players, and since the free agent system has been in place in the 1970s, its the teams who have used this the best that have been most successful....and I personally can't forget all the bad or mediocre Yankee teams in the post season drought of 1981-1994 that did NOT accomplish this. So let's give the modern Yankee dynasty some credit.

RAMA

 

[mimic]

^Last year when people were talking about possible WS matchups (ie Rays- Phils or Dodgers - Red Sox) it was driving me nuts that people used the TV ratings argument and said that Philadelphia was a small market. Um, no? The Rays are, but not the Phils.

I went to bed in the middle of the sixth because (1) I have to get up early and (2) I wasn't getting a good vibe from that game. Phillies weren't hitting that well and Pedro was stressing me out. I thought, maybe they'll have a comeback and I can wake up to a surprise win! But no.

But this is exactly how it went last year, and coming home from a series tied 1-1 is a pretty good place to be.

 

[SmoothieX]

Let me preface things by saying I've got no dog in this fight. If you carry the analogy through as a Mets fan, my dog got sprayed by a skunk in May.

But holy crap the umps screwed up again. The ground rule double down the LF line the led to Philly's run was clearly foul, and you have a special LF ump out there in the playoffs to catch those things. Plus the Ryan Howard trap double play. Killed a potentially big inning.

Is this just a really bad playoff run or are the umps this bad on a Tuesday night in June between Pittsburgh and San Diego and people are just noticing on high profile, nationally televised games?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

If the smaller market teams don't have the money to woo the big players, then, well, tough shit.

It's attitudes like this that make me hate the Yankees more.

Why? The Yankees got their revenue by perfectly legitimate means (they have a lot of money because they sell a lot of tickets, after all), they have the absolute right to use it as they see fit.

Players can go where they want. With teams that can pay them more, they're going to want to go there. So what's the problem?

 

[Tom Servo]

Let me preface things by saying I've got no dog in this fight. If you carry the analogy through as a Mets fan, my dog got sprayed by a skunk in May.

But holy crap the umps screwed up again. The ground rule double down the LF line the led to Philly's run was clearly foul, and you have a special LF ump out there in the playoffs to catch those things. Plus the Ryan Howard trap double play. Killed a potentially big inning.

Is this just a really bad playoff run or are the umps this bad on a Tuesday night in June between Pittsburgh and San Diego and people are just noticing on high profile, nationally televised games?

What? The ground rule double Ibanez hit? That was a fair ball by a long shot. It was inside the line, and if it wasnt, it was right on the line, which makes if a fair ball.

And I think the problem people have with the Yankees isn't the fact that they spend a lot, its the differential between what they spend, and the rest of the league.

And what modern Yankee dynasty are you talking about RAMA? Yes the late 90's Yankees were, but they haven't been since then.

 

[Tom Servo]

If the smaller market teams don't have the money to woo the big players, then, well, tough shit.

It's attitudes like this that make me hate the Yankees more.

Why? The Yankees got their revenue by perfectly legitimate means (they have a lot of money because they sell a lot of tickets, after all), they have the absolute right to use it as they see fit.

Players can go where they want. With teams that can pay them more, they're going to want to go there. So what's the problem?

Because with that money, they fuck up the market for every other team. There is a certain market for players in MLB, a system that determines how much a player with a certain set of skills is worth. To every other team in the league, that number is pretty similar, with a few of the bigger market teams having slightly higher numbers. It's when the Yankees get involved with their $200 ten year contracts, that skews that number for the rest of the teams.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Because with that money, they fuck up the market for every other team.

So what would you suggest the Yankees do with all this extra money? Give it to the other teams for free?

 

[Tom Servo]

Because with that money, they fuck up the market for every other team.

So what would you suggest the Yankees do with all this extra money? Give it to the other teams for free?

Be responsible with their contracts, for one...

 

[JonathonWally]

Because with that money, they fuck up the market for every other team.

So what would you suggest the Yankees do with all this extra money? Give it to the other teams for free?

Be responsible with their contracts, for one...

You just upset that the Red Sox blew the entire deal with Tex?

 

[Mallory]

I'll be happy when baseball has a real salary cap like most other sports. And that day will come.

 

[sidious618]

I guess we shouldn't mention to Tom that the Red Sox spend a shitload of money as well.

 

[Supreme Admiral]

I guess we shouldn't mention to Tom that the Red Sox spend a shitload of money as well.

How much are we talking about?

 

[Tom Servo]

I guess we shouldn't mention to Tom that the Red Sox spend a shitload of money as well.

Yes, third of fourth I believe in the league in payroll, right in line with some of the other large upper market teams, not $70 million dollars higher...

The Sox blew the Tex deal because they set a price per player, based on the market value, which they don't deviate from. That is why Johnny Damon is a Yankee, they did not want to go over their market value for him. Now as a fan, it is frusterating to see Tex go to the Yankees, for the sole fact that the Red Sox bid 120 mil, the Yanks go 130, the Sox go 150, the Yanks go 160. On the the land of the free agent market, the Yankees are king. They can spend whatever they want, whenever they want. Trust me, I wanted Tex, and so did the Red Sox, and they were willing to pay, however they didn't want to hit the point where any and all payroll flexibilty is gone because of one player. And according to Mrs. Tex, the shopping in NY is better...

I don't understand why whenever a fan of a large market team criticizes the Yankees spending habits, the respose is "Oh you spend money too..". In no way am I saying the Red Sox are a small market team, they are not. They spend money. However, it's pretty telling when their difference between their payroll and the Yankees is more then the difference between the Sox and the Twins.

http://www.getlisty.com/preview/2009-mlb-team-payrolls/

Here is a listing of 2009 MLB payrolls...interesting list.

It does amuse me to see the Mets spend so much, and suck so much. Atleast the Yanks win when the spend money.

 

[Skywalker]

I usually don't get into those "the Yankees spend too much money!" arguments because I'm a Red Sox fan, and my team spends quite a bit of money as well (though the Yankees are still on a whole different level). Fortunately, the current administration is better than the previous one about trying to retain their good prospects and grow the team from there when possible.