Major League Baseball 2009

[Tom Servo]

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.

True. I mean looking at the major impact players on the Sox, they were either homegrown, or aquired through trades. Yes, there are some large contracts on the team (here is looking at you J.D. Drew), but they overall have been nicely assembled.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Man, they'd better work that shit out in Philly...don't want a transit strike right when all this stuff is going down (not just the World Series either, a major Giants/Eagles game is happening on Sunday).

 

[T'Bonz]

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

Hopefully.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Good luck getting that past the players' union.

 

[Mallory]

I have no doubt that it will involve a strike or a lockout. But it eventually got rammed down the throats of the other players' unions. I expect the same will be true of MLB once the owners decide the time has come.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Ah, but no one wants what happened in 1994 to happen again...

 

[Dude]

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.

I think people are confused by seeing impartial umpiring when the Yankees are playing. Apparently, Steinbrenner's check hasn't cleared yet.

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.

It's about competetive balance and the good of the game. That majority of baseball fans in the United States root for a team that isn't the Yankees. I almost get the idea that Yankees fans tune in every night expecting to see the Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals. The game will die that way. The Yankees *not* going to the Series for the last 9 years has been good for the game, both in terms of overall attendance and interest.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

The Yankees *not* going to the Series for the last 9 years

The last 6 years, you mean. 2003 was Yankees/Marlins.

 

[T'Bonz]

That was an awesome year. Everyone down here was thrilled that we beat the Yanks, except for some who live here but are originally from NY.

 

[Skywalker]

2003 sucked. Damn you, Aaron Boone!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

2003 sucked. Damn you, Aaron Boone!

That was one of my favorite Yankee moments I've ever seen. I mean, the guy's barely at bat for 10 seconds and BOOM! Home run.

Side note: After his major heart surgery, I think we're all glad to see that Boone is back - no matter what team he plays for now. (FWIW, it's the Astros)

 

[Pegaritaville]

I have no doubt that it will involve a strike or a lockout. But it eventually got rammed down the throats of the other players' unions. I expect the same will be true of MLB once the owners decide the time has come.

I'd like to see a sort of modified salary cap (maybe something akin to the NHL), but I don't see a salary cap coming to MLB any time soon. The players have a pretty powerful union. After what happened the last time there was a strike, I don't think the owners are quite as willing to go down that road again. It took an awfully long time for MLB to recover (some would argue it's never fully recovered) and in the end, the owners came out with the short end of the deal. And if the NFL is any indication, the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way- the salary cap in the NFL may be a thing of the past after 2010.

 

[sidious618]

Hell of a game tonight.

 

[bigdaddy]

Ah, but no one wants what happened in 1994 to happen again...

It's going to happen again anyways because the players and their union, are asshole bitchy cunts.

Baseball has more strikes, the pun in unavoidable, than any other major sport in the history of the planet.

The Yankees *not* going to the Series for the last 9 years

The last 6 years, you mean. 2003 was Yankees/Marlins.

That's only because of Pedro.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Yanks win game 3! Way to go!

 

[bigdaddy]

^ Only because of Yankee cheating.

 

[sidious618]

^ Only because of Yankee cheating.

What?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

He's probably referring to that A-Rod homer. Linky

The ball hit a video camera which was sticking out into the field of play. That must have been why the umps ruled it a home run. So don't go blaming the Yankees for that. Questionable call by the umps, maybe, but hey, their word is final.

 

[Dude]

Apparently, George's check finally cleared...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Is there an echo in here?