|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
Quote:
Animalman said:
We saw more lineups, rotations, players period than any other team. I got to see something new every game. I loved that.
You must love Jimy Williams then...
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Not really. He always overuses his bullpen, so his teams deflate down the stretch and/or in the playoffs. It's irritating. Hopefully he'll stick with his starters more, now that the rotation is better and he doesn't have Billy Wagner to fall back on.
Sorry, I'm just not one of those "woe is me" fans who does nothing but bitch and moan as if my team is entitled to a championship every year. Cubs and Red Sox fans who talk about how they're "cursed" are idiots. The Celtics win 16 titles, the Bulls win 6(not to mention the Patriots and Bears' Super Bowl rings), and they still say they can't win? Bullshit.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
I just remember that Jimy Williams went an entire season with Boston using the same lineup in back-to-back games only twice. And this was with a playoff contending team(that people think he took out of contention with his meddling), which is what made it both amusing and puzzling.
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
Pending a physical, Maddux will be a Cub next season. I don't know what people are complaining about, with this offseason there are a whole bunch of different teams that can look forward to next season. Except Montreal.
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
I don't think he's a terrible manager....but I think he's more the type of manager that can help an average team overachieve rather than a good team dominate.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170
I have gas. 2000+ posts
|
|
I have gas. 2000+ posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170 |
Animalman said: Quote:
I don't. I think Baltimore has a chance, and Tampa's going to have one of the best young outfields in baseball coming of age right before their eyes(as well as the debuts of various other young talents).
Baltimore's pitching is absolutely nothing compared to the Yankees and BoSox though. And pitching is what it all boils down to. Pitching and defense. And a young team makes far more mistakes down the stretch than a veteran team does. Tampa has to be sick of youth movements. When's the last time they've made the playoffs, hmm? And the city of Baltimore has to be tired of supporting that stadium that they were told would bring in a championship if they helped pay for it. I haven't seen any banners raised at Camden Yards since it opened.
Quote:
actually really enjoyed Ranger baseball last year, because we got to see Hank Blalock break out, Mark Teixeira compete for Roty, and Laynce Nix, Juan Dominguez and Ramon Nivar all getting their callups. We saw more lineups, rotations, players period than any other team. I got to see something new every game. I loved that.
I've heard this song and dance before. These players will end up being traded to teams making a playoff run (don't NY or Oakland always end up the beneficiary?) or they bolt at their first opportunity. (ARod anyone?) I think an owner has a responsibility to field a competitive team at all times, and I for one would be pretty tired of watching the AAA kids play full time because my team is 20 games back. I went thru all this in the 70's and 80's with the Mariners and believe me, it gets old after awhile. Sure, you got to see something new every game, but Showalter had nothing to lose. I like to see that kind of stragedy when there's something on the line rather than out of curiosity.
Quote:
Well, Maddux already has a ring, so it wouldn't be a Clemens/Arod "I gotta win one" kind of signing. Some guys just aren't into the whole fanfare with New York. That's partly why Vlad didn't go there.
Disagree. A lot of athletes who have won a ring will tell you that winning one makes you even more hungry for another. And Vlad is on record that he went to Anaheim because of ownership primarily. I can respect that. But his first preference was to the Marlins. I will admit that some players can be intimidated by NYC though. Guess that's why they end up never knowing the postseason. You can't afford intimidation at this level. (See Jeff Weaver.)
Quote:
He should go to Houston. He's a Texas boy, too. What a rotation that would be....
Originally I expected him to go to Arizona, if they didn't let Schilling go. He has a home in Nevada and loves the golf in AZ. But I think the Yankees would be a better prospect for Maddux since at least they have Soriano whereas the Astros have lost Wagner. But I can also see him going back to the Cubs where it all started for him.
"You kind of get tired giving the other team credit. At some point you've got to look in the mirror and say 'I sucked.'"
Alex Rodriguez, after the NY Yankees were eliminated from the 2006 ALDS by the Detroit Tigers.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
Quote:
Kristogar Velo said:
with this offseason there are a whole bunch of different teams that can look forward to next season.
good point. this is the most eventful off season in years! even a reds fan has to be amazed at all the coverage the mlb has received since november.
Quote:
jafabian said:
I will admit that some players can be intimidated by NYC though. Guess that's why they end up never knowing the postseason. You can't afford intimidation at this level. (See Jeff Weaver.)
thats another "downfall" of playing for a team like the yankees -- the grand market intimidation. being the media capital of the universe tends to magnify any problem imaginable.
Quote:
jafabian said:
But I think the Yankees would be a better prospect for Maddux since at least they have Soriano
..um...
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Quote:
jafabian said:
Baltimore's pitching is absolutely nothing compared to the Yankees and BoSox though. And pitching is what it all boils down to. Pitching and defense. And a young team makes far more mistakes down the stretch than a veteran team does.
I'm not saying they're going to win the World Series or anything. They're just my pick as a "sleeper" team. They could suprise some people.
And, if there's one area Baltimore is definitely superior to both the Sox and Yanks, it's defensively.
Quote:
Tampa has to be sick of youth movements.
Actually, this is really the first time they've wholly committed to bringing up talent from their farm system. In the past they've tried to bring in free agents by either overpaying or catching them in the twilight of their careers(Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Fred McGriff, Greg Vaughn, Roberto Hernandez, Wilson Alvarez).
Quote:
When's the last time they've made the playoffs, hmm?
Well, I'm not saying they'll make the playoffs this year(I dont' think they will). I'm saying I think they'll be a lot more competitive and fun to watch with all the young talent they'll have.
Besides, this is only their 7th year of existence!
Quote:
And the city of Baltimore has to be tired of supporting that stadium that they were told would bring in a championship if they helped pay for it. I haven't seen any banners raised at Camden Yards since it opened.
They've been to the World Series, which is more than anyone in Seattle(or Texas) can say. They also might have been privy to the last great baseball player to have an extensive career entirely with one franchise, in Cal Ripken, Jr.
Plus, it's a really cool ballpark.
Quote:
I've heard this song and dance before. These players will end up being traded to teams making a playoff run (don't NY or Oakland always end up the beneficiary?) or they bolt at their first opportunity.
Oh, really? I highly doubt that. For one, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock have already been deemed untouchable(the Rangers turned down several proposed deals for Blalock last year, like the Cubs, who were even offering Corey Patterson at one point), and Tom Hicks has made it public that he intends to sign Mike Young to a long-term contract before he becomes arbitration eligible at the end of this year.
Ramon Nivar I could see being traded, because he's a little older than Drew Meyer, and a bit too wild for the outfield(as demonstrated by the many times he crashed into the centerfield wall last year). The Rangers just have too many guys at similar positions with a higher perceived "ceiling" as a prospect.
Laynce Nix I guarantee you will not be traded while Buck Showalter is still here. Buck absolutely adores him, he loves his work ethic, his tenacity, and his attitude. He's in the same mold as a David Delucci(who Buck loved in Arizona, and brought here this offseason), but a better athlete, and with far more power in his bat. He's already quickly becoming a fan favorite, much like Rusty Greer(who is and will be a Ranger for life) was.
Of course, eventually some of these players will leave, either via free agency or retirement, because that's the way sports are today. But, for the time being, they(Blalock, Young, and Teixeira) are the centerpieces of the organization, and the fact that they're still here should prove that. Look at how many guys were traded last year down the stretch. You think it's a coincidence they were all older guys?
You can't make the comparison to A-Rod(who did still play 3 years here), because his contract was an abberation. There aren't any others like it now, and for the forseeable future there won't be any more.
Quote:
I think an owner has a responsibility to field a competitive team at all times, and I for one would be pretty tired of watching the AAA kids play full time because my team is 20 games back. I went thru all this in the 70's and 80's with the Mariners and believe me, it gets old after awhile. Sure, you got to see something new every game, but Showalter had nothing to lose. I like to see that kind of stragedy when there's something on the line rather than out of curiosity.
Well, it's not suppose to be something that's going to last a decade, obviously. Yeah, if the next 3 years are exactly like last year, I'll get tired of it. But it's not, because, even if we lose a lot(which we probably will), there's a difference between having a losing team with a high salary and underachieving veterans, and having a losing team with an average salary and young, talented rookies, and this is going to be the first year in a long time that the Rangers will fit into the second category, rather than the first.
Quote:
Disagree. A lot of athletes who have won a ring will tell you that winning one makes you even more hungry for another.
That may be, but the situations still wouldn't be similar. Afterall, Greg Maddux isn't a Yankee, now is he? I think it's a lot like how Scottie Pippen didn't follow Payton and Malone to the Lakers, but instead decided to back to Chicago(just like Maddux).
Quote:
But I think the Yankees would be a better prospect for Maddux since at least they have Soriano whereas the Astros have lost Wagner. But I can also see him going back to the Cubs where it all started for him.
I think you mean Rivera, and yes, the Astros lost Wagner.....but for Octavio Dotel(and Dotel's place as the setup man will be taken by Brad Lidge).
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170
I have gas. 2000+ posts
|
|
I have gas. 2000+ posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170 |
Oops. I did mean Rivera. That's why Rob was confused. Sorry, my bad. All those damn Mariano's look alike!
Or Alfonso's. Or whatever. You know what I mean.
"You kind of get tired giving the other team credit. At some point you've got to look in the mirror and say 'I sucked.'"
Alex Rodriguez, after the NY Yankees were eliminated from the 2006 ALDS by the Detroit Tigers.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 180
100+ posts
|
|
100+ posts
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 180 |
That's a lot of quotes!
I'm just a fan of sports in general, live in NYC area.
I can be kind of objective.
Watching the Yankees on TV or especially at the stadium is fun because the stadium is always alive (and beers went from $8 to $22) by the way according to Letterman.
Losing Soriano is really rough and it shows me that The General is reverting back to the eighties (but whatever that guy does, he brings a lot of interest to the table). It means that you can hit a billion Homers in a crazy stadium and get dropped for someone who's numbers may not be as good next year.(16M X2)
I am looking at the Cubs and Astros as teams that will deny the Yankees of another championship. The Cubs were great and now are getting Maddux most likely. And the Astros are plain sick. Like Torre says, it all comes down to pitching and he must be stressing it now. I mean the playoffs are a given, but they need a real left hander by the July cutoff or its gonna be tough. (And no Aaron Boone "It's Stupid" to slam homers in the ninth!)
Watching the Mets on TV is more dull to me but I love going to Flushing, I have more fun there sometimes, the fans are more brutal and crushing, its exciting.
But the best park to go to might just be in Boston
I look at sports this way
Excitement:
1.) Hockey
2.) Football
3.) Baseball
But the National Past Time is still Baseball, hands down, regardless of the super bowl and Janet Jackson. (Probably why)
I am concerned because it IS American. I have several nephews who really could care less about the AROD trade, they play soccer and hockey and track and stuff. What'll happen in 10 years? Especially with Hockey banned from ABC (I used banned lightly)
The yankees are now the Gas House Gorillas.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Quote:
REAMERE said:
It means that you can hit a billion Homers in a crazy stadium and get dropped for someone who's numbers may not be as good next year.(16M X2)
I'm not sure what you mean here....
Quote:
I am looking at the Cubs and Astros as teams that will deny the Yankees of another championship. The Cubs were great and now are getting Maddux most likely. And the Astros are plain sick.
Seems too obvious to me. The last 5 years or so the only team that spends a lot of money and actually wins is...the Yankees. Every year there's a team that tries to lure in a bunch of big name free agents, and they always seem to collapse. Philly last year was the popular pick out of the NL after getting Millwood and Thome, and the Mets were the popular pick the year before that after getting Alomar, Vaughn, Estes and Astacio.
I think it'll either be the Yankees, or someone most people wouldn't expect.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
jim, check this out:
Red Sox fans, quit yer whining
by Jack McDowell
OK, OK ... I've heard enough complaining from Boston Red Sox fans about the Alex Rodriguez deal. Let's be realistic: If having A-Rod on your team guaranteed a championship, he wouldn't have had to trade in his shortstop position to try for a ring.
The Red Sox will be fine this year. They had one of the best offenses in the game last season, and their lineup comes back this year nearly intact (with maybe a few hurt feelings). Their pitching improved with closer Keith Foulke and starter Curt Schilling leading the way. One month ago everything was A-OK.
Now, one player is supposed to shatter all those Beantown dreams? Relax, folks. As I have said before, one position player does not make the difference.
The Red Sox signing Schilling will have far more impact than the New York Yankees getting A-Rod. Starting pitching affects more games during the season than position players do. The bottom line, as always, is: Who will perform, and who will jell as a team?
Red Sox fans seem to have fallen into the lazy-man's attitude of hating the Yankees because they spend a lot of money.
Let me remind you that money doesn't win. Teams win. For the umpteenth time, the Yankees have been successful over the past eight years because they built their organization around several great players that happened to come up together, not through buying free agents.
Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera – all are homegrown and arrived at virtually the same time.
That's how teams win. Ask the A's. Ask the Twins. Heck, ask the Cubbies and Marlins.
The Curse of the Bambino is a myth that has been run up the flagpole so often it is almost believable. Almost. George Steinbrenner is not the devil, either. He is a very respectable owner who WANTS TO WIN. Nobody was complaining during the spending sprees and talent woes of the '80s and early '90s that didn't produce a playoff appearance for 13 years. No need to apologize for now going for it.
As for Red Sox fans, you were extremely happy a couple of days ago with your team. Now go out and kick some butt.
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 28,009
Inglourious Basterd!!! 15000+ posts
|
|
Inglourious Basterd!!! 15000+ posts
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 28,009 |
I like your article, Rob. Here's another one: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/040217Everything McDowell said is on the money. And I've always liked Simmons' stuff...
Uschi said:I won't rape you, I'll just fuck you 'till it hurts and then not stop and you'll cry. MisterJLA: RACKS so hard, he called Jim Rome "Chris Everett." In Him, all porn is possible. He is far above mentions in so-called "blogs." RACK him, lest ye be lost! "I can't even brush my teeth without gagging!" - Tommy Tantillo: Wank & Cry, heckpuppy, and general laughingstock ![[Linked Image from i6.photobucket.com]](http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/JoeMama13/RedSoxBanner05.png)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Bill Simmons is an idiot. A conceited, pretentious jerkoff, who thinks he's really funny, when he isn't that much.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
P.S-It's been revealed recently that Soriano is actually 2 years older than originally reported, making him only 6 months younger than A-Rod. I love how that information is just now coming out.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
Quote:
Animalman said:
Bill Simmons is an idiot. A conceited, pretentious jerkoff, who thinks he's really funny, when he isn't that much.
90+% of all sportswriters could be in place of "Bill Simmons" in this statement.
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
|
|
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
Quote:
Animalman said:
P.S-It's been revealed recently that Soriano is actually 2 years older than originally reported, making him only 6 months younger than A-Rod. I love how that information is just now coming out.
thats acutally been known for quite some time. for some reason, the information was never updated in a grand sense.
surprisingly, the error seems to have occured during alfie's time in japan, and not relating to the dominican republic (surprising because most latin players from foreign countries have age issues and because asians are normally so good with math!)
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Quote:
Kristogar Velo said:
90+% of all sportswriters could be in place of "Bill Simmons" in this statement.
That may be, but Simmons is on the higher end of sportswriter jackassery.
Quote:
Bsams said:
....or Animalman.....
That's not true, I don't think I'm funny!
Quote:
Rob Kamphausen said:
thats acutally been known for quite some time. for some reason, the information was never updated in a grand sense.
Really? Every major sports related website I've seen had his birthday listed as January 7th, 1978 until recently(many still do). How could it have taken 3 years sine his promotion to the majors for it to be updated?
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
Quote:
Animalman said:
Really? Every major sports related website I've seen had his birthday listed as January 7th, 1978 until recently(many still do). How could it have taken 3 years sine his promotion to the majors for it to be updated?
yeah, i dunno why. it seems to have been common knowledge to everyone in the business. even the rangers released a press release earlier today, stating they knew about the age discrepency.
there was a buncha articles about it in the nyc area before the start of the 2002 season, when post 9-11 paperwork became more stringent.
and even then, it didn't seem like anyone was in a hurry to update their stats.
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
|
|
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734 |
i think why it has taken so long is the internet laziness factor, parts of sites that are usually static, like DOB, place of birth ect, arent usually checked regularly for updates, whereas RBI, ect are.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Well, to compare....
Juan Dominguez, a Texas Rangers pitcher that exploded in the minor league system this year, sparking a late season callup, was outed as being 2 years older than originally indicated, soon after reaching the majors. Within a week, ESPN.com had updated. Alfonso Soriano's birthdate was updated a few days ago.
Soriano is a 2 time allstar, previously on the world's most notorious baseball team. Dominguez was an unknown pitcher on a last place team, and a guy that only die-hard minor league fans and a few Ranger insiders had even the slightest inkling of.
What also confuses me is that, usually, it's the exact opposite, New York news is blown up nationally, not supressed.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 180
100+ posts
|
|
100+ posts
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 180 |
In response to Animal, I was trying to relate that Yankee stadium is somewhat of a pitchers park (if you are a right handed batter, barring when Mantle was batting righty) whereas warmer climates (like Texas) and fields like in Arlington can be more conducive to Homers and the like.
It could be said that Soriano will hit more than AROD this coming year.
And the 16Mx2 was about Jeter and Arod, 16Million a piece every year (Isn't that Montreal's Payroll, which in turn comes from the yankees anyway I suppose)
I luv the whole thing though
Can't wait to see Boston against NY, gonna be great.
Also, Astros Vs. Yanks in World Series is now a must.
I'm buying Baseball cards by the box this year for my kid's college education... heh
Why would someone write an article with THIRTY-THREE points? I cant read all that!
And I dont know about the Curse. I will just say that something crazy was going on when Giambi hit those 2 homers off of the "Bitch". That was not random or uncommon, it was just plain Unique.
Who was that other guy who tripped around 1st? Ridic, wierd stuff.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Quote:
REAMERE said:
In response to Animal, I was trying to relate that Yankee stadium is somewhat of a pitchers park (if you are a right handed batter, barring when Mantle was batting righty) whereas warmer climates (like Texas) and fields like in Arlington can be more conducive to Homers and the like.
It could be said that Soriano will hit more than AROD this coming year.
Yankee Stadium has a short left field, but does still hurt right handed hitters, so for them it's something of a pitcher's park. However, the Ballpark in Arlington has a fairly deep center(given it's proportions), and that's still where A-Rod hit a majority of his homers. He's simply a phenomal hitter, with straight away power that, frankly, I've never seen before(Sosa comes close). Assuming Soriano even ends up playing for the Rangers, he might hit for a higher average, but I really, really doubt he'll hit more homers, and I'll be shocked if he drives in more runs(for obvious reasons).
Quote:
And the 16Mx2 was about Jeter and Arod, 16Million a piece every year (Isn't that Montreal's Payroll, which in turn comes from the yankees anyway I suppose)
Montreal currently has a payroll of $45,834,500, 7th lowest in baseball. Tampa Bay is lowest, with a payroll of $18,730,000.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170
I have gas. 2000+ posts
|
|
I have gas. 2000+ posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170 |
If memory serves, there's 8 players in the majors with $100 mil contracts and the Yankees have four of them. Now Pujols is #9, so I guess that means he should be a Yankee in 3-4 years?
"You kind of get tired giving the other team credit. At some point you've got to look in the mirror and say 'I sucked.'"
Alex Rodriguez, after the NY Yankees were eliminated from the 2006 ALDS by the Detroit Tigers.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
|
|
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734 |
here's a good column in the cincy paper about the whole NY having the big contracts http://reds.enquirer.com/2004/02/20/DOC20.htmlQuote:
Steinbrenner's example is lost on Reds' Lindner
The only difference between the principal owner of the Reds and the principal owner of the Yankees is that the principal owner of the Reds has more money.
Oh, and this: He chooses not to spend it on his baseball team.
Fair enough. Whatever piggy bank Carl Lindner decides to put the almost $1 billion in stock he'll get from selling his stake in Provident Financial Group to Cleveland-based National City Corp. is his business. But let's not blame George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees for anyone else's problems.
Now that Steinbrenner has bought Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers, the owner of the Boston Red Sox has decided baseball needs a salary cap. That's a laugh. The root of baseball's money problems - if you believe baseball has money problems - is not player greed. If someone offered you $16 mil a year to sell soap or bananas, you'd probably take it. The problem is the greed, egos and fractious relationships of the team owners. The way some of them run their baseball teams makes you wonder how they got rich in the first place.
Three years ago, Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks paid A-Rod $100 million more than any team was offering. At the time, the Rangers had arguably the worst pitching in the game. No shortstop could cure that ill. Hicks didn't understand that. Now, Hicks is paying the Yankees $67 million to make A-Rod go away. If you take my Porsche, I'll throw in an extra $100,000. This guy's a great businessman?
Baseball is the last big-sports place where big-bucks capitalists like Steinbrenner are free to roam. Of course, other owners want a salary cap. It'd protect themselves from themselves. If it could be designed like the NFL's cap, it'd guarantee them a profit every year, even if their team were persistently tragic. Mike Brown had a stateroom on the S.S. Gravy Boat for a decade.
Yet we see it as a problem when Steinbrenner spends to keep his team at the top and his fans happy. What we ought to wish is that Lindner were a little more like Steinbrenner. Greg Maddux would have looked good in red, don't you think? He just signed with the Cubs, three years, $24 million. What's $24 million when you just made $1 billion?
As The Boss himself said Tuesday, responding to Boston owner John Henry's whine: "Unlike the Yankees, (Henry) chose not to go the extra distance for his fans in Boston."
(It should also be noted that the core of the great Yankees teams of the late '90s wasn't bought, but rather homegrown or acquired in a trade: Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Paul O'Neill.)
If C-Lind wanted to go checkbook-to-checkbook with G-Stein for A-Rod, he could. Unlike other teams - the L.A. Dodgers, for one - Reds ownership isn't carrying a huge debt. They paid Marge Schott a reported $67 million for most of her majority ownership. Frank McCourt paid $430 million for the Dodgers last month. Unlike the San Francisco Giants, the Reds' new ballpark wasn't privately financed. The Giants need to fill Pac Bell Park just to pay the mortgage. Their payroll is comfortably higher than Cincinnati's.
Steinbrenner's Yankee war chest - more than $100 million in ticket sales last year, another $70 million from local TV and radio - dwarfs what Lindner and his partners get here. But The Boss's personal wealth isn't in the same ballpark. It's all a matter of where you choose to spend your money.
Steinbrenner spends to satisfy his ego and to keep the Yankees' profit engine humming. And to please his customers. Lindner runs a business. It is a difference in philosophy, is all. To which we must say: Go Yankees.
E-mail pdaugherty@enquirer.com
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
I have to say I agree with a lot of what that guys' saying. It's the owners fault they're in this position anyway. They're the ones that started handing out $100 million contracts, and they're the ones that agreed to the current financial system. To complain now just because one guy happens to actually have some balls is not only childlike, but nonsensical, given the recent success of small market teams.
Last time I checked, you still had to actually win the World Series before you were crowned world champs.
We haven't even started spring training.
....what gives?
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
|
|
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734 |
Marge consistently fielded competitive teams in Cincy, with a smaller revenue stream. Now people will say she gutted the minors and scout, so fucking what, at least the major league team had a legit shot every year. And if they were anywhere close towards the end, she allowed them to trade for good players. The share holders complained every year there was no profit, and she was like owning this team is for the fans not us. Linder has waaay more money than Marge but he prefers to take home a profit from the Reds each year, which is his right, its not the Yankees fault or the players....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
Quote:
Animalman said:
Assuming Soriano even ends up playing for the Rangers, he might hit for a higher average, but I really, really doubt he'll hit more homers, and I'll be shocked if he drives in more runs(for obvious reasons).
The Ballpark in Arlington has surpassed Coors Field as the most home run friendly park in the majors, though.
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
According to whom?
Stastics don't mean a whole lot, considering the Rockies don't quite the power bats the Rangers did last year, and better pitching.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
Sports Illustrated reported on it like two years ago. It had already been a home run friendly park before, but then when Coors got that humidor, and there was some other weird thing about an addition to the Ballpark in Arlington that caused the wind to blow out of the stadium more than before, it was declared to be the most HR friendly park in the majors.
Scientists work on figuring this stuff out to make this a better world, you know.
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Well, last year The Sporting News calculated the top hitters and pitchers parks, and according to their research, the Ballpark was rated as the 4th best hitters park, and the 7th best adjusted home-run ratio. Coors was 1st in both categories.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142
5000+ posts
|
|
5000+ posts
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 5,142 |
I think we can agree something like that is an inexact science...
Where did Yankee Stadium place, btw?
And that's terrible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
but either way, the ranger's park is notably more homer friendly than yankee stadium. there have already been a buncha graphs and charts showing half a dozen or so arod homers that wouldn't have gone out in yankee stadium (based on a lot of "would have been equal" assumptions, of course). basically, it means soriano may have 5 more homers next year, and arod may have 5 fewer, and i think thats being very generous. re: the age issues -- who knows why soriano's stats weren't updated. i do know that the story was already known, and for years. it wasn't something soriano was hiding, but rather something he pointed out. it was also something that texas knew about going into the deal. this article sheds a little light on it, but doesn't necessarily explain why the error went unchecked for so long. Quote:
britneyspearsatemyshorts said:
here's a good column in the cincy paper about the whole NY having the big contracts http://reds.enquirer.com/2004/02/20/DOC20.html
fantastic article. i wonder what jim would make of it, especially coming from red town?
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170
I have gas. 2000+ posts
|
|
I have gas. 2000+ posts
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,170 |
It'll be interesting to see who has a better year statistically: ARod or Soriano?
We should place bets...
"You kind of get tired giving the other team credit. At some point you've got to look in the mirror and say 'I sucked.'"
Alex Rodriguez, after the NY Yankees were eliminated from the 2006 ALDS by the Detroit Tigers.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
|
|
Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 53,734 |
jim from his posts on this board is in denial about alot of things i'd assume this is just another....
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
steinbrenner bought the cincinnati enquirer!
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896
10000+ posts
|
|
10000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 14,896 |
Of course, there's also the possibility Soriano won't be in a Ranger uniform next year, either. Tom Hicks is already receiving phone calls from the Mets and Dodgers, which excites me greatly.
MisterJLA is RACKing awesome.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820
cobra kai 15000+ posts
|
|
OP
cobra kai 15000+ posts
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 45,820 |
i dunno why he'd get ridda alfie. it'd be hard (and probably impossible) to find a better bargain on a player. a guy that produces a 300 average, 40 homers, 40 doubles, 200 hits, 40 stolen bases, twice in a row, and under the age of 30 (by however many years) .... for 5 mil? ... in a year after 1989?
then again, it is hicks.
giant picture
|
|
|
|
|
