Ok, Yankees Win-That Does Not Mean We Need a Salary Cap

[OldSchoolOrioleFan]

Originally Posted by bgfield

But that's akin to sweeping the problem under the rug, and it creates a whole bunch of other issues. For example, putting four financial giants in the same division could potentially mean that the three best teams are in the same division, but only two will go to the playoffs, while some scrub teams who can't afford the same luxuries as the big spenders get swept by them in the playoffs. Also, this division will be more highly desired by the best players who also want to play with the best players. This, in my mind, would create even more disparity.


Well of course I'd like to see a 10-15 year dynasty as an O's fan but as a baseball fan as well, I don't think those are entirely good for the sport. And as for dynasties being broken up...how often does that happen in football? All this means is GM's would have to be smarter, and not take on huge contracts, to ensure that they can keep their core locked up.



I still don't think there's any other team that could come close to spending what the Yankees could spend. You walk down and street in any city in the world and there's a chance you could see someone in a New York Yankees cap. They have fans EVERYWHERE, not to mention their already enormous local market. They will always have that financial advantage, unless new rules are put in place.

I agree that a cap will probably never happen, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea.

You make very good points on all counts.

God bless,

M.T.P.
Northern VA Orioles Fan

[OldSchoolOrioleFan]

Originally Posted by Dequincey

Actually, the article did make some good points, particularly in pointing out that players receive a lower portion of revenues in baseball than in the major sports with salary caps. This leads directly to another good point that a salary floor is required when you have revenue sharing.

A simpler and more elegant solution to the threat of the Yankees winning is simply to trade owners. Give the Yankees to Angelos. They would no longer win. Let Steinbrenner own the Orioles, and they would contend every year.

Note Steinbrenner bought the Yankees in 1973. In 36 years, he has almost always kept the Yankee payroll at the top of baseball. But he has won only seven championships, or roughly one every five years. So the top salary effort to acquire what are thought to be the best players succeeds in winning a championship 19.4% of the time. Not very good odds.

If you think about that you come close to seeing why Angelos refuses to spend money on first caliber talent. Steinbrenner is a completely different type of owner than Angelos. Steinbrenner has never tried to maximize the operating profits of the Yankees, Inc. His objective is something quite different. He wants to win championships.

I say, good for him. That's the way it should be.

When people indignantly point out that Steinbrenner has "bought" the World Series, they are in a sense right. The money that was required for the Yankees to win came right out of his pocket. The reason that the Yankees have won seven World Series titles under Steinbrenner in 36 years, rather than one like the Orioles is because Steinbrenner puts fan's interest first. Winning is more important to him than making money.

I'm not saying he is a bad businessman. But he could take the Angelos approach and only pretend to be seeking the best talent, make a half-hearted bid for top free agents, and sign Andy MacPhail's pitching staff. The Yankees would make a fortune.

As it is, Angelos has made much more money than Steinbrenner has out of baseball in this century, notwithstanding the fact that the Yankees have won two championships in ten years, while the Orioles have sunk lower and lower. According to Forbes, Angelos has made hundreds of millions more than Steinbrenner. Angelos doesn't "waste" revenues chasing championships.

As long as the players the O's send on the field are not so crippled that they make an obvious laughing stock of the team photo, Angelos is perfectly content. He doesn't care about winning. He wants to milk the Orioles for as much profit as possible. And according to Forbes, he has been highly successful.

When you step back and think about it, Steinbrenner is far more admirable. I am glad he won. He paid the price to win. He deserves success for putting the fan first.

Another point that should be made is that Steinbrenner helps raise the general level of pay among baseball players, and by doing so probably marginally increases the level of talent in baseball above what it would be otherwise. When talented young athletes see the kind of paydays that Teixeira and Sabathia secured, it may put them in a baseball uniform rather playing some other sport.

Excellent post...

God bless,

M.T.P.
Northern VA Orioles Fan

[OldSchoolOrioleFan]

This article is an interest read regarding bang for the buck...

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.p...ials&Itemid=39

God bless,

M.T.P.
Northern VA Orioles Fan