No offense at all intended because I like ya Justin, but there is quite a bit of horseshit in that post. The whole "Evil Empire" thing was nothing more than a joke, I can't speak for others but I don't have a problem with either team spending money. The fact is these are the top two revenue producing teams in baseball: they put the most asses in seats (Fenway might be small BUT look at the road attendance spikes when the Red Sox are in Baltimore, Tampa, Toronto etc) and get the highest ratings on television. These people that whine and bitch about the "Evil Empires" didn't bother to watch this past World Series, in which neither team was featured. So not only do they have the money to invest in the team but they also donate to these other teams via the bullshit revenue sharing. Meanwhile there are plenty of teams that make no effort at all to even keep their good players and put out a compelling product. For instance the Pittsburgh Pirates turn a decent profit despite the fact that they haven't watchable since a pre-roid Bonds and when Tim Wakefield was a young man.
Didn't the Marlins catch some shit from MLB for having a payroll that was too low?
No offense taken, I just wanted to play a little Devil's Advocate and bring up the position of people on the internet, radio and TV who bitch and moan all the time about how The Yankees, Red Sox and other teams dominate baseball in money, attendence and the TV Ratings. I've run into some Red Sox fans now and then here in NY and they always complained about how the Yankees spend money to get players. Well, if other teams had the kind of rabid fanbases the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies do they would have the money to be able to lure big time free agents to their teams.
Personally, I dont care how much money my Yankees, The Red Sox or any other team spends. Baseball is about winning the World Series and if your team doesn't do everything it can to achieve that goal then they why do they bother existing at all.
A small part of me feels bad for fans of other teams who just can't compete right now, but in the end this is the way things are for now and I don't see them changing anytime soon.
Steinbrenner was no angel, but at least he did everything he could to make the Yankees a winner. That's the kind of owner you want running your team.
And yes, the Revenue sharing system in place right now is BS. Teams like the Pirates just take the money and either sit on it, or waste it on other things instead of building the team.
I really am sick and tired of the sports writers/comentators on ESPN and the radio who complain about the East Coast dominace in baseball and wish for the kind of parity that the NFL has.
The problem is that Football as a sport is loved across the country, that's why the NFL is the #1 sport in the US. It's why the Super Bowl brings monster ratings every year no matter who is playing in the game. Most NFL teams have devoted, rabid fanbases and the way the NFL runs their ship the parity that exists works and you have alot of teams who are competitive and make the sport exciting to watch and follow.
Baseball appears to be more of a regional sport, It's popularity is greater in some areas more than others. We have talked about the Rays and their attendence before. They are the perfect example, the team has been good and competitive for the last 3 years and their attendence is still below average. Baseball is not as popular in Florida as Football is, so despite the fact they had a playoff team who has gone to the World Series lately still no one gave a crap down in Tampa.
So yes Shemps, you are right on in alot of what you said. I just wish more baseball fans were as honest.
