A-Rod, Yanks maintain spots as baseball’s high rollers
I’m excited that baseball season is once again upon us, but I have some very real concerns about the present and the future of the American pasttime. Given that Satan (Bud Selig) still rules the game, we can no doubt count on the game continuing to circle the drain, but that’s the owners’ problem, not mine. No, my concern is with the economic state of baseball, and it’s not something that will inspire confidence.
What does it say about Major League Baseball when four members of the New York Yankees make more money all by themselves than THE ENTIRE ROSTER of the Florida Marlins? All told, TWELVE major league players make more than the Marlins. How can a fan reasonably expect any sort of competitive balance with this sort of economic disparity in force? When New York’s Alex Rodriguez makes $25.7 million and Florida’s entire roster only makes $15 million, you have to wonder what sort of future is in store for America’s pasttime. If free agents spend their off-season chasing the big bucks, and this chase, as it inevitably seems to, leads to players gravitating to rich teams, what chance do the “have nots” have against the “haves”? If everyone chases the money to New York, LA, Boston, or Chicago, what is to become of teams like Florida, Tampa Bay, Colorado, or Milwaukee? What sort of competitive balance can we expect when all of the high-priced talent ends up in “rich” markets?
Yes, games are still played and won (or lost) between the lines. It’s certainly theoretically possible for teams like Florida to win a World Series, something they did in 2003 before the engaged in the fire sale that led to their current state. With each passing year, though, the idea of a “have not” team winning a championship diminishes. If this situation doesn’t cry out for a salary cap, I don’t know what does.
How long are fans going to want to watch the David vs. Goliath matchups that a Dodgers-Marlins series will produce? And is it really fair to continue to charge fans in place like Miami and Tampa major league ticket prices when the product on the field is arguably not a collection of major league ballplayers? Given the current state of leadership at MLB headquarters, I doubt we can anticipate things changing anytime soon. Why? Because without a doubt, Bud Selig is the Devil.
Hail Satan….
