I'd just like to thank the Yankees.

To Louis you are making good points all along but I think that you conclusions are a little off. Every generation has its record breaking contract. A-rod's is no different than what Ruth was payed back in pre-me days. Those times didn't ruin baseball then - its here now. Overall it is about smart business decisions. The A's are the best example. It is possible to win with much less money than the highest bidder. I know that we hear things like the owners of some teams aren't making money, but in the creative accounting (enron) era who can we trust. If you don't claim that some of the money you bring in is from baseball and attribute it to another business or another area of the team then it will look like you are losing money. Teams do that, its dumb, people are greedy, that's just the way society is set up and run up 'there.' But I feel the same way you do, a limit, which no one will agree to anytime soon, would likely help the game. Whatever that means. Ain't that all were talking about? Equifinality - all of our ideas might work but only one course of action takes place, and our speculation and consternation is likely in vain. :donno:

Just passing the time, glad basketball is back and patiently awaiting next baseball season when my Pirates can again have a shot to win it all! :rock: :rock: :thumup:

WTF!!!??? :umm: :umm: :umm:

Hey Scott, next time you're fluffin your duster move away from the keyboard!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Quote:

To Louis you are making good points all along but I think that you conclusions are a little off. Every generation has its record breaking contract. A-rod's is no different than what Ruth was payed back in pre-me days. Those times didn't ruin baseball then - its here now. Overall it is about smart business decisions. The A's are the best example. It is possible to win with much less money than the highest bidder. I know that we hear things like the owners of some teams aren't making money, but in the creative accounting (enron) era who can we trust. If you don't claim that some of the money you bring in is from baseball and attribute it to another business or another area of the team then it will look like you are losing money. Teams do that, its dumb, people are greedy, that's just the way society is set up and run up 'there.' But I feel the same way you do, a limit, which no one will agree to anytime soon, would likely help the game. Whatever that means. Ain't that all were talking about? Equifinality - all of our ideas might work but only one course of action takes place, and our speculation and consternation is likely in vain. :donno:

Just passing the time, glad basketball is back and patiently awaiting next baseball season when my Pirates can again have a shot to win it all! :rock: :rock: :thumup:

There's a point where the big salaries will start to hurt the game. The same thing was happening in the NBA which is why they put in the stringent caps that they have now. When the salaries exceed the revenue from ticket sales minus expenses, what's gonna happen next? All the respective teams within the NFL, NBA, NHL, & MLB can NOT be viewed as competing companies, that is not the point of their being. (competitive sportswise , but not traditional capitalistic moneymaking competitive.) Each team is part of a cooperative. The leagues will do better and last longer with the sharing and capping. The bottom line is that if we lose the smaller market teams because they can't compete, that will weaken the leagues as a whole. You have to view the league as one "company" cause essentially it is. You wouldn't want to punish the accounting department because the sales department makes more money. A profitable league as a whole shares revenues and gives each city a fair opportunity to compete, which will keep more of the fans coming to the games to see their hometown teams. That is the best scenario for generating the most revenue.

I must not be making my point saying the same thing over and over, so this will be my last post on this subject.

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You wouldn't want to punish the accounting department because the sales department makes more money.

You sure do if the accounting department isn't doing it's job! You can their asses and get people in there who will do the job right!

I understand your point completely Louis, I just think that it's wrong. The NBA is in more trouble than ever, the cap didn't help them at all! Even the Nets, who have gone to the championships 2 years in a row are now pondering a move 'cause they can't fill their building.

Salaries are already on their way down dramaticly in baseball...the only thing left to do is to get rid of a few of the idiot owners who refuse to run their ships right!

Still missing my point, Coz. MY point is not even about how creative some owners manage their teams. My point is about even some of the best owners NOT BEING ABLE TO COMPETE, because of skyhigh salaries and not enough revenue to cover them. How the Nets are managed to me is irrelevent to my point.

As for my accounting dept analogy--you can't do without one! You can replace the organization but it's adventageous to have it versus not having it. It is adventageous to share a bit to keep smaller market teams in the whole organization. Are some of them going to do a poor job of managing even with the sharing and capping? Maybe? One or two cities possibly? But when more start to leave, there is a a problem that you have to address.

As for the basketball being in "bad" shape as you say. Maybe there are other factors that are the reason for that. The salaries that were being handed out were getting out of hand there for a minute, i.e. Garnett, Shaq, LJ, Zo and various others. The NBA would be in WORSE shape had they not capped.

Louis

(see you made me post again :cuss: :wink: )

Fine then, we disagree. I have long thought that baseball over extended itself where as obviously you have not.

I still say 24 teams would be ideal...and salary caps are communism!!! :cuss:

What SHOULD be gotten rid of though is arbitration!

louis you recited MLB's argument for salary caps well. That is what they say. It is everyones league, a coop as you pointed out. I agree because without the sheer number of teams needed to keep a league finatially afloat no one makes money. But, in my opinion we are not at that point. Drastic measures would be taking place if we were there, a few teams wouldn't be on the possible chopping block, many would. Is contraction even going to happen? No one knows, and leagues throughout their history always flux when it comes to size. Its unpleasant and natural. In baseball you do not need money to compete - it just helps. Overcoming obstacles and being the team without a chance is what everyone likes to see and usually an underdog gets publicity and ratings. There is not a correlation between how much money you spend and how good your team is. Individual businessmen and women? need to do what they want, they can do what ever they want. If this hurts baseball then that is tough - unfortunate but tough. No one wants that luckily, but the line gets blurred as a person goes for more profits and players profits become increasingly higher. Its tough to see the future and the reprocussions to all of the little and big decisions that are being made right now. That being said, it would be akin to communism to change that. To not allow members of a group to do what they want business-wise for the betterment of us all. America, like it or not is capitalistic, so too should baseball be.

Sorry about the mass repost, the submit button wouldn't work and I obviously pressed it a few times.

Scott

Scott,

And just how long do you wait for teams to start dropping off before you change the cap/sharing rules? Say in the next 3-5 years four teams get in real financial trouble. What do you do then?

Don't let the word Communism get confused with good business practice. Cause one thing this government does (if anything good) is try to insure that everyone competes fairly in the marketplace. And in this "marketplace" of Major League Baseball, which is definitely one big "company" (with a players union and everything), there should be measures taken to make sure every team competes fairly.

Great-day-in-the-morning!!! Is no one listening to me!? I just really need to shut up about this because obviously I am convincing NO ONE!!!

Louis

Actually Louis, I agree on just about everything you have stated...Ive been letting you be my spokesman...:)

My man Chief!!! :rock: :bowdown: :rock: