The best seat in the house is the view from the couch

Let's see, apparently Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Tom Gordon, Paul Quantrill, Mike Lamb, et al. weren't enough for the Evil Empire this off-season, so they decided to "really make a statement" and get the highest paid player in Major League history. What's wrong with this picture?

I had actually planned to write a hockey column this week, seeing as how that sport is headed for a very prolonged work-stoppage this off-season. Then I thought "maybe I'll write about John Daly coming back to earth and winning his first tournament in 6+ years." But all of a sudden, nothing else in sports mattered; it was all A-Rod and New York.

Guess this means I have to update my playoff predictions now, eh? Yep, I definitely do, because there is no way that the Astros will beat the Cubs in the N.L. Central now that the Loveables have signed Greg Maddux.

Huh?

Yeah, you read it right. I still think Boston can beat New York over the course of the season. And do you know why? Because great pitching will almost always beat great hitting. It's just fact. In last year's playoffs, we saw it time and time again. The only series that contradicted the rule was Boston's miracle comeback against the A's, which was largely fueled by Tim Hudson and Barry Zito's infamous "scuffle" in a Boston bar. But let's break this down real fast, before I get into what I really wanted to discuss, which is how to save baseball.

First, the Yankees lot 3/5 of their rotation this off-season, including their only two left-handed starters. Yankee Stadium, as well as Fenway Park and Camden Yards are all lefty-friendly hitter’s parks. Know how many games the Yankees will have to play in those stadiums with no left-handed starters? 110. Out of a possible 162. That's gonna be awful hard to overcome.

Second, why isn't anyone talking about Alfonso Soriano? Did everyone suddenly forget that he has been favorably compared to Willie Mays? That's quite a comparison. They guy obviously has 40-40 potential, and he's going to be moving to a hitter's park where he'll be in the same lineup as Hank Blaylock, Mark Texieira and Michael Young, three very good young players. The Rangers may have one of the best YOUNG infields in baseball now, though they're no A-Rod, Jeter, Giambi and, um...

Oh, that's right, the third reason this trade isn't as big as it seems. Who plays second in New York? Granted, if A-Rod decides that he'd rather play 2B and let new acquisition Mike Lamb take third, then this isn't as big of a deal. Plus, I'd love to watch A-Rod to Jeter on double plays. I'll admit, that would be fun. But suppose that Joe Torre decides Alex's arm is too potent a weapon to move from third, then who plays second? Enrique Wilson? Maybe on days the Yanks face Pedro, but otherwise he's a .253 career hitter with more caught stealing's than home runs (or steals for that matter). Miguel Cairo? Certainly a defensive upgrade from Soriano or Wilson, with only one error last year, but again, the offensive difference is too large to overlook.

Fourth, what ever happened to team chemistry? Back in the mid-nineties, the Yankees were America's team, minus the better part of New England. But they were so loved because they had home-grown players with only a few imports, and while they still had an extreme payroll, they didn't just try to go out and buy a championship. Now, they're the team that the fans of every other team in baseball hate, not just Boston or the Mets. Pirates fans, Brewers Fans, Cubs fans, Marlins fans, Braves fans, Dodgers fans, A's fans, everyone hates the Yankees. Perhaps the only team whose fans are neutral to New York is the Rangers, because they managed to get Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named, who just might end up being Jose Contreras.

Finally, did New York really upgrade? Look at the numbers. A-Rod has posted waaaaaaaaay below (his) average numbers in Yankee Stadium over his career. Granted, the numbers also have to take into account the fact that he was always on the opposing team, but Alfonso Soriano's numbers in New York are astounding, and his numbers in Texas weren't too shabby either. And if Contreras does end up being that player to be named, that leaves a gaping hole in the New York rotation at #4, a hole that New York almost patched up with Greg Maddux.

So I guess what I'm saying is wait for the season to start before the Yankees' coronation. Let's see how A-Rod deals with being front-page in an actual baseball city everyday. Let's see what happens the first time King George decides to shake things up by telling Torre to put Alex at short, Jeter at third, and then has Brian Cashman trade for Bret Boone. Let's just wait.

Now, let's talk about what's actually happening here. I'm starting to believe Bud Selig (God help us all) that the competitive balance of baseball is totally out of whack. And no, it's not just sour grapes over the A-Rod deal, because the Red Sox are just as guilty. Think about it this way. The Red Sox' 2004 payroll is currently second highest, in the vicinity of $120 million, or 20% higher than #3. The Yankees' 2004 payroll is, at least for now, more than 50% higher THAN THE RED SOX'.

Imagine if New York had signed Maddux to fill-in the #4 spot in the rotation. Does it seem fair that a team could go out and get a guy with four Cy Young's, 289 career wins and a 16-year streak of 15 or more wins TO BE A FOURTH STARTER? No. But if they had, we might not even be having this discussion, because I truly think that if the Yankees had signed Maddux, there would be a labor war calling for a salary cap by next year.

Like I said, the Red Sox aren't free and clear here; they have the second highest payroll in the Majors, and stand to face about a $5 million luxury tax hit this year. Of course, the Yankees are looking at about $80 million in luxury tax, which is more than 20 of 30 teams' total payrolls from last season. And today, John Henry made a statement to reporters via e-mail in which he said that Major League Baseball could use a salary cap "to deal with a team that has gone so insanely far beyond the resources of all the other teams.''

It's true. They have. Both of them. But neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees have done anything wrong within the current system of Major League Baseball. That's why the system needs to change. There needs to be an implementation of a salary cap and a salary minimum, so that owners cannot take the money gained from luxury taxes and simply pocket it rather than sign better players or upgrade stadiums, etc. There also need to be no more guaranteed contracts. That's what makes the NFL's salary cap system work, the fear that if you’re not performing, you can be cut at any time. Imagine hoe fast Manny Ramirez would run to first with that little kick in the ass.

Right now baseball players can be cut or waived, but they still collect a certain amount, if not all of their remaining pay for the year. Why? Because the MLBPA is the strongest union in America. They've never lost a dispute. And they never will until someone stronger than Bud Selig comes into town and lays down the law.

With baseball, it's all about marketing players first, teams second. That's why the union is so strong; they know fans won't show up to see replacement players. In football or hockey, we rarely see players' faces because they have helmets, so we cheer for a jersey. In baseball and basketball, the players are so visible that we follow them from team to team, regardless of whether or not we like the team. I used to cheer for the Mariners religiously because I was, and still am, such a huge fan of Ken Griffey Jr. Then he demanded a trade to Cincinnati, and I still followed him, but I started to cool a little because I didn't like the way the trade was forced.

Unfortunately, most fans just follow their players and maybe one or two teams. And unless your team is in those top 10 payrolls, you don't really have much to cheer about until they make a miraculous, once in a lifetime run to the playoffs and maybe even a ring. Yes, the Marlins, Angels and D-Backs won the last three World Series'. But in two of the three years, they didn't make the playoffs the following season. And if you notice, the other teams involved in the playoffs were most often the "haves": Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, etc. Only the A's can make the claim of being consistently good, again with home-grown talent. But while they keep making the playoffs, they also keep getting bounced in the first round.

Two changes. Two radical shifts in the MLB landscape. That's all it takes to restore the game we all love. Let's get it done Mr. Selig.

Oooh, one more thing. Mom gave me another great quote I HAVE to share with you folks. My mother is a very smart woman who occasionally says very stupid things. This was one of theose things. She was driving down the road the other day and stopped at a set of lights. She looked over and saw a big bin with big words on it. She read it as "Denati: clothes and shoes". Thinking it was some new charity, she tells me she mubmled to herself "Denati.... well, I guess that's a new place to Donate stuff..." She didn't recognize the word "DONATE" on th side of the bin, and pronounced it "Denati". Again., priceless...

posted by Big D @ 12:00 AM