Yankee monopoly.
A well-written post I found on the Boston red sox messageboard:
Well at this venture in late August it would appear that the Yankees have once again regained their form and spent enough money exploiting a completely corrupt financial system in order to purchase yet another World Series Championship. However it is only August and they may have peaked early allowing some other far less bankrolled club with a hot pitching staff to stifle the Bronx Billionaires in October like the White Sox, Angels and perhaps most realistically the Tigers.
This weekend debacle is a victory for big money as the Yanks, desperate for an outfielder and starting pitching were allowed by MLB to purchase everything they needed for a late season run from a Philly fire sale.
Was a time not so long ago when the Commissioner would have nixed the deal stating that it was not in the best interests of baseball. Giamatti surely would have done so, as would Kuhn who personally stopped a deal that would have brought Joe Rudy and Vida Blue to the Red Sox from the A's thus altering the history of the game itself.
The Yankees have spent over a BILLION DOLLARS in this decade and have nothing to show for it thus far. However their raping of other teams has had a devestating long term impact on the quality and competitive balance of the game.We can thank the yanks when we look at the sorry state of baseball in once proud markets like KC and Pittsburgh and no amount of luxury (Yankee) tax revenue made available to these clubs can compensate them for the continuous loss of promising young talent to free agency.
As Oaklands Billy Beane so aptly put it " the A's and other small market clubs have become culture dishes for free agents."
This most recent assault on the game by the Yanks picking up an additional 30 million dollars plus in payroll at the July 31 trade deadline is especially telling. To put this into perspective, the entire payroll of the Tampa Bay franchise is 15 million dollars.....only Robinson Cano makes less than this on the healthy starting Yankees line up!
The Red Sox, considered a big market team and a "player" in the Free agent exploitation process are second in overall payroll to the Yankees but a very distant second it is ...they began the season a full 70 MILLION dollars below the payroll of the yanks and after the Abreau robbery are closer to a full 100 MILLION DOLLARS behind the spending spree that is the Yankees.
To the credit of the Red Sox, Angels , White Sox and a few others they have up until now been able to outsmart if not outspend the Bronx Billionairees and have prevented them from buying any WS Championships in this decade/century.But it now appears that bankroll has trumped brainpower and the financial realities of MLB are coming home to roost.
Perhaps we have now reached the point where congress should threaten to revoke MLB's antitrust exemption in order to force them to implement a salary ceiling and floor much as many of the other major sports leagues play under . All eveidence suggests that this has led to more balanced and competitive leagues and the one exception , the Patriots Dynasty is attributable soley to Bellichick and Co. s ability to outsmart other franchises regarding personnel policies.
With a milktoast commishioner/ former team owner at the helm it may be necessary for congress to intervene and speak for the forgotten fan and in the "Best interests of the game" before MLB becomes another version of professional wrestling in which the outcome is determined beforehand.
Well at this venture in late August it would appear that the Yankees have once again regained their form and spent enough money exploiting a completely corrupt financial system in order to purchase yet another World Series Championship. However it is only August and they may have peaked early allowing some other far less bankrolled club with a hot pitching staff to stifle the Bronx Billionaires in October like the White Sox, Angels and perhaps most realistically the Tigers.
This weekend debacle is a victory for big money as the Yanks, desperate for an outfielder and starting pitching were allowed by MLB to purchase everything they needed for a late season run from a Philly fire sale.
Was a time not so long ago when the Commissioner would have nixed the deal stating that it was not in the best interests of baseball. Giamatti surely would have done so, as would Kuhn who personally stopped a deal that would have brought Joe Rudy and Vida Blue to the Red Sox from the A's thus altering the history of the game itself.
The Yankees have spent over a BILLION DOLLARS in this decade and have nothing to show for it thus far. However their raping of other teams has had a devestating long term impact on the quality and competitive balance of the game.We can thank the yanks when we look at the sorry state of baseball in once proud markets like KC and Pittsburgh and no amount of luxury (Yankee) tax revenue made available to these clubs can compensate them for the continuous loss of promising young talent to free agency.
As Oaklands Billy Beane so aptly put it " the A's and other small market clubs have become culture dishes for free agents."
This most recent assault on the game by the Yanks picking up an additional 30 million dollars plus in payroll at the July 31 trade deadline is especially telling. To put this into perspective, the entire payroll of the Tampa Bay franchise is 15 million dollars.....only Robinson Cano makes less than this on the healthy starting Yankees line up!
The Red Sox, considered a big market team and a "player" in the Free agent exploitation process are second in overall payroll to the Yankees but a very distant second it is ...they began the season a full 70 MILLION dollars below the payroll of the yanks and after the Abreau robbery are closer to a full 100 MILLION DOLLARS behind the spending spree that is the Yankees.
To the credit of the Red Sox, Angels , White Sox and a few others they have up until now been able to outsmart if not outspend the Bronx Billionairees and have prevented them from buying any WS Championships in this decade/century.But it now appears that bankroll has trumped brainpower and the financial realities of MLB are coming home to roost.
Perhaps we have now reached the point where congress should threaten to revoke MLB's antitrust exemption in order to force them to implement a salary ceiling and floor much as many of the other major sports leagues play under . All eveidence suggests that this has led to more balanced and competitive leagues and the one exception , the Patriots Dynasty is attributable soley to Bellichick and Co. s ability to outsmart other franchises regarding personnel policies.
With a milktoast commishioner/ former team owner at the helm it may be necessary for congress to intervene and speak for the forgotten fan and in the "Best interests of the game" before MLB becomes another version of professional wrestling in which the outcome is determined beforehand.
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