BrushBackPitch.com

I don’t know this guy at www.east-coast-bias.com but he’s got some thoughts on a luxury tax system that would at least help level the playing field in Major League Baseball.

It’s a bit convoluted and I’m not sure it does enough to punish “small market” teams that try to ride the coattails of the luxury tax so they don’t have to spend any money out of their own pockets (Yes, this is you, Jeffrey Loria).

But it’s an interesting starting point. Tony and I may revisit this after the holidays and shoot some ideas of our own. In the meantime, do any of you have ideas on how to fix the game?

Or do you think we’re all wet? If you think things are perfect you’re entitled to your opinion as well, I suppose. But please explain why you think it’s okay that the highest spending team can outspend the lowest spending team by 10 times?

I’d like to know your reasoning.

$423 million is the amount of money a slow economy dropped revenue for the state of Washington.

$423 million is the amount of measurable media coverage TDG Communications says it has generated for the Black Hills of South Dakota since 2005.

$423 million is what oil firms are paying to settle a groundwater contamination lawsuit.

$423 million is the estimated amount a group of hackers planned to steal from a Japanese bank using a planted keylogger.

And $423 million is the amount the New York Yankees will have shelled out to sign CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira as soon as the former Ranger, Brave and Angel first baseman officially signs his deal.

Yeah. Revenue sharing and the luxury tax have done a lot to level the playing field in Major League Baseball.

After two seasons ruined by terrible bullpens the New York Mets went to work Wednesday finalizing deals for a new closer and then a setup man.

Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, he of 62 saves for Anaheim last season, inked a 3-year, $37 million contract that will become official pending a physical, according to the New York Daily News.

Not satisfied, the Mets then acquired former Seattle Mariners closer J.J. Putz in a 212 player trade involving 26 teams in 9 countries.

Read more »

While the New York Yankees likely won’t get their answer as quickly as they’d like they are still the favorite to land free agent stud pitcher CC Sabathia, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman.

Speaking on Dan Patrick’s morning radio show, Heyman told the world that CC still hopes one of the West coast teams will pop up with a competitive offer. He also thinks the Milwaukee Brewers might up their $100 million contract proposal as well.

But with the San Francisco Giants already opening their wallets to the tune of $18 million for a declining Edgar Renteria and also bogged down by the $126 million Barry Zito deal, Heyman thinks they are a long shot. And the California-Anaheim-Los Angeles Angels are first keeping Mark Teixeira in their sites.

CC’s reticence toward actually signing a deal, Heyman says, might have the Yankees on eggshells a bit, frustrated because they can’t lash out but don’t want to yet sweeten their own $140 million deal. But in the end, he says, the Bronx Bombers will likely get their man.

As an outside observer, it’s kind of fun to see them having to run in place for awhile though, isn’t it?

Last week Yankee honcho Hal Steinbrenner, the quieter, less-limelight-needy brother of the Idiot Son of George Steinbrenner (Hank), was quoted by various sports media sources indicating that CC Sabathia would have a deadline to accept the team’s $140 million contract offer.

“We’ve made him an offer. It’s not going to be there forever,” said Hal, after he was voted the team’s new controlling owner on Thursday, Nov. 20.

This statement, given last year’s lines re-drawn in the sand over the A-Rod negotiations, were the typical laughable bravado to come from the Bronx. Now, however, as if that wasn’t enough, it has come out that the Yankees might increase their already obnoxiously high offer to $150 million - but only if other teams expected to get in on the process make offers to Sabathia.

NBCSports.com, publishing a Sporting News column citing a New York Newsday report that sourced the information to a “person familiar with the situation” said if the Los Angeles Angels get in on the bidding they’ll make the increase in their offer.

Read more »

This post will piggyback off of one coming soon addressing concerns I have that the new New York ballparks, while assuredly fantastic venues for fans to watch ball games, will do more damage to the game in terms of further skewing revenues, and thus payrolls, further deteriorating the competitiveness in Major League Baseball.

In researching that post I came across a question-and-answer session conducted with Hank Steinbrenner, who will herefore be known on this site as the Idiot Son of George Steinbrenner.

George Steinbrenner is an interesting character. He was sometimes crass, even occasionally criminal (yes, search “pleaded guilty” at the linked bio page) in his business dealings. But he represented the Yankees proudly and even occasionally made sense.

He’s handed the reins largely over to sons Hank and Hal. If this interview was transcribed correctly, George should muzzle Hank and make sure the supposedly more reserved Hal becomes the team’s more frequent spokesperson.

Hank rants in this interview on revenue sharing, the divisional playoff system and the lack of logic displayed by sports media.

Read more »

Major League Baseball Agent Scott Boras conducted a chat at usatoday.com this morning and made a couple of interesting revelations.

Well, perhaps they weren’t revelations. But they offered further proof that the agent couldn’t give a rip about anything more than making as much money for his clients as possible.

One questioner, from Westlake Village, Calif., asked if Boras had any concern for the fan bases of teams affected by the constant shuffling of players chasing big bucks.

Boras didn’t really answer the question, but told Westlake Village that his staff of 20 works year-round to prepare players for free agency and salary arbitration.

“When Teams call we determine if our client is interested then a information exchange occurs to define the agreed value of the player. If both parties agree we have an agreement,” he says.

Another Californian from Aliso Viejo asked about player greed and salaries during a time when “real hardworking people who get up and work 8-5 to make ends meet but are losing everything they have.”

While the question was a bit melodramatic, Boras’ response started out as a discussion of player revenues, which he says have increased from $3 billion in 2000 to $6.5 billion in 2008.

“Please keep in mind many of our clients donate millions of dollars to funds that provide tickets to children and families who would other wise not be able to attend games,” Boras wrote.

I about yacked when I read the last part. To quote the late, great Chris Farley, “Well, La De Frickin’ Da.” A big thank you to players making anywhere from what, a quarter million to $26 million a year for buying a couple tickets to each game? Is he looking for a slap on the back? I will grant him that many, many players are fantastic people and very generous. But forgive me if I don’t bow in their general direction when they share their money with the less fortunate. They should do that - just like any halfway decent person with an abundance of resources should. Charitable organizations rely on such generosity - and guess what, some people don’t want or need recognition for it. Spare me the pretend virtuosity.

My favorite answer, however, came when he was asked by New York, NY what his response would be to a salary cap. Boras, in true, self-serving fashion, responded that “salary caps prevent the true intellect of the sport from operating.”

Read more »

The New York Yankees reportedly made an offer to Blue Jays starting pitcher AJ Burnett Tuesday, an offer that would put reportedly put Burnett in pinstripes for five years, at a cost of $80 million.

And looking at it, this move makes complete sense for the Yankees–with Carl Pavano coming off the books, they have a real lack of starting pitchers with a track record of injury proneness mixed with mediocrity.

Read more »

On November 4th, as annual baseball meetings got under way, Commissioner Bud Selig listed off Wall Street firms that had failed, warning general managers they need to “operate in a fashion that’s cognizant of that economy,”according to Jimmie Lee Solomon, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner’s office.

Less than two weeks later, the New York Yankees are preparing to brush off the warning, and offer free agent pitcher CC Sabathia a deal that will make him the most expensive pitcher in MLB history. The same Sabathia that weighs as much as many defensive linemen, has a history that leans on the inconsistent side, and was merely average last season with the Indians, before moving to the National League, where he pitched well in his first half season facing many hitters who hadn’t seen him before, but was possibly overused.

Note that the offer has not yet been made–but team co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner, in his never ending quest to prove himself to daddy, saw fit to announce his team’s plans to the media.  In a further act of arrogance, he went so far as to say he expected to also make offers to AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe.

It’s a good thing the Yankees have such a proven track record with big money free agent deals.

For opening night of the 2002 Major League Baseball season, 34,351 fans showed up in Montreal to watch the team’s last home opening game.

By then the Expos were a lame-duck team destined for Washington and owned by the league.

The highlight of that opening night, according to an account in Time magazine, came when a fan holding a “LORIA SUCKS” sign jumped up on the Florida Marlins dugout to dance and temporarily evade security personnel.

By then, as part of the agreement to sell the Expos, Jeffrey Loria had acquired those Marlins. In 2003, the team won its second World Series. Then, two years later, with no public financing for a new ballpark, Loria dismantled the team, creating one of the lowest-paid franchises in baseball.

Read more »

« Previous entries