This is an excellent post. I'm anti-cap and I get terrified when I see a column that starts with the "illusion of balance." However, you provided the basic want for every fan of the team: "Try, dammit!" A salary cap, I feel, will reduce that effort. I find the artificial soft cap that is currently in place to be onerous. Why should an owner be forced to pay a penalty of 110% in order to improve their team? Fans in Pittsburgh should be rooting for the visiting teams that spend. When their cheapskate of an owner starts to spend, they can win back their fans. Money collected from penalties should no longer be given to any small-market teams. Let it go to programs that build up the sport among kids and support retired players in need. Sorry for the rant. This was obviously a good article.
Here's my idea to make baseball a little more chaotic. Salary cap of $250 million. Salary floor of $150 million. To me, teams like the Pirates, Rockies, and Marlins who have owners just content to collect revenue sharing dollars and continually trade away talent under the guise of a never-ending rebuild are a far bigger problem for the game than the Dodgers, Yankees, or Phillies. At least you know those teams are trying to win. Who's more invested in their team? The Yankees fan who thinks ever season is World Series or bust? Or the Pirates fan who's just counting down the days until Paul Skenes is in another team's uniform?
And you're absolutely right, as fans we just want to know our team is trying. I'm a Tigers fan. In the past 20 years we've gone from trying and coming close twice to winning a World Series. To not trying for 8-9 years. And now the fans are pretty sure we're back to trying again. Still waiting to see what Scott Harris and Ilitch Jr. do about trying to resign Skubal. It's a lot more fun when your team is trying.
Also, the A's should be penalized for what they have done... They used to be the model small payroll team, but they just want to collect the luxury tax money and hold their fans and the league hostage. I like the salary floor more than the salary cap, simply because teams like the Brewers are innovative in their approach and they continue to evolve to stay competitive, and I do believe it is good for the game. Another aspect is Manfred doesn't care about who is winning or losing any more since he took the gambling money and the MLB is cashing in big time...
Interesting that the Detroit Tigers, a team that have a payroll in the bottom half are not mentioned in this piece. They possess what might be the best farm system in the game at the moment. They also have the largest division lead in baseball as well as the game’s best pitcher. Oh, and besides Javy Baez and a few home grown talents, this team has almost no “stars” on it. Curious why a team with this pedigree would be omitted from this piece. Seems like they are mustering much of the same energy as Milwaukee.
Touche. 'In a world of billionaire owners, with NHL franchises worth billions and billions more, the NHL has a hard salary cap of 80 million. What percentage of franchise value to salary is that? Who signed that deal? Maybe 15 years ago NHL owners might have been able to tell you that there weren’t enough revenue streams to compete with the other big pro sports, but now, Rogers owns every pro sports team in Toronto, of which the Maple Leafs are the crown jewel and Mitch Marner makes something compared to a hack middle reliever on the Blue Jays. Same owner.' https://sometimesitrains.substack.com/
This is an excellent post. I'm anti-cap and I get terrified when I see a column that starts with the "illusion of balance." However, you provided the basic want for every fan of the team: "Try, dammit!" A salary cap, I feel, will reduce that effort. I find the artificial soft cap that is currently in place to be onerous. Why should an owner be forced to pay a penalty of 110% in order to improve their team? Fans in Pittsburgh should be rooting for the visiting teams that spend. When their cheapskate of an owner starts to spend, they can win back their fans. Money collected from penalties should no longer be given to any small-market teams. Let it go to programs that build up the sport among kids and support retired players in need. Sorry for the rant. This was obviously a good article.
Here's my idea to make baseball a little more chaotic. Salary cap of $250 million. Salary floor of $150 million. To me, teams like the Pirates, Rockies, and Marlins who have owners just content to collect revenue sharing dollars and continually trade away talent under the guise of a never-ending rebuild are a far bigger problem for the game than the Dodgers, Yankees, or Phillies. At least you know those teams are trying to win. Who's more invested in their team? The Yankees fan who thinks ever season is World Series or bust? Or the Pirates fan who's just counting down the days until Paul Skenes is in another team's uniform?
And you're absolutely right, as fans we just want to know our team is trying. I'm a Tigers fan. In the past 20 years we've gone from trying and coming close twice to winning a World Series. To not trying for 8-9 years. And now the fans are pretty sure we're back to trying again. Still waiting to see what Scott Harris and Ilitch Jr. do about trying to resign Skubal. It's a lot more fun when your team is trying.
Also, the A's should be penalized for what they have done... They used to be the model small payroll team, but they just want to collect the luxury tax money and hold their fans and the league hostage. I like the salary floor more than the salary cap, simply because teams like the Brewers are innovative in their approach and they continue to evolve to stay competitive, and I do believe it is good for the game. Another aspect is Manfred doesn't care about who is winning or losing any more since he took the gambling money and the MLB is cashing in big time...
Get rid of Manfred. Get rid of on-air gambling.
Interesting that the Detroit Tigers, a team that have a payroll in the bottom half are not mentioned in this piece. They possess what might be the best farm system in the game at the moment. They also have the largest division lead in baseball as well as the game’s best pitcher. Oh, and besides Javy Baez and a few home grown talents, this team has almost no “stars” on it. Curious why a team with this pedigree would be omitted from this piece. Seems like they are mustering much of the same energy as Milwaukee.
You’re absolutely right, I completely forgot to mention Detroit. I overfocus on certain teams at times.
Touche. 'In a world of billionaire owners, with NHL franchises worth billions and billions more, the NHL has a hard salary cap of 80 million. What percentage of franchise value to salary is that? Who signed that deal? Maybe 15 years ago NHL owners might have been able to tell you that there weren’t enough revenue streams to compete with the other big pro sports, but now, Rogers owns every pro sports team in Toronto, of which the Maple Leafs are the crown jewel and Mitch Marner makes something compared to a hack middle reliever on the Blue Jays. Same owner.' https://sometimesitrains.substack.com/