12-26-2008, 06:49 PM
As much as I dislike the way the Yankees throw money at players like drunken sailors, a salary cap (a prudent financial move, btw) would never work because the player's union would never allow it to happen unless the owners guarantee 60 percent or more of team revenue going towards players' salaries. Since the gate money (and TV revenue) is a team's lifeblood, the owners will not want to do that unless they get a hard cap, which if I'm mistaken, doesn't actually exist in the NFL, NHL or NBA.
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to baseball so I think das_hips's playoff suggestion, while interesting and plausible, not the best way to go. The long grind of the season, all the road games, etc, is what separates the men from the boys. The Yankees, cursed be thy name, actually had good grinders (Bernie Williams, Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neill) that helped pick up the pieces when the overpaid pretty boys were in a slump.
The Yankee management may think that overpaying for top talent will win them the World Series that their fans and city seem to demand as their yearly due, but it doesnt mean that it is a done deal. I tend to think that enlarging the field of contenders as das_hip suggests will dilute the quality of the playoffs. The NFL has a shorter season, so theoretically, a 9-7 or 10-6 team can get all the way to the Super Bowl if they play good at the right time.
I'm a traditionalist when it comes to baseball so I think das_hips's playoff suggestion, while interesting and plausible, not the best way to go. The long grind of the season, all the road games, etc, is what separates the men from the boys. The Yankees, cursed be thy name, actually had good grinders (Bernie Williams, Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neill) that helped pick up the pieces when the overpaid pretty boys were in a slump.
The Yankee management may think that overpaying for top talent will win them the World Series that their fans and city seem to demand as their yearly due, but it doesnt mean that it is a done deal. I tend to think that enlarging the field of contenders as das_hip suggests will dilute the quality of the playoffs. The NFL has a shorter season, so theoretically, a 9-7 or 10-6 team can get all the way to the Super Bowl if they play good at the right time.