Posted on 08/16/2002 1:18:47 PM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
(Poke his tummy)
Strike or no strike something has to be done because the cost of salaries has increased by 45% over the last three years, and it is the customer who pays for it. If it were not for corporations buying blocks of seats the stands would be half-filled as it is.
Strike or no strike something has to be done because the cost of salaries has increased by 45% over the last three years, and it is the customer who pays for it. If it were not for corporations buying blocks of seats the stands would be half-filled as it is.
Strike or no strike something has to be done because the cost of salaries has increased by 45% over the last three years, and it is the customer who pays for it. If it were not for corporations buying blocks of seats the stands would be half-filled as it is.
The Commissioner should declare that if no agreement is reached by August 31st., the current agreement stays in effect for the next 4 years, at which time both owners and union can attempt to negotiate a new contract. This should provide some degree of incentive for both sides to work something out now.
But there will be no work stoppage by either the union or the owners. The game is bigger (and more important) than either the owners or the players, therefore, their inability to agree will not hinder, disrupt, or damage the continuation of the season.
While we agree there will be no strike, we differ on the reasoning.
The bankers will not allow a strike, it has nothing to do with the players or owners love of the game.
Follow the money.
It's not about money; directly. It is all about power. If you have the power, money is no problem.
This is the reason the Commissioner must act in this--to wrest the power over the game away from the players and the owners. The Commissioner must be a man of the game, thus the game has the power. Because it is now otherwise, we have the current, recurring, problems.
See, its all about the economy, stupid. And right now, financial times are bleak enough that neither side can afford a protracted work stoppage. You have to assume the investment portfolios of many a player have been whacked silly, unless theyve been stashing money in offshore accounts. You also only need subscribe to The Wall Street Journal to understand the tough times some hardball barons find themselves in.
The Journal ran a terrific piece by Sam Walker recently looking at the business interests of several prominent owners -- and found that as bad as their franchises might be faring, most were hurting even more off the diamond. You remember Tom Hicks, right? The Texas sharpie who doled out a record $252 million for Alex Rodriguez. Well, not only are his Rangers in the tank, but Hicks investment firm has lost nearly $1 billion in a telecom/broadband investment and has another $1 billion tied up in a shaky media venture in Argentina.
And Hicks isnt alone.
Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolans fortune is tied to Cablevision, whose stock price has dropped almost 90 percent in the last year. The same thing has pretty much happened to AOL Time Warner, which owns the Atlanta Braves. Shares in the communications company owned by Toronto Blue Jays owner Ted Rogers have declined almost 70 percent since 2000.
Colorado Rockies owner Jerry McMorris trucking company has been liquidated and he may be liable for $12 million in unpaid wages to former employees. Shares in the software company that San Diego Padres owner John Moores helped build have plunged from $80 to less than a dollar.
Whew! Labor settlement, anyone?'
The above is from the link in post 9.
All of these "billionaire" owners were paper tigers, and their butt is directly controlled by the banks at this point in time.
To cancel the World Serious this year would cost them the windfall playoff profits which they desperately need, and lose baseball whatever goodwill it ever had.
With that being said, there is the possibilty the bankers decide the game cannot be fixed by the current participants and decide to cut their losses by blowing the whole thing up. Guess we'll find out soon.
Ill admit that The D-Back's Soul is still a work in progress, but I wonder how much soul the Giants or the Yankess had in their fifth season of play?
As far as being debt-ridden is concerned, although Jerry Colangelo isnt one of my favorite guys I gotta admit he is one savy businessman. Yeah, they did loss a truck load of money last year, but Mr. C knows that a winning product will result in tons of merchandise sold, an increase in broadcast revenues, and a greater number of butts in the seats.
I cant put my hands on the merchandising or broadcast numbers just now .but in regards to attendance, the D-Backs are fourth in all of baseball. (ONLY 33,402 less than the Giants).
Futhermore, contrast that with the other five year old team, The Tampa Bay Devil Rays, being third from the bottom at well under one million paid attendees.
1. The NY Yankees @ 2,502,343
2. Seattle @ 2,853,561
3. San Francisco @ 2,372,378
4. Arizona @ 2,338,976
28. Tampa Bay @ 852,071
One more point about the debt .yeah its true that Arizona was the 8th highest paid team ($85,500,000) in 2001, compared to San Francisco coming in 16th ($63,300,000) ..but a lot of good it did the highest paid team of both leagues, The New York Yankees ($112,600,000).
I'm probably jealous they never really struggled, before they bought their title.
To this, all I can say is "struggle" is a relative thing.
(Source for attendance and payroll numbers: espn.com)
---max
For years they've been screaming its more a business than a game. Well then, treat them like a business and take away the exemption and make thenm play by the rules.
I know this was not directed at me but it might as well have been.
I abject to any MLB, NFL, NBA .... player getting the huge salaries while the taxpayer is required to pay for their playground. If the owners built their own stadiums and paid for all the associated support services and then had enough money left over to pay these salaries then GREAT.
However, this is not the case. Cities are forced to build stadiums that will for the most part lose money yet the owners and players keep the profits. Great scam if you ask me.
In Buffalo, every 5 years of so we play the team is going to leave if you don't do x,y,z.
I know the topic here is MLB but one of the things that sucks is the NFL refusing to allow the Stuper Bowl to be played in any Northern City without a domed stadium. We support the team, built the facility but are denied the bump to the local economy that a Stuper Bowl can bring.
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