What does everyone think of the looming baseball strike?
Baseball sucks. I used to like it about 10 years ago, but it has gotten too damn boring for me. Sure, the athletes are bigger and stronger now and hitting more homeruns, but I still think it sucks. And them striking all the time because they want more money or whatever is a bunch of bullshit. Athletes get paid way more than they should to do something that most of us would do for free or for a much smaller salary. Their inflated egos are bad enough, now they want inflated paychecks to go with them.
Now, this can also be said of any other sport (basketball, football, etc.), but at least I enjoy watching football. The thing is, I don't care about NFL. I like college football. It's exciting, and you don't have overpaid athletes begging for more money.
I am pissed and it will be a looooong time before they see a dime of my money. I will need an apology. I love baseball but I hate spoiled-brat pussy millionaires who are complaining about money. Millionaires should never complain about money. They will always have good food to eat, and a nice place to sleep. There are plenty of people in the world who do not have these things.
If anything good was to come out of 9/11 I would figure at least people would realize what's important in life, aparentely these fucking selfish, cock sucking, whining, sniviling bastards have no clue. Pussies!
Fuck You, Bud Selig!, Fuck you, Don Fehr!, Fuck you, Owners!, Fuck You, Players!
You should all burn in Hell for ruining my favorite game in the world!
‘Million Dollar Cry Babies’ that’s all they are. Rough life, I’m not sure I could live on a million dollars a year. And oh my GOD, they have to work 5 days a week??? Double two hour sessions? Oh, boo hoo! It’s fucking BASEBALL! Yes, it takes a lot of skill, but these guys are not exactly nuclear physicists. There are thousands of players who would replace them for half the money - or 10%!!! It must be a horrible life to be flown all over the country, put up in hotels, fed, treated like some kind of god, all to play a game. One million dollars a year breaks down to just over 114 dollars an HOUR every hour of the day, every single day of the year - weither you’re eating, sleeping or having sex. What a horrible horrible life they lead. What would you do with $19,152 a week ? I bet you would only scrape by. Incidentally, a million dollar a year salary makes them almost as much money in a week as the average income for a YEAR in this country. We should probably start a charity to help them cope with their difficult lives.
I couldn’t care less about baseball. I enjoy watching highlights but nothing more. I wanted to say to Nate that while athletes in general get paid what is an obscene amount of money to do something that we all would love to do you have to think of it this way: they are nothing more than entertainers(that is a fact). If what they are paid doesn’t create financial problems with ownership then I THINK their salaries are perfectly acceptable. By that line of reasoning the MLB is paying their players too much, but the NFL and NBA are not. Just my thoughts(please don’t take it too hard). Later.
Unfortunately the human race has extreme difficulties remembering the past while instead insisting on serving oneself in the present. Baseball is a good picture of what can happen to people who have too much power, wealth, and glory. What they fail to realize is that you cannot take it with you and that “all glory is fleeting”.
Now while I do not have “sympathy” for either side it would be in the best interest of baseball for a team salary cap to exist, thus creating room for some sanity regarding out of control salaries. If the union was not so powerful strikes would not have gotten so frequent. I feel it would be a step in the right direction to re-establishing some sort of competitive balance. To give an example of the how out of control salaries have gotten (and more importantly my belief in the failer of free-agency) I’ll compare Ty Cobb’s 1913 salary to Alex Rodrigeuz present salary. In 1912 Cobb batted a remarkable .410 average in a day of dominating pitchers. His salary for that season was $10,000. Now while that is a significant sum for that time it still pails in comparison with modern salaries. $10,000 in 1913 is equivelant to $180,707.07 in 2002. Keep in mind this is the highest salary in all of baseball at the time. Alex’s is obviously about $25,000,000. Now for Cobb to equal Rodrigeuz (sic) salary he would have to make $1,383,454.44 p/season.
On a more recently note Nolan Ryan made history in 1979 when he became a free agent: his salary reaching $1,000,000 (the first million dollar baseball player) which is equivelant to $2,464,187.33 in 2002. Previously, however, just before his first free agent eligability his salary was substantially less (however still compelling)
Players have become so spoiled and coddled that one feels as if they’re watching a group of country club “athletes” using the diamond as a playground for showboating and self gratification rather than delivering quality baseball. Human nature is obviously the biggest culprite and limits should be put on them, as we should do with ourselves.
Now obviously the return to the reserve clause is not likely. However, with each strike the players insist on more and more. I think it is time for them to make a few concessions.
A word about the owners. Although it seems I’m siding with them I have no feelings for them either. Their decisions have been excessively poor, particularly over the past decade, and have failed to stand together; instead too concerned with their own interests. Steinbrenner gripping about revenue sharing, owners caving in at every bargaining agreement whihc in turn produces further problems for the next, building softball sized fields creating phoney records simply as a quick fix to bring in “fringe fans”, destroying league lines, expanding willie nillie to recieve the $200-300 million entry fee etc etc. Too many attempts at quick fixes while ignoring the problem at hand.
I’ve been watching baseball for about 13 years now (however admittedly very little lately) and each year the game grows more tiresome and boring. It’s become practically nothing but a home run contest (yawn). Makes one wonder how players can possibly justify a strike.
Lastly, striking (provided they do) less than a year after the tragedy of 9/11 is a sadly pathetic and a severe public relations disaster. I suppose they feel the fans will be stupid enough to return and worship at their feet again. I for one will not (note: I have not been to a baseball game live since 1992 because of the previous statements).
Jose Lima is quoted as saying:
“I told one guy who was yelling at me out by the bullpen, ‘Hey, man, nobody wants to go on strike,’” Lima said. “Another guy was yelling, `You greedy so-and-sos.’ The fans don’t understand everything. What I am worried about is some guy doing something stupid to a player in all of this.”
Translation: “We don’t want to go on strike…unless of course it hits us in our overfilled wallets.”
Sarcasm aside I think what offends me most personally is how they indirectly take the fans for morons. They should be adult enough take a look at themselves for once and ask if they could possibly be the very ones hurting the game. Ironically some players actually end their careers with without an adequet bank account due to immature overspending. Unfortunate that the state of the game is not nearly as important as their greed.
Aren’t unions great? Fire 'em all and start over with raw talent. Then, maybe, I will pay attention to the game again.
Soccer sucks…I mean baseball sucks. 
Avoids, your wisdom knows no bounds. And I thought I was the only other person who believed this about unions.
On a side note, it’s interesting that Marshall Faulk, one of the greatest football players (and athletes) of all-time, “only” makes $6 million per year. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Red Sox are paying Sterling Hitchcock and Darren Oliver, respectively, the same amount each year NOT to pitch (apparently, useless southpaws are worth more than useless right-handers). Watching the little league world series has never been so satisfying. In fact, why not let them play in the big stadiums and make these boneheads sell popcorn?
While I agree with a lot of you, I don’t agree with the idea that we should go back the time of when Ty Cobb was playing. I don’t think that should be the case because prior to Curt Flood the owners “owned” the players and played them slave labor type salary. Also once a players career end which was on average is 2-4 years for those lucky enough to get to the majors, they were left to the wind. While I don’t necessary agree with the players NOW, I also don’t agree or side with the owners.
Bring on Football season!! One question, How did baseball and basketball(salaries) get so out of hand compared to Football? Most people enjoy watching football better anyway.
To TnickT…
Although I was not suggesting “we go back to Ty Cobb’s” time I would hardly call $10,000 in 1913 (equivalent to being paid $180,707.07 today) “slave labor” considering the average American now earns much less. However even ten times this amount would substantially reduce the financial troubles baseball is experiencing. While I don’t side with either I do feel in this particular case the owners offers would create at least some sort of sanity in relation to salaries.
However the owners are partially to blame for baseball’s present position. Though I explained these in a previous post.
To JasonL…Baseball has gotten so out of control due several factors. First the sport has endured free agency far longer, thus giving more time for salries to skyrocket. Second, and perhaps just as importantly, the union in baseball is so powerful it is in essence, another owner. Lastly, thanks to expansion, livelier baseballs, and the ever shrinking ballparks, records have been shattered that otherwise would never have occured, enabling players to go to the owners with their new records as a bargaining chip for a far greater salary.
I haven’t watched baseball in years, but it seems to me that it’s really the fault of the fans – salaries wouldn’t be what they are if someone wasn’t paying to see these guys play. That feeds both the egos and the bank accounts of the players and owners Maybe now there are enough disillusioned former fans who will refuse to keep reaching into their pockets to make the players and owners understand that the gravy train has to stop here and now.
I found this posted on another board:
"Seen on an NFL message board …
"Since September 11, 2001, Americans have come together as never before in
our generation. We have banded together to overcome tremendous adversity.
We have weathered direct attacks on our own soil, wars overseas, corporate
scandal, layoffs, unemployment, stock price plunges, droughts, fires, and a
myriad of economic and physical disasters both great and small. But now, we
must come together once again to overcome our greatest challenge yet:
Hundreds of Major League Baseball players in our very own nation are living
at, just below, or in most cases far above the seven-figure salary level.
And as if that weren’t bad enough they could be deprived of their life
giving pay for several months, possibly longer, as a result of the upcoming
strike situation. But you can help!
For only $20,835 a month, about $694.50 a day (that’s less than the cost of
a large screen projection TV) you can help a MLB player remain economically
viable during his time of need. This contribution by no means solves the
problem as it barely covers the annual minimum salary, but it’s a start, and
every little bit will help!
Although $700 may not seem like a lot of money to you, to a baseball player
it could mean the difference between spending the strike golfing in Florida
or on a Mediterranean cruise. For you, seven hundred dollars is nothing
more than a month’s rent, half a mortgage payment, two unemployment checks,
or a month of medical insurance with COBRA, but to a baseball player, $700
will partially replace his daily salary. Your commitment of less than $700 a
day will enable a player to buy that home entertainment center, trade in the
year-old Lexus for a new Ferrari, or enjoy a weekend in Rio.
HOW WILL I KNOW I’M HELPING?
Each month, you will receive a complete financial report on the player you
sponsor. Detailed information about his stocks, bonds, 401(k), real estate,
and other investment holdings will be mailed to your home. Plus, upon
signing up for this program, you will receive an unsigned photo of the
player lounging during the strike on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean (for
a signed photo, please include an additional $150). Put the photo on your
refrigerator to remind you of other peoples’ suffering.
HOW WILL HE KNOW I’M HELPING?
Your MLB player will be told that he has a SPECIAL FRIEND who just wants to
help in a time of need. Although the player won’t know your name, he will
be able to make collect calls to your home via a special operator in case
additional funds are needed for unforeseen expenses.
YES, I WANT TO HELP!
I would like to sponsor a striking MLB player. My preference is checked
below:
Infielder Outfielder Starting Pitcher Ace Pitcher
Entire team (Please call our 900 number to ask for the cost of a specific team - $10 per minute)
Alex Rodriguez (Higher cost:$60,000 per day)
Please charge the account listed below $694.50 per day for the player for
the duration of the strike. Please send me a picture of the player I have
sponsored, along with an Alex Rodriguez 2001 Income Statement and my very
own Donald Fehr MLB Players Union pin to wear proudly on my hat (include $80
for hat).
Your Name: ____________________
Telephone Number: _________________
Account Number: __________________
Exp.Date:_______
MasterCard Visa American Express Discover
Signature: __________________
Alternate card (when the primary card exceeds its credit limit):
Account Number: _________________
Exp.Date:_______
MasterCard Visa American Express Discover
Signature: _________________
Mail completed form to MLB Players Union or call 1-900-SCREW-THE-FANS now to enroll by phone ($10 per minute).
Disclaimer: Sponsors are not permitted to contact the player they have
sponsored, either in person or by other means including, but not limited to,
telephone calls, letters, e-mail, or third parties. Contributions are not
tax-deductible.
Who fuckin cares.
I quit watching since the steroid debacle began
Baseball sucks.
The steroid issue isn’t as big a concenr ot me as how tiny the ballparks have been. IF you were to move the fences out to 1921 dimensions the amount of home runs would be reduced so drastically there wold not only be no home run records being broken but league leaders would pale in comparison to present numbers. I mention this because so many records have been artificially inflated. This is where my interest pretty much disappeared in baseball. Lastly, I pretty much surmised 7 years ago that steroids were widespread. Too many players gaining muscle way too fast. I recall in the mid 90’s Dante Bichette gained 40 pounds of muscle in one off season (roughly 5 months). Perhaps I’m ignorant but this seemed a little too over the top to be “natural”.