Yoho

From 1980- 1990, the World Series was won by Philadelphia, L.A., St. louis, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Mets, Minnesota, L.A., Oakland, Cinncinatti. Sounds like a lot of teams from both large and small markets to me.

The Mets television contract is huge too. They just decided to throw their money at some ridiculous people. They are probably still paying Mo Vaughn. I never said spending money guarantees success and I give the Yanks credit for signing very talented players. But when the Yankees infield payroll is larger than other teams entire payroll (read earlier post- not because the other team is cheap but because there is not enough money to be made in that metropolitan area), the playing field is so unlevel that it takes away the drama for fans of all but the highest paid teams. Not fun to me and I miss the days when all teams had a legitimate chance.

No salary cap in the glory days but always revenue sharing. You correctly point out that the national TV contract is where the money is. Imagine if the NFL allowed each team to sell the rights to their home games and keep the revenues. The Bills would get a tenth of the money that the Giants would (pure demographics). Think we would still be competing if all teams were allowed to spend an unlimited amount with a paltry luxury tax kicking in at amount way above the Bills revenue stream?

Happy to reply. I simply quit being a baseball fan. When I was a kid, I loved the sport. I don't blame the Yankees - they are just taking advantage of the situation that is presented to them. It is just no fun to watch every great player migrate to 8 to 10 teams and everyone else being perpetually mediocre. If run correctly, the Orioles could be one of those 8 to 10 teams that could compete. I don't care anymore.

I agree there are too many teams but it does not seem right that you would have to eliminate the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals and other storied franchises because they are not in a large enough metropolitan area. The NFL formula works great. I will never understand Bills fans who say "screw the small market" teams in baseball. Darin, you are the King of Irony (I mean that in a good way). You have to get it.

I will never say that being in a large market guarantees success. Hell, I used to be an Orioles fan. But I am saying that being a small market team practically guarantees that a team can not be competitive except for a short period of time or if an owner is willing to lose money every year.

Did the Yankees wake up one day with all this money?????? YES!!!!!!!!! They are in a metropolitan area of 25 million people. It is easy to sell tickets, the television contract is huge. For a team like the Pirate to sign their own players, if they were good would soon result in a payroll over a $100 million. That is what it takes to compete with the big market teams. Pittsburgh can NEVER get $100 million in revenue if they sell every seat for every game and every tv in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area turned on every game. IT CAN NOT BE DONE. As for players staying in small markets at discounted rates, give me a break.

You can't possible believe this. If they sell a million more tickets at $20 per shot (including concession income), you got $20 million more. That would buy you one Yankee infielder. Tv ratings and (therefore income) is limited by the number of Tv's in your fan base. Pittsburgh metropolis might be 1.5 million (a guess). No matter how popular, they would only receive a tenth of the income that YES provides the Yankees. The economics simply dont work and will never work without revenue sharing. Every once in a while, the stars will align, the farm system will have a spectacular run and a small market team will make a run but they will always convert back to small market teams in the end.

And just like Oakland, they will soon have to disband the staff because they will be eligible for free agency and will never be able to match the dollars thrown at them by the Yanks, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels.

I will give you Tampa but Pittsburgh has been a baseball town for over 100 years but do you blame the Pittsburgh fans for not spenidng the big bucks to buy tickes to see a team that goes 70-92 every year and who has no legitimate ability to keep the talent that comes through the farm system until the team could mature into a contender.

And what did they have to do to get back to a profitable situation? Dump Ivan Rodriguez and become another small market mediocre team.

Where did you come up with the idea that the Twins, Pirates and Royals owners bank the luxury tax instead of spending it? What factual basis do you have for saying this? At this point, the Yanks luxury tax is larger than the Devils Ray payroll and my guess is that the Rays are not making any money. The Twins, Pirates or Royals have about a 1% chance of ever winning a world series, even if they spend every dollar of revenue from tv rights, ticket sales and the luxury tax on payroll and never make a penny in profit. That is just a fact. The only way a smaller market team can win is to operate at a loss (see Florida, Arizona). The Yanks don't win every year but it is another team with a large payroll that inevitable will win. Real small market teams operating within their budget don't have a prayer. And that is why baseball sucks for most fans that don't root for big market teams.

All management cares about are "good ideas" and whoever gives them one is the lucky winner in terms of getting credit. No one said that it was going to be fair. Good luck.

Maybe I am missing something but if you are at a meeting with him and he suggests something that was your idea, why didn't you suggest it first? I have worked with a lot of bright people who were either too shy or too insecure to speak up with a suggestion at a meeting. Others take advantage of the opportunity to suggest a good idea (that may very well not be their own) and the messenger is rewarded. It may not be fair, but you need to take the risk of offering the idea yourself and not allow him to fill the void.

Sorry Bill. I tried to point out that they are very good special team players but was told that they are just average and easily replacable. They speak with such confidence that I must assume they have been grading their output all season so I stopped responding.

OK. I will bite. Who do you want to replace him with? Are you related to Danny Snyder?

So, should we fire him and start all over again?? I love the development of this team and can't wait for next year.

From what I saw, Coy Wire had an outstanding year on Special Teams especially in punt coverage. How can you say he is "replacable"? With who? Mark Pike was a below average defensive end. Steve Tasker was never a starting WR. I guess we should have released them and found position players that were better than they were.

Decent special team players are a "dime a dozen"?????????? Didn't you learn anything this season?

SoCal - please do not try to apply logic while the whiners and gnashers pull thier hair out and try to find someone to blame. Off with their heads.

Actually, unidentified sources are the only hope we have at getting any insider info. No fan is going to identify an inside source on a public bulletin board. I have had an opportunity to have dinner occasionally with a !@#$ and I have cryptically shared what I have found out. But, I would never reveal who it is because it would embarass him and I would never get any info again. So take "insider info" with the limited credibility that it is worth but don't ever expect anyone to reveal their sources to satisfy your curiousity.

Except for the part about the Yankees fan, I appreciate your post. I am not sure if fans hostility toward players is that new. I remember Jack Kemp getting booed because the fans wanted Tom Flores and at least, Lindell didnt get beat up like Booth Lustig.

I wanted to be the most patient, knowledgeable, virtuous fan of all time. Darn. And you can be the most whiny, wishy-washy fan of all time OK?

Sorry to disappoint, but I have been a Bills fan for 44 years so I am able to put this in some perspective. Except for the time right before the Kelly Super Bowl years, I have never seen the organization in better shape for next year then it is right now (except for 64/65), so while I am disappointed, I got to be excited about the Bills right up to the final on-sides kick and we are poised to be better next year. If my only critieria in being happy about the Bills was a Super Bowl win, it would have been a long unhappy lifetime of rooting for the Bills. Hell, I have wanted to have sex with Kim Bassinger for a long time too but I can be happy with less.

Do you whine like this all the time when you don't get your way?