George Steinbrenner

[SBoydW]

This morning at the age of 80 Mr. Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees, suffered a major heart attack and passed away.  Though I am a devoted Red Sox fan and avid Yankee's hater, Mr Steinbrenner was one of the greatest owners in all of sports, and turned around one of the most loved (and hated) sports franchises in the world.  Under his ownership the Yankees won 7 World Series' and have been in contention every year.  The baseball world would be entirely different today if not for Mr. Steinbrenner, he will be missed.

[Samuraiflip05]

I have to say though that his overspending and agents like Scott Boras are a large part of the contract greed nowadays. 

 

I feel for the Steinbrenner family, and the fans of Yankee baseball, but I'll be happy to stop hearing about it.  :-\

[Kivam]

Sam - is it overspending if you get your money's worth?

[Samuraiflip05]

Maybe not to them, but to the other 31 teams....yeah. 

 

;)

 

 

[SBoydW]

As a Red Sox fan I love to say that the Yankee's bought all their championships, but the way I look at it really is that MLB has no salary cap, so if you have the money, as an owner, why limit yourself.  Take advantage of the leeway MLB is giving you and go get the best players... now do I think that A-rod type deals are ridiculous yes... but let's not forget his original contract, that the Yankees restructured, was made given to him by the Texas Rangers.  While the Yankees have the biggest Payroll, it's not because they're giving out A-Rod money to everyone, it's that they get the best players and there for have to pay best player money to all of them.

 

Now as a Red Sox fan, I have to go a serve 100 hours penance for defending the Evil Empire and it's Evil ways.

[Kivam]

As a Red Sox fan I love to say that the Yankee's bought all their championships, but the way I look at it really is that MLB has no salary cap, so if you have the money, as an owner, why limit yourself.  Take advantage of the leeway MLB is giving you and go get the best players... now do I think that A-rod type deals are ridiculous yes... but let's not forget his original contract, that the Yankees restructured, was made given to him by the Texas Rangers.  While the Yankees have the biggest Payroll, it's not because they're giving out A-Rod money to everyone, it's that they get the best players and there for have to pay best player money to all of them.

 

Now as a Red Sox fan, I have to go a serve 100 hours penance for defending the Evil Empire and it's Evil ways.

 

The more important point is that the Yankees are a profit machine.  With no league cap on spending, there's no reason they should not keep doing the thing that's made them so profitable - winning.

 

BTW - Posada, Petite, Jeter, Cano, Gardener, Cervelli, Hughes, Rivera, Chamberlain, Robertson, Logan . . . all home grown players.

 

The Red Sox starting lineup includes only 3 players who came up from their system - Pedroia, Ellsbury and Lowerie,  The rotation?  Buchholz and Lester.  Then Paps and Bard in the pen.

[Samuraiflip05]

I look at the effects down the line.  I can remember going to games numerous times a year when I was a kid.  We would get in line the day of the game and get bleacher seats for like 6 bucks a person.  Nowadays the cheapest you can get in is about 15-20 bucks a person and that means you can reach up and touch the clouds.  Inflation plays it's role here, but these exorbitant contracts are doing as much or more to those prices.  In a place like NY...well you have enough people(and enough wealth) to still fill the seats.  But you trickle down to the smaller markets and things just aren't the same. 

 

I root for the second winningest team in World Series history(Cardinals), and they have done it with about half the payroll expense.

 

Back on the whole ticket issue.....this is barely a game for the fans anymore.  I don't know how things are in New York or Boston, but here, a vast majority of seats are season held by businesses and unattainable for general public. 

 

It seems you almost cannot purchase tickets from the stadium anynmore.  You have to buy them from a broker who has purchased a big block of them This of course comes with their 'small' handling fees. 

 

I guess, overall, for me it is that loss of family time that the game used to feel like.  now it reeks of big business.  :-\

[Kivam]

It's mostly a function of inflation and supply and demand.  Growing up in Miami, bleacher seats to the Marlins were $15, and as one of maybe 10,000 people in the stands, "bleacher" seats got you behind home plate or on one of the baselines.  (Though my favorite spot was by the opposing bullpen, to chat with the pitchers (or watch them hit on the various hot girls).

 

And those days aren't exactly gone: Pittsburgh, Arizona, San Diego, the Angels, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Cincinatti, Colorado and Kansas City all have average ticket prices of less than $20 - meaning there are a significant number of seats that sell for even less than that (in Az, the average ticket price is below $15).  Even in Yankee Stadium, home of the $250 ticket behind home plate, bleacher seats are under $15 and upper deck seats can be had in the low $20s.

 

Of course, it's more expensive for me to go to a game now than it was 15 years ago - but a lot of that is because 15 years ago I was paying for one seat (maybe 2, if it was a date) and today, I've got to buy 5 if I want to bring the family.  Comes with growing up  ;D

[Samuraiflip05]

Yeah, I haven't taken the kids to a ballgame yet.  My oldest(6) went with a friends family to a game and seemed to enjoy it.  So we'll have to start looking into it. 

[Danh]

Interesting. Thanks...