Major League BASEBALL is ALMOST HERE!!!

[was.lost.but.now.found]

I pick the team with the lowest over-all total salary each year, and become their biggest fan.

Sorry to be a downer, but that's the way I feel about the sport. I'm shocked at the number of older baseball fans I know that feel the same way.

NFL
salary cap
32 teams
Roughly $3.4 billion payroll
$106 million average per team
16 games played per year

MLB
no salary cap
30 teams
Roughly $2.7 billion payroll
$91 million average per team
162 games played per year (10x the NFL)

Facts aside, some teams don't like to spend a lot of money, and just like experienced members of CPF, they fully understand they get what they pay for. Further, spending a fortune does not necessarily get you the best product for your needs either.

Is there a large salary discrepancy in baseball? Sure. But the same holds true for when comparing a first year player making the league minimum against an all star making 8 figures.

References:

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/salaries

http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2009

 

[blasterman]

Facts aside, some teams don't like to spend a lot of money, and just like experienced members of CPF, they fully understand they get what they pay for.

Which is why a disproportionate number of MLB players who are good eventually end up on the roster of one of two AL East teams I won't name because they have near bottomless pockets. When either one gets beat, I cheer. When they have empty seats behind home plate - I laugh

I also don't get the comparison to the NFL where player career expectancy is fraction most other pro sports.

In any case, I prefer to listen to baseball on the radio than watch it. I get sick of all the analysis and nit-picking on TV.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

Which is why a disproportionate number of MLB players who are good eventually end up on the roster of one of two AL East teams I won't name because they have near bottomless pockets. When either one gets beat, I cheer. When they have empty seats behind home plate - I laugh

I also don't get the comparison to the NFL where player career expectancy is fraction most other pro sports.

In any case, I prefer to listen to baseball on the radio than watch it. I get sick of all the analysis and nit-picking on TV.

I was mainly touching on two of your points, the first one where you said:

but that's the way I feel about the sport.

This gave me the impression that you regard baseball as the worst possible offender in terms of obscene salaries.

Football as a comparison was just a best guess since I know it pays more than the NHL and I don't follow the NBA.

I had a feeling you might come back redirecting the conversation toward the top spending teams, but that wasn't mentioned in your first post, only references to the sport in general. Surely many here will agree with you that the amount spent by the top 2 or 3 teams is absurd, but that doesn't mena you have to hate the next 26 teams that spend less than those first 2.

I'm pleased to learn based on your subsequent post that you are a baseball fan. From your first post I would have bet money that you didn't even care, which made me wonder why you were posting.

 

[Phaserburn]

Baseball tells me its truly springtime!

Go Yankees!

 

[jonnyfgroove]

This will be a horrific season for the Astros.

Man, you weren't kidding.

Go Yankees!

 

[Phaserburn]

Ah, the haters...

:nana: