What matters most to you…name on the front of the jersey or on the back of the jersey?

[Sports Guy]

A Ravens question popped up on Twitter this week.

The question was, would you rather the Ravens win a SB in 2022 and then trade Lamar or not win in 2022 and keep Lamar on a long term contract.

The basis is partially around your fandom of Lamar and the idea that it’s hard to get a franchise QB and that once you have one, you hold onto them.

My response to this is that I value the team and the title over the individual and would rather have the title, the trade return and the long term cap space.  Most people voted to keep Lamar.

This on top of the ongoing discussion about Mancini and whether we should deaL him or not got me thinking.

So which is it?  Is the name on the front or the back and whatever the answer is, do you ever have an exception and if so, what is that exception?

[UMDTerrapins]

Pretty easy for me. 1983 feels like an eternity. 

[Jammer7]

34 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

A Ravens question popped up on Twitter this week.

The question was, would you rather the Ravens win a SB in 2022 and then trade Lamar or not win in 2022 and keep Lamar on a long term contract.

The basis is partially around your fandom of Lamar and the idea that it’s hard to get a franchise QB and that once you have one, you hold onto them.

My response to this is that I value the team and the title over the individual and would rather have the title, the trade return and the long term cap space.  Most people voted to keep Lamar.

This on top of the ongoing discussion about Mancini and whether we should deaL him or not got me thinking.

So which is it?  Is the name on the front or the back and whatever the answer is, do you ever have an exception and if so, what is that exception?

Fair question, but I do not think they are mutually exclusive. Tom Brady is a championship winning player, for instance. So, keeping Brady around is in furtherance of wanting to win. I am not sure that Lamar is a guy that wins multiple championships in his career.

In baseball, that player probably has less direct impact. Maybe Derek Jeter or a Buster Posey come to mind as championship caliber players who had a similar type of impact. Their differences from others is difficult to quantify sometimes. Maybe it is the way they respond under pressure, or the way they conduct themselves, their daily preparation or the way they lead others with a sheer will to win. Trey is a good guy, and a solid lower mid-level major league 1B/DH, but he is not that guy.

I want to win. You win with winning players. Not necessarily the guys who put up the biggest numbers, or the nicest guys. 

[geschinger]

The answer is whatever prevents the Ravens from winning a SB title.  

It is an interesting question though and I think there is a spectrum and it's never black and white - you never get that if you do X you win a championship.   

I value the team more the individual but it's a spectrum.  If it's a close call - you aren't giving up a ton of performative value and the player is a Ripken/Gwynn type I lean towards the player otherwise I think the calculus should be to make the move that increases the odds of winning now (if you are in a position to have a legitimate shot at a title) or win in the future.

[maybenxtyr]

 

I don't care what players are on my favorite teams get to championship. Just get there.

 

The LJ conversation for an extension is driven by a fan base that feels they can identify with him. We don't usually see that kind of connection with baseball.

[Too Tall]

The front! I root for the Orioles. Not to say there arn't "favorite" players, but the Orioles. Ravens - same response. Just best not to get attached to any individual player. No recent exceptions on either team. In the days of yore, answer may have been a little different. But those days were different. 

[Bahama O's Fan]

Name on the front. Players have no loyalty to fans. Owners have no loyalty to players. The faces change but the team is still there

[Frobby]

The front.   Whoever is on the team that wins it all will be remembered fondly, whereas a lot of the longtime players on losing teams will be forgotten.

[TINSTAAPP]

I'm a Baltimore sports fan more than an Orioles or Ravens fan. Keep in mind that the Orioles have yet to sign a long-term lease extension with the city. Their lease is set to expire in two years and then the club has an option to extend their lease for another five years. They could easily leave for Nashville or another city in two years or seven years. Why should I remain loyal to a franchise that haven't showed any long-term commitment to my city?

[forphase1]

Name on the front, no exceptions.  

[Just Regular]

Where do the logos also on the front rate?   

As an Oriole fan born in the 1970's, I've kind of had a high level live through of this in the unfolding of the Orioles and Ripken, and still feel like a last act in the drama could become ownership to ease his dad's pain.    Palmer and Ripken give an interesting contrast, from doing a labor of love for decades (probably not even getting paid that well) to Sorry, Brooksie.

This isn't a warmup activity for if Trevor Bauer is the 2023 or 2024 ace, is it?

Regardless, I hope for $50, nay $100 million dollars of mercenaries for the peak Adley teams.

[geschinger]

43 minutes ago, forphase1 said:

Name on the front, no exceptions.  

I do think there are times where exceptions make sense.  As a thought excercise - instead of giving Ripken a new contract in 1993  they had the opportunity to trade him staright up for Tim Salmon.  From a productivity perspective, Salmon is the better choice, he averaged .6 WAR higher per year over the length of that contract.    In a scenario like that I think the right call is keep Ripken. 

That is only the case if productivity is close and if it is one of those rare players whose name on the back adds other significant value on top of their measurable performance.  Tony Gwynn, George Brett, Derek Jeter, and Chipper Jones type players of which someone like Trey clearly is not.  

[OriolesMagic83]

2 hours ago, TINSTAAPP said:

I'm a Baltimore sports fan more than an Orioles or Ravens fan. Keep in mind that the Orioles have yet to sign a long-term lease extension with the city. Their lease is set to expire in two years and then the club has an option to extend their lease for another five years. They could easily leave for Nashville or another city in two years or seven years. Why should I remain loyal to a franchise that haven't showed any long-term commitment to my city?

No doubt the Orioles are going to hold the vague threat of leaving over the city (or moving to the suburbs).  The O's are well down the list of teams to move.  Tampa, Miami, and Oakland would be the leaders, imo.

[Ruzious]

Obviously team comes first, but the individual players have something to do with how the team does.  

[Moose Milligan]

I would root for a team full of convicted felons if it meant the Orioles won a title. 
 

I do not care who is in the jerseys. I’d prefer it if it were a team of choirboys that won but it doesn’t matter anymore.