The worst possible outcome

[zff4]

If the owners get complacent that is where the commissioner comes in

The commish is a creature of the owners since it is they who choose him. It's tough to have an independent commissioner who might rock the boat even gently.

[waroriole]

If the owners get complacent that is where the commissioner comes in, th more I look at the state of finances in baseball the more it appears that Steinbrenner was really running baseball.

Yeah, Bud "The Heavy Handed" Selig:D

[Travis McGee]

The commish is a creature of the owners since it is they who choose him. It's tough to have an independent commissioner who might rock the boat even gently.

I may be wrong but I think the MLB players union is stronger than all the sports. They certainly don't favor revenue sharing or salary caps or whatever....

[Boy Howdy]

The Yankees won 9 of the first 11 American League pennants after the modern Orioles joined the American League in 1954.

If only there'd been an OH then, I can just imagine the hand-wringing and take-my-ball-home-and-sit-on-it-posts that would fill the board.

Check the number of different teams to win the World Series over the decades:

1900's = 5 (6 WS)

1910's = 5

1920's = 7

1930's = 5

1940's = 5

1950's = 4

1960's = 7

1970's = 6

1980's = 9

1990's = 6 (nine WS)

2000's = 8 (nine WS)

No crying in baseball.

[Moose Milligan]

Sorry, but that's just a sad commentary. The idea is that he would be part of making a winner in Baltimore. I think your entire comments are just a sad sad state of what some fans of this team have come to.

You've decided that we will never be winners and that you can understand how players don't ever want to play here. Sad really.

Sorry, but I actually believe the Orioles can contend if they can get some premium players to go with the pitching they are developing.

Also, I'm a fan of the Orioles. Any player, especially one that's from the area that would take less money to play in Boston or New York would be instantly despised by me. For you to say you would "understand" is pretty pitiful in my estimation.

You can't guarantee him that if he comes here, the Orioles would be a winner. Did we not learn our lesson with Tejada? Did we not promise Tejada that we'd build around him? Look what happened.

I absolutely can understand a player not wanting to sign here when the Sox or Yankees have similar offers on the table. Why? Cause like I said, they're already established. There is practically NO risk involved signing with them and wondering if you'll be in a pennant race come September. If the Orioles offer 20 million a year and the Sox offer 18 million, does the extra two million make you happy enough to wonder if you'll play for a winner in Baltimore? Because when you're making THAT much money, what's two million?

I never said anything about thinking we'll never be winners, I never said anything of the sort. You can show Tex that we've got up and coming pitching but at the end of the day do we put all our eggs in that one basket?

Tillman, Arrieta and Matsuz all rate higher than any of our pitching prospects that we've tried to develop over the past few years...but we should know by now that it doesn't mean they're a sure thing. What if one of them ends up having Loewen like injury issues? What if one turns into Hayden Penn? What if the other makes it but is merely league average? Where are we then?

Call it pitiful, call it sad, but it's how I feel and I can't help if I (and others) have been browbeaten with pathetic management decisions while staying loyal and passionate about this team for over a decade. Calling my stance pitiful and sad doesn't make me regret feeling that way, not even for a brief moment.

But if I'm Mark Teixeira and the offers are similar and I want to play for a winner and leave no guesswork to be done...do the math.

What's so hard to understand?

[Moose Milligan]

This bears repeating. If i were a Pittsburgh fan, I'd be just as miffed. Just because we couldn't identify with the Bucs, doesn't mean it sucks any less for them.

You missed it dude

Staying an Orioles fan on the outside looking in...if Tex is from the Pittsburgh area and the Pirates are trying to bring him home and then he goes and signs a deal with the Cubs for slightly less money....could you understand why?

[Tx Oriole]

Can anyone honestly blame Tex if he signs for more money with Teh BoSox or Angels?. To call a hired gun type is wrong. WOuldn't we all want more money and take it if it were offered? IMO

[Travis McGee]

Can anyone honestly blame Tex if he signs for more money with Teh BoSox or Angels?. To call a hired gun type is wrong. WOuldn't we all want more money and take it if it were offered? IMO

With contracts possibly upwards of $180,000,000 from every team I don't have a problem calling him a hired gun. How much is enough? At that point I think I would go where I wanted to go, even if it wasn't the highest bidder.

[Birds08]

Its worth considering that Baltimore has lower taxes and a lower cost of living than Boston. Someone showed this empirically a few days ago.

[PlumOriole]

Sorry, but Tampa caught lightening in the bottle where the Yankees got old and had to pay for bad contracts and the Red Sox had some injuries and weren't able to put it all together. The other teams don't play in the AL East and any team can get hot in the playoffs and beat any other team. The Yankees just went out and got the top two pitchers on the market, they are back. the Red Sox will probably sign Teixeira. We will probably end up resigning Kevin Millar.

I'll bet the Rays come back to earth in a hurry in 2009 and when the Red Sox and Yankees are signing Kazmir, Price, and Longoria when they become free agents, we'll see how Tampa recovers.

Wow! That may be the most depressing statement I've seen from you. I predict CC and AJ have serious arm injuries in the next two years and put a small dent in the Yankee vault.

[OrioleBird79]

Can anyone honestly blame Tex if he signs for more money with Teh BoSox or Angels?. To call a hired gun type is wrong. WOuldn't we all want more money and take it if it were offered? IMO

If I were making $70,000 and someone offered me $125,000 then yes. If I was due $180 Million over 10 years, I do not know if I would sell out for an extra $20 Million, no way. Going back to a dumb Latrell Spreewell quote "I am just trying to fee my family!".

[clapdiddy]

Wow! That may be the most depressing statement I've seen from you. I predict CC and AJ have serious arm injuries in the next two years and put a small dent in the Yankee vault.

Good point...so basically, WE'RE DOOMED!

Seriously, though...if you put a good product on the field, draft well, and make smart trades/signings, there is no reason we cannot compete in the AL East. Tampa has proven it, and it can be done again.

I agree with Tony's assessment to a certain extent. The Yankees and Red Sox are at a different level...they can afford to have mistakes.

[SilentJames]

Its worth considering that Baltimore has lower taxes and a lower cost of living than Boston. Someone showed this empirically a few days ago.

The guy is going to be making about 20 million dollars a year. Cost of living prices really aren't a concern to him.

[Fan4Life]

If I were making $70,000 and someone offered me $125,000 then yes. If I was due $180 Million over 10 years, I do not know if I would sell out for an extra $20 Million, no way. Going back to a dumb Latrell Spreewell quote "I am just trying to fee my family!".

I've always thought this myself. How many houses, cars, boats, airplanes, etc etc can one player and his family enjoy? When you are making $10MM a year, I'm not sure making $15MM a year changes your quality of life one bit. With that said, that is a simple view of a complicated situation where forces are at play that we can't see or hear about.

[Birds08]

The guy is going to be making about 20 million dollars a year. Cost of living prices really aren't a concern to him.

If an extra $5 million of salary could make a difference, I don't see why a meaningful gap in taxes and cost of living wouldn't. That said, we have no idea if every last dollar is what's important to Tex. If it is (which would be hard for me to fathom), I would fully expect him to be considering these things.