For those who thought Tex wanted to be a Yankee...

[LABIRDFAN]

Gang,

As much as I wanted Tex, just like so many of you, the truth is this is the way of the baseball world. Forget loyalty. Doesn't exist with 99% of the players today. It's astounding that we all sit here appalled that the O's front office failed us. Their offer, whether or not it was a final offer, was for more money than anyone can spend in a lifetime. If he wanted to "come home", he was clearly more than welcome. I'm fortunate to be friends with some top agents here in LA who handled (among others) Mussina. I remember very vividly asking whether Moose would stay, sure that he wouldn't leave the place he started at, the place that he called "home". In pretty clear terms, I was told uh uh. Made me realize as much as we wish for these guys to make the "right" choice, it's not the way things play out anymore. That said, I'll be back in April, watching. Hoping. Hey, at least my loyalty can't be bought.

[Aloe]

He didn't want to go to Boston and only signed with the Yankees because they would offer him the cash he was looking for and so he wouldn't have to sign with Boston.

Had the Orioles orginally offered him 8/184 out of the gate he probably would have signed with us. I don't blame Tex for taking more money even though he did sign with the Yankees.

Our offer wasn't good enough to begin with and turned him off right away IMO. It was stupid to go that low to begin with if you wanted a player.

Too many people around here drink the Orioles kool aid JT. I guess it's easier than accepting the truth. The O's are cheap and they don't care about their fans.

[TonySoprano]

he Yankees didn’t snatch him away from the Red Sox because they outbid or outsmarted the Red Sox. Teixeira didn’t sign with the Red Sox, a baseball official said, because he and his wife, especially his wife, didn’t want to live in Boston. If necessary, they were going to choose the big bad city of New York, and they did.

Was it necessary? If so, then, why?

[Florida_Osfan]

Too many people around here drink the Orioles kool aid JT. The O's are cheap and they don't care about their fans.

The same could be said about cynics.

I guess if you forget about the trades, the sudden and quite rapid refreshening of our farm system (via trade), and changing the uniforms to reflect "baltimore" once again -- a huge sore spot for many b'more fans, then you're right... the FO doesn't think about the fans at all. They're just out to make themselves rich and leave us in the dust.

[Aloe]

What makes you guys believe the Orioles offered 140 million? I don't know how that number got out there but it has never been confirmed and I don't believe it for a second. Neither the O's or Boros would benefit from posting the Orioles real offer which was probably about 15 million or so less than that.

Think about it. If your initial offer is 21.4 million over 7 years why would you say that 22 million over 8 years is just too much to pay one player. It doesn't make any logical sense.

Using crazy baseball economics, the O's low-balled Tex.

[Aloe]

The same could be said about cynics.

I guess if you forget about the trades, the sudden and quite rapid refreshening of our farm system (via trade), and changing the uniforms to reflect "baltimore" once again -- a huge sore spot for many b'more fans, then you're right... the FO doesn't think about the fans at all. They're just out to make themselves rich and leave us in the dust.

Hell yeah I'm a cynic. What have the Orioles done over the last 10 seasons to convince me not to be one.

They don't even want to sign Markakis at fair market value.

[Wind Rider]

Yankees revenue was 327 million in 2007(which includes at least some YES), costs were 374 million, earnings -47 million. YES revenues were 340 million. The Yankees own 36%of YES=122 million. Costs probably totaled 40 million(guess) for a net of 80 million. Lets say there are no YES numbers in Forbes(probably wrong). Then Yankees total =-47 million+ 80 million =33 million.

Oiroles revenue=166, costs 158, income 8 million plus supposedly they got 26 million from MASN = a total of 34 million. Higher by 1 million than the Yankees. 2007 payroll was 90 some million, add 30 miilion of these profits and you have a 120 million payroll with the Orioles doing a little better than breaking even.

This is before taxes, the Orioles tax situation is better by far.

Conclusion the Orioles have more money to spend, but desperate to put money in Angelos pockets, don't. In fact MacPhail has been dumping payroll from the 2007 figure for all he's worth.

The Yankees desperate to win, spend like drunken sailors.

[Aloe]

We don't know if our farm system is any good yet. The last 5 or 6 players that we have brought up haven't done much at all. Weiters is the only one I expect to be real good right away. We can't count on Tilman, Arrieta or Matusz yet because we don't have a good track record with pitchers.

Vlad or Delgado or Tex could have improved the major league club right away but we low-balled all three of them.

For some reason the O's don't mind signing old average players and over paying for them.

[Wind Rider]

Ask yourselves why, with much higher draft picks for the last 10 years, have our farm teams finished with much worse records than those of the Yankees and Red Sox.

While you're at it all depends on our developing the next set of young pitchers. How successful were we with the last set?

[Mark Carver]

Yankees revenue was 327 million in 2007(which includes at least some YES), costs were 374 million, earnings -47 million. YES revenues 340 million. The Yankees own 36%=122 million. Costs probably totaled 40 million(guess) for a net of 80 million. Lets say there are no YES numbers in Forbes(probably wrong). Then Yankees total =-47 million+ 80 million =33 million.

Oiroles revenue=166, costs 158, income 8 million plus supposedly they got 26 million from MASN = a total of 34 million. Higher by 1 million than the Yankees.

This is before taxes, the Orioles tax situation is better by far.

Conclusion the Orioles have more money to spend, but desperate to put money in Angelos pockets, don't. In fact MacPhail has been dumping payroll from the 2007 figure for all he's worth.

The Yankees desperate to win, spend like drunken sailors.

Saying so twice (in another thread), doesn't make it so...

You really, really think the Orioles are in a better situation financially than the Yankees... In 2008, tickets at Yankee Stadium that were $150 each, went for $400 each. In 2009 those same tickets will be $850 each!

In 2007, the Yankees got $171m in gate (ticket) receipts. They raised tickets prices for the final year (2008) at the old Yankee Stadium. The cash cow which will be The New Yankee Stadium opens in 2009...

Read this - Yankee Stadium prices are insane!

[Dannyboy]

Hell yeah I'm a cynic. What have the Orioles done over the last 10 seasons to convince me not to be one.

They don't even want to sign Markakis at fair market value.

You don't know this, you have no clue about the offer the O's made to Markakis.

[Wind Rider]

Check my response in the other thread, you have to consider costs, Yankees cost are 374 million.

[Mark Carver]

Check my response in the other thread, you have to consider costs, Yankees cost are 374 million.

Is there a need for the same post in duplicate threads?

Based on what? The Forbes article has the Yankees with $327m in revenue and the player salary cost at $253m. What was the extra $121m for?

[MCL1021]

Well that's comforting.

Foot, meet dead horse.

It's time to move on ladies and gents.

We're a small-market team, we need to face the facts.

[Mark Carver]

Also, from the Forbes article... they over ST merchandise sales and starting in 2009, besides moving into their new cash cow, they will reap all the benefits from concession sales, as they are launching "a concessionaire business", instead of farming it out to a 3rd party.

The Yankees took over spring training merchandise sales and will also be launching a concessionaire business as they get ready to operate their new $1.3 billion stadium, scheduled to open for the 2009 season. The Yankees hired CAA Sports to assist them in marketing and branding their new ballpark

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