Aaaannnd the Yankees... win

[beaner]

Whatever.

This is pure jealousy. No one was complaining when we lead the league in payroll in the late 90's and had a bunch of hired guns.

I know people are gonna come in and say that the moneys different, etc...save it, please. The point remains is that we were at one time the big spenders and the big winners.

Ask anyone on this board if we could switch bank accounts with the Yankees and I don't think anyone would say no. If they did, they'd be crazy.

So the Yankees look like they've bought themselves a title.

BFD. Any one of us would love to do the same.

Exactly! I'm sure no one was crying when we "bought" Palmiero, Alomar, Randy Myers, Bordick, Surhoff...etc. In fact, without looking at the lineups, I'd be willing to bet that this Yankee team has more home grown talent on it than the '96-'97 Orioles did. And we rooted like crazy for those teams.

Yes, the system is messed up, but there isn't one person on earth that wouldn't want their team to spend money with winning the World Series as the only goal. I'd LOVE to have every player that Mark gave his cute little nicknames to in my lineup every day, and anyone that denies that is lying, plain and simple.

I guess like many have said the Yankees can afford to make bad moves, as we've seen them make so many over the years, Pavano, Brown, Irabu, Johnson...etc. Most other teams can't recover as quickly from the bad ones, that's the big difference.

[Mad Mark]

Exactly! I'm sure no one was crying when we "bought" Palmiero, Alomar, Randy Myers, Bordick, Surhoff...etc.

1996 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $52.2MM

#2 Orioles: $48.8MM

1997 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $59.2MM

#2 Orioles: $54.9MM

Do you think there is any conceivable way the Orioles could spend 95% of what the Yankee$ spend on payroll today? We might as well be talking about what a rockin' fighter that shiny new P-51 Mustang is. Or how much we love our new Sony Walkman and those newfangled compact disc thingys.

[MikeAD]

1996 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $52.2MM

#2 Orioles: $48.8MM

1997 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $59.2MM

#2 Orioles: $54.9MM

Do you think there is any conceivable way the Orioles could spend 95% of what the Yankee$ spend on payroll today? We might as well be talking about what a rockin' fighter that shiny new P-51 Mustang is. Or how much we love our new Sony Walkman and those newfangled compact disc thingys.

I've often wondered about this. I mean, theoreticallly we could spend that much money, somehow, it wouldn't be smart but its possible. My question is who would the Orioles sign or acquire? When the highest paid players/best players are on a handful of teams, there is only a few out there, or one or two on each team in MLB (some more some less). You would have to get a heck of a lot of players to get a payroll that high, or drastically overpay players.

After rereading that passage it doesn't make sense, but I liked it when I was writing it. Main point: anybody ever catching up to the Yankees is nearly impossible. Even having 2 or 3 more teams up there with Boston and the Mets would be pretty darned hard.

[beaner]

1996 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $52.2MM

#2 Orioles: $48.8MM

1997 Payrolls

#1 Yankee$: $59.2MM

#2 Orioles: $54.9MM

Do you think there is any conceivable way the Orioles could spend 95% of what the Yankee$ spend on payroll today? We might as well be talking about what a rockin' fighter that shiny new P-51 Mustang is. Or how much we love our new Sony Walkman and those newfangled compact disc thingys.

Understood, but the point that we're upset that the Yankees "bought" the pennant still remains, given that the '96-'98 Oriole$ tried the same thing. I could be wrong, but I think we had a higher payroll than them in 1998, which obviously didn't work out at all. Granted it's only 1 year, and proves nothing but it goes back to my point that we've done the same thing trying to "buy" titles.

I said that the system sucks now, but my point was that we tried the same thing back then when the payroll disparity didn't exist as much. Nowadays, it's pretty clear that no one can keep up with them payroll wise.

[mweb]

Exactly! I'm sure no one was crying when we "bought" Palmiero, Alomar, Randy Myers, Bordick, Surhoff...etc. In fact, without looking at the lineups, I'd be willing to bet that this Yankee team has more home grown talent on it than the '96-'97 Orioles did. And we rooted like crazy for those teams.

Yes, the system is messed up, but there isn't one person on earth that wouldn't want their team to spend money with winning the World Series as the only goal. I'd LOVE to have every player that Mark gave his cute little nicknames to in my lineup every day, and anyone that denies that is lying, plain and simple.

I guess like many have said the Yankees can afford to make bad moves, as we've seen them make so many over the years, Pavano, Brown, Irabu, Johnson...etc. Most other teams can't recover as quickly from the bad ones, that's the big difference.

Come on Beaner and Moose, this isn't about jealosy or being hypocritical, this is about fairness. I'd love for the O's to be among the big spenders or even the biggest like in the late 90's. But the top of the league was tightly bunched in that case, while the Yanks outspend #2 by 60-70 million now and triple and quadruple many teams. That's not close to fair, and I wouldn't love for the O's to be doing that.

[mweb]

Understood, but the point that we're upset that the Yankees "bought" the pennant still remains, given that the '96-'98 Oriole$ tried the same thing. I could be wrong, but I think we had a higher payroll than them in 1998, which obviously didn't work out at all. Granted it's only 1 year, and proves nothing but it goes back to my point that we've done the same thing trying to "buy" titles.

I said that the system sucks now, but my point was that we tried the same thing back then when the payroll disparity didn't exist as much. Nowadays, it's pretty clear that no one can keep up with them payroll wise.

Big difference in trying to buy a team while having a payroll about the same as the other top spending teams and the way the Yanks buy a team. Their infield costs more than most teams, and that includes a young homegrown player.

[Moose Milligan]

Come on Beaner and Moose, this isn't about jealosy or being hypocritical, this is about fairness. I'd love for the O's to be among the big spenders or even the biggest like in the late 90's. But the top of the league was tightly bunched in that case, while the Yanks outspend #2 by 60-70 million now and triple and quadruple many teams. That's not close to fair, and I wouldn't love for the O's to be doing that.

Life ain't fair, but I guess that's getting back to Drungo's original 'merican complaint.

I guess we're gonna have to differ here like we do on Campbell. If the O's were outspending teams 2x and 3x and primed to win a Series I'd be loving every minute of it.

[RShack]

If the O's were outspending teams 2x and 3x and primed to win a Series I'd be loving every minute of it.

But if the O's were the only team that *could*, would you really? Let's say the O's were competing with teams from places a fraction of the area's size/wealth/etc. Say, the O's were in the International League or PCL and kicking the crap out of AAA cities who couldn't possibly pay the same payroll. Would you really find that satisfying? And, if that were the case, then if the O's didn't win all the time, wouldn't you be PO'd? Seems to me like that situation invites being PO'd more than happy. It would be like things are either normal or terrible, without much room for wonderful.

[DrungoHazewood]

But if the O's were the only team that *could*, would you really? Let's say the O's were competing with teams from places a fraction of the area's size/wealth/etc. Say, the O's were in the International League or PCL and kicking the crap out of AAA cities who couldn't possibly pay the same payroll. Would you really find that satisfying? And, if that were the case, then if the O's didn't win all the time, wouldn't you be PO'd? Seems to me like that situation invites being PO'd more than happy. It would be like things are either normal or terrible, without much room for wonderful.

I guess you can argue that there are significant differences between MLB and the Scottish Premier League, but their experience suggests that you can have two teams that are both overwhemlingly dominant in their league and overwhelmingly popular for decades on end. Much like your example of the O's and the IL/PCL. Rangers and Celtic almost always finish 1-2 in the league, and their average attendances are 3-4 times higher than the #3 team in the league.

In worldwide soccer Rangers and Celtic are probably the equivalent of a .500 team in MLB, while some of the lower SPL teams probably aren't AA-caliber.

I think NCAA sports prove this model can work in the US, too. Virginia Tech, and many other big football schools, routinely sell out games against I-AA or other far inferior competition where the point spread is measured in 20s and 30s, if it's listed at all.

I think the O's would be pretty popular if they won 110 games a year, no matter the competition.

[Orioles18]

The Yankee$ infield--Miss Pay-Fraud, Derek Christ, Bargain Cano (I only make $6MM per season!) and the Switch Hitting Satan--is paid more than 14 entire MLB teams!

Yeah, there's nothing unfair about this system!

Somehow, they have $208MM invested in only 23 guys!

That is some crazy stuff there. And a correction there too, their starting infield makes more than half of MLB teams not 14 teams and is just 160k short of being more than 16 teams. I added some stuff up and their opening day/starting lineup (SP-RF, SP is Sabathia) makes more than 27 MLB teams!.

On a side note, I was looking at the Orioles payroll and we pay $61,885,556 for 40 players. And who the heck is Dave Davidson?

[Mad Mark]

Understood, but the point that we're upset that the Yankees "bought" the pennant still remains, given that the '96-'98 Oriole$ tried the same thing. I could be wrong, but I think we had a higher payroll than them in 1998, which obviously didn't work out at all. Granted it's only 1 year, and proves nothing but it goes back to my point that we've done the same thing trying to "buy" titles.

I said that the system sucks now, but my point was that we tried the same thing back then when the payroll disparity didn't exist as much. Nowadays, it's pretty clear that no one can keep up with them payroll wise.

Like I said in Roy's thread in Orioles Talk, the 1998 Orioles are the gift that keeps on giving for those people trying desperately to claim the Yankee$ don't buy titles.

Yes, that team did lead the majors in payroll and yes it didn't do squat.

The number two payroll team that year? The Yankee$.

The difference in the two teams' payrolls? Right around $250,000.

Huge gap there...huge. And let's not also forget that Yankee$ team was really young, while that Orioles team was one of the oldest in the league.

[Moose Milligan]

But if the O's were the only team that *could*, would you really? Let's say the O's were competing with teams from places a fraction of the area's size/wealth/etc.

Damn right I would. I'd be happy as hell.

Yankees fans don't seem to have a problem with it. I can't imagine it's an awful thing.

[beaner]

Like I said in Roy's thread in Orioles Talk, the 1998 Orioles are the gift that keeps on giving for those people trying desperately to claim the Yankee$ don't buy titles.

Yes, that team did lead the majors in payroll and yes it didn't do squat.

The number two payroll team that year? The Yankee$.

The difference in the two teams' payrolls? Right around $250,000.

Huge gap there...huge. And let's not also forget that Yankee$ team was really young, while that Orioles team was one of the oldest in the league.

I know, and I'm not disagreeing with that point...However, the Yankees STILL haven't "bought a title"...Let's see where we stand in a week or so, but as of now, it still hasn't happened in the recent "payroll disparity" era.

I know the 1998 thing is a reach, but the O's have still been guilty of trying to buy a title, that's all some are saying.

[beaner]

Damn right I would. I'd be happy as hell.

Yankees fans don't seem to have a problem with it. I can't imagine it's an awful thing.

Right, and we agree that it's really not "fair", but like Moose said, life isn't fair. Instead of whining constantly about it, go out and beat 'em, that's all.

I choose to get mad at MY team for not making the playoffs, not getting mad at the teams that do.

[ledzepp8]

Life ain't fair, but I guess that's getting back to Drungo's original 'merican complaint.

I guess we're gonna have to differ here like we do on Campbell. If the O's were outspending teams 2x and 3x and primed to win a Series I'd be loving every minute of it.

Okay and I'm sure we'd all pretty much be loving it too, but we would understand why the have nots would feel like they were competing in an unfair system.