Ban Bud from Baseball
“The system we have now is working,” Selig said. “We have two more years in this labor agreement, and we’ll just watch and see how things go.” If things are working how could one team have only 15 players where the total amount is over $175M, and call the system fair? Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy has proposed a salary cap, a mechanism already used in the NFL and NBA. It will soon be used by the NHL too, as the players finally realized it makes the game fair, after they lost a whole season. Why should we wait and have another baseball strike in 2007. Start the cap in 2006. If you add in the luxury tax, 2005- threshold of $128 million; tax rate of 22.5% for first-timers, 30% for second-timers, 40% for third-timers . King George is the only one that is paying. No other team is even considered a first offender. NY pays 40% of $73 million, and that doesn’t count paying Vasquez salary of $9M and $8M more for Contreras, which would add $36M more just in luxury tax. The Yankees luxury is more than Tampa Bay and Kansas City’s entire payroll. And you think the system is working? Why should baseball, wait 2 more years because Bud says so! I’m the Fan’s Commish and I say we have a salary cap next year! If all the fans of America signed this petition, would that mean we could save the game?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/478455326 I sent this to all 29 teams and 6 replied back agreeing with me. Maybe we need to start counting the votes and see which teams really want a salary cap. Boston, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Toronto, and Seattle all have said they believe it has to happen. Well lets ask all the other owners if they think the system is working now. I say everyone sign this now. Let’s impeach Bud. We the fans will save this great game. NY has made this a monopoly. Go to your Congressmen, write them, tell them to revoke the Antitrust clause. Tell them that America is built on trust! Lets all start up the chant.
Ban Bud from Baseball.
Know the words of the Blue Ribbon Report:
One of baseball’s oldest and cherished notions is that hope springs eternal, and that every club is a contender at least in spring training. If a club’s season ended in futility, the fans’ rallying cry was always, “Wait till next year,” because a new season always brought renewed hope. The realization that fans may now feel defeated before the first game in a majority of MLB communities is a cause for grave concern. Proper competitive balance will not exist until every well-run club has a regularly recurring reasonable hope of reaching postseason play.
SI wrote this: Selig contends that the flow of hundreds of millions of dollars among the 30 teams has created an environment where as many as 20 teams legitimately can compete for playoff spots this year, up from perhaps seven to 10 a decade ago.
All teams should be contenders, at least in the spring. Baseball has the only environment where only one team does not have a limit on spending. This doesn’t even count the competitive balance tax or so called revenue sharing that NY pays, that adds $75M more. That means in 2005 the Yankees will pay over $320 million for their team roster.
Is that a system that is working?
I am the Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson