One Fan’s Disillusionment with the Red Sox

One Fan’s Disillusionment with the Red Sox

http://www.dugoutcentral.com/blog/?p=704

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Red Sox, but the way they’re run these days has started to make me question who they really are. Since Henry, Lucchino, Epstein and crew have been running the team, the Sox have won 2 championships, sold out every game, and made a lot of Bostonians happy. But at what price? Their payroll has gone from about $100M in 2003 to around $143M in 2007. If they trade for and sign Santana, it could jump to about $170M in 2008.

Baseball just doesn’t seem like it’s fair anymore when the Sox’s payroll is six times that of the lowly Devil Rays, $20M more than Pittsburg, Washington, Florida, and Tampa combined, and about $30M more than the third highest. Have you noticed that Sox fans don’t carp the Yankees for having such a high payroll anymore? It’s probably because the Sox are right up there with them now.

The Sox can afford to throw money away on guys like Drew and Lugo; guys who produce the equivalent of half or less than half their pay because they have so much more money than everyone but the Yankees. Teams like Tampa, Florida, Oakland and Minnesota just can’t afford to make those mistakes, and if they are ever going to go anywhere, they’d need the best and most mature prospects in the league. In the case of Tampa and Florida, they basically will never have a shot under the present system.

Maybe the Evil Empire is expanding, or maybe the players’ union has gotten to an uncontrollable point. I don’t know, but it’s hard to take. Sox fans are fiercely loyal, more loyal than any other group I’ve ever encountered, but what used to be a local, New England fan base has now expanded throughout the country. People want to be associated with that winning, rich image. Just like with the Yankees in the 90s, people with the most remote of associations with the city and area are calling themselves Red Sox fans now.

While I don’t want to push them away, the question is: why aren’t they supporting their own teams? Maybe the Sox’s success and dollars are just going to lead to greater and greater disparity between the Sox and these other teams. If they get Santana and move the salary to the $170M range, experts say the Sox could win three championships over the next six years. That would be incredible, but is that the way it should really happen? Should I really only see yuppies in the box seats because they’re $120+ a pop?

I’ve lived in the Boston area all my life and I can guarantee that I’ll support the Sox the rest of it, but at what price are we able to wear shirts that say, “Boston Red Sox: 2007 World Series Champions.” Is the sport being destroyed by the ignorance and complacency of the fans in the face of incredible greed and power from the players? Do we really want to call the United States Red Sox Nation because of how much the organization can spend?

Published by Joshua Burdick on December 23, 2007 09:34 am under Red Sox



#

Josh,

I see where you are going with this but I think you’re being a little harsh. Remember 86 years was a long time and the tag chokers got to be a little old. This is the “Golden Age” of the Red Sox and yes, at times the PR is somewhat over the top but who cares. They have earned it. Sometimes it is viewed as the cost of doing business. While the Sox have spent alot of money on player salaries, they also have done an excellent job putting their resources to great use in regards to pro scouting, amateur scouting US and international markets,player development and the draft. Remember it wasn’t the Sox who created this salary structure- the Yankees did. It was nice to see Pedroia,Ellsbury,Paplebon,Lester, Delcarmen, Youk,DiceK and Oki all contribute to a WS title wasn’t it. They were all products of the redesigned scouting model- another good use of resources.

Stop and think for a second, wouldn’t you be bitching more if ownership didn’t spend money or they just kept the money in their pockets? Would you rather have the Red Sox of the early 90’s or the Sox of the last 5 years? Yawkey Trust or Henry/Werner/Luchhino?

Don’t you feel as a Red Sox fan and all the generations before you, this run of excellence is owed to you? Relax and enjoy the run of Champions and if the Sox do get Santana going back to back isn’t out of the question.
#
pags on December 23rd, 2007

Thanks Josh. Your passion for the Red Sox is quite admirable. I’ll go out on a limb and say you’ve probably had it ever since you were on a little league diamond. Good stuff.
#
bmyetta on December 23rd, 2007

The Boss has never grown tired of paying top dollar to stay on top and if Brian Cashman doesn’t screw things up, I’d venture to say that the vacuum of not winning after being the best for a long time might be worse than any current example of over-spending.

Until “red sox city” wins 23 more times, us nyy fans have an advantage on the spending point of view.

But you make a fantastic point.

Bob
#
jim on December 23rd, 2007

Having been a RS fan long enough that I remember listening to Sox on the radio with my grandfather during Ted Williams’ last year, these are the golden years. The talk of tearing down Fenway and the Sox leaving Boston in the early 60’s, through the wonderful memories of 67 and we did beat the Red’s 3 games to 4 in 75 didn’t we? The miserable 25 player/25 cab teams that followed till the trio bought the team. Not to mention the unknowable truth as to whether it was Tom Yawkey who yelled “Get that n____r out of here” to Joe Cronin when the Sox gave Jackie Robinson a try out. Then it was 1961(?) before the Sox signed Pumpsie Green, the last team to have an African American player.

Sure the money is obscene and the whole RS Nation thing has jumped the shark, but for the first time in my memory the RS team and organization is one of the most respected in BB. The management has developed a strong productive farm system, they seem to have a plan and the willingness to stick to it. Yes they’ve made mistakes but none of them have been Jeff Bagwell for Larry Sorenson.

The players seem to enjoy each other and want to be part of the RS team and being in Boston, despite the near total lack of privacy that we fans afford them.

Say it with me: THESE ARE THE GOLDEN YEARS. So, don’t worry, be happy.
#
Jason on December 23rd, 2007

I would ask Royals, Pirates, Reds, or any other die-hard fans of old school teams if they switch spots with the Red Sox. My bet is they would.

I think the way the Yanks/Sox spend money is silly, but it’s not like they win every world series, or even make it to the playoffs every year. And it is really annoying to see girls in pink and brown “Coco” shirts who clearly like players based on their cuteness.

But I find it really difficult to complain about anything with the way this team is run. It’s not Theo and Co.’s fault the team makes boatloads of money and they can afford to eat “bad contracts” from guys like Lugo/Drew (who have been on the team for one season remember). They have a killer farm system and it’s still great to see home-grown guys succeed.

All in all, it is a really good time to be a fan of this team.
#
T-Man on December 23rd, 2007

I don’t want the Red Sox to be like the Yankees with the spending… and in at least 1 respect, thet aren’t: Boston yields to the collectively bargained luxury tax. The Yankees couldn’t care less about doing that.

When the tax threshold goes up—-so will Boston’s spending. There is no salary cap——–but the defacto ’suggested limit’ for player salaries IS the tax threshold.

All 30 MLB teams’ owners and player reps collectively bargained that threshold. I can’t understand WHY a team that has ZERO intention of spending $70 Mil on payroll would approve ZERO penalty if another team spends up to $148 Mil in player salary and benefits…. but they did.

If I was affiliated with any of the teams who spend 1/2 of what Boston does——-I would vote to tax the high spenders more with a LOWER threshold.

How can a league with equal representation from 30 organizations approve a tax threshold for spending that is BEYOND the reaches (for spending) of most of it’s teams?? ONE team exceeded the luxury tax threshold ($148 Mil) in 2007——the Yankees. Boston was close ($143 Mil). A handful of others were in the neighborhood of $110-$115 Mil.

Why do the 28 other organizations NOT named NYY or Boston ALLOW the threshold to be so forgiving?

Those other clubs have to take some responsibility for that. Boston is operating within the collectively bargained boundaries for spending. The playing field is SO uneven, yes… and I don’t like it… but Boston plays by the guidelines ALL 30 MLB teams drew up. The Yankees do not. These other clubs need to make that tax threshold LOWER——and the tax % HIGHER. It cannot stop at 40% for multiple time offenders.

Boston isn’t making too mant sacrifices staying under $148 Mil———and the Yankees are making a mockery of the entire process. It’s time for the other teams to have some backbone and not allow the market to be so easy for Boston and NY to navigate.
#
Lee on December 23rd, 2007

Good article, but let’s don’t quite put the Red Sox into the Yankees’ category salarywise just yet. Last season (2007), the Yankees’ payroll was $210 million, the Red Sox’ was $140 million. So while Boston was second in the majors in payroll, they were still 50% again less than the Yankees, who still deserve Larry Lucchino’s moniker of the Evil Empire. As a Red Sox fan I agree that we are starting to get to a point where we can just outspend many other teams in MLB, but I still don’t think we’re on the level of the Yankees. Maybe I can’t see clearly about the issue because I still have something in my eyes from Bucky Dent’s homer back in October 1978.
#
Tyson Whipple on December 23rd, 2007

Money Rankings as for teams the won the WS

07-#2 BOS $143,026,274
06-#11 STL 88,891,371
05-#13 CWS 75,178,000
04-#2 BOS 127,298,500
03-#25 FLA 48,750,000
02-#15 LAA 61,721,667
01-#8 ARI 85,247,999
00-#1 NYY 92,938,260
99-#1 NYY 88,130,709
98-#2 NYY 63,159,898
97-#7 FLA 47,753,000

Top paid player in 2007: Jason Giambi: $23,428,571

Top paid player in 1997: Albert Belle: $10,000,000

All numbers provided by USA TODAY
#
bmyetta on December 24th, 2007

T-man, there are two types of businesses within the monopoply of MLB. One is attempting to generate as much profit as possible, the other is attempting to win as many WS as possible. I think its pretty simple.
#
N. Williamson on December 24th, 2007

You have to remember two things:

1. The Marlins have won as many World Series as the Sox have in the past decade

2. MLB has revenue sharing now. The more money the Sox and Yankees spend on payroll, the more money flows to the low market teams. The obvious and unadressed problem is that owners are not required to spend this money on payroll. If the Devil Rays spent the additional $20-30 million they received in revenue sharing, they would be a better team. To be sure, the revenue streams are unequal, but not as unequal as teams would have you think.
#
N. Williamson on December 24th, 2007

I guess there is a third thing to remember:

The Red Sox played the Rockies in the World Series. The Rockies have the 25th highest payroll.

My point is that it’s a huge over-simplification and exaggeration to state that money buys championships. Just remember how many World Series the Yankees have won since 2000.
#
Flynn on December 24th, 2007

I’m a lifelong White Sox fan, but I lived in Portland, Maine the last eight years. The changes to Fenway during that time were welcome and impressive. I loved living someplace where baseball was important to people. It was fun to be in New England when the Red Sox finally won it all, too. But the change in Red Sox fans since is beyond annoying. There is a sense of entitlement now, and yes, they remind me more and more of Yankees fans. This is especially true the farther one wanders from Fenway. Seeing the Red Sox play in Chicago last summer really drove the point home for me. At least 60% of the crowd at US Cellular Field were Red Sox “fans.” Where we these clowns before ‘04? Oh yeah, they were wearing Yankees hats and jerseys. I think ESPN is as responsible as anything for the change in Red Sox fans. Their coverage is absurdly flattering and the number of Red Sox games ESPN and FOX carry is way out of whack. Enjoy your time at the top, Red Sox Nation, but I’m afraid a lot of you have sold your soul to achieve it. The luxury tax doesn’t change the fact that the Red Sox, as you so astutely point out, can afford to throw money around and waste it on players whose limited production would make them “mistakes” anywhere else. The fact is, the Yanks and Red Sox are the two teams who can afford to play the season in two halves: what they enter the season with, and what they get after re-tooling for the finish, regardless of the cost. Just because small market teams occasionally succeed doesn’t make it less obnoxious to outspend 99% of the competition.
#
denny on December 24th, 2007

There is a striking similarity to the composition of the Yankee and Red Sox lineup/pitching staff, in terms of age at each position and cost structure. Their farm systems, payroll, and team philosophy are similar as well. Whereas 5 yrs ago Red Sox Nation could take sympathy in their team’s plight by looking at the Yankees as a team buying the championship, now it’s merely a question of who’s getting more back from their investment. Here’s a look at team records since 2004:

Red Sox: 375-273
Yankees: 387-261

While the Red Sox have two championships to their credit to the Yankees’ none, both teams have pretty much performed at an equal level over this period.

Joshua, I understand exactly what you’re talking about. I didn’t see the Yanks win a Series until I was 22, and it was the best sports moment in my life. Then they started winning again and again, and it got to be expected. Welcome to our world: you can win 100 games, but if you don’t win the World Series, your season was a failure. It’s not a fun position to be in, trust me. Didn’t think you’d ever have to worry about that 5 years ago did you?

How's that tampering?

I don’t think the suggestions of tampering were so much built around the mentioning of Santana’s name in and of itself, as much as the seemingly explicit overtures through the press that seemed directed towards Santana.
The problem is not making known that you would like to acquire a good player, the problem is trying to, for instance, encourage that player to excersize his no trade clause to any other team by promising him more money than anyone else would pay or whatever.


Unless the Twins have some video of Hank making those statements, I doubt they have a case here. Besides, everyone and their mother knows that the Twins are shopping Santanna and that the Yankees and Red Sox have been talking to them about him. This is not a case where an owner, out of no where, says "Hey, Babe Ruth is going to be a Free Agent after this season and we would have to have him play for us next year."



Like The Redsox last year with J.D Drew before He opts out on his Dodger Contract? Let's called that tampering as well. Maurry Chass of NY times reported that Curt Schilling was talking to J,D Drew before He sign a contract with a Redsox

The Redsox players got away because Senator Mitchell hid the names since He's on Redsox payroll.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Yankees hit with $24M luxury tax bill

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/12/25/2007-12-25_untitled__yank25s.html


BY ROGER RUBIN
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Tuesday, December 25th 2007, 4:00 AM

In the world of the Yankees, where anything short of a World Series title is seen as a failure, the 2007 team could be looked at as a $208 million bust.

But that really would be understating it.

After receiving a $24 million luxury tax bill at the end of last week, the Bombers really were a $232 million letdown.

Major League Baseball clubs adopted a team payroll threshold during the collective bargaining sessions in 2002 in an effort to contain costs; each time a team exceeds the league-wide figure, its tax rate increases as punishment.

The Yankees have been over the limit all five seasons and this year paid a 40% tax on all salary above $148 million. That means that when the club gave Roger Clemens a prorated $28 million deal at midseason - that equaled about $18 million in salary - the Bombers actually ended up paying him $25 million for the 18 starts during which he went 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA. Clemens then lasted only 2-1/3 innings in his lone playoff start before being named in the Mitchell Report.

"I can't imagine that was the return they were looking for on that deal," said one executive from another AL club who requested anonymity. "If his postseason - and theirs - had gone better, it might have been a different story."

The archrival Red Sox were over the tax threshold for the fourth straight season, bringing their rate to 40% as well. They owed $6 million on their team salary of $163 million. The Angels were the only other team over the limit - a first for the franchise - and owed $927,000. The bills are to be paid by the end of January.

Hard as it may be to believe, the free-spending Bombers have a lower tax bill this season than in either of the last two seasons. They owed a franchise-high $33.98 million in 2005 and $26 million in 2006 before the $23.88 million hit this season. Over the five seasons, the Yanks have paid $121.6 million to be redistributed among the league's lowest-revenue clubs.

The Red Sox won two championships over the past four seasons and paid $13.9 million in luxury taxes. During the same time, the Yankees' tax bills totaled about $110 million for no titles.

The luxury tax threshold will rise to $155 million next season, but the Yankees already are past that figure. Should they pull off a deal - perhaps the one for Minnesota's Johan Santana, which would require awarding a massive contract extension - their tax bill for 2008 could be higher.

Dámaso Mars with great expectations for the 2008

http://babel.altavista.com/babelfish/tr




The Dominican one sent in 65 parties as relevista means of the Pirates and had a mark of 2-0 and 2,28 of effectiveness
24 of December, 2007 | 01:07 p.m. - AP

It increases letter To recover letter To diminish Letter To emphasize Text To clear Stood out To generate Pdf To send I articulate To print I articulate



The thrower Dámaso Mars | AP

The Dominican left-handed person Dámaso Mars said the Sunday that has great expectations for the next season of Great Leagues with the Pirates of Pittsburgh.

"I feel very positive for next year and I have good expectations on which we are going to be able to obtain like equipment", Mars said.

Mars, of 32 years, sent in 65 parties as relevista means of the Pirates and had a mark of 2-0 and 2,28 of effectiveness.

For the next campaign, Mars hopes to surpass the statistics that registered in the 2007. "I feel well, I have stayed moved away of the injuries and I trust that the next campaign will go to me far better", it added.

Mars appeared for the first time this season in the list of an equipment of the Dominican winter baseball. It is it with the Tigers of the Licey, equipment that obtained in a change from Eastern Stars the last month.

"I feel very contented to return to send in the country, and with the set of the Tigers", it indicated.

Mars worked five entrances with Eastern Stars in the season of the 2006-07.

It said that it is a day old training to put itself in good physical training conditionses, with the purpose of being able to contribute to the Licey in playoffs of the local baseball, that begin the next week.

Respect Senator who works for Redsox as director and gets paid? Evan, Where's is the Redsox Players?

Roid Rage when Pedro throws an Old man Don Zimmer on the floor?

Roid Rage when Pedro he hits Yankees batters?