The World Series of Wage Supremacy

11.05.09 12:32 pm by Pat

Before the 2009 Major League playoffs officially started, I was listening to ESPN Radio and Bud Selig was being interviewed on the Mike and Mike in the Morning show about the season and the upcoming post-season action.  At one point he was asked about a salary cap as well as an international draft to prevent the inevitable bidding war that takes place between Boston and New York on the top international prospects.  He was all in favor of the international draft which would allow all teams a shot at those players.  He, however, was still opposed to a salary cap and said that it was not necessary to keep the league competitive and pointed out that since 2000, 23 of the 30 MLB teams have made a post-season appearance.  A few weeks later on ESPN Radio I heard Colin Cowherd go on a rant on how a salary cap won’t help MLB and how more money just leads to more problems.  Colin lost me somewhere between comparing team spending to income levels for families and how teams (if a salary cap were put in place) would just spend the money on scouting, coaching, facilities, etc.  I could go on all day on how much I disagree with the sentiments of both Bud and Colin, but that isn’t the point of this article.  I have always been a believer in leveling the playing field in professional sports and think that spending limits are needed to keep “small market” teams competitive.  Hearing the stat about 23 out of 30 from Bud made me think about my stance on the salary cap.  I decided that I needed to do a little more investigation into the numbers behind it to help support, or perhaps debunk, my thoughts on the salary cap and MLB.

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LeBron in the Dunk Contest?

8.03.09 2:13 pm by Matt

During All-Star 2009, LeBron threatened to “clean up” the Dunk Contest. He hinted that if the rules were tightened up and he talked some fellow superstars into it, he’d participate.

Here’s the thing: sure, LeBron can jump high. REALLY high. But there’s just a limit to how high people can jump. Through the legs and a variant thereof is the go-to move in the finals every year, which leads to boredom, which led to a push toward creativity, costumes, and chicanery of all sorts.

Since LeBron and his superstar competitors can only repeat the through-the-legs so many times, I’m here to bring some ideas to the table for an All-Star filled Dunk Contest.
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A Rant of Sorts

7.06.09 12:37 pm by Pat

Despite being on vacation for a week at a rather remote lake in northern Minnesota, I was able to stay in touch with the sports world while away.  The following post is going to cover a variety of topics that I wanted to touch on.  There are lots of things that get on my nerves, and sporting events are no exception.  If I may go back a week or so in the sports world, I’d like to discuss the Ricky Rubio situation that has arisen.  After being drafted 5th by the Minnesota Timberwolves, the same guy who said he’d play in the NBA “for free” and that getting out of his current contract wouldn’t be a problem, now is talking about remaining in Spain for one or two more years.  Couple that with him saying that Minnesota is “too cold” and skipping the Timberwolves post-draft press conference, it looks as though Rubio has no intention of putting on a Wolves jersey anytime soon, if at all.  While this situation bothers me in part because I am a Timberwolves fan, I would dislike this situation regardless of the team.  I still hold a grudge against Eli Manning for refusing to play for the Chargers and think that Yi Jianlian and his agents were wrong in how they scoffed at the idea of playing in Milwaukee.  The point of the draft is that the best players go to the worst teams.  Demanding a trade or refusing to play defeats the purpose of the draft and, in my opinion, lowers the integrity of the sport in question.

Looking at the Rubio situation, it is obvious that he would not balk if he were to play in New York (which can be cold as well, Ricky).  All I heard about from Rubio was that the NBA was his dream and he was excited to play, but once he found out he was headed to Minnesota, he changed his song.  This is nothing more than a desire to make as much money as possible.  New York is not a better team than Minnesota, but endorsements may come quicker for him there.  There are some who believe that the big name players belong in the big markets because it “helps the NBA”.  My question in return is that if a big name player refuses to play in a small market in favor of a New York or Los Angeles, how does the small franchise survive and thrive?  If every college/foreign star heads right for a large market, how does the NBA expect to make money from the small market teams?  Do they just bank on a sellout when the Knicks or Lakers come to town?  Or should the NBA allow the small market teams to become glorified junior varsity teams who are perenially whipping posts for the big teams on their run to the playoffs?  The draft is one of the few things that instills hope in a franchise and its fanbase, and landing a big name player brings some excitement which, in turn, sells tickets and merchandise.
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