Who's Fault Is It?

[Maximum12]

It kills me that Torii's gone & Johan is likely going.

But with all the moaning & Twins-bashing - some of which is justified, some not - nobody has mentioned the true culprit. Competitive imbalance.

I, for one, would wholeheartedly support a lockout to create a salary cap across baseball, much like the one in football. We can (Contact Us Please) about Pohlad's billions, about the front office timidity, about the new stadium, but the truth is, until salaries are addressed, nothing will change. Anyone want to switch divisions with the Devil Rays? That poor franchise is doomed to baseball purgatory forever behind the two biggest-spending teams in baseball.

Essentially, the Twins & other smaller markets need to do almost everything PERFECTLY for several years to compete. And one they get there, they can't afford to keep the guys around who brought them to that level.

It's that simple. I'm mad at Pohlad too, but I'm angrier at baseball. I'd be delighted to go watch "scabs" play if it meant breaking the player's "union" & instituting competitive balance in the game.

I wish I didn't love baseball so much.

[The Yeti]

Major League Baseball is killing itself from the inside out. Every year, some owner and team ups the ante with an extreme salary for a player or players. Trickle affect "well, if that player can get that much, so can I".. and they go out and do it. Or I should say, MLB and the owners allow it to happen.

Some people will take the approach that these guys are professionals and "deserve" to get paid... who deserves 18 mil a year.?

[harvey lee]

If everyone would boycott the season for a few months that would send a fast message to baseball and the owners. As long as everyone keeps paying for the tickets and the cable, nothing is going to change.

One must hit them where it hurts and thats in the pocket book. Then they will change the rules.

[IFallsRon]

harvey hit the nail on the head. And that goes for all professional sports. When fans quit showing up, then we'll see some change.

[LwnmwnMan2]

I think it's already starting to change.

This year, weren't 3 of the 4 teams in the playoffs with payrolls under $70M?? And 2 of those had payrolls under the Twins, including the Indians, in our own division.

I guess I don't understand the argument that just because you pay $15M+ of 5-6 starting positions, that you're going to win. The Yankees haven't had the pennant for quite a while now.

And before you blow me out of the water, I DO realize that the Red Sox, with their $130M+ payroll pretty much steamrolled Colorado, but there's some scheduling there that hurt the Rockies as well.

[SledNeck]

baseball is NOT fair

and It will never be fair until there is a cap.

How can you compete with the Red Sox and Yankees every year?

IMO the Red Sox world series victory is tainted, for the simple reason they have the highest payroll in MLB counting Dice-k's negotiation fee.

[blue_healer_guy]

Cant say its tainted, its just they have an owner who wants and will do everything in his power to WIN.

[jigging-matt]

I agree, it is not tainted. The ownership just isn't afraid to open their wallets. The only thing I get tired of is hearing that we are a small market team. The only thing small is pohlad's idea of how to spend money.

[Huntin&Fishin]

All I know it's going to turn out like the wolves...horrible!

[SledNeck]

If you owned a Ferrari and you raced Kias all day would you brag about winning?

[blue_healer_guy]

Yeah, because I went out and bought it.

[zamboni]

There can't be a salary cap introduced anymore, ALL existing contracts would have be null and void, which is illegal, and the players union would sue MLB. One thing I don't understand is how teams like the Yanks, Red Sox, Mariners, etc can go out and sign pros from other countries like Japan, Cuba, etc. The most fair thing to do is require them players that want to play here to enter the draft and be drafted by whomever.

[juggs]

If you want to play the blame game, I say it's the fault primarily of Marvin Miller, who was able to make free agency a reality. It sounds so old school but the game was much better, well, simpler anyway, back in the days of the reserve clause. When the players got the power to negotiate is when the salaries went nuts. You can't blame the owners for shelling out money and wanting to win. In fact, if they don't they get blamed for collusion plus the fans jump on them for not opening their wallets. Just like here with Pohlad--danged if you do, danged if you don't. But free agency is here to stay. A salary cap will never work. The baseball union is too strong. They players would strike until the owners give in. I know it isn't the American way to exercise that much authority over labor but baseball was much better off before the players made this kind of money. Not only that but look what it does to their attitudes. You would think the more money someone makes the happier they would be with their employer, the customer (fans), and life in general. More money just breeds greater greed.

[ozzie]

yeah I would brag if my millionaire buddies thought their Kias could beat my Ferrari!!!