When is MLB's poor excuse for a "Commissioner", Allan H. Selig, going to strap on the balls and put a stop to the Yankees & Red Sox constantly overspending on free agent players?

Are you joking?

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1923-1927-1928-1932-1936-1937-1938-1939
1941-1943-1947-1949-1950-1951-1952-1953
1956-1958-1961-1962-1977-1978-1996-1998
1999-2000-2009
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XXI - XXV - XLII - XLVI

SHARK is into some dirty stuff

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When will angels fly out of Stoneroses arse?

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nah, the point of revenue sharing is to ensure that small market teams who don't make shit at the gate can turn a profit and keep on existing. baseball clearly likes having a handful juggernaught teams in the northeast along with some other moderate players in the midwest and west coast who'll have "their year" every now and then, but by and large are not the perennial contenders that are the yankees and redsox, and to a lesser degree the mets.

baseball isn't hell-bent about parity like the NFL is, they've got it set up so teams like pittsburgh and kansas city can be a perennial doormat and still turn a profit for their troubles. if they tried to go out and make a big splash in free agency they'd risk being mediocre to one-and-done and then lose their precious profit margins... there's little interest in that, hence why francoeur to the royals is such a perfect fit =D

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Once upon a team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles & Toronto Blue Jays actually mattered. Today, these 5 teams can spend all the money they want. They simply can't compete with the 300 lb. gorillas known as the New York Yankees & Boston Red Sox, not just with TV money, but they seem to have unlimited resources that go beyond Yankee Stadium & Fenway Park respectively.

I remember many years ago, "Commissioner" Selig mentioned the word "contraction". If these teams can no longer compete with the likes of the Red Sox & Yankees, get rid of them!

that'll never happen, it was just a vapid threat to get a new ballpark in minnesota and to stimulate an ownership group to act for the nationals.

as it stands, i think MLB likes having doormat teams there for the big boys to fatten up on, thus giving them better records and energizing their fanbase to go out and attend more games and buy more merch. not to mention these doormat teams can develop talent at the major league level and then lose them to the big boys in free agency... i don't think we'll see contraction in our lifetimes barring some sort of gigantic national financial crisis.

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It's like Bill James says, once the small market teams get desperate enough, they'll use the power they have. If they're not desperate enough to do that, maybe the problem isn't as big as you think. Personally, I think there should be a higher salary floor rather than a salary cap.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

The small market teams have been accused, right or wrong, of pocketing the money they get from MLB's TV partners such as FOX Sports, Turner/TBS Sports, ESPN & MLB Network and not investing it. This despite the fact that the Pirates & Brewers have relatively new ballparks and that they still suck overall.

Melky Cabrera to the Royals for one year

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Yes please. That way we would guarantee the Ricketts will have to spend a certain amount once all of these bad Trib contracts go away.

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Per ESPN, Yankees out of running for Cliff Lee.

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It appears as though the Phillies got in the game late but have taken home the prize which is Cliff Lee.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Wow! That rotation is sick. Halliday, Oswalt, Lee, Hamels, and Blanton.

Oh my.....

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The level of panic right now in NYC must be glorious. It looks like Lee took a 5 yr 100 mil offer too which is way below what the Yankees were prepared to guarantee him. Big Z is available.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Sick rotation. That's alot of money in the rotation, and then for Howard, Utley, and Rollins.

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Fuck Edwards and Zobrist

That would be GLORIOUS!

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hell no it wouldn't be... i love chuckles "dinner and a show" zambrano in fact he's my favorite pitcher in baseball. being robbed of seeing him pitch every 5 days would suck.

incidentally, i just found out about atdhe a few months ago

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A Zambrano meltdown in New York would be excellent theatre.

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It would be an appropriate time for the Sox to get on the phone with the Yankees if they are interested in trading starting pitching. Rape the Yanks for Edwin Jackson.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The Yankees are more interested in Greinke.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

That's awesome. The price tag for Pavano and the trade value of Grienke and Garza just went through the roof.

further proof that it's probably easier to throw in the NL than the AL. I assume that's why he came back. I'm still shocked. Less money and years....

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

I don't see Grienke waiving the no trade clause to go there. While he wants to go to a winner, I do not see that kind of environment suiting him well. The Rangers and Angels are probably more agreeable with him.

I sure hope Rothschild is part of the Big Z fanclub, because a good recommendation from him could green light a trade.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Wow. That Phils rotation is going to match up great against the White Sox pitching in October

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If the Cubs can ship Zambrano, this will be a good 2011 season. Even if we finish last.

If memory serves (and it probably doesn't) I think Lilly and Greinke were free agents in the same year, and I was pining for Greinke and strongly disliked Lilly.

No matter what the Cubs do (or anyone else in the NL) barring injury, hand the NL crown to the Phillies now.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Or maybe he just didnt want to play for NY, seems logical enough. Before everyone jumps on the less years less money bandwagon, he's still making a 100 million so he's not exactly taking a vow of poverty to play for Philly. Lets not make him out to be some altruistic do-gooder practicing medicine in the Congo ok?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Yeah...uh....

Wow...that Phillies rotation is a thing...'93 Braves-like

Thats funny because the Phillies made the WS that year

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Yes...

...putting money on the Braves now...