Did you hear their payroll was $208 million?
Yeah, the Yankees spend a lot of money but that is given in baseball's current structure and frankly, I'm tired of hearing about.
There are some things you know will be consistent in sports each year. The Lions won't make the playoffs, Cleveland won't win a championship, Al Davis will say/do something crazy, and the Yankees will have a bloated payroll.
So, why is anyone acting like this is something new? The Yankees have spent the most money for years and years. They haven't won every World Series. Sure, they have won the lion's share but it's not just about the dollars and cents.
If it were, the Yankees would have the greatest dynasty in all of sports. After winning in '96 , '98, '99 and '00, they wouldn't have stopped. They would have beaten the Diamondbacks in 2001 and won all subsequent titles including their latest here in 2009.
Why didn't the Yankees win in 2007 when they spent a record $218.3 million? Why didn't they the next year in 2008 when they eclipsed their own record with a $222 million payroll?
It's because money alone isn't everything. It is the choices you make with that money that matter. When you give big bucks (and overpay) Kevin Brown, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, you don't win a World Series. When your big signings are C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, you are propelled toward a championship.
But even still, it's about chemistry and having the right group of guys together. The 2009 Yankees had that. They had the huge contract of A-Rod but they also had Nick Swisher, who changed the clubhouse dynamic. And all they had to give up for him was Wilson Betemit and a couple of minor leaguers. They had Teixeira and his big money but they also had Brett Gardner and his speed and pension for stolen bases.
So, don't blame the Yankees for spending money; blame baseball's system. Yes, it's unfair. Yes, it does not encourage parity. But in the end, a good front office can do a lot with a little money (the Twins and A's) and a bad front office can do little with a lot of money (the Mets and Cubs).
World Series are not won by the sum of your players' contracts; they're won by cohesive teams. The 2009 Yankees were a team...and that's something that fans didn't see for eight years, $200 million or not.
Connor, although I agree money isn't EVERYTHING, it plays a huge role in how a team does. Yes you need chemistry and good management, but you can't get the players without the dough. Look at Tampa Bay for instance. They have one of the smallest payrolls in sports and it took them 12 years to finally develop a team to make the playoffs. Yes, they made it one year with a small payroll, but it shouldn't be that way. A team shouldn't have to try and build for years just to make one run. The Yankees consistently are able to make runs because of how much money they are able to spend on new players. The NFL has a salary cap, so does the NHL and the NBA. A team like the Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn't be able to compete against teams like Dallas or the NYG because they make so much more money. Face it, without the acquisition of Sabathia, Texiara, and Burnett, the Yankees probably would've lost to the Phillies. Doesn't spending that much money diminish a championship?? In my opinion it does.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment PSU0414. I see what your saying and agree that money allows you to be consistently good. The crux of my argument is that while money can keep you in the playoff mix on a year-in, year-out basis, it doesn't guarantee you a championship.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Yankees made the playoffs all but one year between 2001 and 2008 but they did not win any championships. Spending money can get you there but it doesn't win you the World Series. Thus, I don't think it diminishes a championship.
And I do wish baseball had a salary cap but it doesn't. The Yankees are operating according to baseball's rules. Fault the system, fault Bud Selig but don't fault them for acting within MLB's bounds.