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Editor's Note: Brad is the webmaster of one of the largest New York Yankees websites on the 'net. We visit everyday, so should you. Check out http://ultimateyankees.com/ The argument over the spending habits of the New York Yankees is getting old and tiresome. I am all for fans "hating" certain teams for whatever reasons they may have, but to root against a team because they are successful is ridiculous for many reasons. There is no question that the New York Yankees are the most successful franchise in the history of sports. But there is a reason for that, dedication to winning and excellence. Since George
Steinbrenner took over the Yankees by buying them from CBS
for $10 million in 1973, he has dedicated himself to this
organization. The former shipbuilder led a group that
purchased the Yankees for one reason, to bring back the
winning tradition to the Bronx. There have been good times
and many ugly ones, as we all know. From being suspended in
1974 for illegal campaign contributions to Richard Nixon to
his 1990 two-year suspension for paying confessed gambler
Howard Spira $40,000 for damaging information about
ex-Yankee Dave Winfield. George is definitely not on the
straight and narrow, but I wouldn't ask for anything else.
There is only one team that is paying the new luxury tax and
it is no surprise it is the New York Yankees. With a payroll
hovering around $180 million, the Yankees are the only team
above the $117 million threshold. But George Steinbrenner
continues to care about nothing but winning and putting a
product on the field that fans want to watch night after
night. And are they ever coming…
The Yankees are projected to pay an $11.4 million luxury tax this year based on a current luxury tax-payroll of $182 million, according to the commissioner's office. Luxury-tax payrolls include the average annual values of contracts for all players on 40-man rosters plus $7.5 million for benefits, such as the pension plan, Social Security payments, workman's compensation and meal money. But come on, how do you tell an owner to spend his money? You can't. Baseball fans of other teams around the country can only wish they had an owner that wanted to win as bad as George Steinbrenner. Take a closer look at the owners of the Chicago Cubs, the over-wealthy Tribune Corporation, who could buy George Steinbrenner 50 times over. Is it George Steinbrenner's fault that the Tribune Corporation chooses not to spend any money on the very team it owns? Again, clearly not. George
Steinbrenner is playing within the rules established by
Major League Baseball. Commissioner Bud Selig hasn't decided
whether the new labor agreement has caused a change in the
correlation between spending and winning. The deal, which
averted a strike last August, imposes a luxury tax on the
biggest spenders like the Yankees and Redsox and increases
the amount of shared locally generated revenue. There is no
clear formula that spending money equates to wins. To prove
this point, only four of the 10-biggest spenders made the
playoffs last year, with the Yankees, Diamondbacks and
Giants joined by Atlanta ($94.7 million). In addition to
Anaheim, other relatively modest spenders in the postseason
included St. Louis (12th at $73.8 million), Minnesota (26th
at $41.8 million) and Oakland (27th at $41
million).
I think it is great that teams like Anaheim, Oakland, and Minnesota are so successful with the low payrolls that they have. It just goes to prove that spending all that money means…nothing. It is a desire by George Steinbrenner that he have the best team on the field each and every day. He demands nothing but the best from everyone in his organization, and every Yankee player and fan wouldn't want it any other way.
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Web Links: Yankees Fan Network UltimateYankees Fast Facts: Betcha' didn't know On May 24, 1936, Lazzeri became the first player in history to hit 2 Grand Slams in one game. He did it against the Philadelphia A's in a 25-2 win while driving in 11 runs for an American League record. On June 17, 1978, "Louisiana Lightning", struck out 18 against the California Angels, setting an American League record for a left-hander. "When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both" Graig Nettles Reggie Jackson, upon signing with the Yanks in 1976 Trivia: Joe Torre is the 4th man to manage both the Yankees and Mets. Name the other three. Answer In Next Issue Have a trivia question? Email it to us and maybe we'll use it in an upcoming issue. Fan Feedback: Cartoonist Wanted! We have received several emails suggesting the addition of jokes and baseball cartoons. |
