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I love it.
Steinbrenner, the Yanks, the Ghost of Ruth, and we the fans, FEED off all the Yankee-hating energy. If major league owners and GM's put one tenth the energy they expend whining about the Yankees into shaping up their roster, there'd be so much more of your precious "parity" in baseball. Only Brian Epstein of the Sox seems to know how to compete with the Yankees, and that's using free agency and smart trades to stack your roster against theirs. Only problem with that is, that the Sox are cursed and therefore his efforts are in vain.
Michael Ilitch owns of the Detroit Tigers, who are on their way to setting the season record for losses in a season. Why? Right, no talent on the team. How come? Is Ilitch broke? Can't afford to hire quality players? Ilitch owns Little Caesar's Pizza, which is the third largest pizza chain the the world, behind Pizza Hut and Dominos. It generates over 1.3 BILLION DOLLARS in sales per year. He's got the money. Ilitch also owns the Detroit Red Wings, perennial Stanley Cup contenders, and another team often accused of "buying" championships. Their payroll is one of the highest in the NHL, at $67M. Yet Ilitch pays the Tigers one of the lowest combined salaries in baseball, $59M, and continues to seek ways to cut payroll. In other words, the Tigers don't HAVE to suck. Their owner has demonstrated that he cares about winning, and will spend the money necessary to bring in free agents who will sell tickets, generate revenue, increase fan interest, and in turn, bring home championships. Just not with his baseball team.
-Mikey
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