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What do you think about it?
Personaly, I'd say let any of those overpriced / overpayed players spend ONE DAY at my job.
I'm sure they'd be ecstatic to go back to baseball even at $150K / year....
I'd say let the fans go on strike. Noone buy tickets. Noone go to the games.
Go to your local minor league games!
$150 will get you 4 tix to a A or AA team, 4 hot dogs, 4 sodas, 2 nachos and 4 t-shirts!!!!!
I haven't heard much about it recently but it use to be back in the day, you played because you really really really wanted to, not for the money. A lot of guys are out there now for the money and sure they'll say they love the game, but I'd bet in a heartbeat they'd give it up if they only made 35k a year.
I personally would absolutely love to play. Matter of fact I'm going to try out next year if I can swing it. I've always had my heart in baseball since I was a kid. Loved playing, loved watching. Players now seem to be lacking that. There's just no desire to play, just to play (all-star game -- if you run out of pitchers, you ask who wants to pitch)
I say fire them all. Bring up the minor league guys at a more realistic pay. If the fired pro's really love the game and want to come back, make 'em sign on for a set price - NO NEGOTIATIONS. Also, put a price cap on the teams. Getting kind of sick about hearing about only 3 or 4 good teams. Heck, maybe I would start caring again.
I haven't been interested in Major League ball in many years. The players have for the most part become nothing more than self-interested businessmen. "For the love of the game?" BAH!
Nowadays, I'm more interested in what goes on at our local Little League park. Now those kids play "for the love of the game". It's sad they have very few heroes in baseball to look up to.
Nolan Ryan.Quote:
Originally posted by ChipCreep
Nowadays, I'm more interested in what goes on at our local Little League park. Now those kids play "for the love of the game". It's sad they have very few heroes in baseball to look up to.
Ted Williams.
Cal Ripken Jr (although I heard he's not a nice person)
Mickey Mantle (OK, so he was an alcoholic)
Babe Ruth
Carl Yazstremski (sp?)
Roger Maris
Hank Aaron
Carlton Fisk
Hmm, what do they all have in common? Oh, yeah, none play today. Are any of the "classic players" left?
I can't think of any.......
**
(Although I do have to admit, getting his butt kicekd by Nolan Ryan made Robin Ventura mature quite a bit... :D )
Baseball seems to have an incredible knack at destroying itself. Really, has any other sport in history cut itself down as consistently and often as baseball?
Cause and effect, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference...
Could it be that since the owners treat them like cattle, sometimes just flat out selling a player for money, that the players decided there was no reason to be loyal to those blokes anymore? If you're treated as property, eventually you'll start acting like property.
I think Mark McGwire was the closest thing to a throwback player we had til he retired. He carried a lot of respect for the game of baseball with him, and wouldn't do anything to taint baseball's image. I think Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling are the closest thing right now.
I'm sure there are still plenty of good, decent fellows still in the majors leagues, but you never here stories about them cuz that doesn't sell papers.
The whole problem is greed. Look what's become of the Olympics.
Personally, I could care less if they never played another baseball game. As long as hockey survives, I'll be happy. There's just something about seeing a guy take a slapshot to the mouth and lose half his teeth, then come back 15 minutes later and play his heart out.
I've always heard he's one of the best. Didn't he almost win that ESPN 'Mr. Nice Guy' of baseball award? ...I think Joe Carter won that, but anyway.Quote:
Originally posted by Draggar
Cal Ripken Jr (although I heard he's not a nice person)
Well, except for use steroids.Quote:
Originally posted by imaeditedbysowulo
I think Mark McGwire was the closest thing to a throwback player we had til he retired. He carried a lot of respect for the game of baseball with him, and wouldn't do anything to taint baseball's image.
That's a good point actually. Just a reminder that we live in a capitalist society, and it's driven by the pursuit of wealth.Quote:
The whole problem is greed. Look what's become of the Olympics.
Clearly this whole issue isn't the fault of the players, nor is it 100% the fault of the owners.
...greed is what makes the world go 'round. When was the last time you turned down a pay raise? :pQuote:
Originally posted by imaeditedbysowulo
The whole problem is greed
Ugh, what about the olympics? Other than the cities getting corrupt with the panel, and the fact that when it is on, I see 800 million sob stories about some wombat farmer from Peru for every event where something happens.
Of course then again, I love the Olympics, and have lost all faith in most professional sports.
That's the part that bugs me, the Americans actually purchased the Olympics. I guess I was a little naive before it hapened, I really never thought that something like that would ever go down. Now that I look pack, it was clearly inevitable, even college sports are profit driven, and run like a business.Quote:
Originally posted by Cleetus
Ugh, what about the olympics? Other than the cities getting corrupt with the panel
The olympics are big, big money. I really don't have a problem with cities activily doing everything they can to get them. I don't really have a problem with baseball owners either. They are running a business. If I am a baseball player, I am going to try to get more money.
The problem is when they forget their clients...The viewing public. Going on strike instead of play offs is just a slap in the face of the fans. I know it is a good bargaining chip, but when you do this to the fans, you are going to lose a lot of business and a lot of credibility.
It's not just us that purchase the Olympics, it's everyone. The Olympics are just like everything else in the world, for sale to the highest bidder.
I've never turned down a raise, but then I've never been offered an insane amount of money to do something that I enjoy. I have walked away from a job that payed extremely well due to ethical reasons. Some might call me stupid, but I'm the one that has to live with myself.
I'd like to believe that if someone offered me a million dollars to do techwork I'd politely accept the position for whatever the going rate was. I only need enough money to live off, I don't need to hoard enough money that my kids' kids' kids' would never have to work in their life.
McGwire used creatine, which was/is readily available at any GNC, but I don't believe he ever used anabolic steroids. I think he's too classy to do something that would be considered 'cheating the game'. Look at the guy, he retired because he didn't feel like he was performing at an acceptable level. Most other people would have continued taking that fat paycheck regardless of how they performed.
To me, that's respectable.
I get a little annoyed when it crosses into illegal bribery, I find that decidedly against the spirit of the Olympics, but that's the word we live in.Quote:
Originally posted by Cleetus
The olympics are big, big money. I really don't have a problem with cities activily doing everything they can to get them.
Yeah, the MLB always seems so occupied with labor issues, it never has a chance to market itself.Quote:
The problem is when they forget their clients...The viewing public. Going on strike instead of play offs is just a slap in the face of the fans. I know it is a good bargaining chip, but when you do this to the fans, you are going to lose a lot of business and a lot of credibility.
The NBA does the best job of marketing itself in all of pro sports.
The NHL is finally steamrolling with big popularity in the states, and nearly all the teams are profitable I think.
The NFL has a great revenue sharing system in place.
MLB's advantage is that it's the American pasttime, so it should always have a niche carved out for itself. The way they constantly abuse themselves and their own image, it makes you wonder...