This post is guaranteed to be 100% free of religion, race or elections. It is about baseball, business and people nobody really cares about. The larger point if there is any is about businessmen who are pennywise and poundfoolish and fans who seem to root harder for team owners' wallets than they do for their favorite teams. I really don't know why this is, but I can speculate. Jealousy. Every American man thinks but for a break here or a break there he could be playing major league sports. It's bullshit. The average American man has a much bigger chance of having a leading role on a TV show than he has of playing a major league sport.
The funniest part about all of this is that while fans seem to hate the players so much and love the owners so much, from my experience getting autographs with my son at spring training the players are pretty nice with the kids. I've dealt with a few team owners in finance and they were assholes, every one of them. And I was making them money. Imagine how they feel about Joe Public and his kids.
Here's some background before you read the blog. Evan Longoria was drafted #3 in the nation two years ago. He breezed through all levels of the minors leagues last year and is the best 3B prospect in baseball since David Wright and Miguel Cabrera, both superstars. If anything, he's a little ahead of both when they were Longoria's age.
Sing no sad songs for Evan Longoria. He'll be rich and famous and adored by millions of fans. Sing sad songs for the fans of the Tampa Bay Rays who this year had one of the top 5 teams in terms of talent in the American League and are keeping Longoria in the minor leagues so as to deprive him of a year towards arbitration and free-agency rights. Read the blog. A fan named "Gerry" and I ("Maybe They Should Trade Longoria for Kevin Stocker") are the only baseball fans who apparently would like to see the team win. This year. [NB: Before they played their first game the Devil Rays traded Bobby Abreu who is likely to make the Hall-Of-Fame for a weak hitting SS named Kevin Stocker whom they released the following year.]
http://mvn.com/mlb-rays/2008/03/21/longoria-should-start-in-triple-a/#comment-5504
Please only read this if you are interested in baseball or business. I really don't want to deal with any comments about how absurd this is when teachers only make da-da-da. Or cancer researchers only make dee-dee-dee. I understand. A society rewards that which it prizes most. If education and cancer research were as important to the USA as baseball is, the workers would be paid commensurately.
I'm really only interested in pondering the baseball, business management and brand development aspects of the story. And a little of the fan psychology of course.
UPDATE: MADAM Z made a point in her excellent comment which I was too spaced-out I guess or something to consider. These are Z's words not mine, but I'm taking partial credit because it's my blog! Her words here in colorful, bold and large type. "A society rewards that which it prizes most." I would add that The average American man has a much bigger chance of" being a teacher or a cancer researcher "than he has of playing a major league sport."
The rest of Z's comment is great too. I suggest reading it.
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23 comments:
I was never interested in baseball until our town got its very own minor-league team, three years ago. I decided to take my two young grandsons to see a game shortly after our new stadium opened. We had a great time, root, root, rooting for the home team. After that, I found myself keeping track of their wins and losses and feeling actual joy when they were number one in their league, at the end of the first season. The boys and I attended several more games, and we plan to keep up our new "family tradition" this year.
After each game, the fans are invited to go down to the edge of the field and say "hi" and/or "high-five" the players. The boys and I always do do, and the players to whom we get a chance to talk are always friendly and have a quick comment. I think I'll always remember this exchange:
Player: "Hi guys. Who's this lady with you?"
Boys: "Our grandma."
Player: "You better respect your grandma, y'hear?"
So...all this to say that if it hadn't been for my newfound interest in the game, I might not have read this interesting post. And, BTW, I absolutely agree with you about the relative pay in various professions. "A society rewards that which it prizes most." I would add that The average American man has a much bigger chance of" being a teacher or a cancer researcher "than he has of playing a major league sport."
Z: Brilliant comment. And how did I miss that last point! I'm revising to reflect it and crediting you.
Thank you, Kelso! I am honored.
You should be. You read what I wrote carefully and you picked out I point that I should have made without even thinking about it.
Kelso, it's sad that such a talented ballplayer has to be kept down on the farms because of his team's financial situation. But then again, when you look those teams that spend for players to put a good "product" on the field and which ones don't, it make you wonder why some teams (Pittsburgh, KC, Tampa Bay) will never be contenders. It's not a big town, small town thing. The Twins prove that year after year. I think it's a question of how teams regard their "investments" and what they're willing to do to maximize returns. Some teams would rather re-invest in players and others would rather dole it out stakeholders.
Just so you know, I've kept it at the baseball business level and did not go into the absurdity of the (weak) argument I just constructed. Lately, I've lost my desire to watch any professional sport because it doesn't entertain me anymore. I get no visceral enjoyment from it, save a few games like this year's Superbowl that carried some David-versus-Goliath drama.
I'd rather watch my boys play and my daughter sing, or when they're not doing their thing, lace up the cleats and loft a softball in the air between 8-12 feet 150 times and hope my face doesn't get smashed by what comes flying back. Now that's what I call fun.
SPARTACUS: The issue is that they have the financial thing all ass-backwards. If Longoria breaks camp with the team and plays a full-season and they're lucky, they have a legitmate chance at the division or the wild card.
That will put people in the seats. Those people will buy food and merchandise. For every second dollar of gross profit roughly speaking, the franchise can take advantage of the double write-off of player compensation allowed them by the Veeck Decision.
Moreover, the team is so young and has such a small payroll that they have a good chance to do this year after year but they still have to contend with the Yankees and RedSox who are international brands and are already in that virtuous circle. The Rays need to at least contend with THIS club, THIS year, if they want to be profitable as an on-going concern.
That's my business point. My baseball point is that they have every reason to be this year's cool story and I know what Longoria can do.
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
I am honored to wander your blog. Thousands of points can invite you to my blog to be exchanges. Thanks
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
Thank you, that was extremely valuable.
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
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