As expected, “Kool-Aid Nation‿ takes offense to the recent column calling the Patriots the “real‿ championship team in New England. Greek Thunder is the first to take the bait:
It's worth a try when it's the Patriots but when the Sox are proactive and don't hold on to these old guys (see Pedro), they're idiots? Please explain to the class Professor Panos.
I’ll be more than happy to. It’s actually quite simple class. You see, the Patriots operate under this system we call a SALARY CAP. Let me repeat that again, because I know a lot of you are loopy from the spiked Kool-Aid…S-A-L-A-R-Y C-A-P.
Now, who can tell Professor Panos what a salary cap means? That’s correct, young Theo. A salary cap means you only have a certain amount of money to spend. That means you have to make choices between who to give it to, and who not to give it to. For every dollar you spend on player X, that’s one less dollar you can spend on player Y.
Now, who can tell me why Major League Baseball is different? That’s right Georgie Porgie. Baseball does not have a salary cap. That means an owner can spend as much money as he wants to help his team win.
If you’re the Kansas City Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates and your owner is poor/cheap, you let very good players go because you don’t have the money to pay them or because you choose not to so you can pocket the savings. But if you’re the Boston Red Sox, with the highest prices in all of baseball and the 2nd richest television contract in the sport, you can afford to keep as many players as you think your team needs to compete with the other teams in your division that also spend lots of money.
To put it another way, you are not FORBIDDEN from spending money. You CHOOSE not to. So whereas in football you sometimes have to let good and popular players go for financial survival, in baseball you are under no such restrictions. You can keep as many players as you think can help your team win, provided you have the money to pay them, which the Red Sox most certainly do. See the difference?
Oh…one other difference between the Patriots and Red Sox. After winning their first Super Bowl, the Patriots won two more in three years, keeping the core of the team intact. For every Lawyer Milloy they lost, they brought in a Rodney Harrison. After winning their first World Series in 86-years, the Red Sox proceeded to gut their team and are going to be golfing this October. For every Pedro Martinez they lost, they brought in a Matt Clement. Understand?
Good. That concludes our lesson for today. For homework tonight, I want you to research why Bill Belichick would never be caught dead in a gorilla suit while the Red Sox continue to make monkeys of the most rabid fan base in the country.
Class dismissed! Oh, and don’t forget to drink all your Kool-Aid in the cafeteria!
Comments (11)
Teddy, your Pedro argument is so weak. How can you honestly think this guy could help the Red Sox against American League lineups. The guy is washed up and belongs in the National League pitching to pitchers and bunters.
Now we know you can spell salary cap, but can you spell
O-V-E-R-S-P-E-N-D-I-N-G?
How about S-T-I-L-L N-O C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S-H-I-P-S this century?
Well that's what your Daddy's are doing in NY. The Sox are not going to copy a losing formula or compare themsleves to an ineffeicient formula that only the Yanks have the $$ to work with.
Posted by T2 | August 8, 2006 3:33 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 15:33
Oh...I don't know. How could Pedro help the Red Sox? Let me think about that one for a minute.
Hmmmm...perhaps he could pitch at only 75% of what he was when he dominated American League hitters in the past. Would that be an improvement over Beckett, Clement, Wells, Wakefield, and yes, even Schilling? Only the Kool-Aid brigade wouldn't answer yes.
As for the spelling contest, please don't lump me in with Yankees fans. Let me ask this though...why are you so worried about the Sox overspending? You really think they're going broke? Since when did they become the Oakland A's? Did I miss something here?
Trust me, they're making more than they're paying out.
Posted by Teddy Panos | August 8, 2006 3:40 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 15:40
what incentive do the sox management have to spend the money for quality players when they keep trotting out these has beens and worse never was second stringers, and yet they fill Fenway every game. I think Theo and company are one trick ponies.
Posted by lenthet | August 8, 2006 4:44 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 16:44
Teddy, I hope you are not on of these Homers who think that Pedroa was EVER going to sign here. With Manaya's Blank Check policy......It wasn't going to happen.
Let it Go.
Posted by Legend Killer | August 8, 2006 5:18 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 17:18
It would have happened if they did it before he got to free agency, just like they did for Beckett and Coco.
I didn't bring Pedro up. He was brought up in a previous post comment as an "old" player. But you know me by now, dont' you. I can't just let comments slide without a response to the cult.
Posted by Teddy Panos | August 8, 2006 5:27 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 17:27
The Sox picked up Pedro's 2004 17.5mil option in the spring of 2003, after which they offered him an extension which many say he agreed in principal to. He turned it down and now he pitches to Paul LoDuca.
He wanted to keep his options open. And he would not play 2nd fiddle to the Schill Show.
Can't blame the Sox for Pedro.
Clement?
well.............pass the Arsenic.
Posted by Legend Killer | August 8, 2006 7:44 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 19:44
Now who won't let go of the Pedro thing?
Your are correct in all of the above, except for one important detail. When Pedro agreed to the deal, the Sox said they couldn't find insurance for it, which I believe led to the outburst in the locker room that night in Texas. Was it a case of they couldn't get insurance for it, or they didn't want to pay the rate for it?
I guess you'll have to ask the Sox that. But I do know they had no problem insuring the 2 and 3-year contracts they offered in free agency, and the Mets had no problem insuring the 4-year deal he eventually signed.
I'll be more than happy to drop the subject and say Pedro didn't want to be here by the time he got to free agency, if some of the Kool-Aid brigade would be willing to admit that
a)the Sox didn't do all they could to keep him here before it was too late,
b)they didn't really want to go the extra mile for him like they did for Schilling and they do for "their" guys now and,
c)he sure would have looked good in a Sox uniform last year, this year, and in the future
Posted by Teddy Panos | August 8, 2006 7:56 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 19:56
"Was it a case of they couldn't get insurance for it, "
That type of "leak" is why Theo bid farewell, You know and I know that the "deepthroat" in the Sox oranization was Steinberg, who had ZERO to do with contracts. Did his Big Mouth Piss of Petey? Probably. I guess my point is this....I believe What Pedro says like You believe what Clemens says ...Nothing.....
Posted by Legend Killer | August 8, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on August 8, 2006 20:06
The insurance issue came up in that book feeding the monster. I don't think Pedro ever spoke publicly about it. I assume Monkin got the info from someone in management if it was in the book.
None of that matters now. What I care about is we have a team falling apart before our eyes and most Sox fans are whistling past the graveyard. You better hope their good next year and the year after or this play for the future crap is going to get old very quick.
Posted by Tito's Terrors | August 9, 2006 11:26 AM
Posted on August 9, 2006 11:26
Who cares? Move on!!!!!!!!
Posted by T4 | January 17, 2007 6:05 PM
Posted on January 17, 2007 18:05
You guys should be forced to move to Florida and watch the Devil Rays year in and year out. Then you would appreciate what you guys have!!!!!
Posted by T4 | January 17, 2007 6:06 PM
Posted on January 17, 2007 18:06