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Originally Posted by Eldin
Not only is the game unfair (salary is not evenly divided among the teams--this might explain why the Milwaukee Brewers haven't been to the playoffs since 1982, while the New York Yankees are in contention for the World Series every single year)
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The Arizona Diamondbacks had a salary of $50M but had the most wins the NL. The Rockies had a salary of $54M and they won the NL pennant. The Cleveland Indians had a salary of $61M and they were tied with the Red Sox ($143M salary) for wins in the AL. The Padres had a salary of $58M and they missed the playoffs by one game. I could go on.
The reason these teams have won with little is a farm system. By drafting players from high school or college and signing players from Latin America (many teams have facilities in Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other countries. Plus there are Cubans who defect to America), teams have been able to develop young talent that is under their financial control for years.
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and not only because the games are boring as hell to watch (especially since there are 162 of them per year) either.
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The number of games is more a strength than a weakness. It keeps ticket prices significantly lower than many other sports. The greatest thing about baseball is anything can happen on any day. If you're not a fan, you'd never understand.
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I am baffled that such a large organization could allow such a problem to run so rampant. Widespread steroid and HGH use has tainted the game beyond repair. None of the records have any sort of integrity. Why they did not institute random drug testing a decade ago is beyond me.
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Are you a football fan? If you are, you should know that football players are just as guilty, if not more so, than baseball players of using these drugs. What has football done?
Also, much of the issue was the player's union which is powerful and was against drug testing for years.
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Barry Bonds, the most influential batter of our time (possibly ever), and Roger Clemens, the most influential pitcher, have both been linked to steroid use. So has Andy Petite, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi and a myriad of other players. Which such pervasive corruption, practically none of the records mean anything!
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Barry Bonds is the most influential batter ever, Babe Ruth is (he saved baseball. His power was unmatched at the time and it made the media put the Black Sox scandal on the backburner). While there are players who juice, they are a minority. Most players who just are fringe players, guys who need an edge to stay on the roster. They are not setting or breaking any hallowed records.
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If I was a fan of the sport or even found it remotely enjoyable (to watch--playing is another matter), I'd be devastated. But, as it stands, I sit back and laugh at the joke that is the MLB.
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Are fans of basketball or football devastated when they see Pacman Jones get arrested? Or Michael Vick go to jail? Kobe Bryant charged with rape? Or any of the dozens of players in these sports who get in trouble? I doubt it. I'm a member of a baseball forum, and no one is devastated at these allegations from the Mitchell report. Most of the players in it were suspected of it anyway.
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To me, it's never been anything more than crap that interrupts football highlights anyway.
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Football gets enough attention during the winter. The playoffs are starting when baseball is.
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Indeed, football has undoubtedly usurped baseball as "America's Pastime."
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Wrong. A past time is not determined by what is popular right now. Baseball is America's past time. It is the first American sport created. The only places where football is more popular is mostly in the midwest where many colleges have very good football programs. Baseball's popularity is more concentrated in large cities.