[MJHMarc]

Originally Posted by ThePundit

I agree with both Notorious and LCS. Notorious is right in that the teams wouldn't pay the money to the players if they didn't have the revenue coming in.

But I'll agree with LCS that it is harder to root for players when they make millions and then cry and complain about the littlest things. Guys like Gary Sheffield, Manny Ramirez, etc..

How can you forget Barry Bonds in that list?

[MVB]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Is it sane to be a fan of any team ?? Look at the way these teams operate today. Millions of dollars for players who we hope will hit home runs, pitch no hitters and make flying catches. Truly insane that they are paid in advance for what management hopes they can provide..... Someone please explain to me how any ball player is worth millions per year. I do understand that most of them are good at what they do .... but for millions of dollars per year ??? Not to me.

This is a direct result of a competitve, free enterprise system. Without competition, players would make 1/10th of what they make now. But seeing that there is such a competitive atmosphere surrounding the sport, the team owners will give away ridiculous amounts of cash to get the best players. And this will not end until MLB puts a limit on how much one player can make. Like instead of minimum wage, a maximum wage....

But of course that'd never happen...

[Tedwilliams]

Not so.
There is a world of difference between Red Sox fans and Yankee fans. The Boston fans root for the underdog each and every year, win or lose, simple because they love the game. They know their chances are minimal in the A.L. East due to New York buying last year's All-Star team The 2006 Yankees started 8 former All-Stars). New York's payroll was $97.5 MM higher than Boston's - enough to pay for Boston's PLUS two other teams entire payroll!
The New York fans jump on the bandwagon because of the tradition of buying titles. They expect to dominate the leage each year. But the true American Way is to root for the underdog. Yankee fans have become arrogant and disrespectful of not only other teams but other team's fans, thus of The Game in general. They are the Most Hated Fans in all of Sports. While their animosity is reserved exclusively for Boston, the rest of the League saves their frustration for New York.
To say that Boston is spending a lot of money, so must resemble New York, is to ignore the trend-starter, and blame the follower. It was New York who bought 26 titles. When Boston whipped the Yankees in 2004, it was not with a more expensive team, but a cheaper one. There has never been a more expensive team than the Yankees.
The answer has to be a salary cap. Then we'll see how many Yankee fans are left standing.