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#1 |
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Stickman
Posts: 15,119
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Whats the deal with some baseball teams?
Honestly, do some teams even try and win a World Series? The only teams I ever hear anythign about are: The Blue Jays (Canadian team), Mariners (Closest team to Vancouver), Yankees and Red Sox for obvious reasons, and the Atlanta Braves and Cubs because they're on TV a lot. As for the other teams it's like, what other teams? I seriously wonder if teams are happy consistantly missing the playoffs.
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#2 |
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FIT Challenge Slag People
Posts: 13,816
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The Detroit Tigers are actually getting a lot of airtime this year. Actually, they got a lot three years ago, when they were one loss away from tying the all-time MLB record for futility. But this year, now that they're the best team in baseball, ESPN seems to have noticed "Oh, hey! They play baseball in places other than Yankee Stadium and Fenway!"
A big part of it is money, though. The reason certain teams always win is because their ownership is willing to pay a lot of money to get the best players. It's why the Yankees are always near the front of the pack. They have no minor league system to speak of, but it doesn't matter since Steinbrenner will just buy anybody he wants. MLB has a salary cap that's supposed to even the playing field, but the big-market teams (like the Yankees and the Sox) can afford to sign anybody they want since they have more than enough money to cover the penalties they incur by going over the cap. It's also why teams in smaller cities (Kansas City, Milwaukee, etc.) don't do so well. There just isn't the money to support expensive free-agent spending. Detroit's owner (who also founded the Little Caesar's pizza chain, iirc) finally opened up his wallet over the last two years or so to bring in some talent: Rodriguez, Magglio, Kenny Rogers, Guillen, Dmitri Young, and now Sean Casey. And now all of a sudden, they're among the best teams in baseball. So, long story short, if you want a small-market team to do well; become a billionaire, buy the team, then start blowing tons of money on free agents. |
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#3 |
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LIMITLESS
Posts: 32,276
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I'm glad you think that the teams that you know about don't suck. Especially since one of them are the Cubs.
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#4 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Yeah because Oakland and Minnesota have been terrible with 1/6 of New York's payroll. If you want a successful team, make good trades and draft good players. Money is not required
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#5 |
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continental drift
Posts: 46,731
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Also, you can't say market sharing isn't working. This year has been one of the most competitive in a long time.
Just take a look at the past 6 World Series: 2005: Chicago White Sox def. Houston Astros 2004: Boston Red Sox def. St. Louis Cardinals 2003: Florida Marlins def. New York Yankees 2002: Anaheim Angels def. San Francisco Giants 2001: Arizona Diamondbacks def. New York Yankees 2000: New York Yankees def. New York Mets There has been a different world champion the past 6 years and a bunch of different teams have played in the Series, including smaller market teams like the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks. |
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#6 |
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FIT Challenge Slag People
Posts: 13,816
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But look at who was on that D'Backs team. I don't think Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling came up through their minor league system. They won because they spent money.
I'll grant you the Marlins, though. The '97 team was an example of spending a ton to bring in the best players (and the team subsequently disbanded that winter because they couldn't afford them). In '03 they learned their lesson and brought in good young players (Willis, Pierre, etc) and some grounding veterans (Pudge and Conine) instead of just signing the top names available. But even then, they haven't had the long-term success that the big-money teams have. And Miz, how many World Series have the A's or the Mariners won in the last 15 years? Come to think of it, how many World Series have they even made in that span? Yeah, the teams have done quite well in the regular season, but the teams that win World Series are the ones that spend the money. |
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#7 |
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continental drift
Posts: 46,731
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What about the Angles or the White Sox?
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#8 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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That's fucking ridiculous. The regular season is a much better indicator of good play because the sample size is so much greater. So what if the A's lost 3 out of 5 games? They often won 100 out of 162 games. A bad series in the playoffs doesn't diminsh that.
In 2003 the A's were much better than the Marlins. The Marlins luckily snuck into the playoffs and had a nice little hot streak to win the championship. Good for them. It's just three series'. Anything can happen, just like the Devil Rays sweep the Yankees sometimes and the Royals sweep the White Sox sometimes. That's baseball, the best team doesn't always win and the best team very occasionally wins the World Series. Florida has never been the best team in MLB, in the NL, or even in their own division. |
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#9 | |
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Posts: 42,765
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Seriously though it must suck to be a fan of like the Pirates or the Royals or something. Like no chance of ever winning, must get annoying. |
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#10 |
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Tîm Defaid
Posts: 6,646
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Kind of like Chelsea in soccer. An average sort of team in England for years, then all of a sudden a Russian billionaire buys the club and they win back to back national championships.
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#11 |
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I'm Mr. White Christmas
Posts: 44,526
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Rockies havent totally sucked this year
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#12 | |
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FIT Challenge Slag People
Posts: 13,816
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#13 | |
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FIT Challenge Slag People
Posts: 13,816
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With the right ownership, anything can happen. |
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#14 | |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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#15 | |
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FIT Challenge Slag People
Posts: 13,816
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My point is that this thread was about:
Quote:
I thought it was pretty straightforward, myself. |
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#16 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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No, you said low budget teams can't win a world series which is completely untrue. Any team that makes the playoffs can win a world series, and plenty of low budget teams make the playoffs. Once you get there it's luck, the worst of the 8 playoff teams can win the World Series. it's happened before and it'll happen again.
The A's have averaged 97 wins from 2001-2005. The Yankees, 98. The reason a lot of small market teams don't compete is because their GMs are idiots. The KC Royals had one of the worst seasons in MLB history in 2005, and what did they do? Signed the most expensive free agents they could afford; Mientkiewicz, Grudzielanek, Dessens, Mays. These guys cost millions and obviously weren't going to improve the team by more than 5 wins or so. Meanwhile, Billy Beane signs Frank Thomas, Scott Hatteberg and David Justice for next to nothing and acquires Chad Bradford, Ray Durham, and Keith Foulke for even less. Terry Ryan does the same with Shannon Stewart, Joe Nathan and Johan Santana. A shrewd GM will take you a lot farther than alot of money. Whether people remember this in 10 years or not is irrelevant. |
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#17 |
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Posts: 42,765
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Teams who have bad GM's also probably have bad people through out the front office, which results in bad decisions not only in regards to the baseball side of things but the business side as well. That really hurts any type of potential a franchise could have. o
The Red Sox co-owners, although one looks like Child Molester and one seems like an asshole, have totally changed the whole landscape of the organization. The old owners constantly complained about how Fenway was pit and how they couldn't make enough money off it. Instead of sitting around crying the new owners have made some serious changes inside the park and outside of the park which have improved Fenway big time, and they also bring in a way more money now. They've also built up the farm system which gives them all types of options, the old ownership didn't seem to succesful in regards to developing players. If teams can only win championships by buying them how come the Yankees haven't won since 2000? They have the highest payroll by far (about 70 or 80 mil more than 2nd place) and they don't seem any better off than a team like the A's or Twins. |
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#18 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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I don't believe any team is doomed, including KC and the Pirates, they're not 'small markets', Pittsburgh won the superbowl last year ffs. If KC get someone knowledgeable and passionate in charge, build a decent squad and eventually win a world series, every schmo in the mid-west starts supporting them and they're suddenly big business, on ESPN, more money, more fan revenue, they sign big stars etc.
Someone mentioned Chelsea, completely average for their entire existence and then WHAM, best in the country with more fans than they've had in their entire first century as a club, every little kid in England wants a chelsea shirt now! And really, the Cubs haven't been on tv that much, its only because its Chicago, second city, and its the Cubs, the perennial Playoff losers, they were on tv like every sunday a few years back, especially when Sammy Sosa was hitting 60 big flies a year |
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#19 | |
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Stickman
Posts: 15,119
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#20 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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Not sure tbh, we only get Sunday and wednesday nights here and once in a while thursday
mostly ESPN too, it musta been the 2004 season i think we got about 10 Cubs/Cards gamesAnd tbh i've never enjoyed the Cubs |
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#21 | |
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Posts: 42,765
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#22 | |
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Posts: 42,765
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#23 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Yeah ownership is a big part of it too. The A's owners when they went to the playoffs all those years sucked, they never let Beane stretch the payroll at all to re-sign anybody. Obviously Beane found good replacements but how sick would the A's be if they still had Tejada or Giambi or RHernandez.
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#24 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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Tejada, Giambi, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Jermaine Dye...Hell even Eric Byrnes, they've had a lot of decent players go through their ranks in the recent past.....Matt Stairs too, Miz's hot tip for this year
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#25 |
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Posts: 42,765
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Even just one of them, pretty ridiculous how they couldn't resign any of them, that's just being cheap.
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#26 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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No, they re-signed Eric Chavez and Barry Zito to huge deals. And Giambi was basically impossible for them with the kind of revenue they get even if the owners had been flexible with payroll.
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#27 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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To be fair Mark Mulder went down the shitter and Tim Hudson hasn't exactly been brilliant since he left but yknow, Hudson especially had a good thing going at the A's.
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#28 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Zito was clearly the right choice to keep. Hudson was always injured and Mulder mysteriously lost 5 MPH off his fastball in the second half of 2004 (still hasn't regained it). Zito is the youngest and is the most durable starter in MLB, never missed a start in his 6 year career. Not to mention they got Dan Haren, Kiko Calero and Daric Barton from STL and Juan Cruz from ATL (Cruz sucks but they got Brad Halsey for him later who doesnt suck)
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#29 |
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Posts: 42,765
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Oh yeah, I forgot about Chavez. I remembered Zito got re-signed but I was thinking he was the only one.
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#30 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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Mulder was shit hot in the first half of 2004 remember, when he got like 14 wins before the AS break etc, then he only won a handful in the second half and his ERA ballooned, dodgy. Its a shame for them that Hudson got injured all the time cos he could be pretty lights out when he wanted to be. Agreed on Zito, you don't win a Cy Young without having some serious stuff
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#31 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Yeah that Cy Young was BS though
Pedro was so much better than year but the sportswriters had a boner for Zito's 23 wins just like they did Colon's 21 wins last year. Only difference being Zito doesn't suck, nor does he look like Shrek.Mulder was a shoe-in for the Cy Young at the 2004 ASB, didn't even get a single vote by season's end |
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#32 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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I dunno didn't Zito go 23-5, 2.35 ERA, 200K's that year? Can't remember what Pedro was like, but obviously he was around the cy young vote pretty much every year since about 96
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#33 |
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Posts: 42,765
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Pedro was so sick every year though, I dunno how he didn't win more Cy Youngs.
Year ERA 1998 2.89 1999 2.07 2000 1.74 ![]() 2001 2.39 (only had 110 innings tho) 2002 2.26 2003 2.22 Then in 2004 he had his worst season of his career (ERA wise - 3.90) and went on to win the World Series, funny how shit like that happens. |
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#34 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Zito 02: 2.75 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 229 IP, 182 K
Pedro 02: 2.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 199 IP, 239 K So yeah Zito is good but Pedro is like the best pitcher ever |
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#35 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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Yeah, in 1999 i remember he was unbelievable but missed half a dozen starts, i'm sure he still won about 24 games that year but he had 15 wins at the ASB
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#36 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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Pedro is kinda shit now though, last start I saw his fastball was like 89. Still good obviously but nowhere close to early 2000's Pedro. Sucks he's a little guy. Maybe he could get Clemens to hook him up with some HGH.
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#37 |
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Triple A
Posts: 48,551
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Pedro was the one Red Sock i could never bring myself to hate really, purely because he is/was so damn good, fun to watch
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#38 |
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Posts: 42,765
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Yeah he was the man. I thought the Red Sox made the start move by not re-signing but now I don't know. They could definetly use him right now and I think they could afford to have him suck/be injuried during the 4th year of his contract.
He was always involded in the best shit, plus he is the best pitcher I've ever seen in a Red Sox uniform. I think he is better than Clemens. Where was the East Coast bias in '02? haha |
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#39 |
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Clutch Poster
Posts: 11,997
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The only thing sportswriters get a bigger boner from than Yankees/RedSox is pitchers with high win totals. See: Bartolo Colon. Top 5 in the AL in absolutely nothing last year.
And yes Pedro is better than Clemens. Both would probably get destroyed in the AL today though. |
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#40 | |
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continental drift
Posts: 46,731
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