Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Sox Owner Calls For A Salary Cap

From SI.com:
Boston Red Sox owner John Henry renewed his call for a salary cap on Wednesday after an offseason in which the New York Yankees added three free agents for $423.5 million. Or, as Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said, "the Yankees have spent like the U.S. Congress." And while Boston's chief rival opens a new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium on April 3, Lucchino said Fenway Park, built in 1912, should be around for another 50 years.

More immediately, the Red Sox owners are troubled by the wide disparity in team payrolls that they say limits competitive balance in baseball -- even though Boston had the second-highest payroll at the end of last season.

A salary cap, Lucchino said, is "as inevitable as tomorrow."

The Yankees ownership and even major league players might agree to a salary cap, Henry said. "It depends on the overall picture," he said. "How does that relate to revenuesharing? We've gone as far as we can go with revenue sharing at this point.

"I think we all agree that competitive balance is an issue and if there was a way to put together an enlightened form of a salary cap, I think everybody among the ownership parties would support it. I think it's quite possible to put together a partnership between the players and owners going forward. I think it's something that should be at least explored."
"You have to make an intelligent, persuasive case for it," Lucchino said, "but I do look around and I see a hockey league, a basketball league and a football league all with forms of a salary cap or a payroll system.

"And I think that it's as inevitable as tomorrow that there will be some kind of system like that in baseball. It's just not as imminent as tomorrow."

Lucchino preferred the phrase "payroll zone" to "salary cap" and said all teams would have to be within that zone.

"That's being addressed at the highest levels by baseball and its labor negotiators," he said.
Anything to stop the big bad Yankees, huh?

Too bad these fools don't realize the Yankees have actually cut payroll this year.

If only the Red Sox and the rest of the league could run a business as well as the Yankees have over the last 10+ years. Then, maybe there wouldn't be these cries for a salary cap.

Another thing that bothers me is when I hear the Sox, who always have one of the highest payrolls in the league, crying. It's one thing when the Pittsburgh Pirates are bitching and moaning about money, but the Red Sox? Come on. What a bunch of crap.

I'm sorry you idiots lost out of Teixeira, but get over it and move on.

9 Comments:

Anonymous said...

it's pretty comical how they consistently whine each year but don't realize that money doesn't buy championships- the yanks haven't one since 2000 why are you still complaining? players just don't want to be a part of their piece of shit that they call a franchise

Anonymous said...

Anon,

Strong language, but agreed. This is sour grapes, just like when the Yankees stole Contreras and the Red Sox complained about the evil empire. Teixeira wanted to be a YANKEE, not a Red Sock. Period. It wasn't about the money! I can only hope that Tex hits .300 with 35 HR, 125 RBI and CC wins 22 games and AJ leads the league in k's again. If all that happens, it will be an incredible ride!

nutballgazette said...

Yawn..

Anonymous said...

Its funny they are still upset they didn't get Teixeira. If Boston did sign Teixeira the yankees payroll compared to the red sox payroll wouldn't be that big of a difference.

Anonymous said...

Red Sox owners always whine like babies whenever they lose out on a player to the Yankees. They have a higher payroll than 98% of teams. They should just be honest and say they are upset that the yankees are making more money and spending more on there team and we want to control that. Instead of the BS of competitive balance for the game.

Mike B. said...

Those Boston "klowns" sure look like a bunch of cry babies, no? They must hate us even more now that we have a new stadium....

Mike

Anonymous said...

players just don't want to be a part of their piece of shit that they call a -strike-franchise-/strike- city

Boston's franchise could be almost as powerful as the Yankee one. Except that have no idea how to do marketing. "Redsox Nation". Literally driving people to be anything but Boston fans.

Anonymous said...

"They have a higher payroll than 98% of teams..."

Uh... there's a reason for that...

If the Red Sox weren't in the same division as the Yanks, they wouldn't be spending what they do spend to "keep up" with the Yanks...

Ya gotta be realistic about the whole thing people...

Anonymous said...

Revenue sharing has gone as far as it can? In case Henry missed it, while the Yankees have been printing money, at least 8(His Red Sox being one) different teams have won the world series this decade. The fact that quite a few wild card teams getting to the series is also being over looked. If that's not a sign of parity and competitive balance, what is?