Yankees - Red Sox

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

If its September, it must be time for another Yankees - Red Sox pennant race.

I don't know how this will end, but the schedule sure favors the Yankees.

BTW, that acquisition of Gagne by the Red Sox was GENIUS! Pure genius.

[onebugle]

A usual, another exciting race for the pennant between the Red Sox & Yankess. Wouildn't want it any other way.

Give the Yanks a little credit ( ), they have been red hot since the All Star break after a lack luster start. Red Sox pitching has been faultering as of late, but to change tonight with a pitching change. Buchholz to pitch setting up the rotation for the playoffs...Beckett, Matsuzaka & Shilling.

BTW, that acquisition of Gagne by the Red Sox was GENIUS! Pure genius.

Maybe in the eyes of the Yankees after blowing the game last night.

The way Arod has been playing (homeruns)....he looks like a candidate for steroid testing.

[nyckftbl]

If its September, it must be time for another Yankees - Red Sox pennant race.

I don't know how this will end, but the schedule sure favors the Yankees.

BTW, that acquisition of Gagne by the Red Sox was GENIUS! Pure genius.

Its amazing how many Red Sox fans are saying that the recent slide has been due to Manny being out.


But 4 months ago, when Wang and Matsui were on the DL, and Damon, Mussina, and others were playing hurt, that was no excuse for the Sox to jump out to a big lead, according to those same fans. Unreal.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

A usual, another exciting race for the pennant between the Red Sox & Yankess. Wouildn't want it any other way.

Give the Yanks a little credit ( ), they have been red hot since the All Star break after a lack luster start. Red Sox pitching has been faultering as of late, but to change tonight with a pitching change. Buchholz to pitch setting up the rotation for the playoffs...Beckett, Matsuzaka & Shilling.



Maybe in the eyes of the Yankees after blowing the game last night.

The way Arod has been playing (homeruns)....he looks like a candidate for steroid testing.

Has Gagne done anything since he has been with the Red Sox? My last recollection was he had an ERA of about 9.

As far as A-Rod, if he hadn't been hitting a gazillion HR's since he was about 12, I would agree. The guy has been a HR hitter his entire career. It is highly unlikely he is using steroids.

[onebugle]

Has Gagne done anything since he has been with the Red Sox? My last recollection was he had an ERA of about 9.

Gagne has been pitching pretty good since the acquisition...3W-2L, 4.18 ERA, 16 saves (2nd to Papelbon) & 3 HR's. The bullpen has been stella all year, they seem to be in a rut right now with not getting the job done.

Its amazing how many Red Sox fans are saying that the recent slide has been due to Manny being out.

Manny may be a good ballplayer, but I'm not a real fan of his. His attitude, lack of hustle on occasions, and the most minor injuries seem to sideline him when the Bosox need him, just rubs me the wrong way. If the Sox got rid of him tomorrow, wouldn't bother me a bit. Some of the rookies, like Elsbury, have stepped up to the plate and have been playing great ball and are the furure for the Sox.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Gagne has been pitching pretty good since the acquisition...3W-2L, 4.18 ERA, 16 saves (2nd to Papelbon) & 3 HR's. The bullpen has been stella all year, they seem to be in a rut right now with not getting the job done.



Manny may be a good ballplayer, but I'm not a real fan of his. His attitude, lack of hustle on occasions, and the most minor injuries seem to sideline him when the Bosox need him, just rubs me the wrong way. If the Sox got rid of him tomorrow, wouldn't bother me a bit. Some of the rookies, like Elsbury, have stepped up to the plate and have been playing great ball and are the furure for the Sox.

One of the Yankee announcers was talking about this the other night. He was pointing out all the Yankee and Red Sox players that were playing hurt. He stressed how it was the last 20 games of the season and how important every inning is.

Then there's Manny...

I hate Manny.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Manny's been out on the injured reserve list and has missed the last 20 games...

[jsdobson]

Why is everybody forgetting either team will have to go through Cleveland if they want to win the pennant? By the end of the season, the Tribe will have the best winning percentage in the AL and have home field advantage.

Now would be a good time for me to practice my "duck and cover drill."

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Why is everybody forgetting either team will have to go through Cleveland if they want to win the pennant? By the end of the season, the Tribe will have the best winning percentage in the AL and have home field advantage.

Now would be a good time for me to practice my "duck and cover drill."

Not for nothin', but there are alot of HS teams that could go .500 in the AL Central. Cleveland would be a relief. Anahiem scares the hell out of me.

[MPVFD2046]

"Red Sox Win The Pennant!"

Ok, now that I have cast my vote for the 'Sox, I am ready to watch the Yanks and Sox battle it; time to watch a few great games of baseball between the two.

[BFDNJFF]

Why is everybody forgetting either team will have to go through Cleveland if they want to win the pennant? By the end of the season, the Tribe will have the best winning percentage in the AL and have home field advantage.

Now would be a good time for me to practice my "duck and cover drill."

Yankees have swept Cleveland the whole season so far..........

[Jasper 45]

Another Yankees-Red Sox pennant race? It just goes to show how much MLB needs to take after the NFL as far as shared revenue and parity.

[GeorgeWendtCFI]

Another Yankees-Red Sox pennant race? It just goes to show how much MLB needs to take after the NFL as far as shared revenue and parity.

Wrong.

If baseball needs to do anything, it needs to encourage the owners to invest their profits back into their team. Why don't you go back to the last several WS champs and runners up and see which ones went to the Series and then had a "fire sale" the next year to get the most value from their "stars". The Yankees and Red Sox ar not afraid to spend money on premiere players.

But the Yankees, for example, have a plethora of homegrown stars on their payroll. Jeter, Posada, Cano, Cabrera, Hughes, Chamberlain, Phillips, etc. Your argument does not hold water. It also has zero to do with this thread.

It's a bitch when facts get in the way of your argument, huh?

[Bones42]

Ya know, I've been a long time Red Sox fan, but I have to admit that George is right. The Yankees invest in their team. They run a quality organization year after year after year...

I'd rather they lose, but I definitely respect their organization.

[Jasper 45]

It's a bitch when facts get in the way of your argument, huh?

What facts? The fact that small market teams will never be able to compete with the bank account of teams like the Yankees? I would also be surprised if there wasn't any "homegrown" talent on the Yankees roster, I mean really, how many people live in the metro area? It would be a far bigger story if a star was homegrown and played here. Of course then it would just be a matter of time before the blank check lured them to some other team.

Revenue sharing and a salary cap would do wonders for MLB, as it has for the NFL. If you look closely at the salary cap, and the rules that make it up, there would be no fire sales after a championship. It would cripple them, as it did to the 49ers and the Cowboys when they wrote out blank checks to guys not worth it. I think that what teams like the Marlins and Diamondbacks did cheapens the game, just my opinion, but it cheapens it. I would also like to see the Yankees try and keep a championship caliber team when they can't just write out a ridiculous check to solve it.
I think you really need to get outside of the realm of the Yankees, and see what it's like from the other perspective. Not every team has a deep pockets owner who can outbid every other team in baseball. Sure, teams like the Red Sox and Yanks spend a lot of money, because they are in markets that give them a ton of money. I'm quite sure they could out spend every other team out there, except for southern California. I leave out the Cubs because they are just doomed to choke no matter how much they spend .


What's the matter, afraid of real competition?
Parity has made just about every team in the NFL capable of being a contender, and it keeps a lot more people interested for a lot longer into the season, and it keeps them in the stands. It would also keep people spending their money on their teams.
Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of baseball, and love to watch Jeter play. However, if it wasn't for the fact that my team is actually in a pennant race for the first time in 25 years, I probably wouldn't have even watched any baseball after training camp broke. And that fact IS bad for baseball.

Facts in the way of my argument? Maybe if you live in New York.

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Small market teams or not... all of the major league sports franchises are merely "toys" or "hobbies" for their owners, who have to be mutimillionaire/billionaires in order to "play".

[Jasper 45]

Small market teams or not... all of the major league sports franchises are merely "toys" or "hobbies" for their owners, who have to be mutimillionaire/billionaires in order to "play".

I won't disagree with you Chief. I just think there are a few flaws in MLB right now, not a big deal, but some flaws. Believe it, come time for the fall classic, baseball loses a lot of people whose teams never had a shot. Paricularly those who get relegated to watching AAA pitchers brought up to gain some 'experience' in the show.

It's a great game and a great league, but it could be even better. I don't think there is any disputing that the NFL has it right, and is getting better every year.
Heck, even my team doesn't have a billionaire owner using it as his little toy for entertainment.

[nyckftbl]

I won't disagree with you Chief. I just think there are a few flaws in MLB right now, not a big deal, but some flaws. Believe it, come time for the fall classic, baseball loses a lot of people whose teams never had a shot. Paricularly those who get relegated to watching AAA pitchers brought up to gain some 'experience' in the show.

It's a great game and a great league, but it could be even better. I don't think there is any disputing that the NFL has it right, and is getting better every year.
Heck, even my team doesn't have a billionaire owner using it as his little toy for entertainment.

I can still get 5 dollar tickets to a Yankee game. Granted, the seats arent great, but its doable.

Cheapest Giants and Jets tickets are $70...even for preseason.


Parity is much harder to achieve in baseball, when you have 82 home games, and the Yankees have an average attendance of around 50,000 per game. Why should Steinbrenner have to pay for the Marlins, or any other "small market" team that routinely sells less than 10,000 for a game?

[Jasper 45]

I can still get 5 dollar tickets to a Yankee game. Granted, the seats arent great, but its doable.

And here I can get 4 dollar standing room only/obstructed view seats.

Cheapest Giants and Jets tickets are $70...even for preseason.

Cheapest face value for a seat in Lambeau Field is $66, I think. Not that you'll be able to get them for face value. I don't think you can compare the face value price straight up. Like you pointed out, there are eight home games in the NFL compared to 81 in baseball.

Parity is much harder to achieve in baseball, when you have 82 home games, and the Yankees have an average attendance of around 50,000 per game. Why should Steinbrenner have to pay for the Marlins, or any other "small market" team that routinely sells less than 10,000 for a game?

If you want good attendance and popularity accross the board, shared revenue is a good thing. The reason there are less than 10,000 people at some of these games is because they are 25-30 games out of first place every season.
I've had that first hand here, and have seen what it's like. This is the first time in 25 years that the Brewers are in a bonified pennant race. The attendance shows it, as well. People are going out to the park, people are buying their merchandise and are generally excited about baseball. It's alot like it was back in '81 and '82, not that I remember it that well being 10, but it was fun.
It's tough to stay interested in the sport when spring training starts, and you know that your team has no chance at all. It also bites when you know there is no chance for a big-name free agent to sign with your team. Try to consider A-Rod in a Royals uniform, or even theink back to Gary Sheffield's first couple of years in the majors. Do you even know where he played those first couple of seasons? He bragged about tanking plays so that he would be traded.

I don't know if shared revenue would work. I do know that it works in the NFL. There was a time when the Packers were the wasteland of the NFL. Players went there as a punishment. There were other places as bleak and as desperate as Green Bay was. Shared revenue, salary caps and unrestricted free agency were all tools designed to help make more teams competetive, and improve the league as a whole.
Take a trip to Kansas City and see how much excitement there is with baseball right now, or Tampa.
i would think that Steinbrenner would want all of baseball to be more successfull. Maybe he doesn't care, and maybe Yankees and Red Sox fans don't care, I really don't know. If they don't care, then maybe we should just dump all the small market teams out of baseball, and only have 10 or 12 teams in all. That could be another solution.

I do know that in years past, come September, the Brewers would draw 5,000-10,000 total for those games. This year, with a pennant race in high gear, every home game left is already sold out.

[Bones42]

Interesting thought. Let's support the "fair weather" fans by forcing good players to go to bad organizations.