MLB Manifesto

I've had it with MLB. Small market teams like my Reds are nothing more than a farm system for teams like the Yankees, who now have former Red's stars like Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier. Currently the good players they do have are rumored to be traded soon cuz they are "rebuilding" and are just too good to be Reds anymore. And here I thought that rebuilding meant holding on to your good players. Silly me.

So here is my proposal. The current system of dividing up divisions based upon location is inadequate and archaic. Ever since the last baseball strike the system has been out of skew. Now there is no limit as to how much a player can make and the smaller market teams simply cannot pay what the elite players require. So to address this problem, what should be done is dividing the divisions based upon payroll. That means all the high payroll teams will be in their own division and all the low payroll teams in their divisions.

That way the have not's can have a better shot at going to the playoffs, where a 3 or 4 game series can possibly go in favor of the underdog lower payroll teams.

I usually stop watching about June because the Reds are usually out of the race by then, and I'm sure less and less people even follow these losing small market teams at all anymore. This would revitalize MLB and give hope to those who have no current hope. Or we can just let baseball die.

Originally posted by @whodey
I've had it with MLB. Small market teams like my Reds are nothing more than a farm system for teams like the Yankees, who now have former Red's stars like Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier. Currently the good players they do have are rumored to be traded soon cuz they are "rebuilding" and are just too good to be Reds anymore. And here I thought that rebuil ...[text shortened]... evitalize MLB and give hope to those who have no current hope. Or we can just let baseball die.

It has been proven that big money does not necessarily make a winning team, as was the case for the Oakland A's, told in the movie 'Moneyball'.

Good management, players and team chemistry matter more than big dollar players. Look at A-Rod, a bust for the Yankees.

The Reds? Maybe it's a Pete Rose curse? And they will see victory again in 70 or so years?

Originally posted by @chaney3
It has been proven that big money does not necessarily make a winning team, as was the case for the Oakland A's, told in the movie 'Moneyball'.

Good management, players and team chemistry matter more than big dollar players. Look at A-Rod, a bust for the Yankees.

The Reds? Maybe it's a Pete Rose curse? And they will see victory again in 70 or so years?

Moneyball was a movie that essentially proves my point.

Small market teams have next to no chance.

Even though the A's created a system where they had good seasons, it was, and will never be, enough to compete with the big dogs in the post season.

Originally posted by @whodey
I've had it with MLB. Small market teams like my Reds are nothing more than a farm system for teams like the Yankees, who now have former Red's stars like Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier. Currently the good players they do have are rumored to be traded soon cuz they are "rebuilding" and are just too good to be Reds anymore. And here I thought that rebuil ...[text shortened]... evitalize MLB and give hope to those who have no current hope. Or we can just let baseball die.

Here is a better idea. Let's admit baseball is simply an American rip off of the European game of cricket, just as football is an American rip odd of European game of rugby. I say we let both American games die. Europe does sports better! (This from an American) 🙂

Originally posted by @mchill
Here is a better idea. Let's admit baseball is simply an American rip off of the European game of cricket, just as football is an American rip odd of European game of rugby. I say we let both American games die. Europe does sports better! (This from an American) 🙂

Baseball is far superior to cricket, sorry.

Watching cricket is like watching grass grow.

Originally posted by @mchill
Here is a better idea. Let's admit baseball is simply an American rip off of the European game of cricket, just as football is an American rip odd of European game of rugby. I say we let both American games die. Europe does sports better! (This from an American) 🙂

Here, Here !

At least they should modify the rules of baseball (and nfl)
Like in cricket, if you hit the ball over the fence you should get another go. I mean just one hit ... and all the fielders in a 90* arc?

Originally posted by @whodey
Baseball is far superior to cricket, sorry.

Watching cricket is like watching grass grow.

That's the beauty of test cricket

Originally posted by @mchill
Here is a better idea. Let's admit baseball is simply an American rip off of the European game of cricket, just as football is an American rip odd of European game of rugby. I say we let both American games die. Europe does sports better! (This from an American) 🙂

well as long as the Yankees don't win I'll be happy.

Originally posted by @whodey
I've had it with MLB. Small market teams like my Reds are nothing more than a farm system for teams like the Yankees, who now have former Red's stars like Aroldis Chapman and Todd Frazier. Currently the good players they do have are rumored to be traded soon cuz they are "rebuilding" and are just too good to be Reds anymore. And here I thought that rebuil ...[text shortened]... evitalize MLB and give hope to those who have no current hope. Or we can just let baseball die.

This is essentially a version of the salary cap argument that other leagues have used to limit payrolls in a futile attempt to "even the playing field". But while the NFL, NBA and NHL have salary caps, there's greater parity in the MLB than any other major league in the US. Why does anyone other than the Cavs and Warriors even play basketball anymore?

Meanwhile 8 different teams have played in the last 5 World Series. The only teams to play in more than one WS in the last 5 years were the Royals (#19 in payroll) and Giants (#7 in payroll). The two highest payrolls in baseball (Yankees and Dodgers) have been watching the World Series from home for each of the past 8 years.

The Reds need to take some lessons from the Royals, Indians (#17 in payroll) and Astros (#18 in payroll). These teams don't spend $86 million on Chapman to pitch 35 innings a year (the Yankees seriously pay him $200k per inning. Dumb money). Instead they build from within, and make smart trades. Despite having a payroll less than half of the Dodgers, they are three of the best teams in baseball. One of these small market teams has been represented in the World Series in each of the last three years. Your Reds are doing it wrong.

Did the Reds get anything good in return for trading Chapman? If not, they made a mistake and someone should be fired.

Originally posted by @wildgrass
This is essentially a version of the salary cap argument that other leagues have used to limit payrolls in a futile attempt to "even the playing field". But while the NFL, NBA and NHL have salary caps, there's greater parity in the MLB than any other major league in the US. Why does anyone other than the Cavs and Warriors even play basketball anymore?

...[text shortened]... ing good in return for trading Chapman? If not, they made a mistake and someone should be fired.

I am a Yankees fan, but did not realize that Chapman gets 200k per inning.

Disgusting!!!!!

MLB, along with most pro sports is out of control.

Good post, unlike in science. 🙂

The post that was quoted here has been removed

"Diverse".

Read: colonised by the USA.

Guam, Puerto Rico (no taxation without representation, remind me what happened to that?), the rest of the Caribbean, and post-Hiroshima Japan.

In the rest of the (read: the civilised) world, it's a decidedly minor sport, usually better known as a grade-school game called "rounders" or "slagbal".

Stop fooling yourself, you silly Merkin. Nobody but you and your colonies care about your game.

Originally posted by @chaney3
I am a Yankees fan, but did not realize that Chapman gets 200k per inning.

Disgusting!!!!!

MLB, along with most pro sports is out of control.

Good post, unlike in science. 🙂

I am a scientist, so it's kind of my thing.

But baseball is craaazy. If you want to make money in sports, that's the spot. I think the Yanks paid Carl Pavano $40 million and he (generously) might have pitched in total 30 games.