These days I am constantly hearing that the Red Sox and Yankees are ruining baseball. The argument is constantly about payroll and how much they spend to bring free agents aboard. I am told that they are responsible for free agents leaving their teams and they drive up the prices of all players on the free agent market.

            But could it actually be the other way around? Might it be that the 28 other teams are in fact driving up the prices on Boston and New York?

            That's not to say that these two teams have never overpaid for a free agent. Most recently the Red Sox signed outfielder J.D. Drew to a $14 million a year contract, and the Yankees are paying Johnny Damon the same amount to be a fourth outfielder and part time designated hitter. But, if the Red Sox were willing to give J.D. $14 million, then somebody must have been offering 12 or 13. We know the Red Sox were willing to go as high as $11 million a year for Damon, but no more.

            A lot of the Red Sox talent has been acquired by trade, then signed to contract extensions. Most notably Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, and Jason Varitek. For a while there, Pedro Martinez was the highest paid pitcher in baseball after the Sox picked up his $17.5 million option for the 2004 season. Curt Schilling's highest paycheck was for $14 million, and both Beckett and Varitek are signed for $10 million per season.

Some of the high profile Yankees includes Derek Jeter ($18 million), Alex Rodriguez (contract pending reportedly $27.5 million), Jorge Posada ($14 million) and Mariano Rivera ($15 million).

            Now, you can argue that all these players are over paid in terms of our "real life" salaries (Sox included), but if we use them to determine the market value of a free agent, this is as good a sample as any.

            It's general consensus that Alex Rodriguez is the best player in baseball. Something I could argue but not too much avail. I could build a case for Albert Pujols but let's not go there. So as the best player in the game, he is being paid for it. Just like you should if you're the best at what you do.

            From the stand point of what a player means to a city or an organization, it would be impossible to say any one has done more then Derek Jeter. He already has 4 World Series titles, is arguably the most clutch player in the game, and looks poised to challenge Pete Rose as the all time hits leader.

Pedro Martinez put together what I will say is the most impressive career resume of any pitcher to ever play the game. This counts the all time greats such as Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, and Bob Gibson to name a few. The owner of the best winning percentage in the history of the game, he has compiled 209 victories (only 93 losses), and 3,030 strikeouts. All this while posting a microscopic ERA of 2.80 while the league average of ERA over the span of his career is 4.26. That's almost 2 runs better then league average. These numbers were obtained while pitching through the steroid era.

Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett are two of the best postseason pitchers the game has ever seen. Schilling has one more year in which he hopes to add to his already impressive 11-2 record (3 World Series titles), and Beckett already has a 6-2 postseason record (2 World Series titles) at the age of 27.

And who could forget Mariano Rivera? Despite still trailing Lee Smith and Trevor Hoffman in career saves, he is hands down, the best closer of all time. 4 World Series titles, 443 career saves, and a 2.35 ERA. And then there's the postseason where he is 8-1 with 34 saves and a miniscule 0.77 ERA.

All the players mentioned (I hope) are mutually agreeable the best players in the game, and have proved their worth, season after season. So then, why don't we explore some of the big money, free agent signings over the past few seasons? And since there's no time like the present, we can start there.

• Torii Hunter- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim- $18 million/season- Torii hunter is a good player, but far from a great one. No stranger to the high light reel, he is a perennial gold glove winner. But on the offensive side of things, not so much. Over 11 major league seasons, hunter has never hit over .300 and has only drove in 100 runs twice. His OBP is .324, which is as good as some players career averages. So why then is he being paid like one of the games best run producers? Normally you don't pay some one that kind of money for their defensive prowess. The Angels already have the same kind of player for $8 million less per season in Gary Matthews JR.
• Andruw Jones- Los Angeles Dodgers- $18/season- Andruw is a player who has a lot in common with Torii Hunter. He to can be seen on Sport Center making the highlight reel grab, but he is more of a run producer then Hunter. But like Hunter, in 12 seasons Jones has batted over .300 only once (.303 in 2000). He holds a career average of .263 and OBP .342. He is more of a power threat having hit 368 homers and driving in 1,117 runs. However, since 2000 when he hit over .300 he has been hovering around the .260 mark. That is until this past season when he posted a paltry .222 batting average and a .311 OBP while slugging a career low .413. Do I need to mention that he strikes out almost twice as much as he walks? Seems like a hefty investment for a player who appears to be on the decline, moving into a pitchers park.
• Francisco Cordero- Cincinnati Reds- $11.5 million/season- Cordero converted 44 of 51 saves last season while going 0-4 with a 2.98 ERA and striking out 86 in 63 1/3 innings. He was stellar in the first half of the season, which got him elected to his second All-Star game. But he faltered in the second half of the season. In 3.1 innings pitched at The Great American Ball Park last year he posted a 5.40 ERA. Not the greatest sample size but it could be the sign of things to come over the next 4 years. He is making money in the vicinity of Mariano Rivera but he is nowhere near the caliber closer as Rivera. If Rivera sets the market value after all he's accomplished, what will it be in the future for guys like Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jonathon Papelbon?
• Eric Gagne- Milwaukee Brewers- $10 million/ 1year- what is there to say here really? There was a time when Gagne was the cream of the crop but then suffered injury after injury. We thought he was back last year when he was with Texas as he posted a 2.13 ERA and 16 saves over the first half of the season for a terrible Rangers team. After waiving his no trade clause to head to Boston he went 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in just 20 appearances. Despite his second half debacle he still managed to finish the season with a record of 4-2 and a 3.81 ERA in 54 appearances. If his struggles derived from switching from a closer to a set-up man, his problems as a member of the brew crew could continue if Derrick Turnbow is called upon for closing duties. If Gagne is the closer, this may end up being a good deal. Keep in mind his numbers will be skewed as he will be pitching in the worst division in baseball, the NL Central. Still, I don't know if he will give me 10 million reasons to justify that kind of contract.

Some other questionable signings from the past couple of years

• Barry Zito- San Francisco Giants- 7 years/ $126 million- The first pitcher to eclipse Pedro Martinez's annual salary. I think I built a pretty good case as for the value of a pitcher of Pedro's caliber. Zito had 2 good years in which he won a combined 40 games. He also took home the Cy Young award in 2002. Other then that the only thing he's proved is that he's durable. In the seasons since he has been floating around .500. You can argue that maybe Oakland didn't give him enough run support, but great pitchers find a way to win. He is a good pitcher but again he is not great. And where his AL numbers should have translated into NL dominance, especially in pitcher friendly AT&T Park, Zito went 11-13 with a 4.53 ERA. Not that small market Oakland could have afforded him, but when Billy Bean is done with you, it's usually not a good sign. This also paved the way to the contract extension of the next guy.
• Carlos Zambrano- Chicago Cubs- 5 years/$91.5 million- is there a fierier competitor than Big Z? I think not. I don't have a problem with the signing here. Zambrano is always good for 200 innings and plenty of fire works. The Cubs needed to keep their ace from walking and had to pay the price to do so. At 26 years old it appears his best years are still ahead of him. But it's because of these 2 contracts that Johan Santana will be able to command a yearly salary between $20 and $25 million. To me that is flat out ridiculous. Not that I don't think he's talented, he's been the best in baseball for the last 5 years, but that's a lot of money to commit to any player that can only help you win once every 5 days. But again, the Giants and the Cubs have set the market for Santana to be "worthy" of that kind of payday, not the big dogs of the AL East.
• A.J. Burnett and Gil Meche- Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals- 5 years/ $55 million- When Burnett signed his contract I think we were all shocked. Nobody can deny the guy has stuff, but he was a game under .500 for his career and often injured. The Meche signing seemed to be questionable but Ol' Gil proved his worth last season. Despite going 9-13 he logged 216 innings with a nifty 3.67 ERA, Meche also served as a valuable mentor to youngsters Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke. Another thing for a team like Kansas City is they have to be willing to over pay a free agent in order for them to sign there. This is fine by me, as it will hopefully make them more competitive as well as more of an attractive destination. But at the same time it has a direct effect on the entire landscape of the free agent market. Agents can now go to a team and say "well my guy is better then this guy, and he's making $11 million."

            I think all the above are fine examples of organization's who have made their mark and helped to change the way players get paid. There are other examples but that's certainly a strong enough outline. So next time you start complaining that your team can't afford what the Yankees and Red Sox are paying the big time free agents. When you're mad that they've left over a couple of million dollars more. Remember that yes, they may have deeper pockets and can afford to pay that little bit extra. But it might be your team that's responsible for what the market is.

Winter meetings have officially come and gone and unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot of action. The big winner with out a doubt is the motor city kitties. Out of nowhere they came in and pulled off a deal for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis that surprised everyone. Other then that, the only real significant move was the Los Angeles Dodgers over paying for the services of center fielder Andruw Jones.

Andruw is a good player, but lets face it, he's not as good as advertised. He's winning gold gloves off of name recognition and has been deemed "uncoachable" by a organization that is renowned for its coaching abilities. Every year he comes into camp a little heftier and a little cockier. His batting average is on a steady decline and that's no good when your best year is hitting .303 and you own a .261 career average. One would have to assume that even though he is still relatively young, much like Johnny Damon, his years of wall slamming and full extension dives are finally catching up with him. Unlike Damon, Andruw will not be able to be used as a DH to alleviate some of that wear and tear of a long season.

To me the big story should be the move that didn't happen. And no, I'm not talking about Johan Santana. It's the other team with Los Angeles in its name that leaves me scratching my head. This is a team that always has solid starting pitching and a fantastic bullpen, but never has enough thump to get back to the World Series.

I love the brand of baseball they play, and think that Mike Scioscia is the best manger in the game. He's the most aggressive manager out there, and he's not afraid to put the pressure on his opponent all the time. It's a style that works well given the personnel he has but it can only carry them so far.

The AL West should be the Angels division to loose over the next 2 or 3 years. They have enough starting pitching to get the job done. Jon Lackey and Kelvim Escobar are great and often overlooked anchors at the top of the rotation. Add the services of Jon Garland a former 18 game winner who has proved he can eat up 200 innings of your season, mix in a little Jarod Weaver, add a pinch of an emerging Joe Saunders, and you've got a recipe for success.

The problem they have when they get to the playoffs is the lack of real power threats. Once you get passed Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson, if any one hits one out of the park it comes as a surprise. Torii Hunter is a nice player, but he doesn't really scare enough pitchers to stop them from pitching around Vlad. And it's not as if there is a whole lot of power in front of them. Now factor in this year they will be without the services of Orlando Cabrera.

This is a team that last year hit a total of 129 homers narrowly beating out the Twins and the Royals, and tying the Nationals for 28th in the Majors. Once they get into the playoffs, they don't match up real well with the lineups that the Indians, Yankees, Red Sox and the Tigers will put out on the field.

They had all the pieces to satisfy the Marlins needs to bring Miguel Cabrera aboard. For the better part of 3 weeks they were perceived to be the favorites to land him, but were unwilling to part with prospects to acquire the best available young bat in the game. Cabrera is certainly young enough that after you trade a few prospects, you could shift gears and build your franchise around him.

But it's to late now. The Tigers have completed the deal and I don't think they'll be willing to trade him anytime soon. GM Dave Dombrowski did the right thing. He wasn't afraid to part with his prospects in order to obtain a proven player who looks to be Cooperstown bound. Now the entire American League is faced with the unfortunate task of dealing with it.

To the Angles front office I say this. I don't know what your next move is. But I have a good idea what it should have been.

4 Years ago the Detroit Tigers were a laughing stock that featured 2 20-game losers. 2 years ago they were a World Series team, and the best story of the baseball season. Last year they were a disappointment. Today, they are big winners.

In a surprise move GM Dave Dombrowski proved he gets it. Prospects are great, but when you have talent already in place, they are of better use to help your ball club win right now. By trading his last 2 first round picks (Cameron Mayberry and Andrew Miller) he was able to acquire the biggest bat available on the market. Oh, and he also got a pretty talented pitcher to go along with it.

That's right folks; Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are now Tigers. And those Tigers are immediate favorites to win the World Series. This line up looks to be sensational: Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera, Gary Sheffield, Carlos Guillen, Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria, and either Jacque Jones or Marcus Thames batting ninth. There are no holes here. I guess if you had to say one bad thing it would be that there is not enough left handed balance, but that's pushing it.

This looks like a team that should have no problems scoring 1000 runs next year. And if the pitching is adequate they should easily be playoff bound. A couple of questions do exist for that staff though. The first is the health of Jeremy Bonderman. I'm not sure he's truly healthy. I remember watching Matt Clement in 2005 and noticing how flat his slider was. He ended up needing surgery at the beginning of the 2006 season. I saw the same thing with Bonderman last year. No drastic change in velocity, but a really flat slider.

Another concern in the rotation comes when talking about the gambler, Kenny Rogers. Rogers will be 42 this year and is coming off of surgery for a blood clot in his throwing arm, and was then sidelined by elbow problems late in the year.

There is one subplot here that should not go overlooked, and could be settled in 2 weeks. I'm talking about George Mitchell's report. The Tigers have 3 players that I believe could be implemented for using performance-enhancing drugs. The first is obvious. We all know that Gary Sheffield was involved in the BALCO investigations. It shouldn't affect Sheffield seeing how he's played for 4 years since testifying to a federal grand jury.

The man affectionately known as Pudge, Ivan Rodriguez's name could come out in this investigation too. From 1999-2001 Rodriguez produced over 20 home runs including a 1999 campaign (when performance enhancers are said to have been at their peak) where he mashed 35 round trippers. Since then he has failed to record a single season with 20 homers.

Pudge played the first part of his career in Texas. Follow the Canseco trail, and it isn't hard to figure out that steroids ended up in the long horn state. Juan Gonzales, Raphael Palmeiro, Pudge, and I'll even be really bold and mention the name Alex Rodriguez.

Although it's been long forgotten and written off as one of Ozzie Guillens insane rants, but he still said it. When being traded from the White Sox, manager Ozzie Guillen went on a profanity laced tirade in which he said  "He's a piece of [bleep]. He's a [bleep], that's what he is. He's another Venezuelan [bleep]. [Bleep] him. He has an enemy. Now he has a big one. He knows I can [bleep] him a lot of different ways. He better shut the [bleep] up and play for the Detroit Tigers."

The part that stands out most to me is this, "he knows I can [bleep] him a lot of different ways". Sounds like Ozzie's got some dirt on Maggs. Could he be referring to some sort of steroid use? That was my immediate thought when the quote came out.

All this aside, The Tigers look primed for a deep October run.

 

 

 

 

What does it mean to be a fan? To put it simply it means that you are devoted to a team or sport, or an enthusiast. If you like a team or a sport then far be it for me to tell you to change your opinion. After all, who am I to tell you what it is you do or don't like.

As they say, "you can't help who you love" the same is true in sports. Most of our love for teams comes from the geographical region we live in. Of course there are exceptions, and winning usually has something to do with it. Be honest with your selves America, we all love a winner. We hate to follow something to the end, only to watch as it ends in defeat.

Most of what I am getting ready to reference will be related to the Yankees and Red Sox rivalries. It's where I see it the most due to the teams I follow, but I'm willing to bet that it can be said of many different markets and that everyone can relate to it.

I am tired of the insults being thrown around over such a trivial thing. I love sports, always have. I love the competition and the drama, as well as the history and all developing story lines. But I am smart enough to know that the athletes participating, for the most part, could really care less about me. They are out there to make a living. Yes, they might enjoy living in the city that we route for, but they are not there for us.

Yesterday was really the breaking point for me. I live in western Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh. I am a New England native, and because of the regional influence, I grew up a Patriots fan. This is a franchise with an abysmal history, which has been forgotten do to its recent success. As a franchise they are only slightly over .500.

So I'm sitting in the bar eating my dinner and cheering for the Pats. Keep in mind they are playing a Pittsburgh rival, but it seems to be forgotten because they are not currently winning. A guy comes over and says to me " you routing for the Patriots?"

"Yeah, they're my team."

"What are you? Some sort of Homo?"

Are you serious? For those of you wondering, the answer is no, but that's really here nor there. Why should someone's sexuality be questioned over a sports team they like? In a weird way, I kind of view it as borderline racism.

Later in the evening I'm logged on to the Fox Sports website to see what the latest is on the Johan Santana deal. I believe it was apiece written by Kenny Rosenthal, who has pretty good inside knowledge. As I scroll down to see what's been said about the article, I see this posted. "ANY ONE WHO LIKES THE RED SOX IS A  F*U*C*K*I*N*G* F*A*G*G*O*T* WHO TAKES IT IN THE A*S*S*"

Um, are you kidding me? I'm a Red Sox fan and my anus has never been penetrated. This is just plain sad really. The poster should be ashamed of themselves. You look like a total ignoramus who is completely incapable of producing one original thought suitable for civilized debate. But, if that's how you need to go through life to justify your existence, so be it. Again, it's your opinion and who am I?

The other stuff was just stupid banter. Mostly about 2 world series in the past 7 years as opposed to none. Yankees fans chime back with 26. Look Yankees fans; I told you I appreciate the history of the game as much as anybody. I'm glad that you do to. But most of you I'm willing to bet were born in the 80's and I ask you this. How many of those 26 have you been around to enjoy?

I'm a Celtics fan but last time they won I was 2. I don't go rubbing in the history of the franchise to a Spurs fan who's team is the best going right now.

And Sox fans, shut up!  I'm one of you, but shut up. We should be grateful that we have gotten to see in our life times what our grandparents never saw, and our parents thought they would never see. Be thankful we saw it twice. Be excited about the future. In the grand scheme of things, how much does a World Series or Super Bowl championship factor into validating our existence?  It gives us something to cheer about and brings closure to a season we've been following but that's it really.

It's something to talk about. And that's the really great thing that sports give us. Something new every day. And I'll tell you this. If I had spent my entire life not engaging in conversations with people due to a team they liked, I would have cheated myself out of some truly great friendships. 

When it comes to routing for your team sports nation I ask this from you. Cheer for your team. Follow them, even when times are tough. It makes the good times that much better. But like your team does, respect the other team. As big a rivalry as Sox, Yanks is, you hear it from them all the time. The players will say how they don't hate each other; they have respect for what the other guy's do.

And real quickly here, Fox Sports. Please don't give me the "Hogger treatment" That comment was posted crystal clear. It's probably still there. For some reason you can't post Chien-Ming's last name but you can post that. What gives? Now if you'd excuse me, I've got a real article to write because today was a pretty exciting day for one team in the AL central. Congratulations sports, you've done it again!

Now that Torii Hunter is California dreaming, the 2 time Cy Young award winner will surely be the next to go. It was reported by the Star Tribune today that the Twins made Santana a 5 year deal worth $93 million. The deal would make him the highest paid pitcher in baseball/year slightly eclipsing San Francisco's Barry Zito. Santana then countered with the number $126 million, the same number Zito signed for last year. It was unclear by the article I saw if that meant he wanted a 7 year deal or 5 years at $126 million.

If this is the case, then the Twins are in trouble. We're talking about a difference of between 7 and 8 million dollars per year. Even if Twins owner Carl Pohlad was to open up the wallet, it would destroy the franchise that claims to be a "small market" club. I know the owner has some money. He was ranked as the 245th richest person in the world as recently as 2006. What are we talking about here? 245th out of how many? What are we up to 6 billion? As good as Santana is, and there is no doubt he is great, I'm not sure any club could justify paying a player $25 million/season to only play once every 5 days.

If Santana were to stay in Minnesota it would be a "victory for the little guy" but bad for baseball. If the Twins truly are as small a market as they claim to be (18th of 30 ML teams in payroll in 2007) then how could they put a team around a player who would take up 25% of their teams' payroll, who doesn't play every day? A situation I call the A-rod quagmire. A pitcher the caliber of Santana deserves to play for a contender. MLB needs players like him on a contending team to keep its name in the headlines and to help get the October ratings it's always dying for. It would be a shame to see a pitcher who has already showed sheer dominance wasting his prime years playing for a last place team. This is the same problem baseball had when A-rod was in Texas.

But if Minnesota wants to start to pay their players, yesterday would have been a good time. If they would  have paid Torii Hunter and Santana in the same season, then lock up Joe Nathan, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the next season, it would look as though they could contend for the title in the coming years. That would be good for the game. The past couple of Septembers have been fantastic to watch as playoff spots are being filled out on game 162 and in some cases game 163 of the regular season. Adding another team to the mix would only increase the drama and excitement of the pennant race.

Will they trade him (Santana)? Well sure, they'll have to get something for him and not just a compensatory draft pick from what ever team he signs with in the following off season. Sure their are takers out there but it's a risky move. Look at the situation. You already know what kind of money he'll be looking for on a new deal so you might only have him for one year. If anybody wants to make a trade it will most likely have to be of the sign and trade variety. Who ever makes the move will likely try to get closer Joe Nathan in the deal as well which will be the biggest sign that yes, the Twins are rebuilding again. A deal like this would take a package of at least 3 or 4 top notch prospects who are a) major league ready and b) not arbitration eligible for the next 3- 5 years. 4 organizations have the players to do it. The Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Angels.

Perhaps he will start the season with the Twins and combined with the returning Francisco Liriano provide a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation capable of carrying a team to the playoffs. But if they fall out of the race they would be forced to trade him before July 31 deadline to ensure they got their pick of a prospect (or two) who are already developed rather then waiting 3 years to see if their draft pick (if he walked) would pan out. Some times it works. When the Red Sox let Pedro Martinez walk they were able to draft Clay Bucholz. But, if they wait until that deadline, what ever package they receive will be greatly diminished from the ones they would be offered now. You usually don't give up 3 top notch players for a 3 month rental. It simply sets your franchise back to far. Also, you can hope nobody takes him and join the bidding war that will ensue over the 2008 off season. Spend the money on him, and place your prospects around him to negate the cost.

Let's face it though. He's not going to sign with the Twins because they will never offer what he wants. The only reason they are offering an extension or offered Torii Hunter arbitration is to say to their fans "hey, we tried. We made what we thought was a fair offer and they rejected it. If you want to be disappointed, be disappointed with them." And as they say that and have your attention, Pohlads accountants will be carrying sacs of cash out the back door and putting it in to a Swiss bank account.