Its interesting that the Yankees are called "pig like" and that they buy championships. Yes, Steinbrenner has spent a ton of money on the yanks the last few years but he has been unable to "buy" a title. Take that in contrast to the recent Yankee dynasty. Those teams were composed of players that were predominantly either homegrown or acquired by trading homegrown prospects. The nucleus was all homegrown. Jeter,williams, posado,Pettite all came up through the yankee system.
Interestingly enough, the teams that have "bought" championships in recent years successfully have been the Marlins, dbacks and yes the red sox. When i say "bought" a title i mean that the core of the lineup was not homegrown.
Baseball has no salary cap. The Yankees bring in the most money via the cablevision deal and merchandizing not to mention ticket sales. Would people rather Steinbrenner kept the money instead of spending it on his team? If he did that, wouldnt people then call him "greedy"?
The blame for the vast disparity in payroll team by team lies purely in the corner of the league and the other owners. In football, what do you guys think Daniel Snyder or Jerry Jones would do if the rules were like they are in baseball? What DID Debartolo and Jack Kent Cooke do? Why didnt anyone ever accuse the niners or the skins of "buying" championships when they were in their heyday? What would Jerry Buss do in basketball if their were no luxury tax?
Steinbrenner plays within the rules and does his best to make the Yankees as competitive as possible. The Yankee organization should be commended for their constant dedication to winning.
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