Free Agency Gone Wild

The Yankees' latest free agent splurge has generated much controversy and even outrage - there have even been unconfirmed reports of shoes, both loafers and oxfords, being thrown at Brian Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner. Prior to the advent of free agency in baseball, the reserve clause permitted a team to retain the rights to a player in perpetuity after that player was initially signed. Clearly the reserve clause was unfair and unjust to players and needed to be addressed, and it was, thanks to the efforts of Curt Flood. The reserve clause was overturned and the players have prospered, more than Flood or anyone else could have ever dreamed.

But there was a price to pay. Pre-free agency, the cost for for a ballpark ticket, hot dog and beverage was affordable for almost anyone. Since the players on a team were for the most part same year after year, fans could develop a connection with them. The players and the franchise were one and the same. Even watching a game on TV was more enjoyable - a faster pace with few commercials. Fast forward to free agency and what are the results? Wildly inflated salaries even for the most mediocre of players. A night at the park is now prohibitively expensive for an average family. Team rosters in flux except for stars under long-term contracts. Interminable commercial breaks during the broadcasts.

The point is that the genie is out of the bottle and has been for decades. Once you combined free agency with the arrival of cable and its insatiable need for programming, you had a combustible mix. ESPN and Fox are in the driver's seat. Money rules and in the new landscape the big media markets in New York and LA will always have a huge advantage on the free agent market. A salary cap is unwieldy and of questionable efficacy. A more punitive luxury tax might help but it's still only a slap on the wrist for a rich franchise. One even wonders how critical it is for the big market teams to win championships, at least from an economic point of view. Sure it's a lucrative bonus, but they either way, the mega-franchises will be continue to be profitable cash cows.

The best revenge on the Yankees and Mets and Dodgers continues to be to beat them with less expensive talent. And in fact while these legendary franchises have been less than dominant in the recent past, there has been no shortage of small-to-mid-market teams who have had post-season success including Minnesota, St. Louis, Detroit, Colorado and now Philadelphia. Superstar-laden rosters, while they probably provide a bump at the box office, are not a guarantee of success on the field. And the unique nature of baseball is that with a couple of starting pitchers, and a closer, anything is possible.

20 Game Winners

In this summer of 2008, there are currently four pitchers in Major League Baseball with a realistic chance of winning 20 games: Brandon Webb of Arizona, Cliff Lee of Cleveland, A.J. Burnett of Toronto, and Mike Mussina of the Yankees. In 1971, Mike Cuellar, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Pat Dobson each won at least 20 games. And they were all members of the same team, the Baltimore Orioles. Anyone care to calculate the odds of that happening again?

Admission to Cooperstown

The Baseball Hall of Fame should revise its admission standards. Actually, "revise" is not the right word. Major League Baseball should establish unambiguous, objective statistical criteria for admission based on a player's entire career, with no exceptions. Special awards can always be bestowed for isolated achievements such as Roger Maris' 61 home runs. Otherwise, it is too easy to be influenced by favoritism or whim. The LPGA has designed an excellent model for this with their own Hall of Fame - minimum years played, minimum number of wins, major championships, etc. Character should not enter into it. The sole considerations should be on-the-field accomplishments. Inducting Peter Rose does not condone his extracurricular activities. Whether Ty Cobb or anyone else was a scoundrel may be unfortunate but this is not the National Honor Society.

Choosing a Baseball MVP

Choosing an MVP in baseball is an exercise in the arbitrary. The process is imperfect in other sports as well, but it is easier for an individual to dominate a basketball season and in football, quarterbacks will always have the inside track. But who is to say a good defensive catcher or shortstop hitting .250 is less valuable to his team than a home run or batting champion. The award should be either be changed to simply Best Player, or else, given the game's evolution, the MVP should be given to an outstanding relief pitcher, the sine qua non of modern baseball.

Ted Williams' Self-Imposed Salary Cut

Ted Williams is reputed to have asked for a $35,000 (more than 25% of his salary) pay cut after a subpar season. If that standard were adopted today, 99% of major league players would be laboring for the minimum wage.

Dugout Interviews

The annoying practice of interviewing baseball managers and coaches in the dugout while a game is in progress is tacky and contrived. It is hardly breaking news that sports march to the orders of the networks but these interviews have lowered the bar. What's next? A roving reporter joining the manager at the mound when there is a pitching change?

The Sanctity of Records in Sports

Too much is made of the sanctity of records in sports, particularly in baseball. Records can be fascinating but they are of little use as yardsticks. There have just been too many changes in the games over the decades to make statistical comparisons valid. To take just one example of many, how can you compare contemporary starting pitchers who might average 6 innings per outing with previous generations who routinely completed 30 or 40 games a year.

To DH Or Not To DH

Allowing a designated hitter in the American League and not the National League makes as much sense as if the NBA included the three-point shot in the Western Conference but not in the Eastern Conference.

Shattered Baseball Bats Pose Serious Threat

The shards of shattered maple wood baseball bats are a clear and present danger to fans and players. Immediate action, not further study, is needed to prevent serious injury. To put this off for even a single day is irresponsible. This is a public health issue and if Major League Baseball won't act, the public authorities should.