The Baseball Report Volume IV Issue 18
December 22, 2000
From The Editor,
Before you read the issue, I'd just like to remind you all to forward TBR to
anyone who you think may be interested, as the more people that read, the
better.
Sorry for the long wait for issue 18, TBR has been experiencing some technical
difficulties. Hopefully, publication will continue regularly.
Also, TBR is attempting yet again to design a webpage. If you have any
ideas, send us an email.
As always, the staff of The Baseball Report encourages and welcomes feedback,
so if you have an opinion or a comment on the issue, drop me a line.
Similarly, if you'd like to advertise in TBR or on the website, email
baseballreport@aol.com.
Now, onto the issue...
Michael Frankel
Editor-in-Chief
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House Cleaning in Wrigley by Eric D. Larson
The Chicago Cubs are in a transitional phase, and they have been for almost a
century. Their World Series drought has become somewhat legendary, on
level with the Boston Red Sox and “The Curse of the Bambino.”
The emergence of superstar Sammy Sosa has bolstered attendance in the friendly
confines of Wrigley Field, but the team itself has not followed suit.
Sosa has used the last five years to fine-tune his game, adding to his
league-wide appeal as a true franchise player, but the Cubs seemingly get worse
each year that he gets better. This might result in a change in teams for
the slugger. In fact, Chicago’s interest in Sosa’s value has perhaps
turned from the playing field to the accounting books.
“I want to go to a place where somebody loves me,” Sosa told reporters on
Tuesday. He will become a free agent in 2001 and is supposedly seeking a
six-year deal worthonly $17 million. These are meager numbers, especially
in today’s rapidly inflating professional sports market. But the Cubs are
not biting.
And then there is Chicago’s first-baseman, Mark Grace. Several teams,
including the Arizona Diamondbacks, contacted the fan-favorite and his agent,
clearly intent on signing Grace for the future. The Cubs, on the other
hand, made no move to keep him and his $5.3 million a year payroll, despite the
fact that the solid-hitting Grace expressed interest in returning to his old
team. As a result, Grace signed with the Diamondbacks.
Grace responded to the media, “When your boss doesn’t want you back, you have
to get work elsewhere, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Sosa and Grace are arguably two of the best players to wear a Cubs uniform in
the last 10 years. Sosa’s contributions at the plate are remarkable, and
his shaky fielding skills have definitely improved in the last few years.
Grace has had 2,201 career hits in the last 13 seasons and has shown superior
skill at first base. He has also provided a steady bat behind Sosa in the
recent line-up. Pitchers are hesitant to walk Sosa to get to Grace,
augmenting “Slammin’Sammy’s” home run numbers. Why, then, has Cubs
management acted so lackadaisical about losing both players?
President and general manager Andy MacPhail appears to have another agenda, one
that does not include the one-two combination of Sosa’s right fist and Grace’s
left jab. With his pursuit of Mike Hampton and Turk Wendell, it is obvious
that management is looking to improve their seriously dismal pitching
staff.
Another factor is age. Sosa and Grace are sailing toward the latter part
of their careers, and the Cubs have not been able to capitalize thus far.
Plus, the recent acquisition of Matt Stairs may help fill th ehole left by
Sosa, both offensively and defensively. Even if they have to lose him, a
smart transaction may give the Cubs valuable assistance in other areas or, at
the very least, deepen their pockets for valuable free agents.
As far as losing Mark Grace, MacPhail believes he has some legitimate
options. 21 year-old Hee Seop Choi was recently recognized as one of the
top prospects in the Arizona Fall League. Julio Zuleta batted only 68
times with the Cubs last year, but managed a .294 average with three home
runs. Aside from this, his triple-A numbers do not
disappoint.
Cubs fans have waited long enough for a World Series Championship.
Headliners like Mark Grace and Sammy Sosa may not have been the players to make
that happen, at least not without a stronger supporting cast. “If you
really want to get better, you’re always going to have to takesome chances…” MacPhail
commented. Apparently, he believes that the Cubs’ current high-dollar
stars have had their chance. The Wrigley Field faithful will have to wait
and see.
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Introduction to Economics: Supply and Demand by Hollis T. Russell
While most of the fans of the ”Grand Old Game” were sitting around trying to
recover from the excesses of Thanksgiving Day, management of the revered Boston
Red Sox organization were plotting to release 2001 ticketprices.
They chose to release them on Friday, the day after Turkey Day, historically a
time when the public is relaxing with friends and relatives and not paying
attention to news worthy items. When Tom Hanks, who played the character of the
manager in the movie, ”A League of Their Own” said ”There’s no crying in
baseball,” he certainly could not invision the Boston Red Sox ticket price
increases for the 2001 season.
Not only are the Red Sox on the bidding block for what ultimately will be the
highest price ever paid for a professional sports franchise, the 2000 ticket
prices were already the highest in Major League Baseball.
Now get this, the cheap seats in the upper bleachers in right field are going
for $18.00 apeice for the upcoming season. To take a kid to Fenway Park to see
the Sox, be prepared to dig deep. Two ducats, 36 bucks; parking, 20 bucks; Hot
Dogs, Cracker Jacks and soda, another $25 if they hold 2000 prices. Add
that up and it comes to about 80 smackers before the cost of a program to
figure out who the new guys are...and there will be new guys.
Sox General Manager, Dan Duquette wrote in his press release, ”A high payroll
doesn’t guarantee a playoff spot, but keeping pace financially is crucial to
remaining competitive in today’s market and competing in baseball’s smallest
ballpark.” It is generally known around Boston’s baseball circles that
the Sox spend what they rake in on attendance and television so they will
attempt to improve the team.
Their needs are basic; starting pitching and another big bat, so it is
concevable that a closer division race will be in store for the fans this
season, as they have already signed Manny Ramirez. But listen closely
because the Yawkeys just turned over in their graves. When Tom Yawkey ran the
show, he wanted the game to be entertaining and affordable for the fans of New
England who have always supported the team. Now, a box seat close to home
plate goes for $55.00. That makes an 81 game package for a season ticket
holder worth $4455.00. For one seat! Nobody buys just one seat
either, so that is $8910.00 for two seats. For baseball!
Granted, everything is relative to the times, but never before was there a need
to check the mortgage envelope before a kid was told to jump into the
jalopy and head off to that little band box called Fenway Park. Tom Hanks
was wrong; there is crying in baseball.
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The Calm Before The Storm by Kevin Burke
As Fall woes and triumphs begin to slowly fade from memory, Major League
Baseball teams around the country get themselves prepared to try their hand at
the largest talent pool of free agents that baseball has seen in a while.
At the top of the pile there are the “Big 8,” the players to which almost any
and every team will extend an offer. After the “Big 8” there comes a
second tier of players that can still help a ballclub, but do not have the superstar
power of an Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez. Yet, even after the “Big 8”
and the second tier of players, there are still even more players that could
add depth to a team. With all these talented players available, the 2001
season and quest for the World Series should no longer be held in a
stranglehold by the constant and near omnipotent New York Yankees.
Any team could easily start the season off with a bang with the right players.
However, choosing which players to add to a team and how much money there
to spend on these players is the question of utmost importance. For
example, take the case of the Texas Rangers, a team that struggled for the
first time in along time last year and are now making offers to whomever they
can. The Rangers obviously wanted a big-time player, so they signed Alex
Rodriguez. The players that have filed for free agency and have put
themselves into the talent-pool, are there because they either want a chance at
playing for a World Series caliber team or money, and lots of it.
The drama of the quest to obtain one of the “Big 8” or any of the players in
the talent pool will be what captivates baseball fans nationwide.
Baseball fans want to find out where these players are headed, and hope that
they make it to the teams that for which they are rooting.
Still fans will complain about players switching teams every five minutes and
that there is no player loyalty to any one team anymore. Jim Caple of ESPN.com
even says, “There is so much player turnover that not even charter subscribers
to Baseball America cannot name the complete roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers,
even if they tape‘Baseball Tonight’ each night.”
There is a sad aspect to the fact that a fan can go see the local team play and
have no idea where any of the players came from or even how they got there, but
players switching teams has become part of the game. Baseball is one of, if not
the most psychological sports out there where each team is constantly trying to
get the other to falter. Free agency only adds another dimension to the
game.
However, instead of the players and managers trying to psych each other out,
now there are owners flashing larger amounts of cash at players in order to get
the other teams to up the ante and offer those players even more money.
Here is where greed breeds in baseball, and is actually the darker side of the
sport. Money now becomes the tenth player on the field.
Unfortunately these days, World Series titles are being bought more than won on
the field. Yes, free agency is good for the game of baseball because it allows
for an extradimension to the game that only makes the struggle for the Series
more difficult. At the same time though, greed is beginning to take over
the game and change the face of it forever.
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TRIVIA QUESTION
Last Issue: Which Yankees
on the 2000 WS Roster were on the 1995 Playoff Roster?
Answer(s): (submitted by daisypart3@aol.com)
In alphabetical order: David Cone,
Paul O'Neill, Andy Pettitte, Louis Polonia, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Louis
Sojo, and Bernie Williams.
This Issue's Question: What player played the most games in
the 1990's?
To answer, email baseballreport@aol.com subject trivia answer.
To submit a question to be asked, email baseballreport@aol.com subject trivia
question.
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may have.
That's all for this issue.
Till next time,
Michael Frankel
Editor-in-Chief
Feel free to forward this to anyone and everyone.
copyright 2000 The Baseball Report