Operation Shutdown

[albionmoonlight]

So Pumpy's bowling thread got me curious, and I googled "Operation Shutdown."

One of the things that I thought was interesting (in addition to what an awesome story it was) was how it brought into focus just how much salaries have grown in professional sports.

Articles written at the time talked about how "The Pirates will still be on the hook for Bell's hefty salary of $4.5 million." Indeed, that was something that all the stories mentioned--how $4.5 million represented a pretty big investment in an athlete.

Now? I don't think that a team would blink an eye at having to eat $4.5 million. They would be too worried about their power forward with bad knees scheduled to make $50 million over the next three years. Or their 38 year old middle reliever that is scheduled to make $15 million next season.

It's interesting how these numbers are so relative. In ten years, we will be saying things like "They got a good deal in locking him up to a long term deal for under $500 million" and it will sound pretty normal. Numbers that big only make sense to us compared to other numbers that big, and since the only other numbers that big tend to be other athlete salaries, we quickly get accustomed to a high rate of inflation.

[albionmoonlight]

dola--

not a groundbreaking thought, I know, but it struck me and I didn't want to threadjack Pumpy's bowling thread. I expect much more comedy gold from that thread.

Cowboy Hat Pumpy Bowling pics pls k thx.

[Pumpy Tudors]

1) I think I threw my cowboy hat away when I moved from New Orleans.

2) Today is day 1830 of Operation Shutdown.

[Ksyrup]

2) Today is day 1830 of Operation Shutdown.

You obviously have failed to account for the days in which Derek Bell's bat and glove went into involuntary Operation Shutdown, way before his statement in the Spring of 2002. :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/DerekBell_BookingPhoto.jpg

[stevew]

I forgot how awesome he was.

Nobody told me I was in competition," Bell told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "If there is competition, somebody better let me know. If there is competition, they better eliminate me out of the race and go ahead and do what they're going to do with me. I ain't never hit in spring training and I never will.


"If it ain't settled with me out there, then they can trade me. I ain't going out there to hurt myself in spring training battling for a job. If it is (a competition), then I'm going into 'Operation Shutdown.' Tell them exactly what I said. I haven't competed for a job since 1991."

[Ksyrup]

"...I haven't competed for a job since 1991."


And it's now 2007 and to his credit, he has kept that streak alive!<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[Toddzilla]

Even in hindsight, and in todays terms, 4.5 mil for Bell is still a lot of money.

[stevew]

Even in hindsight, and in todays terms, 4.5 mil for Bell is still a lot of money.

Inflation adjusted I'm thinking he's like the Gary Matthews Jr. of his era. Bell would probably get that insane 5/50 stuff these days.

[cthomer5000]

Operation Shutdown is the greatest sports-related term ever.