Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

[NYJets]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

There have been some small market teams who put that year together where they get a bunch of players who have career years and they make a run. But they have no chance to either re-sign their big name players when their contracts become due and then those teams aren't heard from again. Only those top few teams money wise can afford to sign players at will and contend year after year. yeah that's competetive balance.

Again easy to say it's even when you are a Yankee fan.

A's have competed pretty much every year since 2000.

And again, you can try and ignore what people are saying all you want, but nobody has said it's a completely level playing field where every single team has a chance to compete year in and year out.

But it is way better than only 20% of the teams have a chance. Especially considering the fact that more than 20% of the teams make the playoffs every year.

[deeman11747]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Don't have to. It's already true. No one answered. You think it's a coincidence the only people in this thread that think balance is there are Yankee and Red Sox fans?

Pretty much every reply in this thread has come from a Yankee or Red Sox fan (with the exception of DK who agrees with the article) so your working with a limited sample size.

[rdeyes]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Bad for so long?

They've continually improved over the last several seasons to the point where they just missed the playoffs last year.

2003: 68-94
2004: 80-82
2005: 93-69

V. Martinez is emerging as a star as is Peralta. The staff is young and improving as well.


And what do you mean.. "and everyone knows it"? Most of the people in this thread agreed with the premise of the article. But I guess its easy to blame our opinions on the fact that we root for a rich team.

kinda funny seeing a yankee fan stick up for the tribe , but i'll chime in on this since he said the indians have been bad for SO long

won AL pennat - 1995 , 1997
6 divison titles - 1995-1999 , 2001
post season apperances 1995 - 1999, 2001

thats what i call being bad for SO long

[NYJets]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Don't have to. It's already true. No one answered. You think it's a coincidence the only people in this thread that think balance is there are Yankee and Red Sox fans?

I don't see a lot of people in this thread agreeing that 25 teams have no shot this year either.

[bkrich83]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Pretty much every reply in this thread has come from a Yankee or Red Sox fan (with the exception of DK who agrees with the article) so your working with a limited sample size.

I don't think it's a coincidence. This argument has been had here for the last 3 or 4 years. I think fans of smaller market teams simply don't bother anymore. Why should they. It's not going to change.

My point was when you are pretty much guaranteed that your team will be in the playoffs every year because of a very specific advantage that your team has over every other team in the league save 1 or 2 how can you come on here and argue there's competive balance in the league with a straight face. It's simply not true. Has it gotten better? For the most part, I don't think it has.

[deeman11747]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

I don't think it's a coincidence. This argument has been had here for the last 3 or 4 years. I think fans of smaller market teams simply don't bother anymore. Why should they. It's not going to change.

My point was when you are pretty much guaranteed that your team will be in the playoffs every year because of a very specific advantage that your team has over every other team in the league save 1 or 2 how can you come on here and argue there's competive balance in the league with a straight face. It's simply not true. Has it gotten better? For the most part, I don't think it has.

I dont know how many times I can reiterate this befoe you understand...

I am not sayign there is competetive balance in the league. I am saying the unbalance is not as bad as people such as you make it out to be.

I have typed those two lines at least 3 times in the thread but you keep choosing to ignore what I say... so why am I even bothering anymore.

[Misfit]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

I'd like to point out I'm a Boston fan and disagreed that the state of the game is positive where competetive balance is concerned. Low payroll teams only have a shot if they're in a division where the payrolls are pretty low (e.g. the AL Central). The A's have been successful because of their different approach, but with the higher spending teams taking the same approach it's going to be harder for them (as evidenced by them missing the playoffs the last two years, though I think they'll get there this year). The Marlins got lucky. Did anyone read my first post?!

Though I disagree about the Indians, they have one of the top lineups in baseball, the best bullpen (if Wickman pitches well like he did a year ago), and an up and coming rotation with at least three quality starters (with Sabathia poised to make the leap to ace this year). Plus, they play in a weak division where only the White Sox are a good team (the Twins are only good on the days Santana starts, and even then they're fielding the worst lineup in the AL).

[bkrich83]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

I dont know how many times I can reiterate this befoe you understand...

I am not sayign there is competetive balance in the league. I am saying the unbalance is not as bad as people such as you make it out to be.

I have typed those two lines at least 3 times in the thread but you keep choosing to ignore what I say... so why am I even bothering anymore.

What does that mean. The balance isn't there, but it's not that bad? Either the league has competetive balance or it doesn't. That's like being sort of pregnant.

It's time to call a spade a spade. Certain teams have an unfair advantage due to market size, and the league will never do anything about it.

[dkgojackets]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

The thing is, you play for the championship, not the postseason. The Yankees havent won the title in years. Two years ago the Marlins proved its not about payroll and that any team can come out of nowhere to win, and the White Sox did the same last year.

In terms of the ultimate goal, being a World Series title, the competition is balanced. And yes, I am a Marlins fan, one of the smallest market teams out there. I cant speak for the fans of the Royals and Devil Rays and the like, but Ill take a Series win over multiple exits in the playoffs.

[deeman11747]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

What does that mean. The balance isn't there, but it's not that bad? Either the league has competetive balance or it doesn't. That's like being sort of pregnant.

It's time to call a spade a spade. Certain teams have an unfair advantage due to market size, and the league will never do anything about it.

Thats not true at all. The league can be completely balanced... where every team has a shot of making the playoffs. Or completely unbalanced... where the same 8 tams each year make the playoffs.

The MLB is right in between... where half of the teams have a shot each year of making it. Your gonna disagree with that?

[bkrich83]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Thats not true at all. The league can be completely balanced... where every team has a shot of making the playoffs. Or completely unbalanced... where the same 8 tams each year make the playoffs.

The MLB is right in between... where half of the teams have a shot each year of making it. Your gonna disagree with that?

Yes I am. Either the league is played on a level playing field or it isn't.

[deeman11747]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

Yes I am. Either the league is played on a level playing field or it isn't.

There's differeing levels of "isnt".

[bkrich83]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

I'd like to point out I'm a Boston fan and disagreed that the state of the game is positive where competetive balance is concerned. Low payroll teams only have a shot if they're in a division where the payrolls are pretty low (e.g. the AL Central). The A's have been successful because of their different approach, but with the higher spending teams taking the same approach it's going to be harder for them (as evidenced by them missing the playoffs the last two years, though I think they'll get there this year). The Marlins got lucky. Did anyone read my first post?!

Agreed.

Though I disagree about the Indians, they have one of the top lineups in baseball, the best bullpen (if Wickman pitches well like he did a year ago), and an up and coming rotation with at least three quality starters (with Sabathia poised to make the leap to ace this year). Plus, they play in a weak division where only the White Sox are a good team (the Twins are only good on the days Santana starts, and even then they're fielding the worst lineup in the AL).

Fair enough about the Indians. Agreed on the Twince.

[bkrich83]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

There's differeing levels of "isnt".

LOL, ok.

Must be nice.

[deeman11747]

Re: Baseball doesn't have competitve balance?

LOL, ok.

Must be nice.

Way to take a condescending tone when half of the claims youve made in this thread have been proven completely wrong.