A-Rod

[dskrezyna]

I'm not sure about you guys but of all the sports news out there, what just boggles my mind is what king of contract A-Rod (and Boras) is asking for. Buster Olney reports the Yankees need to offer $350 million just to have conversation with A-Rod, which they have declined to do.
If I had to do one thing for major league baseball it would be to make a salary cap. That will never happen because of MLBPA. Dont mention revenue sharing because we are talking about individual players, not teams.
A-Rod was given $252 million in the 2000 contract he signed with the Texas Rangers (Tom Hicks, GM, made that decision) and that made everything worse.
I dont care if he hit 150hrs, 250rbis, and hits .450 this season... NOBODY should be making this kind of money and not a single owner should pay A-Rod and Scott Boras (A-Rod's agent) this money.
Front runners to put their heads up their @sses are the LA Angels and the Mets. My wish is that no one pays him what he wants and he sits on his load of money he's already made. Wishful thinking.

 

[jrthomas40]

agreed....baseball players are the biggest babies and the MOST OVER PAID and over RATE athletes...yeah they have a longer season so what...there is very little physical demand to play baseball so yeah the season can be longer cuz your body doesnt get beat up as bad....Football and basketball players take a beating EVERYDAY of their season...i dont like baseball for that reason...all they do is complain about not getting paid enough but dont put up the numbers to get that much money....all and all..i agree...baseball sucks and NO ONE is worth $350 million...baseball has lost the point of the game

 

[redinator]

$350 million is tooooooooo much! Some sap will still pay him.

 

[choog]

there is very little physical demand to play baseball
by jrthomas40
Baseball may be less "physical" than football. But the reason is because unlike football, baseball is a highly technical "skill" sport. Football just requires you to be strong and fast and you will be successful except for the quarterback position. It takes much more practice and skill to be able to hit fastballs, curveballs, and sliders or be able to throw them with such control than it does to run a football or catch one or block someone. I would be willing to bet that baseball players could play football better than football players could play baseball.
Another reason they are paid so much is because there is no salary cap in baseball. If they can get away with begging for more money then they will. If there was no salary cap in football the same thing would happen. Like it or not arrogant whiners make up the sports world, in every sport.
I agree with you that they are overpaid and that there needs to be a salary cap in baseball. Poor teams like tampa bay will never be able to compete in a division with the yankees and red sox. Here is a link to the team payrolls from last year.
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/salaries
As you can see, Tampa Bay paid out $24 million last year. A-Rod makes $25 million every year by himself. A bit ridiculous I should say.

 

[ruaround]

Originally Posted by choog
Baseball may be less "physical" than football. But the reason is because unlike football, baseball is a highly technical "skill" sport. Football just requires you to be strong and fast and you will be successful except for the quarterback position. It takes much more practice and skill to be able to hit fastballs, curveballs, and sliders or be able to throw them with such control than it does to run a football or catch one or block someone. I would be willing to bet that baseball players could play football better than football players could play baseball.
Another reason they are paid so much is because there is no salary cap in baseball. If they can get away with begging for more money then they will. If there was no salary cap in football the same thing would happen. Like it or not arrogant whiners make up the sports world, in every sport.
I agree with you that they are overpaid and that there needs to be a salary cap in baseball. Poor teams like tampa bay will never be able to compete in a division with the yankees and red sox. Here is a link to the team payrolls from last year.
http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/salaries
As you can see, Tampa Bay paid out $24 million last year. A-Rod makes $25 million every year by himself. A bit ridiculous I should say.
that is just about the most ignorant statement i have ever read!!!
i hope he doesnt get the money he is looking for... that is totally ridiculous!!!

 

[dskrezyna]

Originally Posted by jrthomas40
there is very little physical demand to play baseball
I'd have to disagree like the others do. 162 games and traveling takes a toll on the body. Ive played baseball every year since I was 7 and still play. Granted we play only 26 games during the summer you still have to stay in shape to be able to perform 110% every game, imagine playing 28games in 30 days. I do think they are good athletes but no athlete, regardless of sport, should not be making the money they are.

 

[choog]

are you kidding me. . . . .you think that football takes more technical skill than football. . . .have you ever played either?
maybe my wording led you to believe something other than i meant. I don't mean that football doesn't take skill. What I meant is that baseball takes much more.
OKAY. . . .here's the breakdown.
Lineman. . . . .how much skill rather than size and strength is needed to block the man in front of you.
Running Back. . . . .more natural ability than aquired skill. Yes it takes much dedication, but mostly relies on speed and quickness. Natural, not taught.
Receivers and Corners. . . . .Speed and more Speed. Does take a lot of skill to make sensational catches.
Quarter back. . . . .A lot of techincal skill and mental capacity.
Linebackers. . . . .again size and speed. natural. . . i doesn't take a whole lot of skill to run into someone, wrap up and drag them down.
I beleive you thought I was saying football takes no skill. I am not. I am saying baseball requires more skill that takes more time to aquire than natural ability.

 

[ruaround]

and im saying youre wrong... doesnt take much skill to stand in left field and scratch yourself on national television...
catcher - requires stong knees strong arm to throw to 2nd
pitcher - strong arm and know where to put your fingers on the ball
1st base - be over weight and wear an over sized mit -know how to scratch one self
2nd base - quikness
short stop - quickness and a rocket arm
3rd base - ability to dive to the right strong arm
right field - ability to stand around for hours and jog into the dugout know how to scratch one self
center field - ability to spot a ball in the sun and catch the ball
left feild - ability to stand around for hours make the catch at the warning track
wow thats packed with skill... more than any football player could ever dream of...

 

[gnorman]

ruaround...... have u ever played competitive baseball? i have not played competitve football so im not going to debate what takes more "skill" to play
but..... what you stated about baseball is simply incorrect. i admit, baseball can be a boring sport to watch - epically if u dont know baseball and u have no idea what is going on. for someone who has never played baseball- watching the game is usually very boring to them. but, for someone who does know the sport and knows the importance of the pitching count, inning, whos ups, whos on base and where, s there are, what field they are played at and so forth, baseball can be a very fun sport to follow. now, i played baseball growing up but was not able to play in HS due to health reason. first off, growing up i basically played every position there was. i played a lot of cather, shortstop, and pitcher. then i played 3rd and first base for awhile. the last 2 years i played center field and ocassionaly pitcher. there is a lot more to center field then " being able to catch a ball in the sunlight"
both sports require a lot of skill. but for football, you have to have a certain "built" where as baseball, you can pretty much be any size and be able to gain the knowledge and talent to succeed in it.

 

[ruaround]

Originally Posted by GNorman
ruaround...... have u ever played competitive baseball? i have not played competitve football so im not going to debate what takes more "skill" to play
but..... what you stated about baseball is simply incorrect. i admit, baseball can be a boring sport to watch - epically if u dont know baseball and u have no idea what is going on. for someone who has never played baseball- watching the game is usually very boring to them. but, for someone who does know the sport and knows the importance of the pitching count, inning, whos ups, whos on base and where, s there are, what field they are played at and so forth, baseball can be a very fun sport to follow. now, i played baseball growing up but was not able to play in HS due to health reason. first off, growing up i basically played every position there was. i played a lot of cather, shortstop, and pitcher. then i played 3rd and first base for awhile. the last 2 years i played center field and ocassionaly pitcher. there is a lot more to center field then " being able to catch a ball in the sunlight"
both sports require a lot of skill. but for football, you have to have a certain "built" where as baseball, you can pretty much be any size and be able to gain the knowledge and talent to succeed in it.
yes i have played baseball competitively... and football, hockey, basketball and volleyball... i would say that baseball requires the least amout of skill... hockey and volleyball probably require the most... you said it best when you stated anybody can play baseball... because youre right anyone can play the game...
every sport has a "certain built" that atheletes should have... and there are exceptions to every rule too... every person on every play has a job to do in football... you cant say that for baseball...

 

[gnorman]

i did not say anyone can play the game ( my gosh, some people play baseball but they suck at it ) but i guess ur right, anyone can play any sport they want. doesnt mean they are going to be good at it. what i said is it takes a certain build to play football, where in baseball u can be small or tall or fat or skinny. its not like ur going to get trampled by a 300 pound lineman in baseball.
and everyone does have a job in every play of every sport. it doesnt matter if ur involved in the play or not. u still need to be on ur toes and ready in case u do get involved in the play.
enough said, im going to leave this one alone. but these are my thought on the subject. as far as how much A rod makes... yeah he makes a lot but if they are able to pay him.. why shouldnt he get the money. yeah its a lot and i think its a bit ridiculous, but A-rod is a good player and baseball is full of money. dodger stadium alone makes about 1 million dollars in parking for 2 games. thats just in parking. thats not including ticket sales and concession stands.

 

[phunckie]

Originally Posted by ruaround
and im saying youre wrong... doesnt take much skill to stand in left field and scratch yourself on national television...
catcher - requires stong knees strong arm to throw to 2nd
pitcher - strong arm and know where to put your fingers on the ball
1st base - be over weight and wear an over sized mit -know how to scratch one self
2nd base - quikness
short stop - quickness and a rocket arm
3rd base - ability to dive to the right strong arm
right field - ability to stand around for hours and jog into the dugout know how to scratch one self
center field - ability to spot a ball in the sun and catch the ball
left feild - ability to stand around for hours make the catch at the warning track
wow thats packed with skill... more than any football player could ever dream of...
Obviously you've never tried to hit a baseball.

 

[dskrezyna]

Originally Posted by GNorman
as far as how much A rod makes... yeah he makes a lot but if they are able to pay him.. why shouldnt he get the money. yeah its a lot and i think its a bit ridiculous, but A-rod is a good player and baseball is full of money. dodger stadium alone makes about 1 million dollars in parking for 2 games. thats just in parking. thats not including ticket sales and concession stands.
Its the principal. I dont care how much owners make, they're the boss and I know the MLBPA has a problem with owners making the money and not wanting to spend it. This also upsets fans because they know thier owner can afford to get better talent to play and win games. If owners pay these ridiculous salaries the ball will keep rolling and its only going to get worse with higher ticket prices, concessions, etc. MLB needs to have a salary cap (which would also help small market teams to contend because they have to hope their farm system works like the Twins, and now they wont be able to afford Johan Santana because he will ask for too much) .

 

[digitydash]

Well will say it does take a skill to hit a baseball at 90+mph.Football is more physical on your body and their play books are the size of dictionary so it take a little more wit to play football.

 

[jrthomas40]

there is no technical skill to hitting a baseball...its hand to eye coordination and the ability to recognize spin coming out of the pitchers hand...the only skill position in baseball is the pitcher...and when i said there is less physical demand... by that i mean...you can be physically able to play baseball well into your 40's...football you are lucky if you are still playing in your 30's...your body is taking a beating every play and there is technique and skill to blocking...it takes footwork that is taught so you dont get thrown off balance, you have to know how to use your hands to control your opponent to which you have no idea where he is going to go....DB position is a skill position...ever guarded someone man to man in basketball....the most skilled position is the QB...yeah football relies a lot on physical ability but every position has technique and skill....baseball and football are similar in some ways...i have played both and was better at football than baseball...both sports rely on physical ability you have to be fast in football and you have to be fast in baseball to beat throws, chase down fly balls and hand eye coordination to catch...but the physical demands for baseball are NO where near that of getting pumbled everyday by 300 lb lineman or 250 lb linebackers...and remember football players have to travel just like baseball...so add that to getting beat up during a game as well

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by ruaround
and im saying youre wrong... doesnt take much skill to stand in left field and scratch yourself on national television...
catcher - requires stong knees strong arm to throw to 2nd
pitcher - strong arm and know where to put your fingers on the ball
1st base - be over weight and wear an over sized mit -know how to scratch one self
2nd base - quikness
short stop - quickness and a rocket arm
3rd base - ability to dive to the right strong arm
right field - ability to stand around for hours and jog into the dugout know how to scratch one self
center field - ability to spot a ball in the sun and catch the ball
left feild - ability to stand around for hours make the catch at the warning track
wow thats packed with skill... more than any football player could ever dream of...
Have you ever caught a 98 mph pitch that was breaking about 2 feet? Have you ever tried to hit that same pitch? Baseball is a game that is unlike any other, it is a game of suddle game. Of anticipation, of inches. I agree football is hard, basketball not so much, but baseball there is such a difficulty mastering it. Look at how the progression of the levels of the games. In basketball, high school playing can go straight to the NBA and blow it up. In football, college is as big if not bigger than the NFL. In baseball, you get done with with school and stay in the minor leagues for years before you go to the show. It may not require such feats of brute strength and atheticism, but it is extreemly difficult and requires much more to master the game.

 

[stdreb27]

There shouldn't be a salary cap. It hurts the game, Seriously think about football, it rips players from their teams, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, and their are countless others. It tears apart teams and makes it harder for a team to be good for a long period of time.
I want to know, does anyone remember who won the super bowl before the Pats started winning them all the time? I don't. But I will remember the cowboys won 3 in the 90's the Steelers won a whole bunch in the 70's the 49's in the 80's (curse the catch). Why would I want a bunch of teams to win, that I won't even remember in 5 years. I'd rather have greatness then a bunch of teams trading places year after year.

 

[dskrezyna]

Originally Posted by stdreb27
There shouldn't be a salary cap. It hurts the game, Seriously think about football, it rips players from their teams, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, and their are countless others. It tears apart teams and makes it harder for a team to be good for a long period of time.
I want to know, does anyone remember who won the super bowl before the Pats started winning them all the time? I don't. But I will remember the cowboys won 3 in the 90's the Steelers won a whole bunch in the 70's the 49's in the 80's (curse the catch). Why would I want a bunch of teams to win, that I won't even remember in 5 years. I'd rather have greatness then a bunch of teams trading places year after year.
We both are partially correct. Free agency and salary caps go hand in hand tearing apart teams and their star players but Id rather see them go to different teams than make all this money. Free agency also brings on bigger, more ludicrous contracts. And rookies get signing bonuses before they even step onto the field. Rice and E. Smith are bad examples to use since they were on thier respective teams for 95% of their careers and only went to one team after SF/Dallas.
Athletes shouldnt be making in one day what a policeman, teacher, or fireman makes in a year. It's sad and pitiful; all for entertainment purposes.

 

[miaheatlvr]

PAYROD!! and that about sums it up! I love the Yankees but AROD breaks up cohesiveness in the locker room with all the drama he brings on and of the field and ALWAYS craps out int the POST season when you need him the most! I know, I know, regardless of his AMAZING numbers during the season, I say tell him to take a walk and burden another team..

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by dskrezyna
We both are partially correct. Free agency and salary caps go hand in hand tearing apart teams and their star players but Id rather see them go to different teams than make all this money. Free agency also brings on bigger, more ludicrous contracts. And rookies get signing bonuses before they even step onto the field. Rice and E. Smith are bad examples to use since they were on thier respective teams for 95% of their careers and only went to one team after SF/Dallas.
Athletes shouldnt be making in one day what a policeman, teacher, or fireman makes in a year. It's sad and pitiful; all for entertainment purposes.
Exactly the problem, they should have never had to leave their teams to play one or two more years because of a salary cap. I think they are perfect examples.
I still don't see a problem with these guys making all this money. These guys are literally the best in the world. They for the most part work their butt off. They should get as much as they possibly can. The whole idea that they get too much money just doesn't make any sense. Because if the players don't make the money guess who does, the owner. The guy who sells food rights to some company to charge 5 dollar a hotdog and 8 dollars a beer. The guy who won't let your bring food into the place. The guy who threatens to move the team to get a new stadium while we foot the bill. We have the wrong bad guy people.