What the Halladay sweepstakes teaches us

[Dr. Detfink]

It wouldn't shock anyone if by the end of the trade deadline Roy Halladay was still a Toronto Blue Jay. The truth is, not even the top spending teams are willing to give up a boat load of prospects plus and/or risk getting nailed with the luxury tax for a future Hall of Famer.

It's about business sense and not about winning.

The truth is, every top team is content selling their fan bases contention at premium prices. I share NY Yankee season tickets with 3 guys I've known for a long time. Of course, it is class warfare at the new stadium. The only reason why I have 3 partners is because the prices over the years have forced me to get partners at the increased price for the same seats I've had 8 years ago.

I heard about Brian Cashman who said on 1050AM that the Yanks payroll was abominable. I actually applauded that responsibility. I could wait 3-4 more years for the Yankees to win a World Series. After all, I waited from 1978 for another Yankee WS win. The Danny Tartabull years. The Steve Howe years. Oh and the Rickey Henderson years.

There's a difference.

The difference is, ALL Major League baseball owners want to reduce payroll but increase ticket prices. Yes, I expect in 5 years for people to look fondly on those $90 ticket prices. Sure, I don't expect the $900 seats to go up any time soon but it's the $90-150 range that is going to be going up as we suffer through Cashman saying, "We have to be patient with Ian Kennedy."

Now, if you're a TV fan...you could give two ****. I've said this to my friends who have been Yankee fans for 40 years. This new stadium isn't for New Yorkers. It's for the people who drive from Montreal, CT, Florida, LA, etc. It's for people who don't live with much history and want that from NYC.

The internet changed EVERY fan base. Even the sports writers. I think Jayson Stark asked a trivia question about players who won the MVP twice at every position. Without looking it up, Buster Olney, Tim Kurkjian, Mike Greenberg...none of these guys could get more than 3 right.

Are you kidding me? So what does that tell you if these guys are senior writers? The truth is, baseball has deteriorated so much where it is a Seinfeld joke: People don't root for players they root for laundry.

The writers aren't baseball analysts. They are salesman. They are trying to sell you team du jour. Not grasping any sense of the game.

[TKF]

Good post. I remember the Danny Tartabull years.. LOL... those were the days. As a yankee fan, I realize that even with a huge payroll winning isn't guaranteed. That is why I hold dearly to my heard the dynasty run we had from 96-2001 in which we won 4 WS titles and had 5 appearances. 6 if you count all the way up to 2003. I think a lot of teams are trying to win and be responsible financially at the same time. Roy Halliday doesn't have many takers because the price is too high, plus the teams that can afford him, have ridiculous payrolls, as even our GM acknowledged.

the problem is trying to sell future hopes with Win now ticket prices... very tough, but I do see the huge divide between TV fans and those who attend the games. Although I am a TV fan(not by choice, when I grew up in the bronx I attended more than 20 yankee games a year) I live in georgia, so I have no choice really... but I do care about the rising cost of these games. Even the League packages on cable have increased..

[Pharmcat]

as long as the product on the field is winning, im willing to pay

im sure the yanks can afford halladay $$ wise, but they dont want to give away so many young prospects

[nykgeneralmanager]

I think it hinges on Montero. I'd imagine that is where the conversation begins for the Jays and ends for Cashman.