Jays bid not close to 50 Million (Update pg 7)

[Skin Blues]

Jerry: So, we're going to make the post office pay for my new stereo now?
Kramer: It's a write-off for them.
Jerry: How is it a write-off?
Kramer: They just write it off.
Jerry: Write it off what?
Kramer: Jerry, all these big companies, they write off everything.
Jerry: You don't even know what a write-off is.
Kramer: Do you?
Jerry: No, I don't!
Kramer: But they do. And they're the ones writing it off.
Jerry: I wish I had the last twenty seconds of my life back.

[kungriffey]

Jerry: So, we're going to make the post office pay for my new stereo now?
Kramer: It's a write-off for them.
Jerry: How is it a write-off?
Kramer: They just write it off.
Jerry: Write it off what?
Kramer: Jerry, all these big companies, they write off everything.
Jerry: You don't even know what a write-off is.
Kramer: Do you?
Jerry: No, I don't!
Kramer: But they do. And they're the ones writing it off.
Jerry: I wish I had the last twenty seconds of my life back.

[spykelee]

I give you credit for being honest. Sort of like I give credit to AA for being honest. But you can be as honest as the day is long, and I won't like your employer as owner of sports teams in this city. They are giving us all a royal screwjob.

Buster Olney devotes an entire ESPN Insider column today to the notion the Jays bid large for Darvish. His conclusion, just informed speculation, is that AA is no liar. No one among his peers believes he would utter a lie which is one of the reasons they like dealing with him even though they consider him as sharp as they come. There are payroll parameters, they do force him to go the route of Santos rather than just paying for a good or even middling closer, and in Olney's informed speculation, the Jays' bid was in the same ballpark as the Yankees - likely $20-30 million less than the Rangers' winning bid.

I'm somewhat torn on this issue. Working for Rogers affords me some benefits for my favourite sports teams that I would otherwise never encounter. A definite plus.

But I am finding it increasingly tough to defend them as an owner of professional sports franchises. I do think that they certainly could pump some more money into the team on a year by year basis. I have not completely given up hope, as I feel they are spenders more inclined to spend when we are on the brink of something great. I'd probably give them up too about two more years, depending on, on field performances to really put some coin down and improve this team.

I also think that major league baseball as a whole is completely ass backwards. Why they would clamp down on teams improving via the draft (even if the spending was a little over the top there) but they have no issues with guys signing 10 year, quater of a billion dollar deals is beyond me. The landscape here in Toronto may very well be different if Ted is still calling the shots, as he was a huge baseball fan. However, under it's present ownership, I'm not as sure if that commitment is there...

But I'm also not sure if I can really blame them entirely. This new CBA is so stupid and backwards. Outside of a few renegade owners, not many teams can obviously compete on a 200 million dollar payroll, or quarter of a billion dollar contract. I hate the way that baseball has gone, and though I certainly wish Rogers would spend year in and year out to compete, with salaries as stupid as they are, and only getting stupider, I'm not entirely sure that I can blame them. I can see where they'd want AA to go about buisness as they are. And Rogers will spend when the time is right to get that 1 or two pieces to push us over the top... At least, i hope they do.

[Legal Non-Conforming]

Here's another thought:

If the owners of the Blue Jays continue to set restrictive financial "parameters" on spending (relative to other teams), how long before AA himself looks to go to a franchise committed to spending the money to win? Because of the new playoff format, the moment to make a push to make the playoffs is now.

[Parataxis]

You're really reaching now. It doesn't matter when they take the charge from an accounting perspective, it still averages out to $20 to $23 million a year in order to secure the services of Darvish. I don't understand how that can be characterized as cheap.

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.

[Legal Non-Conforming]

You're really reaching now. It doesn't matter when they take the charge from an accounting perspective, it still averages out to $20 to $23 million a year in order to secure the services of Darvish. I don't understand how that can be characterized as cheap.

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.

If the Blue Jays didn't make a serious bid then that was never their plan. I'm much more curious as to what AA plans to do to improve the team and how hamstrung he is financially.

[Rhettmatic]

You're really reaching now. It doesn't matter when they take the charge from an accounting perspective, it still averages out to $20 to $23 million a year in order to secure the services of Darvish. I don't understand how that can be characterized as cheap.

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.

Or, potentially, that they simply don't think that highly of Darvish.

[Wo1verine]

You're really reaching now. It doesn't matter when they take the charge from an accounting perspective, it still averages out to $20 to $23 million a year in order to secure the services of Darvish. I don't understand how that can be characterized as cheap.

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.

Or, potentially, that they simply don't think that highly of Darvish.

Guys like Blair and McCown said AA "loved what he saw " When scouting him.

[wbbfan]

You're really reaching now. It doesn't matter when they take the charge from an accounting perspective, it still averages out to $20 to $23 million a year in order to secure the services of Darvish. I don't understand how that can be characterized as cheap.

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.[/quote]

Or, potentially, that they simply don't think that highly of Darvish.[/quote]
Guys like Blair and McCown said AA "loved what he saw " When scouting him.[/quote]

I wouldnt trust either of those guys opinions even if they said gold is worth money. When it comes to baseball these guys are soo many miles behind the main stream baseball media its not even funny.

[darth_federer]

Im pretty sure it was a very competitive bid. They sent multiple scouts over there for the last month or so no? AA also visited Japan twice. I dont think they would put in all that effort if they werent in it to win it.

And the consensus was that the Jays put in a big bid and were frontrunners. Not sure how we go from that to the Jays put in a very low bid.

[spykelee]

hahahaha love the avatar Federer!

[Homer Jay]

If they made a legitimate attempt to get Darvish, it's not cheap at all. It's a good sign of Rogers being willing to spend money to field a winner, instead of just using the Jays as a cheap profit-horse.

However, if they didn't make a legitimate attempt to get Darvish (for example, they bid 20M, knowing they'd lose) then that suggests that fielding a winning team isn't as important to them as increasing their profits.

Or, potentially, that they simply don't think that highly of Darvish.

Guys like Blair and McCown said AA "loved what he saw " When scouting him.

I'm wondering if it is just a factor of AA misreading the market. There could have been a real discussion amongst GMs to bring the price of this process down (Would not be collusion as were talking about teams dealing with outside teams), and the Rangers after losing Wilson got desperate. Again, like Dice-K, one team dramatically outbid everybody else. Apparently it could even be by 25-30 million. If that is the case, although happy at landing Darvish, I imagine the Rangers brass is not happy at pissing away that much extra money. Honestly, I don't understand why they did not retain Wilson, but maybe it wasn't just money there... maybe they pissed him off at some juncture and he was gone anyway.

[torontoaces04]

hahahaha love the avatar Federer!

Yeah, at least he's not hiding the bias anymore.

$10 says he works at a Rogers Plus store, renting movies and pitching cellphones.

[Anatomize]

F you rogers burn in hell ya bastards

Enjoy the treadmill boys, Toronto sports teams are screwed

[torontoaces04]

F you rogers burn in hell ya bastards

Enjoy the treadmill boys, Toronto sports teams are screwed

Thank you Sir,

Because of this post, I now see myself as an optimist.

[Sifu]

Is the Rogers payroll parameters a myth?

Others on this forum have mentioned that the Jays get greater tv viewership than many big name teams but garner a small fraction in terms of television contract. From what I gathered, Rogers sells to themselves the tv rights to the Jays at a pittance. They also own the skydome and thus can jury-rig revenues by taking a bigger percentage of stadium related income into the main Rogers books and not into the Jays books.

But are these substantiated facts or just pure fiction? If the former, then Rogers is really shortchanging the fans.

[bigdirty]

I'm happy Rogers saved money by not acquiring talent. As a fan I only care whether the faceless corporation behind the team stays in the black.

[Raps in 4]

hahahaha love the avatar Federer!

Yeah, at least he's not hiding the bias anymore.

$10 says he works at a Rogers Plus store, renting movies and pitching cellphones.

I dream of working for this country's most upstanding corporation. I'd even take on unpaid work with them. More money for Rogers makes the world a better place.