tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624254435992330014.post6541283915652176577..comments2023-10-28T08:31:25.462-04:00Comments on Subway Squawkers - A Yankees-Mets Rivalry Blog: At least Mets don't have to get under capSubway Squawkershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04156896665605326549noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8624254435992330014.post-25618466072750741452008-11-24T10:49:00.000-05:002008-11-24T10:49:00.000-05:00Salary caps are ridiculous. Yeah, sure, big surpr...Salary caps are ridiculous. Yeah, sure, big surprise that a Yankee Fan would say that. But it robs us of the chance to see truly great teams. Look at the NFL. Some teams that could have been great got broken up by the cap. First, the 49ers dynasty came to an end. Then the Cowboys came apart. The 1996-97 Packers, the 1996-99 Jaguars, the 1997-2003 Buccaneers, the 1999-2001 Rams, the 2000-01 Ravens, the 2001-02 Raiders, all got broken up by the salary cap. (I leave the 1997-98 Broncos as an exception because they have the excuse of John Elway retiring. And I don't count the 2001-present Patriots, because they cheated.)<BR/><BR/>Then there's the Eagles. Since 2000, they've been contenders when healthy, and they made four straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. But they couldn't take the last step, becaues their management is obsessed not with winning, but with staying under the cap. They've made a Faustian bargain, which should be familiar to Met fans: "Play meaningful games" late in the season, but not enough to play and win the most meaningful game of all.<BR/><BR/>In other words, enjoy the current champion Giants while you can.<BR/><BR/>The luxury tax is a good way to have a cap without having a cap -- and yes, I know that sounds like a Yogism. But there should also be some kind of penalty for having a payroll that's too low. There's no excuse for David Glass, who married into the Walton family of Wal-Mart infamy, to spend next to nothing on the Kansas City Royals.<BR/><BR/>An owner who won't spend what it takes is choosing not to win. He's choosing to lose. Now, it's one thing to try to build for the future. I could accept the owner of my favorite team in any sport sacrificing one bad year, even two bad years, if I thought it would bring five to ten decent shots at the Playoffs. But when you keep salaries down on purpose, when everybody knows you can afford it -- and they all can, we all know that -- you're choosing to lose. You're throwing the Pennant race. You're throwing your chance at winning the World Series.<BR/><BR/>They used to ban people for life for doing that.Uncle Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11618876073064128027noreply@blogger.com