ClimbingSky

Why Baseball, Books, and the Grateful Dead matter

Sometimes the Good Guys Win

On September 9th, 1990, the OAKLAND Athletics beat the New York Yankees 7-3 to complete a twelve-game sweep of the Yankees that year. The season sweep was a first for the Yankees

Sometimes the good guys win, even in baseball which like the economic system it exists in is, by definition, competitively imbalanced. In this case, the bad guys (the Yankees are always the bad guys) with more revenue and hence more resources were swept by the lowly OAKLAND Athletics. They lost every game against OAKLAND over the entire season. Would that every small-market, small-revenue, small-resource team could do the same every season.

I have written here before that baseball’s economic model is as flawed and as mysteriously unquestioned as our late-stage Capitalist system. Too few people ask the following two questions of both the Baseball Lords or of billionaires in general:

  • How can you call it a “fair system” when some start with notable resource and economic advantages?
  • How can you call it “fair competition” when some start with clear resource and economic advantages?

I am well aware after 65-years that asking such questions is akin to saying to many that you are in favor of Stalinism. I would argue it is not. It is merely asking if the game would be better and the world be better if we stopped pretending that the current unfair systems we have are ONLY options available to us.

Surely we can do better. And surely baseball can do better.

Until then, I will always root for the underdogs and against both the billionaires and the Yankees.

How about you?

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3 responses to “Sometimes the Good Guys Win”

  1. Steve Myers Avatar
    Steve Myers

    Absolutely…rooting for the small market underdogs, but at the same time, I like seeing teams like the Yankees overspending on relief pitchers or other players who have already experienced their peak seasons. I say let baseball remain unfair and long live the success of the Rays, A’s and Brewers, but as far as society goes, god, I wish we would allocate more resources for the poor.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. mahhinton Avatar
      mahhinton

      The one thing, and the only thing, I think the NFL has over baseball is the relative parity that comes with a more level financial starting place among all teams. It helps clarify who can really coach and general manage. In the current baseball structure, the only thing we can judge is teams that overachieve and underachieve. The Yankees can ONLY underachieve. The Pirates can only Overachieve. In that context championships have become largely meaningless. Though I may be overstating the point.

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      1. Steve Myers Avatar
        Steve Myers

        now i’m wondering if there have been any upset ws champions? as good and innovative as the Rays have been like the A’s, they haven’t won the prize. hopefully. the brewers can change the pattern.

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