Salary Cap

Welcome aboard, Mr. Eaton.  It is nice to see that after a decade of futility, the Philadelphia Phillies have rewarded you with a three year, 24.5 million dollar contract.  Let us break this contract down by the great numbes you have posted over the years.

A first-round pick by the Phillies in 1996, Eaton is 54-45 with a 4.40 ERA in seven major league seasons.   So, this means that the Phillies are willing to pay almost half a million dollars for every career victory you have had.  Mind numbing.  Makes me want to cry.  But, it gets worse.  Last season(cut short due to injury number 5), Eaton was 7-4.  So, that would mean Philadelphia is willing to pay you a million dollars for every win.  Your best season was years ago when you went 11-5.  If you magically duplicate this, then the Phillies will feel like they got a deal.  Once again, I feel like I have been cheated by my sports team.

While we wait until 3 p.m. to see if Ryan Howard got robbed of the mvp, lets take a glance at what it means to be the most valuable player.  The most valuable player is the player that makes a team competitve with him and a real loser without him.  Ryan was the player that made the Phillies go the second half of the season.  Also, he is the only player that got the Barry Bonds treatment when it came to the intentional walk.

Which makes salary cap wonder why people are thinking Albert Pujulos should win?  Did he get walked in the fourteenth inning with no one on?  Did Albert have Jeff Conine and Pat “I swing at everything” protecting him in his lineup?  Say what you will, but Ryan did not see more than ten hittable balls in the last twenty games the Phillies played.  If Ryan does not win, he can thank his teammates for losing him his hardware.

Salary cap is astounded by the fact that Boston Red Sox have paid 51.1 million dollars for the right to talk to this Japanese pitcher.  His name is Daisuke Matsuzaka. He has made zero pitches in the major leagues.  But, his team in japan is about to get rich if he can stike a deal with Boston.

Let’s try and place this silly amount in perspective.  Five teams have 2006 payrolls that are less than this.  The Royals, Pirates, Rockies, Devil Rays, and bottom dwelling Marlins do not pay all 25 members of their team this much.  So, are you telling me that this guy is worth this just to talk?  With his reported future salary added to this, this guy will be worth more than 24 teams.  HE HASN”T EVEN PITCHED!  I want to know why anyone would think this was a good idea.

As a long time philadelphia sports fan, I am completely soured on the chances of seeing a championship team this year.  I have been patient.  I have been vocal.  I prayed to God.  I cursed God.  I am now to the point that I am completely numb to all sporting events that have a philadelphia team in it.
Whenever I look back at all the near misses in the 23 years of no championships, I start to tear up.  I know that my suffering doesn’t compare to Cub fans, but my city has all four major sports teams(football, baseball, basketball, hockey).  The sixers last won in 1983.  OMG, this is just ridiculous.  The SIXERS?!!  The Phillies did it in 1980.(by the way, that year is the only year all four teams in the major sports from one city have ever been in the finals)  Sadly, only the Phillies won their final.  The Flyers last won in 1974-75.  Bobbi Clarke was the captain, not the burnt out GM.  The Eagles, well, they are still looking for a Super Bowl win.(won the Championship in 1960 before it was called Super Bowl) 

 My point is that I am tired of all the excuses that seem to go along with Philadelphia sports teams.  They had injuries.  They had one bad play.  Mitch Wild Thing Williams was pitching.  Always something to tell the fans about why they didn’t get the job done.  How long before fans stop showing up to games?  How much of this can one endure?  If you have the answer to any of these questions, please feel free to let me know.  Check out the poll and let me know when a Philadelphia team will win.

Salary Cap concerns are pretty much nonexistent with the new baseball deal that was just finalized.  Baseball players and owners proclaimed an unprecedented era of labor peace, finalizing a new five-year collective bargaining agreement Tuesday night.  The numbers are staggering to say the least.  Lets break them down.

Thresholds for luxury tax on team (Poorly managed teams is why the Yankees can spend at will) payrolls set at $148 million for 2007, $155 million for 2008, $162 million in 2009, $170 million in 2010 and $178 million in 2011. Tax rates on amount over threshold remain at 22.5 percent for first time over threshold, 30 percent for second time over threshold, 40 percent for third or subsequent time over threshold. 

The predictable baseball is that business as usual for the salary cap.  Where fans of all teams in hockey enjoy the excitment that their team has a chance, baseball fans get to know that only 5-7 teams are in the chase every year.  Good job, baseball.  I just wish baseball would go and change like Football.

The rumor is circulating that the plane that crashed into the apartment complex is owned by Cory Lidle, the pitcher for the New York Yankees.  I am looking for any information that can verify this.

Ryan Howard is more than likely going to get robbed out of the MVP award from Albert Pujols.  I am going to make my case right here why Ryan Howard should be the MVP by the salary cap method.  Albert had 177 hits compared to Ryan’s 182.  Albert got paid 14 million dollars.  That comes out to roughly 80,000 dollars per hit.  Not too shabby.  Ryan on the other hand got paid roughly 2000 dollars per hit.  Ryan had 9 more home runs and 12 more RBI’s than Albert.  So, according to the salary cap standards we use on my site, Ryan is the hands down MVP.  While I think 355000 dollars is more than enough for a baseball player, 14 million for less seems to be absurd.  Nothing against Albert, but for the money, Ryan is the winner of the NL MVP has voted by the experts here at salarycap.net.  (The Phillies are very close to being the best bargain team in baseball, except they still have Pat “strike three’ Burrell)