Today, one of the biggest free agent stars, Manny Machado (right) signed a huge 10-year deal worth $300 million. Some of these old school fans seem shocked by the number, even though for the past couple years these have always been the projected numbers. I personally believe Bryce Harper will sign for an even bigger contract in the neighborhood of $325-$340 million for 10 years, which will surely create even more belly groans.
Now do I agree with Machado's antics? No, but we have had many players throughout the past decades that were flawed as well, and created as many headaches as well.
I'm 42 years old, and as a fan, I get sick of the old school hating on today's game and today's players. I hate to break it to you, but your beloved Sandy Koufax and your flawless baseball god Mickey Mantle would have signed the same exact contracts without blinking. Don't you dare sit there and act like they wouldn't, you know damn well that they would. The Mick would use his Twitter account 'The Real Mick 7' and he would post something like "I'm very thrilled to start the next chapter of my career, thrilled to be in Boston." Could you imagine Reggie Jackson on twitter, he had no problem saying things like he was "the straw that stirred the drink" or "I'm bringing my star with me" in the old media outlets... imagine how polarizing he would come off in today's twitter outlets.. he would probably be the most hated player outside of Yankees baseball. So let's all not pretend that these guys would act any different in today's world.
I do think that MLB Baseball needs to make a free agency deadline of sorts, to end these long waits that is simply destroying the MLB off-season. The MLB used to have the edge over all the other major sports with their offseason activity. For some of us Baseball fans, the off-season used to be almost as exciting as the season itself.
When I was a kid, on Valentine's Day, my dad would get us boys, the latest MLB Preview magazines such as The Sporting News and Street & Smith's, they would be sitting on the kitchen table at our spots, first thing in the morning. It was great to read them and see who landed where and who was traded for who. I remember thinking "Wow, Andre Dawson is with the Cubs?!" -- You know, things like that, but with the last few off-seasons grinding at a snail pace, MLB Baseball finds themselves with no hot stove, or a stove for that matter.
This is what Max Scherzer had to say on the slow offseasons in a ESPN post on February 14th...
I do agree with the media knowing too much of who's talking to who, who is visiting who, I used to love the complete mystery of it all. It was just a few weeks ago when the San Diego Padres suddenly thrust their name into the Harper-Machado sweepstakes... If this was 1987, we would all find the news of today as a complete shock... San Diego?! Don't get me wrong, there was still a bit of that, but we did know they put their name into the hat, if this was 1987, we would never have known (outside of San Diego) that the Padres were attempting at signing one of these big guns.
I hope that the MLB finds a way to make the offseason what it once was, if they don't, it's just yet another thing to add to a huge list of things on why Baseball is losing to the NFL & NBA.
But back to my earlier point, can we stop blaming today's players for today's game? Can we quit bitching about launch angles & sabermetrics? These things are not going away, so you mind as well embrace it, even if it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. The game of baseball is always evolving, and although it may go through ugly spurts, it usually comes out as beautiful thing.
You know yesterday's players such as Willie Mays, if he played today's games, he would study these very things if it was to make his game better. Yesterday's owners and General Managers would have studied all the information of today's game to make their teams better.
Simply put, your heroes would have done exactly the same.
Comparing the times that Mickey Mantle played, with the control the ownership had then, to today, when the players have more control is not an equal playing field. Yes, #7 would gleefully sign a Machado deal. The facts are that it was not available to him.
ReplyDeleteYes, old timers complain about the money today's players have available to them...especially compared to earlier times. Complaining is common. The older one gets...the more complaints. There are metrics to compare the dollars for the '50's to the $ of the current teens. The people who delve into these numbers conclude that what the players make currently has little effect on the end result of ticket prices. Math far beyond most of us.
My advice would be to listen to the old timers complaints...incorporate it into a common platform of "love of the game"...and ignore it.
I have seen Duke Snider play. Ted Williams too. Hank Aaron, Willy Mays, and for a Red Sox fan, the last team to come into the 20th century racially...Pumpsie Green. Today's game is great. Even the steroid era will one day be recognized as just a bump in the road as great baseball players progress.
I'm an old timer now, but I do not have the animosity you suggest.
Different generations can always agree on the love of the game...despite the money.
Bravo! Thank you for standing up for today's game and today's players - they are magnificent athletes. As much as I enjoy APBA, the tiresome dialogue of the "get off my lawn" crowd of many if not most who play it is totally one-sided. Thank you, again. These are the good-old days and let's recognize that and enjoy the ride.
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