I guess I won’t be seeing you at Fenway Park or Yankee stadium!

I think that the Yankees fan would still wallow in glories past (you know, like they do NOW.) Red Sox fans I’ve met aren’t really band-wagoners. It wasn’t THAT long ago that Boston fans were famously suffering.

You do realize that the Red Sox have the 5th highest payroll this year and that 3 of the 4 teams in the League Championship series last year were in the bottom 5 payroll teams? There’s already a semi salary cap called the luxury tax that’s already in place. A salary cap wouldn’ really change that much.

The Red Sox would be fine.

2008 Payrolls by team:
1 Yankees $206,934,129
2 Mets $135,391,376
3 Tigers $130,931,863
4 Cubs $130,195,833
5 Red Sox $129,135,035

Well actually Im not quite sure how you could say that Red Sox fans are so accostomed to winning, because before 2004, we hadn’t won for 84 years before that. So sox fans are used to losing, and I dont think there would be any effect on Red Sox fan population if we were ever bad again. You can definitly say that there would be a hige decrease of Yankees fans, because their fans are very used to winning because they win all the time. So I say true for Yankees, and false for Red Sox.

The Padres and the other poorer baseball teams could actually win a game against the big spenders. Kudos to the Marlins and Rays for making a playoff team the old fashioned way! Oh, I think Hank Steinbrenner would be crying for Daddy and the Red Sox fans would shut their cocky mouths. Go low budget teams!

True “fans” always stay loyal (even through the lean years). A bandwagon rider will be quick to jump based on standings, the way the team looks on paper, a three game losing streak, or any number of reasons. Being that these are two of the most storied teams in baseball you would have a little drop off, but not much.

I am guessing you are a Mariners fan with the whole Seahawk thing. Do you realize that the Mariners are paying 117 million? They aren’t that far behind the Red Sox. Look at the list above me.

The reason teams have big payrolls is because they make big money. If your team attracts big crowds and you make a ton of money you should invest a good portion back into the team in both player payroll and farm system. If you are pocketing the money (like the Mariners did for years) you are hurting the future of the team. If a team cannot attract a crowd even when they win (Marlins, Rays) maybe they shouldn’t be playing in that location. The Rays wish they could play the Red Sox and Yankees more because that is the only time their park is full. That is one of the problems with expansion teams. Some places just don’t appreciate baseball or care enough to support a team.

Red Sox- Sold out every seat in the stadium in ‘03 and ‘04. before they won a title and after not winning for 80+ years. Hardly a bandwagon, huh?

Yankees- They were destined for the basement in 1966.
Late in the season they drew on consecutive days 2000 fans, Total! That seems like the definition of front running to me.

I’ve been a yankees fan for the last 11 years. I’ve seen curses get broken and some of my all time favorite players move on. I study the game, the history of the yankees, and the times they played in. I will still be a yankees fan.

But, yes, I agree that baseball players make way too much money. I think it would create much more fair competition among the teams. There should be a limit to players salaries, not 20 or 30 million. Hopefully, it can get done, but you know that some owners, particularly Hank Steinbrenner, will be pissed!

“Arod makes 30 million for hitting a ball. Jeeze!!”- My grandmother

Most fans are going to be loyal to their team no matter what, and that includes Rod Sox and Yankees fans. There will be some that jump ship, but those aren’t the true fans. I’ll always be loyal to the Braves (I became a fan long before the great run started in 92; I remember when 5,000 fans at Fulton County Stadium was a good day, and Glenn Hubbard played 2B) no matter how bad a season they have. You would see the same in Boston and New York.

I used to be strongly opposed to a salary cap in baseball, but the luxury tax doesn’t seem to be doing much for parity. Other than an occasional foray into the playoffs, your small market teams continue to struggle year after year. Look at the Pirates. Sure, they had some good teams in the early 90s with players like Bonds, Bonilla, and Van Slyke, but what happens when they become free agents? Small market teams can not afford their salary and off they go to “greener” pastures.

The same thing that the 49ers and Cowboys had to battle their way through once NFL implemented the salary cap… the cap would ONLY be good for the game if teams are required to spend a league min or % min of their income. Honestly its pathetic with teams like the Marlins (yes they get good talent in return but no player loyalty) turning over the entire roster every 5 years. There is no wonder why they will never get a new state of the art stadium there adn Tampa is working on their second since joining the league (I realize the first tampa stadium was horrible with the catwalks in the outfield).
Miami is a huge market but is and will always be a football city. The only way to change this would be to get a retractable dome there so on humid days they could regulate the temp making it plesant for their fans but without keeping players for more than the rookie contract no chance!
-(look at the Royals & Rays signing free agents and at least becoming more of a pest to the larger market teams)

ps this is a baseball fans opinion even if im a yanks fan that struggled throughthe 80’s with them… poor donnie baseball!!!!