Organizations in Transition

For my first entry I would like to review a few articles I found around the industry. Many clubs are moving forward, while others are treading the water. Sure, it is a business. I am the most realistic about the industry and what kind of investment it is as just about anybody. Here's the thing, the public will not accept that, because that is not part of what it is to be a fan. So why are so many clubs blatantly squeaking by and the fans continue to go. When you watch the Yankees games and you see empty seats in the background you are puzzled and it looks awkward. When the same thing happens at a Pittsburgh Pirates game, you accept it because that club is not as successful.

From Buster Olney's Blog on ESPN.com:

"Owner Bob Nutting is frustrated with the Pirates' failure this year. If his sentiments are real, and not an expression of empathy for the fan base, this is not a good sign for the club's front office, because the reality is that the Pirates are at least a couple of years away from taking long strides forward."

MLB implemented the salary compensation program in order to help these clubs spend the dollars necessary to be successful, but what have they done with it? The fans are angry, an I don't blame them. Most of them want to be in the dark about the business side of the game and that's good for big business. Don't force them to see that side, invest in the product just like you would in any other business venture to get ahead of the pack. Taking advantage of the fan base and MLB's salary sharing program will only last so long, and it will hurt everyone in the game.


Albert "The Great"

At the tender young age of 24, I cannot say that I've seen a lot of the greatest players in the history of the game. This I can tell you, I am in awe when I watch Albert Pujols at the plate. The numbers don't lie either, and it looks as though he won't slow down any time soon.

"As Jeremy Lundblad of ESPN Stats & Information notes, Pujols accomplished a Decade Triple Crown: Pujols is just the fourth player to accomplish a "Decade Triple Crown" -- that is, leading a league (AL or NL) in home runs, RBIs and batting average over the course of an entire decade. In doing so, he joins a trio of Hall-of-Fame legends. Ted Williams took the crown for the AL in the 1940s (though he missed a good portion of time while fighting in WWII), Rogers Hornsby in the NL in the 1920s and Honus Wagner in the NL in the 1900s. (Note: RBIs did not become an official stat until 1920, so Honus Wagner's inclusion is somewhat unofficial.)"

I can say with confidence that he is the best player I have ever seen. Often when the greatest all around player conversation comes up, Joe Mauer is almost always brought up in comparision. Mauer has been fantastic and remarkably got better this season by improving his power numbers drastically. The difference is this, ask any pitcher in baseball and ask them this: Who would you rather pitch to? Most will agree that facing either of them is not what they look forward to, but Pujols is the ultimate threat at the plate, and that answers the question. I am lucky to be around while he is in his prime, and nobody should underestimate what he is doing.

Blue Jays front office changes:

Nick Canepa of the Union-Tribune had an article on October 4th about Jeff Moorad and the decision to fire Kevin Towers. Towers is a Massachusetts resident and often makes appearances on local media outlets. He seems like a great guy, and really has a passion for sports. All of that aside, I feel it was a reactionary decision by Moorad, and the wrong one. In essence, you could create a pretty successful team out of the players that have been injured and unable to contribute to the Blue Jays.

The most important of all, being Dustin McGowan, is to the Blue Jays what Clay Buccholz or Joba Chamberlain/Phil Hughes are to the Red Sox and Yankees. He projected to be a front of the line starter and the heir-apparent to the dismissal of A.J. Burnett. Keeping that in perspective, all teams go through these kind of disappointments. Bottom line is that Towers did nothing but provide the organization with a chance to win. He made moves to get plus holes when he lost key veterans, he also drafted and signed some of the premier baseball talent in the game.

On top of all of this, is the economic effect on Canada. They have been hit just as hard, if not harder than any other club. They had to cut a guy they were really high on, in Alex Rios, in order to shed payroll to survive. A lot of fans accepted this because of Rios' performance of late, but one thing that needs to be clarified is that money is probably not going back into player development and signing bonuses. It will be held onto in order to pay the bills. Good luck to the replacement, it will be hard to beat what Towers did while there.

I hope you enjoyed the first round of the playoffs. In my next entry I will touch upon the division series and the performance of Zack Greinke this year.