Actually, yes: The Yankees certainly did buy the World Series
Filed under: Media
I grew up in Milwaukee, the smallest city with its own Major League Baseball team. During my summer vacations from high school and college, I worked as a vendor at Milwaukee County Stadium, where the Brewers played before it was torn down and replaced by Miller Park. Not once during that time did the Brewers make the playoffs. In fact, starting in 1982, they went 26 years without a post-season appearance.Finally, last year, the Brewers sneaked in as a wildcard team, largely on the strength of C.C. Sabathia's superhuman pitching. Then the season ended, Sabathia (pictured) signed with the Yankees, and the Brewers, who couldn't come close to matching the Yankees' seven-year, $160 million offer, resumed playing their usual sub-.500 ball.
So you can imagine how it offended me, as a Milwaukeean and a Brewers fan -- nay, as a human being, dammit -- to read "The Yankees Didn't Buy the World Series," Andrew Zimbalist's editorial in News Corp's (NWS) The Wall Street Journal on Monday. A pre-eminent sports economist, Zimbalist examines whether "the Yankees bought their trophy," and concludes that they didn't.
This much Zimbalist is able to prove, to his own satisfaction, with a simple thought experiment: "[H]ow come the Yankees haven't won the fall classic since 2000, even though the franchise led the way in payroll each year and actually spent more last year (when it missed the playoffs) than it did this year?"
You may have heard this line of reasoning before from, say, a smoker who defends his habit by telling you about his grandfather who totally smoked a pack a day for his whole life and lived to be 92. It's pure humbug, of course. The Yankees endured a shocking, tragic eight-year championship drought because baseball is not algebra: Chance plays a role, just as genetics plays a part in determining who ends up developing lung cancer.
Zimbalist can't very well pretend he doesn't know this, so he seeks to minimize it. Having done the math, he asserts that "somewhere between 15% and 30% of the variance in team win percentage can be explained by the variance in team payroll." He states this as though 15% to 30% is not very much. Is it? Consider this: The difference between the Yankees' league-leading 2009 record (103-59) and the Brewers' not-quite-memorable one (80-82) was 23 games: 14.2% of a 162-game season.
Zimbalist concludes, "Wealthy teams do have an advantage, but it is not true that they can buy championships."
Wrong: It is absolutely true that they can buy championships. What they can't buy is any one specific championship, simply because money has no bearing on player health, team cohesiveness, strength of competition, or various other factors. All the stars still have to align. But a sufficiently large payroll can boost a team's chances to the point where it can win championships, say, a quarter of the time -- which is exactly what the Yankees have managed to do, absurdly, over the past 105 years.
I can't blame Yankees fans for not wanting to alter this state of affairs. Well, actually, that's not true. Of course I blame them. Their willingness to benefit from a rigged system is killing baseball as America's pastime by suffocating enthusiasm for it in all the places that aren't New York.
But if they're not going to agitate for change, the least they could do is acknowledge the shameful truth: Money buys titles.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 16)
11-16-2009 @ 5:49PM
Mike said...
Only one type a person doesn't believe the Yankees bought the World Series,,,,,,,,,,,,,a liar.
Reply
11-16-2009 @ 10:58PM
Hang In There said...
Mike...you are just a sore looser! Whether you are a Yankees fan or not, it doesn't matter, they were the best team, period! So...relax...
11-17-2009 @ 11:20AM
ken said...
please stop your crying! you wish your owners would spend some money to put a decent team on the field! the Boss takes his money and spends it on his team, your owners take the boss George's money and put it in their pockets!
11-17-2009 @ 11:03AM
KNUTE9 said...
How much money did the Marlins and the Twins spend to win their World Series? Money helps but it doesn't guarantee the the success of the team.
11-17-2009 @ 5:01PM
graphikzking said...
Of course the Yankees were the best team. You "BOUGHT" how many CY-Young winners?
You "BOUGHT" how many MVP's???
Who on the team did they actually develop? Jaba?? LOL he didn't do anything..
At least the Phillies are MOSTLY self developed. Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, JA Happ, Cole Hamels.
One issue is Florida / Tampa Bay don't fill the stadiums. When Tampa was in the playoffs they almost didnt sell out. I think that if the town doesnt sell a certain % of tickets, then they should be pressured to do something to sell tickets or possibly move to a city that WILL sell the tickets. This will generate more money for the lesser teams and thus create a more equal playing field!
11-17-2009 @ 5:06PM
cyndi said...
Dial 1-800-Waa-Waah. LOL. I'm an Indians fan, myself, but common sense says the league with the most $$ gets the best players. Cleveland's lost a few to the lure of the greenback,(coughcoughSabathia) but that's baseball. They're not just playing because they look good in uniforms...they play to get paid. New York has the loot, so they get the players. Get over it.
11-17-2009 @ 5:23PM
RJB said...
How many players did they develop Graph? Lets see- Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Andy Petit, Joba, Hughes, Jorge, shall I go on. They had just as many back in the 90's with Bernie, and crew. Red Sox bought theirs as well with Manny at 20 mil, Schilling and Pedro and Ortiz among others.
11-17-2009 @ 7:23PM
PAUL ZAMBRANO said...
MLB HAS RULES AND THE YANKEES FOLLOW THEM.....JUST BECAUSE YOUR TEAM OWNER ISN,T AS GENEROUS WITH YOUR PLAYERS ISN,T THE YANKEES FAULT......
11-16-2009 @ 6:19PM
Doug said...
Well written article.
In my town of Houston, which has been competitivie year in and year out for two decades, including agaainst Jeff's Brewers, it is still common for sports talk show callers to denigrate Astros owner Drayton McClain because he doesn't try to buy the championship, letting certain free agents get away, e. g. Carlos Beltran, or not more actively pursuing others. That in 2008 he had MLB's 4th highest payroll, or 7th highest this year, is irrelevant to such ranters.
If you listen to talk show callers, they would have an owner procuring an all-star at every position, and a better than average player on the bench ready to step in if a given all-star gets hurt or goes into a slump. It is totally unrealistic everywhere but New York, and not even there for the Mets. In the meantime, franchises like Pittsburg and Kansas City have no chance of winning division championships, much less pennants, and can only struggle to get competitive on a cycle of say one or two years out of every five or seven, e.g. the Brewers.
As for me, I am content to watch the Astros play quality competitive ball (which is most years, albeit not this one), while having hopes that they will make the playoffs, and absolutely no expectation that they will do anything once they get there. And by the way, I do all my viewing by television. There is no way that the billionaire owners and the millionaire players are going to get any of my money in such a rigged sytem.
Reply
11-17-2009 @ 9:56AM
Lucy said...
I guess you would never try to get more money for your talents, not to mention that baseball players love to work for the New York Team.
I am sure in your lifetime and all you other sore loser fans never changed jobs to get more money. I am sure you never told an employer I rather stay here then leave and make more money. Grow up this is a business for these players. You want the most you can get for talent (if you sore losers have any kind).
11-17-2009 @ 5:01PM
graphikzking said...
--From Philly so we have won a championship recently.
I've also LEFT jobs for LESS money for OPPORTUNITY! and it's paid off BOTH times!
So if some of these players uproot their family for say 16 million per year versus 12million per year I think that's ridiculous and they should be ashamed to look their family in the eye!
Especially for those with children in school. If they have family in the new team's area, or grew up there then thats different but to leave just for the sake of money it's a damn shame.
Many people would easily criticize them for making these decisions but when faced with it themselves they would do the same.
I actually taken the less money for more security, more stability, longer term guaranteed things.
These people should start to rethink what they do. Maybe NY can offer $15 per year for 10 years but only guarantee the first 2 years. Maybe if Milwaukee, Phila, Kansas City did something like $9mill per year for 9 years and guarantee 5 years of it, they may rethink things. This would cause NY not to be able to offer GUARANTEED money to ALL these players, especially if the player doesnt work out (Giambi etc). They would be laden with these contracts after only 2 years that they can't get anyone else.
This would help to even the market!
11-16-2009 @ 6:24PM
charles said...
You would have to be a complete idiot to believe the Yankees did not buy the world series. The day Sabathia and Burnett were signed, I told my wife.........."the yankees just bought the world series." I have been a Yankee hater all my adult life. I do enjoy seeing some of my past favorite players doing well. I am a Cleveland Indian fan.....since 1950. Of course, Sabathia and Lee were Cleveland players, until it was decided, they were too good and would cost too much to keep. Hell, I could manage the Yankees and win with Texeria, Rodriquez, Sabathia, Burnett........and Jeter.
Reply
11-16-2009 @ 10:57PM
Hang In There said...
Charles...grow up!
11-16-2009 @ 11:35PM
SgtJoeFriday said...
The Yankees didn't just buy a championship, they bought the umps as well (how else would they call an obvious fair ball "foul" in the ALDS).
11-17-2009 @ 11:19AM
ken said...
an Indians fan, that explains it! Plato was still alive the last time they won anything!!!!!!
11-17-2009 @ 12:33PM
Dave said...
Such dumb comments. If you want a winning team you put into it whatever you can to assure you can have that winning team. If the owners would rather put more profit in their pockets instead of back into the team then they deserve what comes. Any successful business will put in the money they need to make that business a success. George and his son's are willing to spend that money to bring a winning team to New York and their fans. If it was just a matter of money winning every year then why did the Yankees not win for nine years? To the one's who dislike the Yankees there will always be excuses but for us that love the Yankees, we won, get used to it. You need to look at some of the games where some stadiums are half full or less and the fans won't come out to spend the money for tickets unless they are winners all the way. You want better players then get out and support your team where the brass can spend more on players. Notice how the Yankee fans come out to support the team, win or loose we are there spending money. Jealousy won't buy your team a win.
11-17-2009 @ 10:04PM
Gil said...
Last time I checked don't all teams buy thier players
11-16-2009 @ 6:44PM
Ken said...
Yankees have ruined the game . Boston is trying but can't keep up . I will continue going to games because I love the sport but will not go to or watch a yankee game .I did not watch a series game .
Reply
11-16-2009 @ 10:57PM
Hang In There said...
Ken...grow up! Relax...and count to 10....1, 2, 3....
11-17-2009 @ 7:06AM
Hugh said...
"Hang in There"'s answer to everything is - "grow up!" Is that all you've got, kid? The Yankees have been buying championships for years and the only people who don't realize or admit it are their fans or the very stupid. The Fightin' Phils went to two Series in a row with half the payroll of the Yankees. So which is the REAL team? The Yankees are just a bunch of high paid mercenaries. The Phillies are a TEAM.