schneider@vlnvax.DEC (10/31/84)
Alright, alright, so someone has finally said something which has made me respond to the usenet for the first time. Poor unfortunates, you baseball fans may rue this day... >>Face it, the Cubs did what the Yankees (may their stadium be burnt >>to the ground and their owner eaten by one million Army Ants) did >>in 76-78 - bought themselves a winner. Watch out for the Mets if >>the Cubs lose a few players.... >So, are you of the opinion that any team that wins who has made a >trade in the past year is guilty of buying a winner alla Yankees? The >Yankees went out and spent big bucks on free agents. Not the cubs. Now the first author has chosen the Yankees of 1976-1978 as a role model of a team which "bought themselves a winner". The second author again uses the Yankees as an example, thus I will assume he agrees with the first contention. The Yankees did NOT buy themselves a winner. One may argue that in the progression of thier "mini-dynasty" (1976-1981) they made better use of the free agent system than any other team, yet they were not the only team to indulge or the most extravagant (California Angels, I belive), only the most successful. (Bill James has written a few wonderful analyses of the free agent phenomenon and the Yankees in his _Baseball Abstract_ and "Inside Sports".) The nucleus of the '76 Yankees was built around the farm system, experienced veterans and shrewd trades. The only player not of these means (which leaves free agency) was Catfish Hunter who was 17 and 15, a strong season but not crucial to the success of a team which walked away with the division. It was players like Thurman Munson, Chris Chambliss, Roy White, Graig Nettles, Mickey Rivers, Willie Randolph and Lou Pinella who created the opportunity for such a dynasty. The finishing touches to this team were really put on in December '75 during the interleague trading period when Gabe Paul traded Bobby Bonds for Rivers and Ed Figueroa of the Angels, and an hour later traded Doc Medich to the Pirates for Randolph, Ken Brett and Dock Ellis. My detractors may argue that the Yankees would have been losers without Reggie, Goose, etc. but while its true Steinbrenner came to belive in his signings too much, one should remember that the free agents pushed previously successful players out of thier positions (e.g. '77 Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle lost his job to Gossage) My own feelings are that free agency extended the strength (not the life) of the Yankees dynasty, but concerning "buying a winner", let's lay that fallacy to rest. Oh, by the way, that '76 team was my favorite even though they got whipped in the Series in four. Chambliss's fifth-game, ninth-inning home run against Littel may be my favorite baseball moment. Daniel Schneider DEC, Marlboro ...decwrl!dec-rhea!vlnvax!schneider
woods@hao.UUCP (Greg "Bucket" Woods) (11/03/84)
Too bad I don't still have the lyrics to the song someone posted here last
year called "Steinbrenner Sucks". I still say Steinbrenner (and others like
him, such as Charlie Finley) have changed the nature of baseball. When I was
growing up, no one ever heard of the owners. Now they get as much press
as the players, in some cases. But, in the last world series that the Orioles
were in, George really got his. Someone in the stands had a sign that read,
"you bought third place, George!". Funniest thing I ever saw in a baseball
stadium!
The Yankees stink!
--Greg, a frustrated Red Sox fan
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!hao!woods
"...but once in a while you can get shown the light
in the strangest of places if you look at it right..."