Crawford to the Red Sox!

[bluedigger]

Woot!:bounce:

[flvegan]

1. Hot diggity damn!!!!!!!!

Woooooooo hooooooo!!!

[chelsea0011]

2. That's one dangerous lineup the Sox will have next year, but MLB

really needs to address what's happening with the league. As a Sox fan I love the off season moves and look forward to next year. But there are way too many teams that gain will go into the season with no chance and that isn't good for the sport. MLB has a revenue sharing in place that has been accused by the haves of not using the money for the teams and just pocketing it.

I also wonder if Gonzalez is thinking why should I be signing for less. He hasn't signed any extension, and I want to see if he will.

[bluedigger]

4. I think most everybody but Yankee fans here agree.

I don't have a problem with the Red Sox competing with the Yankees, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I would still prefer a salary cap to level the playing field.

And I can't wait to see Ellsbury and Crawford on the base paths at the same time! That's going to be some exciting baseball!:applause:

[MaineDem]

7. I heard Ells may get traded

I'm hoping that's just a nasty rumor.

[bluedigger]

8. He seems to always be on the trading block.

I think they'll hang on to him for at least another year - his value needs to be reestablished after last year (unless he's part of a package, but I don't see it happening).

[JonLP24]

5. Not just an accusation

Leaked financial documents of the Pirates and Marlins show those teams make a fortune off of revenue sharing and TV deals, but they don't spend a lot on players.

[madinmaryland]

11. There is no teeth in the revenue sharing agreement which forces

the teams at the bottom, such as KC, Pittsburgh, and even Florida to actually spend the money on the players. There is no minimum spending requirement.

There real issue is that ALL TV revenue needs to be shared, not just the Fox and ESPN revenues.

[HuckleB]

19. Correct on both matters.

[HuckleB]

15. That may be, but it doesn't change the reality for the vast majority of teams.

[JonLP24]

17. I'd be interested in seeing the breakdowns for every team

especially for TV deals. Fox Sports and others is a cash cow for many teams. On top of that there is revenue sharing. I will concede there is a possibility there are teams that aren't turning a profit.

[HuckleB]

18. Turning a profit is one thing. (And, yes, making it open to the public would be good.)

However, being able to compete with the top few teams is another thing altogether. MLB is set up very different than the NFL and NBA, for example, in regard to salary caps, etc... and the results are becoming far too obvious. Sure, some teams get lucky enough to compete for a year or two, when a couple of young players hit their stride. Outside of that, the trend is obvious, and it's not explained simply by saying some teams are holding back.

[Mudoria]

6. From what I've heard..

A Gonzalez extension won't be signed until after opening day so the Sox can avoid the luxury tax. Makes sense...

[chelsea0011]

9. It only makes sense if he actually signs it. If there is a handshake deal

already in place, why would the Sox get to avoid a luxury tax? either you already have a deal or you don't.

[Chan790]

13. Because the handshake deal doesn't count until it's signed.

They did the same thing when they acquired Beckett. It's a loophole that needs to be fixed, but as long as it isn't, teams will exploit it. It's not just the Red Sox and the Yankees that do it, the teams at the bottom of the payscale do it too to maximize their revenue-shares...the people it hurts are the mid-markets.

[chelsea0011]

24. Gonzalez says today in the Globe there is no deal in place.

[HuckleB]

14. Exactly.

Baseball is my favorite sport, but what is happening to MLB is depressing me.

[Ganja Ninja]

3. Well at least it's not the Yankees. n/t

[Iggo]

10. Same thing. (n/t)

:evilgrin:

[bluedigger]

12. Oh no you di'int!

:evilfrown:

[HuckleB]

16. There is some truth to that.

Since they won a couple WS titles, the Sox fans that show up at Safeco now resemble Yankees fans more than the fans of any other team. Sox fans at Safeco used to be fun, but now they seem angry and juvenile at games. Success doesn't always breed the best in people I guess.

[bluedigger]

20. Most of the out of market fans probably weren't before the WS wins.

Winning teams always attract jerks in every sport.:shrug:
It's just a cross every champion has to bear...:(

[HuckleB]

21. I don't buy that.

Safeco was filled with Sox fans for years long before the Series wins. There are no more and no less of them now.

[bluedigger]

22. Well, if winning turns decent fans into jerks, Seattle is safe for the foreseeable future...

:evilgrin:

[HuckleB]

23. Absolutely!

Unfortunately, so is Milwaukee.

At least Milwaukee fans are fun. Perhaps I'm just grieving a bit. Seattle fans suck (the truth is what it is), but at least it was a good time when the Sox hit town. And I actually enjoyed bashing heads with idiot Yankees fans, too. Anyway, I miss the joyful banter with Sox fans in Seattle. I loved it. I guess I'll have to make a trip to Fenway to get that back.

:toast:

[bluedigger]

25. Shaughnessy agrees...

Sudden status as favorites is richly deserved

This assures that the rest of sporting America is going to hate us more than ever. The Sox-Yankees rivalry dominated the first half of this decade, and baseball fans outside of Boston and New York got sick of our quest to overthrow the Evil Empire. Now the Boston-New York war is back with a vengeance, and the Red Sox have become the Yankees.

No more crying about the Yankees. Your team has become the Yankees. Sit back and enjoy it while you wait for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLV and the Celtics and Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2010/12/10/sudden_status_as_favorites_is_richly_deserved/

Excuse me, while I go wipe the egg off my face...

:dilemma: