Opening Day Woes

Opening Day is right around the corner. It’s a week late, but certainly much sooner than I anticipated. This Free Agency has been one for the books..but mostly for the dreaded Big Market franchises. We saw the Mets open up their checkbooks and spend top dollar to make a splash in the NL. The Yankees continue to be the Yankees, and Texas has officially opened up their checkbook to compete in the AL West. 

The Lockout was really frustrating for me. I tried really hard to see both sides of the situation, but that picture of what Oakland was serving their minor league players is forever embedded in my mind. The only reason things changed is social media. Someone had the courage to show the world how professional athletes were being fed by their franchise. Meanwhile, that same year, Oakland earned $208 MILLION in total revenue. Their total salary for their 26-man roster for 2022, $31.5 million, which includes deferred money as well as all injured and suspended salaries. They’ve continued to deplete and “rebuild” as they ride their time out in Oakland waiting for the Vegas Cash Cow to come in and save the day. 

The point of this blog is to tell all you small market fans out there, I’m here for you. Let’s bitch together about how our teams do nothing to get better and how all the talent we develop goes away in a matter of a couple of years. Why do we put ourselves through this? Loyalty can often be the center of pain, especially in sports. We’re loyal to franchises who promise “championships” to the city. Meanwhile, you can’t buy a jersey because the likelihood of your favorite player being on the roster for more than 5 years is highly unlikely. It’s one of the major reasons the new baseball fan follows the player, not the team. You never know who’s going where and when.

Baseball is back, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully in October it isn’t the Dodgers and Yanks in the Fall Classic, but I won’t get my hopes up. 

-Todd