MLB Owners Out Of Control

Fox Sports [Dayn Perry], CBS {Larry Dombrow], Baseball Prospectus [Steven Goldman], Deadspin [Don Spagnolo], ESPN [Jerry Crasnick], among many others, have all come out hammering the Pirates organization the last few months.

None of them caused more than a ripple in the ocean.

Staring down the barrel of the organization's 15th consecutive losing season, Pirates Chairman of the Board and principal owner Robert Nutting talked about the Nutting's family commitment to winning Sunday, telling Pirate fans:

"Nobody is going to apologize.." -- link to Bucco Blog

Nutting's comment caused a typhoon.

This is the same family that some say caused a financial rift in the organization in early 2003 while grabbing control of the organization and causing one of their top prospects in Aramis Ramirez to be traded for junk bonds. The team's position then was that they couldn't afford Ramirez, who was making $3MM in his first arb year. A couple of months later, the Pirates received $13MM in revenue sharing.

It isn't Pirate fans' fault their team stinks. Heck, many of them still believe this is 'THE' year. How sad they will be by June. What then? Does Nutting think the fans will 'apologize' for not buying tickets after July?

Hardly...they have had it.

Perhaps someone in the front office will have to be the scapegoat and that could only mean David Littlefield, just as many in the media above suggest. But when it comes right down to it, the problem isn't Dave Littlefield - the problem is lame ownership who have the Marge Schott, Richard Jacobs, Bud Selig financial greed disease [link].

Jake at Bucco Blog
Special to MLB Trade Rumors

Comments

[Guitar Hero]

I hate those owners.

[destiny_driven]

Hey, how could you forget the "King of the Greedy", Peter Angelos? His reign of terror has destroyed the once proud Oriole system, as well as the incredible minor league program they were known for. Angelos' idea of a "hot" free agent is a minimally productive, slow afoot 35+ year old has been that he can sign on the cheap.

It is about time that baseball fans WAKE UP and STOP BUYING TICKETS or team merchandise, and in no way support these people in power. All they want is our money. It is US who decides IF we give it to them or not. It is time to fight back.

I for one am looking forward to the day that Peter Angelos dies and the dark cloud over Baltimore will give way to the sunshine and promise of a new day. Until that time, Angelos will be milking the franchise for every penny he can get.

[jfish26101]

Well that is all good and everything but how can you just stop being an Orioles fan or a Pirates fan because you don't like the owner? You can't stop being an American because you don't like Bush...most people can't even stop buying products from companies that have outsourced their jobs overseas or to Mexico. You could do all these things but is that really the solution? Should a Pirate fan simply make the decision to stop supporting the team or even switch teams?

You can’t fault the owner of the team looking at it as an investment or business either. Very few people have enough money that they can buy a professional sports team and run it as a fan not worrying about what may happen down the road or their spending. The business side of sports is out of hand but I don’t think it’s to a point where people should just stop showing interest. It could always back fire as well, with the team moving to another city or being contracted. That would be WAY down the road but it’s a possibility. If the owner wont spend a load of money on the team when you are buying tickets, what makes you think he will when your not?

I understand the problem and I'm sure its frustrating but even despite the owner the Pirates are on the right track. The Bay deal was a very good move. The LaRoche deal was another good one for the team I believe. They have a blue chip spec in McCutchen coming up soon as well as Neil Walker who is still a very talented player. They have a young core of pitchers and more on the way. If they can continue to draft well and sign players from their LA system then they have a good shot at competing in the next 5 years.

[tmar]

A few things about sports ownership.

1. Owners should not be allowed to buy teams as an "investment" and the league should not permit leveraged financing of teams. When the final goal is to maximize the bottom line the SPORT is hurt. There are plenty of billionaires that would love to own a team in the same self-pleasing nature that they want their own jet, those are the people who should own teams.

2- The simple cure would be to have all of the owners get together and vote out the worst owner each year. Play it like an Apprentice series, if your team loses more than 90 games you go to the board room and let Trump fire the worst owner (force them to sell).

[jmonahan7]

there is a difference between a bad owner and a bad team and it would be unfair to send 90+ loss teams that are still rebuilding and may not be too far off, into a situation like that. Obviously it would never happen but just making a point.

I think that what we need is a minimum salary cap so that teams actually have to spend money and try to win.

[jfish26101]

Wow tmar that may be the single most unrealistic post I have ever seen on this site. You think Baseball should take the initiative to only let owners in who are just throwing their money away not caring if they lose it? You must not know too many rich people because I'd bet that almost all of them expect there to be a large profit involved. The more money spent, the more return they expect and a professional sports team is a lot of money. I just hope you were joking because I think your way outside reality if your not. Baseball is big business and has been for a long time. You have to remember that this is their job, not their hobby or even their passion for most of them.

[tmar]

I was partially joking (and especially about the Apprentice part) but my main point is that there is good and bad ownership. MLB is not built on individual owners each doing their own thing but a team of owners who are supposed to be working towards mutual success. There are a few owners who are pond sucking bottom feeders who are negatively effecting the other ownerships in the MLB team. Fielding a competitive team should be mandatory and there should be penalties somewhere for those who fail to even try to field one.

[grumpy3b]

WOW, who knew Charlie Finley was alive and running the show in Pittsburg.

[grumpy3b]

Imar,

Actually MLB was built by owners beeing greedy and trying to operate as individuals including forcing owners with less resources to bend to their will. It was not until the Bowie Kuhn era that MLB got on it's current path...it was then taken even farther that way by Ueberroth who got out when he saw how the little cooperation there was between owners. The idiot in charge now is just another bitterman zillionare. Actually he is just like the president.

BTW, tell the Yankees or BoSox they need the other teams in the league...heck they could not wait to break up the Twins and the Expo's to get at the players. Nice it did not happen though.