Hold on. Is there some negative fluff being written concerning Spring Training? Mike Zhe:
Tomorrow night's ballyhooed spring training debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka will pit the $103 million Japanese import against the BC lineup, the annual Idiots vs. Jesuits matchup that the Red Sox use as the springboard to their Grapefruit League schedule.
From those couple dozen pitches will sprout more fodder for the media -- paid and amateur -- all of it utterly meaningless until Dice-K takes the mound in Kansas City next month and begins doing what he's being paid obscenely to do.
All right, I'll give him points for squeezing the word ballyhooed in there. There's no getting around the fact that the Red Sox are paying $100M+ in total for Daisuke's services. However, what Daisuke will
actually be paid is quite reasonable for a talent in his unique market position. Before I go any further, let me say that even the "amateur media" label seems a bit heady for what I actually do. Feel free to come up with an alternate title in the comments.
That being said, my amateur media expertise allowed me to find this article with the details of Matsuzaka's contract. His obscene payout this season? $6M + $2M signing bonus. Teams don't usually do this, but I'll count it as a collective $8M salary for 2007. A short list of starters who will make the same as or more than Daisuke this season:
- Gil Meche
- Ted Lilly ($5M + $4M signing bonus)
- Barry Zito
- Randy Wolf
- Jeff Weaver
- Andy Pettitte (double!)
Again. This is just a short list. Which one deserves more money than the actual part of the $103M Daisuke is being paid?
But how much mystery is there around the Sox or Yankees? You don't have holes with a $140 million ballclub, just like you don't expect engine problems with an Audi. Are fans worried their team is only going to win 95 games instead of 97?
Instead, we get daily reports about Dice-K's culture adjustment, Mike Timlin's muscle stiffness and Curt Schilling's waistline. Manny pulled up to the complex in a sedan with tinted windows. Thank God for weblogs!
Is this CHB in disguise? Thank God for weblogs indeed. And sure, you don't expect engine problems with an Audi, one of the more overpriced car brands available. You also don't expect engine problems with a Honda or Toyota, some of the longest-lasting cars on the road. Poor comparison. Consider the ballyhooed points lost.
Poll Red Sox fans. Find out whether they'd rather go into the season as we are now, or the way the Washington Nationals are currently "constructed".
If there's no mystery, I would speculate that our professional journalists have lost the ability to create intrigue about our professional sports franchises. That couldn't possibly be it, could it? It's been pimped before, but I'll say it again: Rob Bradford is THE source for Sox news. Back to Zhe:
Used to be getting off to a fast start was imperative, with seven teams competing for one division title, not six or seven heavy payroll teams fighting for four spots. And it made spring training developments and opening-week games all the more interesting.
In 1996, with the Red Sox coming off a division title, a sweep in Texas kicked off a 2-12 start that would set the tone for a disappointing year -- and ultimately end manager Kevin Kennedy's tenure.
"I remember when everything cost a nickel, and we walked to school uphill both ways in the shitting snow and pissing rain. We shed blood learning Algebra."
The point he's trying to make is that a slow start ended the Red Sox and Kevin Kennedy's hopes. I would argue that Kevin Kennedy wasn't a good manager in the first place, and 3 of our 4 starters that season had ERAs north of 5. This is also a prime example of a sportswriter-created myth about certain games in the season having more importance. Every game in the 162 game season counts equally. His overall point about dilution of drama is noted, however.
Are there concerns about things like Julio Lugo's defense, the bullpen and Dustin Pedroia in an everyday role? Sure, but they're relative concerns. Concerns 28 less opulent teams would gladly head into April with. Certainly not worth hashing over for five weeks before a real game is played.
Then don't. I would think, however, that one of the most important jobs for a member of the media (paid and amateur, to use your terms Mr. Zhe, though crucially important for
Paid individuals) would be to consider your audience. If you write about sports in New England, expect for people to be very interested in those "relative concerns". If you don't want to deal with that, then I suggest you look for other work.