| OCR Text |
Show The Salt Lake Tribune SPORTS Monday, | January 29, 1996 Baseball’s Salary Gap Is Growing Dangerously Wide _ By nen Daley DALLAS MORNING NEWS DALLAS — Phil Garner i: tting ready to start his fourth seasonas managerof the Milwaukee Brewers, his fourth year of preparing to fight his rivals for five months with ahalf- in a big market or have a wealthy owner emptyrevolver, only to see them climb into a That's weak criteria to build anindustry on. It ever by economic class. What's getting worseis that [free agency] involves fewer clubs.’ tank for month six The beauty ofthis gameis supposed to be that the script can’t be pre-written,” Garner said, “that the underdog canbeat the mightiest of the mighty. Last year could've been a good year. i has to change. Onecan't accuse Garneror Bando of simply shilling for their boss, last season’s American Leaguewild-cardrace. The scrappy, overachieving Brewers were 11 games offthe paceat the endof July, and only Mariners Milwaukee's 7-21 finish didn't help but Garnerbelieves both that final month’s record andthe disappointing outcome weredealt his team from a stacked deck. After all, the Yankees (David Cone and RubenSierra), Westwinning Mariners (Andy Benes), hire 91 free agents, a staggering $126 million big-market teams: the Florida Marlins, St Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. The 24 other teams combined spent only alittle more than $119 million to selves to replace him with Kenny Rogers at nearly $20 million. Theyalso traded for Tino Martinez and signed the former Mariner to a $20.25 million deal, and had to outlast Balti second runto finish first two-run combinedtime of 1 min $19.5 millionoverthree years The winter has been muchcolder elsewhere berger wona Wo four big-market teams. In this caseit was the ClevelandIndians, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Yankees. The other 24 teams combinedspent just over $225 million to hold on to their own W@ Andof thelimitedtradeactivity that shift- ed big-ticket players to newcities or resulted in new contracts in new towns, the Yankees added nearl; million to their player pay- roll commitment. The other 27 major league teams combinedto addjust under $40 million through trades andpost-trade signings. According to a report circulated among ownerslast week at their quarterly meetings teams in the hunt. I don't begrudge the other teamsthat. That's the way oursystemis. Theinequities of baseball’s deepening two- tier system were evident not only during last in Los Angeles, the top five revenue-generat ing teams (the Yankees. Baltimore. Atlanta Cleveland and Colorado) will havethe top five payrolls for 1996, averaging $50.3 million season's stretch drive. but also in the winter rebuilding season now winding down. With most of the choice free 7 million spent by $152 million — 40.3 percent — was spent by we'd like to financially. You'vegot to be able to make tradeslatein the year. now more than ever because there's going to be fouror five agents signed and the major trading completed, Major League Base- The bottom five revenue teams (Milwaukee Montreal, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and San Die- ball’s 28 teams have been separated more than begun to soften $10.15 million, then bidding against them more’s checkbook to keep David Cone for Kansas City Herk Robinson, trying to cut payroll from $45 million in 1993 to $20 million this year, has been forced to Suip the Royals of Greg Gagne tti, Tom Gor don and WallyJoyner among others. In Oak By Jayson Stark The Phillies. Yankees and Ori oles in the same division? Not to mention the Cubs. White Sox and Brewers. And the Pi rates, Indians andReds. In almost every scenario, Phoe: nix slips easily into the National a League West. which nowhas four ! teams. But the American League : then has a: total on its hands :as it tries : to crammess five teams into the AL West sme es Check out the primeoptions: Simple e. but gecgrapnicalls geographically ri- Uh-oh. Could baseball really be considering obliterating the en tire structure of its two leagues and reorganizing strictly on the basis of geography? Considering it? You betcha Considering it seriously? Fortu- diculous — TampaBay goes to the AL West Best argument for it: Atlanta andCincinnati used to be in the NL West. Best argument against it: Counting interleague games nately, not yet But before the two expansion against the NL West, those poor teams join thefraternity in 1998 games in the Pacific or Mountain the sport still will have to throw Devil Rays could play up to 42 Time Zones. Almost as simple. still as unti its current division alignments into the Mixmaster. And knows what will come out? who dy — Tampa Bayto the AL East Detroit to the AL Central. Kansas er, a former Austrian skier. won her first women’s World Cup sla lom in Serre Chevalier. France. on Sunday in only her second year onthe circuit Third after the first run Riegler stormed down the Olym pique Lue Alphand course in the 3 World Cup wine owners on revenuesharing, no one can say But for now the Montreals, ery fewyearsbefore thekey players they de velop and winning teams they comprise evapo rate undertheheat of doing business The onething weare all on the san about.” Bando said, “‘is that we all car the industry and we are interested in saving money After all. winning isn't everything City to the AL West i een Best argument for it: Thefive 7 : westernmost AL : teams would af then be in the ssWest. Best argu< ment against, it: The Royals would 7 . wouldn't play the Astros @ Complications, complications d lion variations thereof? Bhs : Udinese to clear the 4 owners solve You'y ot us. it by Jan innovative this predicament But they have to dc three-day Westroe World Cup the competitior with a 12-unde teams tied for 31.22 poi s and the Toscano and Richard finished at 63. I World Cup alp Van Ert of Kete r Sondra laho. was the only womar als at the FIS W twe nam, whe of a bad t almost retired cklast sean season by ie Walker Clas: Championships wt 1 bronze in the par Lienz, Austria. ( the inaugura FOOTBALL ' Jermaine Hopkir starter at rgst shot and killed ear lice One ‘ h : charged in the death in Youngs :town, Ohio. Hopkins. 21. wa twice while stand HomeeDale on a « home. Police said ;€ males drove by and at began shoot shooting m ht have een related to a fight at a sororit dance or the SOs. men — Limited league-switching solves some problems — and, of course creates others. How about; Phoenix to the AL West Kansas City to the NL Central Houston to the NL West? Or Phoenix to the NL West, Kansas City to the NL Central, Houston power windows, locks & mirrors. 160 watt compact disk wit ranked best n w/ Infiniti Roadside ual air bags, new car. Assistance 4 wheel ABS brakes 4 yr 60,000 mile warr 48 and much more MO wheel drive, air, As a subscriber to HomeCourt, you can have Karl Malone, John Stockton and the rest of the Jazz delivered directly $1,996: ate DOWN nose TI TIM 4 yr 60. i D AH LE i : Ow I N F I N I TI 4594 S. STATE, MURRAY, UTAH 262-5500 Yes, | want the HomeCourt advantage 1 One year — 10 issues — $24.95 1 Two years — 20 issues — $44.95 to your mailbox each month. “7 Three years — 30 issues Cail now to subscribe Name: = Mo 5 9 QO. City or mail this order form to ap Snateiet Altow four weeks for delivery of first issue. — $82.95 Address: -JAZZ -800-877i 301 West South Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84101 par United Stat pery conditions TIM DAHLE FP INFINITI DOWN Italian the men’s aerials to finish off th of it move three points atop lands in the final tion format Best argument for it: Makes th u : most geographic sense. Best ar ae Abs the ment against it: Blurs make hampion Milan, but Roberto le up for his absence ward set up both goals as Milan rolled to a 2-0 victory at to the AL West? Or about a mil une tween leagues. Leaves the Texas be more than 1.500 miles4 away“Clubs |) : x e in a division " with three Pa from three :of the other3 four ae cifie Time Zone teams. And turns !¢ams in their division — and ina ity a fiasco if Houston moves to West-versus-West interleague Virginia (toa Na ; format, the Royals wouldn't play the Cardinals. and the Rangers W wor Pittsburghs and Minnesotas can only hope to compete onc George back from the Afri league f Bruce Devlin and rdied the last the $200,000 Austria’s Christian Rijavee points for his tw Blan f France the union ona salary drag and with fellow SOCCER SKIING Danny Tartabull and Rickey Henderson Wherewill it end? Until an agreement with the Cup slalom in fr yle meet in Mont-Trem Mant. Quebec. Rijave forcing the departures of Todd Stottlemyre campus Saturd school said in a news seconds, was New Zeala land, new owners have directed GM Sandy Al derson to bring payroll under $22 million Get Out Your Atlas: Baseball May Tackle Realignment PHILDELPHIA INQUIRER Riegler back The 19-year-old New Zealand bonuses. will spend close to that again this year. They didn't help themselves by letting pitcher Jack McDowell go to Cleveland for 5 million spent to @ Of the more than trated bythe fact weare not able to do what The Austrian team might want think getting Claudia to consider these numbers fromthis winter: clubs to retain their own players, more than (Bobby Witt, Candy Maldonado), White Sox (Jeff Shaw) and Orioles (Scott Erickson) loaded up with at least some helpful talent down the stretch The Brewers? They added Rob Dibble and Kevin Wickander ‘They [other teams] had the wherewithal to do it, and we didn't,” Garnersaid. “I'm frus- is negotiated with the union But as this winter's player moves illustrated how much further the gap has widened be- The Yankees, whose payroll was about $58 million last year counting termination pay and bring in free-agent players. Rangers nate brethren before arestraint onplayer sal aries New Zealand’s Riegler Wins Her First-Ever Cup Slalom over revenue sharing and with the players union over a salary cap or payroll tax. But — nearly 51.4 percent — was spent by four Rangers. Orioles, White Sox and Royals 2 heeded tween thehaves and have-nots. opposition ha: @ Of the more than Angels, sharing agreement are likely soon, perhapseven before owners meet again in late March. Some big-market owners, irri tated by the costly eight-month players strike theyfelt small-market clubs prolonged, have been reluctant to subsidize their less-fortu MORNING BRIEFING insistence on ending the “economic distress of small-market teams has resulted in an unresolved three-year fight with fellow owners oneout at the endof August. Yet they finished sevenbehindthevictorious New York Yankees for that covetedfinal playoff spot. also the Brewers’ owner and acting commissioner BudSelig. Yes, Selig’s Garner still can’t forget his team’s fate in winding up behind Brewers’ general man- ager Sal Bandosaid. “Thesedays, the twocriteria for signing free agents [are] to either be go) will havepayrolls averaging $20.4 million Small-market owners’ pleas for a revenue- C7 7 Check State Phone Credit Card Credit Card = Expiration Date Bill me later |
