| Team | 2008 payroll | 2009 payroll |
| Yankees | $209,081,577 | $201,449,189 |
| Mets | $137,793,376 | $149,373,987 |
| Cubs | $118,345,833 | $134,809,000 |
| Red Sox | $133,390,035 | $121,745,999 |
| Tigers | $137,685,196 | $115,085,145 |
| Angels | $119,216,333 | $113,709,000 |
| Phillies | $98,269,880 | $113,004,046 |
| Astros | $88,930,414 | $102,996,414 |
| Dodgers | $118,588,536 | $100,414,592 |
| Mariners | $117,666,482 | $98,904,166 |
| Braves | $102,365,683 | $96,726,166 |
| White Sox | $121,189,332 | $96,068,500 |
| Giants | $76,594,500 | $82,616,450 |
| Indians | $78,970,066 | $81,579,166 |
| Blue Jays | $97,793,900 | $80,538,300 |
| Brewers | $80,937,499 | $80,182,502 |
| Cardinals | $99,624,449 | $77,605,109 |
| Rockies | $68,655,500 | $75,201,000 |
| Reds | $74,117,695 | $73,558,500 |
| Diamondbacks | $66,202,712 | $73,516,666 |
| Royals | $58,245,500 | $70,519,333 |
| Rangers | $67,712,326 | $68,178,798 |
| Orioles | $67,196,246 | $67,101,666 |
| Twins | $56,932,766 | $65,299,266 |
| Rays | $43,820,597 | $63,313,034 |
| Athletics | $47,967,126 | $62,310,000 |
| Nationals | $54,961,000 | $60,328,000 |
| Pirates | $48,689,783 | $48,693,000 |
| Padres | $73,677,616 | $43,734,200 |
| Marlins | $21,811,500 | $36,834,000 |
Sunday, February 28, 2010
International...
- The Germans are pissed about having to help bail out the Greeks to save the Euro. The German and French insistence on keeping the IMF out may come back to haunt them. If speculators can target Greek investments the bailout could either fail or become much more expensive. Can't blame the average German for missing the Mark
- Chinese banks are needing to raise capital to cover all the loans the have been doling out in the last couple of years.
- Alarmists on China's military improvements are misreading the signs or trying to defend their Cold War spending priorities.
- Some unexpected reactions to the September decision on changing our approach to missile defense in Europe. (...America itself seems to have been caught unprepared by the enthusiasm of its allies.)
- A non-binding resolution about the Turks and the Armenians in 1915 will strain US.-Turkey relations
Air Force Identity Crisis...
- "Why does the country need an independent Air Force?" ... For the first time in the 62-year history of the Air Force, the answer isn't entirely clear.
Fighter pilots still run the USAF, to the detriment of the USAF and the nation.
- Lasting cultural change won't take place in the Air Force until officers who serve in these new fields rise to the top ranks, which are still dominated by fighter pilots.
- The next generation of unmanned planes is likely to demand even greater changes from the Air Force, Mathewson said. The craft will require new kinds of organizations, new types of bases and new kinds of officers who will never peer through a fighter-jet canopy in search of the enemy.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
More Credit Where It's Due...
Paterson may not be a savvy politician and wouldn't have been Governor without Spitzer's downfall, but still...
- "... when the state had a crushing budget deficit, he made some hard choices. Unpopular choices, which a better politician wouldn't have made--but which are ultimately the reason that New York is not yet California."
- ..the state faces a March 31 deadline to produce a new budget for the next fiscal year, but Mr. Paterson has not held any talks in recent weeks with legislative leaders about how to deal with an $8 billion shortfall.
Wal-Mart Uses its Economic Clout to Force Better Environmental Practices in China
For the sake of balance, I think Wal-Mart should get credit for the good it does when it does well.
- "...a company that cheats on overtime and on the age of its labor, that dumps its scraps and its chemicals in our rivers, that does not pay its taxes or honor its contracts will ultimately cheat on the quality of its products. And cheating on the quality of products is the same as 'cheating on customers. We will not tolerate that at Wal-Mart."
- "They are the rule setters," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a Beijing-based group. "Before Wal-Mart only cared about price and quality, so that encouraged companies to race to the bottom on environmental standards. They could lose contracts because competition was so fierce on price."
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Chance for A Cold-Weather Super Bowl Just Improved
With AZ opting not to bid for the Super Bowl after next...
- ...the only remaining bidders are Tampa, Miami, and New York. SI.com's Peter King pointed out in response that the "clubhouse leader" is the new Giants Stadium.
He pitched a perfect game for the Phillies...
...then promptly became a cantankerous old prick...
Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky, is single-handedly blocking Senate action needed to prevent an estimated 1.2 million American workers from prematurely losing their unemployment benefits next month.As if that weren't bad enough, check out Bunning's other big gripe about being required to do his job as a U.S. Senator...
As Democratic senators asked again and again for unanimous consent for a vote on a 30-day extension Thursday night, Bunning refused to go along.
And when Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) begged him to drop his objection, Politico reports, Bunning replied: "Tough shit."
"I have missed the Kentucky-South Carolina game that started at 9:00," he said, "and it's the only redeeming chance we had to beat South Carolina since they're the only team that has beat Kentucky this year.The good news: This will be #14's last year in the Senate.
The bad news: His successor might be an even bigger tool than he is...
Thursday, February 25, 2010
My birthday is in two months...
...and if you guys wanna pass the hat around and get me a present, here's a perfect idea.
Or maybe you don't feel my contributions to this world are worth $4000!!!
Instant karma is a bitch...
When you wear uniforms that are this hideous...
...you deserve to lose to team that hasn't beaten you at home in a decade and fall to 3-10 in the ACC.
In case you're wondering, UNC was wearing these "special" uniforms to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Jordan brand. Not Michael Jordan himself, but his BRAND.
Fuck the Tar Heels...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A small request...
If you've ever been banned from this website, please stop trying to log back in and comment again.
Stop making me waste my time blocking your comments and kindly fuck off...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Whose death would immediately interrupt network televison at any time of day?
Here's the list I've come up with...
Any former President or Vice President
Oprah Winfrey
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
Osama bin Laden
Walter Cronkite
Paul McCartney
Steven Spielberg
Robert DeNiro
Al Pacino
Jack Nicholson
Madonna
Bob Dylan
Bruce Springsteen
Who else is big enough to bring the television world to a halt?
P.S. On a somewhat related note, what celebrity death(s) would bring your day to a screeching halt? I had one last year with Harry Kalas and two years ago with George Carlin, but I can't think of anyone currently living that could shut my day down...
Scott Brown's teabagger honeymoon officially ends...
He voted with the Democrats to invoke cloture on the jobs bill and the teabaggers are pissed.
It's gonna be a tough couple of years for Mr. Cosmo...
Enough already, you friggin idiots...
After months of bitching and moaning about the Democrats' health care plan being "too long", Republicans are now complaining that President Obama's health care proposal is "too short".
That's an intelligent argument...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Team USA takes the first step on the road to silver...
I say silver because I honestly don't believe any hockey team in the Olympics can top Team Canada. That squad is friggin' stacked!
However, one area where we have the rest of the world beat is uniforms. Team USA's sweaters are the shiznit.
It's good to get a win against Switzerland in the first game, but the big game comes Sunday night against Team Canada. I hate to say it, but that one could get ugly for the red, white and blue...
UPDATE: So much for my knowledge of Olympic hockey. USA 5, Canada 3. WOO HOO!!!!!!
Friday, February 19, 2010
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IF there is a Compromise Health Care Bill...
Abortion will be the last sticking point. I hate how this one issue has been the thorn in the side of what little is left of pragmatic politics. The parties will meet in the middle on costs, they will fight over the tax on high-end insurance plans and the Dems, following Obama, will let this go. IF "it" passes, the left will hate it as much as the entire GOP and Tea-bagger bunch. And both will scream long and loud. Still a long-shot, methinks. But I would rather see a bill pass than not, and if it pisses of the partisans on both sides, it ain't all bad.
The Ticking Demographic Bomb Will Force the GOP to Change - Over Time...
•"The numbers don't lie," said Whit Ayres, a GOP consultant. "If Republicans don't do better among Hispanics, we're not going to be talking about how to get Florida back in the Republican column, we're going to be talking about how not to lose Texas."Embracing the "fortress America" angry, anti-immigrant Tea (Bagger) Party line is not going to help in the longer term. The GOP is laying down with dogs by embracing the angry populist momentum of old white men. They should expect to get some fleas. I don't mean in 2010. The Democrats have about a 50% chance of losing the House and a 25% chance of losing the Senate in 2010. But in the longer term, they will have a harder time threading together 270 electoral votes in Presidential elections if they keep up the anti-immigrant theme. Please, GOP....nominate Caribou Barbie!
MLB Team Salaries...
How long before this charcoal briquette becomes a darling of the conservative movement?
Joe the Plumber got his 15 minutes of fame among the moronic right, why not this dead asshole?
AUSTIN, Texas - A man apparently upset with the Internal Revenue Service set fire to his home, got into a small plane and crashed it Thursday into a multistory office building, authorities said.Oh, and will anyone dare call this an act of terrorism, since the perpetrator was not a Muslim?
At least two people were injured and a third was unaccounted for. The crash caused a fire and sent black smoke billowing from the seven-story Echelon Building.
Officials told The Associated Press that authorities were trying to determine if the pilot intentionally targeted nearby office space of the IRS. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.
We'll see...
UPDATE: Conservatives at the CPAC conference are having a laugh over this incident. That's comforting...
Roy Halladay throwing strikes and Charlie Manuel scratching his nuts...
The Phillies are already in mid-season form!!!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Republican Senate candidate mocks Obama for using Teleprompter...while reading from a Teleprompter...
...and the sheep he's speaking to at the Conservative Political Action Conference love it.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
When the winter sports doldrums get me down...
It makes me happy to see that the Phillies' pitchers and catchers report to spring training today.
It's also good to see Roy Halladay getting in on the action early...
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): "Congress needs to be fixed, so I'm quitting..."
Way to be a part of the solution, dick...
Friday, February 12, 2010
It Begins March 5th...
The six weeks or so before the 2010 draft will mark the first uncapped and unfloored(?) salary season since 1993 in the NFL. This should mean an interesting and, hopefully, unpredictable off-season. The uncapped year comes with over 200 less free agents than in the CBA were still in play and teams fear having to "undo" big contracts that extend beyond 2010 because if there is a salary-cap-like provision in a new CBA, teams that were too extravagant would face unhappy choices as they adjusted to the post-lockout rules...
Did The Book Of Revelations foresee Sarah Palin?
Sharpedo over at The Stinging Nettle has the answer. Maybe that was pentagram scribbled on her hand!!!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Green Shoots?
With a trio of House Republican retirement announcements over the past 10 days....Republicans will have to defend 18 open seats and Democrats 13. And while the political environment has Charlie Cook and others calling for about 20 Dem seats lost in the House (which I think the Democratic leadership would be happy with as of now), Republicans would rather not have to deal with open seats. Modern political history suggests that open seats are far more likely to switch parties than those in which the incumbent is running for reelection -- meaning that any vacant seat has at least the potential to become competitive...
Tired of the Term "Swagger"...
Not only is it overused, it glorifies asshole-ness. Swagger is more than the projected confidence with which a great team or individual athlete carries themselves; it's the no-class "In your face" attitude which used to be relegated to the realm of Pro "Wrestling" and Roller Derby. Now it is considered a virtue. Fuck that. It reminds me of the phrase, also used too much in sports, "showcase my talent." Not "lead a team to victory" - no, that would be a distraction from the showcase of "my talent." Again, fuck that. Did you ever see greats like Barry Sanders or Jerry Rice pulling the sort of shit that T.O./Chad Johnson do? I doubt it. Those athletes had real class, something that Ray Lewis, Romanowski, Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield,Charles Haley, Reggie White, Joe Klecko, Ty Cobb, Bill Lambier, Dennis Rodman, Rasheed Wallace, Bobby Knight, Bill Parcells, Adolph Rupp, - NEVER HAD. You name some others or quibble with my list of no-class (however talented they may have been....that is not the point. this is not a sports hall of fame forum, just a place to recognize that some sports figures, even revered ones, were shits of human beings) athletes...
It's just a hunch that I have...
...but if you've ever gone to a restaurant and addressed your server by saying "I want the (menu item)" or "Bring me the (menu item)", you might be a bit of an asshole.
It's possible...
Damned if you do, damned if you don't...
Marc Theissen, one of Dubya's former speechwriters thinks President Obama is hurting the fight on terrorism by (wait for it) killing too many terrorists.
I'm serious...
"Today, the Obama administration is no longer attempting to capture men like these alive; it is simply killing them. This may be satisfying, but it comes at a price. With every drone strike that vaporizes a senior al Qaeda leader, actionable intelligence is vaporized along with him. Dead terrorists can't tell you their plans to strike America."It's hard to believe that people like this helped to run this country into the ground...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Statistics that leave me scratching my head...
Records as starting QB in NFL playoff games:
Donovan McNabb: 9-7
Peyton Manning: 9-9
Wow...
Caribou Barbie writes crib notes on her hand, Fox News rejoices...
I only wish I were exaggerating...
Saturday, February 6, 2010
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Post-Super Bowl (Predictions/Questions)
- No new labor deal before the current CBA expires;
- T.O. brings his cancerous presence to yet another team who will end up regretting signing him;
- Many of the moves (trades, draft choices, cuts, etc.) will be driven by the lack of a salary floor more than the lack of a cap;
- "Who takes Tebow?" will be the biggest story leading up to the draft this year, but only after Vick either stays or goes.
- If there is no stadium in LA soon and the Rams move - where would they go?
- Why does Jacksonville still have a team? How do you continue with only 40K people in the stands each week? They are the Montreal Expos of the NFL sans the inevitable move...
- The more we learn about this me-first, chuckle-headed scum the more there will be to dislike. I could never like this guy when he played, despite his obvious talent, he is a childish joke.
Friday, February 5, 2010
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Super Bowl prediction time!!!
This year, give me your predictions for the final score and the MVP.
New Orleans Saints 35
Indianapolis Colts 31
MVP: Drew Brees
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Explain this one to me, you brilliant Republicans...
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has placed a hold on ALL of President Obama's nominations currently pending in the Senate because he may lose a couple of earmarks for projects in his home
How can a sane person justify this kind of legislative shit-fit? Are there any sane Republicans left???
The NFL makes a big mistake...
Ugh. Just read it...
The North Texas Super Bowl Committee and the NFL unveiled the logo for Super Bowl XLV on Thursday morning, displaying Cowboys Stadium in the background with the Vince Lombardi Trophy sitting on top of the Roman numerals for the game.How does this decision suck? Let me count the ways:
There is a new logo for every Super Bowl, but starting with the 2011 Super Bowl, the theme of the logo will basically remain the same. The only differences from year to year are the stadium backdrop and the Roman numerals for the game.
1. The Super Bowl is only played in 7 or 8 cities around the country, so the Super Bowl logo will look basically the same every time the game is in Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix, etc...
2. No open-air, cold weather stadium will ever host the Super Bowl, so those teams in those cities (Green Bay, Philly, New York) will never have their stadiums memorialized in the logo.
3. Let's say the Eagles win the Super Bowl next year. Do they really want Cowgirls Stadium to be included in the logo for the game?
4. While some Super Bowl logos have been hideous, many have been gorgeous. That's a part of the creative process that's being eliminated with this decision.
5. Look at this dopey thing!!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Before Long, NFL Owners Will Have to Prove It...
Comments by the Ravens owner (likely to get him fined by his fellow owners) underscore the fact that the NFL's contention that some clubs are losing money is still unsubstantiated. At some point, the owners are likely to have to go "open kimono" with their financials to prove these claims or lose ground to the players in the revenue dispute that drives the coming lockout. I tend to believe the owners to the extent that I can think of a few teams who likely would be operating at a loss without revenue sharing from both network deals and things like sky-boxes. For example, Jacksonville, Detroit, KC, ...any others come to mind?
• According to sources involved in the process, the league, in its proposal to players, would like to trim the portion of revenues going to player costs by 18 percent. "We think the end game there may be to meet in the middle and to negotiate it down to 9 (percent)," the union official said.That would mean players go from getting 60% to getting 51% of revenues. That will be a hard sell to players until they have missed a few paychecks - maybe a full year. But the other revenue issues are how revenues are defined/verified (51% of what, exactly.?.) and how those revenues are shared among owners.
- As one league source has reminded us, the NFL was required in conjunction with the lawsuits that followed the 1987 strike to open the books -- and it was revealed at the time that former Eagles owner Norman Braman was paying himself a very high salary and charging unreasonable expenses to the team.
• "There's an agreement in principle (between the NFL and NFLPA) that rookies are paid too much," the league official said....and the rest of the active (and retired) players. We need these little forest fires every now and then to keep the excess of both players and owners in check.
Chris Johnson's 2,000 Yards...
• Tennessee gave Johnson the ball 36 times, including plenty of carries on fourth down and clear passing situations.Is a lot like Michael Strahan's 22nd sack when Favre laid down for him. Like Kobe shooting too much to get his point totals up a few years back. Cheap pursuit of records cheapens the records themselves.
Super Bowl halftime show: Will it be as predictable as I'm guessing?
The Who is playing the Super Bowl halftime show this year. Presumably, because it's 1975.
Last year, I thought Bruce Springsteen's set list would be predictable, and with the exception of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", I was right.
This year, The Who seems like they have even less room to move when putting their 4-song set list together.
To start off a week of Super Bowl predicitions, I'll put my money on the following for their halftime set list:
Pinball Wizard
Baba O'Reilly
Squeeze Box
Won't Get Fooled Again
Oh, and one piece of advice for the people who make these decisions: For Super Bowl XLV in Dallas (yuck!), if you insist on having a halftime act that was at its most relevant two or three decades ago, get Van Halen in there. Thanks!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Common sense from the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military...
...concerning "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens."What a horrible policy...
--Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
Republicans think the darndest things!
Check out some of the results of a new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of 2,000 self-identified Republicans...
• 39% of Republicans want President Obama to be impeached.It's hard to believe that a party with those views could find itself in a staggering majority on Capitol Hill, even if the minority party is afraid of its own shadow...
• 63% think Obama is a socialist.
• Only 42% believe Obama was born in the United States.
• 21% think ACORN stole the 2008 election -- that is, that Obama didn't actually win it, and isn't legitimately the president, with 55% saying they are "not sure."
• 53% think Sarah Palin is more qualified than Obama to be president.
• 23% want to secede from the United States.
• 73% think gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools.
• 31% want contraception to be outlawed.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Smaller Version of the 2006 Kansas School Board That Mandated Teaching Creationism...
- Culpeper, (Va.) school officials reverse decision to stop teaching Anne Frank diary.
The Numbers Say it All...
"...Sarah Palin's political group, Sarah PAC, spent more money buying copies of her memoir than it donated to candidates seeking federal office."C'mon GOP, I dare you to nominate her! Who else ya got? Mitt? Tim? Mike? Bobby? You got nothing for 2012, no matter how well you do in 2010.
In the meantime, it would do Dems well to quit whining and pretending that forcing an unpopular agenda will help things. Who do you want setting the agenda in 2013-2017? Better a limited Dem than a GOP Prez.
Tell me why I'm wrong, Brian!
