So, normally I don't post about baseball stuff, because I could really give a shit about baseball, you know? To me, it's one of the most godawfully boring sports out there. My Red Sox fan husband tolerates this with a bit of amusement and exasperation--I'm sure he'd love it if I liked baseball, but I'm willing to go to games with him, and I'll even occasionally watch it on TV, *and* I'm a big fan of other sports (woo, hockey!), so I think that one small sin is forgiven. ;)
Anyway, I digress. The World Series this year will be Yankees vs Marlins, and I overheard someone say 'who cares,' and that it's 'not fair' that the Marlins have been to the World Series twice in the ten years they've been a franchise. Now, again, take this with a grain of salt because it comes from a non-baseball fan, but...uh.
How is that not fair?
Even I know that the Yankees have a huge payroll, it's all over the sporting news, and you can't go ten feet without someone (usually a disgruntled fan somewhere) talking about how the Yankees are buying championships. Maybe that's true, and maybe that's not, but I can tell you that I've *never* heard anything similar about the Marlins.
I played softball as a kid, so I know that there's at least some measure of talent and skill that goes into the game, it doesn't have everything to do with luck. So, the Marlins reached the World Series again, and they've managed to do so by spending far less money than the Yankees. (Mind you, this is not intended to be a slam against New York, but rather why I think that the 'not fair' statement about the Marlins is, well, silly.)
How is it unfair that they have used their talent and their skills to get themselves into the series? If they were cheating (if that was even possible in baseball, I have no idea), *then* maybe the 'not fair' accusation would have merit. As it is, it just seems strange to me to say that a team that's managed to get themselves to the highest berth the playoffs twice in ten years isn't fair.
If that's the case, what about the New Jersey Devils? What about the Colorado Avalanche? Hell, what about the LA Lakers (boo, hiss) and the Boston Celtics? The Lakers had a big run during the years of the Lakers/Celtics rivalry, but they've also done it again lately. What about the Chicago Bulls? Or the Utah Jazz, who got to the NBA Championships two years in a row? (They've pretty much melted into obscurity since, which makes me sad, but what can you do?) These are all teams of professional athletes. Maybe you can't compare the sports, but it seems at least similar in my mind. Some teams have higher payrolls than others, but they've also managed to do the same thing that the Marlins have done, the same thing someone is saying is 'not fair.'
Color me puzzled, or something.
And now, I'll shut up and go back to keeping my fingers crossed for my Sharks this season. :)
Posted by Liz at October 17, 2003 08:59 AM