The 2009 Major League Baseball season is inching ever closer, as Spring Training got underway this past weekend. To me, Spring Training is a month-long holiday. It means we’re close: Opening Day (April 5) is almost here.
But, unfortunately, this holiday is losing its luster.
Today’s MLB players and fans can’t experience Spring Training with the same enthusiasm they used to have. Why? Two words: the media.
Yes, I guess that makes me guilty in some way, as I am technically considered a member of the media. I don’t, however, go to Spring Training to harass players for the sake of a column. Nor would I ever barge into a gym, interrupting a player’s workout and throwing around accusations of steroid-use, as was done to Alex Rodriguez — even if those allegations may have been true.
I wish the writers would all step back and let Spring Training be fun and fan-friendly again, but I’m certain that won’t be the case. So what exactly are these tell-tale signs that Spring Training is on the decline?
1) Steroid conversations
The topic of conversation at this year’s Spring Training complexes — regardless of location — will be steroids, all day, every day, for the next month. It’s going to be miserable, especially for Yankee fans. Last year, Spring Training kicked off at Legends Field in Tampa with the circus surrounding Andy Pettitte and, of course, Roger Clemens. This year, it will be three times as insane since this time around, the subject of criticism — A-Rod — is arguably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Is his career tainted? While the answer is a definitive yes, he didn’t actually break any rules, having taken steroids allegedly only before MLB banned them. I just hope kids who look up to A-Rod as a role model realize that he was wrong, and players today understand the consequences and stop using these illegal substances that are ruining a great sport.
2) Ridiculous contract conversations
As if things weren’t going to be bad enough at Yankee camp because of the A-Rod allegations, the insane contracts they doled out this winter in spite of the worst economic recession of our time will only be making things worse. But the Yankees should still have to answer for their actions, and they’d probably rather talk money than steroids anyway. The three newest faces of the Evil Empire — Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett — will be paid a sum of $64.5 million this year in salaries plus signing bonuses. That’s more than seven teams’ payrolls from Opening Day 2008.
Don’t get me wrong: I don’t fault the Yankees for signing big-time players. The Steinbrenners reinvest their own dollars back into the team, while other owners pocket money gained from MLB revenue sharing and don’t attempt to put a quality team on the field. I do, however, fault the Yankees for giving three players $423.5 million in contracts, then asking the city of New York for $370 million more in bonds after already being granted $965 million for their new stadium. You can’t spend that much on three players, then beg the city to give you more than a billion dollars worth of funds for a new stadium that is already hurting the average New Yorker by increasing ticket prices to insanely high levels. Poor form, Steinbrenner family. poor form.
3) Dodgertown is no more.
It had been 61 straight years of the Dodgers and their fans flocking to Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla. during the glorious month of March. Now, the team has moved its Spring Training activities to Glendale, Ariz. to join many other teams in the suburbs of Phoenix. They leave behind tiny Holman Stadium, with its 17 rows of seating, roofless dugouts and advertisement-free outfield wall. They also leave Vero Beach without the about $30 million worth of annual economic impact that the Dodgers’ presence used to provide. Simply speaking, the Dodgers’ departure is a sad sign for baseball fans who love the purity and hometown love Dodgertown offered.
As it turned out, this column took a decidedly negative turn on the Yankees, but that should please enough people among the Yankee-hating crowd out there. I hope that, in spite of the depressing conversation topics and loss of Dodgertown, Spring Training 2009 still gives fans a sneak peak at what should be a great baseball season.
Go Cubs – THIS IS THE YEAR.
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