One And Done? – The Hope For The Little Guy

Picture yourself a year ago. January 2008. Baseball season was on the horizon, the Super Bowl was approaching, (oh those commercials) and baseball was on the horizon. So you’re thinking about baseball? Which team would be in your World Series? The Yankees? The Tigers? Mets? Well, sorry to disappoint you. But, all three of those teams didn’t even make the playoffs. And you want to know the funny thing. Those three teams were ranked 1, 2, and 3, respectively, in team payroll last season. The Phillies and Rays made it. Hmm…interesting. Here is a fact for you. The Phillies’ payroll was middle of the pack at 13th in the league. The Rays’—29th out of 30 teams. That’s incredible. And the little guy isn’t supposed to have a chance. I’m here to root for those stories, the Rays of 2008 if you will. Big markets like New York and Chicago will always have the money to bankroll a team full of stars. They will always be competitive. But it’s always great to see the little guy go all the way and stick-it-to-the-man-noisis (School of Rock).

So if anything can be taken from the 2008 postseason, it is the fact that the little guy has a chance. Whether it is just one year or a couple, it likely won’t last—due to money. That’s why it’s great when they have their opportunity and they take it. Unfortunately for the Rays, they lost in the World Series. Fortunately for the rest of the small-market teams in the league, the Rays gave hope. The Rockies from 2007 reinforced the issue (two-thirds of the league had a higher payroll than the Rockies this year).

So should baseball fans be upset when the Yankees monopolize baseball and sign the top hitter and pitcher in one season? Of course! Who wasn’t upset? But my point is that you can never give up hope. The Yankees haven’t even been to the World Series since 2003 and didn’t make the playoffs last year with a team that had more money than some countries’ GDP.

The Rays, on the other hand, made their jump from worst to first with solid drafting, scouting, and a little bit of luck. In baseball today, the draft and developing talent through minor leagues is vital to a team’s success. So all of you small-market fans, take a page out of the Rays and Marlins (1997 and 2003 World Series titles) playbook, develop your talent, and hope that this next season is yours to win. Who knows—maybe 2009 will feature those same Marlins and Rays—29th and 30th in team payroll. Now that’s sticking-it-to-the-man-noisis.