Forbes ranks Brewers #23 out of 30

[AJAY]

I was hoping John Miller would slap Joe Morgan upside the head. It's just more living proof that once you are a member of the players union, the stupidity remains in your blood forever even well after you retire. All former players talk like that because they don't want to acknowledge any small / market large market difference. They all seem to believe that owners in small markets can also afford anyone they want to. The lies and propoganda just continue constantly.

 

Even after John Miller explained to him how the Yankees make 470 million in revenue and the Brewers make 170 million in revenue, Joe Morgan still seemed very confused.

[PeaveyFury]

Morgan didn't seem to understand that size of market is actually a quantifiable thing. He seemed to want to make the point that you were only a small market when you didn't want to sign your players.

[RyDogg66]

Listening to Joe Morgan ask "What is a small market" was painful yesterday. It was so pathetic and misinformed that I dont know how ESPN can justify sending him out there every Sunday night. Somehow because the Twins paid Joe Mauer 184 million dollars they are no longer small market.

 

Then Miller compares the Brewers revenue to the Yankees revenue and Morgan says that is part of the problem - that teams like the Brewers are comparing themselves to the Yankees and he almost seemed to imply that it was unfair to the Yankees that teams like the Brewers always bring up the Yankees when talking about Market size.

 

It was just one of the most misinformed baseball conversations I have ever heard...and this was after the top of the first when Morgan seemed to also imply that he would rather have a runner on third with one out that first and second and no out. FJM, where are you when we need you?

[greeg35]

I thought his main problem was a lack of understanding of the words "big" and "small" in general http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

 

[FVBrewerFan]

Actually, I understood his point- even though he did a horrific job of explaining it. His point was that even a small market team can sign a big contract. And used Mauer as an example. If he could have made it that clear from the beginning, maybe they could have had a reasonable discussion about it.

[greeg35]

That's ignoring the fact that the Twins situation as far as revenue has recently changed with the new stadium. While their market wasn't "small", their revenue was limited much like a small market teams would have been; which is why they were always lumped in with small markets. He used Mauer in comparison to the days when they had to let Santana and Hunter walk and tried to make it seem like they are inconsistent and self-serving in crying "small market". He has an agenda and a "small" mind. That's a bad combination for rational discussion which Miller found out last night.

[FVBrewerFan]

Right, I get that. That's the discussion they could have had if Morgan made his point more clearly. I'm not saying his point was valid, I'm saying he wasn't able to make his point at all.

[Invader3K]

The Twins old cheapskate owner also passed away; and the new owners (his sons, I think?) seem more intent on spending some money, especially with the new stadium as others have noted.

[mothershipconnection]

Actually, I understood his point- even though he did a horrific job of explaining it. His point was that even a small market team can sign a big contract. And used Mauer as an example. If he could have made it that clear from the beginning, maybe they could have had a reasonable discussion about it.

 

It makes a lot of sense if phrased right, but he phrased it as poorly as a native English speaker could possibly muster. He framed the whole argument as "big and small market". Like Peavey notes, that's a quantifiable thing, and isn't real debatable. What he really meant to say was "low revenue teams often whine and complain about how they're absolutely crippled by the situation, and use it as an excuse for a pitiful payroll, but 2 years later will sign a guy to a mega deal. Teams with decent revenue streams can't claim poverty simply because they aren't the Yankees. Either you're crippled by your lack of revenue, or you're actually able to compete with 26/30 teams for free agents, just not the top spenders".

[jeffy]

Actually, I understood his point- even though he did a horrific job of explaining it. His point was that even a small market team can sign a big contract.

Yes, "a" as in one. They can not afford 5 such contracts as the Yankees can. They also are taking a much bigger risk, if a team like the Twins or Brewers has to spend $20 million on what turns out to be a bad contract, they have to figure out a way to be competitive with a $60-80 million payroll. If the Yankees have, say, $60 million in bad contracts, they can still spend maybe $150 million on the rest of the payroll without a problem.

[TooLiveBrew]

It makes a lot of sense if phrased right, but he phrased it as poorly as a native English speaker could possibly muster.

 

I'm not 100% convinced he's a native English speaker. I think I'm 99.9% convinced.