This is why its hard to take baseball seriously

[xxi-xxv]

USA Today looking further than just overall payroll has an article today about how much each team has on the books for guaranteed money for 2007 and beyond. Of course we all know who's 05 guaranteed payouts for contracts was 2 times as much as anyone elses , but this is a great read. How does baseball expect to continue to be able to have teams compete as these numbers keep getting higher and higher and the gap wider and wider between teams? The numbers surprisingly went down, but this was in an admitted poor free agent year.

 

USA TODAY

 

Commissioner cautions about contract debt

By Hal Bodley, USA TODAY

Baseball has reduced its long-term financial obligation to players by 4.43% from last year, but Commissioner Bud Selig cautions "we have to be careful not to return to levels that present danger to the industry."

 

 

AP

Selig

 

USA TODAY's survey of guaranteed contracts for the five-year period beginning in 2007 reveals that $2.83 billion obligated to 179 players is $131.6 million less than the $2.97 billion for 190 players in 2005.

 

"One of the things that's an ongoing concern to me is the amount of debt that baseball has," Selig said Wednesday of the survey. "I think we've made slight progress in the right direction, but we have to be very careful."

 

The New York Yankees top the list of 30 teams, owing 10 players $373.1 million through 2011. The Yankees, whose record payroll reached $213.1 million in 2005, had guaranteed contracts of $425.6 million a year ago.

 

The Yankees are followed by the Toronto Blue Jays, who made the biggest leap after signing free agents B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett. Their guaranteed contracts for the next five years total $198.1 million compared to $71.3 million a year ago.

 

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, in the sixth year of his record 10-year, $252 million contract, tops the "mortgage" list between 2007-11 being owed $98.79 million.

 

"The numbers have gone down some," says Frank Coonelly, Major League Baseball senior vice president.

 

"The free agent market was very vibrant this year, but I don't think the players were quite as good as they were last year. That helps explain why the amount of money committed in the future has gone down."

[Plax 4 Prez]

USA Today looking further than just overall payroll has an article today about how much each team has on the books for guaranteed money for 2007 and beyond. Of course we all know who's 05 guaranteed payouts for contracts was 2 times as much as anyone elses , but this is a great read. How does baseball expect to continue to be able to have teams compete as these numbers keep getting higher and higher and the gap wider and wider between teams? The numbers surprisingly went down, but this was in an admitted poor free agent year.

 

USA TODAY

 

Commissioner cautions about contract debt

By Hal Bodley, USA TODAY

Baseball has reduced its long-term financial obligation to players by 4.43% from last year, but Commissioner Bud Selig cautions "we have to be careful not to return to levels that present danger to the industry."

 

 

AP

Selig

 

USA TODAY's survey of guaranteed contracts for the five-year period beginning in 2007 reveals that $2.83 billion obligated to 179 players is $131.6 million less than the $2.97 billion for 190 players in 2005.

 

"One of the things that's an ongoing concern to me is the amount of debt that baseball has," Selig said Wednesday of the survey. "I think we've made slight progress in the right direction, but we have to be very careful."

 

The New York Yankees top the list of 30 teams, owing 10 players $373.1 million through 2011. The Yankees, whose record payroll reached $213.1 million in 2005, had guaranteed contracts of $425.6 million a year ago.

 

The Yankees are followed by the Toronto Blue Jays, who made the biggest leap after signing free agents B.J. Ryan and A.J. Burnett. Their guaranteed contracts for the next five years total $198.1 million compared to $71.3 million a year ago.

 

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, in the sixth year of his record 10-year, $252 million contract, tops the "mortgage" list between 2007-11 being owed $98.79 million.

 

"The numbers have gone down some," says Frank Coonelly, Major League Baseball senior vice president.

 

"The free agent market was very vibrant this year, but I don't think the players were quite as good as they were last year. That helps explain why the amount of money committed in the future has gone down."

Ever since the strike baseball, hockey, and basketball has lost alot of respect and honor