Ruling in favor of judgment

So that brings us back to money, which has been a subject of great discussion in this interesting offseason. There's bad news on every doorstep, as we all know, and yet the New York Yankees have ignored the clouds hovering over every aspect of American society by investing an approximate $423 million in long-term contracts for three players.

This particular Red Sox management has been very sensitive since Day 1 about not being confused with their divisional competitors 225 miles to the south. The Red Sox have money and they are not reluctant to spend it. But they are aware the public has gradually lumped them in with the Yankees as Evil Empire 1A, citing as Exhibit A the $102 million expenditure for Daisuke Matsuzaka. People out there in the Great Beyond seem to think the Yankees and Red Sox are playing by the same financial rules.

The truth is the difference between the Yankees' 2008 payroll and the Red Sox' 2008 payroll was $75,691,542, which in itself was larger than the total payrolls of 13 major league teams.

The Yankees are moving into a new ballpark for 2009, and it will generate substantially more revenue than the old one, which was a hybrid of two different architectural concepts, neither of which had any emphasis on luxury boxes and premium seating, which are what Yankee Stadium III (yes, III) is all about. The new ballpark is one in which Joe Average will be tolerated, but not necessarily embraced.

I would stop just short of saying that John Henry and Co. are obsessed with the Yankees and their financial might. But I would say they have a healthy concern about it. It came as no surprise, therefore, when Mr. Henry made a reference yesterday to the effect that, to ensure the hallowed "competitive balance" each league strives for, baseball has reached a point where there should be a way to "put together an enlightened salary cap" everyone could agree upon.

Wait. Is that the smell of Donald Fehr's ears burning?

Now, baseball does have revenue sharing, correct? Wasn't that the response to any idea of a salary cap? Not enough, says Mr. Henry. "I think we've gone as far as we can with revenue sharing," he declared.