Ever since free agency was implemented, greedy owners with fat pocket books have been envisioning new age dynasties in which money, not coaching or managing, brings championship after championship. However, to the chagrin of many wealthy owners, this dream has rarely come to fruition. For instance, take a look at the highest paid teams in the four major US sports: NBA - New York Knicks, MLB - New York Yankees, NFL - Atlanta Falcons, MLS - LA Galaxy. When was the last time any of these teams won a championship? Well, the LA Galaxy won the MLS Cup a few years ago. But that came in the pre-Beckham era in which the Galaxy hadn’t really started opening its purse strings. But apart from the Galaxy, how many championships have the other won in recent years. The answer is none. To find the last championship team among the bunch, you would have to go back 7 years to the 2000 New York Yankees when Paul O’Neal and Bernie Williams were stil playing.
What does all this mean? It means one simple thing - the players win titles, not the owners with large mounds of money a la Scrooge McDuck. I don’t care how much money you spend, your players still have to get down in the trenches and fight for the honor to be called World Champions. So, to all the George Steinbrenners out there. Stop trying to buy titles by paying out large sums of money to perennial all-stars! Rather, pay for a good, talented group of players that can come together and play hard when it matters most. Just look at the Indians. They did.