Five Things I Think That I Think
Don't you love Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback? If you are going to get stream of consciousness, it's great to get it from a football writer who loves baseball.
- I think that District of Baseball is a great new blog. Lots of news, lots of updates. It may even qualify as a Web site, it's that good! I've added a link.
- I think you should not cry for Sammy Sosa....between the Orioles and Cubs, he'll be making $24 million for playing in 2005. Here's how it goes: The Cubs will be paying $12 million of his $17 million salary for 2005. The Orioles will be paying him $5 million. The Cubs also owe him $3.5 million from a "severance agreement from a prior contract." The Orioles will be obligated to pay him a $4.5 million buyout of his 2006 option. Total for Cubs: $12 + $3.5 = $15.5. Total for Orioles: $5 + $4.5 = $9.5 million. Grand total for 2005= $24 million. All for hitting 40 homers or so.
- I think that the ESPNzone Nationals event tomorrow will be interesting. If they take questions, I'd like to know what they really think about getting out of Montreal.
- I think that the six bidders for the Nationals are going to have to fork over well over $300 million for the team. Given about $60 million or so in operating losses for the Expos from 2002-2004, that will be about a $120 million profit on the other 29 clubs' $120 million investment in the Expos before 2002. If you don't think that is smart economics, you are in denial. MLB created value from thin air by moving the Expos to DC. The market has proven to be efficient. This may be a model for franchise relocations in other sports.
- I think that the Austin Grill is really getting cheap when they offer a plate of steak fajitas. I mean, five strips of steak for $11? The best fajitas in the world, by the way, belong to Border Cafe in Harvard Square. About this, there can be no argument.
posted by SuperNoVa @ 11:20 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
on #4 - I hope to Jebus that this doesn't become the model of franchise relocation. MLB decided it wanted to be in DC. It then MLB bought a franchise (when the opportunity presented itself) and cut its costs down to nothing. While arguments can be made at how bad the Expos were struggling financially and for what reasons it cannot be seriously argued that the team was not viable. It kept this up until the opportunity to move to DC presented itself and yes, bam! money out of thin air.
Imagine if the NFL (known to want a team in LA) bought...say...the Vikings from Red McCombs for a steal, then signed noone fielding a close to basement cost team (which in the NFL could probably finish 5-11) then moved the team to the city of Angels when the city would pay for it. Sure it's a good investment but it just feels icky, doesn't it?
#5 Somehow I doubt the best fajitas exist in a country where Spanish is not the primary language. It's like saying the best Indian food is this place in Des Moines or the best hamburger is in Laos. It does not compute.
El Gran, I thought Fajitas were an American invention - a Tex Mex dish. And if you haven't had Fajitas at the Border, you know not of what you speak. I'm also not a believer in the its-better-in-the-home-country argument. The best tapas I've ever had were in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Dali - and I've been all over Spain. That said, the Tex Mex ain't so good in Denmark (even though it is wildly popular there).
On #4, you'd have to agree that more than doubling a franchise's value in two years and getting a tax payer built stadium in the process was impressive, no? Just on a pure monetary basis, it was ridiculously profitable.
Fajitas are generally believed to have come out of South Texas from Mexicans working there. Whether you consider that Mexican or American is up to you (I consider it Mexican - if it were American we'd have some great name for it like "Fried Steak Strips" or "Sizzlins"). So I'll give that best fajitas are then probably in San Antonio or Houston (But let's face it, nobody wants to go to Houston to find out). I'll also concede the possibility that the best X doesn't exist in the place that invented it/is famous for it, but I'm going to give that place the benefit of the doubt. I can tell you spent some time in Boston. What would you think of some guy from Iowa, saying the best clam chowder is in a little place in Sioux Falls, SD?
Great economic move. Bad precedent for sports fans in the least profitable areas of the country though.
El Gran,
I already said "about this there can be no debate." The foot is going down, Marge, the foot is going down!
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