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$700 million of combined salaries for the WS matchup. The “scrappy underdog” with a $300 million payroll took Goliath to 7. Anything is possible in this free market system.

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

I guess my question is, why wasn't it dead to you when the Yankees were doing the same thing? I really hate the current direction of baseball. I don't think it will change. The rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. The Cardinals are transitioning to the latter. I will no longer be obsessed with watching or listening to every game. I will follow the Cardinals at my leisure.

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:53 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

I still view it as just a game, one that needs playing. On paper won’t do it. I like sports for one reason- to witness greatness, intensity, and success.

I have very few favorite teams so being emotionally unattached is quite easy.

Sometimes it’s mere back round noise.

It really is a conundrum of what would work best, for the fans. You won’t hear Dodger fans complaining about how much the team spends. Toronto’s fans were estactic when Vlad resigned there, but what will become of Bichette? They won’t be the same team without him.
What is pretty obvious is that most teams could spend more on their roster to improve their team, but would that still be enough to catch the upper spending teams? They’ll just spend even more to be able to stay ahead.
When All-Star caliber players receive huge contracts, that causes all salaries to go up. A 10 million dollar player, might now receive a 12-15 million dollar contract. A 20 million dollar player might go up to 25 million. No way all teams can afford very many players making that kind of money, so they instead bring up minor league players who are cheaper , many before they are really ready, and let the expensive players go.
The players most hurt by this are the older, good, but not great, players. If they try to earn what the market says they are worth, there aren’t very many teams willing to spend that much on them. Many have to settle on one year contracts and move from team to team every year. I would think these players would want some sort of change.
I’ve been spoiled by being a Cardinal fan, because they have usually tried to keep their best players for their entire career.
Will Wainwright and Yadi be the last of these we’ll see?
I don’t know what the answers are, but something HAS to change, or Baseball is going to ruin itself!

Your loss. Was an incredible postseason.

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:58 am

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:53 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

I still view it as just a game, one that needs playing. On paper won’t do it. I like sports for one reason- to witness greatness, intensity, and success.

I have very few favorite teams so being emotionally unattached is quite easy.

Sometimes it’s mere back round noise.

I understand but when you know who is going to win and who has zero chance in February and the season ends in November it kind of ruins it.

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 08:13 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:58 am

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:53 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

I still view it as just a game, one that needs playing. On paper won’t do it. I like sports for one reason- to witness greatness, intensity, and success.

I have very few favorite teams so being emotionally unattached is quite easy.

Sometimes it’s mere back round noise.

I understand but when you know who is going to win and who has zero chance in February and the season ends in November it kind of ruins it.

I hear ya. I see this is many sports at all levels. It seems wins means more than merit.

RamFan08NY wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 06:50 am

dugoutrex wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:36 pm best WS in many many years - baseball is alive and well!

So because it was a great WS, it means the sport is great? Far from it. Middle America cannot compete in the sport as its run now.
2 weeks of good baseball doesn't hide the unbalance.

it is exactly what it means - the showcase event delivered in spades!

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

Buh bye...no one will miss you

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

Let’s institute a revenue cap instead? Why should competitive balance be on the back of the workers/players? See ya. Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya! I’m

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 08:13 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:58 am

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:53 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

I still view it as just a game, one that needs playing. On paper won’t do it. I like sports for one reason- to witness greatness, intensity, and success.

I have very few favorite teams so being emotionally unattached is quite easy.

Sometimes it’s mere back round noise.

I understand but when you know who is going to win and who has zero chance in February and the season ends in November it kind of ruins it.

So, you had Toronto going to the WS and losing 2 games in extra innings. Mostly due to incredibly stupid mistakes

Gotcha.

I found it entertaining

I feel nothing positive for either of these teams or their fans. The Dodgers I loathe for the obvious payroll reasons and look forward to the asterisk they'll wear with these titles 20 years from now. Okay, prob won't happen but whatever... The Blue Jays have some of the most insufferable fans in all of sports. I'll never forget their inundation of Jays fans to Cards message boards after the Colby Rasmus trade. They were literally the biggest jack*sses I've ever seen.

All that being said, I'm still p*ssed that once again, every bit of luck that could have occurred did so for the Dodgers. It almost makes you feel like the universe is stacked against everyone but the Dodgers.

Now, all THAT being said, wow did the Blue Jays lose this with total ineptitude with RISP. I think they were like 4 for their last 30 with RISP.

That's Cardinals-level-RISP bad.

Saved for review in 26

CorneliusWolfe wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 00:19 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

As much as I think I want to, I can’t get behind a salary cap. If our bosses were making several billion off of our work, we’d want several million too.

No one is putting a profit cap on owners and their $15 beers, ever-rising ticket prices, [shirt]ty corporate ads on uniforms, other branding and marketing revenue, baseball villages, profit sharing revenue…which supposed “small market” teams get from the likes of the big bad Dodgers, but they don’t reinvest that money into their team and instead blame the fans for not buying tickets to their inferior product.

Competitive balance should come from taking advantage of favorable draft positioning
when finishing poorly, investing competitive balance funds into their own teams, smart contract structure (see Ohtani deal), innovative player development, and smart spending. Not communism.

the deferred money needs to end. that would go a long way to 'fixing' some things..not all, of course, but a big chunk

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 08:22 am

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 08:13 am

sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:58 am

ScotchMIrish wrote: ↑02 Nov 2025 07:53 am

swatski wrote: ↑01 Nov 2025 23:35 pm Unless owners institute a salary cap, I’m outta here. I’ve been a fan since 1960. I won’t watch, read or discuss the game ever again. It is a travesty that Dodgers can just buy the best team. So I really enjoyed being a part of Cards talk and wish all of you guys and gals the best going forward. God Bless.

2027 is the most consequential year this century for MLB. They have instituted all sorts of goofy ideas some of them too crazy even for Charlie Finley and all designed to bring more fans to the ballparks. The reason fans aren't showing up is because 2/3 of the league have no chance to win a WS.

Small and medium market teams need to stand up. Threaten to break away and start their own league if necessary. Along with the payroll cap - and a serious one - get rid of the DH, runner on second in extra innings, institute a 100% electronic strike zone. I watch zero baseball now.

The NBA is rigged by the players. MLB is rigged by the big money teams.

I still view it as just a game, one that needs playing. On paper won’t do it. I like sports for one reason- to witness greatness, intensity, and success.

I have very few favorite teams so being emotionally unattached is quite easy.

Sometimes it’s mere back round noise.

I understand but when you know who is going to win and who has zero chance in February and the season ends in November it kind of ruins it.

I hear ya. I see this is many sports at all levels. It seems wins means more than merit.

With the payroll cap a Kansas City can be good in sports. Without it they win once or twice in ten years.