The Game Loses an All-Star Cub

It is with deep sadness that we report the death of Chicago Cub great Ron Santo. The 70-year-old former player and broadcaster died of cancer yesterday in Arizona. For 14 years Santo manned the hot corner, and if it wasn’t for Erin Banks, might be regarded as Mr. Cub. A 5-time Golden Glove winner, Santo hit 342 homeruns with 1,331 RBI in his career and was chosen for the All-Star team no fewer than 9 times. He was a great ball player and an even bigger ambassador for the great game of baseball. He will be missed.

Heating up the Hot Stove... but not without consequences

by Michael Bedard

The Major League winter meetings are next week in Lake Buena Vista Florida and the Hot Stove League has been heated up as they approach.

Detroit has been a major player so far, signing setup man Joaguin Benoit to a three year 16.5 million dollar contract, big bucks for a setup man. Next, they signed a top free agent in catcher/DH Victor Martinez- a 4 year/50 million dollar deal, more big bucks. Not to be outdone, yesterday the Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Adam Dunn to a  4 year/56 million deal. These are three big and expensive signings before the meetings even begin. And before the Yankees join in the fun.

Next week, the focus will be squarely on who will sign left hander Cliff Lee. Certainly the biggest pitching free agent,  Lee's deal will have a domino effect on the price paid to other free agents as well as trades made by teams that lose out in the bidding. The Yankees, of course, and the Texas Rangers are the front runners to land this big fish. It is reported that Lee is looking for something around $23 million per year for 5 years. OUCH! Once this signing is out of the way, other free agents will know what the market will bear and signing and trades will come fast and furious.

The Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletes and Detroit Tigers will all be active participants next week as they attempt to continually upgrade their teams at, what seems to be, any price. Third baseman Adrian Beltre, and outfielders Carl Crawford and Jason Werth will all be hotly and expensively pursued.

The Winter Meetings and the signing of free agents is exciting to read about and for teams that sign free agents it brings instant gratification and enthusiasm to their fan base. But, for teams that cannot afford this financial luxury such as the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals or even our beloved Toronto Blue Jays, it becomes a case of the haves and have not’s and more frustration for their fans as it becomes harder and harder for their these teams to compete.  This is the Achilles heal of Major League Baseball. Teams in smaller markets cannot compete consistently from year to year and as a consequence their fan bases shrink. This is not a sustainable business model and will have a significant impact on fan interest in years to come. If the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox or Philadelphia Phillies are not in the World Series nobody cares. Case in point: the dismal TV ratings for the World Series this year between the Texas Rangers and San Francesco Giants. Could anyone name three players on either team before the series began?

Baseball needs parity, financial parity, if it wants to regain its title from the NFL as America’s game. The Winter Meetings are heating up the Hot Stove, but maybe in the process it's destroying what in fact it is trying to build- enthusiasm for this great game.

2,500 Years of History in 42.2 Kilometers

by Ann Bedard

The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC. Legend says that a soldier named Pheidippiedes ran from the site of the battle to Athens to relay news of the victory of the Greeks over the invading Persians. This legendary run has since inspired millions all over the world to lace up their running shoes and train hard to conquer the classic and challenging distance. The modern race was revived in 1896 in Greece during the first modern Olympic Games, when athletes raced from the Marathon Town to the Panathenaikon Stadium. On October 31, 2010, the 2,500th anniversary of the first marathon run was celebrated with the "Athens Classic Marathon", and my husband and I were fortunate to be among the more than 15, 000 runners and power-walkers who participated.

The festivities began with a celebration of the history of the marathon race at the Zappeion Megaron, the site of the first Olympic Village in 1896. A dramatic telling of the marathon story was followed by awards to legendary marathon runners. On Saturday morning, the archaeological site of the Marathon Tomb was the site of the opening ceremonies and lighting of the marathon flame. The sense of history was palpable.

The race was dedicated to Gregoris Labrakis, a track-and-field champion who organized the first Peace Marathon from Marathon to Athens in 1963. As the 15,000 athletes gathered at the start of the race, this seemed most appropriate, feelings of camaraderie and goodwill permeating the international crowd. I saw several people in costumes, including a few centurions carrying large shields and wearing “armor” and helmets. There was no starting gun, but rather an enthusiastic man shouting “Go, Go, Go!” to notify each wave of runners it was time to start. As we began our long run or walk to the finish line, we were greeted by spectators lining the route, enthusiastically cheering and supporting us in a multilingual wave of positive energy. From the children offering us olive branches to the shouts of “Bravo” from the adults, the spectators were spectacular!

The course started innocuously enough, on a flat route from Marathon Town to the Marathon Tomb. However, by the 7 kilometer mark, we settled in to a steady uphill climb in the hot Greek sunshine. The water stations and medical support were plentiful, which was a good thing. Several participants were seen riding by us in the bus provided by the organizers to assist the people who could not finish. I saw one of the centurions struggle under the added challenge created by his costume. I don’t know if he finished the race. I was hot under a ventilated cap – a helmet would have been beyond me!

The course continued uphill, but afforded us glimpses of the Aegean Sea and gorgeous views of the countryside giving way to storefronts and the urban environment of Athens. At one point, I heard the sounds of a lively trumpet tune, and looked around to see a youngster of about 10 playing for the runners. At the 32 kilometer mark, we started going downhill, a welcome relief, and around 41 kilometers there was shade on the route for the first time. We passed gorgeous government buildings, and when I went by, the soldiers in traditional dress were engaged in the Changing of the Guard – a special treat.

And then, there was the beautiful marble Panathenaikon Stadium before me. Crossing the finish line in this historic site under the Olympic rings was emotional and thrilling, and the beautiful medal a grand reward for the completion of a challenging race.

More Questions than Answers for the Toronto Blue Jays

by Michael Bedard

Alex Anthopoulos, has shown a golden touch in his first year as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. The signing of John Buck as primary catcher was an excellent move; securing Alex Gonzales as shortstop and then flipping him over for a young potential-All Star shortstop in Yunel Escobar was another. However, heading into this off-season Anthopoulos faces much bigger challenges, none more pressing than the heightened expectations he's established for the fans.

As successful as the Blue Jays were in 2010, there are many big questions lingering over the team as they gear up for 2011. Three of the most glaring questions are:

1) Who will play third base? Encarnacion has been released and claimed on waivers by the Oakland A’s, leaving a hole at the hot corner.

2) John Buck has signed as a free agent with the Florida Marlins. Who will take Buck's place as the everyday catcher?

3) Who will shore up the back of the bullpen with the departure of Greg, Downs and Frasor?

Anthopoulos has addressed the first question with yesterday's acquisition of Rajai Davis from Oakland. The 30-year-old speedster will bring a decent (if sometimes wild) arm to right field and solid stats to the plate, batting .285 with 50 stolen bases last year in over 150 games. On the surface this addresses two major concerns. First, it adds speed to a batting order dominated by power hitters, always a good thing. Second, it allows Jose Baustista to shift to third base, giving that position a much needed defensive upgrade, an important thing for a team built around solid pitching. The problem with this trade lies in Davis' sub-average OBP of .330, too low for a leadoff batter. To me, this reads as a stop-gap maneuver, a tie-over until highly touted centre field prospect Anthony Gose is major league ready.

The second question seems like an easy fix. JP Arencibia (the Pacific Coast Player-of-the-Year) could be the man for the job. However, Anthopoulos appears to have some reservations about whether he can handle the young pitching staff the Jays have at the major league level. The starting rotation is the team's strength, I don’t think Anthopoulos wants to jeopardize their development with an inexperienced catcher. But Arencibia had done all he can at the minor league level; it's time for him to show what he can do in the majors. The Jays will just have to bite the bullet as he matures into a proven major league catcher.

The third question is going to be more challenging to address. As mentioned, the starting rotation is solid and in my opinion has the potential to be the best in either league (yes, that includes World Series champions San Francisco Giants). Anthopoulos cannot allow a weak back-end bullpen to regularly jeopardize the quality starts that this group will deliver. As it stands right now, Anthopoulos has potentially two in-house pitchers to replace Downs and Frasor: lefty David Purcey, and righty Casey Janssen. Unfortunately, neither has much experience pitching in the 7th and 8th innings, but both showed enough promise in 2010 that they deserve an opportunity to pitch in more meaningful game situations. The real trick will be to find a reliable closer. Kevin Gregg's lack of consistency isn't ideal, but the market for premium closers is very thin. Anthopoulos has tried to pry young potential-closers from the Red Sox and Yankees over the last year, but these teams realize the value of having quality pitchers late in the game and were not interested in giving them up. Anthopoulos may be forced to re-sign Gregg for another year if he is unable to spring a trade for a top-end closer. Otherwise, the team will have to start the season with a closer-by-committee scenario, which, over the long haul, usually does not fare too well. The ability to shorten a game to 6 innings with a solid back-end bullpen is invaluable. This was key to the Yankees' success last year and will be a major hurdle for Anthopoulos to tackle in the off-season.

Alex Anthopoulos and the Jays have three big questions to answer, the hot stove league is just heating up. Stay tuned, everything can change in a moment. 

The New Blue Jays Manager

John Farrell was named as the heir to Cito Gaston's throne earlier today in a press conference held by GM Alex Anthopoulos. The new manager comes from the Boston Red Sox where he's spent the last 4 seasons as pitching coach.

Click Here to read about it on MLB.com

A Good Run Sparks Hope in Toronto

Blue Jays fans got a dose of fantasy this week in a slew of spectacular play from the Toronto team. It was a weekend that sparked the hope that maybe the 4th place team could make  a run at something this fall.

Coming off a series win of 2/3 games at Yankee Stadium, The Jays headed home to sweep 3 games in a row from the brilliant Tampa Bay Rays in some of the best baseball played at the Rogers Centre in years.

Friday saw a pitcher's duel and a Brett Cecil win of 2-1 over the Rays. There was some solid fielding on the part of the Jays and the fans were in top form hanging on the every move of the closely-locked pitchers. Both Jays runs were unearned, leading to a strange but rewarding victory very much deserved after such a solid pitched outing.

Saturday reversed the situation as the Jays had no trouble at all moving their bats. They triumphed 17-11,  bolstered in no small part by the major league debut of promising catcher JP Arencibia who went 4-5 with 2 homers (1 of which came on the first pitch of his first at-bat).

The remarkable weekend was topped off by Sunday's nearly-historic 1-0 victory headlined by hero-of-the-hour RHP Brandon Morrow. Boasting only 1 walk with 17 strikeouts, Morrow, a My Sports Stadium favourite all season, narrowly missed the no-hitter honour when superstar Evan Longoria eked out a single past the glove of second baseman Aaron Hill in the 9th inning with 2 out. After the improbable at-bat that ended Morrow's bid and plagued the conscience of the All-Star second baseman who let him down (Hill says he wishes it could have been called an error on him instead of a hit against Morrow), the Jays went on to win the game one out later. The game put Morrow on the league map, brought him 1 strikeout short of the club record of 18 and clinched the 3 game series for the Jays. And there is something to be said for the comfort of knowing that one and only hit came from one of the best players in the league.

Fans came back down to earth tonight after a solid effort saw the Jays come up short in a 7-5 victory for the Boston Red Sox. Travis Snider's 3-run homer brought the house down but ultimately Ricky Romero didn't bring his A game and Shawn Camp couldn't make up for it. The reality of being 9.5 games back with 3 teams to beat in the toughest division in the league came crashing down. But for awhile there, and maybe even a little bit going forward, that little spark of hope is a fantasy it would do Toronto some good to believe in.

A Legend Dies

George Steinbrenner was the most infamous man in baseball. A controversial and dedicated owner, Steinbrenner changed the Yankees and subsequently the face of the sport forever. He lived and breathed by a winning record, sank historic amounts of money into the team (elevating the Yankees but belittling the fair playing field) and demanded nothing less than World Series success. He was temperamental and passionate, a bully, a leader and ultimately the man behind the most successful baseball team in the world.

George Steinbrenner died this morning, July 13 2010, after suffering a heart attack.

Highlights from Tonight's Lowlight Jays Game

After a loss as devastating (read: embarrassing) as tonight's against the (villains!) Red Sox, it's important to remember the good things. There are 2 of them. 

- Johnny Mac, the hardest working man in baseball and the best all-round guy in town, drove home another home run, the first run of the game for the Jays

- Casey Janssen pitched well. And he got ejected from the game for protesting a boneheaded call (which then got reversed). I always did like him.

The Blue Jays now sit a game under .500 (shameful!) as Toronto turns yet further away from the sport and even devout fans are jumping ship on struggling stars like Adam Lind and Aaron Hill. With Marcum down again, Romero struggling and not a soul in the batting order hitting over .300, it's not exactly Toronto's year. But as we take a break this week to watch 3 of our starters sit on the bench at the AllStar game, let us take this time to consider jumping back on board the support train. We have to stand behind our effort men like McDonald and Hill, the guys who want nothing more than to prove to Toronto that they're worth cheering for, even if they don't play hockey.

How Lebron killed his career and the NBA as a whole

The Lebron saga has been hashed, rehashed, debated, analyzed so much that I almost feel bad adding to the endless space on the internet already devoted to the subject. This is way past beating a dead horse; it's been beaten to death and then beaten again until the corpse is mutilated beyond recognition. But that was LEADING UP TO "The Decision." Now that the decision's been made, I'll get in my say before it can be murdered anew.

I am, of course, personally disappointed. I very recently thought of Lebron as the best basketball player in the world, and more importantly, I thought of him as a class act. I thought of him as an incredibly talented individual, but more importantly an unselfish player who played for what was best for his team, not for himself. I saw him put up triple-doubles and whenever talking about the greatness that was Lebron I would focus more on his assists, his hustle, his defense, and his team chemistry more than his points scored. I openly professed how he made the players around him better, how he was a leader, and how his play-making ability and team-oriented decision-making on the court was just as impressive as his personal talent. I admired his clean record (no criminal allegations, never seen hanging out with the wrong crowd, always family and team-oriented) and his hometown-hero story. I always thought he was a fantastic player who came up just short because of external factors and some bad breaks, and that he himself was wholly not at fault for any failings of his team.

While his skill will only improve over the peak years of his athletic career, I will never be able to admire him the same way. Perhaps one day I will be able to again appreciate his athletic prowess the way I grudgingly recognize Kobe's, despite my own misgiving on his character, but I don't believe I will ever be able to have the same glow I used to have when talking about Lebron.

He was so recently the perfect athlete; on pace to be perhaps the greatest player in the history of his sport, with the character and off-court demeanor to back it up. He was the poster-boy for the NBA; the now and the VERY bright future of the league. He was America's player, and unless your team was playing against the Cavs that night, it seemed like everyone was rooting for him. But that is in the past. The reason it seemed to good to be true is that it was.

Lebron's decision to sign with Miami is disappointing because of what it says about him as a person and how drastically it changes the perception of him around the country. It may seem to him unselfish to take less money to go to Miami for the sake of winning, but this process and his eventual decision has shown that he is far more selfish than I considered possible.

It is not only what he's done but how he's done it. He has dragged this process out into a production unlike anything I've ever seen in sports (or entertainment, and that's a whole new level of narcissistic self-celebration). He has tried to make himself the center of the universe and has done what no athlete should ever do: put himself above the league. On SportsCenter's bottom line (a scrolling bar of headlines and scores at the bottom of the screen) there were news tabs for "MLB," "NFL," "Tennis," "NBA," and then "Lebron." The NBA put itself on hold for Lebron, or more accurately, Lebron made the NBA put itself on hold for his courting process and eventual decision. He had power and influence over the NBA's organizations more than any entity, with the exception of the Commissioner's office. The media contributed to making this circus act what it was, but Lebron initiated it. He started the fire and kept on feeding it.

I could have accepted his ego-parade if he eventually used it to return to Cleveland and hyperbolize the importance of his home. The satisfaction I'd have in his decision to stay with Cleveland would far outweigh his self-important creation of the Lebron media circus. It would have given Lebron more attention but in the end not really harm anyone except for a few organizations who were dropping payroll and throwing away a season or two to desperately try to court him (but that's no fault of his that they made a gamble on such a risky endeavor). But the problem is this ego-trip didn't benefit himself without harm to anyone else. It comes at the price of so many others. It comes at the price of the league's competitive balance as the NBA has now become the Miami Heat, and then the rest of the league below it. It comes at the price of the fans of every other team hoping to fight their way to the finals. It comes at the price of a competitive, engaging NBA season. And perhaps worst of all it comes at the price of his home, of all the people of Cleveland, of the place that made him who he is. It comes at the price of ripping the hearts out of millions who looked up to him and invested themselves in him in a way that only a handful of athletes can ever enjoy.

Cleveland admired him in a way I have never seen elsewhere in my entire life. As a Yankees fan, I think of how devastated I would be should Derek Jeter ever leave the Yankees. I think of how betrayed I would feel if one of the most talented, well-charactered, and maybe the most popular Yankee player ever left New York for another team. But not even Derek Jeter holds the importance to New Yorkers that Lebron held to Cleveland. Jeter is from Michigan, not New York City, and it's not like the city of New York went 50 years full of heartbreak until he came along. There is simply no parallel to how important Lebron was to his city. He was by far more significant to Cleveland than any other athlete in any other sport anywhere in the country. And then for him to betray his home following a two-year buildup, with a month long period of the NBA humiliatingly "groveling at the feet of the King," and then with a nation-wide hour long TV special celebrating his betrayal of his home, of his NBA-family? I can think of no crueler way to rip out the heart of Celvelanders and spit on it.

If you thought Johnny Damon or Roger Clemens had it rough in Boston after going to the Yankees, you're about to have your perception of public hatred blown off into the next state, specifically Ohio. For a taste of this spectacular switch from Deity to the most hated Athlete in America, read Cleveland Cavalier owner Dan Gilbert's letter to Cavs fans here or watch the jerseys burn:
here
here
here
here
or here
The videos go on and on.

But perhaps what disappoints me the most is what Lebron showed about his character and priorities. He showed winning was his number one,  at whatever the cost. In some cases this would be admirable, but he put the RESULTS of winning over the journey. He put more stock in the Championship trophy than he did in the competition it takes to get there. That is what is most disappointing: Lebron showed that winning is more important to him than competing. He showed that winning is more important than EARNING what you win. He showed that the appeal of winning many empty championships is more important to him than working for one that would mean the world. A championship ring means nothing without the fight to get there. Without the fight, what value does the victory have?

What makes the legends of the game so great is their will to dominate; their passion to compete. What makes Kobe arguably the greatest player playing (I can't believe after years of fighting for Lebron I'm on Kobe's side in this argument now) is his will to win, that he wants it more than anyone else and refuses to be stopped. What makes Jordan the greatest player of all time is that he would not be denied victory. He would win because he would out-compete entire teams. The greatest players are great not great because of the numbers they put up, or the championships they win, but because of the drive they have that was responsible for the championships, and the will to out-compete everyone else on the court. In joining this super-team, Lebron has forfeited his place as a great player, because he has forfeited his place as a competitor. He's jumping on the bandwagon to make his path to a trophy as easy as it can be. Lebron showed that having a ring on his finger for something he barely has to work for is better than fighting for what he wants. Or maybe he's shown that he simply doesn't have that competitor's spirit to do it himself and needs to tag onto Wade and Bosh's efforts to finally win a championship. When a player puts the trophy before competing for it, he ceases to be a role model and loses the right to be considered one of the best in the game.

But despite all this, I almost feel sorry for Lebron. I have never seen an athlete commit more overt and permanent career suicide as Lebron did tonight. This is as much of a lose-lose situation as I can imagine. The expectations for Miami are to win it all. Now. Next year. Every year these three are together. Dominating in the regular season isn't enough. Winning 80 games won't be enough. Winning a title won't be enough. If Miami wins 3 championships in the next 5 years, Miami fans will be wondering why on earth they didn't win all 5. Miami is expected to win, and if Miami doesn't win EVERYTHING, ALL THE TIME, then they, and especially Lebron, will be criticized perhaps even more than he will be in the next several days for signing with Miami in the first place. People will say if he can't win with THAT team, then he can't win. Period. And if he can't win with that team then we have all greatly misjudged his potential and his skill as a player. If he doesn't only win, but DOMINATE throughout his time with Miami, he will be the biggest joke in the NBA, maybe in all American sports. The magnitude of this free-agency circus certainly won't help mitigate the ridicule he'll face for failure.

But even his best case scenario is a terrible one. Say he wins. Say he wins a lot. Say he even wins 5 championships in 5 years and steam-rolls the rest of the league. Even then, he loses. They'd say each championship was practically given to him, that he had the deck stacked in his favor as much as it could be, OF COURSE he won, why should he be given credit when he barely even had to work for the success? Each championship will be empty, boring; just another number. No pride, no excitement, no passion. Nothing that even closely resembles the kind of fire and passion that a championship should have (THIS kind of passion).

And the more he wins, the more the rest of the country roots against him. The easier it is for him, the more unfair it is for every fan of an NBA team other than the Heat. The more dominant Miami is, the more meaningless is the play of every other organization who suddenly doesn't have a chance against the monopoly that is the Heat. And the more success Lebron's super-team has, the more desolate he leaves the NBA as a whole. The potential for the lack of competition, the lack of excitement, the absence of meaning to any games will all hurt the NBA in a way that no scandal could ever do. It will do more damage than the steroid scandal ever did to baseball. It will kill the league.

If Lebron loses in Miami, he'll have brought the whole world's focus on him just to watch him fail in the most embarrassing way imaginable when he had the equivalent of a Yahoo! Fantasy League team playing with him. And that's probably the best he can hope for. Because if he wins, if Miami dominates the way everyone expects, then he becomes the enemy of every basketball fan outside of Miami and he becomes the murderer of the NBA's competitive integrity. He will be the man who not only put himself above his home, but worse, above the league, and above the sport. I'm hoping for Lebron's failure not only for the satisfaction of the country, but for Lebron's sake. Success would prove to be even worse.

Ethics of the free-agent Super Team

If you're a basketball fan, or even a sports fan (which I'm assuming you would be, since this is a sports-related blog) you're aware that this summer's class of NBA free agents is considered by many the most talented in the history of the league. This abnormal concentration of talent through free agency has given rise to speculation of a "Super Team" where Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Lebron James all join together on the same team (most likely in Miami) to maximize their shot at winning a championship (or more appropriately, many). Of course, everyone seems to have an "inside source" claiming they have some information of where these players will each sign, but when everyone claims to know something you can bet that no one knows anything.

But despite the specious likelihood of the scenario, the idea of this super-team is an intriguing one mostly because of it's apparent uniqueness. And it does feel truly unique. Not in my memory (or it seems anyone else's) do I remember the prospect of top level free agents plotting a super-talent coalition. Perhaps it's mere coincidence that the NBA has never before had this kind of concentration of talent at the same time available on the open market, but surely it must have happened in another sport.
But no, it is an entirely different animal in the other two most popular sports in the US; baseball and football.

In both sports there are too many people involved on the field to have an effect the way this kind of free-agent-alliance would in the NBA. In football, a star quarterback-runningback-receiver combo is probably the closest thing you could get, but with 22 players on the field at once, many fulfilling completely different jobs, even that kind of star threesome couldn't dominate the way three out of 10 players on an NBA court would, especially with any of those three able to control or contribute to potentially every play. The same argument can be made in baseball. Even the greatest players are one of 9 on the field and they only have 4 to 5 at-bats a game. They cannot dominate the way 3 dominant players can EVERY PLAY in the NBA. An ace pitcher can dominate a game, but even then, only half of the game (in preventing runs, not in scoring them, unless they're in the NL and happen to be a dynamite hitter, which doesn't exist) and then once every 5 days. 3 tops level starters are great, but together would not have nearly the effect the Bosh-Wade-Lebron (BWL) tandem would have.

Besides, the super-team argument can be made of the Yankees, particularly with the new millennium when the Yanks tried to buy their way to the World Series through free-agency. It took them 9 years with a (moderately) scaled back payroll and reliance on their farm system to deliver another Championship. And the Yankees had to go out and get way more than three top level free agents to even come close. Baseball is a game with simply too many variables, too much unpredictability, and too limited impact of each individual for three of the greatest players in the game to have nearly the impact that BWL would have. Add A-Rod, Pujols, and Hanley Ramirez on the same team and you'd have quite an offense, but if you make the rest of the team average, you're still going to come out only slightly better than average win total. They're certainly not going to run away with the best record, never mind the world series.

Now it's no foregone conclusion that Bosh, Wade, and Lebron would win even one championship, they still have to play the games, but team BWL would be such a saturation of talent that I don't think anyone would wager against them. They'd be more dominating than Boston's big three if they were all in their prime, and the Celtics have made it at least to game 7 of the finals in the 2 years they've been healthy, despite their age. The point is, this scenario is special and different in that never before has the prospect of combining star players been so potentially dominating.

I still struggle with exactly how I feel about it. In one sense, they have every right to agree to play for the same team, to join forces in their own best interests and win championships. I can't say if I were in their shoes I'd do anything different. If winning a championship is my prime concern and that's the best way to do it, why not?

But then I get that feeling in my stomach that says something is wrong. Yes, they have the right to act in their best interests, but it feels like they're rigging the system at everyone else's expense. Miami Heat fans might be happy with that kind of super-power combo in Florida, but the rest of the league would only have to second best to look forward to. Is it right for those three to team up for their own interests if it comes at the price of the interests of the league as a whole? Isn't the nature of competitive sports to be competitive?

And furthermore I hope they don't join forces for their own sakes. Does the BWL tandem want Championships that are easy to come by? Does it really mean anything if they're not fought for, if they're hardly earned? Once you start taking winning championships as a given, what significance do those championships have? They amount to nothing more than a number. With Lebron and Bosh never having won a championship, and with Wade fighting tooth and nail for his, I don't think any one of them would want the playoffs to simply amount to "another" ring.

But why the super-team idea would be bad for the league isn't exactly the point of this entry and why it wouldn't be in the best interests of the players involved, specifically Lebron, are related elsewhere (See Michael Rosenberg's great column on why the super-team concept would be disaster for Lebron's career by clicking here). No, the point of this entry is to observe this situation through a non-sports prism. This IS a unique situation in sports, certainly in the history of free agency in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, but it is not a unique situation in general. In fact, it is so common that there have been laws passed in the to confront this very issue over the course of the past hundred years.

I am no economist, but still, it was almost impossible to ponder this super-team and not think of the same economic situation that exists in the world of business. The words "collusion," "anti-trust acts," "monopoly," and "barrier to entry" rush to mind. But, rather than dwell on the intricacies of things like cooperative monopolies, suffice it to say that laws exist in the US to prevent companies from doing what Lebron, D-Wade, and Bosh are reportedly considering. That is, agree to fix the system for their own benefit at the price of everyone else. In this situation, a few corporations agree to fix-prices, or have several small operations apparently running separately and competing with each other while actually being owned and operated from a larger entity, or simply coming together to force out all other competition and collectively reap a larger reward at the expense of small businesses. While each of these scenarios are different, they all share a few powerful actors basically strong-arming the system and purposefully marginalizing competition.

Now that sounds a whole lot worse than merely acting in your best interests, in these cases the two are are the same. Companies marginalizing competition BECAUSE it is in their own best interests. Team BWL would essentially be doing the same thing, coming together to create a monopoly in the League for their own benefit at the expense of the rest of the League.

Now, Wade, Bosh, and Lebron are not corporations, they are individuals, but if you take away the identity and simply view them by their incomes they are, from a financial standpoint, essentially the same as multi-million dollar companies. Just because power is consolidated in one person rather than throughout the company, are they really so different?

The US government has laws to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Collusion is illegal, Teddy Roosevelt was known as "the Trust-Buster" for a reason, and Intel was sued not so long ago for marginalizing competition in order to instate itself as a monopoly. There are countless examples that stretch back as far as modern industry does.

But this is not an economics blog entry, it's a sports entry. So, where does this all lead? Am I suggesting the league make it illegal for players to team up in the way Bosh, Wade, and Lebron may do? No, of course not. That feels just as wrong as them actually going through with it. After all, companies can also merge together for their own collective benefit, just never to the degree where it would spell doom for the rest of an industry.

There are so many reasons why all of us fans should be hoping against this superstar alliance, and why the alliance wouldn't be nearly as much in the interests of the players involved as they might perceive, but what I'm really saying is that we should look at how to confront the present by looking at the past. There is a consensus, developed over at least a hundred and fifty years of economic history that this kind of thing shouldn't happen in business and steps have been taken accordingly to prevent it. I hope Bosh, Wade, and Lebron take a lesson from history and decide not to make us confront the ramifications of this NBA-like collusion because history has already shown us how it plays out and in the end, no one is happy about it.

Welcome To My Sports Stadium

Hey Sports Fans,

Welcome to the newest addition to the "My Entertainment World" family. Branching off from established sites "My TV" and "My Theatre", this is "My Sports Stadium". Here we'll be discussing all things sports-related from player profiles, to post-game rants to detailed strategy analysis.

Our first full article will be posted soon but for now just let me say that tonight's Phillies-Jays game broke my heart for so many reasons. A spectacular Jays loss (9-0), the Doc pitching against his old team, a touching "we love Toronto" interview from Brandy Halladay, the painful reality of seeing my boy Hill down in the lineup and the overpaid Vernon Wells showing his signature lack of effort. It hurt, to say the least. The American League East is impossible but must we ALWAYS be in 4th place? Thank God for Baltimore.