Joe Schulman is the author of a new column in the Kansas City Star about becoming a fan of a new baseball team. He has written for ChopTalk, the Atlanta Braves' magazine. Joe is a freelance writer in Atlanta, and he and his wife, Cady, are avid Braves fans.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Goodbyes are always sadHere in Atlanta, Braves fans were mourning the loss of Tom Glavine for a second time. For most of the 90's he was one of the faces of the team, the guy who brought us a championship and the guy who left for New York for money.
Now he decided to go back to the Mets for a huge chunk of cash instead of returning once again to the team that was such a huge part of his career.
That's the thing with being a fan. You give everything to a team, and the team(or it's components) turn around and leave you for more money. Loyalty tends to go only one way.
This of course has something to do with Kansas City. As a small market team, players come up, they get good and then they get out of town. Perhaps the most obvious example is Carlos Beltran, who in 2004 left for Houston and eventually the Mets for as many bucks as they would throw at him.
But the two cases are different. Glavine's career was winding down on a team that was consistently good. He switched teams to make more money. The switch was to a Mets team that has so far under achieved. Sure, the same could be said about the Braves, but their payroll was not that of the Mets and shouldn't there be something about team loyalty during negotiations?
Beltran's departure I understand. A young guy who is on the fast track to superstardom shouldn't feel obligated to stay in a small town that can't pay him what he deserves. This, however, is not the fault of the Royals, nor should it be taken as a dig against the team. It's a baseball problem. No salary cap means teams like the (Ex)Expos will be simply training grounds for the bigger cities. You pay your dues in Milwaukee or Florida, then head to greener pastures.
Fans of the big budget teams have no idea what it's like to watch your favorite players leave because the team couldn't afford them. It's one more reason why being a fan of a small market team is more of an test than cheering on a team like the Yankees.
So, I'll open it up to you guys now... Who are some players that you loved to watch that left for more money? Did you forgive them?
On a side note, the comments are only visible right now through clicking on "Post a comment." Hopefully, that will be fixed soon.
It wouldn't be fair also to not mention my wife, a huge baseball fan, who put this blog together for me. She has her own personal blog at The Journey of a Thousand Words Begins Here. Check it out if you have a free minute.