Clemens sends baseball into oblivion

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Chris Jackson

The Yankees, who won 125 games and the World Series last year, decided they just weren't quite a lock to repeat and went out and traded for five-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who was 20-6 last year for the Blue Jays in winning that record fifth Cy Young.

Yankee fans are already spouting 162-0 as the team's goal for 1999. It's just a part of a trend that will destroy baseball and all the good will Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa created last season.

What has become of baseball when over half the teams have no chance of competing? Ask yourself, do Tampa Bay, Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota, the White Sox, Seattle, Oakland, Philadelphia, Montreal, Florida, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Colorado have a realistic chance of competing in 1999?

Here's a quick answer: no.

And of the other teams not mentioned, Baltimore, Boston, Toronto, Anaheim, Texas, the Cubs, San Diego, San Francisco and Arizona do not have the cash or the ability to make themselves good enough to challenge the Yankees through what little is available in trades with the no-chance teams.

Cleveland, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and the Mets may be the only real threats to the Yankees, but Houston doesn't have the cash to land another Randy Johnson and now Moises Alou is down and out, and even the Indians are running short of money to land a front-line starter.

In a sense, the CableVision Yankees, Rupert Murdoch Dodgers and Ted Turner Braves are the only real contenders for the World Series this year, as the Mets will surely find a way to shoot themselves in the foot and miss out.

So what's the point? Is there a point in having a season where only three of 30 teams have a shot at the title?

This baseball season was being greeted with optimism all around, but with one trade the Yankees have reminded the world about the ridiculous disparity between teams.

Baseball's economic situation has become ridiculous. It's approaching the lunacy of the NBA, where Alonzo Mourning once signed a contract worth more than the estimated value of the entire Miami Heat franchise.

Kevin Brown does not deserve $105 million. Bernie Williams does not deserve his $80 million-plus contract, and God knows Jose Offerman doesn't come even close to deserving over $20 million.

But the players are letting this happen, and in the end, they're getting hurt. Not in an economic sense, but in a competitive sense. It's time for the players and owners in the small markets to unite and take a stand against the Steinbrenners and Browns.

Would you feel like playing if you were guaranteed not being able to win? Maybe ever?

It's up to the players on the 27 teams with no chance at the title to stand up and make two demands: an NFL-style salary cap and across-the-board revenue sharing among the owners.

Steinbrenner has said he doesn't want to share his revenue. Well, Bud Selig, tell that fat moron to put up or get out. If baseball wants to be fair, it's time for the fat-cats to spread the wealth.

Either that, or it's time for the small organization like the Pirates and Expos to not move, but fold completely, since they cannot compete.

This lunacy has to end, or else baseball will soon become as unimportant as... the NBA.

Perish that thought.

Chris Jackson is the Wildcat sports editor and a senior majoring in journalism who is certain to suffer through another long season of Pirates baseball. He can be reached at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu