The Chronic Curmudgeon

"Juicy Juice." Bwah!

Hee hee. Juicy juice.

I guess there was no curse after all. Just many decades of suckage.

How many world series have the Yankee$ bought this millenium? What's that, you say? Zero?

I thought so. You can live in the distant past if you like, but I will choose to live in the CURRENT millenium... during which the Sox have been champions, and the Yankee$ have not.

No, the Yankees have not purchased a WS in this millenium, but the Patriots have purchased 3 Superbowls.

Um, Spaceman? The Pats are bound by the same *SALARY CAP* as every other team in the NFL. It's impossible to purchase a title in the NFL because no one can spend over a certain point.

Perhaps if the Vikings were drafting football players instead of parolees and reprobates, and had guys on the team who spent time studying the playbook and playing football instead of fondling 17 year olds on boats and weeding their way through the season, they could contend. The Vikes' rap sheet is longer than their roster... and until that changes, they're going to continue to be a punchline. Not to mention being a team unworthy of maintaining any kind of loyalty from me. Character counts, and the Vikings don't have any.

In the meantime, if you want to slag the Pats' accomplishments, that's fine... but next time, do try to get your facts straight about how they've done it. There's a SALARY CAP in football, Skeezix... nobody can buy a Super Bowl in Yankee$ fashion, because everyone's limited as to what they can spend.

Who mentioned anything about the Vikings? The Vikings have been a joke for years. Im loyal because they are the home team, but Ill never defend any of the whiny crybaby crap, or the criminals they employ.

Yes, there is a Salary cap in football, and there is also TV revenue sharing.

However, higher overall revenue teams can spend less of their TV revenues on salaries, putting more money in their pockets from advertising and radio, which allows them to attract better players. The players for the better teams are the ones that get the big sponsorship deals,so everyone wants to play for consistently strong clubs.
The Patriots are the #1 overall revenue club and were leading the debate for raising the salary cap as high as it will go, while at the same time sharing less of their TV revenues with the lower income clubs like Buffalo.

Do you think it merely coincidence that the team with the most money is in the playoffs year after year? Are they really that good?

While no one can outright purchase the best team in the league the way the Yankees can, the fact still remains that a team with the most to offer will attract the best players and coaches.

Football is a lot more balanced than baseball, but its still lop sided.

Wrong again. Sorry. Check out this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44179-2005Jan28.html

The last time the Pats won the Super Bowl, they had the 24th highest payroll out of 32 teams. As in 3/4 of the league spent more than they did.

Here's another article that explores in depth the Pats' ability to win without spending as much as most of the league:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47420-2005Jan29.html

The Pats attract players because they have a good organization, a Hall of Fame coach, and know how to win.

Wow, how long does it take for the brainwashing to kick in up there? I mean, can I expect to become rapidly pro-New England sports if I spend one semester there, or do I need to be there a few years? Will I get tossed into the harbor like a case of overtaxed tea if I don't comply?

In 2004 (last super bowl win), The Patriots were the 4th richest franchise in the NFL. http://www.forbes.com/2004/09/01/04nfland.html

#1 for wealth in 2005, when they returned to the playoffs as a result of the Bills, Dolphins and Jets sucking worse. This was all over the salary cap debate that ended at the beginning of last month.

Remaining underneath the cap as they did and stand now, simply puts more revenues in their pocket to spend.

Here is a good article back at you.
http://www.forbes.com/business/2005/01/27/cz_kb_0127valuations.html

The have the nicest stadium- because the have the most money.

They have the best coaching staff(debatable of course)-because the have the most money.

They have the best everything because they have the most money. The player pool aside, the Pats still carry a distinct advantage over clubs like Cinncinati and Buffalo. The Bills have never won a Super bowl, and the Bengals made their first appearance in the playoffs this year since the mid 80s.

Now, this does not hold true with all the rich clubs, I will give you that. Houston,and Cleveland make a fortune as well, and can't seem to come up with a winning record at all. But you can't deny that the majority of the teams in the playoffs are the richer franchises.