After our disgust for Vladimir Putin, America's second-most unifying topic is the sorry state of baseball.
We can cheer as global sanctions drop on Putin's buddies, but why has a small group of American billionaires been allowed to crush the national pastime, without paying a meaningful price? Long ago, they gamed the system of capitalism, and now, they simply have too much money for anyone's good.
Now, because they can't squeeze even more from fans, they are threatening to kill the game of our fathers and grandfathers.
It's time to push for that national wealth tax on billionaires. But let's ditch that phrase, "wealth tax." It's too radical, too socialist. We're Americans, not communists.
This week, we learned how this billionaire ownership group - patriots to the highest degree - loves "luxury taxes." In fact, the owners - great Americans, all - had to cancel opening day to preserve this cherished concept.
Let's abandon "the wealth tax." It should be replaced by "the luxury tax."
If it's good enough for MLB, it should be good enough for them, individually, right?
Let's find out how much each of the owners paid last year in taxes. My guess is that every single one paid less than the average reader of this blog. They love the luxury tax because it allows for revenue-sharing among club owners, which then keeps down salaries. Good grief, that sure sounds a little communistic, but it can't be, because these pillars of capitalism would never let such a thing happen, right?
Joe, make the owners the face of America's own oligarchy. Yes, they'll wail like stuck pigs; it's what they do. Personally, I'd freeze their assets, ban them from the SWIFT banking system, and declare Rob Manfred a war criminal. (You should leave those proposals to AOC.)
A nationwide "luxury tax!" (And, yes, Max Scherzer, with your $43 million annual salary, you'll be in this, too.) The time is right.
Over the next month, a lot of shit is going to rain down on this world - all of it top- down - that is, the rich sending the poor off to die. We won't even have baseball for a diversion. They failed us. It's time to play hardball.
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I was ruminating early today how I have soured on baseball, principally because of the wealth of players and owners and I remembered something form a few years ago.
Once I retired and realized that we had more money then ever between pensions, SS and nice investments, we decided to do semi-cray things.
One was to go to the Breakers in West Palm Beach for 5 days.
the wealth exhibited was staggering. Everything was 1st class and grossly and shamelessly expensive. There were three different parking lots for instance. One was 100 feet from the entrance which was for cars too expensive for valets to touch.
Bottles of wine started at $400.00.
People were haughty and totally pretensive. Each on display for the others. Most wives were 20-30 years younger that the old men.
Absolutely no one seemed happy or was friendly unless they were drunk.
In this mix was a 20something Boston Red Sox player living large. I Know because he had vanity plates. The valet told me that the car was worth 700K.
There was jewelry worn at the pools that was with more than my two homes combined.
My point in all this is that the uber-wealthy truly live a different life that us. What is important to them is irrelevant to us and vice-versa. We are barely of the same species. We are separated by moats, literally and figuratively.
They truly care nothing about the game. The top players don't either. They are all in a pissing contest over who has the beach chair closest to the bar.
Do not waste any precious time gnashing your teeth over the idiocy of it all.
Just know that they are not at all like us and maybe go to an MILB of college game where some of the youngsters still care.
Oh, and I forgot, Fuck them all.
Perfect post, El D. - and perfect comment, Archangel. Archangel, since you said that once you retired you realized that you were in the position to do semi-crazy things and only wrote about one, The Breakers in West Palm Beach - I'm curious what some of the other things were? Here, where we are both geographically and in life, people line up for miles just to see the new Instant Pot a neighbor purchased and go on talking about it for weeks afterwards. Like it is some sort of spaceship. And in a way - it is.
Archangel, that is a great story and great observations. I would like to personally thank you for making me aware of the word "pretensive," which, if I've come across it before, I'd forgotten existed.
This is no doubt because I'm not only old, but shakily holding onto middle classness (which, in NYC, means my wife and I make well less than 250K a year). Though it is good to know that, like the uberrich, I'm not happy or friendly unless I'm drinking. So I do plenty of it.
Hear, hear! Great post, Archie. And Duque...I'm for rewriting "Hamilton" with you in the lead.
"Luxury tax" is a great suggestion. Much like Ike selling a massive public works program as a "defense project." Which it was...kinda, sorta.
Kill the squid!
Fuck these owners. Fuck them where they breathe.
As for me, I've decided that as much as I love the Yankees, I'm done. I'm through lining their pockets with my money.
Next week I will begin attending UCLA and Long Beach State (the Dirtbags) baseball here in town. Ten dollar tickets. That's the price of a minor league box seat. Live games, no bullshit.
Goodbye MLB. Goodbye Harold, and go fuck yourself. Let your fellow owners know that they can go fuck themselves too.
I will report back with my findings.
And if you're looking for good baseball, read this:
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/looking-for-baseball-a-guide-to-becoming-a-college-baseball-fan/
There's still plenty of baseball out there.
As for me, I'm done complaining. Time to move on.
Folks, I am going to hold back on some of the semi-crazy things that I have done.
Remember, "crazy" is in the mind of the beholder.
I went to Hawaii for two weeks, which for me, was crazy! I spent two nights at the Four Seasons while there, which was royally fun. J. Aniston and Adam Sandler were filming Murder Mystery 2 while we were there.
Hawaii was a lot of money, but as beautiful as you can image.
I also went to Nashville which is just fun period.
I will be having more adventures too.
Vegas and Alaska later this year.
Absolutely Dick Allen. College baseball, at all levels, is a lot of fun. And the minors will play. MLB runs minors now, so a loophole in the boycott, but I'll allow it. Plenty of good baseball out there, at much more reasonable prices. Fuck MLB.
Hawaii is incredible. Just been there once, but loved Honolulu, checked out the great Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor, and got out to Molokai, I think the least inhabited island, but incredibly beautiful, laid back. Just gorgeous.
We spent a week on the Big Island. Amazing.
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