Monday, November 11, 2024

With an inside track to another Japanese star, are the Dodgers on the cusp of a dynasty?

The Chiba Lotte Marines - a Japanese ballclub, not Starbucks' newest drink of the month - will soon post to MLB Roki Sasaki, a 23-year-old pitching phenom who might even be better than Yoshinobo Yamamoto, who crushed us in Game Two, before the leaden weight of our shortcomings finished the job. 

Thanks to the Byzantine rules for Japanese players migrating to Paradise - (that's us, ha!) - Sasaki shall be limited in how much money he can rake - (don't ask how; it's another rule written for billionaires, by billionaires) - but he does get to choose his next city and jersey.

And let's face it: That's probably the Dodgers. 

Why? Well, they have the best team in baseball. They have the most fruitful endorsement market in baseball. They have the best player in baseball. They have the two biggest Japanese stars in baseball. They have the hottest women in baseball.  (Sorry, Cleveland, but you've still got Machine Gun Kelly.) And they keep the most questionable financial books in baseball.

That final spoke in their wheel of dominance comes courtesy of their deal with Shohei Ohtani, who will receive deferred salary payments through eternity, long after California and Florida have been swallowed by the oceans, and we are mere festering blemishes of microplastics in some earthworm's underbelly.

I have a theory, and I'm going to spare us both a half-hour of mental tiddlywinks by not researching it. Instead, hell! I'm posting it, straight up, because - hey, these are the modern times, right? - and so, where was I?, oh, yeah, the theory... it goes like this: 

Every baseball dynasty came about from a secret advantage that some team cooked up and exploited, and ended only after other franchises caught up.

For example, the Blue Jays of the 1980s: They dominated the AL because super scout Eppy Gurerro built a bridge to Latino players, such as Tony Fernandez and Carlos Delgado. For several years, Toronto enjoyed an unlimited tap of talent (which we watched firsthand in Syracuse.)  

The Yankees dominated the late 1990s because they were the first team to build and own their own TV network/ATM - the YES Channel, featuring Paul O'Neill! - creating millions of dollars for old George to spend. 

The Astros briefly dominated in the late 2010s because they figured out how to cheat. The Rangers, Redsocks and Yankees enjoyed brief surges, via their friendly pharmaceuticals: performance enhancing drugs.

And now comes the Dodgers, on the verge of becoming Team Japan, signing the brightest stars from the new frontier. Considering how they cook the books, they might even make a run at Juan Soto. 

There is a chance the Mets will rise to dominance, because owner Steve Cohen represents a nexus of infinite money and runaway big dick ego. It hasn't happened yet, but close your eyes, and you can see it. By this time, the Yankees could be deep in the shadow of a raging Godzilla, and I don't mean Hideki Matsui.   

Whatever comes about, the Death Barge had better start sweetening its ties to Japan, more than by simply sending Mr. Warmth, Brian Cashman, to watch a game now and then. While Food Stamps Hal works on his winning charm, Hollywood smile and effervescent personality - looking to hypnotize and capture Soto - the world might just pass us by.

12 comments:

13bit said...

Truth, Duque, truth… ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

HoraceClarke66 said...

"...mere festering blemishes of microplastics in some earthworm's underbelly"? Oh, Peerless, it's great to see that all the disasters of the past month have only raised your prose to new heights!

One small caveat: didn't Ted Turner's Braves beat us to building a television network of their own? But your premise remains unchanged. The Braves used TBS to build their own dynasty, taking 14 division titles in as many completed seasons, along with 5 pennants and a World Series (not to mention Jane Fonda for Ted). They might well have grabbed 3 rings, save for Gene Michael and company.

el duque said...

I would argue that the Braves' success only furthers the main thesis: It's all about finding an advantage - and exploiting it. So here's the central question: Does Hal look like someone who is going to come up with a new plan, which will rebuild the Yankees into a modern power?

JM said...

Wasn't our late 90s success due more to exploiting the advantage of not having George involved in baseball operations for a while? Just axing...

el duque said...

So, our secret advantage was owner banishment!

ranger_lp said...

And Watson and Michael making player moves...

JM said...

Owner banishment has a nice ring to it.

acrilly said...

I’ll have a hot grande Chiba Lotte and an iced venti no whip Hanshin Tiger to go please.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I completely agree, Duque—which is why I said your premise remains unchanged (should have said, it remains true). The Braves just beat us to it.

AboveAverage said...

He’s baaaaaaaaack!

(and spot on)

https://keefetothecity.com/


HoraceClarke66 said...

Yes, owner banishment worked splendidly BOTH times: when Mad King George had to let Gabe Paul build most of the Yanks' 1970s champions, AND when he had to let Gene Michael and Co. do it in the 1990s. And no, Hal will do nothing innovative at all.

Neither will any other NYC sports owner. That's why we are stuck in Nepo Baby Hell.

Carl J. Weitz said...

The Yankees one advantage is their revenue enhancement though the YES network. Not to mention other diversified financial investments in and out of the sports world. But as we have seen, Hal is not interested in leveraging that advantage in any way, shape or form. Keep in mind, Hal last voted to not raise the luxury tax threshhold. Why would he do that? Because he doesn't want to be pressured into spending more money even getting to the limit, forget about breaking past it.