Friday, April 09, 2004
The Boss' Bucks Level Playing Field
Yankee-loving Chris Isidore of CNN/Money interviews Yankee-hating Moneyball author Michael Lewis, who's very happy about George Steinbrenner's hands-on management style. Without it, Lewis says, the Yankees would be run more efficiently and it would be harder for smaller-market clubs to challenge them:
"[Steinbrenner]'s a machine for competitive balance. Yes, the money is in New York. Yes, the money is in his hands. But he squanders money. Thank God for it."
When he wrote Moneyball, Lewis was worried that deeper-pocketed clubs would learn from the Oakland Athletics' example. If they did, their deeper pockets would give them the advantage Commissioner Selig is convinced exists today. However, the negative reaction to Moneyball within much of the baseball industry leads Lewis to believe these inefficiencies will continue.
"Having money means you're not Billy Beane -- if you don't have to economize, you won't.
"The more chaotic the market is, the less competitive balance is a problem because there's more opportunity for efficient management. [Steinbrenner's] spending creates a chaotic market."
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Yankee-loving Chris Isidore of CNN/Money interviews Yankee-hating Moneyball author Michael Lewis, who's very happy about George Steinbrenner's hands-on management style. Without it, Lewis says, the Yankees would be run more efficiently and it would be harder for smaller-market clubs to challenge them:
"[Steinbrenner]'s a machine for competitive balance. Yes, the money is in New York. Yes, the money is in his hands. But he squanders money. Thank God for it."
When he wrote Moneyball, Lewis was worried that deeper-pocketed clubs would learn from the Oakland Athletics' example. If they did, their deeper pockets would give them the advantage Commissioner Selig is convinced exists today. However, the negative reaction to Moneyball within much of the baseball industry leads Lewis to believe these inefficiencies will continue.
"Having money means you're not Billy Beane -- if you don't have to economize, you won't.
"The more chaotic the market is, the less competitive balance is a problem because there's more opportunity for efficient management. [Steinbrenner's] spending creates a chaotic market."
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