Cubs, White Sox Top Divisions; New York Laggards

As the major league baseball season approaches the one third mark, I take delight in noting the positions of the two Chicago and two New York teams. Gloating is bad manners and bad form, not to mention bad taste, but we are talking about the dismal performance of the Yankees in particular.

Impossible to resist.

As we enter Memorial Day, the White Sox with a modest payroll of $121 million  lead the American League Central while the Cubbies are tied with St. Louis with respective payrolls of $118.4 million and $100 million.

The fun really begins in the National East. The Mets ($137.8 million) are  two games under .500 and 5 1/2 games behind the league leading Florida Marlins who shelled out $22 million for a collective of misfits, having traded away one of the finest young stars in the game, Miguel Cabrera, during  the off season, to the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers have a salary in excess of  $137 million and are in last place.

The New York glee does not stop in Flushing Meadows but extends to the Bronx. Checking in at .500 and five games behind the Tampa Bay Rays are the Yankees. The Yankees are presently shelling out $209 million for a mediocre season while the Tampa Bay crew is sharing $44 million, or less than one quarter of the Yankee booty.

It is a long summer. Experience shows up in July and August, and deep pockets can always acquire additional players before the trading deadline. For now, I enjoy the season and look forward to Andy Sonnanstine's seventh win (salary $395,000)  while Andy Pettitte and Carl Pavano (the later on the DL) combine for four wins and $55 million. O.K. That is not fair. Let's throw in Kyle Farnsworth with a salary of $17 million, almost as large as the Marlins.

Comments

[ARS - expat cheesehead]

As a lifelong Cubs fan (I came of baseball fan age in those lean years after the Braves headed south and before Selig bought the Pilots) who works surrounded by Yankee and Mets fans, I've been enjoying this season quite a bit, so far.

I do have the faith that is based on long experience that my Cubbies will figure out a way to throw away this season sooner or later, but I'm enjoying my schadenfreude for the present.

I proudly wear that beautiful blue cap and often my Ernie Banks jersey and am even considering securing good seats for the Cubs / Mets series near the end of Sept. After all, it's the final season for Shea Stadium and those games might even be important.

When I moved to Boston (from NYC) several years ago and worked with the locals there, the first comment was always along the lines of "You Yankee fans. you don't know what it means to be a fan of a team that always loses. That's being a REAL fan."
My reply was always "Hey, I grew up a Cubs fan!"
Universally the response was "Oh, jeeze, we're sorry to hear that. So sorry."

Yes, I was pitied by Red Sox fans... How humiliating...

Paul - if you want to come to NYC Sept 22 > 24 and see the Cubs kick the Mets all around Queens, let me know. (we met a few years ago at the place Sherri Cohen works in NYC) -ars