As there really aren't any truly fascinating matchups in football today (please correct me if I'm wrong), let's talk about $8,000 a pitch:
As expected Friday, the New York Yankees officially tendered an offer to free-agent pitcher CC Sabathia. The offer is expected to be six years in length and have a total value of slightly more than the record $137.5 million deal that pitcher Johan Santana signed with the Mets before last season.
If he starts 32 games and averages 90 pitches a game -- both lofty assumptions -- he'll make over $700,000 a game and $8,000 a pitch. He'll make more in one inning -- conceivably ten minutes of work -- than the average American makes in a year...in the middle of a recession.
Is there something desperately wrong with this picture as unemployment jumps and people lose trillions on their real estate and retirement plans -- let alone actually losing their homes! -- or is this just capitalism and the free market rewarding the most talented members of our society?
On a related note, are baseball owners foolishly ignoring economic realities with this payroll spike? After all, isn't it likely that attendance will decline this year, as might premium MLB cable/satellite subscriptions along with advertising revenues? Despite how your team did last season, is this the time to be increasing wages for your players?
