Reusse hits it out of the park
Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2013 11:53 am
Reusse's article in the Strib this morning captures the frustration of being a long-time die-hard Twins fan. He talks about the gifted Cuban defector pitcher Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez who appears to be ready to be a top of the rotation starter, and the Twins brass decision that he is too expensive. Too expensive? I haven't seen the latest rankings, but as recently as 2008 the Pohlads ranked Numero Uno as the richest owners in baseball, with a net worth over $3.2 billion! For the Pohlads, deciding to spend another $20 million to pick up a front line starting pitcher is the equivalent of most of us deciding to buy a newspaper. It's a drop in the bucket for them. But as a family, they are genetically programmed to not spend money, even if it could lead to a championship in the city they call home. Let's not forget that Papa Pohlad made his fortune foreclosing on destitute farmers. The family cares about us rabid Twins fans about as much as Carl cared about those poor farmers.
And at the end of the day, I don't think the Pohlad cheapness is even a good business decision when it comes to the Twins. Sports franchise owners don't make their money by producing a positive annual net income, like a bank would. They get richer by eventually selling their franchise for substantially more than they paid for it. And nothing drives up the value of a franchise like championships. The Pohlads don't understand this, so they give Terry Ryan a salary allowance that ensures mediocrity. The Twins are generally considered to have the most promising farm system in all of baseball, but it mostly consists of potential superstar position players, not pitchers. Spending some of their precious moolah on a potential phenom like Gonzalez would show Twins fans that the Pohlads are as interested in bringing us a championship as they are in moving up the list of Forbes' billionaires.
As Reusse points out, we are blessed in our sports market to have three other owners who are willing to spend to win. And clearly the recent failure of the Wolves, Wild and Vikings shows that spending doesn't guarantee championships. But it's nice to know that these owners are willing to dig into their stash to make a play for the superstars out there. How ironic that the richest of our local owners are also the stingiest.
And at the end of the day, I don't think the Pohlad cheapness is even a good business decision when it comes to the Twins. Sports franchise owners don't make their money by producing a positive annual net income, like a bank would. They get richer by eventually selling their franchise for substantially more than they paid for it. And nothing drives up the value of a franchise like championships. The Pohlads don't understand this, so they give Terry Ryan a salary allowance that ensures mediocrity. The Twins are generally considered to have the most promising farm system in all of baseball, but it mostly consists of potential superstar position players, not pitchers. Spending some of their precious moolah on a potential phenom like Gonzalez would show Twins fans that the Pohlads are as interested in bringing us a championship as they are in moving up the list of Forbes' billionaires.
As Reusse points out, we are blessed in our sports market to have three other owners who are willing to spend to win. And clearly the recent failure of the Wolves, Wild and Vikings shows that spending doesn't guarantee championships. But it's nice to know that these owners are willing to dig into their stash to make a play for the superstars out there. How ironic that the richest of our local owners are also the stingiest.