Now that the season is over and the Phillies won the World Series, we can say good bye to 2008 and look forward to the 2009 season which starts in April. I am not a big fan of Philly, and with the low ratings the World Series received, I am guessing not a lot of people are. I can understand that a lot of people are not big Rays fans as they are still a young team in comparison and do not have a strong following down in Tampa, but Philly has had a team for a long time. Congrats to both teams and way to ruin my season with a lackluster October.
With that said, one question to ponder: Why do people get so out of control after a team wins a championship? In Philly after the last out, fans celebrated in the streets and ended with people damn near rioting. Can anyone explain this for me? I have been excited for Broncos and Avalanche winning their respective titles, however, it doesn't make me want to go out and destroy another person's property. If you have an answer, please let me know.
On another note, I found something fantastic on the Internet this past 24 hours that will please you baseball fans out there. Dr. Ben Fry's Salary vs Performance sketch is a wonderful tool to really look at the relationship between a teams salary and their performance during the season. Here is his explanation of the piece:
"This sketch looks at all 30 Major League Baseball Teams and ranks them on the left according to their day-to-day standings. The lines connect each team to their 2008 salary, listed on the right.
Drag the date at the top to move through the season. The first few days of the season are omitted because the rankings to (at least) that point are statistically silly. You can also use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move forward or backward one day.
A steep blue line means that the team is doing well for its money, which reflects well on the team's General Manager. A steep red line implies that the team is throwing away money. The thickness of the line is proportional to the team's salary relative to the others."
Looking at this tool makes me realize that money doesn't make the team a winner, it is the management/coaching and dedication of the players that makes the team winners. A team can spend all the money they want, and still not make it to the playoffs (i.e. New York teams in 200 had the top 2 highest payrolls and neither team made it into the post-season).
Looking ahead, I will let everyone know when the Colorado Rockies put the Guys Night Out tickets and Opening Day tickets on sale.
Until next time!
Friday, October 31, 2008
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