Mark Shapiro: Indians “don’t just silently accept” MLB’s competitive balance problem

by Cleveland Frowns on June 11, 2012

The Plain Dealer’s Bill Lubinger did some good work with a relatively comprehensive interview of Cleveland Indians President Mark Shapiro that ran over the weekend. The following on MLB’s growing competitive balance problem is one of the most encouraging things Cleveland fan has had to read in the sports pages in awhile.

PD: What is the club doing about the league’s competitive balance problem? There are more small- and mid-market clubs than big-market teams, so why not band together for change? How far do you push to level the field?

MS: I think the system works well for most teams. Part of what’s enabled baseball to thrive overall as a game has been the commissioner’s ability to keep all 30 teams together despite things being better to some than others. Certainly, from our standpoint, we get frustrated with what we feel are clear objective reasons that competitive balance doesn’t work as well for us. And, believe me, we don’t just silently accept that. We spend energy, time and lobbying and explaining our situation and we engage with the commissioner’s office and with other teams in an attempt to improve those conditions. … There are things that we clearly and very specifically believe that will help, but we think it’s more effective to keep those between us and (the league office in) New York.

Hopefully this is more than just lip service, and if there’s no perceptible improvement in the coming years we’ll naturally expect to hear more from the Indians front office on the issue, but for now it’s a lot better than denying that a problem exists like Shapiro did elsewhere in the interview with respect to a separate but related issue of significant import.

Here’s the Tribe Prez on “anti-Dolan criticism,” referring, of course, to the club’s owners:

I wish the fans could know the Dolans like I know the Dolans. I wish they could know how much they care about the city, how much they care about the Indians and how badly they want to win. They’ve operated extremely responsibly, they’re respected in Major League Baseball, they’re excellent owners and operators and, most importantly, why people like me have chosen to work here and stay here is because they’re good people, they have impeccable character and integrity and they want the same things that every fan wants and that we all want.

Of course, until the Indians renounce Chief Wahoo, the Dolans’ character and integrity will remain thoroughly peccable, which has to keep them firmly out of “excellent owners” territory as well. Shapiro was described in a 2007 piece by the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy as, “clearly uncomfortable with the topic [of Wahoo], but powerless to change things.”

“It’s not an area I have control over or choose to focus,” Shapiro told Shaughnessy.

Which of course makes it an especially huge bummer that Lubinger apparently didn’t ask Shapiro what he thought about the recent groundbreaking Scene cover story on the issue, because of course, after reading it, nobody decent could possibly be uncomfortable accepting the truth that Wahoo is a disgusting embarrassment; and with so much conclusive research in hand, nobody with half a brain could possibly be powerless to demonstrate why. Anyway, we have as much faith in Shapiro as we do in just about anyone who’s in charge of anything important in Cleveland, so for now we’ll hope this is another one of those “behind closed doors” things.

—————

In other weekend news, the Hey Mary Kay! letter of the week is from Joshua Hole of Plain City, Ohio:

Hey, Mary Kay: Still wish we would have taken Justin Blackmon? — [Mr. Hole, Plain City]

Hey, Joshua: In this pass-oriented era, I still think the best receiver in the draft trumps the best running back. I don’t think Blackmon’s DUI last week means he’s a failure, but I’d send him to rehab right away if I were the Jags. I also question how great he’s going to look with Blaine Gabbert throwing to him.

Yes, the Browns should have drafted Justin Blackmon and sent him to rehab right away, and if there’s ever any reason to question that proposition it will be Blaine Gabbert’s fault.

Finally, the most anticipated NBA series since forever starts tomorrow in Oklahoma City and since LeBron will “only have one” championship if the Heat win, nobody can lose here, so happy Monday, everyone, and we’ll see about a Finals preview tomorrow.

  • Mark

    I’m glad you highlighted that question to MKC. When I read it yesterday, it brought me untold amounts of joy. “Ah, Mary Kay, when will you ever learn?”

  • BIKI024

    HEATLES!

    • https://twitter.com/jimkanicki jimkanicki
      • CleveLandThatILove

        Gesundheit!

    • Believelander

      …still suck.

  • GrandRapidsRustlers

    I am more confident that Shapiro is doing things behind the scenes with Wahoo than anything involving competitive balance.

    The used car hack running MLB will simply look at Shapiro and tell him that the Pirates are in 1st place and you seem to have a lot of young talent there in Cleveland.

    Anyway…go Sonics!

    • ClevelandFrowns

      “I am more confident that Shapiro is doing things behind the scenes with Wahoo than anything involving competitive balance.”

      If true, that wouldn’t necessarily be evidence that the man doesn’t have his priorities straight, so. Anyway, that is exactly what Selig will say. Also, Tampa!

      • Believelander

        The Rays did a World Series and everything.

    • Believelander

      Yeah, I mean look at what the Nationals and Marlins are doing! Never mind that these clubs have to suck for years and years and years and years and years (and if you’re the Pirates or Nationals, we should repeat several more times) before they can even put together a contention run.

  • BIKI024

    i sure hope Manny Ramirez continues to find his finds his groove in AAA and Dolan pulls the trigger on bringing him back over. We should also get Fausto and possibly Grady back come trade deadline so we have a few cost effective ways on improving for the 2nd half of the season. 103 games left, need to go 43-60 the rest of the way.

    but yeah, good to hear Shapiro is chirping to MLB, baby steps.

    • bupalos

      More importantly perhaps, it looks like we might get Ubaldo back:

      “”No bleeping walks. Write it,” said pitching coach Scott Radinksy, who has worked hard with Jimenez to solve his mechanical flaws.”

      While it appears to me that Ubaldo is actually built out of a complex amalgam of mechanical flaws, if that guy can somehow get them in harmony we should be even money to take the division.

    • Believelander

      It’s certainly important that he’s saying in the public forum of an interview that he thinks that there’s a serious problem and that he’s not happy, and not shutting up about it. It’s easy for a PR giant like a major sports league to put spin on fan criticism of their system, until the major components of their cartel start to take the fans sides.

  • http://www.redright88.com/ TitusPullo94

    I get the fact that, going into the draft, one could have made a case for Blackmon as the Browns could certainly use help at wide receiver. But it is not as if they didn’t fill another huge need by drafting Trent Richardson.

    But to continue to beat that drum after the fact is a bit much.

    This is also another example of the PD’s writers falling behind the times as the statistical evidence points out strongly that team’s don’t need to draft wide receivers at the top of the draft: http://tinyurl.com/8ys4fvn

    So while the Browns could have used a wide receiver they can’t operate in a vacuum, you need to stay in touch with what’s working and what’s not around the league. (Of course, the evidence also points out that you don’t need a workhouse running back like Richardson, but I’d still rather have him than Blackmon).

  • p_forever

    first this guy josh seems like an a*shole know it all, right? actually i sort of wondered whether frownie gave him the last name “hole” as sort of a fun little joke. did you, frownie, or is that this jerk’s actual last name?

    second the only thing mary kay got wrong was *which* receiver was the best receiver in the draft, not whether we should have picked one. the best one, and the one we should have picked had we decided to go the receiver route, was michael floyd.

    • bupalos

      >>was michael floyd.>>>

      I can’t remember which school he was from though, do you remember P?

      • p_forever

        hahahaha

        nd forever :)

    • ClevelandFrowns

      The name Josh Hole is what was printed in the PD and I think the man asked a fine question.

      • p_forever

        but he asked it like a jerk. (he might as well have prefaced it with mary kay is such a retard hahaha. that’s clearly what he meant.)

        • ClevelandFrowns

          I dunno. How would you have phrased it?

          • p_forever

            like this:

            “in hindsight, i wonder if mary kay thinks it ends up being good we didn’t pick justin blackmon.”

            you know. instead of being snarky about it.

          • ClevelandFrowns

            It’s good to see that there are still some true bleeding hearts out there.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            And to think, the answer (devoid of real logic) actually invited the preemptive snark.

            You don’t simply take the (presumed) top wide receiver simply because he’s the top wide receiver. If the running back looks worlds better than the wide receiver, which he does in this case, the choice is easy.

          • p_forever

            i mean – you might disagree with the logic, and as you point out there are plenty of valid reasons to do so, but for sure mary kay’s response was both rational and logical: in today’s pass happy NFL, wide receivers are more important than running backs; therefore, a top wide receiver is per se worth more than a top running back; therefore, a team with multiple multiple holes (including at wide receiver and running back) should always take the top wide receiver over the top running back.

            the argument that you can preemptively invite snark? sorry buddy. that’s the illogical one.

          • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

            I’ll admit to not liking much that MKC says. However, there are a million different ways to measure a player.

            The argument that the best player at one position is better than the best player at another position just because they think the position is more important is the very reason the Browns have sucked at drafting for over a decade.

            The best player is the best player, period. MKC’s premise for drafting Blackmon is off by a country mile.

          • Believelander

            Actually, bleeding hearts are a grave health risk, and the world could seriously do better without them.

            *WINK @ CLTIL*

          • p_forever

            haha you’re a master of diplomacy, believelander. i like it :)

        • Believelander

          I stared at the question for a while, but I was unable to come up with the insult in it. Maybe a little on the ‘I told you so’ know-it-all side of the spectrum, but I don’t think he’s bagging on Cabot personally.

          Which is good, because MKC could definitely take him. That much I gathered from his question.

          • p_forever

            Haha I’d like to see her throw down, for sure.

          • Believelander

            Any reporter who made her hay coming up in the world beat reporting on Bill Belichick in Cleveland has she-bawls.

  • bupalos

    >>>Yes, the Browns should have drafted Justin Blackmon and sent him to rehab right away, and if there’s ever any reason to question that proposition it will be Blaine Gabbert’s fault.>>>

    Frownie, the main reason I’ve stopped bitching about your media criticism is that you’re really really good at it. I snorted into my coffee and one of the upstairs assistants had to call down and ask if everything was OK down here.

    • ClevelandFrowns

      Thanks, yes, fish in barrels is one thing I can handle.

  • 910Derp

    Until someone shows MLB how competitive balance will make the league more money than the system they’ve got now, nothing will be done.

  • http://www.redright88.com/ TitusPullo94

    Came across this while looking for something else: http://tinyurl.com/7ggjjlc

    It’s from last week, so it may have been covered already, but if not figured it would be appreciated here.

    • GrandRapidsRustlers

      Agreed. It is slowly being phased out. I think the script I was the first shot. The block C is all over the place online and it is almost EVERYWHERE at Progressive Field. One day soon they are just going to show up at spring training and it will be gone.

      • bupalos

        Agree GRR, and I think it will be mostly phased out in about 3 years. I realized with the block C they are positioning themselves well to defend the move:

        “this team really is first and foremost about Cleveland, so we feel it’s important to incorporate that as our main logo…”

        • ClevelandFrowns

          Dolan has said in his own words that Wahoo is not being phased out and that the script I and block C are just “marketing tools.”

    • GrandRapidsRustlers

      Also to add to this…good luck finding Wahoo anywhere in Arizona. It’s all block C and even some leftover script I down there in the spring.

    • Believelander

      I like this. Block ‘C’ or cursive feather ‘I’ for our new primary logo? I’m partial to the ‘I’ myself.

  • Art_Brosef

    I love MKC defends her position by just declaring that thee best receiver in the draft trumps the beat running back in the draft, independent of speaking to the skill sets or issues involved with the players in those respective categories.

  • ChuckKoz

    Reminder: Dolan’s Indians were most profitable in baseball last year…..

    http://www.forbes.com/mlb-valuations/#p_1_s_d6_

    • kjn

      He addresses this in the interview.

      “I tend to be very careful and guarded before I say anything, but I can unequivocally tell you that’s not the profit that we made…”

      He went on to say, “The Indians are, from year to year, marginally profitable. So this year we will clearly not be profitable.”

      I don’t know if believe they lose money, but I find the Forbes numbers completely unbelievable.

      • http://twitter.com/cpmack Chris M

        Why didn’t any of the other 29 teams dispute the Forbes column?

        • Steve

          They do.

      • ChuckKoz

        i am pretty sure the forbes numbers are not “completely” unbelievable, but sure they may be flawed.

        however, the errors I have noticed is that they UNDERvalue franchises, compared to their sale prices.

        either way, i don’t care if Dolan loses money. These rich guys that own a fricking sports team should lose money, as this is their toy in life.

    • Believelander

      That’s okay, because the Royals, Diamondbacks, and Rays, all in the bottom quarter of the league in franchise value and revenue, are 3 of the other 4 clubs in the top 5 for operating income. This is not evidence of a club’s true profitability. The Indians’ salaries swelled from 49 million a year ago to well over 70 million. Small markets like Cleveland will bank revenue in down years to splurge on salary in contention years. Last season was a year ahead of their expected schedule to start contending, so they were still in the trough in terms of expenses, gearing up for playoff runs that were to be starting this season.

  • ChuckKoz

    btw, if LB finally wins a title he will be even w/ Darko

    • Believelander

      That’s because Darko is a stone cold p.i.m.p.

  • kjn

    Also a fun fact from this weekend- Kyle Lohse is one of the few native american players in the majors. He pitched this weekend against the Wahoos. Even though he’s a RHP against out lefty heavy lineup, he completely dominated for 7.2 innings, striking out four and giving up no runs on three hits.

    • ClevelandFrowns

      That is a really fun fact.

    • rgrunds

      That proves that Indians are really people too.

  • rgrunds

    I like Chief Wahoo. I think people are over-invested in racial identity. I like places like “Scot Gas” because it’ s Thr-r-r-r-ifty and has a little Celt with a tam and tartan.

    I wouldn’t mind if they named a Cleveland team “The Shylocks” and had a caricature of a Jew.

    • p_forever

      ohhh that was you in the tilted kilt, grunds. i thought so.

      • rgrunds

        ‘Twas…..now stay quiet and do wot yer tilt.

  • Coachie Ballgames

    “Growing” means getting worse, baseball had the smallest market champion of the four sports last year.
    Moreover, in that interview excerpt, the P.D. says there are more small and mid-market teams than big-market teams. Wrong. Look at this list:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas
    I count 16 teams among the top 11 MSAs in the country. There are far, far more big market teams in baseball than in any other sport.

    Apples and Oranges.

    Three cities in baseball have never won a championship. SIXTEEN NBA cities have never won a championship. But the “crisis” is in baseball, right?
    (I say cities rather than teams because of situations like the Atlanta Hawks, who have a title from their St. Loo days which means nothing to fans in the ATL).

    Again, I don’t disagree that there is competitive imbalance in baseball. But I disagree that there is a crisis. And I wait patiently for any solution that does not transfer huge amounts of money from the players, who deserve every cent, to the owners, who do not.

    • ClevelandFrowns

      1. LOL @ St. Louis, “small market team.” — http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Cards-Radio-Network.jpg

      2. The NBA comparison is completely irrelevant. It’s not about how many teams win, it’s about how many teams have a fair chance, and even more about how a bloc of teams in MLB has no fair chance at all. The NBA might have its own issues that are completely unrelated.

      You’re the one who brought the word “crisis” into the discussion. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a big problem, especially in Cleveland.

      • mo_by_dick

        i bought your inequity bit hook/line/sinker until i saw this and discovered you were totally complicit in making the rich richer

    • GrandRapidsRustlers

      The difference is the small market makes one mistake in MLB and is crushed.

      Ex: Minnesota

      They did everything the right way for about a 5-7 year period. They had playoff appearances and got a nice new ballpark out of it. They then made the critical mistake of signing Mauer long term instead of flipping him for pieces and using Ramos to replace him.

      You can even look at Cleveland simply picking the wrong guys to extend in Hafner and Westbrook. Big market teams can eat their mistakes and move on. It takes the small market teams a good 5 years to clear the deck and start over and only if they have competent people in charge.

  • p_forever

    have you seen this frownie:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/arts/design/archaeologists-say-greek-antiquities-threatened-by-austerity.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&smid=fb-share

    so it’s true that reactionary austerity measures are literally destroying the very roots of our civilization.

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