Should we root for the Yankees?

By Mike Kaufmann

Let me begin this column by saying that I loathe the baseball franchise that George Steinbrenner has put together in New York.

Loathe probably doesn't do justice. I abhor the Yankees. I hate them. Yankee fans would claim that I'm jealous, but I'm not. My team has been very successful over the past eight years, so I really have no reason to be jealous.

With that said, I have to confess that I was rooting for them to beat the Tigers, which they inexplicably failed to do. Not only did I want to see them beat the Tigers, I wanted to see them demolish the Tigers. And when they were through with them, I wanted to see them crush whatever team they faced in the next round.

And finally, I wanted those damn Yankees to win the World Series and be crowned world champions for the 27th time in history.

Perhaps you're sitting there, a little confused by my baseball rooting patterns. Well, I can assure you that there is method to my madness.

New York's premier baseball franchise (sorry Mets fans) has now won nine straight division titles and they don't appear to be slowing down. So where do all the wins come from?

For several years now, the Yankees have had the highest payroll in baseball -- a set of numbers that make me want to throw up. This season, the payroll fell just shy of $200 million. And the next best team? Just over $120 million.

Though many fail to recognize it, this is a problem. Steinbrenner basically purchased wins with such a high payroll because there has never been a salary cap. That's not good for baseball.

If you're a team in the hunt for a big name free agent, you're going to have to severely overpay to sign the guy. It's a definite obstacle to teams like the Royals, Devil Rays and Pirates who have to be wary of a bottom line. There are success stories like the Twins or A's who do a lot with little money, but those franchises are few and far between.

For these reasons, baseball needs a salary cap. This year is an aberration, but it's getting boring seeing all the big market teams in the playoffs every season.

A salary cap like the one instituted in the NFL or NHL would put teams on a level playing field.

That's why I'm rooting for the Yankees to become dominant and win six or seven titles in a row.

If that happens, maybe people will wake up and realize that a salary cap is necessary for the good of the game.

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.