Cliff Lee dominated the Yankees on Monday night.
In fact, he took the definition of domination and elevated it against the most powerful lineup in Major League Baseball.
He struck out 13 batters and gave up two hits over eight innings, and as beautiful as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder where he will end up next season.
In the back of my mind I already knew; I just didn’t want to accept it.
Lee is next in line to grab a giant contract from the same pinstriped team he just destroyed.
For the Yankees, this series can be viewed as a tryout, and as Lee walked off the mound Monday night a check with his name on it was prepped for the winter.
That’s how baseball is now, or at least, that’s what it has become.
The symbol of that change, George Steinbrenner, passed away over the summer.
The Yankee dynasty he built changed how baseball was managed and owned.
As much as he changed the game for the better, he also changed it for the worse.
Is he in the wrong for the way he built his franchise? No, he took advantage of a system that allowed him to pay players whatever amount he wanted in order to win.
And in the New York market, money wasn’t much of a concern.
The Yankees' payroll in 2010 tops out just above $206 million. Next in line are the Red Sox at $160 million. Much lower, the Pittsburgh Pirates round out the league at nearly $35 million.
For comparison's sake, the Yankees top paid player, Alex Rodriguez, makes $2 million less than the entire Pirates roster.
In total, ten players on the Yankees roster make more than $10 million a year.
The Red Sox, second in player salary, have only five, while the Chicago Cubs, third, and the Philadelphia Phillies, fourth, each have six.
It’s getting out of control.
And even with an amazing game Monday night, and two teams from two top markets playing each other, the so-called ‘American pastime’ couldn’t beat out an NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans in TV ratings.
Neither of those NFL teams are championship contenders and neither of them comes from a particularly large market. Especially Jacksonville, where the Jaguars have discussed moving the team for several years now.
But the final tally still came in at a 7.2 overnight rating for ESPN, who carried Monday Night Football, and 6.5 overnight rating for TBS, who carried the baseball game.
Maybe I am frustrated with Major League Baseball because the Diamondbacks have struggled greatly over the past two seasons, or maybe it’s because I know that no matter what big name free agents they can try to pick up, the Yankees can offer more money.
How can a league be competitive when its larger markets dictate almost all of the success?
The NFL is so exciting because any team can make a run in any season.
If the New Orleans Saints, once the laughing stock of the league, can win a title, why can’t the Cardinals? Fans ask themselves these questions.
But in Pittsburgh, where the team’s top paid player is former Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder, fans are left with little hope at all.
Eighteen straight losing seasons from the proud franchise is tough to handle, and the end is nowhere in sight.
All the while the Rangers, ranked No. 26 in salary at roughly $55 million, have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to prove everyone wrong. And they have to do it before the money comes calling for their players.
Then, after the playoffs, Cliff Lee will be left with a decision to make.
He has played with four different teams over two seasons and succeeded at every stop.
He has earned whatever money he has coming to him, but unfortunately for baseball, only several teams can afford him.
What once used to be America’s game for everyone, is now only America’s game for a select few.
Reach the columnist at nathan.meacham@asu.edu
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