Fan Red

Should Red Sox Fans Feel Guilty?

It has been an incredible off season for the Red Sox. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks, and the Sox appear to be close to signing Brian Fuentes. These additions make the Red Sox favorites not only for this season but for seasons to come. Is it too much though? Are the Red Sox becoming the Yankees?

There are two schools of thought here. The first is real simple, the Red Sox are just like the Yankees and are trying to buy a championship. There is no question the Red Sox are able to do things that most organizations are not able to do. Throw in the fact that Red Sox fans seem to be everywhere and invade stadiums from coast to coast and you can see why the average fan lumps the Red Sox in with the Yankees.

The second school of thought says the Red Sox are nothing like the Yankees. The facts show that the Red Sox payroll will be about the same as last year’s and the for the next few seasons the Sox payroll will be right around that $170 million mark just below the tax threshold level. Crawford and Gonzalez basically replace the salaries of Beltre and Victor Martinez. Crawford’s contract is back loaded and he will only make $14 million this year. Adrian Gonzalez is set to make a little over $6 million this season with a big extension coming real soon.

The 2012 Red Sox will be without the big contracts of Drew, Ortiz, Papelbon, Cameron, Scutaro. All that money coming off the books will allow the increase of Crawford’s salary along with Adrian Gonzalez’s extension. So maybe Red Sox fans shouldn’t feel guilty but instead be proud that the Red Sox and Theo Epstein thought ahead. The moves and non moves that have been made over the last few years set things up for this season and seasons to come. Maybe that bridge year that Theo talked about is making sense after all. While the Yankees are spending money on aging players, the Red Sox are spending their money on elite players heading into their prime.

Do the Red Sox have an advantage over the small market teams? Of course. Pittsburgh and the Tampa can’t afford long terms deals like the ones given to and about to be given to players like Gonzalez and Crawford. Point well taken, but the Red Sox are not at the level of the Yankees and never will be when it comes to payroll and revenue streams. The Red Sox are at the next level lumped in with the Phillies, Mets, Angels etc. Don’t feel guilty Red Sox fans. This off-season was great because the Red Sox are run the right way and have been run the right way since 2002.

About the Author

Michael Dobreski is a sports writer who covers mostly major league and college baseball. He is a passionate Red Sox fan and alum of the University of South Carolina. He writes a blog called View From The Green Monsterwhere he covers The Red Sox and their minor league affilliates along with University of South Carolina baseball.

He also contributes to Baseball Press where he chimes in with fantasy baseball news and can be heard on weekly podcasts

Michael also runs BasementBookie with Danny Bailey

Follow Michael on twitter @DobreskiBBPress

Red Dead Redemption – Chupathingy & Fan Service Achievement Guides

Sublime Imprint Anti-Fatigue Nantucket Series Comfort Mat $99.99 5200 Size: 20″ x 36″ Machine made mat Features: -Material: PVC.-Origin: South Korea.-Environmentally friendly.-20” x 36”.-20” x 72”. Construction: -Construction: Machine made. Color/Finish: -Color: Cinnamon. Collection: -Collection: Nantucket….

LEGO Kids’ 9002953 Star Wars Darth Maul Watch $17.99 Perfect for young or old Star Wars fans, the LEGO Kids’ Star Wars Darth Maul Watch features a fun, colorful dial with a cartoon image of Darth Maul and his interconnected lightsabers. The white hour and minute hands and Arabic numeral hour indexes make it fun to tell time. You can customize the watchband with interchangeable links or change out the red bezel for the black one. Plus, the watch come…

Cuisinart WCH-1500 CleanWater 2-Gallon Countertop Water-Filtration System $137.99 The most convenient way to enjoy cleaner%2C fresher water anytime you want it %96 chilled%2C hot or room temperature%2E The Cuisinart CleanWater Countertop Filtration System dispenses refreshing filtered water right from the kitchen countertop%2C and eliminates the need for costly bottled water alternatives%2E It%92s healthier%2C smart%2C and simple %96 CleanWater is the future of drinking water%2…

Jersey Girl $3.57 Jettisoning his trademark slacker slapstick, filmmaker Kevin Smith offers a heartfelt comedy/drama in which a career-driven New York music publicist’s (Ben Affleck) life implodes when his wife (yes, played by Jennifer Lopez) dies in childbirth. Seven years later, Affleck is working a blue-collar job in New Jersey and trying to raise his daughter (Raquel Castro) with help from his father (George Ca…

Chicken N Beer $6.15 Ludacris–2, Bill O’Reilly–1. The dis is mightier than the sword, and Ludacris wastes no time berating Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly (O’Reilly enticed Pepsi to cut Ludacris off their payroll citing his lyrical irresponsibility). On “Blow It Out,” he taunts his conservative right-winged adversary with lines like, “I’ma start my own beverage/it will calm your nerves/Pepsi, The New Generation/Blow i…

Anaheim Angels The Original Logo Baseball $8.99 This Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball is a tried-and-true classic. Regulation-size white baseball with red stitching allows the Angels logo to take center stage. Each baseball features the Rawlings logo on the back and commissioner signature on the top. Packaged in a clamshell with a home plate display stand.Officially licensed by MLB

Anaheim Ducks 5.5 Glass Snowflake Friend Ornament $16.99 “5-1/2″” Mouth Blown and Hand Painted Detroit Red Wings Glass Hockey Snowman Ornament”

Arizona Diamondbacks The Original Logo Baseball $8.99 This Arizona Diamondbacks baseball is a tried-and-true classic. Regulation-size white baseball with red stitching allows the Diamondbacks logo to take center stage. Each baseball features the Rawlings logo on the back and commissioner signature on the top. Packaged in a clamshell with a home plate display stand.Officially licensed by MLB

Arizona Wildcats Youth Nike Basketball Never Stops Red T-Shirt $19.99 “Dress your little Wildcats fan up in some stylish threads with this Arizona Wildcats Youth Nike “”Basketball Never Stops”" Red T-Shirt. Brought to you by Nike, this stylish Arizona Wildcats t-shirt features vibrant screen print graphics and bold colors. This comfy piece of team apparel is perfect for your little one to help cheer on their favorite team. Short Sleeve Youth T-Shirt Rib knit collar Screen print graphics Machine washable 100% Cotton * Officially licensed”

Arkansas Razorbacks Children’s Book Hello, Big Red! by Aimee Aryal $14.99 Follow Big Red around the campus of the University of Arkansas in this fun and beautifully illustrated hardcover children’s book. Read along as Big Red stops at some of Arkansas’ most beloved landmarks – Mullins Library, the Greek Theatre and Bud Walton Arena – before arriving at Razorback Stadium for a football game.