that ballplayers are greedy SOBs who get paid way too much money, you might want to refer them to a recent Hardball Times article by John Brattain. In it, Brattain makes an observation that everyone bitching about ballplayer salaries needs to contemplate: If the ballplayers didn't get that money, think of who would.

As an example, here's Brattain talking about "The Stadium Scam":

Let’s look a little closer shall we? For a small market to “be competitive” what does our fair commissioner say is required?

A new stadium!

However, since the poor owner is eating Fancy Feast with his fingers while living in a beat up cardboard box under a bridge, he cannot afford to build one himself. So, off he goes, hat in hand to the local politicos and says: “Help, I‘m going broke, the players are too greedy, the Yankees and Mets are buying all the best players, and I really, really, really want to win a World Series for our fair region because I really, really, really love it here and would like nothing better than to deliver a winner for the good folks here. If it‘s not too much trouble, could you take some money out of the school budget, healthcare, infrastructure, libraries and social assistance and slip me a few hundred million? That way I can increase payroll and stop trading our best players to the Yankees. Best of all, I‘ve hired a friend who has crunched the numbers and if you do this, your city will become El Dorado.”

“Oh yeah, if you don’t cough up the dough, I’m out of this loser borough.”

Well, community after community did just that and gosh darn it, look at the turnaround in the so-called “small market” teams since the strike:

• The Reds moved into the Great American Ballpark and are 69-93 and 78-84 and still look to keep their payroll low.
• The Brewers moved into Miller Park and are 68-94, 56-106, 68-94, and 67-94 and have featured among the lowest payrolls in MLB.
• The Pirates moved into PNC Park and are 62-100, 72-89, 75-87, and 72-89 and traded their two highest salaried players in recent seasons (Jason Kendall and Brian Giles).
• The Tigers moved into Comerica Park and are 79-83, 66-96, 52-109, 43-119, and 72-90 and announced a payroll freeze their first year in the new park.

Granted Cleveland, Baltimore, Texas, Houston, Seattle and Atlanta have enjoyed success, but bear in mind however that the Indians, Astros, Mariners and Braves already had assembled solid rosters before their parks opened and Baltimore didn’t reach the post season until five years passed from the opening of Camden Yards. Conversely, as we mentioned earlier the teams that have been competitive (Twins, Angels, A‘s, Marlins) are -- excluding Anaheim -- clubs that can’t “compete” because of playing in ‘economically obsolete’ facilities.

Since many teams with new stadiums are struggling on the field and teams with older facilities are doing well, we can safely assume that a “competitive club” from Selig’s standpoint means a new stadium, a .500 record, a 20% drop in attendance, and all the club seats and luxury boxes are leased. New stadiums aren’t about “being competitive” -- good management will accomplish that -- it’s about free money, corporate welfare, and higher profits from gorging oneself into a stupor (which explains a lot) at the public teat.