Go Laundry Go!!!!

Now that the World Series has ended..... (comic book guy's voice) "Worst World Series Ever", I am waiting patiently for Indiana University basketball season to start. Of course with this lull in my sports world, my viewing of ESPN's Sports Center has not decreased (just ask my wife) and something has been disturbing me. With the baseball free agency market making top news, as well as the unending coverage of Kobe Bryant and his demand to be traded from the Lakers, I can't help but to think of the short bit by Jerry Seinfeld where he explains that in this day of high-priced free-agency and franchise relocation, you’re not rooting for players and teams so much as you are rooting for the jerseys on their backs.....or basically their laundry.


What happened to commitment and dedication to the professional team that drafted you out of college or even high school for some. With the increasing involvement of devious sports agents and athletes acting like game show contestants in a vacuum grabbing towards a whirlwind of money, it is unheard of today to see a professional athlete retire with the same team that drafted him/her. The power of the all mighty dollar has shifted nearly every athlete's focus from devotion towards their team to the devotion of a "perfect" contract. When Babe Ruth first entered Major League baseball 1n 1914 he earned a modest $600, which is equivalent to $12,483 today,
(http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare/result.php)
while when he retired in 1931 he was making $75,000 a year, which is equivalent to just under one million dollars today.
The AVERAGE Major League baseball player today makes roughly three million dollars a year..... and that number is increasing extremely fast. (Alex Rodriguez collects $26.2 Million a year)

$26.2 million dollar man... a year.

I understand that professional sports is not the same today as it was 100 years ago with the additions of sponsorships, bonuses and increased marketing, however I feel it is an absolute shame that dedication and commitment towards your team have gone by the wayside to money, contracts, signing bonuses and incentives.

There are not many players in professional sports that have been on as many teams as Kenny Lofton (he was the outfielder for the Cleveland Indians for 2nd half of this season). Kenny has been on 11 different teams during his 17 year career, and below are pictures of him with each of his 11 different teams.... I can just feel the devotion he has for each team....




Houston and Cleveland 1991-1996,1998-2001, 2007

Atlanta, Chicago (AL), San Francisco 1997 and 2002
















Chicago (NL) and Pittsburgh 2003
















New York (AL) and Philadelphia 2004-2005

Los Angeles (NL) and Texas 2006-2007














Baltimore 1981-2001




...and here is a picture of true dedication and commitment.... Cal Ripken Jr. and all of the teams he played for. Cal was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1981 and retired in 2001 still playing for HIS team.... the Baltimore Orioles. We need more professional athletes in all sports that show Cal Ripken Jr.'s heart and devotion for THEIR organization......the organization that selected them, the organization that took a chance them.