Expanding on the Texas Rangers payroll situation

One good thing about the internet: Space is limitless. Another: Youtube, but I digress. Going back to the space issue, when you've only got about 500 words available for a print column, it's tough to get everything in. Here, we can expound a little more. So, if you read my column suggesting the Phillies are a fine model for the next step in the Rangers' growth, perhaps you came away wondering about the payroll issue. For those that haven't read it, I pointed out the Phillies have grown their payroll from $70 million to $113 million since 2003. In the same time, the Rangers have shrunk from $103 million to $68 million. When the Phillies went to the playoffs for the first time this decade, they were paying their still rather young team a total of $89 million. It jumped to $98 million for last year, which ended in a world championship. And it jumped another $15 million for this season. The Rangers, meanwhile, are facing a fifth consecutive year of their payroll ran...