Return to the Golden Age

A commenter on Cleveland.com prompted me to write a about a thought that ran through my head today. The comment is on the Indians spending in the wake of the Prince Fielder signing: “The Tribe once complained about the Yankees and Red Sox when talking about competitive imbalance. But now, 3 of the 4 teams in their division are seriously outspending Cleveland. Only the Royals and Tribe are the “penny pinchers”. It’s now clear that we’re one of the few major league teams that simply cannot spend with our peers. This is a wake up call for the Dolans. They either need to step up, or step out.” This morning I thought about how baseball might be returning to one of the most competitive eras in the history of the majors, 1979 to 1992. In those 14 seasons, there were no repeat World Series champions. Twelve different teams won the title (the Dodgers and Twins winning twice). Twenty-three of the 26 teams made the playoffs at least one time. Teams had ...