The Marlins are
making plans to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their 1997 title. Has there ever been another team's World Series rings that has had such a disastrous effect on the Dodgers, if not the whole game? The Marlins had
the second highest payroll in the division, and the sixth highest in the majors, and this for an expansion club. Getting into the postseason and going all the way, the Fish provided an object lesson for baseball and everyone else: if you want to win, you've gotta spend. That, in turn, drove Peter O'Malley's decision to sell the Dodgers, which led to Fox, which begat Kevin Malone, which begat a further abandonment of the farm, which begat expensive mediocrity, etc., etc., etc. It took the Dodgers almost a decade before they got back to the postseason, and 1988 remains the last year in which they took a postseason series of any color. While that latter part can't be blamed on the 1997 Marlins, it certainly hasn't helped. A decade after Wayne Huizenga's successful attempt to buy a title, teams are only recently coming to their senses about labor costs. Only three years ago, Darren Dreifort was still on the Dodgers payroll. On the other hand, they still have Nomar.
Labels: dodgers, marlins
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