[Mondogarage]

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Ernie Banks wasn't as self-centered as A-Rod. He also didn't take up 20-35% of a team's payroll.

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Do you live in never never land or something? Ernie banks is gonna turn down making as much money as he could? Riiight. I love these people that act like the great players of the past didn't care about money like the players of today. The only difference is the players today can get the money.

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That's not what I said one bit. If you want to try to put words in my mouth, that's your ignorance, not mine. Ballplayers in Ernie Banks' time were vastly underpaid compared to what the teams were making.

However, Ernie Banks was a team player and wouldn't pout when moved around in the order, wouldn't pout when changing positions, and wouldn't pout when the spotlight wasn't on him. Ernie Banks was a positive influence on his team, not just a great player.



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Right, Banks was all those things and thats why he never won a World Series. Right? Isnt that the way this works? We assign a bunch of personality traits to someone and then claim that THAT is why they never won the World Series? We just ignore all of the outside factors that determine the WS champ and blame it on personality traits of the best player on the team, right? So I have no idea why you'd want ANYONE to be like Ernie Banks. He proved you cant win that way, right?

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Banks didn't win the World Series, because he played on a lot of crappy Cubs teams.

My point is that it takes a team of 25 guys working together for a common purpose to win the World Series, and not 25 players who put themselves in front of the team. That doesn't mean you don't try to get paid -- that does mean you don't be so self-centered that you try to upstage everyone else when the focus isn't 100% on you.

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Are you sure thats what it takes? Ernie Banks would disagree, they had that and they didn't win. Are you seriously making the argument that no selfish player has ever won the World Series? You understand that if I can find a SINGLE example of a selfish guy winning the WS your entire point is useless, right?

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No, that's clearly not what I'm saying. All I'm saying is that no matter what A-Rod contributes to a team in offensive productivity, his contributions haven't exactly led any team to the promised land, and you have to question whether it's worth it to anyone to devote that much of your payroll to a self-centered player who appears to be far more concerned with making sure he's in the headlines than in actually winning a championship.

Obviously, selfish players have been on championship teams. But clearly, a team doesn't need A-Rod to win a championship. Every World Series champion since A-Rod came into the majors has managed to do so without having A-Rod on their team.