Ok, so 2004 was largely dismal for the Pirates and 2005 does not look much better
(unless Benito Santiago goes totally Balco and hits 70 dingers). Maybe it’s time
the Pirates push for a truly revolutionary change. No, not a salary cap or income
equity. That’s nearly impossible as long as George Steinbrenner is alive and
Donald Fuhr still has all his marbles.
No the Pirates need to push for a new level, something above the highest minor
leagues, but still not level with the big boys—Quad A.
This league would not be based on market size or geography, but rather payroll.
Top payroll in the Quad A league is 25 million. Anything over that are the big
leagues.
Let’s see how the Pirates do a fairly level playing field. Can they beat the
Reds, the Expos, the Brewers, and the Giants on a regular basis?
Let the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees and the rest of the big boys bash each other’s
brains out. In Quad A ball, the Pirates would have a good chance to win every
time they play.
The Quad A playoffs would start September 1 with a round robin format (no body
goes to Pirate games in September now anyway. The Quad A champion in each league
would replace the Wild Card team in the October playoffs, so a Quad A team could
still win the World Series.
With the team the Pirates will field in April, their season is all but over now.
But if they were playing in Quad A, their pitching might even have them as a
favorite.
