Baseball Traditions

Throughout the years many different traditions have been started in the game of baseball. Many traditions have nothing to do with the game itself, but if we went to a game without them we would feel like something was missing. Here are some pictures of three different baseball traditions. The first is the ceremonial first pitch. Second is the 7th inning stretch. Last, but not least, is fireworks. I realize that not every game has fireworks, but most teams have fireworks nights several times throughout the season.

Baseball Traditions

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This Week In Baseball History

Just about anyone would agree with me if I said that athletes are extremely overpaid. I am not sure that I would get much disagreement if I left it at that, but I won’t.

This last week Manny Ramirez signed a two-year $45 million dollar contract. That is over $20 million dollars a year!! Do athletes even need this much money.

Consider the fact that on March 6, 1922, Babe Ruth signed a three-year $52,000 contract, a mere, $17,000 per year.

Manny Ramirez’s contract is over 1,000% higher than Babe Ruth’s.

I realize that the cost of living does affect these numbers quite a bit, but I am pretty sure that 1,000% is a little high.

That is one way to look at the numbers, but I do not think that it gives either player justice to how much money they were getting payed compared to other players of the same era.

Manny’s contract is nothing compared to Alex Rodriguez’s ten-year $275 million dollar contract, which he signed last year.

Babe Ruth’s three-year $52,000 contract is staggering when you consider that the next highest payed player at that time had a contract worth $16,000 total. Babe Ruth was making more money in one year than the next highest player made in the life of his contract.

Is Manny Ramirez being overpayed? Probably, but at least he is keeping his salary around the league average of players of his caliber.