What He Really Said

White Sox fans are in an uproar over comments Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf purportedly made some twenty years ago to David Samson, then starting out with the Marlins’ front office.  If Samson is to be believed, Reinsdorf advised him to set his sights on finishing second “every single year because your fans can say, ‘Wow, we’ve got a shot, we’re in it.’  But there’s always the carrot left.  There’s always one more step left to take.” Fans would always be excited about the upcoming season, one after another after another.

Reinsdorf said through a spokesperson he can’t remember saying any such thing, nor is it a reflection of his “philosophy for how to run a major-league baseball team.”  I believe Reinsdorf for a couple of reasons.  Start with Connie Mack, who once said, “It is more profitable for me to have a team that is in contention for most of the season, but finishes fourth.  A team like that will draw well enough during the first part of the season to show a profit for the year, and you don’t have to give the players raises when they don’t win.”  Either Reinsdorf was channeling Connie Mack, or Samson was.  My money’s on Samson.

Secondly, Reinsdorf has always wanted to win, especially if he can do it on his own terms.  In his prime as an owner, Reinsdorf wanted to bring a hard salary cap to baseball.  A built-in brake on salaries would have further increased franchise value.  What Samson fails to understand about Reinsdorf is that the Sox owner is all about coming out ahead.  That’s how he plays the game.  Anything about finishing second was just a little misdirection aimed at a likely loser, assuming, of course, that Reinsdorf said anything at all.