I was thinking about George Steinbrenner yesterday as my daughter and I watched the Oakland A’s drub the Royals 9-6 at Kauffman Stadium.
The combination of the 95-degree heat, still air and Brian Bannister pitching something akin to batting practice (There goes another A’s home run!) put us in close to a catatonic state. Fortunately, however, along about the fifth inning, my daughter had the good sense to suggest that we get some water. The $4.25-each investments brought us around a bit.
But, like I was saying, when I was reasonably conscious I was thinking about Steinbrenner. I was thinking particularly about a letter to the editor that appeared in The New York Times last Thursday. The writer, Paul Kaplan of Roswell, Ga., said that Steinbrenner was responsible for diminishing baseball for about two-thirds of the fans.
“That is roughly the percentage of teams that start each season with no realistic chance of becoming champions because they can’t afford the best players under the twisted system that Mr. Steinbrenner exploited,” Kaplan wrote. “Yes, he was a brilliant businessman, but he spoiled the sport that so many loved back when it was played on a level field.”
What can you say, other than “Amen”?
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Maybe you read last week about the Missouri General Assembly approving — and Gov. Jay Nixon signing — a bill that will give $150 million in tax breaks for automakers and aimed at Ford Motor Co.’s assembly plant in Claycomo.
Part of the money to finance the tax breaks will come from changes in the state pension system. The reforms — all good, in my opinion — will raise the retirement age for most state workers from 62 to 67; require a 4 percent contribution from employees toward their pension funds; and require them to work 10 years before becoming eligible for retirement benefits, instead of the current five years.
Nixon called the pension changes ” a fiscally responsible measure to modernize the pension system for future state employees and ensure the solvency of this retirement system.”
John Burnett
I just about jumped out of my chair, however, when I read what state Rep. John Burnett, a Kansas City Democrat, had to say about the pension reforms.
“We just did some brutal, brutal revisions to the pension system,” Burnett said.
I understand that Burnett represents an area — northeastern Kansas City — that has a lot of blue-collar workers and many government employees. But, my God, hasn’t Burnett hasn’t been reading about the international financial crisis? The one that has been fueled by overly generous pension systems in southern European countries, including Greece, Portugal and Spain?
Here in the States, our governments — state, local and national — have been doling out extremely generous pension benefits for decades, and it’s catching up with us, like it did with the European countries.
Wake up, John! The fabric in the golden parachute of government employment is fraying and about to tear asunder.
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Overheard at Sutherlands…..A man with a piece of corrugated tubing asks the checkout clerk if the store has a type of corrugated tubing similar to what he has. The clerk shuffles through some product paperwork and replies, “We don’t have no corrugated nothing.”
Six words, four negatives. Gotta be a record. I didn’t know whether to applaud or cry.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Just got back from Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Another check mark on the bucket list. While there, we went to a “tribe” game. Mary went willingly, she said. As I sat there with my Cardinals cap and shirt on, I was also thinking about the game and how the dh had ruined baseball for those in the American League…Don’t forget Whitey goes into the Hall on Sunday!
Gus (St. Louis)
I’m starting to agree with you about the dh, Gus. If the Royals can’t score, why should anybody else? It might help “level the field” for the have-nots.
I’m also thinking that the Royals should have jumped to the National League when they had the chance several years ago. Instead, Milwaukee went. I don’t know if it would have made any difference for this franchise, but at least it would have made things interesting for a few years.
Jim