It's Not All About the Benjamins

Kobe Bryant

Being a Lakers fan has not been easy on anyone this year. Extremely high expectations, a superstar-filled lineup, and the largest payroll in the NBA illustrate the storylines that surround the Lakers. The Lakers front office spent the offseason bringing in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and increasing the team payroll to about $100 Million for the 2012-2013 season. Throw Howard and Nash into a lineup that includes Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, and you’re bound to have a legitimate NBA Finals contender, right? Well, actually it makes the Lakers into a 15-20 team after tonight’s 108-105 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. So what does this have to do with baseball? The Lakers' disappointing season ties in perfectly with how a handful of MLB teams spent millions of dollars in the offseason, but did not see results in 2012.

The prime example of how spending money does not always translate into wins is the Miami Marlins. Prior to the 2012 season in which the Marlins were moving into a brand new stadium, Miami increased their payroll from $56.9 million to $118 million and brought in high-profile players, such as Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. While the Marlins also brought in Ozzie Guillen to manage the team, Miami was suddenly a World Series contender and was burdened with championship-or-bust expectations. The team had all-stars at almost every position, but finished in last place in the NL East and would eventually trade almost every decent player they had on their roster before the year was over. So why weren't the Marlins successful?

It takes more than a compilation of superstars and a lot of money to build a winning team. Although talent is important for success, a team’s chemistry and working together as a team are what turns a good team into a great team. For example, the Oakland A’s; a team that won a division expected to be won by the Texas Rangers or the LA Angels. If you watched them play in that final series against Texas that ultimately won them the AL West, those three games summed up how the A’s played the whole year. They played with passion and a never-say-die attitude, something the Rangers lacked. Oakland disregarded the fact that they had the 2^nd lowest payroll in baseball and came together as a team. The Oakland A’s did what the Miami Marlins failed to do; they threw away individual goals and put the team first. Because the A’s had such strong team chemistry and had one common goal, they were able to be successful for the entirety of the 2012 season.

Albert Pujols

Both the Angels and Dodgers are other examples of how money isn’t the solution to winning championships. The Angels brought in the greatest player in baseball, Albert Pujols, and failed to make the playoffs while possessing the most dangerous lineup in baseball. The Dodgers seemed to buy every good player in baseball (Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Shane Victorino, Hanley Ramirez and Brandon League), but failed to reach the postseason. It just reiterates the fact that there is more to a winning team than just superstar players.

It’s been a frustrating year for Los Angeles sports fans and you can’t blame these teams for trying to put together winning teams by bringing in talented players. But, until these teams learn to play with chemistry and a team-first mindset, there won’t be any championship parades riding through downtown Los Angeles anytime soon.

-Hayden Carter