Thursday, April 28, 2011

Dodgers Doing Their Part To Spread Wealth Globally

Buried in the depths of the May 2, 2011 issue of ESPN the Magazine ("The Money Issue") was an interesting chart of the best-paid athletes from 181 countries (no link).

Soccer claims the title of the most-represented sport, with basketball second, but baseball is third for paying the highest-paid athlete in 12 countries (including the USA, with Alex Rodriguez at an annual salary of $32M).

The Dodgers actually made the list twice: Vicente Padilla is the highest-paid athlete from Nicaragua ($2M annual salary), and Hong-Chih Kuo is the highest-paid athlete from Taiwan ($2.7M)*.

Also interesting is that of the 12 baseball representatives, only two are from the AL (besides A-Rod, there is Ichiro Suzuki representing Japan with an $18M annual salary). The Mets also are represented three times: Jason Bay (Canada, $18.1M), Carlos Beltran (Puerto Rico, $19.3M), and Johan Santana (Venezuela, $21.6M). (And look at what all that's getting the Mets.)

(If you want to get all political, one could cite that Yao Ming (China) dwarfs Kuo's salary (Yao is at $17.7M). But I'm staying away from this one.)

25 comments:

Fred's Brim said...

Along the Yao/China/Tawian lines, Puerto Rico isn't really a country either

Steve Sax said...

Jack Wilson (Mariners, single) hits Sax's badge case, badge #43

Steve Sax said...

@FB, good point.

They should do the mapping by state, as well

Steve Sax said...

Sax's badge case welcomes Micael Cuddyer (MIN, HR), badge #44!

And inexplicably, Cuddyer's badge doesn't list his first name (check it out here)! He is the only badge in my 44 to not have both names listed.

Maybe Cuddyer is going all Ichiro on us.

Steve Sax said...

5-2 SF, and the Pirates have three frames left

Jason said...

Jack Wilson: My personal stalker. We both grow up in LA a few miles apart. I move to Pittsburgh and a couple of months later, he gets traded to the Pirates. I move to Seattle and a couple months later, he gets traded to the Mariners.

I'm pretty sure if I moved to Hiroshima, he would sign with the Carp.

Then there is Jason Kendall. That jackass still owes me $40 for a steam cleaner rental to clean up his spilled beer at a party I threw in high school. My mom is still pissed about that stain.

Jason said...

Gameday's representation of PNC Park is pretty impressive. Well, except for that ginormous light stanchion just to the right of the Jumbotron.

Steve Sax said...

it's funny to me that the twins are getting spanked by the rays 7-1 and the only badge i have from this game is off the cuddyer HR solo shot

Steve Sax said...

@Jason 11:47a: that wasn't a beer stain, by the way

Steve Sax said...

B8, one out, man on first for the Pirates

Steve Sax said...

dammit, pirates can't score. on to the ninth, Pit down 5-2

MR.F said...

Can I join the badge game? How does it work?

(I'm at work and feeling like I want to be part of the "in" crowd)

Steve Sax said...

B9, Wilson in for the save with a three run lead in Pittsbrugh against the lowly pirates.

Steve Sax said...

one on, two out

Steve Sax said...

@Mr F

1) establish an account on mlb.com
2) open up gameday windows to "watch" games online
3) for each game, three players from each team have been assigned specific (offensive) events. If one of those players does said event (e.g., single, home run, stolen base), and you are "watching", they will get a badge--which then appears in your badge case.

It's mindless fun.

Steve Sax said...

The Pirates' Xavier Paul struck out swinging for out #2, btw

Steve Sax said...

Paul went 0-for-1 today as a PH in PIT (oh, and the extra box score info below the team's boxes seems to have re-appeared, so now we can figure out XBH, Total Bases, etc.)

MR.F said...

Hmm okay. And one can have multiple windows for different games open?

Steve Sax said...

11-pitach AB for Ronny Cedeno, but he Ks. Giants win. (sigh)

Steve Sax said...

@Mr FL Yes, that's key

MR.F said...

Hmm. Can I have multiple tabs open or does it actually want windows?

Steve Sax said...

multiple tabs seems to work for me...

MR.F said...

Ah I see cool beans.

spank said...

Don't do it,Mr.F!

Greg Hao said...

@Fred's Brim - I wasn't aware that there were any other countries in the world which officially recognises Puerto Rico as a sovereign nation.

And since Yao Ming isn't from Taiwan, it's clear that he wouldn't be the highest paid athlete from Taiwan. He would be the highest paid athlete from the People's Republic of China.

Hell, even the US, while it officially recognises PRC has the "official" China, does not go as far as to claim that Taiwan (Republic of China) is a part of China. So yes Steve Sax, you should not have went there.