Perception Is Not Reality
I want to go on record before next year’s baseball season to point out to the untrained eye what is currently happening. The Red Sox just bought their team for next year. They made Carl Crawford the highest paid outfielder EVER. They acquired Adrian Gonzalez with the assumption that he will receive of the the top 10 highest contracts EVER after the season starts (to avoid luxury tax).
Now don’t hear what I’m not saying: I’m not mad that they did this. In fact, I think it was brilliant and I’m quite nervous for what this means as a Yankee fan. What I am saying is that they just did (in grand fashion) what the Yankees get accused of endlessly.
I haven’t read a single person pointing out the reality that if Boston does really well in 2011 it will be because they paid for it in cash. (Note: they missed the playoffs last year but are now considered to have the best lineup in baseball). So I’ll gladly be the first.
My point is that the perception people have of baseball is that this is what the Yankees do (which is true). But where that perception skews reality is that the Yankees are not remotely the only team that does this. In fact, look at the last decade of World Series winners and look to see if they increased their salary that year (yes, even our beloved D-backs did this and might still be paying off the rest of it). Right now the Yankees are discussing acquiring pitcher Cliff Lee and offering him a major contract. And I promise you this… if this deal goes through the web will light up with talk of the Yankees buying their team again. All the while people fail to realize that Boston has just leap-frogged the Yankees in this aspect this off-season.
This is yet another example to me that perception is not reality. We may think that we know something accurately, that we know all the facts, but that does not change reality. I see this in the church all to often. People don’t know the details behind a decision so they attack it relentlessly. In fact, this is why I’m so eager to read George W. Bush’s new book, Decision Points, where he gives the back story behind his top decisions.
So my challenge to you is to challenge your assumptions. Challenge your perceptions. Do you know all the facts? Does your view of reality align with the actual reality?
And you should probably pray about being a Yankee fan…
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