This Week's Hacks

Jeez Matt, emails from Bob Brenly and now this? You might end up with a job IN baseball out of these pangs for a Big Mac. I'm willing to be a well-paid shadow consultant. The main qualifications I have are my writing skills and ruthlessness. I'm sure I'd have some use. (P.S. Make sure he pays for lunch.)
http://paullebowitz.mlblogs.com/my_weblog/

Paul,

I value my current status as an outsider too much to accept favors here, even lunch :-) That said, I hope the meeting informs my ongoing dilemma, often wrestled with on this forum, of whether to patronize MLB and in what capacity. So, I appreciate any opportunity to learn more about the organization.

you know that they're going to kill you don't you?
but before they do (and I'm assuming you'll raise issues such as attendance,ticket prices and concession prices), I'd be interested to know if there is a policy towards favoring American players over non- American, I think that there could be a legitimate argument in favor of this policy (finding it easier to settle etc) so I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing and I suspect that the D-Backs operate in this way without announcing it publicly.

http://arizonaviaslough.mlblogs.com/

ps-the gun will be in the cistern.

Unusual question, thx. I imagine there's a pretty sturdy CBA somewhere, assessing the relative costs and benefits of scouting, signing and developing players from around the world. Beyond that, it's hard to say, in terms of ethnic "favoritism". Some believe it still happens today. To the extent they're right, I suspect it's more unintentional market inefficiency than malignant favoritism (ie everyone's trying to find the best players).