Gunther
In Chill Mode
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Interview occurred at 5:10 today on WTAM 1100. I typed the following up as I listened. Please keep in mind that these are not exact quotes, but my paraphrasing of the interview. Since radio interview transcripts are not always available, I felt it would be appropriate to paraphrase so that Tribe fans who missed the interview could get the basics of the conversation. Please do not quote this for this reason.
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Triv: Please expand on your recent comment that the Indians’ plan is to “go to the World Series every 4-5 years if lucky, compete for playoffs the rest of the years, because that is ‘as good as it gets for this market’”.
Dolan: Over the last four years, should have won the World Series in ’07, and could have won the World Series in ‘05, and we were about .500 the rest of the time. We really should have won in 2007. It was there for the taking, but that’s baseball – need to plan for the future constantly.
Triv: We recently gave away a Cy Young winner, and a great hitter (who wanted to be here) – can you discuss?
Dolan: Those were very difficult decisions to make, the Victor Martinez trade was the hardest thing Mark Shapiro has ever done. A number of factors played into the decision: 1. finances 2. talent looking forward 3. needs looking forward. Do we not make the trades and take the chance for ‘10, or make the moves to bring in more talent? Long term, right thing to do. As a result, in ‘10 we won’t be as competitive as we would have been if we had not made the trades, but after ‘10 we will be.
Triv: Fans aren’t buying this. Will crucify you at the gate next season.
Dolan: Neither approach was comfortable, we knew we would be unpopular, but if we did nothing, people would have been much more unhappy than they are now. We were going to see a decline in ‘10 attendance anyway. We needed to open a new window of opportunity like we did in ‘02. This is not a rebuild – it is a retool. Core will be there, plus a lot of young talent, maybe we can supplement with talent outside of the organization (free agents), but don’t know for sure right now.
Triv: Are you losing 16M this year?
Dolan: Yes, and if we had not made the moves that we made, our losses would have been much greater and the impact of those losses would have been felt for quite awhile. We think we’re doing as good a job as anyone else in this situation. I invite fans to find someone who is doing more as an organization in the same financial situation.
Triv: What’s the sense of being an Indian’s fan when we trade our stars away?
Dolan: Only a handful of teams can sign their own stars. (The financial reality of baseball.)
Triv: If we sold-out every game, would we be able to sign our stars?
Dolan: Not all of them, but maybe one or two. Payroll could go to around 100M if all sold-out. Corporate partnership is not what it used to be. We have great challenges in our community, we have 3.5 million seats to sell (compared to Browns and Cavs), so we ask more of the community and are more vulnerable to the whims of the community. Team needs to be innovative, have the willingness to do the unpopular thing to compete in the future. Need some luck also.
Triv: If economics get worse, is it possible we could lose The Indians in Cleveland?
Dolan: I don’t see that happening.
(General discussion of the state of Cleveland as a community.)
Triv: Progressive Field has 135 suites, less than half of those are sold. How important is that revenue?
Dolan: Extraordinarily important. Along with advertising, ticket sales are the operating revenue necessary to pay salaries.
Triv: What comes first – the chicken or the egg? (Do you build a winner first to improve attendance, or do you need attendance before building a winner?)
Dolan: Build a winning team and they will come. Saw a little of this in ‘07 when we drew 2.2 million. ‘08 attendance not as good. New York couldn’t buy a playoff spot last year. Like every other team, we have to do our best to spend within our means and remain financially sound.
Triv: Do you support a salary cap?
Dolan: Yes, that’s a no brainer. More important would be NFL-like revenue sharing, and let the clubs spend according to their own desires and plans.
Triv: Would another owner spend more on the Indians than you are spending?
Dolan: Owners spend based on the team’s bankroll, so during the season it is the team that is really spending, not the owner. Owner’s spend at the end of the season, when they see how much money the team needs. Larger market teams have more resources, therefore spend more.
Triv: Fans have no sympathy for your financial situation. We want a winner.
Dolan: We understand. You want to see the team you love win, you don’t want to see me balance my checkbook. However, we have to live within the realities of the system. We do take financial risks, but within reason. We want to build a team that wins also, but do not want to bankrupt ourselves in the process. Talk to hockey fans in Phoenix right now. We want to avoid that.
Triv: Regarding Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge. Will you evaluate at the end of the year? Is it possible that both are gone?
Dolan: Mark will not be gone. He has made mistakes, but he has learned from them and he is not in jeopardy of losing his job this season. Eric is different. I feel we have underachieved in the last couple of years. The fans are frustrated. We are making an ongoing assessment of the situation.
Triv: Are these latest trades the defining moment for Shapiro? If they don’t work out in the next two years, is Mark gone?
Dolan: I don’t think it is as dramatic as all that. I can’t speak to a couple of years down the road and what may happen. If we keep losing, that is one thing. But basically I'm very happy with Mark, and he is not going anywhere.
Triv: Do you have more confidence in Shapiro than you do Wedge?
Dolan: Can’t really answer that. (Avoided the question.)
Triv: This will all be a tough sell to the fans.
Dolan: Fans won’t buy in to it until we begin to win, and I understand that.
========================================================
If I missed anything, or if you feel I did not represent the conversation properly, please feel free to correct me.
One last note: my impression was that Wedge is gone after the season is over. Though he did not say anything against Wedge, Dolan did not have high praise for Wedge like he did for Shapiro.
=========================================================
Triv: Please expand on your recent comment that the Indians’ plan is to “go to the World Series every 4-5 years if lucky, compete for playoffs the rest of the years, because that is ‘as good as it gets for this market’”.
Dolan: Over the last four years, should have won the World Series in ’07, and could have won the World Series in ‘05, and we were about .500 the rest of the time. We really should have won in 2007. It was there for the taking, but that’s baseball – need to plan for the future constantly.
Triv: We recently gave away a Cy Young winner, and a great hitter (who wanted to be here) – can you discuss?
Dolan: Those were very difficult decisions to make, the Victor Martinez trade was the hardest thing Mark Shapiro has ever done. A number of factors played into the decision: 1. finances 2. talent looking forward 3. needs looking forward. Do we not make the trades and take the chance for ‘10, or make the moves to bring in more talent? Long term, right thing to do. As a result, in ‘10 we won’t be as competitive as we would have been if we had not made the trades, but after ‘10 we will be.
Triv: Fans aren’t buying this. Will crucify you at the gate next season.
Dolan: Neither approach was comfortable, we knew we would be unpopular, but if we did nothing, people would have been much more unhappy than they are now. We were going to see a decline in ‘10 attendance anyway. We needed to open a new window of opportunity like we did in ‘02. This is not a rebuild – it is a retool. Core will be there, plus a lot of young talent, maybe we can supplement with talent outside of the organization (free agents), but don’t know for sure right now.
Triv: Are you losing 16M this year?
Dolan: Yes, and if we had not made the moves that we made, our losses would have been much greater and the impact of those losses would have been felt for quite awhile. We think we’re doing as good a job as anyone else in this situation. I invite fans to find someone who is doing more as an organization in the same financial situation.
Triv: What’s the sense of being an Indian’s fan when we trade our stars away?
Dolan: Only a handful of teams can sign their own stars. (The financial reality of baseball.)
Triv: If we sold-out every game, would we be able to sign our stars?
Dolan: Not all of them, but maybe one or two. Payroll could go to around 100M if all sold-out. Corporate partnership is not what it used to be. We have great challenges in our community, we have 3.5 million seats to sell (compared to Browns and Cavs), so we ask more of the community and are more vulnerable to the whims of the community. Team needs to be innovative, have the willingness to do the unpopular thing to compete in the future. Need some luck also.
Triv: If economics get worse, is it possible we could lose The Indians in Cleveland?
Dolan: I don’t see that happening.
(General discussion of the state of Cleveland as a community.)
Triv: Progressive Field has 135 suites, less than half of those are sold. How important is that revenue?
Dolan: Extraordinarily important. Along with advertising, ticket sales are the operating revenue necessary to pay salaries.
Triv: What comes first – the chicken or the egg? (Do you build a winner first to improve attendance, or do you need attendance before building a winner?)
Dolan: Build a winning team and they will come. Saw a little of this in ‘07 when we drew 2.2 million. ‘08 attendance not as good. New York couldn’t buy a playoff spot last year. Like every other team, we have to do our best to spend within our means and remain financially sound.
Triv: Do you support a salary cap?
Dolan: Yes, that’s a no brainer. More important would be NFL-like revenue sharing, and let the clubs spend according to their own desires and plans.
Triv: Would another owner spend more on the Indians than you are spending?
Dolan: Owners spend based on the team’s bankroll, so during the season it is the team that is really spending, not the owner. Owner’s spend at the end of the season, when they see how much money the team needs. Larger market teams have more resources, therefore spend more.
Triv: Fans have no sympathy for your financial situation. We want a winner.
Dolan: We understand. You want to see the team you love win, you don’t want to see me balance my checkbook. However, we have to live within the realities of the system. We do take financial risks, but within reason. We want to build a team that wins also, but do not want to bankrupt ourselves in the process. Talk to hockey fans in Phoenix right now. We want to avoid that.
Triv: Regarding Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge. Will you evaluate at the end of the year? Is it possible that both are gone?
Dolan: Mark will not be gone. He has made mistakes, but he has learned from them and he is not in jeopardy of losing his job this season. Eric is different. I feel we have underachieved in the last couple of years. The fans are frustrated. We are making an ongoing assessment of the situation.
Triv: Are these latest trades the defining moment for Shapiro? If they don’t work out in the next two years, is Mark gone?
Dolan: I don’t think it is as dramatic as all that. I can’t speak to a couple of years down the road and what may happen. If we keep losing, that is one thing. But basically I'm very happy with Mark, and he is not going anywhere.
Triv: Do you have more confidence in Shapiro than you do Wedge?
Dolan: Can’t really answer that. (Avoided the question.)
Triv: This will all be a tough sell to the fans.
Dolan: Fans won’t buy in to it until we begin to win, and I understand that.
========================================================
If I missed anything, or if you feel I did not represent the conversation properly, please feel free to correct me.
One last note: my impression was that Wedge is gone after the season is over. Though he did not say anything against Wedge, Dolan did not have high praise for Wedge like he did for Shapiro.
