In Advance…

…of my bare knuckles brawl this weekend with Scot McKnight (and his Cubbies proxy, Luke):

Cubs 2006 total payroll: $94,424,499

Cubs 2006 W-L record: 66-96

Cubs dollars spent per win: $1,430,674

Twins 2006 total payroll: $63,396,006

Twins 2006 W-L record: 96-66

Twins dollars spent per win: $660,375

That’s a 2.1:1 ratio.

And, what does 2007 hold in store? Well, the Cubbies hired the washed-up, peripatetic manager Lou Pinella for $3.25 million, whereas the Twins continue to employ baseball genius and team loyalist Ron Gardenhire for $1.25 million. The Cubbies will pay $12.4 million to keep over-hyped Carlos Zambrano around for one more year, whereas the Twins signed hometown hero Joe Mauer $33 million to stick around for four years. I could go on and on. But one thing is clear: the Cubs haven’t gotten the message that throwing money at the problem isn’t the answer. Whatever magic Andy McPhail had in Minnesota, he has lost in Chicago.

Read it and weep, McKnights!