Through The Eyes Of...David McCarty, World Champion Human Being

(Photo by John Mottern/Getty Images)

DM:  The guy I just bought the ticket from because that is the only way I’ll get in.

TC:  What was your favorite on the road city?

DM: Seattle was always great because you could get up in the morning and just walk around. It is so compact that you can leave the hotel and see so much of it just by walking around. I also liked going to Texas or Houston so I could see family.

TC:  Who had the crummiest MLB locker rooms?

DM: The old Cleveland stadium was the worst followed closely by Tiger Stadium and Fenway before the renovations.

TC:  What is your favorite on-the-road meal?

DM: I enjoyed having barbecue in Texas and KC.

TC:  Who was the greatest coach you played for?

DM:  I most enjoyed playing for Tito (Boston's Terry Francona). He does such a great job of deflecting so much of the media heat away from his players. It really makes it easier for guys to relax in the pressure cooker that is Boston.

TC:  Should baseball have a salary cap?

DM: Not unless there is a salary floor to go with it. I find it hard to consider when some of the teams receiving revenue sharing money have taken the proceeds and putting it in their pockets rather than spending on talent to put a better product on the field.

TC:  What do we do about the spending of the Yankees?

DM:  Keep having them spend foolishly. They continue to have the highest payroll in the game, but that hasn’t gotten them a WS title this century.

I think many teams need to do a better job of attracting fans and creating revenue. Step one in that process is putting a decent product on the field and it can be done on a modest budget.

Look at the Twins and the A’s. They continue to develop homegrown players so they can compete without breaking the bank. It takes smarts and effort, but can be done.

Let’s not forget that the Yankees were a joke of an organization when Steinbrenner bought them. All the money in the world doesn’t matter if an organization has poor leadership. The Orioles have spent money for quite some time, but are still in a shambles.

TC:  If you were starting your own baseball team, who would be the one player you would have to sign?

DM:Not an easy question. A couple years ago I would have said Pujols. Now there isn’t a no-brainer pick. There are guys like Pedroia or Longoria that you want to see more of a track record out of before making an absolute commitment to having him be THE cornerstone your team is built around.

There are also guys like Teixeira or Howard that could be considered. I can tell you that I wouldn’t build my team around a pitcher, because they can’t affect enough games and there is too big a chance of injury.

TC:

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