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Not a Team Sport
Patrick,
You say that the problem today is that baseball isn't being played as a team sport but basebal has never been a team sport. The problem isn't "these damn players today". In basketball your teammates pass you the ball in the right spot at the right time and you can score more. In football the offense acting completely in synch makes everyone better. In baseball you're on your own. Hit the ball hard and you will be successful AND YOUR TEAM WILL BE BETTER OFF. You mention Billy Bob hitting 70 HR's doesn't matter if you lose but the real point is those 70 HR's help you win.
You talk about small ball stuff being the epitome of good baseball but I think that bunting, moving the runner, etc., is what you do if you can't really hit. If Billy Bob can hit 70 HR's he'd be hurting the team by hitting a 35 HR's and 35 grounders to the right side.
Obviously you can spend $175-200mm and still not win but that's because you got the wrong guys. If you get 8 guys who can really drive the ball you will murder the 8 scrappy teams most times. The same goes for pitching, if the individual does their job well, the team is more likely to win.