Hard times financially? Baseball doesn't seem to think so

We know Detroit is in trouble, because every day we hear the auto companies begging Congress for $25 billion.

We wonder if baseball is going to be in trouble, because last week baseball asked Detroit for another $1.79.

The Yankees want to make CC Sabathia the highest-paid pitcher in history. But in the current economy? (Getty Images)

It's not much, we'll admit. And if the extra $1.79 in average ticket price enables the Tigers to bounce out of last place and back into a pennant race, we're not even sure that Tigers fans will complain.

But is this really the time for baseball to be asking fans for more money? Is this really the time when people want to pick up the morning paper -- or preferably, visit their favorite friendly internet site -- and learn that Rafael Furcal wants $40 million for four years?

Two weeks ago, when the general managers met in California, commissioner Bud Selig told them to be aware of what his executive vice president called "the overwhelming unsteadiness of our economy."

Since then, our economy has looked unsteadier than ever -- and those same general managers have geared up, ready to spend more of the fans' money than ever. At least three players are expecting to make more than $20 million a year on new contracts.

The Yankees offered to make CC Sabathia the richest pitcher ever, and the Dodgers made an offer (since rescinded) that would pay Manny Ramirez $22.5 million a year.

Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, was so impressed that he quickly announced that he'd soon be taking "serious financial offers" for his client.

That's fine. Boras works for Ramirez, not for the commissioner. His job is to get his client the best deal possible, and quite often he does.

Players have the right to sign for the most money they can get. Teams have the right to spend the millions they've been taking in.

But shouldn't someone in baseball worry about the message the sport is sending?

Some people are worried. Just this week, one major league manager and one longtime executive expressed serious concern about how the game will be perceived. Remember, one of them said, baseball is still trying to recover fans lost during the 1994-95 strike.

It's true. Just last month, a cab driver who picked me up at Miller Park said he turned off to baseball 14 years ago, and still hasn't returned. Even as the Tigers set attendance records the past two seasons at Comerica Park, friends would tell me they lost all interest in baseball because of the strike and weren't ready to return.