# Logic flaws in "Major League" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068 "2003-05-09T06:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/21 "2003-05-09T20:46:31Z")
What’s always bugged me about the film (correct me if my understanding is wrong here), is that the owner needed the Indians’ attendance for the season to go below 800,000. That’s around 5,000 per game. But they became a great team, local _cause celebres,_ and made it to the World Series. It seems safe to assume that long before they got to post-season play they would have busted through the 800,000 attendance ceiling, and there would be no point in the owner continuing to sabotage them. Yet, she did continue. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/22 "2003-05-09T20:48:39Z")
Whoops! I got “around 5,000 per game” by dividing 800,000 by 156. But it’s only home games that are at issue, right? So make that 10,000/game. I think my objection still stands. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/23 "2003-05-09T21:55:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Yet, she did continue. Because by that time she was bitter at these a-holes who had cost her her chance to move to Florida, so she wanted to make their lives miserable. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/24 "2003-05-09T22:04:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*The biggest “logical” problem in that movie had nothing to do with baseball. It had to do with the fact we were supposed to regard Tom Berenger as a loveable underdog in his attempts to woo a college professor. > > He makes a point of saying “I make the major league minimum,” as if that’s supposed to make us feel sorry for him, and sympathize with him over the welathy, snooty academics his old girlfriend is hanging out with now. > > Ha! Major league “minimum” makes ANY player far richer than 99% of the population at large, and considerably richer than the vast majority of college professors. > > Underdog, my foot! The WORST player in major league baseball makes FAR more money than all but a few college professors. So, I had a hard time identifying with a supposed “little guy” like Berenger. \*\* Today, the major league minimum is very high. Back in 1989, though, when the movie was made it was “only” about $68,000. While a nice chunk of change, it’s not exactly top 1% we’re talking about. Remember, time differences, time differences. Also, in researching this, I found out that in 1989 the average player earned just under $500,000. Today, the average player makes just under $2 million. The difference a decade makes. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/25 "2003-05-09T22:29:19Z")
**Neurotik** , what’s today’s league minimum? And **ISiddiqui** , it’s not portrayed that way in the movie. The owner acts like she can still “win” if the Indians lose the series; it’s not spite. Unless you can produce dialogue to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/26 "2003-05-09T22:35:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kasuo \* > \*\*Holy crap! Cerrano is President!? \*\* As imdb was loading up, I kept going “no, couldn’t be…” But yep, apparently Cerrano got rid of the accent, changed his name to an innocous “David Palmer”, and ran for Senator and then president (apparently faking a US birth certificate along the way). Now for the last couple “24” episodes, I’m going to imagine Palmer telling the VP “Very bad to take Jobu’s presidency…” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/27 "2003-05-09T22:42:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PatrickM \* > \*\*Robbie my man, you’re not exactly Bill Veeck when it comes to sporting promotions, are you? The point of a promotion isn’t necessarily to make the product being promoted exclusive. Promotions for sporting events are designed to get people into the ballpark (where they’ll at least buy the overpriced beer, food, t-shirts, etc and hopefully have a good enough time to want to come back on their own dime), not to be rewards for a select few. \*\* Hmmmm…Bill Veeck promoting the Indians…polka demolition night? Boy, I’d hate the see the aftermath of nickel beer night in Cleveland, lol. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/28 "2003-05-09T22:44:39Z")
Hey. That Jack Bowers. He has a set of marbles…huevos? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/29 "2003-05-09T23:29:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\ ***Neurotik** , what’s today’s league minimum? \*\* Under the new CBA, it’s $300,000. Last year it was $200,000 though. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/30 "2003-05-09T23:36:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > **Neurotik, what’s today’s league minimum?** As **neurotik** points out, today’s league minimum is $300,000 a season, far from someone struggling to get by and driving that crap car Berringer was tooling around in. But does anyone know what the minimum was in '89 when the movie came out? It was still probably a relatively high salary compared to your average schmoe, but I don’t think it had reached the $100,000 a season mark (though I could be wrong). ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/31 "2003-05-09T23:38:35Z")
Crap, disrtegard that above post, I just saw **Neurotik’s** answer to the league minimum in 89. Someone hid that entire post the first time I read the thread. Honest. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/32 "2003-05-10T00:10:01Z")
😃 However, I worked out (and by “I worked out” I mean I used some website had a converter) what $68,000 would be equivalent to in 2002 dollars. About $100,000. I wish I was making $100,000. So that’s not bad. But you don’t know what kind of debts or whatever Berenger had. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/33 "2003-05-10T00:36:37Z")
You want a logical flaw? How about an aging catcher with bad wheels deciding the best way to get on base is to leg out an infield hit. Yep. It’s so crazy, \* it just might work.\* Or not. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/34 "2003-05-10T07:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*The biggest “logical” problem in that movie had nothing to do with baseball. It had to do with the fact we were supposed to regard Tom Berenger as a loveable underdog in his attempts to woo a college professor. > > He makes a point of saying “I make the major league minimum,” as if that’s supposed to make us feel sorry for him, and sympathize with him over the welathy, snooty academics his old girlfriend is hanging out with now. > > Ha! Major league “minimum” makes ANY player far richer than 99% of the population at large, and considerably richer than the vast majority of college professors. > > Underdog, my foot! The WORST player in major league baseball makes FAR more money than all but a few college professors. So, I had a hard time identifying with a supposed “little guy” like Berenger. \*\* Actually Tom Berenger is trying to woo a librarian, not a college professor. Rene Russo portrays a rare books librarian. As a librarian, I wish I worked with women who looked like Rene Russo. But I don’t. When “Major League” came out, I believe the Major League minimum was already at least $100,000. And a veteran catcher would have made more than that. Not a lot, but at least something. The minimum salary is usually for rookies and 2nd year players. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/35 "2003-05-10T12:57:57Z")
Dude, I just said that the major league minimum was $68,000. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/36 "2003-05-11T22:25:32Z")
So Tom Berenger goes from a nobody with no money. Playing for beer in Mexican leagues. To a one year gig where he’ll make $100,000. (by todays money, I understand it was $68k in 89) Granted a nice chunk of change, but he’ll have to use it to pay off his debts, and hopefully be able to use it to create some sort of life after this one year. And we assume that because he has one year where he’ll pull in some decent scratch that he’s suddenly absolved of all monetary problems he’ll ever have? Plus, he’s in some party of upper-class a-holes who believe that he’s “one of them” so to speak. He has to admit in front of them and his ex g/f’s boyfriend that he is basically lucky to be there, when he’s already got egg on his face from crashing the party and showing up at the wrong house. And then the ex b/f is sure to point out to everybody that his life is at best temporary and he’s really not much more than a bum. And after this year, he’ll be back to being a bum. Yeah, I can feel pretty sympathetic for the guy. ---
**Author:** ![RobbieFal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c5a1d2/32.png) [@RobbieFal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobbieFal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/37 "2003-05-12T00:05:33Z")
and wouldn’t hiring Lou Brown, being the Toledo AAA manager, come at a cost? I think that on checking, Toledo was not the AAA affiliate for Cleveland at the time. So wouldn’t the Indians have to compensate the team that had Brown as their AAA manager? or would they not care? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/38 "2003-05-12T01:23:11Z")
I thought Lou was the manager of a tire store for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/39 "2003-05-12T03:19:50Z")
He _was_ the manager of some kind of tire/automotive store. If you remember, his response to the job offer was to say he had someone on the other line about some whitewalls. ---
**Author:** ![RobbieFal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c5a1d2/32.png) [@RobbieFal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobbieFal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068/40 "2003-05-12T04:52:24Z")
I think Lou managed both the tire store and the Toledo Mud Hens [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-flaws-in-major-league/174068.md?page=1)