Indians one of three playoff teams with small-market payrolls

The mission statement isn't lost on anyone in an Indians uniform. A baseball team with a mission statement is like a Microsoft executive chewing snuff in his office.

<p class="MsoNormal">Walk through Cleveland's clubhouse, and Mark Shapiro's mission statement is easily found.

<p class="MsoNormal">"To sustain a championship-caliber team that competes -- passionately, relentlessly and professionally -- and in the process makes a positive statement about its collective vision and core values."

<p class="MsoNormal">The mission from the Tribe general manager's mission statement is opening up the Dolan family's safe, digging up coffee cans and spending money in a mid-market city as if a U.S. mint press sits next to the clubhouse.

<p class="MsoNormal">Cleveland is one of three teams in postseason baseball with small-market payrolls. The Indians open Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park with a $62 million payroll. The Red Sox have $143 million, the second highest in baseball.

<p class="MsoNormal">Money, though, doesn't necessarily buy a championship. The Yankees' paid players nearly $200 million to go on vacation this week.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Obviously it's an advantage if you have a bigger payroll because you can go out and get certain guys," said Cleveland first baseman Ryan Garko. "Mark Shapiro said it best: There's a difference between a collection of talented players and a real team. We have a great team in the true sense of the word."

<p class="MsoNormal">Arizona and Colorado, with two of the cheapest payrolls in the National League, are playing in the NLCS. A small-market, frugal team will be in the World Series. This is the first time in baseball history that three teams in the bottom third of the spending wars are in the LCS.

<p class="MsoNormal">To get an idea of just how large Boston's payroll is, the Red Sox nearly could've paid for Cleveland, Colorado and Arizona's players this season.

<p class="MsoNormal">"It can be done," Shapiro said. "We knew it takes a lot of things lining up right, a special effort from the entire organization and a well-executed plan across the board that can allow it to happen."

<p class="MsoNormal">The Red Sox will throw Curt Schilling against Fausto Carmona on Saturday night. Schilling makes $13 million. Carmona makes $387,500. Grady Sizemore comes in at $916,667. Coco Crisp is paid $3.83 million. Jason Varitek gets $11 million. Cleveland's All-Star catcher, Victor Martinez, is paid $3.2 million.

<p class="MsoNormal">"I think the names on the front of the uniforms are more important than the names on the back," said Garko, whose $387,500 is a shade above league minimum. "Look at the Yankees. They have (Jason) Giambi, and he wasn't even playing. He's just a few years removed from an MVP. It's crazy.

<p class="MsoNormal">"Look at their roster and see what guys on their team have done. One game, all 10 guys playing had been on the All-Star team. A lot of us are just kids in our first or second year in the league. That we went up against them and won that series, it just shows you've got to play it out on the field."

<p class="MsoNormal">The Red Sox bought Manny Ramirez away from the Indians. Ramirez is making $17 million. J.D. Drew gets $14.4 million. David Ortiz gets $13.25 million.

<p class="MsoNormal">That's the gross domestic product of Guam.

<p class="MsoNormal">"The media talks about payroll. The players just talk about ability and what a guy's going to do on the field," Indians veteran Kenny Lofton said. "All those numbers they put out there ... once you get on the field, it doesn't mean jack."

<p class="MsoNormal">-- The Repository