It's often said that the New York Yankees will spare no expense to win the World Series. When it comes to personnel maneuvers, last week's Joe Torre saga aside, that's been proven true. When it comes to incidental charges at hotels during the team's road trips, however, not so much. Yesterday's New York Daily News reported that the team sought reimbursement for everything from room service to pay-per-view movies.
After a series with the Indians in Cleveland in early August 2005, Sheffield got docked $1,042 for a room upgrade and $637 for room service, including four Kahlua cocktails.The News found out about these reimbursements because the Yankees sent them to City Hall as proof they were spending $5 million in owed rent properly. There's no problem asking for money back from your employees in these situations, every business does it. It doesn't do much to explain why that makes not paying your rent okay.A-Rod was charged $785 for a room upgrade and $375 for room service, which included four in-room movies.
Torre was frugal by comparison - but his $39.98 bill for grilled chicken, two Amstel Lights and a pay-per-view movie didn't escape the notice of the Bronx bean-counters.
What's more interesting to me is the way team brass handles their own executive spending. Team President Randy Levine, he of the new performance-based salary model, wasn't docked for a five-day car rental that cost more that $2,000 just as he didn't offer to dock his own wages because the team didn't win the World Series.
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