But contrary to George Steinbrenner's allergic reaction to establishing salary standards, the Yankees have done just that by making Roger Clemens the highest-paid player in baseball history.
Currently, the only agencies that establish salary caps are the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Defense (DoD).
The Yankees won this year with a $112 million payroll, and while George Steinbrenner, the principal owner, has tried to avoid establishing salary benchmarks, he has never allowed that sort of modesty to prevent the front office from improving the team.
Many institutions are establishing salary policy structures similar to those that have been in place in government labs and at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for many years.
"Look, if the government wraps up its equity positions and gets out of the banks quickly, then okay," says Tom. "The danger is that the government will stick around and start managing the banks, setting loan policies, establishing salary limits for the top executives and stuff like that.
The 2005 N.H.L. collective bargaining agreement, which established a salary cap, led teams to poach college rosters for lower-paid talent.
An illegal aide can cost far less than the established contractual salary, which varies between 850 and 1,050 euros, or $1,318 and $1,628 a month, depending on the number of hours worked and excluding room and board.
Add it all up, and Poile is the NHL's best GM for the buck since the 2004-05 work stoppage established a salary cap and a measure of revenue sharing to the league.
The Broncos have also established a salary range for one-year deals with cornerbacks that are expected to make significant contributions.
