What's An Owner To Do?

I think owners of professional sports teams are in a catch 22. If they resign their superstar player (or go add a super star thru trade or free agency) they're criticized for over paying. If they don't try to add one of those guys they're criticized for not trying to "win". So which is it?

The media said Arte Moreno was cheap for not paying "what ever it cost" to add Carl Crawford (or Adrian Beltre) in free agency and consequently didn't try to improve the Angels. He goes out and adds Vernon Wells and is instantly criticized for the size of Wells contract (and no one mentions Wells instantly improves the Angels). If he'd added Crawford or Beltre, you know he would have been criticized for overpaying ("7 years for a guy who'll be 36 at the end of his contract, has never hit 20 home runs in a season and is known for his speed? Are they crazy???").

William DeWitt and the rest of the Cardinals ownership, is in that position right now with Albert Pujols. Do they make Pujols the highest paid player in the game, blow out their salary cap and limit their ability to add other free agents for the next 7 years in order to keep Pujols? Or, do they let him go and try to add additional pieces that help strengthen the club in multiple areas? No matter what they decide, they'll be criticized.

Moving to football, the Colts parted ways with safety Bob Sanders last week, as it would have taken too much money to retain a talented player with to much of an injury history. They're conserving resources to pay Manning and decided to let Sanders go. People in the media are up in arms saying the "Colts are showing no loyalty to one of the pieces of their Championship team, how dare they let a veteran go after he's given so much to them"?

No matter what management and ownership do, you have the media on them complaining either about "fiscal responsibility" or "doesn't care about putting a winning product on the field".

What's an owner to do?

Bill