Major-market franchises — New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Lakers — benefit from higher revenues and in turn are usually able to be competitive even in poor seasons by their respective standards. There tends to be a steady turnover between championship caliber seasons among teams that aren’t in major markets, so there is no excuse — other than poor management and ownership — why some franchises continue to be perpetual losers.

Orioles Owner Peter Angelos

Take exhibit A, the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles are on track to finish their 13th consecutive season below .500 after reaching the American League Championship Series in 1997, and for the past few seasons, have finished near the bottom of Major League Baseball in attendance. The Orioles suffer from playing in the American League East with the large-pocketed Red Sox and Yankees, but prior to the 2000s, the franchise was competitive on an annual basis and truly one of baseball’s flagship teams going back to the 1960s. The Orioles, in my opinion, boast the best stadium in all of baseball in Camden Yards, and it is a crime to see the stands virtually empty on Sportscenter highlights.

After 13 seasons of misery, the city of Baltimore deserves a change in leadership. Clearly owner Peter Angelos has lost his way in being able to produce competitive teams that fans want to watch, and there are minimal signs of improvement. The recent hiring of Buck Showalter to manage appears to be the best decision Angelos has made in 13 years.

Simply put, ownership may own the team, but there should be some requirement to display competency in leadership and effort to improve a franchise and produce winning teams. The world has changed, but the CTU Sports Division of Taking Back Sports plays for Joe the Fan, and still believes the fans should always come first, as they are the foundation of any sport’s prosperity. Peter Angelos is among several owners listed below (in no particular order) that deserve to hear the words “you’re fired” — Donald Trump style:

Lions Owner Bill Ford

Bill Ford, Detroit Lions (NFL). This team hasn’t fielded a winning team since Barry Sanders retired in 2000, and the NFL has a rigid salary cap, so Ford has even less of an excuse than Angelos. When a three-win season is an improvement by three games over the prior season, your team has an ownership problem.

Knicks Owner Jim Dolan

Jim Dolan, New York Knicks (NBA). The Knicks, like the Lions (getting compared to the Lions is always a severe negative), have not been to the playoffs or produced an over .500 team since 2000. Given the decorated history of the franchise, and that it is in the largest market in the United States, only truly abysmal ownership could accomplish what the Knicks have this decade. Combined with the Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas fiascos, Dolan might be the worst owner in the history of American professional sports.

Spike Lee might want to start forming an group to try and buy the franchise.

Raiders Owner Al Davis

Oakland owner Al Davis constantly gets panned by the media and fans for not having a winning team since 2002, but Jack Bauer will actually be the voice of reason on this issue: The Raiders played in the Superbowl just eight seasons ago, so Davis doesn’t quite deserve to be in the same sentence as Angelos, Dolan, and Ford when it comes to poor ownership. Very quietly, Al Davis and his management have actually assembled the pieces to once again produce a winning team in the East Bay with a perfect fit at head coach in Tom Cable, a very underrated defense, reliable offensive line, capable running back tandem, and at last cutting the umbilical cord with their now-former franchise quarterback, JaMarcus Russell.

1. A franchise must produce at least one team with a record above a .500 winning percentage within the most recent consecutive ten-year period of ownership.
2. Exception to Article 1: Within the defined ten-year period per Article 1, a franchise produces teams that have steadily increasing winning percentages for the most recent three-year period.
3. A franchise must produce a team that competes in a postseason game/series within the most recent consecutive 12-year period of ownership.
4. A franchise must produce a team that wins a postseason game/series within the most recent consecutive 15-year period of ownership.
5. Any franchise that fails to abide by Articles 1-4 will be required to undergo a change in ownership prior to the commencing of the second season following the violation of any of the above articles. In the interest of fair franchise valuation, the governing body of a sports league will be required to establish and enforce a minimum sale price of an offending franchise. Any person, relative of a person, or person having any financial transactions with any person or relative of a person involved with the ownership of a franchise in violation of Articles 1-4 will be prohibited from owing such franchise.

If such a system were in place, Angelos would no longer be the owner of the Orioles, and the Ford family and Dolan would each be required to produce records better than the prior season during their upcoming seasons to save their ownership. This seems reasonable to me.

Jack Bauer out!

Draft Darrius Heyward-Bey? Excellent Smithers. Excellent. (Joseph Coleman -- Taking Back Sports)

“As bad as we are right now, at least we’re not __________.”

In the 80s up until about 1995, that statement applied to the Tampa Bay Creamsicles (Buccaneers). From ’96 until … basically now, that statement applied to the Detroit Lions.

With the exception of one random Super Bowl appearance, the new team has officially been anointed, as of the 2009 NFL Draft.

“As bad as we are right now, at least we’re not … The Oakland Raiders.”

I feel sorry for Raiders fans in the same way I feel bad about the guy that has to hook up with the fat girl “bodyguarding” her hot friend while his boy makes out with the hottie. The part of the fat girl in this scenario will be played by Al “Montgomery Burns” Davis. Look at Al Davis, and look at C. Montgomery Burns, and I DARE YOU not to chuckle at the resemblance.

“Burnsie” has been QUOTED as saying he will not go away until the Raiders win two more Super Bowls or he dies of natural causes. If you’re a betting man, bet your mortgage, your kid’s college tuition, etc, on the latter of those happening.

I watched the draft in my apartment, and saw Mark Sanchez go to the Jets (remember to thank Erik Mangini, by the way, Jets fans). When that happened, I began to think that maybe something was going to be special. I’m not a Raiders fan by ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, but I kinda got a feeling they might actually do something that makes sense.

I saw “Big Roge” (that’s what the commish, Roger Goodell, wants me to call him in my articles) walk up to the stage with the Raiders’ pick, and I was actually anxious. I have come to know a few Raiders fans in my five years here in San Diego, so I was excited for them. Michael Crabtree, anyone? And then it happened …

“With the eighth pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select … Darrius Hayward-Bey, wide receiver, University of Maryland.”

Immediately, I wondered if Goddell took this pick to the Oakland Raiders war room and go: “Guys? Are you sure about this? Do you need some more time? I’ll give you some more time.”

Literally five seconds later, I got a phone call from my friend Glenn, a dedicated member of Raider Nation, and then proceeded to talk him down from jumping out of a window. After I soothed him like Samuel L. Jackson in “The Negotiator,” Glenn wondered why Heyward-Bey was chosen over Crabtree. I explained carefully that if John Clayton couldn’t figure this out, what makes you think I can make sense of it?

I can tell you who I would have picked, though. I hope Burnsie is reading this. I’m nominating myself to be the next general manager of the Oakland Raiders. (This statement could cause me to lose a lot of friends who are Chargers/Broncos/Chiefs fans, but I gotta do something about this). If Burnsie is reading this and likes what he reads, feel free to contact me.

First, Let’s just analyze the situation. The Raiders have an offense that is loaded with talent at most of the key positions (i.e. quarterback and tailback). They don’t necessarily have the receiving talent, but that isn’t the pressing need in my opinion in the first round. Here’s what would have been said if Adio Royster, General Manager of the Oakland Raiders, made the pick:

“With the eighth pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select … Eugene Monroe, tackle from the University of Virginia.”

Before the pick, I can imagine the conversation with Burnsie going something like this:

ME: I’m drafting Eugene Monroe with the eighth pick.

BURNSIE: Does he have good hands?

ME: Absolutely. He’ll move those defensive linemen around and help everyone else make plays.

BURNSIE: I meant can he catch the ball?

ME: (with a confused look) Dude. I’m drafting an offensive tackle.

After explaining for about 5-10 minutes how games are won in the trenches, Burnsie kinda goes along with the pick after I promise a career season from JaMarcus Russell (which should be easy, considering his first few years of production).

The Raiders — my mistake, AL DAVIS — didn’t just screw up the first-round pick. He screwed up the ENTIRE DRAFT! In the second round, with two talented safeties, Michael Mitchell, a safety from Ohio was chosen. Um… what?! No.

This year’s draft had good little wide receiving nuggets all through it, so I’m willing to take a chance on a third-round receiver. I’m concentrated on rebuilding an offensive line that a 9-year-old Pop Warner kid can get three sacks against. Therefore, second-round pick: Max Unger, tackle, Oregon. Burnsie, I know I took back to back tackles, but understand something:

It’s impossible to put points on the board with the quarterback:

… on his back

… for the 800th time

… in the first quarter!

Listen, Burnsie. The object of the offensive line is to stop the defensive guys from tackling the offensive guys. I had to explain that as simple as possible. Monroe and Unger do that, and they can step right in and start.

Burnsie will eat your franchise's liver with a bottle of chianti (Joseph Coleman -- Taking Back Sports)

In the third round, I finally give in to Burnsie’s request and draft a wide receiver. Little does he know that I was planning to draft a wide out, anyway. Every so often, I’ll stroke his ego. Derrick Williams, Penn State wide receiver. Come on down and join the party. This is JaMarcus Russell. He will be throwing you the ball. Get used to it fast.

Fourth round is where I may pull a muscle by stretching for Michigan’s Terrance Taylor. He’s a defensive tackle that will put some extra depth and beef on the defensive line. Sometimes, Burnsie, you have to throw a dart and see if it hits. The difference between you and me is that a helpless Raider fan won’t get stabbed in the heart when I throw.

No fifth-round pick, which sucks because I’d be all for South Carolina’s Jasper Brinkley or Oklahoma’s Nic Harris. Fast forward to the sixth round, where Stryker Sulak, a defensive end from Iowa was selected. Sulak would be a great steal … if the Raiders ran a 3-4 defense. But Sulak is WAY undersized to be a 4-3 defensive end in the AFC West (teams with LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and, as of right now, Knowshown Moreno). These teams are running, folks. Vance Walker, defensive tackle, Virginia Tech, have a seat, here’s a jersey.

As much as general managers and owners claim a draft is the most difficult part of the job, I just fixed the Raiders with half a draft. Two starters on the offensive line, a possible No. 2 wide receiver and depth on the defensive line. Raiders fans should read this, send it to Burnsie and demand that I take over as general manager of the Oakland Raiders.

The Phoenix has risen, and he’s covered in silver and black.