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From: http://the-parrot.blogspot.com/2007/03/steak-or-dog-food.html

If you only had two dietary choices available — a fine cut of steak or a can of the cheapest dog food that money could buy, and the decision on which meal you would receive was made by a group of individuals with questionable motives and/or intellect. … [Y]ou’d have that occasional delicious steak but face the torture of a hell of a lot of dog food. …

Let’s analyze this from the top down, imagining the entire Pittsburgh Pirate organization as a cattle ranch that can serve either meal.

The Nuttings are the Savings & Loan responsible for handling all of the cash and doling out funds to the rancher … The S&L likes to hold back as much money as possible, complaining about the shrinking market for the end product and feeling that the consumer should be satisfied with dog food anyway. …

Dave Littlefield is the ranch foreman. … Littlefield is a city slicker who doesn’t seem to know much about cows in the first place. Once he sees a cow he likes, he never forgets it and will buy it for whatever it costs. Other ranchers take advantage of this on a regular basis and sell their unwanted animals to Littlefield, laughing all the way to the bank. …

Jim Tracy is the butcher who takes whatever Littlefield gives him and cuts it into that fine prime rib or Eukanuba. … He thinks of himself as the cutter of juicy pieces of beef destined for the grill, but in reality chops up bits to be mixed with gravy headed for a can.