NEW YORK, N.Y. - Zack Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers have knocked Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees off baseballs payroll perch, part of an off-season spending spree that has the average salary approaching $4 million for the first time. The Dodgers are ending the Yankees 15-year streak as baseballs biggest spenders and as of Tuesday had a projected payroll of $235 million, according to study of all major league contracts by The Associated Press. New York, which last failed to top the payroll rankings in 1998, was a distant second at $203 million. After that, it was another huge gap to Philadelphia at $180 million, followed by Boston at $163 million and Detroit at $162 million. Houston is last at $45 million, up from $27 million at the start of last year, and Miami at $48 million remains 29th. Some large-market teams are among the smaller spenders, with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs projected at $89 million, ranked 22nd and 23rd. Rodriguez, who holds the record for the largest deal in baseball history at $275 million over 10 years, is suspended for the season for violations of baseballs drug agreement and labour contract. Because of the ban, he will earn only $2,868,852 of his $25 million salary — 21 days pay for the 183-day season. Greinke would have become the highest-paid player, even if Rodriguez was getting all his cash. The pitcher has a $24 million salary in the second season of his $147 million, six-year contract, and because he can opt out of the deal after the 2015 season, baseballs accounting rules call for his $12 million signing bonus to be prorated over the first three seasons. "Weve got great ownership and a great fan base, and we need to do what we can to win games," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said last week in Sydney, where Los Angeles swept its opening, two-game series against Arizona. "I dont think the guys worry about it. I know we dont worry about it," Colletti said. "Were expected to win, and thats how we go about it. Money doesnt mean you win. Money just means you have a chance to get the best players." As of Tuesday, the average salary projected to be between $3.95 million and $4 million, with the final figure depending on how many players are put on the disabled list by the time opening-day rosters are finalized at 3 p.m. Sunday. That translates to a rise of 8 to 10 per cent from last years opening average of $3.65 million and would be the largest increase since 2006 or possibly even 2001. "Im not surprised. With the type of revenues clubs are enjoying these days, the average salaries are going to go up," New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. Illustrating the rate of escalation, the opening-day average was $1.07 million when Derek Jeter first reached the major leagues in 1995, broke the $2 million mark in 2001 and spurted past $3 million in 2008. "I think its great. I think it just shows the game is growing, fan interest is there," said Jeter, the Yankees captain who is retiring at the end of this season. "The business of baseball seems like its booming pretty good right now." The average U.S. wage in 2012 was $42,498, according to the Social Security Administration, the latest figure available and an annual increase of 3.12 per cent. Following Greinke on the highest-paid list are Philadelphias Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee at $25 million, the Yankees CC Sabathia at $24.3 million, and Seattles Robinson Cano and Texas Prince Fielder at $24 million each. The APs figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income for players on active rosters, disabled lists and the restricted list. For some players, parts of deferred money are discounted to reflect current values. Payroll figures factor in adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts, and termination pay for released players. For instance, the Yankees are receiving $18.6 million from the Los Angeles Angels to cover most of the $21 million due to outfielder Vernon Wells, who has been released, and $13 million from the Chicago Cubs to pay most of the $18 million owed outfielder Alfonso Soriano. The Mets payroll include buyouts to Johan Santana ($4.9 million present value) and Jason Bay ($2.7 million present value). ___ AP Sports Writer Dennis Passa and AP freelance writers Mark Didtler and Jon Santucci contributed to this report. Sean Poppen Twins Jersey . 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Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season.His latest victim called the ban excessive, Maradona suggested on Argentine TV FIFA might as well handcuff him and throw him in Guantanamo and the Uruguayan president suggested a hidden agenda. In banning Luis Suarez for nine international matches and all football related activity for a period of four months and fining him $100,000, FIFA made no provision for mandating the 27-year old Uruguayan to receive the professional help he so evidently requires. FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke stated Friday Suarez should seek treatment is clear evidence the governing body failed in this regard. I cant imagine a scenario in any of our major sports leagues where rehabilitation wasnt a significant aspect of any sanctioning handed down to a repeat offender. FIFA could learn much from the North American model where rehabilitation is an integral aspect of the disciplinary process. Which is a theme picked up by FIFPro, the players global union, who questioned why rehabilitation and professional support was not mandated by FIFA. The first part of that process is taking responsibility. Instead we learned this morning in his statement to the FIFA Disciplinary Panel, Suarez denied he deliberately bit Italys Giorgio Chiellini. "I lost my balance, making my body unstable and falling on top of my opponent. At that moment I hit my face against the player leaving a small bruise on my cheek and a strong pain in my teeth." During post-match comments to Uruguayan TV Suarez claimed Chiellini bumped into him with his shoulder. This is in stark contrast with video which clearly shows it was Suarez who initiated contact between the players. "Deliberate, intentional and without provocation," was the disciplinary panels conclusion. Which could be the same words used for the two previous Suarez suspensions for biting an opponent. The first of which occurred only months after the world witnessed his deliberate hand-ball in the final minute of Uruguays quarter-final match against Ghana. In doing so Suarez denied opportunity for an African nation to make it to the semifinals of a World Cup for the first time in competition history. In the referees match report from Tuesdays pivotal Group D encounter Marco Rodriguez admits neither he, nor of any of his assistants saw the incident and that that was reason why Suarez was not punished at the time. In time we may well look back at this as the tipping point for introducing video replays.dddddddddddd During the FIFA congress which was held in the days leading up to the World Cup Sepp Blatter stunned all in attendance when he introduced the idea of allowing coaches through the course of a match two opportunities to challenge on-field decisions. Goal line technology was introduced for this World Cup as a consequence of not allowing the goal Frank Lampard scored in Englands Round-of-16 match against Germany at South Africa 2010. We saw GLTs worth only four days into Brazil 2014, when France was rightfully awarded a goal in their opening match against Honduras. Another distasteful aspect to all this is the way companies have looked to exploit for commercial gain one of the most unsavoury incidents in World Cup Finals history. The exception to this has been the online poker company who announced yesterday they had terminated their partnership with Suarez. A sizeable crowd of fans including the Uruguayan President had flocked to the airport in Montevideo in support of their ‘hero Thursday night in anticipation of his return home. However Suarez arrived back in Montevideo on a private jet in the early hours of Friday. Avoiding the fanfare and the spotlight in favour of anonymity might just be a first sign Suarez finally understands the full consequence of his irrational actions last Tuesday. Suarez now has to ignore the sentiment of a nation, the loyalty of his manager and the outpouring of sympathy he has received in favour of the wise words from Uruguays original football icon, Alcides Ghiggia. Ghiggia - who scored the winning goal for Uruguay when they beat Brazil in the 1950 World Cup Final - has been outspoken in his criticism of Suarez. Lets hope when Uruguay take to the pitch for the pre-match warm up ahead of Saturday afternoons Round-of-16 match against Colombia they dont wear t-shirts in support of Suarez, as Liverpool players did in December, 2011 when he was given an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester Uniteds Patrice Evra. Instead they hopefully counsel Suarez to admit the errors of his ways and take full responsibility. Only then can he begin the long journey back to the sanctuary of the football pitch. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter TSN Radio is an official licensed radio broadcaster of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Check www.tsn.ca/radio for the broadcast schedule in your home town. ' ' '