The difference is that Mike genuinely cared about the team and fans. He was emotionally invested. And we were spoiled by it. VMart gets hurt in an offseason training accident? Go sign Prince Fielder to replace him. While his impulsiveness and willingness to build a winning team led to some regrettable decisions, he was willing to invest to maintain a winner.
Chris, however, is running it like a business with what appears to be very little emotional attachment. I’m more critical of his blind loyalty to Avila than his willingness to spend, which I think has been unfairly characterized.