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.