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I do believe that was the best post ever of yours among many good ones. I say that because it explained the roots of your views in a way any baseball fan can appreciate. From this day on I will better understand you and your POV.
As someone whose baseball roots go back to the days before free agency, days when except for the occasional trade a team and its fans had to live with the players they signed and developed.
The idea that the "soul" of a team is its homegrown players and that an imported player simply cannot turn around a team because he is not part of that "soul" intrigues me. I find it interesting that you tick off some of the imported players you didn't consider "real Braves" who were in fact key cogs in advancing the fortunes of Atlanta (you could also have included Terry Pendleton).
From the standpoint of the heartfelt loyalties of a fan I completely understand and pretty much feel the same way. But from the standpoint of team success the very fact that there are so many of those guys that could be considered imports that played key roles in the success of the Braves underscores that imports can and do help turn around a team. Your passionately held view is, of course, that this is only true when the homegrown "soul" of a team is already established. I think there's a lot to this, since I believe a team is more (or less) than a collection of talent, stat production cards to be swapped around between teams and lineup spots.
The only things I would say is that (1) I agree with your view as an ideal to be pursued wherever possible, but (2) there are exceptions to every rule, and you have to judge each situation on its own merits. In the case of a Fielder and the 2012 M's, as you know I happen to feel that The Prince would be a force multiplier, his very presence in the lineup allowing the team's young core, it's soul, to relax a bit and have a better chance to reach their potential. I think that without such an imported presence there is a significant chance that the development of the young core will be hindered. I say this not to continue our debate but to show that I can agree with you on the "soul" thing but still support Jack if his judgment is that signing Fielder is highly desirable.
I hear ya, man. The soul of a team is it's homegrown core. Just like the soul of a franchise is its owner(ship), which explains why the Mariners as a franchise have a weak, nearly nonexistent soul.