Well Said, Mr. Gammons
Uncategorized October 29th. 2007, 2:22pmHere’s that semi-rip job of A-Rod and Boras, courtesy of the usually-placid Peter Gammons. We have nothing to add, except that a friend thinks the Yankees will make a run at Scott Rolen. Hell, we’d rather see Mike Pagliarulo at the hot corner than Greedy Rodriguez.
Watch Peter Bury A-Rod and Bor-Ass (My Teams are Cursed)
36 Responses to “Well Said, Mr. Gammons”
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October 29th, 2007 at 2:26 PM
Give me a break. Guess who makes this ARod opting-out story so huge in the first place? Well, that would be BSPN!! And please, TBL, enough of hating on the man for getting paid, you Commie bastard!
October 29th, 2007 at 2:28 PM
Rolen couldnt get out of Philly quick enough a few years ago. He’s a mid-west boy who couldnt handle playing in New Jack City.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:34 PM
I came here to send this link to TBL, and someone beat me to it.
My favorite part is in the beginning when Gammons says that SportsCenter is like Entertainment Tonight.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:36 PM
Oh, sorry, my bad. I thought this was the link to Gammons on the radio with Shrutebag. That link is on the front page of ESPN right now (but I think you have to be an Insider).
October 29th, 2007 at 2:38 PM
no shit.
btw, rolen is apparently so pissed that larussa is coming back he’s open to waiving his no-trade clause. yeah, he’s a midwestern boy who probably wants no part of new york. but the yankees could afford him (his contract is way over his performance) and he wouldn’t be playing for larussa any longer.
while rolen is still a solid if not great 3b, he’s a porcelain doll . he’s always hurt. plus, he is damaged goods. he’s never recovered from his 2005 shoulder surgery. buyer beware.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:55 PM
Whatever. If the WS wasn’t so freaking boring, there would be something to talk about besides A-Rod.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:57 PM
As I said in the other topic “Not only is it a greedy move, the timing of the announcement – on the day of game 4 of the World Series – shows the tremendous ego of both A-Rod and Boras. “.
You DO NOT make this announcement during the World Series. You just don’t. But that assumes you actually have humility and respect for the fans and the game.
Boras and A-Rod are assholes with no respect for MLB…or the teams playing in the World Series. Screw them both.
October 29th, 2007 at 2:58 PM
I agree with flubby, the World Series has sucked ass for 4 years in a row now
October 29th, 2007 at 3:00 PM
How is it commie to say A-Rod is going after more money?
A-Rod is a complete fraud. If the guy had any balls of his own, he’d stand up and go meet with Cashman on his own. But no. He lets Boras tug his cock all around town, and let’s another man make his decisions for him.
When he goes to the HOF, what hat will he wear? Not the Mariners. Not the Rangers. Not the Yankees. We know he’s not winning a title at his next stop, and after they trade him (like Texas) … A-Rod stands for everything that is wrong with sports today.
Yes, that’s true.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:02 PM
The timing was totally a classless move, but I’m tired of people acting like he’s an ass for going somewhere else to do the same job for more money. People do that all the time. How many people nowadays stay at one organization their entire career? It has little to do with the absolute magnitude of the compensation (baseball player vs. engineer vs. nurse vs. construction vs. etc.), only the relative change from stop A to stop B on the career path.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:06 PM
It’s not Commie to say that he’s going after more money – but it is Commie to hate on the man because of it. Since when did it become okay for people to tell other people how they should earn their money, and how much money they are actually worth? If there’s a buyer at $30M, then that’s the price that he’s earned.
Sure, he lets Boras “tug his clock all around town” … to the tune of $30 million a year, while we sit behind our computers and talk about it.
And Flubby is right – if the entire playoffs weren’t so terrible, this wouldn’t be as big a “story” as it is. Somehow, I guess, that’s ARod’s fault, too.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:17 PM
Gammons an asshole. God forbid that anyone ever do anything to distract attention from his beloved Red Sox. This is Gammons, puffed up chest post-victory celebrating, taking a swipe at both ARod and the Yankees. And I absolutely hate the Yankees.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:18 PM
The New Yorker piece on Boras linked off this site a little while ago was tremendous–the part about Boras holding some type of grudge against those who “made it” in baseball rings true to me.
Ultimately, Boras’s arguments fall flat–sure, A-Rod has a right to get paid what a team is willing to pay, but to argue that his appeal and marketability transcend team identity falls short on two counts:
1. He’s never won, much less played for, a championship. Transcendent players (MJ, Montana,et al) all have rings.
2. Without a team identity, A-Rod is just a shmuck with a self-esteem problem. Sure, he is larger than life in many repsects, but the logo on the cap helps make A-Rod’s identity as an athlete as much as he would define a team by himself. It’s a 2-way process.
That’s the long-winded way of saying that Boras is a douche.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:20 PM
I’m definitely not a fan of A-Rod and how he handled the situation but Gammons comes off as a petulant child in that clip. His bias is palpable and you could almost see the tears as he whined away the evening. Sad, really.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:21 PM
please…aRod isn’t whats wrong with sports, get off your high horse…
you’d turn down money teams are willing to pay you? it’s not like he’s extorting them. he knows what he can get on the market and he’s using that to his financial advantage. why should he play for $15 mil when he knows some team is willing to pay him $25 mil? thats capitalism.
go ahead and start a team with rolen and whoever the fuck you mentioned in the post up top. ill take the greatest player of the last 25 years on my team any day regardless of whether or not he chokes in the playoffs (that’s why there are other players on teams, so they can pick up the slack when the team needs it).
and whats wrong with announcing it during game 4 of the WS? if anything, he did the rest of the country a favor by diverting attention away from all the massholes who are pissed because they dont get to spend their day masturbating to their own teams’ press clippings.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:37 PM
I bet Boras could get me $3.5 M to be the bat boy for the Yankees
October 29th, 2007 at 3:40 PM
Who has A-Rod’s salary history?
Here’s the question – using hypothetical #’s – let’s say the guy is worth, right now (salary, marketing, whatever other money he has made): $300 million.
The Yankees were going to offer him an extension so that he’d make – i believe – $27 million a year for the next eight years. He’s basically holding out for $30 million.
If that’s not greed, what is? How else to describe this?
We’re not talking about Prince Fielder here … when he’s a free agent and goes to the team with the most money, that’s not greed. That makes sense because he’s made NO MONEY with the Brewers (415k this year).
But for an incredibly wealthy guy to chase even more money? Dick.
Yes, it would be hilarious if King George became lucid again and demanded the team sign A-Rod. That would be epic.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:55 PM
greed, capitalism its all the same thing.
really, do you think aRod would have opted out if boras didn’t know there was a team out there who would pay that kind of money?
An incredibly wealthy guy chasing more money? Ideally, I’d love to say that I’d be happy if i were in his situation, but you know what, I know I’d still go after the most cash I could.
I still wouldn’t count out the Yankees on making an offer.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:57 PM
While I would beg to differ that $415,000 is “NO MONEY,” the larger point is valid. This is not the same situation as someone who leaves a job that pays $40,000 a year to take a job that pays $50,000 a year. That $10,000 a year makes a huge difference at that income level. The same is true, although less so, for someone who leaves a job paying $125K to take a job paying $135K. Once you get above a certain level– $200K? $300K?– the money stops mattering. Turning down $10M in favor of $12M– that’s just greed. The extra $2M makes no practical difference since you are already set for life with the first $10M. Turning down $25M to seek $30M? That is off-the-charts greed.
What’s funny is that I get the sense that Rodriguez would have been happy to re-up with the Yankees and call it a day, but Boras wouldn’t let him.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:57 PM
Should Steve Jobs start selling iPhones for $20 because he’s already so wealthy? Please. Maybe ARod doesn’t want his children to ever have to work a day in their lives; maybe he wants the same thing for his grandchildren. But hey, that’s just him being a dick.
Love live capitalism!
October 29th, 2007 at 3:59 PM
There are ways to get more money without looking like an a-hole. His agent seems not to understand that.
Also, A-Rod’s wife is a hag.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:21 PM
Nah, this “capitalism” defense of A-rod is bunk. The money is only part of the equation.
Yes, we are all allowed to move jobs for more money, you can not begrudge a man at all for that. You don’t become a multi millionaire by deciding at some point that the money doesn’t matter because it does. It always matters.
Now that is not to say that money is the only part of a person’s decision on where to work or play in this situation.
A rod was never really happy in new york and it was obvious that was a major part of his decision. We all know that he could have gotten the yanks to $30 MM a year if he and Boras even negoiated with the team but they didn’t.
It is pretty simple A-rod can’t handle the pressure of performing in the postseason in new york. Remember the guy only wants to be loved he could care less about failing and proving himself a great champion. He only wants smooth sailing.
A rod had to get out of nyc and he and Boras would rather let the public think that money (or team dysfunction) is the issue rather than his thin skin and lack of testicular fortitude. We should be slamming Arod not because of his greed but because he is a pansy. A really talented pansy. The guy will go down as one of the great talents in the game but unfortunately nothing more.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Alex Rodriguez’s salary history – you can verify it at http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rodrial01.shtml.
1994 Seattle Mariners $442,333
1995 Seattle Mariners $442,333
1996 Seattle Mariners $442,334
1997 Seattle Mariners $1,062,500
1998 Seattle Mariners $2,162,500
1999 Seattle Mariners $3,112,500
2000 Seattle Mariners $4,362,500
2001 Texas Rangers $22,000,000
2002 Texas Rangers $22,000,000
2003 Texas Rangers $22,000,000
2004 New York Yankees $22,000,000
2005 New York Yankees $26,000,000
2006 New York Yankees $21,680,727
2007 New York Yankees $22,708,525
Career (may be incomplete) $170,416,252
October 29th, 2007 at 4:28 PM
Mike F.: Rodriguez is free to earn as much as he can get someone to pay him, but we are free to look at him and think he’s a greedy jerk for doing it. He has already earned over $100 million. I think his kids are all set.
Anyway, you miss the point with the iPhone comment. The point was that it is not a fair comparison for someone to defend an athlete who passes up tens of millions of dollars for an even higher offer by saying, “You would do the same thing if you could. People quit their jobs for higher-paying jobs all the time.” In most cases, the extra money actually makes a significant difference to the financial security of the person taking the job (e.g., $10,000 when you’re only making $45,000). In the ballplayer’s case, the additional money’s effect on his financial security is marginal because he is already set for life.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:37 PM
Um, the point of the iPhone comment was to compare ARod NOT to someone earning $45,000 a year, but instead to someone who has even MORE money than him, as Steve Jobs most certainly does. So, according to your logic, since Jobs has so much money, he should be practically giving his iPhones away. After all, he’s already set for life! His kids are all set!
And yes, you can “criticize” him all day long for earning that coin; but to begrudge a man for his money makes you come off as either a) envious, or, even worse, b) a leftist.
October 29th, 2007 at 4:57 PM
A-Rod wants to be loved, but he doesn’t get it. How can anybody root for this guy? I don’t blame him for wanting to get as much as he can get, but it seems like at this point in his career he’d be more worried about winning something, instead of the money. It’s hard for people to root for players who are like this. It’s like Latrell saying he needs to feed his family, except A-rod didn’t say it out loud, his actions say it for him.
October 29th, 2007 at 5:32 PM
It is traditional for players to get raises if they perform well….If you perform well, d you expect a raise and say….Ah…No Thanks…im wealth enough.
Fuck No.
This is all Tom Hicks fault.
If he offered A-Rod 10 yrs 200 M this new contract would be 10 yrs 25O M the same price as the original…And 200 M would have still been a ridiculous contract at the time….we would all be pissed that ARod was about to get 250 M more now….It is all relative
ALL PLAYERS will get raises…It just so happens that A-Rod is getting a raise from a higher salary bracket than most guys
October 29th, 2007 at 5:45 PM
This is not remotely close to somebody making the move from a 40k job to a 50k job. Had that person made $170 million over the last 13 years? And that’s not even counting ad/marketing money.
In addition, this isn’t about being ‘offered’ a raise. He basically is passing up a lot of money, with the potential to make more. Right now, he has no idea WHERE he is going. Unless a deal is already in place (which is probably the case, but also illegal), A-Rod has no clue what the future holds. The only given at this point – he’ll make more money.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:02 PM
TBL…Im gald you put it that way…In an unrelated but similar situation a few weeks ago people were awash in the Terrell Owens fine of $7500 for the SpyGate with the football thing…to me and you $7500 is alot of cash but the reality of that fine – considering what TO makes (8.3M) is the eqivalent of a guy who makes $50k getting fined $50….these numbers seem big but if you use the correct percentages A-Rod is simply getting a 20% payraise….
That doesnt seem really unfair wnen you think about it in those terms
October 29th, 2007 at 6:10 PM
Jesus christ, TBL, did ARod shove that gigantic stick up your ass, or were you born with it? First off, if the Yankees didn’t leak their lowball offer to the press (and yes, it was lowball and they knew boras wasn’t going to accept it), all of this crap would’ve waited until after the world series. Second off, why should Arod give up money from billionaires? It’s not like New Yorkers are going to say “gee whiz, you’re awesome now because you left 50 million on the table.” No, they’d still rip the hell out of him even though Jeter is getting more money from the yankees and is a much inferior player.
Sucks to be a yankee fan…enjoy watching Arod’s next team playing in October while the yankees suffer through a rebuilding year.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:11 PM
Who is comparing it to a guy making $40k? I compared it to Steve Jobs giving away iPhones for practically nothing.
Did you give Reilly the same treatment for jumping ship to ESPN for the “ridonkulous” money they gave him?
October 29th, 2007 at 6:25 PM
I can’t wait for A-rod to lead his new team just short of the playoffs next year with another MVP worthy season. That way Boras can justify his new contract and A-rod can be happy he didn’t get the chance to choke in the playoffs yet again.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:31 PM
maybe ARod really, really doesn’t want to play in New York anymore.
October 29th, 2007 at 6:48 PM
Maybe someone already said this but watch Gammons wax poetic about A-Rod being one of the all time greats when he signs with Boston and excuse everything he has ever done.
It is all but guaranteed.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:03 PM
Mike F.: Take a step back and reread what I originally posted. I made the point that it is an inapt comparison to equate most of us leaving our jobs for higher pay to a ballplayer making millions. You responded with the iPhone analogy, which was: 1) besides the point and 2) incorrect. Steve Jobs does not pocket every dollar from every sale of the iPhone. That money is revenue for the company, which has lots of expenses including research and development, marketing, and employee salaries and benefits. If Apple sold the iPhone for $20.00, it would go out of business.
TBL: I think you misread something. We agree: it is a TOTALLY different situation to leave a $40K job for a $50K job than to leave $25M on the table in search of $30M. That was entirely the point of my original post, which echoed sentiments you have previously expressed in this and other threads. Even Mike F. didn’t try to say that it’s the same situation, so I’m not sure what you were responding to when you wrote, “This is not remotely close to somebody making the move from a 40k job to a 50k job. Had that person made $170 million over the last 13 years?” No one appears to be arguing otherwise.
October 30th, 2007 at 1:19 AM
Who has more MISinformation —- Peter Gammons or Peter King? Now that’s a contest!
And was Peter Gammons a walrus in a past life?