December 08, 2003

Pudgepacking — or how to turn greed into a PR triumph.: Ivan Rodriguez doesn't deserve a four-year, $40M deal. He deserves an asswhuppin' for turning his back on the Marlins.

"It was a privilege to be a part of this world championship team, and it is unfortunate the ownership chose not to keep the club together, as I felt we had the players to repeat as world champions," Rodriguez said. It was a script tossed in a Disney wastebasket somewhere, passed over for being "too corny." An aging Latin star, hobbled by injuries and looking for a break, skips out of baseball purgatory and gets a chance to play with a feisty bunch of kids, hits his ass off in the postseason and helps lead the team to a title. The ending would be the star signing with the team to end his career there and show his undying appreciation to the organization. Instead, the crowd gets a few mealy-mouthed sentences formed in the "perfect victim" tense and leaves shaking its head. Pudge, you stupid, self-serving bastard, let's get something straight here. The ownership did NOT choose to remove you from the team — you did. Let's review how big a fool you are, shall we? Point 1 — Florida offered $28 million over four years, and you turned your nose up at it. The fact that the Marlins were unwilling to meet your request of $40M over the same time span doesn't mean they removed you. It means you removed yourself by deliberately pricing yourself out of their market. Big difference. Point 2 — The offer equals $7M a year, pal, not exactly chump change for a 32-year-old catcher who doesn't hit for power and has broken down more often lately than Tammy Faye at a revival. The Marlins were taking a risk offering you any kind of four-year deal. I don't believe you'll see another, so enjoy hopping from team to team for the remainder of your career. Also, bringing up Mike Lowell's four-year deal is a specious argument. Lowell's younger, hits for more power, puts more butts in the seats and is in better general health than you, even minus one testicle. In short, he's more important to the longterm outlook of the Marlins than you. You want four years? You're in Florida — go locate the Fountain of Youth and call us back. Point 3 — "To my knowledge, I'm the only major leaguer in recent times who won the World Series and received a postseason MVP award, and yet his club did not offer a higher salary." Pudge, you had a great postseason, and that's appreciated. It was also only 17 games. It doesn't mean you get to bend the team over a freaking barrel. The fact that you are using the championship as leverage (and it was the Marlins, not you who "won" the World Series) against the ownership when they took a chance in signing you to a pricey deal in the first place shows what your real motivation is. There's nothing wrong with an athlete, or any worker, trying to get the most he or she can for services provided. It's the American way. Unfortunately, Rodriguez has Scott "The Underminer" Boras in his corner, whispering about dollar signs and longterm deals when the reality of a tough market means Pudge may get his $10M for a year or two, but will get nothing close to that afterward. Boras and Rodriguez are also not thinking longterm in the sense of Pudge's life after baseball. Had Ivan retired a Marlin, he would have been set with the club for life. What better place for him to be in the front office than Miami, a famous and well-respected face to put on the organization? Rodriguez's ticket was written, but he chose to rip it up and then throw it in the face of the team. I hope Pudge, for whom I had a great deal of respect before this, lands with the Mets or some other overpaying stiff and has to sit home next October while the Marlins ride Ramon Castro's bat. IT would be a fitting payback for the disservice he provided to Florida and its fans.

posted by wfrazerjr to commentary at 02:50 PM - 0 comments