As we all know, Giancarlo Stanton is about to get paid. He’s so getting paid that my article on just how much he’s going to get paid isn’t just at the Baseball Continuum, but also here at The Hall.
But what we are forgetting here is just how insane this possible deal is. I mean, jeez, this is JUST ONE MAN. And this is baseball, where one man cannot make that much of a difference (Madison Bumgarner excepted, of course).
So, what is Jeffrey Loria buying here?
I have a theory. And that theory goes with what Loria is. Contrary to reports that he is the Baseball Antichrist (or, as Montrealers call him, L’antéchrist de baseball), or that he is a greedy stereotype of a one-percenter with more money than sense (that can apply to a good number of owners in sports), I know exactly what Loria is.
He is, above all, a collector. He deals in art. It drives everything he does.
His stadium in Miami is, to him, not a stadium so much as it’s a giant art installation, complete with the home run gimmick statue of doom. In fact, the entire change from Florida Marlins to Miami Marlins just screams Loria and art. The bright colored uniforms, the crazy gimmick statue, the aquarium behind home plate…it’s all Loria.
He was making a statement, declaring that the Marlins were going to be a hip and vibe-filled avatar of Miami.
That…didn’t quite work out.
But the thing with art is that it can be improved. Especially living art like the Marlins, which Loria no doubt considers the finest piece of art in his collection – his Mona Lisa. And he considers Giancarlo Stanton the best part of that piece of artwork- the equivalent to Mona Lisa‘s smile.
Mona Lisa is nothing without the smile and Loria is making sure that the smile on his Mona Lisa doesn’t go away.
So, in a way, when you realize how Loria views the world, the Stanton deal makes an interesting sort of sense.
Or not.
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LINKS!
Jose Arangure on Yasmani Tomas, the next Cuban MLB star.
CJ Nitkowski looks at possible Korean players who may be coming over. This is especially interesting since CJ Nitkowski played in Korea for a time.
The brief tale of a man who got hit by a train, died, but still held onto the ball for an out.
DOUBLE SELF-PROMOTION OF THE WEEK: There’s a “Bizarre Baseball Culture” on a post-Schulz Peanuts and a look at the first references to Japanese baseball in The Sporting News.
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There are some things that do not need explanation, because they cannot be explained. One of those things is the “Baseball Boogie Bunch” aka the 1986 Los Angeles Dodgers:
I’m still waiting for the Puig-rific remake of this.
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As always, you can see more of my work over at Baseball Continuum.
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