,p>Occasionally I listen to Fox sports to learn what negativity is floating around football and baseball. Today, agent Scott Boras was interviewed, and the discussion was Manny, so I paid attention . . for awhile.
After dissing the Red Sox & Boston sportswriters, Saint Boras stated that, in good economic times, he doesn’t go to the owners and GM’s and insist on big $$ because of those good times. (As he was talking I kept thinking of the outrageous manipulations around his clients A-Rod, Daisuke, Damon, Fielder, Gagne, Holliday, JD, Lowe, M.Ramirez, Ordonez, Teagarden, Teixeira, Tek.) I couldn’t stop laughing.)
He went on to say that just because teams are now facing economic down times shouldn’t mean his clients pay grades should reflect the down times. Talk about a spinmeister. Could he be trying some “fair and unbiased” PR spin because he failed so miserably this year with Manny, Lowe, Teixeira, I-Rod, Abreu, Tek, etc. Thankfully, in 2009 his greed only marginally messed up the game and the salaries of other players on these teams.
I gagged when he started talking in his most empathetic voice about all those truly poor people out there, in danger of losing their homes, etc., etc. and who can’t watch games. He actually proposed the need for MLB to put together packages for these poor people to come out to games, or to see them in the media. The pious spokesman for the baseball poor. What a nerve. Let them eat cake.
My suspicious mind immediately linked this to Manny’s first ever donation to charity, the $1M donation to inner city youth sports in L.A which he announced on signing day in L.A.. I realized this was part of the compromise over the $45MM contract. Instead of Manny getting $42-43MM deferred, he got $43-44MM, plus another $1M that was very publicly donated to his fellow everyday poor guys from L.A., who were overjoyed to give him a big tax write off.
I don’t know what else was said as I felt so dirty listening to the smarmy, self-serving spin by this modern, secular Richelieu, that I had to shut the radio off. I seldom agree with Callaghan, but he is 100% right on the character and ethics, or lack thereof, of this agent.
Current Red Sox Boras clients are Ellsbury, Drew, Matsuzaka, Veritek, Wilkerson. Recent Red Sox Boras clients are Cora, Damon, Gagne, Hansen, C.Pena, M.Ramirez, Tavarez, and almost A-Rod. Boras clients publicly discussed, at least in the media and blogs, but not signed for 2009 include Abreau, G.Anderson, Bloomquist, Crede, Fielder, Holliday, Laird, Lowe, Nady, Ordonez, I-Rod, Teagarden, Teixeira. There is a moral in here somewhere, at least a lesson of some sort. Darned if I know what it is.
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