I will just put this out there right away. I don’t begrudge anyone their right to make money. This is a capitalist society, and if you are good enough at your job to make $250,000,000, then good for you. I wish I was accomplished enough to make one hundredth of that paycheck, which I would gladly take right to the bank. Or more likely RJ Race Cars and John Kaase….sigh. Sorry, back to the subject at hand.
Athletes make ridiculous money, I think most of us can agree on that. They don’t make that money in a vacuum, though, if you are reading this, then you are at least partially responsible for making their Bentley payments. I’m guessing you have at least one MLB hat in your closet (or on your head) and I bet you have gone to at least one game in your lifetime. All these things contribute. Even if you just watch on TV, you are helping the station sell advertising, which helps them make payment to MLB to broadcast the games….which then helps pay salaries, which brings us back to your favorite outfielder’s Bentley. What I do not like about athletes and their fat bank accounts, is the involvement of agents. I am sure that there are good agents out there, some that can see past their own needs, and occasionally make decisions keeping in mind the long term health of the industry that made them stinking rich, but I rarely or never hear about them. I seriously wonder about the motives and thinking behind the decisions that get made by these agents.
I bring this up because of the comments made by Darek Braunecker, Cliff Lee’s agent.
Braunecker says that Lee is unlikely to re-sign in Seattle, and (paraphrasing here) that the clock to free agency is ticking, and he will become a free agent and go shopping for a blank check after the season. This is an incredibly damaging and irresponsible statement. It has the potential to hurt the Fans, the Mariners, Cliff Lee, and even the agent himself (who makes $$$$ off the contract that his players receive).
As a fan, do you want to hear that a player you have been deliriously happy to have on your team, one who’s debut you have been eagerly anticipating, doesn’t want to be here? Do you want to cheer for his player? I am certain that a percentage of Mariner fans have now washed their hands of Lee, and see him as a temp, trade bait, or even a mercenary. He is not going to get the support and love he was getting right up until the moment that his agent stated his intentions. He may even get some boos, and his agent has alienated him to the fans. Remember the last time a stud lefty felt un-loved in Seattle? He pouted and quit on the team until he was traded, then suddenly remembered how to pitch.
If Lee is un-motivated, and un-loved, his pitching could suffer, which damages his trade value, hurting the Mariners organization, and brings up another problem. Do you trade him? If so, when? Now, after one brilliant start? At the trade deadline, provided the M’s are not in the race? What if they are? Do you wait until the off season, let him leave (further alienating fans) and take your compensatory picks? If Lee’s pitching suffers, he will not get the same contract he would if he has another Cy Young season, and that hits Mr Braunecker in the wallet. I see absolutely no reason for Braunecker to make these statements, especially when Lee has said repeatedly that he does not want to discuss these things during the season. I suppose agents are a necessary evil in the game, but I fail to see how this one is doing his job to the benefit of anyone involved.
As for the 3 game series with Texas, there were some outstanding pitching performances. Beyond that, please refer to the title of this post.
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