Via Yahoo! Sports:
“What happened in Boston, at this point, I don’t think it hurt me. It was a bad economy. I got a good contract. I have made my money already. I’m happy to be playing where I want to be playing. Actually, I won. I’m in a great place. My teammates love me, and the fans love me. It’s better to have a two-year deal in a place where you are happy than an eight-year deal in a place where you are suffering."
Showing posts with label Manny Ramirez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manny Ramirez. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Friday, October 17, 2008
I'm not saying "I CALLED IT!...but...
I CALLED IT! I pegged Scott Boras' first offer to the Dodgers for Manny Ramirez. 6 years, $25 Mil per year, $150 Million total contract. Check it, I even emailed T.J. Simers at the LA Times about it:
My post on LA Dodger Talk:
Ryan October 7, 2008 8:10 pm
Dialogue:
McCourt: Arte, did you hear my boys won their first playoff series in 20 years?!
Arte: Yeah, I did. Maybe your fans will forgive you now for a** raping them on parking and ticket fees. You know, when I moved to town the first thing I did was lower the price of beer at the stadium.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2007/db20070925_408918.htm?chan=top+news_special+report+–+the+power+100_special+report+
Now on to the payroll…
I read that article in the Rocky Mountain Times that Robert Timm posted over on tha Dugout. There is no chance (Repeat, NO CHANCE) that Boras will allow Manny to sign for 5 years, $85 mil. That’s a $3 mil per year pay cut from Manny’s BoSox option.
We WILL sign CC Sabathia (if Zito got 7 years and $126 Mil, look for CC to get 6 years and $125 Mil)
We WILL re-sign Furcal (he got 3 years and $39 mil last go-around. Look for something a little more lucrative as all of Torre’s comments on how he “never realized how good of a player Furcal was” will be used against us)
We WILL NOT sign Manny. Mark my words, after putting up 53 RBI’s in 53 games, getting the Dodgers into the NLCS and, god willing, the World Series, the asking price for Manny will be $150 Million - 6 years at $25mil per year. And, after missing the post season this year, Hank Steinbrenner will be dumb enough to pay it.
Did you guys all read the Bill Simmons piece on Manny? If you didn’t because of length (and it was a LONG ONE), you only need to read the last paragraph:
From Manny Being Manipulated…
Let’s pretend you were Boras last spring. First, grow fangs and imagine you sleep in a coffin. Second, divorce yourself from all parameters of human decency. (Concentrate on those dollars signs. Keep concentrating. Block everything else out.) Third, convince yourself the relationship between a player and his fans, no matter how long it has been cultivated, doesn’t matter even remotely. Fourth, keep reminding yourself, as long as you can weasel Manny out of that ‘09 option with Boston, you’re looking at a four-year contract elsewhere for $80-100 million … as well as a big fat commission for yourself. You feeling it? You feeling like Boras yet? (Touch your new fangs to be sure.) Well, here’s how you handle the “best interests” of your client: By molding Manny like a piece of cancerous Play-Doh. Maybe you start feeding him lines like, “Hey, I can’t make progress on that 2009 option, they’re really worried that you’re washed up” and “I don’t know what’s wrong with Theo, supposedly he was ripping you to Gammons last week.” You know every secondhand comment has a bigger purpose. You know those little digs will add up. You know Manny will start acting out. The rest is history.
I guess it goes without saying that I am waiting to buy my Manny Dreads and # 99 Jersey until AFTER the winter meetings.
Email to T.J. Simers:
Date: Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Subject: RE: Manny Ramirez made the Dodgers important again
T.J.,
If (and I believe it is a very big "IF") Manny Ramirez does not come back to LA, I hope you will utilize your sarcastic venom to paint the appropriate picture: that Scott Boras is Satan himself (Note: not reincarnate). That Scott Boras paraded his prize thoroughbred for 61 games, and then hamstringed the organization with a RIDICULOUS 6-year $150 million or more "reasonable offer".
If I were Frank McCourt, I would not propose any offer for Manny until we tabled the discussion of how to deal with Andruw Jones' contract. That fat f$#% hasn't been worth the paper his contract is printed on!
Just my 2-cents.
_______________________
I still stand by the rest of my words.
SI.com atricle reporting the first offer: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/10/15/heyman.manny/index.html
My post on LA Dodger Talk:
Ryan October 7, 2008 8:10 pm
Dialogue:
McCourt: Arte, did you hear my boys won their first playoff series in 20 years?!
Arte: Yeah, I did. Maybe your fans will forgive you now for a** raping them on parking and ticket fees. You know, when I moved to town the first thing I did was lower the price of beer at the stadium.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2007/db20070925_408918.htm?chan=top+news_special+report+–+the+power+100_special+report+
Now on to the payroll…
I read that article in the Rocky Mountain Times that Robert Timm posted over on tha Dugout. There is no chance (Repeat, NO CHANCE) that Boras will allow Manny to sign for 5 years, $85 mil. That’s a $3 mil per year pay cut from Manny’s BoSox option.
We WILL sign CC Sabathia (if Zito got 7 years and $126 Mil, look for CC to get 6 years and $125 Mil)
We WILL re-sign Furcal (he got 3 years and $39 mil last go-around. Look for something a little more lucrative as all of Torre’s comments on how he “never realized how good of a player Furcal was” will be used against us)
We WILL NOT sign Manny. Mark my words, after putting up 53 RBI’s in 53 games, getting the Dodgers into the NLCS and, god willing, the World Series, the asking price for Manny will be $150 Million - 6 years at $25mil per year. And, after missing the post season this year, Hank Steinbrenner will be dumb enough to pay it.
Did you guys all read the Bill Simmons piece on Manny? If you didn’t because of length (and it was a LONG ONE), you only need to read the last paragraph:
From Manny Being Manipulated…
Let’s pretend you were Boras last spring. First, grow fangs and imagine you sleep in a coffin. Second, divorce yourself from all parameters of human decency. (Concentrate on those dollars signs. Keep concentrating. Block everything else out.) Third, convince yourself the relationship between a player and his fans, no matter how long it has been cultivated, doesn’t matter even remotely. Fourth, keep reminding yourself, as long as you can weasel Manny out of that ‘09 option with Boston, you’re looking at a four-year contract elsewhere for $80-100 million … as well as a big fat commission for yourself. You feeling it? You feeling like Boras yet? (Touch your new fangs to be sure.) Well, here’s how you handle the “best interests” of your client: By molding Manny like a piece of cancerous Play-Doh. Maybe you start feeding him lines like, “Hey, I can’t make progress on that 2009 option, they’re really worried that you’re washed up” and “I don’t know what’s wrong with Theo, supposedly he was ripping you to Gammons last week.” You know every secondhand comment has a bigger purpose. You know those little digs will add up. You know Manny will start acting out. The rest is history.
I guess it goes without saying that I am waiting to buy my Manny Dreads and # 99 Jersey until AFTER the winter meetings.
Email to T.J. Simers:
Date: Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Subject: RE: Manny Ramirez made the Dodgers important again
T.J.,
If (and I believe it is a very big "IF") Manny Ramirez does not come back to LA, I hope you will utilize your sarcastic venom to paint the appropriate picture: that Scott Boras is Satan himself (Note: not reincarnate). That Scott Boras paraded his prize thoroughbred for 61 games, and then hamstringed the organization with a RIDICULOUS 6-year $150 million or more "reasonable offer".
If I were Frank McCourt, I would not propose any offer for Manny until we tabled the discussion of how to deal with Andruw Jones' contract. That fat f$#% hasn't been worth the paper his contract is printed on!
Just my 2-cents.
_______________________
I still stand by the rest of my words.
SI.com atricle reporting the first offer: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/10/15/heyman.manny/index.html
Sunday, October 12, 2008
How do you say "Chin Music" in Japanese?
Hiroki Kuroda extended his dominance of the Phillies Sunday night, earning his 2nd MLB post season win, and the first NLCS win for the Dodgers since '88. Kuroda scattered 5 hits with 1 walk over 6 innings, surrendering 2 runs in the process.
With Sunday's performance Kuroda improved to 2-0 in 3 starts against the Phillies - all quality starts. He's allowed 4 earned runs on 9 hits over 19 innings of work (1.894 ERA), while striking out 15 and walking only 3.
The key to Kuroda's success was establishing control of the inner-half of the plate. Beginning in the 1st inning, Kuroda worked locations against Jimmy Rollins getting him to weakly ground out to 2nd, jammed Shane Victorino into an infield pop-up, and then sang chin music to Chase Utley on an 0-1 pitch. Utley wound up drawing a walk on the at-bat and then getting caught trying to steal 2nd base to end the inning.
As an aside, Utley - a So-Cal native, UCLA alum, and exemplary neo-hard-nosed ball player - appeared to barely flinch as the 94 mph projectile screamed past his nose. He turned his head, but no bailout whatsoever. More on how big of a baller I think Utley is in future posts...
...In the bottom of the 2nd, Russell Martin heard the same music as Utley on an 0-0 pitch from Philly reliever Clay Condrey. Martin's reaction to the pitch was slightly different to say the least.
Kuroda added some fireworks by throwing up and over the back of Shane Victorino's head in the top of the 3rd inning. Whether that was retaliation for Brett Myers throwing behind Manny in game 2, or retaliation for the shots taken at Martin in game 3 are moot points. The fact of the matter is Kuroda and the Dodgers set a tone: when you are at MY HOUSE, you will STAY OFF MY PLATE!
Kuroda followed his warning shot to Victorino with an intimidating confrontation and few choice words at 1st base. Kuroda is still in the process of learning English and speaks to the media and team through his interpreter, Kenji Nimura. Victorino probably doesn't know exactly what Kuroda was saying to him, but I think we're all fairly certain Kuroda wasn't extending and invitation for cocktails following the game. The result of the confrontation was both dugouts and bullpens clearing...no fisticuffs, just some frat-boy chest puffing and yelling.
Managers Joe Torre and Charlie Manuel are not the types to allow these incidents to carryover games, and both Victorino and Martin signaled during post game interviews that the incidents seemed to have resolved themselves. Whether the Dodgers are able to parlay the emotion of the win into a streak remains to be seen, but seeing as how the home team has won every game played between these two teams, the outlook is positive.
Perhaps most important of all is that Kuroda is set to pitch in game 6 back in Philly (Note this is not an "if" statement. There WILL be a game 6). Given his continued handling of the Phillies lineup, he should give the Dodgers an opportunity to win, and that's what's really important!
With Sunday's performance Kuroda improved to 2-0 in 3 starts against the Phillies - all quality starts. He's allowed 4 earned runs on 9 hits over 19 innings of work (1.894 ERA), while striking out 15 and walking only 3.
The key to Kuroda's success was establishing control of the inner-half of the plate. Beginning in the 1st inning, Kuroda worked locations against Jimmy Rollins getting him to weakly ground out to 2nd, jammed Shane Victorino into an infield pop-up, and then sang chin music to Chase Utley on an 0-1 pitch. Utley wound up drawing a walk on the at-bat and then getting caught trying to steal 2nd base to end the inning.
As an aside, Utley - a So-Cal native, UCLA alum, and exemplary neo-hard-nosed ball player - appeared to barely flinch as the 94 mph projectile screamed past his nose. He turned his head, but no bailout whatsoever. More on how big of a baller I think Utley is in future posts...
...In the bottom of the 2nd, Russell Martin heard the same music as Utley on an 0-0 pitch from Philly reliever Clay Condrey. Martin's reaction to the pitch was slightly different to say the least.
Kuroda added some fireworks by throwing up and over the back of Shane Victorino's head in the top of the 3rd inning. Whether that was retaliation for Brett Myers throwing behind Manny in game 2, or retaliation for the shots taken at Martin in game 3 are moot points. The fact of the matter is Kuroda and the Dodgers set a tone: when you are at MY HOUSE, you will STAY OFF MY PLATE!
Kuroda followed his warning shot to Victorino with an intimidating confrontation and few choice words at 1st base. Kuroda is still in the process of learning English and speaks to the media and team through his interpreter, Kenji Nimura. Victorino probably doesn't know exactly what Kuroda was saying to him, but I think we're all fairly certain Kuroda wasn't extending and invitation for cocktails following the game. The result of the confrontation was both dugouts and bullpens clearing...no fisticuffs, just some frat-boy chest puffing and yelling.
Managers Joe Torre and Charlie Manuel are not the types to allow these incidents to carryover games, and both Victorino and Martin signaled during post game interviews that the incidents seemed to have resolved themselves. Whether the Dodgers are able to parlay the emotion of the win into a streak remains to be seen, but seeing as how the home team has won every game played between these two teams, the outlook is positive.
Perhaps most important of all is that Kuroda is set to pitch in game 6 back in Philly (Note this is not an "if" statement. There WILL be a game 6). Given his continued handling of the Phillies lineup, he should give the Dodgers an opportunity to win, and that's what's really important!
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