AROD AGENT A 'CUB $COUT'
STAR COULD BE PART OWNER
September 23, 2007 -- A new report says Alex Rodriguez's agent has spoken to a potential new owner of the Chicago Cubs about a bank-breaking deal that could give A-Rod a cut of the team.
The powerful Yankee third baseman is eligible to opt for free agency 10 days after the World Series ends this fall. And, New York magazine reports, super-agent Scott Boras is already talking to who he thinks is the favorite group vying to purchase Chicago's first-place team.
A-Rod has three seasons left on a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Yanks but has the right to become a free agent after this season ends.
According to the magazine, Boras is peddling a Second City deal that could go for an average of $30 million a year over 10 seasons, with much of that cash backloaded for the 32-year-old Rodriguez - who would then be given the right to buy a chunk of the Cubs at the contract's conclusion. The report does not indicate who would pay for this proposed, precedent-setting deal.
The Tribune Company, owner of The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and Newsday, announced in April it was seeking to break off the Cubs from its media empire and sell the team after this season.
New York magazine writes that Boras is in talks with the ownership group that insiders believe will win the Cub-purchase derby.
That, however, may violate Major League Baseball rules.
"It is tampering for an agent to talk to anybody about a player who is under contract with another team," a sports-business expert told The Post.
Boras did not return calls for comment.
Asked about the potential deal after the Yankees' win yesterday over the Blue Jays, A-Rod said only, "I don't know what that's about."
New York magazine doesn't name the front-running owner wannabe but reports that it is not Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban of the NBA, who's expressed interest in grabbing the Cubs.
It has been reported that a group led by private-equity mogul John Canning, chief executive of Chicago's Madison Dearborn Partners, has the best shot.
Other bidders include a group led by local lawyer Thomas Mandler and businessman Jim Anixter, and another spearheaded by former state Sen. Bill Marovitz.
The prospect would put A-Rod in a small class of athletes-turned-owners:
* Michael Jordan owns a stake of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and had a piece of the Washington Wizards while playing there during a brief comeback.
* The legendary Connie Mack served as longtime manager of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics, a job from which he couldn't be fired since he also owned the team.
* Mario Lemieux is principal owner and chairman of the team for which he once starred, the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
* And NHL legend Wayne Gretzky is managing partner of hockey's Phoenix Coyotes.
Even though the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 - a span that has seen the Yanks bring 26 titles to The Bronx - they're expected to sell for a record price between $600 million and $1 billion.
If Boras does cut a deal with the Cubs, A-Rod would be joining a stable of all-stars led by his former Seattle Mariner skipper, Lou Piniella.
Posted by djsunyc:
AROD AGENT A 'CUB $COUT'
STAR COULD BE PART OWNER
September 23, 2007 -- A new report says Alex Rodriguez's agent has spoken to a potential new owner of the Chicago Cubs about a bank-breaking deal that could give A-Rod a cut of the team.
The powerful Yankee third baseman is eligible to opt for free agency 10 days after the World Series ends this fall. And, New York magazine reports, super-agent Scott Boras is already talking to who he thinks is the favorite group vying to purchase Chicago's first-place team.
A-Rod has three seasons left on a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Yanks but has the right to become a free agent after this season ends.
According to the magazine, Boras is peddling a Second City deal that could go for an average of $30 million a year over 10 seasons, with much of that cash backloaded for the 32-year-old Rodriguez - who would then be given the right to buy a chunk of the Cubs at the contract's conclusion. The report does not indicate who would pay for this proposed, precedent-setting deal.
The Tribune Company, owner of The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times and Newsday, announced in April it was seeking to break off the Cubs from its media empire and sell the team after this season.
New York magazine writes that Boras is in talks with the ownership group that insiders believe will win the Cub-purchase derby.
That, however, may violate Major League Baseball rules.
"It is tampering for an agent to talk to anybody about a player who is under contract with another team," a sports-business expert told The Post.
Boras did not return calls for comment.
Asked about the potential deal after the Yankees' win yesterday over the Blue Jays, A-Rod said only, "I don't know what that's about."
New York magazine doesn't name the front-running owner wannabe but reports that it is not Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban of the NBA, who's expressed interest in grabbing the Cubs.
It has been reported that a group led by private-equity mogul John Canning, chief executive of Chicago's Madison Dearborn Partners, has the best shot.
Other bidders include a group led by local lawyer Thomas Mandler and businessman Jim Anixter, and another spearheaded by former state Sen. Bill Marovitz.
The prospect would put A-Rod in a small class of athletes-turned-owners:
* Michael Jordan owns a stake of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and had a piece of the Washington Wizards while playing there during a brief comeback.
* The legendary Connie Mack served as longtime manager of baseball's Philadelphia Athletics, a job from which he couldn't be fired since he also owned the team.
* Mario Lemieux is principal owner and chairman of the team for which he once starred, the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins.
* And NHL legend Wayne Gretzky is managing partner of hockey's Phoenix Coyotes.
Even though the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 - a span that has seen the Yanks bring 26 titles to The Bronx - they're expected to sell for a record price between $600 million and $1 billion.
If Boras does cut a deal with the Cubs, A-Rod would be joining a stable of all-stars led by his former Seattle Mariner skipper, Lou Piniella.
If we let A-Rod go, we're gonna have to get a good third baseman and improve our offense at at least one but probably two of DH, 1st base, and CF. A-Rod alone can compensate for guys with .700 OPSs in each of those positions.
it's not a choice of if "we" let a-rod go, it's totally up to arod.
if this article is correct and they offer him ownership, how could he refuse that deal? it's 100% up to arod.
we've won before without arod, we can win again. but if he leaves, we will totally become a different team and will probably have to play a different type of baseball.
Posted by djsunyc:
it's not a choice of if "we" let a-rod go, it's totally up to arod.
if this article is correct and they offer him ownership, how could he refuse that deal? it's 100% up to arod.
we've won before without arod, we can win again. but if he leaves, we will totally become a different team and will probably have to play a different type of baseball.
that is OK, I really like A-rod but I am tired of he and boras bullshyt. The yankees broke their own rules and offered to re-negotiate his deal mid season, that was a huge step for the yankees and boras spit in their faces, if you ask me. Honestly, the cubs are not going to win anything with or without A-rod. If A-rod wants money the yankees can give him that, and honestly if i am the yankees with the rangers subsidising part of his deal, if A-rod opts out, I don't know if I want to give up that kind of savings, I mean we are talking 30 mil approx.
The yanks will win with or without A-rod, the yankees can go throw money at another young Free agent stud, and get a guy like lowel to play third base. Boras is a scum bag, I envision one day soon all of this shyt he creates, he will eventually step right in it....
scott boras should be banned from baseball
If he goes, he goes and I'll be fine with it as long as the Yankees make a good effort to keep him.
There's nothing you can do if he opts out and leaves. He's left a good team before to chase the money and he was miserable because of it. If he does it again, he better make sure he's happy because he's not going to be able to get out of it the way he did Texas, especially if this BS about ownership is true.
If the Yankees don't make it to the World Series this year and ARod has a bad or even average postseason, it will be very easy letting ARod go if he chooses to. He hasn't taken them anywhere that they can't get without him.
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
Posted by BigSm00th:
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
he brought in joba last wednesday in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
Posted by djsunyc:
Posted by BigSm00th:
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
he brought in joba last wednesday in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
And last Friday for two complete innings. So, yes, he did break the Joba rules. Breaking them was inevitable. They'll be either modified or eliminated altogether for the playoffs IMO.
Posted by Bonn1997:
Posted by djsunyc:
Posted by BigSm00th:
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
he brought in joba last wednesday in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
And last Friday for two complete innings. So, yes, he did break the Joba rules. Breaking them was inevitable. They'll be either modified or eliminated altogether for the playoffs IMO.
The Joba Rules were amended based on pitch count. If he doesn't hit a certain amount of pitches, he can get brought in sooner than he would have otherwise.
Posted by SupremeCommander:
Posted by Bonn1997:
Posted by djsunyc:
Posted by BigSm00th:
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
he brought in joba last wednesday in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
And last Friday for two complete innings. So, yes, he did break the Joba rules. Breaking them was inevitable. They'll be either modified or eliminated altogether for the playoffs IMO.
The Joba Rules were amended based on pitch count. If he doesn't hit a certain amount of pitches, he can get brought in sooner than he would have otherwise.
Interesting. I didn't know that. I think they'll amend the rules again for the playoffs.
Posted by djsunyc:
it's not a choice of if "we" let a-rod go, it's totally up to arod.
if this article is correct and they offer him ownership, how could he refuse that deal? it's 100% up to arod.
we've won before without arod, we can win again. but if he leaves, we will totally become a different team and will probably have to play a different type of baseball.
i don't buy that article for a second... they don't even know who the owners of the Cubs will be, how the hell can Boras already be having conversations to give ARod part ownership? it's a rumor leaked by Boras' camp to try & strong arm the Yankees into paying through the nose on a new extension... he's running out of chips to play because he knows ARod wants to stay in NY & no other team out there will pay him close to what the Yankees will.
Posted by SupremeCommander:
Posted by Bonn1997:
Posted by djsunyc:
Posted by BigSm00th:
did torre break the joba rules by bringing him in today in the 8th?
he brought in joba last wednesday in the 8th inning with 2 outs.
And last Friday for two complete innings. So, yes, he did break the Joba rules. Breaking them was inevitable. They'll be either modified or eliminated altogether for the playoffs IMO.
The Joba Rules were amended based on pitch count. If he doesn't hit a certain amount of pitches, he can get brought in sooner than he would have otherwise.
i brought that up a while ago... the whole Joba rules based on innings pitched was ridiculous... David Justice brought up the idea that it needed to be amended to be based on pitch count instead & i couldn't have agreed w/him more back when he said it... good to see they're finally allowing this kid to have more of an impact on this pennant race.
The rules have kept him healthy and kept him under his innings limit with the playoffs looming. Ultimately they were the right thing to do...you introduce subjectivity and you can allow for that to get exploited. He's been allowed to adjust to the pen at his own pace and now he's clearly ready to be a weapon in the playoffs. All the while we've made up a ton of games in the standings. IMO a big success.
I think Peter Abraham summed it up nicely in his blog:
UPDATE, 11:34 p.m.: As always, I read all the Yankee stories today and noticed a running theme, that somehow the “Joba Rules” were broken because he pitched yesterday.
This whole thing is really getting out of hand. The kid has now been a reliever since late July. He has made 16 relief appearances in the majors after making three in the minors. His arm is now conditioned to what he is doing.
The “Rules” were never the 10 Commandments. They were guidelines that would change as time went on. Chamberlain, the trainers, Nardi Contreras, Joe Torre, Ron Guidry and Brian Cashman all have a say in what is right. The main thing is for the kid to be honest and tell them how he feels.
There are a few basic things: if he warms up, he’s coming in. They won’t warm him up two or three times (“dry humps” as the relievers say) before making the move.
He’s not going to throw more than 34-40 pitches in an outing.
If he throws that many, he’s going to get a few days off. But if he throws 10 on one day, he can pitch the next day if needed.
It’s basic, common-sense stuff. But some fans seem to be under the impression that Torre has a team of lawyers looking for loopholes in some document. It’s not like that. Better than anybody, Torre understands what Chamberlain means to the organization.
If he’s going to be manager for another two or three years (which is certainly possible at this point), he wants Joba healthy. Having a rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Joba, Moose and Hughes next season is a good place to start.
Jesse Litsch will take the mound in the series finale, filling in for scheduled starter A.J. Burnett, who was bumped to Tuesday after attending to a family matter on Monday.
Posted by djsunyc:
Jesse Litsch will take the mound in the series finale, filling in for scheduled starter A.J. Burnett, who was bumped to Tuesday after attending to a family matter on Monday.
yea and now this clown is pitching like cy young...
thanks Burnett!!!!!!!!!!
Yanks just lost today. A full 2 down now. Very sloppy play earlier in the game, on our defense's part.
Just got home from the game. That was pretty much the worst game I've seen in awhile. That was the last good pitcher they are going to see before the playoffs and I would have liked to have gotten more done against him since they didn't do anything against Halladay until the 9th.
I want to see them finish up strong. Hopefully they go into Tampa and Baltimore and just blow their doors off to finish the season.
Monday afternoon game. Not surprised that they just came out flat...
Too bad it was an afternoon game. I was working
