Portrait of a Boras client

[hawing]

There just isn't any loyalty in sports.

It's more like there just isn't any loyalty in the working world anymore. As frequent changes in employer/career become the norm in other lines of work, why wouldn't they in sports as well? I try to look at all ballplayers as being employees of MLB rather than individual teams. The vast majority now change teams too often to really make a connection with a single franchise. (Obviously, it's easier for me to attempt this approach with non-Brewers than with Brewers.)

 

I also wonder what the realistic market is for Prince. There is already the issue of how many enormously big-spending teams already have enormously well-paid options at 1B and/or DH. But do other teams regard him as too angry? not classy enough? Could that shockwave move he orchestrated last September have affected his image (outside Milwaukee at least) enough to put a dent in his free agency efforts?

[Invader3K]

Well said hawing.

 

Who knows, maybe the Brewers end up being the highest paying option for Prince after 2011? I'm not banking on it at all (I'm guessing Red Sox), but crazier things have happened in sports. Look at the various blogs all over the internet baseball world to get a gauge on how Prince is viewed. Whenever Fielder's name comes up, tons of comments about him being "fat & angry" follow. Now, I assume most baseball GMs are more intelligent than that, but there could be a perception that signing Prince long term is just way too risky.

[Funketown]

Owners should just pay the players more in exchange for bringing back the reserve clause. Just give the union a big check, and let the players fight amongst themselves how they want to divide it up. But please stop screwing the fans who invest so much emotionally and financially to make you so rich.

 

Free agency is the stupidest thing ever created.

Do we really have to go here?

 

Let's pretend that when you were ready to find a job, different firms acquired you via a draft system. Let's say they have the right to pay you 1/10th of your worth, and that you couldn't leave them for another firm. This firm could be in Edmonton, Miami, or New York City, and you might hate the city you have to work in.

 

That sounds just, doesn't it?

[Invader3K]

I think the best solution would be better guaranteed compensation for clubs that lose a premium free agent, and limits on how many premier free agents any club can sign in a single off-season. Really, let's not get this thread way off topic, though.

[davego]

One could argue that the draft is pretty unfair. Why should a big business get to tell a player (worker) where they have to go to be employed? Same thing with this age requirement in some of the other leagues. Talk about interference with the right to work.

[Invader3K]

Well, just for argument's sake, if you're applying to a big corporation, they could tell you what branch (city) you will work at if you want to be employed by them.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Owners should just pay the players more in exchange for bringing back the reserve clause. Just give the union a big check, and let the players fight amongst themselves how they want to divide it up. But please stop screwing the fans who invest so much emotionally and financially to make you so rich.

 

Free agency is the stupidest thing ever created.

I'm sorry AJAY, but seriously? You were one of the guys screaming about Cory Hart going to arbitration after the 'awful' year he had. You want him to get lowballed, and have to play in whatever city he's drafted by, forever and ever?

 

And the players compensation, in this scenario is 'more money'. I guess it doesn't occur that some guys want to play where they want to play, regardless of the money.

 

This sense of entitlement astounds me. That a player should not have ANY choice in which city he lives and plays EVER just so fans can feel a false sense of *loyalty* is a terrible idea.

[RockCoCougars]

I have a feeling that Prince and Boras may find a soft market out there next winter. The fact that teams weren't exactly crawling all over themselves to trade for him this month is pretty telling.

[monty57]

I have numerous friends who had to relocate to Texas and Missouri (from Wisconsin) when the local GM plant closed, as they chose to continue to work at GM because the pay was much higher than any alternative. If players choose not to work for MLB, they are free to choose a job at any other company in the world that will employ them. I'd just guess the pay wouldn't be quite as good.

 

The big problem with pay structure in MLB is that the teams operate (financially) as separate, rival entities inside of the MLB structure instead of operating as if they rely on each other for survival. The biggest issue that would change the face of the sport would be if all broadcast revenues were equally shared amongst all the teams in baseball, although even then the teams who own their own network could use tricky accounting to still maintain an advantage.

 

Boras is the best in the business at working with the existing structure to assure that he will get the most commissions. Often this works out that his players benefit, but players who do not perform as expected or who get injured early are simply cast aside for the next "asset" in line. If a player is looking for someone who cares about what's in the player's best interest, Boras may not be the guy. If the player is looking to take a risk to potentially get the highest possible payout if all the stars align correctly, then Boras is your guy.

[AJAY]

Let's pretend that when you were ready to find a job, different firms acquired you via a draft system. Let's say they have the right to pay you 1/10th of your worth, and that you couldn't leave them for another firm. This firm could be in Edmonton, Miami, or New York City, and you might hate the city you have to work in.

 

That sounds just, doesn't it?

 

 

 

Three points I want to make . . .

 

(1) I don't view Major League Baseball as 30 different companies. I view MLB more like a single entity because the product is really the interaction of the teams and not the individual teams operating independently. I appreciate the person who posted earlier that a company which has branches all over the country has the final say on where their employees work. If you don't like it, you can always join the Japanese League, Independent Leagues, or form your own baseball league. That is how I think baseball and other sports should be. They need to be recognized as a single entity. You need to protect fan feelings first and hire employees who understand the concept. Nobody would be forced to become a Major League Player if they didn't feel comfortable.

 

(2) If you or I change jobs and relocate, nobody cares. But in sports, whole communities aren't being disappointed or let down. It also kills the love of the game and the bond that exists between the paying customers and the sport. It's just NOT good for business. A lot of these communities are also paying huge tax amounts to fund stadiums, and it only seems fair that they get better treatment from the league and its players. The people deserve better.

 

(3) My proposal to give the union a big check would alleviate concerns about workers being exploited. The union can negotiate what percent of MLB revenue they get, and they can divide it amongst themselves however they feel is fair. Nobody would work for "1/10th" of their value. In fact, MLB players are currently earning the least compared to athletes in other sports (when looking at the percentage of revenue paid to players). So it is possible, that they could potentially earn more under a different labor agreement.

 

It should be all about the fans.

[Funketown]

(2) If you or I change jobs and relocate, nobody cares. But in sports, whole communities aren't being disappointed or let down.

But this is true for a lot of industries. Couldn't the same be said about great chefs, scientists, or brewers? If Dan Carey decided to ship up New Glarus Brewing Company and move it to Murmansk, I'd be a heck of a lot more let down than if Prince Fielder left for the Yankees. Would you propose that the Carey family should not be allowed to move their brewery?

[snyttri]

Baseball players can't readily start their own league because MLB still has the exemption from the antitrust law it used to defend itself against the Federal League .

Fan feelings are not uniform. Some fans would not like the unfairness of athletes, unlike everyone else in the workplace, being forced to stay with the same organization (Cubs?) for their entire careers or be denied the opportunity to fulfill their potential by doing what they are best suited for. The reserve clause was not a healthy system and some fans would be disconcerted to see its corpse re-animated.

Players cannot know their value without a market. It would not be prudent for players to rely on the owners books unless a sport is in danger of collapse.

Baseball's un-level playing field seems to have more to do with the owners failure to agree on revenue sharing than free agency. The Yankees were buying championships long before there was a Curt Flood.

[TooLiveBrew]

(1) I don't view Major League Baseball as 30 different companies. I view MLB more like a single entity because the product is really the interaction of the teams and not the individual teams operating independently.

Given the (unanimous) ruling on American Needle v. NFL, the Supreme Court disagrees with you.

They need to be recognized as a single entity. You need to protect fan feelings first and hire employees who understand the concept.

Single entity status for pro sports leagues would absolutely not be good for the fans. As a sports fan, I was relieved when the Supreme Court ruled against the NFL's claim of single entity status.

The people deserve better... It should be all about the fans.

Like I said before, then stop going to games, stop buying merchandise, etc. Organize other fans to boycott with you. Until you stop supporting the league(s), you can't realistically claim anything unfair is being done. You're not being forced to be a fan of MLB or any pro sport.

[danzig6767]

As i've got older, i simply don't get that emotionally attached to players anymore except in fairly rare cases. Sports are now more just a game to me and i don't get nearly as bent out of shape over wins/losses or a guy leaving a team i like. I've had and seen personally to many harsh things in my life for me to live and die by how sports teams i like are doing. Obviously i still care or i wouldn't watch, but i now put sports in a proper perspective, it's entertainment like other forms of entertainment.

 

The only area i think that so much player movement hurts a bit is kids who really love their local sports teams. In my youth i absolutely loved baseball and the Brewers, Robin Yount was my idol. In little league, i copied his batting stance nearly to a tee. Back then, top players way more often stayed with their original teams for a whole career or at least a large part of it. I think it would have stung big time in my youth if Yount had bolted for more cash in say NY. Now it's much more uncommon for elite athletes to stay long term in smaller market cities and i do feel bad for kids in those markets that see their idols bail on a regular basis for a more glitzy city with more cash because kids get so emotionally attached to players on their favorite local teams, but i don't feel the same sympathy for adults who should get over it much easier. If you're in your 30's or 40's and get depressed instead of just temporarily angry because an athlete leaves for another team, IMO you need to evaluate your priorities in life.

[logan82]

A good start is not to buy anything with a player's name on it. I will buy stuff like that for my kids but only because they will outgrow it by the time the player leaves.

[markedman5]

All I'm saying is as a fan I appreciate Corey Hart's attitude toward the Brewers more then I do Fielder's.

 

 

 

Prince obviously has the right to explore his options.

 

 

 

CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL

 

 

 

Now that it's apparent he won't be traded, rightfielder Corey Hart said at some point he hopes the Brewers approach his agent, Jeff Berry, with an offer for a multi-year extension. "They know where I stand," said Hart. "They know I want to stay here and sign for more than one year." Hart, who beat the Brewers in arbitration for a $4.8 million salary in February, is a free agent after the 2011 season.

[Invader3K]

Prince's latest comment on not being traded: "I don't want to talk about it."

 

Nice, Prince.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Wow, did he actually say that?

 

5 years in the big leagues, and he still doesn't understand *tact* one bit.

[RockCoCougars]

Prince's latest comment on not being traded: "I don't want to talk about it."

 

Nice, Prince.

Big deal. Probably and understandably, he's gotten tired of discussing all of this trade talk with the media. People are fooling themselves if they think that more than a few of the current players have any emotional attachment to Milwaukee and the fans. Twenty years ago, probably more than half the players lived in Milwaukee year round. Probably the only one that does now is Counsell. The huge money in pro sports these days has changed the players. 99% of these guys will go to the highest bidder. It sucks, but it's just the way it is now.

[Invader3K]

Maybe it isn't a big deal. But the typical baseball player response would be, "I'm happy to still be here with my teammates. I hope we can win a lot of games down the stretch." His abrasiveness and lack of tact tell me he really doesn't care too much for being a Brewer anymore. It's too bad Melvin couldn't help him out and send him elsewhere.

[RockCoCougars]

As I said above, the developments of this trade deadline don't exactly bode well for Prince's future earning potential (relatively speaking, of course). You can't say that there was heavy interest for Prince, because the Brewers weren't exactly beating suitors away with a stick. Going further, teams were cutting salary, and even the Yankees were demanding money back for some guys. Prince was probably downtrodden about that and came off a little sullen. Maybe he is second-guessing Boras for turning down the $100 million or whatever and that deal is now off the table- who knows?