Hometown Discounts

[Texsox]

Money, get away.

Get a good job with good pay and youre okay.

Money, its a gas.

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.

New car, caviar, four star daydream,

Think Ill buy me a football team.

 

Money, get back.

Im all right jack keep your hands off of my stack.

Money, its a hit.

Dont give me that do goody good bulls***.

Im in the high-fidelity first class traveling set

And I think I need a lear jet.

 

Money, its a crime.

Share it fairly but dont take a slice of my pie.

Money, so they say

Is the root of all evil today.

But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that theyre

Giving none away.

[Jimbo's Drinker]

PINK FLOYD!!!

[rowandrules83]

define morally justified...it's the player's life and career, if they want to leave for whatever reason, that's their choice

[SoxFan562004]

define morally justified...it's the player's life and career, if they want to leave for whatever reason, that's their choice

i tend to agree with you, I would chose an option along those lines.

[watchtower41]

I think this discussion soley depends on the player and agent

[RockRaines]

Jermaine Dye is a prime example of why you take a discount to go somewhere, whether it is hometown or not. If you are comfortable and you have a chance to win, you take it.

[SoxFan1]

Well, in soccer....just kidding.

 

In all honesty, it doesnt matter what a player does, because it's his life and his money. But in my opinon, I think it's really only right if there is some kind of opportunity for greatness or a better chance at winning.

[Balta1701]

From the perspective of a person who will be lucky to earn as much in a lifetime as most of the guys who you care about jumping ship earn in a season...I feel i have every right to be angry at a player who pretends they care about staying in 1 spot then leaves over 20-30% of a $50 million contract.

 

Don't tell me that you have to take care of your family and the difference between doing that is $20-$30 million when you're already making $30 million.

[rowandrules83]

From the perspective of a person who will be lucky to earn as much in a lifetime as most of the guys who you care about jumping ship earn in a season...I feel i have every right to be angry at a player who pretends they care about staying in 1 spot then leaves over 20-30% of a $50 million contract.

 

Don't tell me that you have to take care of your family and the difference between doing that is $20-$30 million when you're already making $30 million.

 

One also has to factor in if the team can truly afford a player. In the case of the sox, they aren't exactly a small market team. If I was a player who got offered a few million more by a team while the sox (or any other big-market team) was offering less when they could easily spend a little more, I'd probably feel disrespected or unwanted. An example that comes to mind is Johnny Damon

[Balta1701]

One also has to factor in if the team can truly afford a player. In the case of the sox, they aren't exactly a small market team. If I was a player who got offered a few million more by a team while the sox (or any other big-market team) was offering less when they could easily spend a little more, I'd probably feel disrespected or unwanted. An example that comes to mind is Johnny Damon

I'll take that example and run with it in fact. The Boston media helped turn Damon into a star. The fans loved him. Won a ring there. If he really cared about where he was playing, if he really cared about that city, seriously, what can he buy wiht $50 million that he can't buy with $40 million? Respect? B.s. If you need to be the highest paid player at your position before you feel like you have "respect", then you have a lot more issues for me to not care about.

[rowandrules83]

I'll take that example and run with it in fact. The Boston media helped turn Damon into a star. The fans loved him. Won a ring there. If he really cared about where he was playing, if he really cared about that city, seriously, what can he buy wiht $50 million that he can't buy with $40 million? Respect? B.s. If you need to be the highest paid player at your position before you feel like you have "respect", then you have a lot more issues for me to not care about.

i don't know if it was about necessarily about being the highest paid cf or whatever. He helped that franchise finally win a title, then when he hit free agency, he got offered 4 yrs 40 mil (the same amount they gave renteria, who wasn't even on the 04 team), and the whole time during the free agency period, they discussed trades for the likes of crisp and j. reed, making it seem like signing him wasn't their top priority. To contrast, when varitek hit free agency the year before they made signing him their top priority. if the red sox truly absolutely wanted him back they could have spared a few million more, seeing as they have the 2nd highest payroll in the land

 

And those same fans who loved him? if he re-signed for less and struggled last year, don't think for a second they wouldn't turn on him. Fans expect "loyalty" from players, and we'll be loyal to them...as long as they don't suck, then we forget about loyalty because "We pay their salaries, we have a right to boo."

[CanOfCorn]

i don't know if it was about necessarily about being the highest paid cf or whatever. He helped that franchise finally win a title, then when he hit free agency, he got offered 4 yrs 40 mil (the same amount they gave renteria, who wasn't even on the 04 team), and the whole time during the free agency period, they discussed trades for the likes of crisp and j. reed, making it seem like signing him wasn't their top priority. To contrast, when varitek hit free agency the year before they made signing him their top priority. if the red sox truly absolutely wanted him back they could have spared a few million more, seeing as they have the 2nd highest payroll in the land

 

And those same fans who loved him? if he re-signed for less and struggled last year, don't think for a second they wouldn't turn on him. Fans expect "loyalty" from players, and we'll be loyal to them...as long as they don't suck, then we forget about loyalty because "We pay their salaries, we have a right to boo."

 

 

 

Very well put. And I might also add that these players have surrounded themselves with people that tell them how good they are...agents, lawyers, advisors...and that's not including friends and family. So, just about every player overvalues himself. And don't forget...when a hack like Jason Marquis can get 3/$21mil, or Ted Lilly gets 4/$40mil, what does that say to someone who outperforms him, like a Buehrle? Wouldn't you feel the same way, Balta? I know I would.

[Balta1701]

 

Very well put. And I might also add that these players have surrounded themselves with people that tell them how good they are...agents, lawyers, advisors...and that's not including friends and family. So, just about every player overvalues himself. And don't forget...when a hack like Jason Marquis can get 3/$21mil, or Ted Lilly gets 4/$40mil, what does that say to someone who outperforms him, like a Buehrle? Wouldn't you feel the same way, Balta? I know I would.

Honestly, I don't think I would, but maybe that's just me. You put me even close to the same level, to the point where I never have to worry about money again, and I just can't see the difference. If I want to play somewhere, the difference between $40 and $50 million means nothing to me. And in fact, if I like being on a team that wins, that $10 million might be the difference between me getting extra sleep in October and me wearing a ring.

Edited February 28, 2007 by Balta1701

[Texsox]

Tex's broken record

 

The guy making minimum wage says he'd never leave a companyn that would pay him $20,000.

The guy making $20,000 believes he'd be happy with $40,000 and never leave

The guy making $100,000 says he'd never leave and so on and so on.

[rowandrules83]

Tex's broken record

 

The guy making minimum wage says he'd never leave a companyn that would pay him $20,000.

The guy making $20,000 believes he'd be happy with $40,000 and never leave

The guy making $100,000 says he'd never leave and so on and so on.

 

Very true. The moment a potential employer is willing to offer you x amount of dollars, almost everyone feels that their current employer could and should at least come close to matching the dollar amount. If the employer won't match it (especially if they can afford it), many people would feel less valuable and take the higher salaried job. Many of us do this throughout our careers, but surprisingly we act appalled when a professional athlete does the same thing.

[CanOfCorn]

Very true. The moment a potential employer is willing to offer you x amount of dollars, almost everyone feels that their current employer could and should at least come close to matching the dollar amount. If the employer won't match it (especially if they can afford it), many people would feel less valuable and take the higher salaried job. Many of us do this throughout our careers, but surprisingly we act appalled when a professional athlete does the same thing.

 

We do say this, but what I think Balta is saying is the difference between $20,000 and $40,000 is significant for us. But, when you get to millions, it doesn't matter as much. You can easily support your family on $10 mil/year as $12 mil/year. Which is true. But, there's always more to the story. And ego plays a HUGE part in it.

 

Balta, if you don't have that kind of ego, then kudos to you, because that's a great trait to have. Work cuz you love it, not for the accolades or the cash. But, I don't think your job puts you in the public eye like athletes. No one boos you if you screw up day-to-day, calls you names like Princess Dye or Judy Garland, rips you apart in the papers and then calls you the savior or MVP of the team the next. Plus, you don't have an agent in your ear saying, "You are better than the dollar amount they are offering," over and over again. There are players out there that don't care and I wish Jermaine were more outspoken about what he did. Because maybe more players will get the message. BUT, only one team wins every year...so in lieu of that, get yo money!!!

[Pauly8509CWS]

Don't tell me that you have to take care of your family and the difference between doing that is $20-$30 million when you're already making $30 million.

 

Unless of course your name is Shawn Kemp.