I can't believe that Greinke finally said it

[Can_of_corn]

I think one especially important factor is the injury and decline of pitchers. It's very unusual for a guy to get out of a 6-year deal and be in line for another large contract.

For example, it looks like that gamble Cliff Lee took is not going to pay off, I think.

Lee had an excellent season last year.

[lint06]

Just because money comes first does not mean he doesnt have a love for the game. If that were the case, no MLB players have a love for the game.

Hes just a wackjob, but totally truthful. i cant stand him, but it is refreshing.

Look at the big picture though, a 137mil contract vs. 147mil contract seems like he should lean towards other favtors...but when you sit back and look twice... thats 10 MILLION DOLLARS. That buys a lot of real estate, invests pretty deeply, and covers your whole family for 2 more generations over the other offer. There is life outside of baseball, and in most cases, taking the biggest payday is the smartest choice.

Im tired of people acring like they would do otherwise.

I wouldn't. 10MM is a lot of scratch, but when you look at 137MM vs. 147MM, who cares. I have no doubt that if I had the choice to play for the Orioles for 50MM or the Yankees for 60MM, I'd go O's all the way. Now, if the difference was 1MM vs. 60MM, okay.

[Barnaby Graves]

Lee had an excellent season last year.

That he did, I wouldn't be complaining about that line, nor particularly worried about him for the next three years. I guess I'd just be surprised to see a 37 (or 38 is his option year vests) year-old guy get another pretty nice deal.

But hey, all he's gotta do is stay healthy and pitch well and that gamble will look just fine. But staying healthy can be hard for those older pitchers :002_ssleepy:

Not to mention he has a good chance of going completely insane if he has another 6-9 season :laughlol:

[bradyrocks]

I wouldn't. 10MM is a lot of scratch, but when you look at 137MM vs. 147MM, who cares. I have no doubt that if I had the choice to play for the Orioles for 50MM or the Yankees for 60MM, I'd go O's all the way. Now, if the difference was 1MM vs. 60MM, okay.

That is assuming the player got drafted by and pursued long term by his childhood favorite team. I would have to think the likelihood of that is VERY small. And in Grienkes case, hes been traded and bounced around quite a bit. When you are treated like a commodity, why would you hold any alligiance to one team?

WE are the fans, THEY are the product. We cant assume they make decisions based on thinking like fans.

[Plutarch]

I pulled the following from the ESPN soccer site: http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/3775?cc=5901. I think that this may apply to all professional athletes, baseball players included.

The football fan's outrage of the jilted ignores a simple truth that professional footballers move clubs. It also skirts the idea that many players are not actually football fans. They probably never had the chance to be so. On a Saturday, they have always been playing. And not even the one-club men are chest-beating loyalists. Paul Scholes is an Oldham Athletic fan. A decade ago, Ryan Giggs seemed set to leave Old Trafford. Jamie Carragher was an Everton fan. In all three cases, had their club dispensed with their services, they would have played elsewhere. After all, football is their profession, their livelihood. Taking up a better offer is an accepted part of modern employment yet footballers are somehow supposed to be different. "One greedy bastard," is the regular chant aimed at a former hero turned villain.

[Gurgi]

I pulled the following from the ESPN soccer site: http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/espnfcunited/id/3775?cc=5901. I think that this may apply to all professional athletes, baseball players included.

The football fan's outrage of the jilted ignores a simple truth that professional footballers move clubs. It also skirts the idea that many players are not actually football fans. They probably never had the chance to be so. On a Saturday, they have always been playing. And not even the one-club men are chest-beating loyalists. Paul Scholes is an Oldham Athletic fan. A decade ago, Ryan Giggs seemed set to leave Old Trafford. Jamie Carragher was an Everton fan. In all three cases, had their club dispensed with their services, they would have played elsewhere. After all, football is their profession, their livelihood. Taking up a better offer is an accepted part of modern employment yet footballers are somehow supposed to be different. "One greedy bastard," is the regular chant aimed at a former hero turned villain.

We know this. Cal Ripken seriously thought about leaving the Orioles after his dad got fired. Ray Lewis was threatening to leave to get the absolute max in pay on his last contract. Regardless these guys made the right decision. Always chasing the top dollar isnt always the best thing for the player. I think if Ken Griffey Jr and ARod had stayed in Seattle they would of been much happier with how their careers turned out.

[Gurgi]

It's kinda funny b/c whenever a team cuts or doesn't bring back a player we always hear "Oh it's just a business" or "These teams have to watch out for themselves" or the like.

Yet whenever a singular athlete/person treats the same decision as a business move he's lambasted for "not being loyal" or "being a hired gun" or whatever platitude is easiest to throw out.

Yes it is funny. But most GM's dont go out there and say they are just cheap bastards. They politic it. Greinke should politic it better.