A few tidbits.....

[Dipper9]

Tex wasn't a Yankee fan, he was a Don Mattingly fan. He wore his Mattingly jersey to Oriole games but he still rooted for the Orioles.

It doesn't really matter if Tex is a Yankee fan or Kakes is a Sox fan. Money talks and (you know what) walks. Show these guys the money and they will sign in Baltimore! And THAT's the bottom line, cause the Dipper said so!

[Frobby]

It doesn't really matter if Tex is a Yankee fan or Kakes is a Sox fan. Money talks and (you know what) walks. Show these guys the money and they will sign in Baltimore! And THAT's the bottom line, cause the Dipper said so!

Paul Konerko says otherwise. He wanted to stay in Chicago and accepted less than we offered to do so.

Tex and Markakis are very different cases. Tex can sign wherever he wants right now. I think it is highly unlikely he signs with Baltimore unless we give him the best financial package, or so close to it that the difference is insignificant. The home town team might be a tie-breaker in certian situations, but that's about it.

Markakis is here for three years. He could suffer a career-ending injury at any time. He has a lot of reasons to stay here if the O's offer a package that is solid, even if he might make more by playing it year-by-year and then becoming a free agent. But the O's have to offer something that is in line with what similar players have received.