Marvin Miller and the Hall of Fame

For once I agree with something Donald Fehr said:

"It was very disappointing to learn this morning that, once again, Marvin Miller was not elected to the Hall of Fame. Over the entire scope of the last half of the 20th century, no other individual had as much influence on the game of baseball as did Marvin Miller."

I'm not crazy about putting non-players in the Hall of Fame, but since that's already been established, I think Miller ought to be in. (Anyone who cares deeply about baseball should read Miller's book "A Whole Different Ballgame" but copies are scarce.)

It would be somewhat strange, however, to elect both Bowie Kuhn and Marvin Miller on the same ballot, since they were at each other's throats. You'll notice that if you read Miller's book, or Kuhn's for that matter. But Kuhn has already died before getting the glory. In fact, everyone elected today, other than Dick Williams, has already died.

The aging Miller ought to be elected while he can enjoy the moment.

$-Rod

A-Rod Opting Out?

Scott Boras hinted today that Rodriguez may not return to the Yankees. If not, he'll be seeking about $30 million a year from another team. I hope it is the Angels.

On the one hand, why should anyone make that much money playing baseball? On that same hand, why does A-Rod need that much money? I'm not suggesting he play for free, or even for $1 million, but $30 million? How about $15 million? That will feed the family.

On the other hand, Boras thinks Andruw Jones is worth $20 mil a year, and if that's true, A-Rod's definitely worth $30 mil.

Like the five year deal he wants for Jones, Boras has grand visions of a long-term deal for A-Rod. He wants 10 years. Boras said he expects A-Rod will play until he is 46. That's a ridiculous statement. A-Rod may play that long, but who can possibly predict that any human being will perform his or her profession at a top level for the next 15 years? You can count on two hands the MLB players who were talented enough to contribute meaningfully to their teams after age 43.

Boras believes it is justified, in part, because A-Rod wants to play somewhere for a long time...the rest of his career That doesn't mean he needs a 10 year guaranteed contract. Can't he sign a five year contract with a team, then a two year contract with the same team, then another two year contract with same team and so on? It's not like A-Rod doesn't have the choice to stay with the same team if he really wants to. He could have done that with the Mariners and Rangers, and now the Yankees.

Boras did make one good point: A-Rod is likely to challenge for the all-time HR record, and that will bring people to the ballpark.

I tell you, though, I liked it better when players were excited about setting records because of the achievement and the historical significance. Now, they seem to view all-time records as revenue generators. If that keeps up, eventually no one will care about the records.

Scott Boras

Does anyone want to make an argument that Boras is good for the game of baseball? I'm sure he's good for his players, and for his bank account. But is he good for the game?

Andruw Jones is the case in point. Andruw wants to spend his career in Atlanta. Atlanta would like to have Andruw Jones. Nevertheless, the day after the regular season ended, the Braves said they would not resign him. Why? Because Boras whispered in Andruw's year, so Andruw thinks he can get a 5 year deal worth $20 million a year.

That's right. $100 million for Jones, who (if you didn't notice) hit .222 this year and had an OPS of .724. In case you don't keep up with these things, Jack Wilson, the Pirates no-name shortstop, had an OPS of 790, which was about league average.

Okay, so maybe Jones had a bad year and he'll bounce back. Or maybe not. He's going to be 30 next year. He's at the back end of his prime...or if this year is evidence, on the downswing. Yet Boras has him thinking a team wants him until age 35 as one of the highest paid players in the league.

Who would you rather have on the roster from 2008-2012, Jones or Teixeira? Teixeira is 27 years old, and his OPS was .973 for the year; 1.019 if you count only his time with the Braves.

What's sad is some mid-market team will mortgage the the next five years and sign Jones. That's what Boras is counting on.

Free Agency: Torii Hunter

On the Tigers/Twins telecast, the Tigers broadcast team was talking about Torii being a free agent at year's end, and that he would like to stay in Minnesota. They also mentioned he might be willing to take less than the maximum he could get on the market, if he could stay in Minnesota where they can't pay the same prices as some other teams.

Then Rod Allen said Hunter should not take too much of a cut, though, because he has a duty to maintain the high salaries for the other free agents in the market.

I realize that's the union talking, but this is the kind of thing that infuriates fans. Who does Hunter owe more of a duty to, the Minnesota fans who buy the tickets, pay his salary and cheer him on, or Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand and the other center field free agents?