Posted on Tue, Feb. 03, 2004??

 

Bottom line: Pudge makes a dash for dollars

DAN LE BATARD

dlebatard@herald.com

 

 

Dan Le Batard

 

 

 

 

Having considered lucrative offers from teams in Siberia, Iraq and Hell, Marlins superhero Pudge Rodriguez opted instead Monday for Detroit, where he can spend the remainder of his career counting his money.

 

Reached exclusively by The Herald at his home Monday, a heartbroken but reasonable Satan said, ``I just couldn't guarantee a catcher his age a four-year contract. I'm evil, dude, not crazy.''

 

You'll find greed and gluttony in these pages about as often as boxscores. Fans not angered or repulsed by the scent of it are merely numb by now, lobotomized, the dollars not registering in any real-world context. But salary is how athletes keep score between games, so it takes Pudge but a few months to go from lovable face of an underdog team to yet another rented mercenary blowing through South Florida on his way to the next bank.

 

Why live year-round in the beach mansion with your yacht, the kids, that giant statue of yourself and merely many millions when you have a chance to upgrade to the billowing factories in one of America's most depressing cities and yet more millions?

 

Rarely in the history of games has an athlete gone from so high to so low while this overtly reaching down to grab more and more cash.

 

CASHING IN

 

Where is the precedent for what Pudge just did?

 

He didn't merely leave a reigning champion. He left a reigning champion that led the league in feel-good, Florida's joy and enthusiasm making work not only a pleasure but a fountain of youth. The man was kissing teammates to celebrate playoff victories, for the love of Morganna.

 

And Pudge didn't leave this to join merely a bad team or a last-place team or even baseball's worst team; no, he left it to join a national laughingstock that needed a late winning streak to avoid by one loss becoming the worst team in more than a century.

 

So he cashed in, in other words. Chose money over winning, chemistry, pride, relevance, desire, competition and everything else pure and holy in sports.

 

Yes, Pudge knows his finances and spending needs better than we do. Yes, he has a finite amount of time when he can earn like this. And, yes, we never seem to begrudge movie-star salaries the way we do those of athletes.

 

But where is the financial line? The sanity? Pudge has made $60 million the past six years. He made plenty of millions the six years before that, too. How much is enough? Does he need more statues of himself? More yachts? Post-career, the man can make more money signing memorabilia for a couple of hours than a guy tarring roofs will make all year. But he needs more.

 

Pride and ego wouldn't allow Rodriguez to settle for anything less than the $40 million he coveted, so he got it in the most fraudulent way possible -- from one of the most abysmal teams in the history of sports, and with most of the money not even guaranteed. If Rodriguez gets hurt either of the next two years, he isn't going to see half that money. Given the state income tax differences between Michigan and Florida, Rodriguez as an injured Tiger isn't going to make much more than he would have as a healthy or injured Marlin.

 

Well, at least we have the memories, right?

 

They, unlike Rodriguez himself, are priceless.

 

Couldnt have said it any bettter.

 

Love the satan line. lol

 

Article

Great article???

 

That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ...

Great article???

 

That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ...

No I found more Pudge bashing than tiger bashing. And dont be so damn senstive we get bashed plenty of times.

That article didn't bash the Tigers head on. That was a side effect of the bashing on Pudge which was 100% accurate.

 

Great article.

The ironic thing is that the deal is not as sweet as Boras would have us believe. Details from the Detroit Free Press:

 

2004 - $7M

2005 - $8M

2006 - $11M

2007 - $11M

2008 - $13M team option or $3M buyout

 

If the injury clause comes into play, that will be 2 years/15 mill.

Lebatard is a publicity b***h. This article is proof of that... He is writting as if he was an abandoned housewife... Embarrasing.

 

Move on, let it go! At least be glad for the guy and show some professionalism, for god's sake.

Lebatard is a publicity b***h. This article is proof of that... He is writting as if he was an abandoned housewife... Embarrasing.

 

Move on, let it go! At least be glad for the guy and show some professionalism, for god's sake.

He defintely is a publicity hoar but he was speaking the truth about Pudge.

Any fans that were put off by us not signing Pudge can hopefully get over it after this article and start buying tickets! It takes pressure off the FO for not signing him...so its a good article to me.

He defintely is a publicity hoar but he was speaking the truth about Pudge.

I never said he wasn't right about Pudge. I said he just went over the top with the article. It makes it seem he's hurt that Pudge didn't stay.

 

To be honest, I was upset he left. However, the more I look at the future ahead of the Marlins, the more I like it and the less I miss Pudge. I just think we should move one with the Pudge issue and look at the good prospects for our team, which are many.

 

Lowell anyone? Cabrera anyone? Who's up to see what we can do this year? *raises hands*

Move on. That's all I will say. We have a bright future ahead. Quit dwelling in the past and be thankful for what we had and what we still have.

Reached exclusively by The Herald at his home Monday, a heartbroken but reasonable Satan said, ``I just couldn't guarantee a catcher his age a four-year contract. I'm evil, dude, not crazy.''

 

:lol Thats hilarious

I kind of agree with The Message he's stating but why would Lebatard care?

 

Only a year ago Pudge was... "Breast Implants on a corpse"

 

Anyone else but HIM had the right to do this article not a fair weather ESPN whore.

Great article???

 

That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ...

They were the worst team in baseball and one of the worst teams in Major League history last year. What do you want him to say?

The ironic thing is that the deal is not as sweet as Boras would have us believe. Details from the Detroit Free Press:

 

2004 - $7M

2005 - $8M

2006 - $11M

2007 - $11M

2008 - $13M team option or $3M buyout

 

If the injury clause comes into play, that will be 2 years/15 mill.

Good article, not sure if LeBatard is the right guy to write on it (considering his comments around this time last year), but someone had to say it and he said it well, and the way the contract is set up, $8 mil is deferred for the life of the contract at 1% interest. Pudge really didn't get that sweet of a deal considering he's only a $10 mil a year player if he's healthy for 2 straight years...

Wow another not so great article by LeRETARD. Man if the Marlins ever went on a winning to streak to equal his for crappy writing they would 162-0, every year. The man hardly covered the team, might I add thank god during the season, but whenever you turned around in the post season there was LeRetard every where. Talk a band wagon jumper. Just once if he had something nice to say about the Marlins it would be a miracle. :banghead

Wow another not so great article by LeRETARD. Man if the Marlins ever went on a winning to streak to equal his for crappy writing they would 162-0, every year. The man hardly covered the team, might I add thank god during the season, but whenever you turned around in the post season there was LeRetard every where. Talk a band wagon jumper. Just once if he had something nice to say about the Marlins it would be a miracle. :banghead

he didn't bash the Marlins at all, he made fun of Pudge, who isn't a Marlin...

I have to say the guy has great writing skills. I enjoyed the article.

Wow another not so great article by LeRETARD. Man if the Marlins ever went on a winning to streak to equal his for crappy writing they would 162-0, every year. The man hardly covered the team, might I add thank god during the season, but whenever you turned around in the post season there was LeRetard every where. Talk a band wagon jumper. Just once if he had something nice to say about the Marlins it would be a miracle. :banghead

I'm guessing you didnt even bother to read or you just dont know how to read and comprehend what it says.

 

He clearly doesnt bash the marlins and as some said this will help the marlin bandwagon get over the fact we lost him and buy some tickets.

Great article???

 

That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ...

They were the worst team in baseball and one of the worst teams in Major League history last year. What do you want him to say? I don't have a problem with him saying that. I'm sick of hearing about it, but it's true. What I didn't like was how he compared the team/city to Siberia, Iraq and Hell. That wasn't necessary. He just went overboard with it. He could have gotten the point across without going to the extremes he did. In fact, he sounds like he has sour grapes.

 

BTW, LeBatard was on Detroit radio this morning and they were bashing him pretty good over this article.

I don't have a problem with him saying that. I'm sick of hearing about it, but it's true. What I didn't like was how he compared the team/city to Siberia, Iraq and Hell. That wasn't necessary. He just went overboard with it. He could have gotten the point across without going to the extremes he did. In fact, he sounds like he has sour grapes.

 

BTW, LeBatard was on Detroit radio this morning and they were bashing him pretty good over this article.

The comparisons weren't made to bring insult to the Tigers, they were made to prove the point that almost no one was going to give Pudge the contract he wanted. But then again, almost doesn't count now does it.

Great article???

 

That was one of the worst articles I have ever read. There was nothing substantial to it at all. Just the usual Tiger bashing ...

They were the worst team in baseball and one of the worst teams in Major League history last year. What do you want him to say? I don't have a problem with him saying that. I'm sick of hearing about it, but it's true. What I didn't like was how he compared the team/city to Siberia, Iraq and Hell. That wasn't necessary. He just went overboard with it. He could have gotten the point across without going to the extremes he did. In fact, he sounds like he has sour grapes.

 

BTW, LeBatard was on Detroit radio this morning and they were bashing him pretty good over this article.

I happen to agree with TigerFan.

 

LeBatard so loves to pour salt on the wound, to belittle, to kick someone when they're down. He's the schoolyard bully with a keyboard.

 

Is there a baseball fan in America who doesn't know how poorly the Tiger franchise has played in the last few years? Instead of focusing on what the owner and Dombrowski and Trammell are doing to try and right the ship, to rebuild this once glorious franchise, LeBatard does to them what he did for years to the Marlins.

 

Shame on him.

 

I suppose Marlins fans feel a relief that LeBatard has stopped bashing the Fish. Some of you forget the hateful, unjust and erroneous things had to say about our team not so many months ago just because he felt he could get away with sticking in the knife and turning it. He was a jerk then and he's a jerk now. A leopard doesn't change its spots.

he is right though on the two year issue, however i believe that pudge wanted a guarentee of 4 years and not have to renegociate. However i think 2 years from now detroit will try to get him redo the deal or looking to trade him. Just my opinion.

I kind of agree with The Message he's stating but why would Lebatard care?

 

Only a year ago Pudge was... "Breast Implants on a corpse"

 

Anyone else but HIM had the right to do this article not a fair weather ESPN whore.

Exactly. How much face time is enough for Le Batard? What a hypocrit. If he had any brains at all, he would have known Fudge was a mercenary right from the start. The writing was on the wall - that is why I am not shocked. He used us, we used him. That is the dirty game of baseball - or at least the most sublime form of prostitution. Fudge, you a ho...Le Batard, you're an idiot. This was an article anyone here could write. So what? Dont give him credit for this...

he is right though on the two year issue, however i believe that pudge wanted a guarentee of 4 years and not have to renegociate. However i think 2 years from now detroit will try to get him redo the deal or looking to trade him. Just my opinion.

Fudge wont make it through this year. This is a ridiculous contract and a shame that the Tigers have to be so desperate. I credit them for trying to turn their franchise around, but I think this is the wrong way to do it. You are already a losing franchise - go out and get the best talent you can. They should be building with the best college pitching the game can offer. Spend the money on scouting, player development. Fudge isnt going to help this franchise out - he is only in it for the money.

he is right though on the two year issue, however i believe that pudge wanted a guarentee of 4 years and not have to renegociate. However i think 2 years from now detroit will try to get him redo the deal or looking to trade him. Just my opinion.

Fudge wont make it through this year. This is a ridiculous contract and a shame that the Tigers have to be so desperate. I credit them for trying to turn their franchise around, but I think this is the wrong way to do it. You are already a losing franchise - go out and get the best talent you can. They should be building with the best college pitching the game can offer. Spend the money on scouting, player development. Fudge isnt going to help this franchise out - he is only in it for the money. The team is spending money on good college pitching. Last year they used the #3 overall pick in the draft on a college pitcher and they have the #2 pick this year which they will probably use on a pitcher. I don't buy this theory that you can't spend money on free agents to make your team respectable while spending money on player development/scouting. It is possible to do both at the same time. Even at the Press Conference yesterday, Dombrowski emphasized that player development is the key and that he has told everyone in the organization that.

 

However, I am curious as to why you think Pudge won't last a year. I don't see him getting traded.