Just a few links while I try to figure out why the same people who are shocked and saddened by steroids have given the players of the 1970s and '80s a Get Out of Jail Free card when it comes to the rampant use of amphetamines in that era. And I don't mean that rhetorically; I keep asking the question, and I'm still waiting for a reasonable answer. Anyhow, onward and upward …
• Doug Glanville has (as usual) some insightful things to say, in this case about his old teammate Alex Rodriguez. But what he really wants to know is, what happened to the players' right to privacy?
• Speaking of insightful players, Lance Berkman seems like a pretty sharp cookie, at least on the subject of fans and performance-enhancing drugs.
• As usual, the union didn't do anything wrong. Just ask it.
• Rangers owner Tom Hicks feels "betrayed" and "deceived" by his erstwhile shortstop. I'm not sure Hicks should complain too much. After all, in his three seasons as a Ranger, Alex Rodriguez averaged 52 home runs and won a couple of Gold Gloves. On the other hand -- as Tyler Kepner points out -- Hicks will wind up spending a cool $140 million on those three wonderful seasons. So you can understand why he might still be holding a grudge more than five years later.
Meanwhile, Kepner wonders whether the Yankees could survive with Joe Crede at third base.
• From Kevin Baxter in the L.A. Times (and via ShysterBall) comes this fun piece about off-the-wall contract clauses. Here's the chunk that caught my (and Craig Calcaterra's) eye:
However, some clauses seem a bit strained. Houston Astros reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who doesn't have a hit in 14 big league seasons, will get $25,000 if he's the best-hitting pitcher in the National League this season. Seattle's Tyler Walker, 8-12 over the last three seasons, will receive $150,000 if he's the American League Most Valuable Player and $100,000 more if he's the World Series MVP.But at least those are real awards. When Alex Rodriguez negotiated his $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, he had a clause calling for a $150,000 bonus if he was selected MVP of the American League Division Series.
There is no MVP in the division series.
No, there's not. … But there might be, and I will argue to my death that there should be. For many years, the League Championship Series were best-of-five affairs, and MVPs were named. So, why not in the division series? Rodriguez's agent happens to be one of the smartest men who's ever made a living from baseball, and he must have figured that putting that clause in the contract might -- sensibly enough -- someday result in a few extra shekels for himself and his client. This doesn't belong in an article about off-the-wall clauses. This belongs in an article explaining how Scott Boras is the best agent in the history of sports.
• It's not apparent that the Cardinals' releasing Adam Kennedy was a "baseball move." Second basemen who bat .280 don't exactly grow on trees, and the Cardinals don't exactly have a bunch of great candidates for Kennedy's old job. No, Kennedy's not a great player, but he's not an awful hitter, and he's still a solid fielder. Nice option for some team looking for a low-cost ($4 million) second baseman for a season.
• I certainly can't let another Link-o-Rama pass without offering Rany Jazayerli's interview of the next Dan Quisenberry.
• I also owe you Al Yellon's review of a book that comes with my highest recommendation (especially if you're into trick pitches, as I am).
• And, finally, yet another consequence of our wonderful economy: According to this profile of Michael Lewis, the meltdown has pushed Lewis' sequel to "Moneyball" back for a spell. C'mon, stimulus package; do your stuff, and fast!
Rob Neyer
