With the focus on the impending basketball tournament and then the unexpected retirement of Chris Borland, two baseball stories have slipped by with relatively small notice. Yesterday, Scott Boras “accused” the Cubs of not being interested in winning because they will likely not put their rookie phenom, Kris Bryant, on the opening day roster. The reason for that decision by the Cubs is based on the complicated rules that govern baseball contracts and arbitration and free agency that are spelled out in the existing CBA between MLB and the MLBPA. Essentially, putting Bryant on the opening day roster this year will accelerate the time at which he can go to salary arbitration and attain free agency; and with Boras as his agent, that means he will cost the Cubs or any other team a ton of money. The Cubs are decelerating that process; it is a business decision.
My problem here is simple. Scott Boras does not now nor has he ever spoken for any team in MLB. He is a players’ agent; he speaks for the players just as the Lorax spoke for the trees. (H/T to Dr. Seuss) Moreover, it has been his combative nature and his history of being difficult to deal with in free agency that impels the Cubs to make this particular business decision that Boras finds so odious that he needs to speak up.
If you ever turn on one of the Sunday news/talk shows such as Meet the Press and you see that the guest on the program that morning is the senior advisor to the President on any matter whatsoever, you can be certain that you will hear:
The President is dedicated to fighting to preserve truth, justice and the American way and whatever matter is under discussion at the moment proves his unwavering dedication here.
Any human on the planet who disagrees with even a semi-colon in the President’s plan for whatever is either obstinate or not doing the will of the people.
You should know that before you hear the first word out of that guest’s mouth – just as you should recognize that Scott Boras is the baseball equivalent of that Presidential advisor. Nothing Scott Boras says in a situation where he has a microphone in front of him has even a semblance of balanced and rational assessment of reality. He is an agent; he is a very good agent; he is totally biased in his views; he ought to be totally biased in his views. And for those reasons, no one should pay even a smidgen of attention to what he says about a rookie third baseman who is having a great Spring Training but who has never been in a real MLB game.
The other baseball matter that came up recently is the news that Pete Rose’s “people” have contacted the new Commissioner to seek Rose’s reinstatement to baseball. Everyone here should know by now that I think Pete Rose belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame but that he cannot even be considered for induction there while he is banned from baseball. However, that is not the point of my comment today.
Driving along on an errand, I heard a caller to a local sports radio show say that Rose should be reinstated to baseball to allow voters to decide if he deserves inclusion in the Hall of Fame and the fact that he would then be eligible to be part of baseball again does not matter. The reason it does not matter is – according to this caller:
No owner or GM in their right mind would ever hire Pete Rose again to do anything more than sell peanuts at the ballpark. (That is a paraphrase but the “peanuts at the ballpark” bit is a quotation.)
I fundamentally disagree with the caller on that point. Of course, Rose can no longer play the game and no team is likely to incur the PR hit and hire Rose to manage their team. I completely agree with the caller on that. However, if I were a GM or the guy in charge of player development in the minor leagues, I would hire Pete Rose in an instant as my “roving minor league hitting instructor”. I refuse to believe that he has nothing of value to deliver to young players in the area of a batting cage nor do I believe that a young player who decides to emulate the way Pete Rose played the game on the field would be a detriment to that young player’s development. The argument that he might corrupt those young and impressionable players with his clearly tainted past depends on a sequence of events that is akin to a parade of improbable horribles.
Even if I worried about that parade of horribles – which I would not – I doubt seriously that Pete Rose would ever bet on another baseball game should he be reinstated. I would not try to make Rose out to be some kind of intellectual titan because he appears to be closer to an intellectual midget. Nonetheless, I do not think he is nearly so moronic as to do what got him banished from baseball for about a quarter of a century should he be let back in. In a perverse way, Pete Rose’s past might actually be a positive learning experience for young players. Perhaps, this sort of thought process might occur:
This guy was in the major leagues for 24 years. He holds a bunch of all-time records including games played and hits. He was Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and an All-Star 17 times. Even so, he got kicked out of baseball and was kept out of the Hall of Fame for his off-field behavior. Wow; I guess I better watch my Ps and Qs carefully…
I am not saying that is going to happen but it is as likely to happen as is the “horrible outcome” that association with Pete Rose will turn an innocent young kid into a gambling addict. I am not aware of any medical studies that show addiction to be contagious.
Pete Rose – despite his betting on baseball and his tax evasion activities – is as much an “Ambassador of Baseball” as just about anyone else. MLB can benefit from his inclusion in various events such as All-Star Games and/or the World Baseball Classic – the next of which is scheduled for 2017. If I were in Rob Manfred’s position I would move to reinstate Pete Rose and reap some of those small benefits that the game can garner from Rose’s inclusion. Just my two cents…
Finally, here is an interesting comment from Greg Cote in the Miami Herald:
“The Miami Open, which starts a week from Monday in Key Biscayne, this year will include a swimwear fashion show, pro beach volleyball tournament and “Taste of the Open” event with celebrity chefs. Reportedly there also will be tennis matches, time permitting.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………