A-Rod willing to take a pay cut if it helps baseball

[blurredvision]

This totally shocked me. I wasn't ready for this one. I wonder if it was his idea or someone elses? I guess I've gotten so used to the arogance of professional athletes that this one totally broadsided me.

linky

 

[Vette73]

Ill believe it when I see it.

Just like when Sosa was telling a reporter he would be the first to take a drug test, then the reporter said well here is a place that does it and we will follow you. He then went from ok to steaming mad and almost took the guys head off.

Saying you are going to do something and doing it are 2 different things.

 

[ElFenix]

whats a couple million when you have a quarter billion in just pay stubs?

 

[psteng19]

All talk.
40% is pretty hefty.

Once you get used to making so much, it's hard to take a pay cut.
speaking from experience, although not of the same magnitude

 

[murphy55d]

I can see this from ARod. From all accounts he is one of the most down to earth personable players in baseball. EVERYONE, players and analysts broadcasters have said this. it is possible for guys to still love baseball. Remember too,, he never demanded 250 mil Texas came out and offered it to him, what was he gonna say, no thanks that's too much? I think he'd probably give some of it back. AT THE VERY LEAST, defer it for a number of years.

I don't think any players want to see a strike, if this is what it takes, so be it. If he holds true to this, then good for him and even better for baseball.

 

[Tiger]

I don't think any players want to see a strike

I think some of them do and I'd bet my left nut Don Fehr wants one.
Union muckety mucks aren't truly happy less their stirring up the hornets nest.
As a former union memeber (UAW) this situation makes me sick. I'm with the owners on this one.
Everybody else in society has to "live" with salary caps, why are these primadonna's special?

 

[murphy55d]

Originally posted by: Tiger

I don't think any players want to see a strike

I think some of them do and I'd bet my left nut Don Fehr wants one.
Union muckety mucks aren't truly happy less their stirring up the hornets nest.
As a former union memeber (UAW) this situation makes me sick. I'm with the owners on this one.
Everybody else in society has to "live" with salary caps, why are these primadonna's special?

I don't doubt for one MINUTE Donald Fehr wants to see a strike. I KNOW he does. I just don't think the players do. The majority of them anyway.

 

[manly]

Talk is cheap.

However, in my opinion, ARod has been earning his salary, as outrageous as it may seem to some. His contract was negotiated in good faith, so basically Tom Hicks is a fool for now yapping/whining about how the system is broken. If Hicks knew how to spend money, the Rangers could field a contending team with their payroll even after having thrown all that money at ARod.

Compare ARod's salary to the next tier:

Average $17 - $20 million/yr:
Sammy Sosa
Barry Bonds
Jason Giambi
Derek Jeter
Manny Ramirez

Of those six guys, ARod is almost clearly the best all-around player, and Bonds is right there but getting old (Sammy's offensive numbers since 1998 are stunning as well). But Manny plays horrible D, Sosa and Giambi are average with the glove at best, and Jeter is light-hitting compared to the sluggers. In other words, I'd rather pay ARod just starting to come into his prime $25 mil/yr for his league-leading offense and excellent defense before paying these other guys $18 mil. Whether it's a good business decision or not is another issue (obviously most don't feel it was).

 

[UltraQuiet]

Everybody else in society has to "live" with salary caps, why are these primadonna's special?

Who else in society has to "live" with a salary cap? Why should anyones salary be regulated? This is the very epitome of supply and demand.

 

[murphy55d]

Jeter hardly belongs in that tier. such an overrated player. If any SS in baseball is paid too much it's him.

 

[FatAlbo]

Oops (blurb near the bottom)
Here's the entirety:

Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez backtracked from his comments Friday that he would give back 30 to 40 percent of his pay if it would improve the sport.

"I'm willing to do my part. Thirty to 40 percent? Probably not. I was speaking off the cuff,'' he said.

"What I wanted to say is I love the game of baseball and would do anything to help it. Obviously, that was a very drastic statement. I wouldn't take it literally.''

Rodriguez said he had not heard from Texas owner Tom Hicks, who signed him to the record $252 million, 10-year deal in December 2000.

"I don't think Tom Hicks has my cell phone,'' Rodriguez said.

 

[Tiger]

Who else in society has to "live" with a salary cap? Why should anyones salary be regulated? This is the very epitome of supply and demand.

By salary "cap" I mean no matter how good a plumber you are your salary will be in a certain range. You could be gods gift to plumbing and you will never break out of that range. Admitedly you will be at the top but you won't be raking in neurosurgeon bank.

The owners suggested a luxury tax (salary cap) of $100-110M per team per year. That's $4-4.4M per player on a 25 man roster. You can divy up that $110M any way you want. You want to pay some player $25M/yr, that leaves you with $85M for the rest of the roster. Apparently the players didn't have a philosophical problem with a cap, they came back with a sliding (non-cap) cap of $120M year 1, $130M year 2 etc.... Add to that a demand for 50% profit sharing and it's pretty easy to see who's trying to gouge who.

The players raped the owners in the last negotiations. Of course most of those costs got transfered to the fans and to the TV contract. How much longer do you think the networks and fans are going to put up with the same teams winning the world series ever year? How many families of four are going to continue to pony up the $150-200 per game to see it live? Not many.

These arrogant bastards better recognize that this IS just a game and any money spent on it is discretionary.
If they strike don't go back.

 

[Chaotic42]

I want to see a strike. Then bring up all of the minor leaguers, pay them a reasonable salary, and when the "big stars" come back to talk, laugh them out of town.

 

[Adul]

I know several guys on the diamon backs team last yrear restructured their contract to help the team out. Dbacks where loosing money still.

 

[Kerouactivist]

so he will make 12.5 million a year instead of making 25 million............ sign me up I'll play for 30k just so I can cover expenses of food housing etc...

 

[poopaskoopa]

I don't understand why he'd bring this up, or why he'd be compelled to bring it up. It doesn't give the owners what they want.

 

[manly]

Originally posted by: Adul
I know several guys on the diamon backs team last yrear restructured their contract to help the team out. Dbacks where loosing money still.

There were two major motivations for deferring money in their contracts. First off, they wanted to win and didn't want the organization to ship off good players just because of financial constraints.

However, arguably the greater reason was the Bush 10-year tax cut. The players' accountants/financial planners aren't dummies. Deferring that money will net them roughly 5% less in federal income taxes, which amounts into the millions of dollars for marquee veterans.

Of course, if you listen to G. Dummy Bush, he says his tax cut package is keeping the U.S. economy on life support. Sureee, our economy recovers because rich ballplayers pay less in taxes. You gotta love trickle-down Reaganomics.

 

[wyvrn]

Because everyone gives him a hard time for being the highest paid player in baseball. He doesn't want to be labelled as a whiny millionaire like most baseball players are. If there is a class act in sports, its Alex Rodriquez.

Now I have a question for the gallery. How many people here, if making $150,000 a year in their job, would give up 30-40% if it would help keep other people employed at their jobs? Not very many I would wager And yes it is the same thing, people will have a tendency to make as much as they can for their jobs. Sports players are no different, its just that they get paid an astronomical amount for their skill that many people don't have. Same thing for the best CEO's, entertainers, writers, et al.

Originally posted by: poopaskoopa
I don't understand why he'd bring this up, or why he'd compelled to bring it up. It doesn't give the owners what they want.

 

[PlatinumGold]

Who else in society has to "live" with a salary cap? Why should anyones salary be regulated? This is the very epitome of supply and demand

Sohmer

that's not fair. you didn't include the other half of the equation. which other industry gets a Monopoly Exemption??

truth is Baseball needs a LOT of help right now. If the players strike this time, i could see as many as 5 or 6 teams going out of business and the remaining teams attendance lowered by as much as 15 to 20 percent for years to come.

Revenue sharing is a MUST. It must happen, contrary to most peoples beliefs, baseball teams only COMPETE on the baseball diamond. As businesses THEY DO NOT COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER. or they shouldn't anyway.

All the yankees fans that keep complaining that the owners of other teams should invest as much as steinbrenner does, that's just LUDICROUS, how will the KC Royals EVER draw as much of an audience as the Yankees, where would those fans come from?? comeon, there is an inherent weakness when you expect small market teams to INVEST the same amount of money in players when there is ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE that those teams will EVER draw the type of revenue that the yankees do.

A Salary CAP and a Salary FLOOR should be instituted, Revenue sharing is a MUST. Where would the yankees be if all other baseball teams folded??

 

[Uclagamer_99]

 

[Lucky]

And yes it is the same thing, people will have a tendency to make as much as they can for their jobs

No, it's not. Taking a 40% paycut from $150,000 might start to intrude of one's way of living. If you live in a hot real estate market where a 3BR house can cost $6-800,000, that chunk of missing money is going to hurt. Taking a 40% paycut from $25 million is a wholly different story.