Agent Scott Boras made the media rounds yesterday
dismissing speculation that he is asking for special
amenities to any contract for free agent SS Alex Rodriguez.
Appearing on CNBC's "Market Wrap," Boras said, "When you
negotiate these contracts, you really don't demand much of
anything. You really sit back and determine, after
discussion, what the markets are for the existing players,
how Alex will fit into that and try to define a fair and
equitable position for each party as you negotiate." Boras
said he didn't "know where this came from" the idea that
Rodriguez wanted use of a private plane and other special
perks. Boras said he told the Mets "we have no demands of
any sorts for anything" like special perks (CNBC, 11/14).
But T.J. Quinn of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS reports that Mets GM
Steve Phillips "all but called" Boras a "liar." Phillips:
"All I can say is I'm confident I heard him very accurately
in our two-hour meeting in Florida. What he's saying now is
(Rodriguez) wants to be treated like any player on the team.
When we met he was asking, 'How are you designing your
marketing plan around him? How many billboards are you
going to put up around the city? How will your other
players feel in secondary roles on the team?'" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 11/15). In Seattle, Larry Stone writes that in
"damage-control interviews" yesterday, Boras said that he
"only told teams what the Mariners did for Rodriguez in
Seattle, including billboards displayed in the city and a
conference room at Safeco Field where he could meet with his
marketing people." Mariners GM Pat Gillick noted a room
near the clubhouse is available to any player "for business
purposes." Gillick: "There are certain necessities of life
-- water, heat and shelter -- that everyone is entitled to.
The only time players of ours receive preferential treatment
is on the first and 15th" (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/15).
WHO WILL PAY: In Seattle, Laura Vecsey writes that
Boras has "always gotten the most for his clients [and]
owners have always been willing to pay." Vecsey: "These two
facts won't change, no matter how indignant the rhetoric
right now" (POST-INTELLIGENCER, 11/15). In Philadelphia,
Bill Conlin, on Boras: "This guy would have changed the
perception of Mother Teresa from fragile saint to pushy
shrew with a bad wardrobe" (DAILY NEWS, 11/15). In Boston,
Gerry Callahan, on Rodriguez: "Someone will meet most of his
demands. Someone always does. It is a sad reality in
baseball these days." Callahan writes that Rodriguez "still
is one of the class guys in the game and the best player out
there. He just isn't perfect anymore. He will be known now
as the guy who wasn't content to just sell his soul to the
highest bidder. He also had to have a plane and a tent and
a nice big office next to the clubhouse" (BOSTON HERALD,
11/15). ESPN.com's Ray Ratto wrote under the header,
"They'll Pay; They Always Do." Ratto: "Owners are no better
at agreeing about anything substantive than ever. They
can't even agree about the right way to screw the union,
because the last time they tried, they got caught in a
blizzard of collusion judgments that stung some of their
stingier members" (ESPN.com, 11/14).
A BUTLER, TOO, MR. RODRIGUEZ? Rangers GM Doug Melvin,
on Boras reportedly asking for a variety of amenities as
part of Rodriguez' contract: "I don't blame them for asking"
(F.W. STAR-TELEGRAM, 11/15). In IL, Phil Jurik mocks
Rodriguez by noting he could have his "signature fish
fillet" called The A-Cod, his own premium grass seed called
A-Sod and his own bubble gum called A-Wad (DAILY SOUTHTOWN,
11/15). In L.A., T.J. Simers: "I think it would be a good
idea to give all 25 players on the [Dodgers] roster their
own concession stands. This would solve the problem of long
lines at Dodger Stadium -- let's see how many people line up
at Carlos Perez's concession stand" (L.A. TIMES, 11/15).
