In the "continuing debate" over Alex Rodriguez' $252M,
ten-year deal with the Rangers, Astros Owner Drayton McLane
Jr. "has offered a friendly suggestion," where he "would
like to see a rule that prevents a new owner in any
professional sport from making a decision for at least a
year," according to Mickey Herskowitz of the HOUSTON
CHRONICLE. McLane: "It takes that long, if not longer to
learn not to act out of ego or emotion. I like and admire
[Rangers Owner] Tom Hicks very much. But he may not
understand that when he pays Rodriguez [$252M], it has an
impact on every other team, including us." More McLane: "In
the long run, the game has to suffer. ... I can tell you Tom
Hicks and the Rangers can't have a $90 million payroll and
break even. He will lose money." McLane said that in eight
years as owner, the Astros have "suffered losses" of $132M.
McLane: "[MLB] ultimately has to get a salary control
system. We need to share revenue in a significant way, as
the NFL and the NBA do. ... We don't need to bring the
small-market teams all the way up to the big-market teams.
But we need to get close" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/19). Braves
President Stan Kasten, on the Rodriguez deal: "It would not
really have been smart for us to do it in Atlanta, or ...
probably anyplace else. We can't really second-guess Tom.
He is a very smart businessman. ... Tom is the only one who
knows that market and knows his economics, and if he thinks
it works, I hope for his sake it does" (CNN/SI, 12/18).
CHANCE TO RESPOND: Hicks tells the FT. WORTH STAR-
TELEGRAM's' Randy Galloway he has received "overwhelming
approval" for the deal in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market.
Hicks: "Now that matters much more to me -- what the public
and the fans and the media around here have had to say --
than how they feel about it in New York or other places."
Hicks feels that signing Rodriguez "will be the right
business decision in the long run," and "record ticket
sales" over the past week "indicate Hicks can be right on
that part." More Hicks: "I'd rather have our deal than the
one given Manny Ramirez [$160M, eight-year deal with the Red
Sox]. But I believe the fans of North Texas want their
teams to be serious players in the marketplace" (FT. WORTH
STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/19). The Rangers sold another 80 full
season-ticket equivalents yesterday, raising the total to
830 since signing Rodriguez (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/19).
A CRUEL BUSINESS: NEWSDAY's Jon Heyman wrote that after
agent Arn Tellem negotiated P Mike Mussina's $88.5M deal
with the Yankees, another agent "snickered about Tellem's
negotiating abilities," saying Tellem is a "basketball guy.
He left $20 million on the table." Heyman: "And by week's
end that was clear" (NEWSDAY, 12/17).
NOT FOR NFL? NFLPA General Counsel Richard Berthelsen,
on Rodriguez' deal: "To pay one player (a third) of a team's
payroll just wouldn't work for any team in football. It's
far too much of a team game. While there are ways to exceed
the salary cap, the rules in our system pretty much dictate
how high you can go" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/17).
