January 27, 2009
Does money make the man?
Jason Varitek needs a job. The Boston Red Sox could use his skills and have offered him a contract.
So what is the problem here?
Enter the P-word. Pride.
With the economy down and no interest in Varitek from other teams, Varitek has little leverage. We've heard the phrase "50 cents on the dollar" in describing the Red Sox offer of $5-million this year and an option for 2010 (a team option of $5-million and a player option for $3-million).
Yes, $5-million is half of what Varitek made last year, and is half of what he could have made this year, if his agent didn't botch it.
So Varitek made an economic mistake. It happens. Ask Andy Pettitte. He turned down $10-million from the Yankees, and then finally signed with them - for $5.5-million (with incentives for more).
Does anyone in the Yankees clubhouse not respect Andy Pettitte because he is making less? You would be a fool to suggest that a pitcher of Pettitte's stature and class deserves less respect because of the size of his paycheck.
Yet, I keep hearing how Varitek would lose face, and how he is a prideful man.
There is good pride, which is the motivation to do a job with all your ability.
And there is bad pride, which is an inflated sense of one's own importance. The opposite of this is humility - which is an honest assessment of your place in this world (sorry if this sounds like a sermon, but it does come straight from the junior high Sunday school class I teach at St. Matthew's).
Too much pride and not enough humility gets in the way of sound judgment.
Jason Varitek is a catcher who is going to soon turn 37. He batted .220 last season. No other teams are showing interest in him. He has said before he was more concerned about the years on his contract than the money. And with a player's option, he is guaranteed a two-year deal.
Will Varitek "lose face" if he signs for less. Heck, he's not the first guy to take a pay cut in this economy.
What fool would not respect Jason Varitek in the clubhouse because of his paycheck? Unless Varitek changes his leadership skills and his work ethic, he will ALWAYS demand respect.
Money does not make the man.
Posted at 09:24 AM
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I think the Red Sox are giving Jason Varitek a bum deal. At least they could have included incentives. A positive guy who keeps the teamm positive.
Shame on you Red Sox management
Posted by
barbara crookerJanuary 28, 2009 08:47 AM
I have not heard Jason Varitek bemoaning his pride, only sports writers and comment writers like me.... lol Why are we all assuming that Tek will just walk away because he feels a bit snubbed? This isn't the High School prom, and maybe he will figure what everyone else has been saying- no takers, bad season, etc, and oh, by the way, I just seem to have a good stack of millions socked away from my last contract!!!! Hmmmmmm.
Posted by
katcelataJanuary 28, 2009 03:29 PM
barbara -- from what I've read, the contract offer is LOADED with incentives. Based on his prior performance and his performance last season (.220), it should be.
We all know he'll work hard, but the Sox do need to protect themselves as well in case it wasn't his off-field issues that affected his play and more just the fact that he's on the backside of his career.
If he wanted more money... he should have accepted Arbitration. The Sox should not be bound to any obligation to pay him (again) for what he's already done. He took the risk of refusing Arbitration and now has to deal with the fact it backfired on him.
Posted by
ChasJanuary 28, 2009 06:29 PM
Chas, the only incentives in the contract raise the value of the player option based on number of games started. They have no impact on the team option, and don't reward recovered offense. But to say he should have taken arbitration for the extra money ignores the fact that his goal was a second year. Which he got, more or less.
Katcelata, you're absolutely right. We haven't heard a single word out of 'Tek on any of this, beyond two words after his meeting with Henry, that it "went ok"! And yet we all seem to believe we know how he's been feeling, over the last three months. Remarkable.
Posted by
ELSFebruary 11, 2009 11:52 PM
Chas, the only incentives in the contract raise the value of the player option based on number of games started. They have no impact on the team option, and don't reward recovered offense. But to say he should have taken arbitration for the extra money ignores the fact that his goal was a second year. Which he got, more or less.
Katcelata, you're absolutely right. We haven't heard a single word out of 'Tek on any of this, beyond two words after his meeting with Henry, that it "went ok"! And yet we all seem to believe we know how he's been feeling, over the last three months. Remarkable.
Posted by
ELSFebruary 11, 2009 11:56 PM
Chas, the only incentives in the contract raise the value of the player option based on number of games started. They have no impact on the team option, and don't reward recovered offense. But to say he should have taken arbitration for the extra money ignores the fact that his goal was a second year. Which he got, more or less.
Katcelata, you're absolutely right. We haven't heard a single word out of 'Tek on any of this, beyond two words after his meeting with Henry, that it "went ok"! And yet we all seem to believe we know how he's been feeling, over the last three months. Remarkable.
Posted by
ELSFebruary 12, 2009 12:14 AM
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