You have to love the media. I mean really, you have to love them. Like Campbell Brown for instance…
no, wait…where was I?
Oh, in today’s papers the Tribune and Sun Times are both reporting that the Cubs have made Greg Maddux a two year offer worth somewhere between $12 and $14 million bucks. If they really did that, Greg needs to say “Yes!” right now.
Our old pal the Wizard of Roz says that the Cubs are fourth in line and teams are offering two year deals worth $10-$13 million per year.
Excuse me while I laugh uproariously.
Greg Maddux is a fine pitcher. He’s a sure-fire Hall of Famer and he’ll be a fine addition to any staff. But when Barry Rozner says “major league sources” tell him about those huge offers, the major league sources are Scott Boras.
This is the same Scott Boras who told the Phillies that free-agent pitcher Kevin Millwood had an offer on the table from another team for five years at $15 million per. That turned out to be the stuff you find lying in the hay in a horse stable.
I don’t know much (I prove that daily) but I know that there isn’t one, not to mention two or three other teams, offering more than what the Cubs offered Maddux yesterday.
He’s 38 years old, he averages about six innings per start and his ERA jumped a full run last year. Nobody, even Major League Baseball owners, pays $20 or $26 million for that.
It’s kind of disappointing really that Rozner is such a Maddux kiss ass that he’d believe that.
Just look at the “big” free agent signings this offseason. Have any of the top free agents signed for deals that would be that far above the market? If Vlad Guerrero and Miguel Tejada can’t break the bank, and if Bart Colon can’t get more than $10 million a year, there’s no way in hell Maddux could get what Rozner said he’s going to get.
Mike Kiley got it right when he wrote that Boras will take the Cubs offer (likely the first formal offer he’s gotten) and shop it to St. Louis (broke) and Baltimore (Greggy doesn’t want to go there) and beg for a few dollars more.
If you wonder why the Cubs finally decided to make an offer to Maddux after waiting all this time? Friday through Sunday is the Cubs Convention. What a coincidence!
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Yesterday it was Lovie Smith’s turn to come out and play nice with the media. He said all the right things, just like behemoth Russ Grimm did the day before. He said he wants an aggressive defense. He said he wants a “Rams-like” offense with more running. He said he wants Greg Blache tied to the uprights and beaten to death with a tackling dummy.
OK, maybe he didn’t say that last thing.
Now we sit and wait for Jerry Angelo to make up his mind. Does he take a flyer on Grimm, who looks like a guy who ought to coach the Bears, or does he hire Lovie Smith who might be the next Marvin Lewis…or the next Vince Tobin?
All signs point to a Lovie-in tonight or tomorrow.
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Lovie stopped by for a little chat yesterday.
Seabiscuit jockey Paul Sullivan on the Maddux offer.
What’s more surprising that Eddy Curry would miss a court hearing on a speeding ticket, or that Eddy Curry would ever move fast enough to be speeding at anything?
Rosey’s not so happy about the Bears’ coaching search.
This is just so typically Jay. Mariotti puts down the doughnut to crap out a half-assed effort on the how the Cubs “need” Maddux. Oh, shut up.
The Czar will be the next tool to get screwed over by Isiah.
The Braves need a healthy JD Drew. Hee hee. Hee hee.
Howie Dean is hoping to get endorsed by Jimmy Carter. Al Gore. Jimmy Carter. Martin Sheen. He’s almost out of losers.
Paris Hilton is the worst dressed person? She hardly even wears clothes!
Damn! I thought I had a good shot at buying West Virginia.
A naked Norwegian wants to marry you! I now have a Beatles’ song running through my head.
Was it wrong to get naked in a wet t-shirt contest. Wait, do you lose the contest when you lose the shirt? And pants?
America’s finest news source says that sometimes, short distance relationships are the toughest.
The photos of the Ohio news anchor can be found at dumbassdaily.com.
Hey everyone!
Just writing in to say I picked the Rockies as the surprise team next year in baseball!
Here’s an excerpt from my fine column:
"O’Dowd signed Jeff Fassero (another guy who induces ground balls) with the thought the left-hander can possibly take over the final spot in the rotation."
Aren’t I smart?
He’s right, I do give up lots of ground balls. Usually they start out as flyballs, but when they hit the bleachers, or the parking lot, they usually start rolling.
Oh no!!! I hope they don’t discover the nude pictures of me from my three day weekend trip to San Francisco. They’ll have my job in no time.
From Rogers’ crap article on the Rockies:
5. Aaron Miles was an astute acquisition who could put up Rookie of the Year numbers as the second baseman. He’ll have to play well in spring training to win a battle with veteran Damian Jackson, but don’t be surprised if he scores 100-plus runs.
If you aren’t a clear favorite to beat out the great Damian Jackson, you’re no Rookie of the Year.
And if you read the article you see that he kept his streak alive of making everything about the Rangers.
God, how I loathe Phil Rogers.
We pulled over Jeff Garcia last night on suspicion of drunk driving. Apparently, Mr. Garcia had downed one too many Zima’s at a San Jose Sharks game.
Rozner is the master of the unnamed "source". Usually when he writes that, I think the source is that guy Alex Kassberg. Anyway, on the Score they are reporting that the only other teams interested in Maddux are the Cardinals and Giants. And from what everyone is saying, only the Cubs are offering 2 years.
I’m here to report that 27 teams have made Greg offers of at least six years and $22 million per year! Only the Cubs, because they are cheap and the Braves, because they are not allowed to negotiate with us until May 1 have not done so.
Greg and I will sit down and go through each contract and decide which team will afford me the biggest commission…er, I mean which team will be the best situation for Greg, that weird scar on his chin and his family.
For example, the Mets have offered us nine years at $33 million per year. They have also offered a private jet for Greg to use, as well as a jet pack for his sons to wear so they can hover around New York City and they will allow Greg to sleep naked in the clubhouse during games he’s not pitching in.
The Dodgers have offered Greg 27 years at $24 million per season and will have one prostitute of every ethnicity on hand (male and female) to fellate my client at his whim.
And I think we all like to be fellated at our whim!
In short, Barry Rozner is right and the Cubs are cheap assholes!
Me coach at Bears! Me love football! Football good! Me love to work for McCloosky family! Me run football! Me pressure quarterback! Me win games! Me beat Packers!
Arrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!
Oh Lovie!
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I have always liked and respected Rozner’s columns, and you can’t discount his connections with Maddux, but I was a little confused with today’s column. Maddux wanted $5 million extra for "psychological hardship" to sign with the Yankees during his first foray into free agency, so I can’t see the Mets being a legitimate destination. The Cardinals just blew the last of their money on Julian Tavarez and are faced with big raises to Mouthbreathin’ Matt Morris and Old Man Albert Pujols, so they’re out. The Giants have no money, either. So Maddux and Boras have no other options. Maybe Maddux promised Roz a cut if he could squeeze another million or two out of the Cubs. The Score has been reporting that Maddux’ contract is backloaded with most of the money coming next year, when the Cubs will be free of Alou and A-Gon’s contracts.
Speaking of The Score, could they run this Bears’ coaching search any further into the ground?
Hey, Scott Boras is a perfectly good "source". Why would he lie?
Dave, something tells me that the Score is perfectly capable of running this further into the ground. Is there anything worse than when Mike Murphy tries to pretend that he knows a damn thing about football? Has crazy Jerry Angelo told us who his top secret 3rd candidate is?
Baltimore has signed Ponson, so I’d say that Scott Boras just lost pretty much any bargaining power that he might have had.
The Ohio anchor is double dumb…dumb to get caught like that on camera, double dumb to get falsies that aren’t that big or nice. Oh, we got to see some Cleveland news anchors fake titties…oh boy, almost as exciting as watching Alfonsucka bending over to pick up the soap
I think Scott Boras just got on the horn with Bobby V in The Land of The Rising Sun in attempt to get Maddux some more yen and bargaining power.
For man, when perfected, is the best of animals, but when separated from law and justice, he is the worst of all, since armed injustice is the more dangerous, meant to be used by intelligence and virtue, he is the most unholy and savage of all animals, and the worst of full of lust and gluttony. by texas hold’em