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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Fanhouse: Will Ichiro’s New Contract Ruin Baseball?

Samson and Deliria…

According to Marlins President David Samson, it will. Samson, who works for a franchise who has had two fire sales in the last ten years, is incredulous at reports of Ichiro’s reported $100 million five-year contract. In an interview with Dan Le Batard on his radio show, Samson let loose with cries of fiscal irresponsibility (the Ichiro discussion starts about four minutes in).

”Le Batard: It’s dumb, right?

Samson: I would say it’s the end of the world as we know it. If Ichiro’s worth 20 million a year, I am speechless by that contract, I’m hoping that that report is false. Because there’s no chance that a top of the lineup, forget that, there’s no chance anybody’s worth that. And Ichiro, who’s led his team to zero? Nothing? I hope you’re wrong, Dan.”

Thanks to robinred

Repoz Posted: July 12, 2007 at 08:47 PM | 44 comment(s)
Related News: General, Business, Florida, Seattle

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1. robinred Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:13 PM (#2439321)

Repoz passed on the REM reference in the lead-in. Too easy, I guess.

I think Suzuki will age well, as I said on the thread yesterday.

2. Ivan Grushenko of HK in St Louis Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:19 PM (#2439351)

Didn't A-Rod's contract already ruin it?

3. robinred Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:25 PM (#2439388)

Didn't A-Rod's contract already ruin it?

That's what's cool about baseball: it can be ruined over and over again by so many different things.

4. Buzzards Bay Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:36 PM (#2439454)

Gm's have to win and send economics smoke signals to each other at the same time
tough trick
as age and production drops become more mainstream and 'accepted' Gm's will have a true foil in this type of player

5. Eric Chalek (Dr. Chaleeko) Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:37 PM (#2439462)

Didn't A-Rod's contract already ruin it?

Didn't Kevin Brown's contract already ruin it?

6. Every Inge Counts Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:39 PM (#2439473)

Didn't A-Rod's contract already ruin it?

Didn't Kevin Brown's contract already ruin it?

Didn't Darren Dreifort's contract already ruin it?

7. McLovin Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:40 PM (#2439484)

Didn't the Marlins already ruin it? Twice?

8. robinred Posted: July 12, 2007 at 09:42 PM (#2439498)

Bill James ruined it before any of these contracts were signed.

9. Frisco Cali Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:13 PM (#2439609)

It was ruined when foreigners started playing.

10. jwb Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:17 PM (#2439619)

It was ruined when foreigners started playing.

That was a long, long time ago.

11. Best Regards, Larry Mahnken Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:21 PM (#2439624)

Didn't Alexander Cartwright ruin it?

12. Better Schafer than Sorry Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:25 PM (#2439629)

Didn't David Samson already ruin baseball in Florida?

13. Banta Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:27 PM (#2439631)

Didn't introducing overhand pitching already ruin it?

14. RB in NYC (Now with a Training Schedule!) Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:27 PM (#2439633)

What's the Gene Mauch line? "Baseball and Malaria keep coming back" or something like? Frankly, I see no reason to listen to anything Samson has to say.

15. phredbird Posted: July 12, 2007 at 10:33 PM (#2439640)

when i was in college, all i heard about was how wayne garland's contract ruined baseball. i don't know why but it seemed like it freaked out every writer who covered baseball ...

16. Dan Szymborski Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:14 PM (#2439681)

The Garland contract may not have ruined baseball, but it certainly was one of the funniest situations of all-time, both for the contract and how the Indians protected their investment.

17. Dag Nabbit Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:22 PM (#2439686)

Paying ballplayers ruined it. Give me a good 'ol time with the Knickerbock club out in Hoboken anytime. Quite a swell way to spend a gay afternoon.

18. Keith Law Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:25 PM (#2439688)

Did anyone hear the interview? Samson calls him "ee-CHEE-ro." How can you be involved in MLB and not know how to pronounce the guy's name?

19. Devin has a deep burning passion for fuzzy socks Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:30 PM (#2439692)

Did anyone hear the interview? Samson calls him "ee-CHEE-ro." How can you be involved in MLB and not know how to pronounce the guy's name?

Well, Loria keeps the pronounciation guide on the top shelf, so standing on the chair isn't enough for him to reach it. [/brattain]

20. JoeHova Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:32 PM (#2439694)

How can you be involved in MLB and not know how to pronounce the guy's name?

Joe Buck has been calling him "Itch-a-ro" as long as I can remember.

21. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: July 12, 2007 at 11:44 PM (#2439699)

Well, it's not Buck's "Itchy-ro"...

22. Johnny B. Wong Posted: July 13, 2007 at 12:01 AM (#2439707)

Itch-a-ro

I've got my celebrity endorser lined up, now I just have to create my product.

23. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: July 13, 2007 at 12:41 AM (#2439723)

Oops, stuck post--twelve minutes too! Sorry JoeHova!

24. Monty Posted: July 13, 2007 at 12:42 AM (#2439724)

Le Batard: Professor, without knowing precisely what the danger is, would you say it's time for our viewers to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?

Samson: Mmm, yes I would, Dan.

25. MM1f Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:13 AM (#2439730)

"Did anyone hear the interview? Samson calls him "ee-CHEE-ro." How can you be involved in MLB and not know how to pronounce the guy's name?"

Eh, not a big deal. Why does John Miller insist on calling Andruw "ahhhn-drew"? Not only does Andruw say its "Andrew" but its illogical to think that changing an "e" to a "u" at the end of a name would change how you pronounce the first letter, in this name at least.

26. Gambling Rent Czar Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:56 AM (#2439739)

Wow, just wow.
I just listened to about 20-25 minutes of this douche and some of his interviews. Not only is my brain fried from listening to this dumbass, but I couldn't help but come away thinking .... This...THIS is the president of an MLB baseball team??? I would be furious if he ran the Padres.
Sure it is ok to be fan of the movies, but to hijack a weekly sports show and ramble on about absolutely nothing but stupid movie trivia, and to try and crack lame jokes left and right is beyond obnoxious .. He doesn't even talk about the team .. EVER!!
In 30 minutes (3 different interviews) I don't think he mentioned the Florida Marlins once.

all I can say is wow .. .. just wow.

27. Pasta-diving Jeter (jmac66) Posted: July 13, 2007 at 08:25 AM (#2439781)

I'm sick and tired of players like Ichiro and Albert Belle ruining baseball

28. andrewberg of udub law Posted: July 13, 2007 at 08:33 AM (#2439788)

I think what samson meant to say is that the Ichiro contract will ruin baseball... unless the city of Miami publicly funds a new stadium for the Marlins. That, and that alone, could undo the damage caused by Bill Bavasi and his henchmen.

29. Eric Chalek (Dr. Chaleeko) Posted: July 13, 2007 at 09:10 AM (#2439800)

Joe Buck's pronunciation of Ichrio just ruined this thread!

30. Misirlou hasn't payed the phone bill in 300 years Posted: July 13, 2007 at 09:20 AM (#2439809)

but its illogical to think that changing an "e" to a "u" at the end of a name would change how you pronounce the first letter, in this name at least.

Tell that to the women of the world.

31. alio intuito Posted: July 13, 2007 at 09:25 AM (#2439810)

It was ruined when foreigners started playing.

It was ruined when they started paying players to play.

32. Golfing Great Mitch Cumstein Posted: July 13, 2007 at 09:31 AM (#2439817)

Is Samson as much of a douche as he appears in this interview?

33. AROM wants you off his lawn Posted: July 13, 2007 at 09:33 AM (#2439819)

It was ruined when foreigners started playing.

You mean us Irish?

34. Estranged O Posted: July 13, 2007 at 10:04 AM (#2439834)

Didn't Abner Doubleday already ruin baseball?

35. G.W.O. Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:40 PM (#2440053)

Jane Austen ruined baseball

36. aleskel Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:48 PM (#2440060)

Wow, the "ruined baseball" just gave me a flashback to those MLB ads from the late 90s:

voiceover: "baseball ... baseball's just dead"
player (Smoltz, maybe?): "hey, if baseball survived those old Astros uniforms, it can survive anything"
(cue 30 seconds of footage of the late '70s Astros)

man, that was fun

37. Kris Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:55 PM (#2440065)

I'm pretty sure it was Neon Deion who declared that baseball can survive anything after surviving the old Astros uniforms. could be wrong, but it was one my favorite commercials.

38. Loren F.'s well-anchored glenoid Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:57 PM (#2440068)

Am I the only one who thought those Astros uniforms were so Ur-70s-bad that they were good?

39. aleskel Posted: July 13, 2007 at 01:59 PM (#2440070)

huh ... maybe it was Deion. Somehow I remembered it being a white guy.

Another great one from that series of commericals:

voiceover: "too many teams wear pinstripes now"
(cue 30 seconds of footage of various teams wearing pinstripes)
cubs player: [looks down at uniform] "okay, maybe that one's true."

40. Eric Chalek (Dr. Chaleeko) Posted: July 13, 2007 at 02:00 PM (#2440071)

Indoor stadiums and plastic grass ruined baseball.

41. RMc is the President of the United States Posted: July 13, 2007 at 02:39 PM (#2440109)

Voiceover: "The baseball season is too long."
Tony Gwynn, in dugout: "No, it's the off-season that's too long!"
(camera switches to show Tony's POV, looking out at the field, which is covered with snow)

Great stuff.

42. aleskel Posted: July 13, 2007 at 03:15 PM (#2440141)

man, MLB had some terrific ads back then (can you say "back then" about 10 years ago?)

I loved the one where they had players singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame, one line at a time, in different languages (including Graeme Lloyd's Australian accent). I wish they would resurrect that one.

Of course, its funny now to remember that the player who sang the last line ("at the ooold baaall gaaaame") was Mark McGuire, who was supposed to be the iconic figure.

43. Walt Davis Posted: July 13, 2007 at 07:22 PM (#2440356)

but its illogical to think that changing an "e" to a "u" at the end of a name would change how you pronounce the first letter, in this name at least.

Being Miller, I assume he's going for the "correct" Spanish pronunciation of "an" (as in Angel). Of course then Andruw's last name would be something like Ho-ness.

44. Eraser-X is emphatically dominating teh site!!! Posted: July 13, 2007 at 07:31 PM (#2440379)

You mean like "Ned Holness"?

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Fanhouse: Will Ichiro’s New Contract Ruin Baseball?

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