That would have been awesome.

Maybe it would have been awesome, and it certainly is more artful than what Boras actually gave as an explanation, but it would have been just as untrue as what he actually said.

For all we know, the Yankees' stance really will end up being a great negotiating strategy. Anyone who's ever bargained in a market knows that the one with the strongest leverage in a negotiation is the one who is willing to walk away, and, when push comes to shove, actually does. It's a lesson I learned a couple of decades ago in the market in the Old City in Jerusalem. I walked into some guy's stall, admired something, and the guy told me it cost 100 shekels. I told him that it was very nice but that I didn't want to buy it. He asked how much I would be willing to pay, and I said that it was very nice, but it wasn't worth very much to me. He pressed, and I told him that it was worth 1 shekel (about 50 cents) to me. He threw up his hands, disgusted, said there is no way, too valuable, etc. I said that I'm sure it is but that I did not want it that badly. So thank you very much and I left. He chased after me and after some more back and forth and some more walking away, he sold it to me for 2 shekels.

Now, I probably still paid more than whatever it was was worth, but the point is that I was willing to walk away, and he was unwilling, at the end of the day, to let me. Now, I might have walked away and he might have muttered under his breath about the outrageous lowball offer and never come after me. That would have been fine with me too. A credible willingness to leave the negotiation is a huge bargaining tool and, if the market does not develop, I would not be shocked to see Boras chasing the Yankees asking what they would be willing to pay. And regardless of whether he does or not, the Yankees will have gained credibility the next time they take this kind of negotiating position, and that credibility is important.

Learned the same lesson in Tijuana though that involved penicillin.

Who was the last big name free agent to get less than expected on the open market? During the last off-season, Soriano got much more than anyone here thought any team was willing to pay. The bidding for Matsuzaka went far beyond predicted limits as well. The last time ARod was a free agent, I doubt anyone's prediction was within $50M of the contract he ended up with, and he did as much as any player in the game over the following seven seasons to earn that sum. To coin an oxymoron, ARod's next contract will be predictably shocking.

Maybe it would have been awesome, and it certainly is more artful than what Boras actually gave as an explanation, but it would have been just as untrue as what he actually said.

Well, who said it was true? What the hell does true have to do with anything? The point is it would have put the jackals in the media all ready to rend A-Rod limb from limb in an absolute no-win position, because it would have lined him up right with Torre, whom those self-same jackals had been self-righteously defending for days. They would have spent another week writing stories about how the chickens had already come home to roost, and how Levine and the SteinKids were already paying the price for running Torre off. They'd have never laid a glove on Boras and A-Rod; by the time they got around to asking whether it was true, no one would have cared any more, and the odds are the Yankees would have come crawling back begging to negotiate.

That would have been awesome.

I think what would have been awesome would be something along the lines of:

"I'm sick and tired of the media and the fans getting on my case over every little thing. My numbers speak for themselves. And yet these (explitive) fans were booing me because they weren't good enough? Look at Derek (expletive) Jeter. He sucked in the playoffs even more than I did and he gets a (explitive) free pass? And back in '06 when those (explitive) were really on my case for supposedly being unclutch, Mr. Jeter made the last out of the game with the tying run in scoring position eight (explitive) times. And how exactly is it my fault that Wang off (explitive) up twice by the Indians. And you (explitive) have been fanning the flames this whole (explitive) time with your (explitive) 'jouranlism.' (Explitive) George Steinbrenner, (explitive) the Yankee fans, and most of all (explitive) you all of you (explitive) sportswriters."

(Explitive) George Steinbrenner, (explitive) the Yankee fans, and most of all (explitive) you all of you (explitive) sportswriters."

At that point, he might as well paraphrase 2pac and say:

\"#### George Steinbrenner, #### Joe Torre, #### the Yankees as a staff, an organization, and as a mother ###### crew. And if you want to be down with the Yankees, then #### you too."

When I read "then #### you too" all I could think of was Gangsta Gangsta from NWA:

Cause I'm the E, I don't slang or bang
I just smoke ############# like it ain't no thang
And all you #######, you know I'm talkin to you
"We want to #### you Eazy!" I want to #### you too

You're right, Sam. That was a bunch of hooey. But saying it was all about Torre would have been, too--I mean, if you're right that he was opting out no matter what. So... I'm lost.

Here's my take on it.

Before the opt-out,
*the Yankees have the $21m free money they want to keep alive.
*Boras wants to get the most money to his client no matter what.

The best play for Cashman would have been to acknowledge that A-Rod was effectively already a free agent and waive any claim of tampering. Let A-Rod go get the best deal he could. Then, with the $21m in free money, match the offer, with negotiations to settle how much of that $21m difference goes to A-Rod and how much to the Yankees. Assuming the $21m gets split at least partially, both sides are better off. The Yankees get A-Rod at less than market; A-Rod gets paid more than market. Truly a win-win situation. (If the Yankees chose not to match A-Rod's offer, it would be the next best thing to a win-win: A-Rod gets his big payday, and the Yankees are no worse off than a pre-emptive opt out.)

Not only did this not happen--it had no chance of happening, with A-Rod opting out on voice mail. (BTW, doesn't he know you don't break up after 3 years on voice mail? This is Seinfeld 101, people.) Cashman never had the chance to make A-Rod the offer.

The data leads to the conclusion that A-Rod did not want to be a Yankee, and his incredible comments show that he didn't want to admit it publicly.

You're right, Sam. That was a bunch of hooey. But saying it was all about Torre would have been, too--I mean, if you're right that he was opting out no matter what. So... I'm lost.

It would have been better hooey. It would have fed the mediots exactly what they wanted, gave them fodder to shoot at the Yankees over the Torre thing for a few more days. I mean, what was the basic narrative of the post-Torre departure? The Yankees have cost themselves their class act, the guy the players want to play for, they've created mass uncertainty, they've treated him badly, etc. The hypothetical statement A-Rod did NOT issue -- had he issued would -- would have hit all those notes. It thus would have put Levine & Co. on the defensive -- and thus kept the tabloids off of Boras and A-Rod in those critical first few days. In the PR wars that they lost to the Yankees, they would have won instead, all while doing precisely what they intended to do all along: opt out.

Your proposal has only one problem, by the way: what possible incentive would other teams have to make offers knowing the Yankees (having waived any tampering claim) are sitting back with their $21M subsidy, ready to beat the market, non-subsidized price they (the other teams) have to set?

BTW, doesn't he know you don't break up after 3 years on voice mail? This is Seinfeld 101, people.)

It beats breaking up on a post-it note. That's Sex and the City 101.

You "..might be the stupidest person on the face of the earth." What movie?

I don't know if this is what you are looking for but it probably should have been;

Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

"I'm sick and tired of the media and the fans getting on my case over every little thing. My numbers speak for themselves. And yet these (explitive) fans were booing me because they weren't good enough? Look at Derek (expletive) Jeter. He sucked in the playoffs even more than I did and he gets a (explitive) free pass? And back in '06 when those (explitive) were really on my case for supposedly being unclutch, Mr. Jeter made the last out of the game with the tying run in scoring position eight (explitive) times. And how exactly is it my fault that Wang off (explitive) up twice by the Indians. And you (explitive) have been fanning the flames this whole (explitive) time with your (explitive) 'jouranlism.' (Explitive) George Steinbrenner, (explitive) the Yankee fans, and most of all (explitive) you all of you (explitive) sportswriters."

I've soured on A-Rod in recent years. I would've become his biggest fan had he said that. To top it off, let his hair grow out, grow a goatee and whenever things are quiet on the field he enjoys a good, long, satisfying scratch getting all the hard to reach places and horking out a tobacco loogie when he's done.

Best Regards

John

what possible incentive would other teams have to make offers knowing the Yankees (having waived any tampering claim) are sitting back with their $21M subsidy, ready to beat the market, non-subsidized price they (the other teams) have to set?

What do they have to lose? At best, A-Rod takes their offer; at worst, they've increased the Yanks' payroll. Furthermore, if you (Cashman) can persuade Boras it's in his own interest (which I think it clearly is), Boras tells the competing teams he will only take a competing offer before opting out.