Hold your applause until the end of this post

I have thought, for awhile now, that baseball players are basically greedy savages who only go where the biggest payday is. Soriano apparently wanted to stay an eastsider, but Chicago isn't on the coast. Damon never wanted to be on the 'evil empire,' but now he is swinging a red lightsaber. And according to some writers in this city, Wagner wanted to remain a Phillie. Well...New York proved them all wrong. And while free agency remains one of my favorite parts of the year, I still get sick a couple of times during the offseason when I see the money these selfish bastards pull-in. I remember hearing Sammy Sosa say last year that the $500,000 offer he recieved from the Nats is a "slap in the face." Go tell 85% of America that half a million dollars is disrespectful and they will laugh/beat your ass. There seems to be no loyalty any more...Drew opting out of a 30 million dollar contract just because he can get more makes me want to vomit. It is bad for the game...also...WHY DOES ANYONE NEED MORE THAN 10 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR?! After a million, I feel like anything more is just overdoing it.
Then again I am a broke college kid so what do I know?

But now here comes the story of our beloved Randy Wolf who apparently is going to sign a 1 year contract with the Dodgers. He wants to return home to pitch for his childhood team and who can really blame him? The park is more pitcher-friendly, the weather is nicer, his home is still in southern California. And does this make me angry or upset? Yes and a very big No...I am upset because Wolf was a cool dude and watching the Wolfpack every 5th day was a treat. They put Sals Pals to shame...then again I am biased because I am apparently the only fan who did not like Fasano and his incredible lack of baseball talent. I am also a little pissed because the Phillies had Wolf for 8 years. We clearly wanted him back and offered him the money and years to make it possible. He is going to say 'no' to that and sign for only 1 year!! This coming during a period when pitching is thinner than Calista Flockhart. I am not, however, going to bitch too much because deep down I didn't want him back that badly. He gives up to many homeruns, has control issues and throws the shittiest curve ball known to mankind. The alternatives are weak and not abundant, however, as long as Gillick doesn't throw the Madson/Floyd combo back at us...I will be ok. Randy had his heart set on returning home and no amount of money was going to alter that decision. This is rare...and I applaud Wolfie.

Another man who deserves mentioning is Kevin Roberts. While his picture reminds me more of the dad from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" than a sports writer, he wrote a brilliant article in the Courier Post. Unlike Mr. douchebag negativity who lives in the past, Bill Conlin, Roberts talks about the positives of Burrell. I hear so many people claim Burrell couldn't protect Howard...well...for about half the year, thanks to Manuel, Howard batted either 5th or 6th which happens to be BEHIND Burrell. The other half of the year, according to this article, Burrell batted .423 when Howard was walked and slugged .769. But people don't want to talk about that. They would rather bitch that Pat strikes out to much (which he does) or doesn't hit in the clutch (which is a ridiculous stat to measure anyway). When Burrell hit a grand slam of Clemens in the first inning in September and the Phillies won by a final score of 4-3...was that not clutch because it was hit in the first inning and not the ninth? Did his runs not win that game for us? So for being brave, honest and smart...I applaud Kevin Roberts.

There is also rumblings of Trot Nixon and the Phillies. While we do not currently need another outfielder, Trot could be a nice fit in Right Field if Rowand is traded for pitching help . His defense is good and he plays hard...which is one of the only things some fans care about here. I cannot see him commanding that much. However, when Gary Matthews Jr gets 50 million, Juan Pierre gets 45 million, Baez gets 19 million for 3 years and Padilla could possibly get 10/year...there is no telling what some teams are willing to throw their money at. Trot is a cool dude...and I guess I applaud him too. For what? I guess this picture I found.

I also applaud Turkey for filling my tummy on Thursday.