Shaughnessy seems to misunderstand some very important points:
1) It's a free country.
2) Pedro can pitch.
"He doesn't need the money. He has more money than anyone ever could spend. The Sox have paid him $92 million over the last seven years and were set to pay him another $40.5 million for the next three years. But in Pedro's mind, the Mets respect him more because they are willing to guarantee a fourth year at those rates.
Four years guaranteed, $54 million. This is what makes him happy. This is what makes him feel wanted."
Ummm, yeah ...
" Now he gets to compare his salary next to Schilling's and be happy about it. He gets the same years and more money than Carl Pavano. With Pedro, it's not about winning championships, or lifestyle, or fan appreciation. It's about wallet-measuring. Whose is bigger?
Pedro's decision to join the Mets is rooted in either greed or insecurity. I know some of you think it's easy for me to casually dismiss a fourth-year guarantee of so many millions, but what difference does that last year make? If you already had more money than you ever could spend, why would you leave for more money?"
It's amazing to me that this question would even need to be asked.
Why wouldn't you leave for more money? What is so great about playing for Boston or even winning World Series rings? How does Dan Shaugnessy know if Pedro was "happy with his job," anyway?
You know, it's really funny when a team like the Red Sox builds a WS title with free agency and robbing low-budget teams like the Expos. I am well aware that the Yankees use the same tactics, by the way, I'm not criticizing the tactics.
But Your Team and Your City are not the Center of the Universe. A player is not Loyal when he comes to your team and Disloyal when he leaves.
As if to underscore the point, Shaugnessy seems to completely forget that Pedro once pitched for the Expos, as he wonders how he'll manage in the NL:
"It's going to be fascinating to watch him in New York. He gets to pitch in a pitcher's ballpark and he gets to strike out the opposing pitcher once every three innings. ... Oh, and he'll have to walk to the plate after buzzing the other team's No. 3 batter in the top of the first. No more diplomatic immunity supplied by the designated hitter. Another weapon lost. Pedro's head-hunting days are endangered.
It's lose, lose, lose all around. The Sox lose. The Mets lose again when the contract becomes an albatross. And Pedro loses everything that worked for him in Boston.
But he's got the four years. He's got the $54 million. And you know what that is? That's respect. And that's the only thing that matters to Pedro Martinez."
No, only the Red Sox lose. Pedro gets his $, the Mets gets their ace. It's win, win, lose.
By the way, I'm not sure what planet Dan Shaugnessy has been living on, but on this planet, Money absolutely is Respect. For you, me, baseball players, sportswriters, and everybody else. If the Globe is unhappy with one of their curly-haired sportswriters, they can fire him. If the Herald offered him twice as much, he'd probably accept. Then he could use the extra money to find a good barber.
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