...and the other 70% is what exactly? Thanks to Craig at Shysterball for the link, helping me get thru a nasty chest/head cold. (emphasis mine)
Reflecting on the criticism, Boras said: “I only get the negativity because it’s written so much, about here he goes again doing something different, it’s always about money. Seventy percent of what we do is not about money; it’s about advancing players and getting players to be better.I'm hardly a writer and I am often without facts, but I have a pair of eyes (long since corrected by laser surgery) that can see what I believe to be true. Boras is an advocate for his clients and that's his role. I know his firm spends a ton of money on training and testing and getting his stable ready to play, which is key. But, the truth is, he out-maneuvers many GM's by installing these opt-outs and player options. He is probably the best at what he does: getting the most money for his clients.
“When I have families come in when we represent the premium people in the draft and they look at me — mothers, fathers, players — and thank me for what you do,” Boras said, adding that the criticism did not bother him. And certainly not, he said, when the criticism is coming from “a writer who is without the facts.”
And it IS about the money. Right?
The article did have the interesting graphic (to the upper right) highlighting Boras' clients in this post-season alone. At what point does he effectively control one club?
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5 comments:
I remember reading an article a few years ago, either quoting or paraphrasing some GM, saying they actually preferred to deal with Boras, because with him they at least knew what they were dealing with. Unlike with some other agents, presumably.
I wonder if that was actually true then, and if it's still true now.
I personally have never had any beef with Boras. Getting the maximum value for his clients is his job, and he's very good at it. His methods are a little odd sometimes, but if anyone needs to be "blamed" for J.D. Drew's opt-out clause with the Dodgers, for example, then it's the Dodgers GM who agreed to allow that cluase in the contract.
Mark,
That's exactly my point. It takes two to tango and Boras knows how to play to the insecurities of the GM's/owners better than the rest. If McCourt or whoever was the GM at the time (DePo?) of the JD Drew signing in LA had the stones to say NO to that opt-out, would Drew have signed?
I think that would be a really expensive team that not even the Yankees could afford.
People like to hate on Boras the same way we like to hate on lawyers, until we need one that is and they are closer to us than our parents. Boras is quite simply an advocate for his clients and he is really really good at it. Hell, if I was an athlete that is the man that I want representing me, because I know that Boras will care about his client first and will get his client the best deal possible. Isn't that what an agent is supposed to do?
What I also wonder about is where did all this hate come from?
To use a popular street colloquialism, don't hate the player, hate the game....
The anti-Boras hate comes from him steering players to the biggest dollar, not what might be the best situation for them, personally. The haters also hate what the Boras contract does to their team, especially mid-market teams who get slogged down with one or two highly (over?-) paid players. Most teams can't get out from under the Andruw Jones-type contracts.
Fans want players to be as loyal as they are but in reality, we'd all gladly chase the highest dollar. If some company came and offered me a 50% raise, I'd go there in a second. I'd be foolish not to. Will I be happier? Maybe, maybe not, but my family would be better off and that'd be a good thing.
And yes, the hate is often mis-placed. We, the fans, need to chide and hold management's feet to the fire for agreeing to some of these wacky deals with player-friendly fine-print.
We can hate on Boras and ARod for that debacle last World Series, but you have to hang the fault on Hank's shoulders for going back on his word and re-signing ARod at his prices. Did Boras lose some cred? Maybe, but at the same time, he also got the biggest contract ever for the player who just opted out of the previous biggest contract ever. No small feat.
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