DRAFT NEWSYanks Select Cole

Not to toot my own horn but I predicted Gerrit Cole would fall to the Yankees a week ago and that they would select him at 28th overall - before Keith Law and John Mayo's mock drafts were published.

This kid needs to refine his slider and changeup - like most prepsters - but already possesses an elite arm that can run fastballs in the upper 90s and touch triple digits. Cole will command a hefty signing bonus but he is a great get at the bottom of the first round.

Keith Law on the Yankees 1st round pick:

This is a great pick; he fell to the Yankees for financial reasons. Cole has the best arm among the prep pitchers in the draft. He has a loose, quick arm. He has the best fastball of the high school pitchers; it tops out 97 mph. He needs more consistency on the breaking ball. And he needs to just throw his changeup instead of guiding it. He's a high-ceiling arm that could be a No. 1 starter. If that doesn't work, he could be a dominant reliever.

And some video.

A-Rod Unconcerned With Canseco Book. Within the Boston Globe piece Alex Rodriguez speaks about the new ownership, his friendship with Manny Ramirez, and of course himself.

The quote in which Rodriguez explains "I always knew I was a great player," by itself comes across as cocky, but when put into the context that he is explaining how he recovered from a disasterous 2006 season [disasterous by A-Rod's immortal career thus far] the statement is far less toxic.

From the article:

"To be in this Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is a gift. I think anyone who played in New York or Boston and then goes somewhere else, at least for me, it would be quite a drop-off."

A-Rod is also getting a kick out of Hank Steinbrenner.

"I think it's good for baseball," he said. "When you have a great, passionate owner, it's great. It's great for you [media] guys."

He spoke about his affection for Manny Ramírez and responded to a story that he had advised Ramírez to hire Boras.

"I talk a lot with Manny, but I really don't want to talk about any promotion for anyone," he said. "Definitely don't want to promote that.

"When all is said and done, Manny will be the greatest righthanded hitter ever. I'm very biased because he's one of my best friends. I just love Manny."

.Aw.

Sheffield Rips Boras A New One

Looks like Alex Rodriguez isn't alone with his newfound disdain for super-agent Scott Boras. After Kenny Rogers recently fired Boras and completed a one year deal with the Tigers on his own, Gary Sheffield has come forward, calling the agent a "bad person" amongst other things.

Gary Sheffield and Boras have been in dispute for five years, since Sheffield fired Boras in 2003. Sheffield later negotiated his own contract with the New York Yankees, but Boras claimed he should get a portion of that deal because of the work he had done on Sheffield’s behalf.

“It’s probably personal, but when it gets done it’s going to be personal with me,’’ Sheffield said. Sheffield won’t mention Boras by name, but he left no doubt who he was talking about when he said this morning that he would tell other players to stay away from the super-agent.

“I’m going to warn everybody,’’ Sheffield said. “It’s going to be the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen. There’s certain people you don’t want to mess with—and I guarantee you I’m one of them.’’

Sheffield later said that his dealings with Boras were “total hell,’’ and he twice referred to the agent as a “bad person.’

..."Major league baseball is allowing it to happen,’’ Sheffield said. “They haven’t heard what I’m going to say when I’m done with all of this, And it’s not going to be pretty. And nobody’s going to shut me up.

“Ain’t no fine going to be big enough. Ain’t no suspension going to be long enough.’’

Good ol' Gary. That chip on his shoulder must be why the steroid suspicious slugger required surgery in the offseason.

No Teixeira News Is Good News For Yanks. Braves fans want to know if Mark Teixeira will be manning first base in 2009 and for the forseeable future. However, the talented switch-hitter has yet to yield any hints on the topic, leaving the organization guessing what his next move will be. With Jason Giambi's $20 million per season coming off the books following this year, the Yankees are a good fit for Teixeira and his likely exorbitant contract demands. The fact that Tex's agent is none other than Scott Boras - who was recently humbled by the Yankees ownership and his own client in Alex Rodriguez - may make it an interesting derby.

Harper: Boras Is A Mess

John Harper of the Daily News discovered superagent Scott Boras has "yet to recover from A-Rod's pounding."

Baseball insiders insist the hard feelings on A-Rod’s part toward Boras are genuine, that in taking over the negotiations himself he accused his agent of betrayal by misleading him about the level of interest from the Yankees.

Likewise, they say that Boras is reeling from the ego blow A-Rod dealt him by telling the world on “60 Minutes” he’s not even speaking to his agent these days.

“Yeah, (Boras) made his commission,” a prominent agent said this week, “but, come on, do you know how much money he has? With Boras it’s all about being king of the jungle, the most powerful agent and the toughest negotiator in the game.

“He loves being the guy that everyone in baseball fears. He wouldn’t for a minute concoct a plan that would diminish his reputation. His image as a god to the players is too important to him.

“A-Rod might not be the most popular guy in the game, but don’t think he didn’t do some serious damage to Boras’ image. He basically called the guy a lying weasel on national TV. Nobody in the business is shedding any tears for Boras, believe me, but he took a serious hit.”

Poor Boras... and the downward spiral continues:

For that matter, A-Rod detailed what many in baseball have suspected Boras of doing for years: keeping clients in the dark about negotiations as he goes about making the deal he wants to make.

“And Boras didn’t seem comfortable dealing with the Yankees about A-Rod once George Steinbrenner was out of the picture,” the person said. “He had a relationship with George, who always said that Boras was a tough but fair negotiator. But Hank and Hal (Steinbrenner) didn’t play up to him. Hal, especially, was tough with him. Boras didn’t like dealing with Hal.”

Whatever the reason, Boras took A-Rod down the opt-out path and it all blew up on him. His multi-million dollar commission apparently hasn’t healed all wounds. “He has tried to call more than once,” one person close to A-Rod said. “Alex hasn’t taken the calls.”

Hal is showing some pimp hand behind the scenes. And this comes after a recent report that Hal was the driving force behind the financial caution exercised on Johan Santana.

If Scotty B. is really down in the dumps, A-Rod deserves props for opting out of his business relationship with the Gordon Gecko of professional sports. Greed is good, but payback is better.

Report: A-Rod Drops Boras

According to reports from Variety Magazine, Alex Rodriguez has fired Scott Boras and will have entertainment agent Guy Oseary represent him. Oseary represents names like Madonna, Lenny Kravitz and David Blaine.

Guy Oseary, the former record company executive whose personal management stable includes Madonna, has signed his first athlete, Alex Rodriguez.

The New York Yankees third baseman, considered by many to be the game's top player, has signed with Oseary, who personally manages Lenny Kravitz and magician David Blaine in addition to Madonna. He is also a partner in Untitled Entertainment, whose clients include Hilary Swank, Penelope Cruz, Naomi Watts and Ashton Kutcher.

"As I embark on this new chapter in my career, I know that I have found in Guy Oseary someone who is aligned with my interests and who has earned a lot of respect in the entertainment industry," Rodriguez said in a statement.

For A-Rod this is a good move, in that it buries the source of his most recent controversy - Boras' supposed spearheading the opting out of his contract during the deciding game of the world series.

However, let's hope Rodriguez decides to use Oseary's services to advance himself both professionally and as a person - and not return to the artificial, packaged commodity he perpetrated until the 2007 spring training which saw him come clean about his chilly relationship with former best buddy Derek Jeter.

(Hat tip to Mark Feinsand and my bro)

Mo Will Accept 3-Year Deal

According to The Daily News and The New York Post, Mariano Rivera may accept the 3-year contract offer as soon as today - though the Post believes a Mo redux could wait until Turkey Day.

After returning from the Dominican Republic tonight, Mariano Rivera is going to huddle with his representatives tomorrow and according to several sources is expected to accept the Yankees' three-year, $45 million offer early next week.

As I said a few days ago, Hank Steinbrenner's unnecessary machismo would not go over well with a classy guy like Rivera. Lil' Stein should have kept his fat mouth shut, and The Post reports Mariano would agree:

The future Hall of Fame closer isn't happy about Hank Steinbrenner talking as much as he has about the contract offer that will make Rivera the highest paid closer by $4 million.

Once again, Hank, stop pretending you've been running this franchise for more than a month and reserve the wiseass comments for the Miguel Cairos of the world.

----

Tycoon Helped A-Rod Diss Boras

Meanwhile, it turns out Alex Rodriguez took the advice of an unusual friend in ditching his agent, Scott Boras. This unlikely source of knowledge used his $52 billion net worth to convince A-Rod to do so.

The imminent A-Rod deal now involves the billionaire Steinbrenner family, the biggest agent in professional sports, two money men from Goldman Sachs, the second wealthiest man on the planet and the best player in major league baseball.

That's a lot of dough involved with one piece of paper.

(Source)

Tough Offseason For Scotty Boras

First A-Rod tossed Scott Boras to the sidelines in favor of some money men from Goldman Sachs and now Kenny Rogers fired the uberagent, deciding instead to represent himself.

Free Agent Frenzy

Joel Sherman opines in his column today, that Alex Rodriguez may instruct his agent, the satanic Scott Boras, to avoid an using opt-out clause:

I believe Boras has begun the public bluff about just how many teams can allocate astronomical dollars as a way to lure the Yankees to bid against themselves. Because I think Alex Rodriguez wants to stay a Yankee. He has played in Seattle and Texas, so he knows this stage fits his legendary self-perception. For a man who obsesses on routine and preparation, Rodriguez has formed a comfort level with people, places and patterns that allow him to flourish as a Yankee.

My gut says, right now, Rodriguez wants Boras to make it happen at the highest possible price with the Yanks. That is why Boras has opened the imagination to what the Red Sox or Mets or Angels might pay, even if it is just his hypothesis or fantasy. The idea is to get the Yanks to bid, bid, bid when only they can bid.

More than citing unnamed sources or unsubstantiated rumor, Sherman is relying on a reporter's most important, fickle weapon. His gut.

Meanwhile in Texas, Rangers management is hoping and praying that Rodriguez decides to opt out, thereby suspending the multi-million dollar subsidy remaining on his contract.

A-Rod & Wrigleyville Continued

The rumor mill is in mid-Winter form. The NY Magazine article which sparked so much online interest was discussed Sunday night by, who else, Scott Boras. Resident Yankee village idiot, Randy Levine also offered his two cents on the topic.

Every sports page covered this "non-story." Newsday - Daily News - Bergen Record - Chicago Sun-Times.

Via the ESPN article:

"Great players with great demand create great rumors," Boras said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday night. "While I would enjoy having lunch with Mark Cuban and [John] Canning, at this point of the year that conversation would not include Alex Rodriguez. I have not talked to anyone."

Canning, chairman of private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC, is thought to be a favorite to buy the Cubs from Tribune Co., which is in the process of being purchased by an entity controlled by real estate investor Sam Zell. Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner, submitted an application to examine the Cubs' finances.

Speaking before Sunday's 7-5 win over Toronto, Rodriguez said the report was "nonsense," as far as he knew.

Yankees' executive Randy Levine also responded harshly to the magazine piece.

"It's a silly story, and we don't believe it," he told ESPN.com's Buster Olney on Sunday evening. "However, if it was true, it would be grounds to disqualify the applicant even before he went through the process, because it would demonstrate a disregard for major league rules and procedures, and we're confident the commissioner would feel the same way."

Levine later said he spoke to Bud Selig, and the commissioner agreed with Levine's interpretation of the story, and its possible implications. A player can neither have part ownership of a team nor negotiate for future ownership.

We'll have to wait and see if there is any merit to these Cubbie rumors, but would anyone be surprised if Boras utilized sinister, unethical business practices in order to gain leverage for a client? Especially when that client is his most cherished, most talented rainmaker of his agency.

As far as Levine, I would rather have the Yankee Stadium vendors step in for him and the 99 other Presidents, VP's and Assistant VP's that clog up the Yankees front office. Everytime I see Levine and his cronies overflow into a given press conference, I feel like I'm watching the "Greed is Good" speech from the film Wall Street.
_

A-Rod's Second City Rumblings

Alex Rodriguez to the Cubbies? New York Magazine reports that his agent, Scott Boras, has already opened talks with the potential new owner of the Chicago Cubs about a mega deal.

A new report says Alex Rodriguez’s agent has spoken to a potential new owner of the Chicago Cubs about a bank-breaking deal that could give A-Rod a cut of the team.

The powerful Yankee third baseman is eligible to opt for free agency 10 days after the World Series ends this fall. And, New York magazine reports, super-agent Scott Boras is already talking to who he thinks is the favorite group vying to purchase Chicago’s first-place team.

According to the magazine, Boras is peddling a Second City deal that could go for an average of $30 million a year over 10 seasons, with much of that cash backloaded for the 32-year-old Rodriguez - who would then be given the right to buy a chunk of the Cubs at the contract’s conclusion. The report does not indicate who would pay for this proposed, precedent-setting deal.

There will be a ton of these rumors swirling once the World Series concludes, but I didn't think serious speculation would begin so early. Looks like Mark Cuban will waste zero time making a big splash, should he call Wrigley home in the near future. There is a definite possibility that this entire story is simply "Boras Being Boras," drumming up the free agency drum a little early. If the story is true, isn't this just a tad bit of tampering going on?