any info or articles based on this fanciful talk of zito,
though if we do somehow accomplish it;
getting zito, i will build a shrine to theo, and look to the east
on every game day.

any info or articles based on this fanciful talk of zito?
though if we do somehow accomplish it;
getting zito, i will build a shrine to theo, and look to the east
on every game day.

tim kirkjan on espn radio now saying he doesn't think they union will get in the way of the deal happening. reason being that it will be good for them to have a-rod play for boston. all sides still want it to get done, including the union. have confidence my friends.

it was a joke. j o k e

Zito is a joke that DD put on his website. Oakland is not going to trade Zito.

FWIW, ESPNews is going to kick to Gasbag soon. I heard Kurkjian say what seems to be the logical truth- that the union would NOT step in on this deal being signed. Think about it- it puts the largest contract in MLB in the biggest market- that can only help future signings. Its in their interest, even if rejiggered a little, to OK it. So ya. lets sit back and listen to Gasbags ramblings.

If nothing else this entire A-Rod deal has shot the credibility of every member of the Red Sox media and national baseball media. Almost to a man, every reporter..including Tim K, Peter G, Jayson Stark and so on....have all been on record as reporting this deal "done" and "dead".

None have credibility.

rsb

This is exactly my point. This is exactly what baseball needs to bring people back to the game. The game's biggest player, on its biggest stage: Red Sox vs. Yankees.... Jeter vs. A-Rod....

Can you imagine the ratings for last year's playoffs had A-rod been in Boston? The higher the ratings, the higher the players salaries. Which is the ONLY thing the Union cares about.

I trust Tim Kurkjian like I trust O.J. Simpson.

TK: "The Yankees ALWAYS win these kind of games."

(Yeah, Timm-eh? Always? Quick - how many rings does Donny Baseball have? Hmmm?)

RSB, while im not arguing in favor of their credibility, i would say this- is it inconceivable that at that juncture, the deal was, in fact, dead? I feel like this deal has no real precedent, and so its difficult to pin on these guys the failings to accurately read an ultimate outcome. I feel like theyre reporting, with an understood "FWIW", what thyre hearing. Yea, maybe they rationalize what theyre hearing into truth too often, but also, this has been a mercurial series of events, and you cant fault them for reporting along with what may likely have been very real progress on the talks.

Please update the rest of us on what gasbag says as I am unable to access espn news today. Damn, NESN.

Hey JTP, where is your Magglio pic?

Can someone post Gasbag's comments - I am stuck at my miserable job

You have to stick with the idea that they are doing this to save money.
In the end, they pay out less and avoid the luxury tax.
That's what restructuring ARod's contract is all about.
And what's taking all the time.

Hopefully, Hicks is smart enough to give just enough
so both sides save money. Or Boston may indeed walk away.

How does Ordonez fit into this picture?
Maybe they'll extend and restructure him, too.

This winds up being a deal where 4 superstars play musical chairs.
And Boston comes out ahead in talent.

I've been smirking to myself about how the morally superior tag team of McAdam and Mazz have had to deal with this whole hot stove season. From Grady to A-Rod, its been funny to see them go against popular opinion for no good reason other than to go against popular opinion. Both kind of threw themselves under the bus for a short while there. Maybe all of this will bring them down to Earth again...Well, McAdam atleast. Mazz might be too far off in orbit to save.

____________________________________________________________________

So if this someone falls through, anyone want to stake out a spot on the Tobin with me? That new bridge can be for the next generation. We're going out old school if need be!

Be thankful you have a job!!!

Did you see Gammon's face the other day on ESPNnews? At the end of his comments the camera was still on him for a sec or two and he looked disgusted that he again had to go on the air and speculate some more...

It was quite humorous.

agreed job - good, im listening to espnews now and they are jabbering about freaking state taxes - that's the hold up?

Oh yes, let me count the ways....

It patently wrong to report the "deal is dead" last Friday, as Gammons did. I understand that this is an incredibly complex and unique situation...and these are negotiations. But thats the point. Why doesn't Gammons and company realize that such negotiations are subject to hot and cold periods...posturing...positioning...ultimatums and bogus deadlines?

To come out at the first "cooling" period and proclaim it dead is ludicrous. Didn't we all know that the talks weren't finished Friday? I did.

And when the sides get together again Sunday and Monday, how do you proclaim it as "done in 36 hours".

So far both reports were completely wrong. It wasn't dead...and it isn't done.

Why not admit that you are as clueless as the rest of us. Why not say...we'll know then John Henry tells us? Why pretend some knowledge that you don't really have?

rsb

Would you rather be un-employed like some people who have been for over 1 to 2 years?

Doubt it highly.

Kurkjian and Patrick are leading me to believe that the negotiations right now are hung up on a 5 million dollar insurance payment on A-Rod's contract. I'm not sure if the questions surrounding it are who has to pay it, can it be deferred, or what not. . .but that's where it's at according to those two noise makers. . .

THIS DEAL WILL GET DONE TOMORROW. MARK MY WORDS.

~Nostradamus

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say that Kim has langauge and cultural issues?

Is that a one time payment or a yearly, length of contract payment?

I didn't see that ESPNews report but Texas is a rare state w/o any state taxes, so 5% here in MA will put a small dent in his pocket....

fair point. i think gasbag's major downfall is when he has valid rumor, he seemingly sticks his own validation on the end with little tidbits that are patently false and specualtive (36 hours, etc). SO i agree with you on that. i still say calling the deal dead is just them being wrong- which they may have been lead to do. Maybe we just need to treat these guys less like actual journalists and more like weathermen. if theyre wrong- well shit, its part of the job, being wrong.

So, if your not from this country and don't speak english you can get a kitchen pass on maturity?

Are we to believe that BK didn't know what he was doing when he flipped off the crowd? Being an asshole is the same in any culture.

I believe that is a one time payment that Hicks wants.

The 5 million per year had to do with paying off Manny's contract so Hicks could waste more money on wrestling ppv's in Venezuela or where ever he wastes his money nowadays.

Sorry for the delay; Kevin just sent me an e-mail and alerted me to the question!

We haven't done enough reporting to say definitively what the Red Sox might or might not do. This is my opinion, and ONLY my opinion:

I think both sides are too far out on the limb -- they've gone too far on this thing -- to turn back. I think they're going to have to make this work, somehow, and that they will.

Plus, everyone except the union wants it to happen. And at that the union doesn't NOT want it to happen; it merely doesn't want the value of Rodriguez' contract to be lessened (in its view).

I don't know when it will get settled, but I think it will.

And that's just my opinion!

Espnews has Gasbag at the top of the hour with breaking news - or in other words what we have been jawing about here for hours...hold your breath!

The obvious way to get around A-Rod restructuring his contract? I'm glad you asked...

Simply pay him is current contracted amount. Then have him give a check to the Jimmy Fund for 5 million a year. Then the Red Sox give the Jimmy Fund 5 million less every year. Or something to that affect. I don't know if the Sox donate 5 mill to the Jimmy Fund but you catch my drift.

Definately not. I am very glad in all honesty that I have had no job security issues during this horrendous economy.

Now, would I rather be back in college, where my biggest resposibility was to pick up the kegs? Hell Yes

Let me beat Gammons. The breaking news will be that Hicks has set a 6:30 deadline...which is great since MLB has already set a 5PM deadline.

blah blah blah....we will still know nothing.

rsb

If it's a one time $5 million dollar payment, I have the perfect solution, thet each pay 2.5 million. Problem solved. Please,I do not think 2 billionaires will miss it, do you?

Why can't we get ESPN news where I am- MA? Is it because of NESN?

contract reject - gammons talked to someone involved - more work to do - things betwixed JH and TH got ugly at midnight - lots of things can be done - orza - boras - gammons i believe it will get done - too far to go back - Sox want Mags badly - in the end there is a way - proof of player benny's for the union - on and on and on

Gammons Claims Bud Selig set the deadline NOT Hicks.

Schillondahill

So, the Red Sox seem to be making this deal with the Players Union--
and not the Rangers?

Which tells you what MLB has come to.

The money part of this sport is a joke.

Get ARod. Restructure his contract, and take the Union to court.

I've read the Commisioner's deadline, by the way, is Thursday.
Maybe the PU changed it.

JH, get it over with and pay ARod the money, have one of those father son Fenway catches every weekend there is no home game at Fenway, you will make the money back in no time.

A team with A Rod and Magglio is a better team than a team with Nomar and Manny.

Don't let the greatest thing that has ever happened to this team fall apart.

DO WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THE DEAL DONE!

Gammons also says CWS would keep Nomar, not send him to LA...

It's ninety minutes later than it was before. While it may not be much, it's a start. After all, the last time a deadline got slipped, we got Schilling.

For all most of us know, flipping the bird to someone in Korea is not a big deal or perhaps one of his teammates told him to do it. I'm inclined to find other explanations than simply labeling him as immature when it comes to someone who has been transplanted into a culture vastly different than the one he grew up in, especially one where there is also a huge language barrier.

DD...are you kidding us with JH signing Zito? Or is this the truth? I can't take the suspense anymore...its driving me crazy.

I just wanted to say that the Schilling deal was supposedly dead on the night of Thanksgiving, but they ended up pushing through and got it done.

As much as I'm worried I'm not worried because we got the BDD getting us the 411 and there's no way he would be wrong about this one, given the fact he said he'd shutdown if he was.

Deadlines?

There's the Selig deadline.
And the Hicks deadline.
And the Orza deadline.

Anybody want to set a deadline?

Go for it.

It's not the culture. Unless hitting a photographer in Korea is widely accepted. Kim has maturity issues, which don't happen to be a huge deal, IMHO.

Make no mistake, the problem with Kim is his maturity. The man speaks alot more English than he lets on. He has been here 5 years and knows the culture. I have some experience with the Korean culture as my dad has lived there for the last 4 1/2 years and the finger means the same thing here as it does there ...... Just out of curiosity, did BK sleep during the game in his locker like he used to in AZ? I can't put it any other way, but to say that BK is a head case. He hasn't grown up to be a Major Leaguer in the 5 years he has been here, and I find it hard to believe he will anytime soon.

Schillondahill

I know DD is kidding us with Zito but I'm getting nervous about the AROD deal. I know it will get done but I thought it would have been done by now. Help us out DD...what's going on?

........That's right DD, pressure's on!

F5, F5, F5, F5, F5, F5, F5 my middle finger is being put to good use right now...Oh and at MFY games as well, but in a different kind of way...the BK bird you might say. > =