UPDATED! It’s the Baseball Winter Meetings. It’s not hard to find anglers, liars, crooks and agents. Oh, and there are some wheelers and dealers amongst the general manager and front office types as well. And the reporters are like lions looking for fresh meat.
Here’s the best one we’ve heard so far today: The esteemed Los Angeles Times has a reporter named Mike DiGiovanna who has inked this story reporting that the Orioles have bandied a 9-year, $180 million deal in front of Maryland’s prime catch this week, Mt. St. Joe grad Mark Teixeira. But get this: he also reports that the Washington Nationals have offered him TEN years and $200 million. (Either way, it’s you and me footing the $3 a month bill to MASN to give Peter Angelos the money he so richly deserves for owning both media markets.)
ESPN has followed with this story putting the Orioles offer to Teixeira at $150 million. Hey, it’s only a $30 million swing?
Meanwhile, The Sun says it’s “between $140 and $150 million.”
So, again, this could be Scott Boras and his group of thugs — hey, he got $252 million from Tom Hicks for Alex Rodriguez when the next bidder was at $180 million — driving up the mythical price.
It would be completely out of the realm of Peter Angelos’ latest moves to believe that this is accurate. But, again, we’re not in the prediction business when it comes to the Orioles. Or the Nationals for that matter. There’s no precedent in this case.
Other than Cal Ripken, Maryland hasn’t produced a talent like Teixeira in this generation. So, who knows what the old man is doing besides counting his money from MASN?
Maybe ’tis the season for giving the Orioles fans some hope? Perhaps, Teixeira will be an Oriole by the weekend. Or maybe not.
But you must admit, the L.A Times knows how to sell a hot rumor. And they also know that Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (or whatever they’re called this week), reads the local fishwrap. And the Boston Red Sox crew must be reeling from the C.C. Sabathia blockbuster in the Bronx today.
Who’s zooming who? That’s what makes hot stove so much fun. The lies, the damned lies and the liars who make it all happen.
It’s Las Vegas. Why not play a little poker, right?
