Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Are They or Aren’t They Marketable Milestones?


Keeping in mind that I am far from a lawyer and sometimes guilty of living in an oversimplified black and white world when the world we live in is anything but that you have to wonder if Alex Rodriguez has any chance of winning this impending fight with the New York Yankees over his $6 million marketing milestone bonus for tying Willie Mays on the all-time home run list. If I understand this correctly, and I believe I do because I researched this for hours over the past few weeks, the contract that Rodriguez signed with these $6 million bonuses for tying Mays, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds and eventually passing Bonds was a separate contract from his player contract, it was a marketing contract, and you have to wonder if the Yankees don’t have a point about the lack of marketability surrounding Rodriguez.

Again, from what I understand the Yankees were going to pay Alex for the rights to the videos and images of his historic home run which was evidently clearly expressed in the terms of the contract. Again, being pretty black and white, you would think this is a pretty cut and dry case. If the Yankees don’t want to own or use the videos and images when the home run occurs then why would they want to pay for them? If this was written into his MLB mandated guaranteed player contract that would be another story but you cannot write in milestones and accomplishments like that into your player contract according to the collective bargaining agreement. Alex can sue and the Players Union can get involved, and this will get ugly once again before it gets resolved, but I can’t see Mr. Rodriguez getting this one out of the Yankees unfortunately.

ESPN made an interesting point on Sunday night when they were talking about it and it makes you wonder if the Yankees and Alex would be willing to meet in the middle somewhere and avoid another black eye to the organization. No one comes out the good guy if the Yankees refuse to pay Rodriguez and Rodriguez files a grievance but there is one way for everyone to come out on top here. Donate the $6 million to a charity and let the marketability of Rodriguez feed the children of New York City or something like that. Doesn’t that seem like something maybe a certain someone, *cough* Derek Jeter *cough*, would do?


I don’t pretend to know Rodriguez’s financial situation and he may very well need the money but honestly he should have thought about that before doing steroids the second time. I’m the biggest A Rod fan you will meet but I don’t let that blind me to the facts and blind me to what is right and wrong. Rodriguez screwed up and he paid his time and the Yankees don’t see him as marketable to the general media anymore, and if you have listened to any of his at bats on the road this season you would know that they are correct. Rodriguez can take his losses and gain something from it by avoiding lighting the Bronx on fire once again and maybe wins back a few fans in the process. It’s probably not worth $6 million to him but in the end it could mean so much more so do the right thing A Rod and show the world your human side once again. 

4 comments:

  1. I for one don't like what A-Rod did with the talent he has and had, in fact, I hate it and will never forgive him for doing something he need not have done. The Yankees had a HARD drug user band time and again, but kept bringing him back, we had Andy and Jason both were forgiven and there were others we have no knowledge of using PEDs.
    A-Rod has talents that are the best I have seen since The great Mickey Mantle and I have seen them both from their first days with the Yankees.
    The guy let his Ego get in the way of his God-given talents, he is not the first nor will he be the last. But his talent is what the Yankees are paying him for, not his privet life. He is clean now and still producing at 39 years old and having a year plus off...how many could do that?
    One can hate the man but love the Talent and he is a Yankee...that is enough for me!
    He has done more than enough to pay for his crime...and those that want him banned from baseball, get a life, one would have to ban about a 3rd of the league's best players from the last 6 years. Bonds, McG, Sosa, Big Papi, just to start.
    Pay the man what you out bidded yourself for, he is showing more class than the Yankees have in the last 4 years

    ReplyDelete
  2. Daniel, I think if there is "Bronx on fire once again" as you put it. I think it will be because the Yankees are the ones that are the ones at fault, not A-Rod! A-Rod has done nothing but played baseball and not once has he done anything but help the team win games. He is not the one that brought up anything about the bonus, nor has he said anything about it. The Yankees will lose in arbitration and make their own Black-eye, not A-Rod. When he hits that 660th home run believe me, the fans will and are buying his stuff and will later.
    Just my opinion!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yankees are going to very much be to blame for this one and they don't even realize it. They are prepared to squabble with A Rod over essentially $9 million, $6 million in salary and $3 million hit on the luxury tax, when the team is worth $3.2 Billion.

      Delete
    2. Amen to that...classless Yankees ownership, not the team!

      Delete

Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)