Amalie Benjamin,
Globe:
The Red Sox and closer Jonathan Papelbon have agreed to a one-year deal worth $775,000.
That's more than closer Bobby Jenks got with a similar amount of service time, as he signed a $550,000 contract. Papelbon was looking for a deal in the range of $900,000 ... but he got a significant bump over his $425,550 salary from last season.
Michael Silverman,
Herald:
Jonathan Papelbon should be happy becoming the highest-paid reliever with two-plus years of service time ever after agreeing to terms for a 2008 contract.
The one-year deal is worth $775,000, according to a baseball source, breaking the $750,000 benchmark set by Mariano Rivera with the Yankees before the 1998 season.
The salary is the second-highest ever for a pitcher with two-plus years of experience. Ismael Valdez was signed by the Dodgers for $900,000 in 1997.
The team and Dustin Pedroia agreed on a 2008 salary of $457,000; FY made the MLB minimum of $380,000 last year.
$750,000 in 1998 dollars is worth something like $950,000 today. So it's not really more than Rivera got.
ReplyDeleteSqueaky wheels and all that. What are the odds he remembers when he hits free agency?
ReplyDeleteNot trying to be an advertising hooligan or anything, but is anyone interested in Fantasy Baseball? My buddy and I have a league going in Yahoo and theres some spots if anyone is interested.
ReplyDeleteI still feel like a giant sack of dick for posting this, but oh well.
"And Tim's 'Giant Sack of Dick' squad is your 2008 Fantasy League World Champion!"
ReplyDeleteTim--have you seen the Louis CK comedy special? (He talks about a bag o' dicks.)
I thought for a moment - Maybe the compromise will show some good faith that will help when FA talk starts.
ReplyDeleteBut Phrenile's right - it won't mean shit
I still feel like a giant sack of dick for posting this, but oh well.
ReplyDeleteAs well you should. :)
Isn't two championships in four years enough fantasy for you?
"Isn't two championships in four years enough fantasy for you?"
ReplyDeleteAmen! I did fantasy leagues in the late-80s, where you'd get actual (snail) mailed reports on your team and stuff. And I did some leagues with my friends in school. But we all came into it as die-hard fans of our real teams, and wouldn't pick any rival players for our then-called "rotisserie" teams. It seems like now people's fantasy team IS there favorite team, to the point where you'll have the guy next to you at Fenway Park cheering for a player on the other team because he's "on my fantasy team". (A fact he'll bring up a thousand times during the game.) Obviously, Tim is the type who has a favorite "real" team, but some people, I tells ya....
When I saw Bill Lee speak a few weeks ago--some guy asked a question about whether the steroids thing will affect his fantasy team. Many people in the room gave a knowing laugh, like, Hey, we can all relate to that. And the dude probably thought, This'll make Bill laugh, I'm a funny guy like he is. But Lee quickly said, "Don't do that, get off your couch and play baseball for real."
(Of course, that kind of goes for people who sit on their couch following a real team, but it was still funny.)
heh, definitely haven't seen the special. something did tell me that i wasn't the first person to come up with that.
ReplyDeleteand Laura, Laura, Laura...two championships in four years is no fantasy - it's damn reality!
I thought the expression was "bowl of dicks".
ReplyDeleteExample: "Hank S. can go eat a bowl of dicks."
It seems like now people's fantasy team IS there favorite team, to the point where you'll have the guy next to you at Fenway Park cheering for a player on the other team because he's "on my fantasy team". (A fact he'll bring up a thousand times during the game.)
ReplyDeleteYeah I know what you mean, seems pretty foolish to me and you won't even hear me doing that.
I think the entire notion of Fantasy leagues are being taken far too seriously, and the main reason that I'm involved in this one is because the guy who invited me to join is an A-Rod/Yankee fan and, as you all know, I'm not going to back down from that.
and Laura, Laura, Laura...two championships in four years is no fantasy - it's damn reality!
ReplyDeleteAre you sure?? Did that really happen????
Damn! We are SO GREAT!!!
Oh, it happened. You'd better believe it happened. And if you don't believe it happened - just wait until 3 in 5, and you WILL BELIEVE!
ReplyDelete[gotta cut it short there - i feel like im starting to embody one of them TV preachers from the deep south]
[gotta cut it short there - i feel like im starting to embody one of them TV preachers from the deep south]
ReplyDeleteJust look outside. You'll know right away you ain't in any kinda south. (Except southern Ontario!)
The snow mountains next to our driveway are now taller than me.
I am short, but still.