Two People I Dislike

Well let's get right down to discussing my "Dicklickers of the Week"

1. Scott Boras: OK, I get it. You are supposed to do everything you can to get as much money for your client as possible. That is your one and only job as an agent. At the same time, this guy is acting like a complete douche. Boras needs to stop operating in fantasyland with respect to Manny Ramirez. Reports indicate that Scotty is still operating under the assumption that Manny has a shot at landing a four to five year deal at over $20 mil./per year. This despite the fact that only one team has offered him a contract. The Dodgers did the right thing here by offering 2/$45mil. They offered a completely fair deal and set the bar in negotiations (there are also rumors that they at least strongly considered going to 3/$60). In fact, they set the bar so high that no other team has expressed any real interest in signing Manny at all. What did Boras do? He didn't even pick up the phone to respond to that offer. Then, after seeing every other team in baseball back off, he came back to the Dodgers and AGAIN insisted on a four to five year deal. He continues to try and stir up interest and teams (Angels, Giants, etc.) continue to deny having any interest (especially at the pricetag the Dodgers have set as a starting point for negotiations). Pull your head out of your ass Scotty and get this shit done. Nobody is going to offer what the Dodgers have (the Yankees are done spending on offense, the Angels have outfielders, and even the shit teams like the Nationals that may want to make a splash won't spend what the Dodgers have offered). I'm the first to admit the Dodgers need to resign Manny, if only for the sake of perception (it wouldn't suck if he hits .390+ with a ton of jacks either) but Boras is making this less and less likely with his idiocy. Get the fucking deal done before Frank/Ned do something stupid and move on (at which point your client will be stuck with Adam Dunn's leftovers from some team like the Texas Rangers).

2. Frank McCourt (and the minions who do his bidding): This one is even more irritating because, unlike Boras, this guy is responsible for making the Dodger franchise better (Boras is just looking to get his guys paid). Rumors are that the Dodgers made an operating profit of as much as $50 mil. last year (in a field, sports ownership, where profits are rarely if ever expected since guys make their money through asset appreciation). They draw in the neighborhood of 4 million fans every year (at or near the top in all of baseball) despite not exactly being a consistent winner the last 20 years. The franchise has appreciated in value hundreds of millions of dollars since McCourt bought the team. $50 million dollars have come off the payroll with the departure of guys like Lowe, Penny, Nomar, Mustache, and assorted others (this number doesn't even include the savings incurred by recently restructuring Andruw Jones' contract). What have the Dodgers done with this financial windfall? Jack fucking shit. We re-signed Casey Blake and picked up Mark Loretta (for less than what we were paying fajita-slinging super utility-man Nomar Garciaparra by himself). We re-signed Rafael Furcal at a paycut. And, oh yeah, we picked up the twice-released pitcher Claudio Vargas for the league minimum. Let me just say, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!! I don't want to hear any shit about "economic uncertainty" either. That is just owner speak for "opportunity to be cheap without hurting our public image." I don't see too many empty seats in the Staples Center during these "trying times." The economic "crisis" is being overblown generally, but even more so in the sports world. The only impact it has had is in allowing cheap owners to be even cheaper. I don't often agree with anything Warren Buffett says (since he voluntarily associates with pelican rapist Charlie Munger), but he was right on when he said you act greedy when others are scared. As Mr. Falcon pointed out to me in a private TQ...ViG teleconference, the Dodgers could pick up Manny, Dunn, and Ben Sheets and still have money left over from their surplus. Instead we are letting proven relievers like Beimel and Saito leave in order to save a few million while picking up Vargas. Oh, I almost forgot, we offered a deal to 41 year old closer Trevor Hoffman. McCourt has heard of him, so you know this move is going to fire up the fans. In short, this is a rare opportunity to buy good players at a significant discount (this economic issue ain't going to be an issue come next offseason if you ask me) and the Dodgers, instead of seizing the opportunity, are using it as an excuse to be cheap. And don't give me the youth movement crap as a justification for this. Nobody is talking about jettisoning talented young players. This site has long been a proponent of the Kemp, Martin, Ethier, Loney, Kershaw, et. al contingent on the team. However, just because these guys are good doesn't mean any donkey you bring up from the minors is going to succeed. You need to spend money to surround this young nucleus with enough talent to win. Even if you are worried about having to pay these guys in the future, you can sign guys to short-term deals now without jeopardizing your ability to keep your home-grown core when they come due for a raise. Instead, we are hoping guys like McDonald, Elbert, and DeWitt (although I'm semi-OK with him playing 2nd) will produce in expanded roles merely because they are cheaper than a proven alternative. Fuck cheap-ass Frank McCourt.