J.D. Drew left the Dodgers in somewhat controversial fashion after the end of the 2006 season. He opted out of his contract and many observers felt that he and his agent, Scott Boras, had already secured a sweetheart deal with Boston before Drew was actually free to negotiate with other teams. Drew claims that he wanted to stay with L.A. but Dodger GM Ned Coletti had some harsh words about the outfielder and that pushed him to explore other options.
"Absolutely. We told them up front when we opted out that they were on top of the list, and we wanted to keep the channels open and talk about re-signing there. But after I opted out, they really showed no interest. The thing with me is we were looking for some job security, and I know where the Dodgers were heading, and I didn’t want to become trade bait at some point down the road, and those were things that were very important to me, and it seemed like they didn’t want to pursue any of those avenues. So they moved on, and I kind of had to do the same thing. The things that disappointed me were some of things Ned said. He called me not a man of my word, a hypocrite, those things. I could have very much understood if I had ever looked him in the eye and told him I would never explore the option in my contract. At the time I talked to Ned, and I still feel this way greatly about LA: I loved playing there, I loved where I lived and would have loved to have stayed if we had come to an agreement. I never once brought up the option to Ned, we never ever talked about the option. He never once said, ‘Hey, you’ve got an option in your contract. Are you happy here?'"
Boras saw what was happening with the market and he knew his client well enough to know that Drew would do anything to make a few million more dollars. He did it when the Phillies drafted him and he did it again this winter. He whines about wanting more job security, I can see how three years and $33 million would make a man feel insecure about his future, and then signed with a team that turns players faster than Justin Timberlake turns over bed partners.
- If Josh Hamilton, the embattled former first overall pick of the Devil Rays, makes the Reds it's a nice story although the Dayton Daily News may be overrating the importance of a handful of spring training games. "Cincinnati Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton, fast becoming a legend on a level of The Natural," is their lede for today's article.
- "Our approach to our business is we're looking to pick up where we left off," manager Jim Tracy says. Prepare yourself, Pirate fans, for another 67-win season.
- Gary Sheffield isn't letting a change in teams stop him from weighing in on Yankee camp. “Alex is going to have the best year he’s had since he’s been here. I think what he did -- he stood up -- that’s going to get him over the top because he expressed how he really felt. He was honest, and that goes a long way. I guarantee when he went home, it was a peaceful night because he really wanted to say these things a long time ago.”
- As for A-Rod, “But I made a very strong decision to stay in New York,” he said. “It’s probably a little tough on me, but I love playing in New York. It’s a privilege to play with this uniform on every day.” See Drew comments above and remember this when A-Rod opts out after this season.
- How did Rockie pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez grade his performance against the Rangers? "My changeup was unbelievable and I threw my curve good," said the 23-year-old from the Dominican. How did the Rangers grade him? They had four hits and three runs in one inning so Jimenez must not have been using either of those pitches in that frame.
- Casey Fossum was also high on his performance in a batting practice session at Devil Ray camp. He "didn't hit anybody."
- Carlos Delgado is a believer in Shawn Green's quest to recover his power and swing. "I’d like to believe it’s like riding a bike. You don’t forget. Sometimes you’ve got to think a little bit to get back to where it was." Green's 0-for-10 in the spring.
- The Dodgers can't catch the ball, 14 errors in six games, but Grady Little's not worried. "However you want to look at it, it's the first week of spring training."
- And, finally, Lou Piniella reminds us that snap judgements made in the spring aren't always positive ones. "I've only been here four days, but I certainly don't like what I see. I'm being truthful. There's a whole lot of work to do. But I guess that's why we're in spring practice."
(AP Photo/Brita Meng Outzen)
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