Cheech Tremendous

Boras spent most of the season clamoring for $35-$40 million a year and anywhere from 10 to 12 years. General buzz from the two week negotiation period indicated that the teams that were interested were balking at a 7th and 8th year and were only offering $20-$25 million per. I think he went for the best deal possible before the market participants caught up to the fact that he could be had for a lot less money than most expected. This contract has the largest gross dollar amount and highest AAV of any contract in baseball history. There is no reason to continue to play the market like Boras usually does when his client just set the upper limit for all baseball contracts.

He was given full immunity for anything admitted during his testimony. The only charge he wasn't protected from was perjury. It's a moot point whether or not he actually admits to a crime because all information would have been (theoretically) sealed by the grand jury.

A-Rod turns down 8 years and $220 million from the Yankees, takes a huge public backlash from the fans and media, gets no firm offers from the market and ends up with $275-$300 million from the team he just left. I've said it before, but Boras is an absolute genius. He misread the free agent market for his client's services, saw the opportunity to land a contract for his prize client going up in smoke and somehow turned it into the largest contract in MLB history. I want this man to negotiate my next pay raise.

Plea deal? EDIT: Nevermind. If an indictment is issued, the grand jury is over and you can't hold Anderson on contempt charges any longer.

Is he as bad as Stephen A. Smith?

If Bonds had immunity for any statements made under oath, what incentive did he have to lie? The only harm that could have come out of those proceedings from admitting usage was a possible suspension from MLB. Otherwise, I'm not sure why you'd deny everything and set yourself up for possible imprisonment when there's no punishment from telling the truth.

The indictment includes four counts of perjury and one charge for obstruction of justice. I'm no lawyer, but I think a guilty verdict on any of these counts would likely bring years in prison.

From my quick reading of the indictment, it sounds like the government has evidence that Bonds has been using anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and other PEDs from about 2000 on. All the disputed testimony stems from statements on those subjects.

A copy of the Bonds indictment, filed today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco From the thesmokinggun.com EDIT: Mods - thread title should read "obstruction of justice" not "onstruction"

It was on the main page of espn.com today, as well as mentioned in Olney's blog and on WEEI. I don't know who broke the story, but it's been out there since yesterday afternoon that they wanted him to come play 1B.

Reports have the Yankees offering Mike Lowell a four year deal worth somewhere between $55 and $60 million. That's utter insanity.

This is a rather common mistake. Wow, can't believe I did that.

To the shock of no one, Jake Peavy wins the NL Cy Young unanimously.

Nah, he's not dead yet. Probably too weak to turn on his computer and type, though.

I think so too. It's a deal that probably makes both teams better in the short and long run. It's becoming increasingly apparent that Kobe just wants to be Jordan, with Deng as his Pippen. I don't think there's any other scenario that would satisfy him, be it with the Lakers or any other team.

Ric Bucher said that on a radio station earlier this week, but Chad Ford just said in his chat that it's completely false.

I have a kit. I've never used it.

Mariano Rivera wants four years guaranteed (Yanks have 3 years, $45 million on the table) and has instructed his agent to shop him around. Apparently Hank Steinbrenner (is this guy going to be worse than George?) made some disparaging comments about Mo's age that have potentially soured him on returning.

It's not a curse. It's the lack of pitching. The four championship teams had great starting pitching and a good bullpen. The team of the past four of five has not. The players they've acquired have mostly all performed to expectations, which has been reflected in the their regular season record. However, there isn't quite enough to differentiate them in the postseason. World Series win or not, the Yankees have probably had one of three best teams in baseball since they acquired A-Rod (with the Red Sox and Cardinals). The fact that they haven't won might just be bad luck associated with the random nature of the baseball postseason tournament.

At what point were there "known" grudges against Punk? Is it because 20 year vets happened to critique the indy style he worked and offered advice on how to improve? Or was it because they didn't push him as the star of the company from the moment he walked through the door and instead waited a year to put him on top of one of their brands? The whole notion of HHH and HBK being jealous of Punk or out to get him is a fabrication of internet fans with too much time on their hands.

Those two years are his age 41 and 42 seasons though. There's an infinitesimal chance he's worth $30 million a year by then.

The Yankees offered him a 5 year extension for $150 million on top of the 3 years and $81 million owed. That includes $21 million from Texas. Essentially, the whole package would have been 8 years and $210 million out of the Yankees' pockets. This new deal is presumably going to be ten years at a $275 million base that could go to $300 million with incentives. According to my math, they might have cost themselves as much as $90 million. I don't think they are getting him at a below market value. Of course we have no idea what happens in private negotiations, but the buzz seemed to be a 5 or 6 year deal at $25 million per was about all the market could bear. Boras has done it again. Taken a market with no real offers or bidders and turned it into the single largest contract in MLB history. Unreal.

Doesn't he have a full no trade clause? He still hits well, but I can't see many teams being that interested in him.

What was that guy doing? I really hang in the Out Of Play and History forums, but what is he, anti-ARod? I don't want to go to the bother of transcribing them here, but he basically had posts saying that Yankees looked brilliant in all of this and that Hank Steinbrenner was showing his genius as the new leader of the Yankees.

Oh, and Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yankees are still going hard after Mike Lowell with the intent of playing him at 1B. Don't know if they legitimately want him there or they are trying to run up the price for the Red Sox, but an interesting turn in this saga nonetheless.