When I heard that the most coveted free agent pitcher in baseball, left hander Cliff Lee had signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, I was, as a lifelong baseball fan, ecstatic.
Now, I know, we old school baseball fans really don't like the way piles and piles of cash have taken over the game, but in going to the Phillies, where he pitched in 2009, Lee has made a choice for himself, and where he feels comfortable.
Yes, he could have gone back to the Texas Rangers, a place he loved to play also, but he also turned down the mighty and powerful OZ, er, the New York Yankees, who threw everything they could, even the clubhouse sink, to get Lee.
OK< Lee did get $120 Million over 5 years, and that's still a pi;e of cash, but it's still not as much as the Yankees offered, and that's why I applaud Lee.
For many years now, players have gone for the big pile of money, but they always said the money wasn't the reason they signed.
They stated things like school systems for their kids, even though they could afford to send their kids to any school in America.
Remember, Mike Hampton in Colorado?
In 2001, Alex Rodriguez went to the Texas Rangers as a $250 Million dollar free agent, stating he really liked where the Rangers were headed.
Where they were headed was the bottom of the American League West, and after 3 years with the lowly Rangers, he demanded a trade out of Texas, and the cash rich Yankees came calling.
I know players have a right to make money, but they also have a responsibility to act like adults, and explain why they went to a certain team.
We know it was for the money, just say so.
Cliff Lee got paid a lot of money today, but he did what he wanted to do, and said so.
He didn't want to play in New York, or in Texas.
He wanted to go back to Philly, the place where he felt comfortable.
Thanks Cliff Lee, I applaud you.
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