Patrick Hruby’s always-entertaining Week in Review quiz this week features a fun essay question about AO’s new contract… his proposed answer is after the break.
Essay Question: Washington Capitals winger Alexander Ovechkin agreed to a $124 million, 13-year contract extension, working out the details himself in negotiations with team owner Ted Leonsis and general manager George McPhee.
In 800 words or less, justify the continuing existence of Scott Boras and/or Drew Rosenhaus.
Answer: Any variation on “because who else would have the sheer brass to compare [St. Louis Cardinal] Rick Ankiel to Babe Ruth or utter the phrase ‘next question!’ with such oily conviction?” is acceptable.
6 Comments
The comparison is ridiculous. Boras and Rosenhaus would have gotten Alex much, much more than 5% over the life of this deal. The last 7 years are going to be a great deal for the Caps with even small revenue growth for the NHL.
-d
I could see the argument, especially in the salary cap, guaranteed contract era, that the elite superstars don’t need an agent in the NHL.
Certainly the “middle class” can use an agent to get them, say, a Brian McCabe-type deal.
And the Brooks Laichs of the league certainly could use help to get that extra 50, 100, 200K. (Query though whether the fees paid to the agent are worth it in the latter case.)
The Week In Review quiz and the essay question are just meant for laughs (see below for a few more sample questions); egomaniacs Rosenhaus and Boras are easy and deserving targets. But since those two generally represent big-name clients so they can get face time on TV, they’re unlikely to care about helping mid-level or low-level talents since the fees & publicity wouldn’t be worth their while.
More fun:
7. Roger Clemens told “60 Minutes” he deserves the benefit of the doubt regarding steroid allegations because:
(a) He has been playing baseball for “24, 25 years”
(b) Steroids help athletes train harder and recover from injuries more quickly, two factors that could come in handy during a power pitching career spanning a quarter of a century, hypothetically speaking
(c) Just A
8. Clemens also told “60 Minutes” he was “shocked” that:
(a) Former teammate, close friend and training partner Andy Pettitte used HGH
(b) New York fans are unhappy with Isiah Thomas; oil prices went up; the Miami Heat lost again; Spears did something crazy; President Bush called Iran a “threat to world peace”
(c) The Earth continued to rotate on its axis, producing another day/night cycle
(d) It’s not butter!
Maybe Boras or Rosenhaus could’ve gotten Ovie a no movement clause. Bonehead move by Ovechkin not to have that added in there.
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Wouldn’t an “approved team” trade list be more valuable to a player than a no-trade clause?
That way either side has a mutually acceptable way out.
Ovechkin also helped the Caps out. Any player wants a huge contract and McPhee can say “Your name isn’t Ovechkin. do you really think you’re going to get that much?”
As long as the salary cap goes over $50m, the Caps save money by having Ovechkin be less than 20% which several teams would have offered if it had come to an offer sheet.
An agent probably would have made this whole deal less amiable and the sides would have floudered.
Does an agent have a place? Sure. But not in this deal.
If Alex did have an agent for the negotiations, how much of that $124 would have gone to the agent, versus the couple grand he probably spent on the lawyer just to make sure the contract was legit?
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