My friend Mike has decided that he is done with Major League Baseball. The reasons, he says, is Manny Ramirez.
“Here we face the biggest financial crisis in years,” he told me this morning, “and he’s getting $45 million guaranteed.”
Yep. But it’s not $45 million. It appears to be at least $60 million — though I suspect there will be a team out there that will guarantee him a cool $100 million for four years. Ouch.
My friend Demetri, however, may have a solution that will get Manny his cash, while also helping with the meltdown of the financial sector.
I got it, the US Treasury should sign Ramirez and work out a revenue sharing deal with MLB. He could be rotated among various teams and a portion of “Manny Games” revenue could go toward buying up the banks’ toxic debt. I think that this is win-win for all involved, especially Manny and his ego.
But why limit this to Manny? How about CC Sabathia — who the Yankees reportedly plan to offer something in the neighborhood of $150 million over six years — or one of the other, high-profile free agents?
It’s a win-win, as Demetri says. The plan is out there, now it’s up to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to make it work.
Hank Kalet 