It’s been said a million times, so much so that it has colored our vision of pro athletes.
It’s always about the money.
And when they say it’s not about the money, you know it’s REALLYs about the money.
Not anymore.
Cliff Lee changed all that. The ace left-hander did something that almost no athlete does these days. Listening, Jayson Werth?
Lee took less money and fewer years in his blockbuster decision to re-sign with the Phillies.
Why?
On the whole, Lee would rather be in Philadelphia.
This is coming as a cruel slap in the face to many New Yorkers, who are unaccustomed to pro athletes turning up their nose at the big money Big Apple teams routinely shower on these stud jocks.
The Yankees are believed to have offered Lee $150 million to come to Gotham.
Lee said thanks, but no thanks, and instead left $30 million on the table to take a $120 million dollar, five year deal with the Phillies.
That sound you just heard was jaws dropping all across the sports landscape.
Lee did something you simply don’t see done anymore. He walked away from the money.
Some reports indicate he was influenced by his wife, who was none too pleased to be harassed – and actually spit on – during the Texas Rangers ALCS matchup in Yankee Stadium.
So Lee returns to the team that traded him away just a year ago. He joins Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels to form one of the most fearsome pitching foursomes ever assembled by a major league team.
He also did something else. He made Philly the sports center of the universe.
Move over, New York. There’s a new kid in town.
Lee’s return will likely become official this afternoon, after he passes a physical and is unveiled at an expected afternoon press conference.
Ya gotta be-Lee-ve!
For years Philadelphia, home of the most passionate sports fans in the nation, has labored in the shadow of New York City.
Not anymore.
That’s just one other thing Lee has taught us.
It’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s about family, and home.
And sometimes, very rarely, you can go home again.
It’s always about the money.
And when they say it’s not about the money, you know it’s REALLYs about the money.
Not anymore.
Cliff Lee changed all that. The ace left-hander did something that almost no athlete does these days. Listening, Jayson Werth?
Lee took less money and fewer years in his blockbuster decision to re-sign with the Phillies.
Why?
On the whole, Lee would rather be in Philadelphia.
This is coming as a cruel slap in the face to many New Yorkers, who are unaccustomed to pro athletes turning up their nose at the big money Big Apple teams routinely shower on these stud jocks.
The Yankees are believed to have offered Lee $150 million to come to Gotham.
Lee said thanks, but no thanks, and instead left $30 million on the table to take a $120 million dollar, five year deal with the Phillies.
That sound you just heard was jaws dropping all across the sports landscape.
Lee did something you simply don’t see done anymore. He walked away from the money.
Some reports indicate he was influenced by his wife, who was none too pleased to be harassed – and actually spit on – during the Texas Rangers ALCS matchup in Yankee Stadium.
So Lee returns to the team that traded him away just a year ago. He joins Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels to form one of the most fearsome pitching foursomes ever assembled by a major league team.
He also did something else. He made Philly the sports center of the universe.
Move over, New York. There’s a new kid in town.
Lee’s return will likely become official this afternoon, after he passes a physical and is unveiled at an expected afternoon press conference.
Ya gotta be-Lee-ve!
For years Philadelphia, home of the most passionate sports fans in the nation, has labored in the shadow of New York City.
Not anymore.
That’s just one other thing Lee has taught us.
It’s not always about the money. Sometimes it’s about family, and home.
And sometimes, very rarely, you can go home again.
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