I consider myself a patient man.
Usually.
OK, maybe not so much in traffic.
Or when I'm on the phone with people who want to tell me how biased the newspaper's coverage is.
But in general I like to think I operate on a pretty even keel.
But I have reached my limit with Bryce Harper.
Yes, I would love to see him in right field.
I think he could put up eye-popping numbers for the Phils, since he regularly tortured us. Citizens Bank Park is made for a left-handed slugger like him.
But I'm beyond tired of this song-and-dance he's doing.
It now appears Harper is left with two offers, a long-term deal with the Phillies that is worth more money in the long haul, or a short-term deal with the Dodgers that would give him more money right away.
We're not talking about millions here.
We're talking about hundreds of millions.
To play baseball.
It's at this time that I have to take a deep breath and remind myself of something I am always telling my wife.
She reads the papers when I get home and watches the news on TV and she is constantly perplexed by some of the things that routinely happen in this wacky world.
Her question is always the same. "How can they get away with that?"
My replay is always the same.
It has become something of my motto in life.
"Because they can."
Why is Harper and his agent holding up the Phillies and Dodgers like this?
Because they can.
Phillies' owner John Middleton brought this on himself. He said in the off-season he was going to spend "stupid money" to bring in free agents.
$300 million is pretty stupid.
He already lost out on the other top prize in this extravaganza when Manny Machado signed with the Padres. Now he's being held up by Harper.
I'd have more respect for Middletown if he called Harper's agent, Scott Boras, told him the team's final offers is on the table and issued a deadline for Harper to take it or the Phils are walking away.
Do they run the risk of losing Harper? Absolutely. But the Phillies already have had a pretty good off-season.
This thing has gone way past "stupid money." Now it's just stupid.
Comments